tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68547310621693392992024-03-07T19:12:50.432-08:00Soul SearchingThis a place to write thoughts about how our spiritual selves fit in this material world. This is a place for exploration and wisdom sharing, as well as questions and ponderings about anything to do with a spiritual quest.Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-90833424579640753822011-10-19T15:04:00.000-07:002011-10-19T15:04:53.656-07:00My Occupation with OccupyI wonder how it is that a year goes by and here I sit. I love to write and have a strong desire to do so, but other desires take the lead. My latest preoccupation is with the Occupy movement. I feel something big is happening. It reminds me of that song that says, "something's happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear,,,,," My perception is that this movement is about social change. It is about not accepting business and politics as usual because the system isn't working for most people. I believe this movement is about unity, and collective ideas and decision-making. It is about taking care of each other and of mother earth. There are a lot of people who are afraid of change because it is unknown. There are a lot of people who view this movement as a bunch of hippy leftists, and people who don't want to work, or want a hand-out. I have been participating in the on-line forum and so far what I see are some very intelligent people with some amazing ideas on how we can build a better America for a better future. For the skeptics out there I would say watch and wait and see. For those like myself who feel compelled to become involved, do it. I believe with all my heart that a better future awaits, but only if we all create a better today.Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-87588047794950398142010-09-13T05:52:00.000-07:002010-09-13T05:57:19.015-07:00I'm BackIt has been way too long since I have written. My head is spinning with the atrocities being comitted everywhere all the time. I am trying hard to focus on my blessings, while trying to remember that this material world is not what life is about. My sanity seems to come from staying physically active, so that is what I do each day whenever I can. My ideas become crowded in my head, and they all fight for survival, and recognition. At the end of the day, a few remain, but still in my head. I must make a point to write then down more often, and perhaps upon review, something will make sense. Not sure if this entry is making any sense but it sure feels good to get this feeling down on paper (computer actually).Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-61282519607846696012009-09-01T10:58:00.000-07:002009-09-01T11:08:05.245-07:00Go With the FlowWhen you think of go with the flow do you think of those hippy dippy people who float through life without a care in the world? We are all able to accomplish "go with the flow" if we allow ourselves to be happy where we are at this moment and to have faith that what is coming is what is supposed to be. I know when I work too hard to find an answer or a solution I end up with too much going on in my head and feel like I am literally paddling upstream. Go with the flow thinking is easier said than done but with practice it becomes easier and it makes so much sense. Life does not have to be so difficult, but most of us tend to try to control that which we have no control over. The only changes we can make are within ourselves, our own thought process and perspective of life's experiences. If we can realize that as human beings we really do not "need" much, and that all the "things" we chase after are not going to fulfill us, the human race may sustain itself longer. When you are feeling bad, depressed, anxious, or fearful, allow yourself to let go and try to tune into your energy and know that all is okay. I am going to try this today, as somedays I have a difficult time practicing what I preach!! You can do it and so can I. GO WITH THE FLOW!!Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-12014233742914894162009-06-12T04:28:00.000-07:002009-06-12T04:35:00.337-07:00EgoismYesterday I attended a meeting of the Citrus County Breastfeeding Coalition. There was a diverse group present; including nurses, Wic Peer Counselors, and a few of us renegades from outside the medical system. We had a great discussion and lots of ideas were flowing about how to educate our county about the normalcy of breastfeeding. The most interesting moment came after the meeting when I was talking to one of the participants and she told me that egos are huge in the breastfeeding world. I was not suprised but I thought "that ego is just everywhere I turn", and there is no escaping that we all have to invert our egos to truly change the world, because it does begin in each of our hearts. We all have causes wer are passionate about, and we need to pay attention to those passions, but at the same time we all must realize that the change we seek is only truly possible when we ourselves change.Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-73287232992594395662009-05-22T07:48:00.000-07:002009-05-22T07:56:02.733-07:00UnityI can't even describe fully what I am feeling after attending the North American Kabbalah Congress in the Catskills last weekend. Everybody there is striving to invert their egoism to altruism, and all arrived from many different paths, and from all over the globe. The connection to others is what is important in life. For our children, it is not about how much information they can retain and spit back, but about how to get along in this world. This means connecting with other people and aligning our intentions with the goal of making this world a better place. This begins for everyone with internal work. We have to correct ourselves first. In an attempt to reach a wide audience, many people studying the science of Kabblah have written and produced some wonderful modern day music. I wrote a rap song on the way home on the plane, thinking we need the young people to recognize the way to a better life and a better world.