CURRENT LOCATION : 04/05/24 Denver, CO

https://www.instagram.com/the.embodied.man/

If you think you can or think you can’t you’re right
- Henry Ford

I am a movement and Contact Improvisation Teacher and my main focus in life is researching and playing within these lenses of art and movement. To allow for a better quality of life. To learn how to connect and attune better to myself and others. To allow improvisation to be a tool of adaptation as well as curiosity and creating art.

I love to travel, be in nature especially waterfalls and make new connections. My intention is to always have a beginners mind set. The universe is my teacher and am always open to learning and growing.

May all sentient beings have happiness and the root of happiness.

May they be free of suffering and the root of suffering.

May they never be separated from the highest bliss which is without suffering.

May they come to rest in the great impartiality which is free of attachment and aversion to those near and far.

*Repeat 3 times

I say the following every time before sitting to meditate....This is a practical tool you can use by reciting it in your daily life.

Metta Sutta

This is what should be done By one who is skilled in goodness, And who knows the path of peace:

Let them be able and upright,

Straightforward and gentle in speech, Humble and not conceited, Contented and easily satisfied, Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.

Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful, Not proud or demanding in nature.

Let them not do the slightest thing that the wise would later reprove.

Wishing: In gladness and in safety, May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be; Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,

The great or the mighty, medium, short or small, The seen and the unseen,

Those living near and far away, Those born and to-be-born — May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another, Or despise any being in any state.

Let none through anger or ill-will Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life Her child, her only child, So with a boundless heart Should one cherish all living beings;

Radiating kindness over the entire world: Spreading upwards to the skies, And downwards to the depths; Outwards and unbounded, Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down Free from drowsiness, One should sustain this recollection.

This is said to be the sublime abiding.

By not holding to fixed views, The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision, Being freed from all sense desires,

Awakens from suffering and Discovers everlasting peace.

**************************************************************************************************

Writings, Excerpts & Quotes-

Letter To A Friend

Your first obligation as a dignified human being on the contemplative path is to stop inviting chaos into your life and the lives of those you love.

The same old tired identity and life plan just isn't working anymore. You have outgrown yourself. It's time to retreat inward and gather your resources once again. You must discover yourself in solitude to learn how not to be be defined by others and the world.

Stop running from suffering - for that is suffering too.

Do what seems impossible...stay with and sit in the pain. Do not drink, do not intoxicate - do not distract or avoid, do not workout, do not do yoga - just give yourself a chance, be tremendously vulnerable and for just once feel the wounded weight of it all.

Stay present with and examine the anger, the sadness, the anxiety and guilt - not the endless stories, this time - just the way it feels. And then search in the midst of the deepest suffering - search for the one who is suffering. Go in front of a mirror and confront the issue directly.

When you look within to discover the depths of the pain and search for the essence of your own being at the end - you will find nothing.

And then develop this fortitude - resist filling that void. Rest in the not finding.

Listen carefully...

Love - that not finding anything when you look for yourself is the finding.

And in that resting you will discover your true value - that your nothingness is neither a vacuum nor a void, but instead is the ground of your limitless potential. You have a voice that doesn't use words - that voice is silence. Listen to that voice.

Every emotion you have ever experienced is the relationship to your own projective reality - not to any other world or person out there independent of your own mind. It is your deepest pain that will empower you to realize this highest awareness.

Everything that seems to be happening to you is only appearing on the screen of your own consciousness - when you realize this nothing can harm you or make you afraid. When reality is observed through this lens you will know that the suffering you have experienced only happened for you to discover your depth, humility, compassion, quiet grace and dignity. You will love the freedom that comes from no longer seeking approval and validation. You will relieve yourself of denying your pain to make others comfortable. The transmutation will be painful, but don't fear that you are falling apart, you are only turning into something beautiful. Allow every pain to be a teaching, make an allowance for your every suffering to move you closer to realization.

This time try loving yourself instead of loving the idea of other people loving you. No matter what you say I will keep telling you that you are important, loving, intelligent, worthy of your own self-respect, beautiful, creative, brave, strong and able until you realize it for yourself.

