Hello everyone,

Wow it's the end of summer already. We have been canning up a storm and having done something like 300 pounds of tomatoes. That's a lot of jar stuffing.

Anyhow, as many of you know I'm going to be moving offices. Things have just gotten too busy to go back and forth some and a focus on one office to do both of my jobs. I have been in Washington Square for over five years. I love it there and it's hard to leave but this new opportunity cannot be passed up. I will now be using an office at Peaceful Solutions Counseling to do my work and the position I hold for them. This will save me a lot of time and expense and I can focus on each individual to the best of my abilities. I will have the opportunity to use their group room space and will be able to expand. I look forward to this new opportunity and thank everyone involved.

Now I would like to read a poem that a young man sent me.

You are the Sun and drag.

You are God hiding from yourself.

Remove all the "mine" that is the veil.

Why ever worry about

Anything?

Listen to what your friend Hafiz

Knows for certain:

the appearance of this world

Is a Magi's brilliant trick, though its affairs are

Nothing into nothing.

You are divine elephant with amnesia

trying to live in ant

Hole.

Sweetheart, O sweetheart

You are God in

Drag!

Can you see the Truth in the wisdom of Hafiz.

Enjoy your day:)

LoveSteven

All these changes

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and enjoying the end of summer.
With all the steady rain this is the first year I can remember that I'll actually get melons and watermelon in my garden. You can definitely tell that the weather has changed around the world. Today there was an earthquake on the East Coast of the United States. And as I was talking to a friend he said maybe this is to wake us up. And my answer was yes. Everything going on in the world is meant to wake us up. It's time to wake up:)

people always say why don't you sit down and blog. To be honest I just can't, I don't really care.
I work full time, maintain this farm and all its duties, in addition to creating our own food sources. It's a lot of work and by the end of the day the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a box. Although it's fun to be on the computer I've never really gotten into it that much. I think mainly because it frustrates me.

I'm going to read a passage from the Language of Letting Go. I read this passage because it's the way I feel and it is the way that things should be. I know that I have very strong opinions and one of those very strong opinions is that no one speaks the truth.

Directness: Direct people are a joy to be around. We never have to guess what they're really thinking or feeling, because they're honest about their thoughts and openly express their feelings. We never have to wonder if they're with us because they want to be, or if they're there out of guilt and obligation. When they do something for us, we don't have to worry whether they'll end up resenting us because direct people generally do things that please themselves.
We don't have to fuss about the status of our relationship because if we ask, they'll tell us.
We don't have to worry if they're angry because they deal openly with their anger and resolve it quickly. We don't have to ponder whether they are talking about us behind our backs because if they have something to say, it will be said to us directly. We don't have to wonder if we can rely on them because direct people are trustworthy. Wouldn't it be nice if we were all that direct.

Today, I will let go of my notions that it is somehow good or desirable to be indirect. Instead, I will strive for honesty, directness, and clarity in my communication. I will let my directness in my relationships begin with me.

Think about it and enjoy your day :-)

LoveSteven

August approaches

Hello everyone,

I hope you are well and enjoying the summer. If anyone takes notice their great changes going on. We have to look at the whole picture but are resistant. We as human beings do not like to look at the whole picture because then we might have to change something. I see most individuals as blind. Blind to themselves, blind to others, blind to the world around them. We remain blind because we haven't been taught the ability to cope. We do not know that we have complete control over our lives and our experiences. We run from ourselves and in doing so run from our joy and happiness. Yet we always have a justification for everything were doing. All you have to do is look at the broader world of government, religion, and corporations. They to are blind. What they all do is blame, minimize and deny. They want the individual to take responsibility for their actions but why don't these entities have to take responsibility for theirs. We acknowledge we have problems but nothing changes we just give everything lip service We say we don't have any problems, what are you talking about, you are the problem. We do it as individuals and on a global scale. We're blind to what we have done to ourselves, others, our environment, our earth. It is time for change. We resist change because we don't know what lies beyond it, which is our true selves. But we do not know what it means to be our true-self. To be authentic as to be real, most are not real in fact I don't think very many are real. We live in an illusion that everything is fine therefore we don't have to fix anything. We go around and say were good to everyone we encounter and yet we are not. That is the world. Well this world is crashing down upon us and we still do not look. Soon enough we will have no choice. People come to me for help and feel they cannot live up to what I say even though all I do is speak the truth. People get angry at me for speaking the truth but I will not cease, it is my calling. We live in a society where we don't speak the truth. We say what people want to hear and we talk out of both sides of our mouth. Nothing changes and we have done this since the beginning,. We have learned nothing. All you have to do is look at government and the debt crisis that says it all. Blame, shame and guilt are our mantras. We need new mantras of love, acceptance and forgiveness. We call ourselves children of God but we put the ego on God's truth and use it against each other. That is not God that is the human ego and God is not a man. We take what we want out of something, distort it, put it on others and nothing changes. We only screw ourselves. That is what we do each day when we deny ourselves who we truly are which is Love. We screw ourselves and then we screw each other, then our environment and our world and we wonder what's wrong. Then we balme the next guy. It is time to change.

