Drunk with Wonder Audio Files

Here are some samples of the audio version of Drunk with Wonder: Awakening to the God Within:

Drunk with Wonder: Introduction

Drunk with Wonder: Chapter 1

Drunk with Wonder: Chapter 8 - Mindfulness Exercise

Creating a "to be" List

Like many people today, I have “to do” lists that I often seem to measure by the foot. Sometimes I measure a successful day not by how many tasks I accomplish, or even how good a job I do in completing these tasks. Rather, I measure success by how many inches I knock off the list. I know I’ve gone way off the deep end when I start comparing my “to do” lists with others and feeling smug when mine is longer or more intense. Somehow, I’ve made having a longer “to do” list mean that I’m somehow more important or better. “Hey, everyone, check it out! I’m more hooked into external measures of worth than you are! Neiner neiner neiner!!!”

Recently, I got to thinking about this business of “to do” lists, and I decided that what I needed was a “to be” list. I am a human being… being love, being a grandpa, a godfather, a devoted husband, lover, friend, brother, son. I’m a human “being” alive, being present, being awake (at least occasionally) and being a writer. Notice that we don’t speak of “doing” alive, or “doing” present, or “doing” awake. These aren’t tasks, they’re ways of “being” in the world, ways that engender more joy, more wonder, more satisfaction and peace than any amount of doing ever could (at least for me).

My suggestion is simple. Before tackling your daily “to do” list, take a few minutes and become present to your “to be” list. Fully embody the Truth of who you really are… who you “be.” Then, out of that spacious, peaceful, awakened state of being, by all means enjoy some purposeful doing. You’ll not only get a lot done, you’ll also have a great day.

Remembering Robert

Robert Frey died two years ago today (June 15, 2004). He was a real friend, someone who made a huge difference in my life. I still miss him. I probably always will. The day he died I was busy working on a book with my friend Garvin. I had been struggling to find a way to articulate the perspective I longed to share with the world, and so Garvin and I had been spending quite a bit of time together that spring.

The truth is, I was terrified of taking a stand on how to delineate the perspective that has become my new book, Drunk with Wonder: Awakening to the God Within. I guess I thought that as long as I kept the whole idea “out there” somewhere, I could remain safe in my comfort zone. You see, my friends Rich and Yvonne taught me that all leaders are judged. They taught me many other things as well, as did Robert, and some of this material appears in the book.

My point here is that I was (and still am, from time to time) petrified at the idea of being “seen.” “The material is important,” I would say, “but I am not.” However, as I and so many others teach, we are all precious sparks of God… even me. And if I wish “to be the change I wish to see in the world,” I must show up as that change.

So, on that fateful day two years ago, sitting with Garvin in the office sobbing over Robert’s passing, a sense of clarity and resolve washed over me like the warmth of a sunrise. Through my tears, I looked up at Garvin and said, “I know what to do. I know how I want to craft it. Let’s get busy.”

Garvin helped get my extensive notes organized and we had a rough draft of the first half of the book completed by the following January. My dear friend Franklin and I took it from there, and by last August we had what I called “Build 3” ready for inspection. I was blessed to have several talented, wise and loving people carefully read the manuscript and give countless helpful suggestions. I kept putting out new “builds” until, early this year, it was essentially complete.

The past several months have been spent designing the book, with help from my friend David Smith of Nine Trees Design, and the terrific cover with my enormously talented step-son Calvin Turnwall of Real Smart Art. And now, two years to the day after Robert’s death, I hold Drunk with Wonder in my hands.

On one level, this book is actually more Robert’s gift than my own, because if he hadn’t reached out to me during a Quantum Shift Retreat in February 1993, I don’t know that I’d still be on the planet, let alone a published author. Among Robert’s many talents and gifts, he led Sufi dances of Universal Peace. I first did Sufi dancing with Robert during and after that same retreat, one of several he led with Joy Nelson. This past spring I have been blessed with Sufi Dancing coming to Ukiah. Sometimes, while I danced, I could feel Robert’s hand in mine and hear his laughter as it tickled my heart.

Namaste, Robert. I love you.

Dreaming the BIG Dream

Peace – Om Shanti– Amani – Peace in any language sounds as sweet….

I dare to dream the BIG dream. Please, join me in this dream. I dream of peace and plenty, of a world without borders, without war, without racism, sexism, ageism or homophobia. A world where our culture wars are over, where the generation gap has healed. A world where every single person everywhere feels safe, loved and celebrated.

Is there a bigger dream? I don’t know. This is the biggest I can dream, the biggest dream I’ve ever had, that’s all. I have been having it, in one form or another, since I was a little boy.