In Loving Kindness
Metta
Michael Gregory

https://www.facebook.com/michael.gregory.9212

In these complex, uncertain times across the globe, we need spiritual practice more than ever, not just to give us respite from the intensity but also to grow deeper and broader roots inside, as a great tree does, so we may be more flexible with the winds of change. There is a great need for more of us to stabilize our realization, not just for our own peace of mind but so our way of being provides spiritual shelter for others.
It is not easy to stabilize in equanimity when confronted by the news of yet another painful explosion of hatred, extremism, racism, or violence, not to mention the increasing natural disasters arising from climate change. It is deeply disappointing to behold leaders behaving disgracefully and corporate greed remaining unchecked.
The way of Grace does not grasp for a spiritual platitude to push past the challenges of our times that do not have easy answers. While you might want to be selective about the quality and quantity of the media you engage in, at the same time you will not mature spiritually by living in a news-free bubble or by getting hysterical or dissipating your precious energy by railing against what is.
Living gracefully means turning everything into the path of awakening. This can include practicing ego relaxation while taking in the news. Equanimity invites you to not judge the judgment or hate the hateful and to forgive yourself when you slip into polarization anyway.
When you take in a news report from the awareness that you are not separate from everyone and everything, natural compassion arises for “our” collective ignorance and suffering.

Living gracefully amidst challenging times calls us into a new prayer:

May I stabilize in infinite awareness

open my heart to all that arises,

and grow into a deeper, wiser,

more responsive human being.

Living into such a prayer asks you to embrace all that is arising, within and without, as part of the full mandala of your life.”

~Miranda Mcpherson

“This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”

~ Walt Whitman - Preface to ‘Leaves of Grass.”

George C. Cox - New York, 1887
~ Ravenous Butterflies

You will meet a version of yourself one day and you will meet yourself in another...and you will know them to be inseparable... When you meet the two projections - offer yourself and your partner unconditional love and complete freedom - no control, no demands, and never blame. What I am describing is a process - deeply spiritual and filled with error, humor and folly...honor each other’s beauty and mistakes equally. Meditate together in silent presence each day. Bow to each other. Encourage each other to explore your deepest fears, the longing of your innermost desires, passions and inhibitions... Never hold back your love. Be generous to no end. Listen. And then listen again and then again. Regardless of your temporary behavior and regardless of theirs - no matter what - Love yourself and love them relentlessly... Until then, every other relationship in this life is ripening - preparing yourself for this unconditional love... and in one lifetime there still may not be enough years for this ripening to occur... This is something difficult to express to those lost in the fantasy and the projective prisons of our culture, time and place and those entranced by youth... But we are all in the process of ripening- readying ourselves, making ourselves available for a time when we can simply let go and allow ourselves to be truly, thoroughly and completely loved first and foremost by ourselves - and only then are we ready for another to love us unconditionally. Protect and guard each other’s solitude...make space for your love to have their own life. Be each other’s greatest fans and encourage each other to never stop exploring and seemingly incongruously - to find peace within their heart.
- Michael Gregory🙏

https://www.facebook.com/michael.gregory.9212

As one realizes that one is a dream-figure in another person's dream - That is self-awareness! -Waking Life (film)

When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the world, and the Dharma will come to the Land of the Red Man.

~ Padmasambhava 8th Century Prophecy

They come into the One through each other, through all of the forms of their dialogue with one another, making love and talking, and cooking, and walking, all of these are vehicles for meeting in the space of shared awareness… which is sweet like the smell of orchids. - Ram Dass

“For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation. I hold this to be the highest task for a bond between two people: that each protects the solitude of the other.
This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love: the more they give, the more they possess.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

To love is good, too: love being difficult. For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation. For this reason young people, who are beginners in everything, cannot yet know love: they have to learn it. With their whole being, with all their forces, gathered close about their lonely, timid, upward-beating heart, they must learn to love. But learning-time is always a long, secluded time, and so loving, for a long while ahead and far on into life, is — solitude, intensified and deepened loneness for him who loves. Love is at first not anything that means merging, giving over, and uniting with another (for what would a union be of something unclarified and unfinished, still subordinate — ?), it is a high inducement to the individual to ripen, to become something in himself, to become world, to become world for himself for another’s sake, it is a great exacting claim upon him, something that chooses him out and calls him to vast things. Only in this sense, as the task of working at themselves (“to hearken and to hammer day and night”), might young people use the love that is given them. Merging and surrendering and every kind of communion is not for them (who must save and gather for a long, long time still), is the ultimate, is perhaps that for which human lives as yet scarcely suffice. ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