That is all I have this morning. Have a great day and love yourself, taht brings change.

Love Steven

I am back kind of...

Yes, yes I'm back.

As many of you know I do not like sitting in front of the computer. I would rather spend my time with people, helping them define themselves or working in my gardens and on the farm.

This time of year I'm very busy on the farm with all the gardens and the animals etc. You must remember I make all my own food and that takes time, lots of it.

I have been very busy between the two offices in which I work. I am facilitating four groups between the two offices along with mentoring 10 individuals in the community. I love all my work but I must also take time for myself. I must be selfish for the highest good in order to help others. As you can see our world is falling apart and as it does I become busier and busier. Whether we like it or not we must face ourselves and what we have created.

I see the entire United States like one big alcoholic. Like any good alcoholic we refuse to deal with our issues. We use the tools of avoidance, blame, denial, guilt and shame. Like any good alcoholic we must hit the bottom in order for change to take place. We often refuse recovery until we are forced too and that is what we are like in the United States and across the world. We will be forced to change, we have no choice, we cannot go on within a life of separation. Separation from our our true selves, separation from each other, our communities, separation from our environment, our food and nature itself. The following passage I been reading to my groups and I would like to share it with you. I will post it on the website when I have time, I'm also neglectful of that is you know. Please continue to be patient with me. The more I look within myself the more I do not see the necessity of half of the things we do in this world.

As you know I am a huge supporter of the book The Language of Letting Go. The old version of the book I have has a yellow cover and I call it my yellow Bible.

Here's the passage from May 25th, enjoy it and think about it.

Loving Ourselves Unconditionally.

Love yourself and the health and the good life of your own. Love yourself and the relationships that work. Love yourself and at peace, happiness, joy, success and contentment. We can stop treating ourselves the way others treated us, if they behaved in a less than healthy way. If we have learned to see ourselves critically, conditionally and in a diminishing our punishing way, it's time to stop. Other people treated us that way, but it's even worse when we treat ourselves that way now. People who love themselves are truly able to love others and let others love them. People who love themselves and hold themselves in high esteem by those who give the most, contribute the most and love the most. How do we love ourselves? By forcing it at first. By faking it if necessary. By "acting as if". By working as hard at loving ourselves as we have at not liking ourselves. Embrace and love all of yourself, past present, and future. Forgive yourself quickly, and as often as necessary. Complement yourself. Pat yourself on the back when necessary. Discipline yourself when necessary. Ask for what you need. Learn to be good to yourself. Learn to stop your pain, even when that means making difficult decisions. Create strong boundaries of self-care. Do not unnecessarily deprive yourself. Sometimes, give yourself what you want, just because you want it. When you make mistakes, let them go. We learn, we grow and we learn some more. And through it all, we love ourselves. One day we will wake up, look in the mirror and find that loving ourselves has become habitual. Self-love will take hold and become a guiding force in our life.

Today, I will work at loving myself. I will work as hard at loving myself as I have at not liking myself. Help me let go of my self-hateful behaviors. Have they replaced those behaviors that reflects self-love. Today, God, let me know I am lovable and capable of giving and receiving love.

Need I say more. Enjoy yourself today and remember you are everything, one with all of creation.