<br /><br />Here goes:<br />We can’t deny the reason why<br />We’re here on earth<br />To rise above<br />To feel the Love<br />To know infinity<br />Through unity<br />With all humanity<br /><br />The time has come <br />For all to see<br />That I am you<br />And you are me<br />There is no separateness<br />Only connectedness<br /><br />Community, divinity, spirituality, unity…<br /><br />I want it all and I want it now<br />To reach correction, by connection through intention<br />But it’s not for me<br />It’s for humanity<br />To rise above<br />To feel the love<br />To sense spirituality<br />Systematically to infinity<br />A new reality with possibility<br />In a world with much disparity<br />New hope for functionality in totality of reality<br />But it’s not for me<br />It’s for humanity<br />To rise above, to feel the love<br /><br />Community, divinity, spirituality, unity<br /><br />Betsy Schwartz 5/19/09<br /><br />Peace, Love, and LightBetsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-78791470990873098892009-03-20T15:35:00.000-07:002009-03-20T15:59:57.327-07:00The Worst Case Scenario May Just be the Best for meLately, I have realized that what I have often feared or stressed over may actually the very thing or event that pushes me to be better and to be closer to the creator. I have noticed that when I go against the current, it is exhausting and of course I get nowhere fast. When I realize that life is not about what happens to me day to day or about who said what, or what I need to buy, then it all becomes clear. If my intention is to truly change the world, I need to change myself. Easier said than done. If I live my life with others in mind it frees me from thinking about myself all the time. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. Sure, I have choices and can make decisions, but who is really in charge ultimately?Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-36804513596610935412008-12-04T09:02:00.000-08:002008-12-04T09:11:21.543-08:00Questions keep comingI am at a point where the more I learn about Kabbalah the more questions I have. What seems apparent is not. Let me put it this way. Kabbalists tell us that what we see is not really there. Now come on, I see this computer in front of me. But wait, perhaps what I see is only my own perception of reality. Did you ever look at the color of something with a friend and they call it purple and you call it blue?? Maybe that is what they are talking about. Everybody sees the world through their own lenses. Perhaps this is why communcation break down occurs. Sometimes trying to convey a message is very difficult because there are no words to describe what we saw or felt. I am learning that I am not in control, even of my own thoughts. I know that sounds strange but where do the thoughts come from? Like I said, lots and lots of questions and I intend to keep searching for answers. In the meantime I am enjoying this roller coasted they call life because my attitude and perspective is changing. Perhaps it is not the world that is messed up but my own interpretation of it??? Peace, Love, and Light.Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-79221078133831964042008-11-12T08:53:00.000-08:002008-11-12T09:03:38.550-08:00Blind FaithSometimes when I walk in the morning I close my eyes and walk straight ahead, knowing that somehow I will keep moving forward. I thought about this as I walked this morning and felt as if this is what is meant by blind faith. I can't see where I am going but I know that I will get there, and if I veer off course somehow I will be guided back. This morning I was walking with my eyes closed and apparently I started walking toward where the pavement meets the grass and I was jolted a bit and opened my eyes. I got back on the pavement and kept on walking. Isn't this like life? We tend to get off course and something causes us to get back on track. This must be the suffering that we could actually view as opportunity if only our perceptions of life could be changed. I believe they can. I have been studying Kabbalah, and what the Kabbalists tell us is when we feel that we are suffering it is because we are going against what the creator wants for us, which is to receive in order to bestow, to become closer to the creator and do what he does. I do not know exactly what that means as of yet but I am willing to find out. We are also told that the key to fulfillment in this life and in this world is to invert our egoism to altruism. Imagine a world where everybody loved their neighbor as themselves. Imagine if we all knew that we actually came from the same place originally? Imagine if we all had blind faith? Love and peace are the answer, and you can't have one without the other I believe. Have a loving and peaceful day.Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6854731062169339299.post-86930794237550681422008-08-02T04:17:00.001-07:002008-08-02T04:28:54.217-07:00life is like a roller coasterI haven't written in some time. I have been side tracked, as life tends to do that to you. Don't you sometimes feel you are on a roller coaster ride, and you want to get off? Or you can't see that big dip and are feaing when you will begin to go down? I am not depressed but it feels as if every day is a test. When negative things are happening, and the dip is getting steeper it is difficult at times to realize that it is how we react to it that matters.<br /><br />Worry, panic and fear get us nowhere. If we can release all that and recognize the things we have no control over, it is so much easier to get through the day.<br /><br />My biggest concern lately is finances, as I am sure it is for a lot of people. I think of that Police song, "We are spirits in the material world." When we really step back out of our own head that is all that we really are. Nothing else matters. Isn't there more to life than what we see around us. The answer is yes!!<br /><br />I am still discovering who I am and how I can manage and what I want to do with my life!! At times I feel content, and at other times I feel restless and know that there is more.<br /><br />I am thinking that this is a spiritual quest. Searching for what is beyond our physical world, and recognizing that what we think and feel and how we react determines whether we enjoy the roller coaster ride or we fear it.<br /><br />Today, I will concentrate on the enjoyment and not let life's events that I am not enjoying. I will focus on the positive.<br /><br />For now I must sign off to wake up my son for a community service project for Boy Scouts.Betsy Schwartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06231951774110191384noreply@blogger.com0