“I know of no other advice than this: Go within and scale the depths of your being from which your very life springs forth.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Works of art can be described as having an essence of eternal solitude and an understanding is attainable least of all by critique. Only love can grasp and hold them and can judge them fairly. Allow your judgments their own quiet, undisturbed development, which, as with all progress, must come from deep within and can in no way be forced or hastened. In this there is no measuring with time. A year doesn’t matter; ten years are nothing. To be an artist means not to compute or count; it means to ripen as the tree, which does not force its sap, but stands unshaken in the storms of spring with no fear that summer might not follow. It will come regardless. But it comes only to those who live as though eternity stretches before them, carefree, silent, and endless. I learn it daily, learn it with many pains, for which I am grateful: Patience is all! ― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet (3rd Letter)

You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet. - Franz Kafka

Why should I fear death? If I am, then death is not. If death is, then I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not? - Epicurus

The crowd is the definition of untruth. - Kierkegaard

I have traveled through madness to find me. Do you know what friendship is?' he asked. 'Yes,' replied the gypsy; 'it is to be brother and sister; two souls which touch without mingling, two fingers on one hand.' 'And love?' pursued Gringoire. 'Oh! love!' said she, and her voice trembled, and her eye beamed. 'That is to be two and to be but one. A man and a woman mingled into one angel. It is heaven. Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

This is the basic truth of interdependence. Conditions are constantly shifting, and what seemed impossible earlier can suddenly become possible. Every moment counts. Every action counts. A single kind act can have a positive impact on the future of many others you share the earth with. You can change the course of the future in any moment. Do so consciously, and the whole world will benefit. ~ H.H. 17th Karmapa

Stillness Being still does not mean don't move. It means move in peace. Being unconsciously reactive I regard as being passive. The busier you are increases the likelihood that you are doing nothing at all. Being still and consciously at peace I regard as the highest activity. Don’t be deceived, regardless of appearances, it’s only the mind that moves. Metta Michael Gregory 🙏

https://www.facebook.com/michael.gregory.9212

Right now there are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.

Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.

Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.

Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.

A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."

Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you.

Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favorite food is, and treat you to a movie.

Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you — for free.

Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.

The next great song is being rehearsed.

Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.

Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.

Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. From where they are, they just can't see it.

Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to arrive, will get precisely what they want — and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in its reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."

Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche — this luminosity is pervasive in the ether, and is accessible to you.

Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.

Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe.

Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.

Someone is regaining their sanity.
Someone is coming back from the dead.
Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable.
Someone is curing the incurable.

You. Me. Some. One. Now.

~ Danielle LaPorte

Highlights...

* Dedication to being a dharma practitioner. Having the desire to be free from suffering. Having the desire for all beings to be free from suffering. Obtaining practical tools on the path towards enlightenment.
http://mindfulnessmeditationcenters.com/online-learning/

*Started Wim Hoff Method & Authentic Movement Practice

*I overcame the illusions and pre conceived notions of the mind by breaking wood, walking on glass and then walking on fire! (St. Petersburg, FL)

*I stayed at the Famous Tiny Home in Niceville, USA. Check out the interview Fran did on me.
http://tinyhousehold.com/couchsurfing-tiny-house/
For all your tiny home needs and if you're interested in the tiny home lifestyle go to tinyhousehold.com.
I am a future tiny homeowner!
*The one and only Lama Lena visited New Orleans and hosted some beautiful teachings at the Louisiana Himalaya Association (http://www.lhainfo.org/) where I volunteered. It was an honor and life changing to be in her presence and listen to her speak for 3 days. I took refuge with her and am forever grateful. I am the innate Buddha nature! If you want more info on Lama Lena and the teachings go to

https://lamalenateachings.com/

*I volunteered at Salamander Springs in Milledgeville, GA. I volunteered through wwoofusa.org.
Living here was eye-opening, mind-expanding, my comfort levels were tested. I learned and grew and am forever grateful. I met some beautiful people, I now call friends! I will take the ideas and systems in place and use them to build my own off-grid community paradise in the future. I will definitely be back. My experience will be different from yours and it truly is ineffable. If you are interested in permaculture, farming, off-grid living, community living, cooking on an open fire, sustainable living, etc. Go live here, experience it for yourself. You will see into the true nature of life. Here is their link https://wwoofusa.org/farm/salamander-springs-permaculture-farm/ Enjoy!

*I went to an Ecstatic Dance Party at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC. Words can't describe how good it felt. I felt so alive dancing and my innate nature of loving and being free was amplified by all the like-minded people. If you ever get a chance to go to an event like this. DO IT! Get out of your comfort zone and dance like you mean it!