Love to you all,

Steven

Finally Spring?

Hey Everyone,
Remember the simple affirmation:

"I can do this today, I will have a great day because I am so worthy".

Spring finally seems to be peeking out. I still have to feed the cattle hay and my barn water is still frozen. Just have to trust.

I wanted to thank everyone in the Twin Cities for another wonder filled weekend of laughter, tears, curry and culture in the big city.

What a contrast it is to spend the weekend tooling around the cities then coming home to just me in quite, simplicity, and nature.

I like both but I truly understand that after I spend the weekend showing individuals their trueselves I need to get back to the earth and all she has to offer; a sense of Peace in a choatic world where resistance to change is ever present but change it must nontheless. The changes are upon us, it is time to open our eyes to what is important, ourselves and those we love around us.

Love always,
Steven

Another beautiful day

Hey there,
Today I am speaking to about 300 high school kids at a conference I have been a part of for 11 years. Each year that I speak I have to come up with something to talk about. Well God always provides me with a lot of material, more often then not it is about myself, my family and our journey as a human family. Five years ago as my mom lay dying she said, go talk with those kids and tell them what your mother did, tell them how after so much pain we came together to heal.
My sister Diane, mom and myself came together and healed the past. My older brother and little sister avoided the whole process and thus remained in the pain of our childhood experience. We are not sure where our brother is, he has not spoken to me for five years, since mom's death, surprise. Well our little sister died one month ago, we did not know she was on her death bed.
That is my subject for this years talk. She did not have to live and die in a life half lived. She had a whole universe inside of her to explore but she chose to stay in a black hole. That is my subject and in that I shall take a sad ending and turn it into a learning experince for these kids so they know they do not have to settle for a black hole and see that we all shine as bright as the summer sun.
Peace to all,
Steven

Spring at last

Hello Everyone, First, I would like to thank everyone in LaCrosse who made my visit there several weeks ago an enjoyable one as always. I would also like to thank Rosalie Hooper Thomas and everyone at the Franciscan Spirituality Center. I was given a wonderful tour of the facilities and will be in continued conversation on presenting programs for the spring of 2012! I will also be doing an afternoon program at Natural Sanctuary in Waupaca on May 14th. I will be hosting "A Circle of Healing and Awareness" from 1-5 pm. If you are interested in knowing more or registering, the cost is $60. You can reach me at 715-571-0192. Thanks, LoveSteven

Our changing world

Hello Everyone,

I would first like to ask everyone to hold in their Hearts, thoughts of Healing, Love and Awareness for All of Humanity at this time of challenge.

Do you see the great changes? The slow drip of change, the slow process of a new beginning?

Of course to the eyes of the ego this is all fear based destruction. Unwelcomed change, such as that of the Middle East. These changes must take place and they will happen here too. When you see the whole picture we have to ask, when will all of humanity wake up and realize that something greater is going on here. We are so blind as a species, we must open our eyes to the importance of each and every one of us and all of life on earth.

Be Greatful for Yourself and Others.

LoveSteven

The World Today

I will start out this post with a quote attributed to Gandi. This quote is being used throughout the unrest in the Middle East. I also think this quote applies to my quest for people to heal although many are resisitant to change or more simply put we do not want to have change of mind.

First They Ignore You.
Then They Laugh at You.
Then They Fight You.
Then you win.

It is really not about winning for me it is about seeing everyone in a better place of self-acceptance with less guilt and shame.

See the Light through the dark as we keep changing in this Great World of Ours.

Enjoy, Steven

-

Just a note

I don't watch much television but I do like documentaries. I feel we use television as a needless distraction. If I watch something it has to be creative, informative, educational, emotional or funny. I love to watch Independent Lens on PBS. You can check out their films and viewing schedule at PBS.org. The other night I cried my eyes out watching, "For Once In My Life" about a group of disabled adult Goodwill employees who form a band and create wonderful music despite their limitations. Another wonderful film is about a group of elderly who sing modern songs from the heart. These incredible creative individuals have a message for all of us about the power of the human spirit. This film is called, "Young at Heart".

Enjoy:)

Our Changing World

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well in this winter season.