Paix – Paz – Shalom – What’s on the other side of creating a world where everyone wins? Well, I don’t pretend to know all the answers to that question. What I do know is that it’s up to us, the human family, to dream it. And while I don’t know all the answers, I’m quite sure of several pieces, including that no one will be mutilating others, torturing others, enslaving others or slaughtering others for any “reason” – including in the name of God. Everyone will understand deep in their hearts what loves means … and compassion … and mercy … and forgiveness. Everyone will have the right to live their lives as they choose – as long as it’s not at someone else’s expense, or on another’s back.

Salam – Wolakota – Sula – I dream a BIG dream. I dream of a world that is held as Sacred. No pollution, no waste. Renewable, recyclable, sustainable. Clean air and water and wholesome food for all. Education, health care, true equality, true choice. How will we “pay” for all this? Well, as I said, it’s a BIG dream. And the truth is that we’re paying for it now. Some of our so-called “fearless” leaders are so filled with fear that they would have us recklessly, blindly squander the vast riches of this world for a few more “good” years exploiting people and resources until it all lies in smoking ruin, half-crazed “survivors” stumbling from burnt-out trash heap to another before crawling into a hole to die, the question “What happened?” frozen on their lips.

Mir – Katahimikan – Santiphap – I am blessed to be a grandfather. I am blessed to have a god-daughter and a beautiful, peace-filled place to live. I am blessed with health, with abundance, with amazing family, friends and community. Most of all, I am blessed to be living life in love with my Beloved JoAnn! I am blessed to know in my heart that I am making a difference, that I am Being the Change. I am blessed to know for sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that everyone, everywhere deserves all of these Blessings and much, much more … deserves all the happiness, peace and prosperity that I am Blessed with.

Om Shanti –Pace - Sipala –Peace – It’s a BIG dream. Still, we can dream it, weave it, together. In the end, we have no choice, especially if we want to see our children and our grandchildren inherit the pure potential inherent in this moment. I see this world, I smell it, and I touch it with my heart. I know this to be true, and So It Is. Ho! Blessed Be … Peace.

Music reference: Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe’s 1989 eponymous masterpiece. Check out track 2, “Fist of Fire,” and track 3, “Brother of Mine” – especially part 1, “The Big Dream” (although the entire album, from beginning to end, is over-the-top).

The Earth Charter - ... is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society for the 21st century. Created by the largest global consultation process ever associated with an international declaration, endorsed by thousands of organizations representing millions of individuals, the Earth Charter seeks to inspire in all peoples a sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family and the larger living world. The Earth Charter is an expression of hope and a call to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history.

Running on Turkeys

In my new book, Drunk with Wonder: Awakening to the God Within, I don’t focus a lot of attention on the environment. Not because of disinterest, mind you, rather that my goal in the book is to assist those who are ready to move into a place of greater clarity, peace, purpose with passion and a strong sense of play. It seems abundantly clear that we need to be able to think clearly before we can begin making choices that truly support life in all its myriad forms, including the environment.

For example, people who are awake to their connection with the Earth do not tend to trash it. Most of us would not litter our living space, yet somehow millions of tons of trash get dumped on our roads every year. Our country, not to mention the rest of the world, still tosses billions of tons of “waste” into landfills as well.

It turns out (surprise, surprise!) that the vast majority of this material is recyclable in one form or another. Take our annual waste stream of some 15,000,000 scrapped cars (please!). Almost every shred of metal is already pulled out and reused, but that still leaves roughly 4.5 million tons of “shredder residue” (nice euphemism, huh?) that winds up being dumped in landfills.

The good news in all this is that a company called Changing World Technologies has figured out how to turn this unholy mess of shredder residue, which includes at least three dozen kinds of plastic, as well as treated fabrics, rubber and nylon, into high-grade “light” oil that can be used to run an electric generating plant. It can also easily be refined into gasoline. And this process uses only 15% of the available energy. As an extra bonus, all PCBs and dioxins are broken down into substances that can be used in other industrial processes. No PCBs, no dioxins, no emissions. How cool is that?

Using the same technology, Changing World Technologies has built a full-scale conversion plant in Carthage, Missouri, where they are already processing thousands of tons of turkey offal and pig fat daily. This process, which uses a combination of high pressure and heat, turns out thousands of gallons of this same high-grade fuel oil. This awful offal used to be dumped in landfills, and billions of tons still are. But this company has invented a solution that works, one that is already making a difference in helping our beloved Mother Earth while developing renewable sources of fuel. Truly what I call a win-win.

Source: Discover Magazine, April 2006, “Anything into Oil” by Brad Lemly.