*Philadelphia Museum of Art - The Masterpieces tour with Joshua R. Helmer. MIND BLOWN!

*I saw 21 waterfalls in one day at Ricketts Glen State Park, then got lost with a fellow hiker and had to find our way back to the car in the dark. Good thing I had a flashlight and good company. *Near death experience at Tallulah Gorge State Park.

*WWOOFing at River Cottage Farm was more than just a volunteering and learning experience. I was integrated into this family's life and I felt so welcomed and at home. Eating fresh vegetables and fruits and animals that have been pasture-raised and treated with love really makes you question your prior eating habits and the way the mass production of food in our country is processed. I am lactose intolerant and it was my first time consuming raw milk and raw milk products. I had no adverse reactions to these products. In fact, everything I ate of the farm was nutritionally fulfilling and soul-satisfying. I also made beautiful connections with the family. Debbie, Deanna, Brayden, Charlie, and Indigo hold a special place in my heart. Each member on the farm had something to offer to the farm and household. I left because of plans I have already made but if not I could have stayed here for months and truly embraced the lifestyle. This experience is one of many that is teaching me not to plan too ahead in my life and travels so that I can stay in a place indefinitely.

* My Morning Jacket @ Red Rocks 2 shows! Reminiscing and re-listening/watching for infinite times into the abyss. Will these goosebumps ever go away... Spiritual, love, mind-blowing, connecting experience with my favorite band in the greatest venue and the best fans in the world! "Times are strange right now. But there's a lot of good in the world and I can feel it here. Let's help each other move past all the bullshit. Let's help each other move past outdated concepts such as race and sexual orientation. Let's help each other move past outdated concepts to the present, which is love. Love is all there is. Love is all we need and we need it really bad right now. Help spread the word...love." -Jim James @ Red Rocks 5.28.16

*Camping for 10 out of 14 days. Working to Save the Bees with an awesome group of people. Cooking in Community. Making new connections. Climbing my first 14er. Living in Nature. Reading The Man Who Quit Money and getting inspired to do the same. Road tripping through the scenic views of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona with fellow couch surfer/coworker but most importantly a true friend which I am grateful to have met. Living in the Grand Canyon. Camping off the side of the road...A Place That Will Remain Unknown, "The Watering Hole" Campsite in Utah. Watching sunrises and sunset. Climbing nature's structures. Stargazing, Being one with nature!

*First Outdoor Rock Climbing experience...saw a guy take a 40 plus foot fall due to not taking certain safety precautions. Living on the edge and doing dangerous activities is something I love to do and I admire people who do it as well but make sure to always take the necessary safety precautions. Better safe than sorry.

*Telluride Mushroom Festival! Fungi will preserve our planet and sustain the people!

*Transformational Voice Lesson with Linda brought to class by couchsurfer James. Learned how to breathe! Practice! *National Parks tour for the 100th anniversary week of The National Parks Service! 6 National Parks in 5 days! I wish I could elaborate on the beauty I saw and the vibrations I felt but it was truly an ineffable experience. We can talk about it and try to get as close as possible. Go out and visit your National Parks!

*Railay Beach in Thailand. A magical place where I got to rock climb the healing limestone cliffs, swim with bioluminescent plankton, hike through the jungle and explore the beautiful nature. Get in touch with the oneness of the universe with interconnections of mushrooms. Spend time with the locals who go out of their way to make you feel at home. Making new connections with people that are now lifelong friends. Being in a place with truly no worries, enjoying every moment. Going to the moon and back, where the motto is "Why Not?" cause every opportunity in life should be seized. I thank the universe for this and am grateful.

*Celebrating Thanksgiving in Gili Air, Lombok, Indonesia. It started with 1 American wanting to celebrate this American tradition while on travels to feel a little bit of home and bring people together. Which led to people from all over the world preparing dishes and snacks to share and give thanks for life.

*Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Got the feeling of home, not where I'm from but where I belong. A feeling so rarely felt during travels. Interesting people, new friendships, motorbike adventures, a culture of yoga, healthy eating, mindfulness and spirituality, breathtaking waterfalls and the free souvenir of the well-known Bali Tattoo.