I want to thank everyone for a wonderful time in the Twin Cities this past weekend. I was blessed to share many wonderful experinces with new and old friends.

What I see when I work with individuals, whether they are in the criminal justice system or the average person is that we appear to all be in the throws of anxiety, stress, fear and separation from our trueselves. This affects our personal lives and personal and workplace relationships. There is so much needless conflict and suffering. We are all the same really, just differant versions of the same conditioned thought. This year is called the year of trauma in astrology circles. The problems in the world today are a result of our inability to change ourselves as individuals and ourselves as a global society. We repeat the same lessons over and over again never learning just avoiding. We say what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear. If we actually listened to what we need to hear we would have to change. Whether we like it or not we will be forced to change. We have created a backwards motion of resistance and keep feeding the problems with the same problems, which more often then not is money.We are gerbils on the treadmill, running and running and running from ourselves. We are running from what we do not know which is ourselves. What a shame because if we really looked at ourselves we would see that we are goodness and love on the inside despite what we have done on the outside. We live in the world of the ego and if you look at the Power and Control Wheel you will see all aspects of society. The Power and Control Wheel is each of us as an individual, a community, a corporation, an institution, a country, a continent and a world.

The problems in Egypt and throughout the Middle East are just the beginnings of a world of great change. Our world is about people and a balance with the earth not about power and control through fear and separation, the haves and the have-nots and the injustice of those who have great wealth and those who have nothing. We live in the world of the ego-mind. We have closed off our hearts and stay in our heads. We are suppose to be in our Hearts which is Love of Self and others which is a coming together to heal from what we have done to ourselves and the planet.

Go to your Heart, Love and value Yourself and Others, be Compassionate with Yourself and Others, and Forgive Yourself and Others. Put aside the ego mind, it has no control over you, it's all in your head, literally. Take it out of your head and it does not exist. Go to your heart and find everything that you value in life.

Love Steven

I got this quote from a dear friend who see's the truth.

Life on Earth.

The point of Life on Earth is about growth and experience
NOT adult control of all realities.

Peace in the Moment:)

Happy 2011

Hello Eveyone,

As you know I don't like computers in general. My friends, two of which I will not name pressure me to own things like iPhone's and headsets to speak into. I am resistant but I'm giving it a try.
This morning I'm actually dictating this so maybe I'll see that it's fun and start doing it more often. We will see.

I hope you are well and survived the holidays. Isn't it amazing that the holidays are meant to be a time of rejoicing when mostly it is a time of stress and overspending. Why have we been conditioned to think spending is the way were supposed to create an economy? Whatever happened to creating and manufacturing or living off the land in a balanced way? We have lost our way, we are a world of insanity. We are like gerbils on a treadmill, and endless running to nowhere. We have been conditioned to think that we are our material selves. And that is all that is important. It creates separation from our heart, from each other, and from the greater world.

This is what I walk into each morning.

To the east the Sun is slowly rising, it is cold and clear and beautiful. I walk into the barn and am greeted by many faces with anticipation. The ducks are quacking, the roosters crowing. This morning like many mornings I say, "Good morning everyone!" Straight ahead of me are cows and goats all waiting for attention. There is Armella, an adult Scottish Highland cow with large horns and long hair overlapping her beautiful eyes. Next to her is her calf Eldora, another calf Brighton, an almost full-grown steer named Guenter, and two goats, Chloe and Lamont. Their faces are filled with peace and love in the moment. They remind me what is important. They have no worry, no stress, no doubt. They do not care what others think. They just want their daily bread. And as I spend time with them, feeding and watering them they reflect back to me what I truly am, which is love just like them and I am grateful. That is my daily practice. I have been doing this twice a day for nine years. And it never gets tiring, it's just a practice. Hauling water, feeding hay and shoveling manure in the moment. At times what becomes overwhelming is the responsibility but all I have to do is spend time with them and they remind me what is important. I see the beauty of them as a reflection of the beauty of myself, there is no difference. I am truly grateful. In this New Year be grateful for what you have and who you are. Stop running. Look in the mirror, forgive, love and say I am worthy. There is nothing to fear.

Enjoy your day :) Love Steven