*10 day Vipassana Meditation at Dhamma Java Vipassana Meditation Centre in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. This will have to be talked about in person since words don't do it justice. Most importantly, just like anything in life it needs to be experienced. http://www.dhamma.org/ Go experience it for yourself, Be Happy! May all beings be peaceful, happy, and liberated!

*Hitchhiking and Couchsurfing experiences in Southeast Asia, first time ever hitchhiking!

*Pai, Thailand - The people, community, new connections and friendships, energy and magic!

*ONE BIG HOLIDAY 3 https://www.instagram.com/p/BQVz6j-FvdC/?taken-by=feelthebern333 I can't believe it's over. Thank you @mymorningjacket @removador @sometomguy @carlbroemel @worldbofree @patrickthallahan You guys share your magic through your music and inspire love, peace and togetherness! Thank you @cloud9adventures for putting it all together to perfection once again. Thank you @hrhrivieramaya staff. You guys go above and beyond the standards of service! Most importantly thank you ONE BIG FAMILY and all the people and connections that made this event so special. I am so grateful...till next OBH LOVE YOU ALL!

*Serving my first Vipassana Meditation course in North Fork, CA...ineffable!SO grateful to be able to serve others and deepen my meditation practice. May all beings be peaceful, happy and liberated!

*Went back home and met up with an old friend who gave me the opportunity to continue to pursue my dreams with more purpose and structure. I am so grateful that I get to live the life I am living. Travel the world and make connections.

*Bay Area Magic with Flat Earth conspirator and serendipitous live music encounters! Being at the right place at the right time while holding space for that vibration and frequency. -Spoon -Marco -Zelda

*Creating 3rd Spaces in New Mexico! *Learning how to learn, love and make love!

*Eurotrip - Meeting up with beautiful people I met in Southeast Asia. Angsbacka, live music, old friends, new friends. Made me rethink traveling style. 1 month minimum for new countries! Slow travel.

*Serving my 2nd vipassana course in Elbert, CO - Rocky Mountain Vipassana!

*Going back to Northern Thailand for 2 months. Riding scooters, getting massages, exploring waterfalls, meeting the locals, learning a bit of the language, eating the most delicious food. Cacao Ceremony, ecstatic dance, acro yoga. Meeting fellow travelers and nomads who I have made lasting connections with. Men Circles, drum circles, the circle of life. What goes around, comes around. It looks like Pai will be my winter home but no matter where I am, Pai is always in my heart! *Sarasota, FL (write about those 5 magical days) *South America travels

*Celestine prophecy....becoming aware of coincidences

*Nomad Social Media Coaching

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Something to consider, recognize, get inspired by when dealing with a break up or in a romantic relationship or any type of relationship for that matter, especially ones with a strong bond and may be a soulmate. I do recommend you read this book and all of Brian L Weiss books.

You will not always marry your most strongly bonded soulmate. There may be more than one for you because soul families travel together. You might choose to marry a less bonded soul companion, one who has something specific to teach you or to learn from you. Your recognition of a soulmate may occur later in life after both of you are already committed to your present life families. Or your strongest soulmate connection maybe to your parent, or to your child, or to your sibling. Or your strongest connection maybe to a soulmate who has not incarnated during your lifetime and who is watching over you from the other side, like a guardian angel. Sometimes your soulmate is willing and available. He or she might recognize the passion and the chemistry between you, the intimate and subtle bonds that imply connections over many lifetimes. Yet he or she may be toxic for you. It is a matter of soul development. If one soul is less developed and more ignorant than the other, trait of violence, greed, jealousy, hatred, and fear might be brought into the relationship. These tendencies are toxic to the more evolved soul, even if from a soulmate. Frequently rescue fantasies arise with the thought, I can change him; I can help her grow. If he does not allow your help, if in her free will she chooses not to learn, not to grow, the relationship is doomed. Perhaps there will be another chance in another lifetime, unless he awakens later in this one. Late awakenings do happen. Sometimes soulmates decide not to get married while incarnated. They arrange to meet, to stay together until the agreed task is completed, and then to move on. Their agendas, their lesson plans for the entirety of this life, are different, and they do not want to or need to spend the entire lifetime together. This is not a tragedy, only a matter of learning. You have eternal life together, but sometimes you may need to take separate classes. A soulmate who is available but unawakened is a tragic figure and can cause you great anguish. Unawakened means that he or she does not sees life clearly, is not aware of the many levels of existence. Unawakened means not knowing of about the souls. Usually it is the everyday mind that prevents awakening. We hear the excuses of the mind all the time: I am too young; I need more experience; I am not ready to settle down yet; you are of a different religion (or race, region, social status, intellectual level, cultural background, and so on). They are all excuses, for soul possess none of these attributes. The person may recognize the chemistry. The attraction is definitely there, but the source of chemistry is not understood. It is delusional to believe that this passion, this soul recognition and attraction, will be easily found again in another person. You do not run into such a soulmate every day, perhaps only one or two more in a lifetime. Divine grace may reward a good heart, a loving soul. Never worry about meeting soulmates. Such meetings are a matter of destiny. They will occur. After the meeting, the freewill of both partners reigns. What decisions are made or not made are a matter of freewill, of choice. The less awakened will make the decisions based on the mind and all of it fears and prejudices. Unfortunately, this often leads to heartache. The more awakened the couple is, the more the likelihood of a decision based on love. When both partners are awakened, ecstasy is within their grasp.

~Excerpts from “Only Love Is Real; The Story of Soulmates Reunited” by Dr. Brian Weiss~

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Share space, presence, love, compassion, joy and wisdom. Give away my possessions that can help others and deepen my relationship of non attachment and equanimity. Cook and share a meal for my host and friends along this journey. Have conversations that inspire love and a wish for all beings to be free from suffering. Live a life of service for all sentient beings with love, compassion, joy and equanimity.

Interests

-Dharma
-Meditation
-Meditation Retreats
-Relationships
-Archetypal behavioral and emotional patterns
-Learning
-Listening
-Practicing Mindfulness
-Authentic Movement
-Serving/Helping others
-Transcendental Conversation
-Sacred Sexuality
-Making Love
-Laughter
-Traveling
-Languages
-Watching Appearances
-Mother Nature
-Camping
-Living in Community
-Sustainable living
-Fermentation of foods
-Reading books that will bring insight, transformation and practical use to my daily life and practice
-Writing dream journals, gratitude journals and notes about Dharma teachings
-Physical activities, (Yoga, biking, hiking, swimming, climbing(rock, trees, structures), gymnastics)
-Cooking
-Learning new skills
-Doing things that bring me fear and get me out of my comfort zone. Doing them and overcoming my fears. That sense of calmness and rush, euphoria, that vividness that you can see clearly now. It's ineffable.

Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.
-Mark Twain

• animals
• arts
• writing
• literature
• festivals
• dancing
• cooking
• breakfast
• coffee
• vegetarian
• vegan
• yoga
• meditation
• walking
• gardening
• movies
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• bouldering
• magic
• music
• live music
• jazz
• rock music
• blues
• cycling
• hiking
• camping
• rock climbing
• gymnastics
• swimming
• chemistry
• history
• religion
• science
• volunteering
• wwoof
• beaches
• parks
• learning languages
• learning new things
• conversation
• learning
• listening
• community
• fermentation
• kombucha

Music, Movies, and Books

Music -

- Tibetan, Sanskrit and Pali Mantra
- Afrobeat
- Jazz
- Classical
- World/International
- The Beatles

Movies -

- Un Buda (A Buddha)
- Little Buddha
- Seven years in Tibet
- My Reincarnation
- Kundun
- Words of My Perfect Teacher
- Brilliant Moon: Glimpses of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
- Three Idiots
- Mr. Nobody
- Midnight in Paris
- American Beauty
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead
- Man on the Moon

Books -
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series By Douglas Adams
- Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
- The Man who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen
- Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming
by Stephen LaBerge, Howard Rheingold
- The Bodhisattva's Way of Life by Shantideva
- Introduction to Tantra by Lama Thubten Yeshe
- Now that I Come to Die by Longchenpa
- The Bodhisattva Vow by Geshe Sonam Rinchen

Favorite Poem

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon...
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.
It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”
It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.

THEY'RE MADE OUT OF MEAT

"They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"Meat. They're made out of meat."

"Meat?"

"There's no doubt about it. We picked up several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, and probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."

"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars?"

"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from machines."

"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."

"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."

"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in that sector and they're made out of meat."

"Maybe they're like the orfolei. You know, a carbon-based intelligence that goes through a meat stage."

"Nope. They're born meat and they die meat. We studied them for several of their life spans, which didn't take long. Do you have any idea what's the life span of meat?"

"Spare me. Okay, maybe they're only part meat. You know, like the weddilei. A meat head with an electron plasma brain inside."

"Nope. We thought of that, since they do have meat heads, like the weddilei. But I told you, we probed them. They're meat all the way through."

"No brain?"

"Oh, there's a brain all right. It's just that the brain is made out of meat! That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"So ... what does the thinking?"

"You're not understanding, are you? You're refusing to deal with what I'm telling you. The brain does the thinking. The meat."

"Thinking meat! You're asking me to believe in thinking meat!"

"Yes, thinking meat! Conscious meat! Loving meat. Dreaming meat. The meat is the whole deal! Are you beginning to get the picture or do I have to start all over?"

"Omigod. You're serious then. They're made out of meat."

"Thank you. Finally. Yes. They are indeed made out of meat. And they've been trying to get in touch with us for almost a hundred of their years."

"Omigod. So what does this meat have in mind?"

"First it wants to talk to us. Then I imagine it wants to explore the Universe, contact other sentiences, swap ideas and information. The usual."

"We're supposed to talk to meat."

"That's the idea. That's the message they're sending out by radio. 'Hello. Anyone out there. Anybody home.' That sort of thing."

"They actually do talk, then. They use words, ideas, concepts?"
"Oh, yes. Except they do it with meat."

"I thought you just told me they used radio."

"They do, but what do you think is on the radio? Meat sounds. You know how when you slap or flap meat, it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."

"Omigod. Singing meat. This is altogether too much. So what do you advise?"

"Officially or unofficially?"

"Both."

"Officially, we are required to contact, welcome and log in any and all sentient races or multibeings in this quadrant of the Universe, without prejudice, fear or favor. Unofficially, I advise that we erase the records and forget the whole thing."

"I was hoping you would say that."

"It seems harsh, but there is a limit. Do we really want to make contact with meat?"

"I agree one hundred percent. What's there to say? 'Hello, meat. How's it going?' But will this work? How many planets are we dealing with here?"

"Just one. They can travel to other planets in special meat containers, but they can't live on them. And being meat, they can only travel through C space. Which limits them to the speed of light and makes the possibility of their ever making contact pretty slim. Infinitesimal, in fact."

"So we just pretend there's no one home in the Universe."

"That's it."

"Cruel. But you said it yourself, who wants to meet meat? And the ones who have been aboard our vessels, the ones you probed? You're sure they won't remember?"

"They'll be considered crackpots if they do. We went into their heads and smoothed out their meat so that we're just a dream to them."

"A dream to meat! How strangely appropriate, that we should be meat's dream."

"And we marked the entire sector unoccupied."

"Good. Agreed, officially and unofficially. Case closed. Any others? Anyone interesting on that side of the galaxy?"

"Yes, a rather shy but sweet hydrogen core cluster intelligence in a class nine star in G445 zone. Was in contact two galactic rotations ago, wants to be friendly again."

"They always come around."

"And why not? Imagine how unbearably, how unutterably cold the Universe would be if one were all alone ..."

(Thanks for your interest in my work. If you enjoyed this little piece, please give a dollar to a homeless person.)

http://www.terrybisson.com/page6/page6.html

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Taking the first step on the path to being free from suffering for the sake of enlightenment for all beings.

Teach, Learn, Share

How to NOT experience Anger...

A= ET + D

A- Anger
ET- Egocentric Thinking
D- Demand that reality should be different than it is

How to NOT experience depression...

D= H1 + H2 + N

D - Depression
H1 - Helpless
H2 - Hopeless
N- Perceived NEED not met

How to NOT experience Anxiety...

Ax= WI + AW + ICSI

Ax- Anxiety
WI- What if...
AW- Awfulizing
ICSI - I Couldn't Stand It

How to NOT experience Guilt/Shame...

G= W1 + W2

G- Guilt
W1- Concept of Wrongness
W2- Because of concept of Wrongness....Now I'm Worth-less

http://mindfulnessmeditationcenters.com/

https://vimeo.com/mindfulcommunity

https://www.facebook.com/michael.gregory.9212

https://lamalenateachings.com/

https://www.wimhofmethod.com/

What I Can Share with Hosts

love, compassion, meditation, wisdom, laughter, yoga, a walk/hike, time, space, radical honesty, an ear to listen, cook a meal, conversation, an adventure and a good book. Practical tools to get on the path to enlightenment and be free from suffering!

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Scotland, Sweden, Thailand, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Thailand, United States