I heard about a #1 seller on the book-list titled "The God Delusion"

Anyone else heard about it? Read it? If you haven't, you can catch a glimpse here:

http://richarddawkins.net/godDelusion where you can get a glimpse of chapter 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_God_Delusion where you can see other reviews and summaries.

Monday, February 5 I hosted the second meeting for our Inspired Business meeting. Our membership increased by one and we began the meeting with a reminder for us all by each member stating their reason for participating in the group. The responses included

• to build community
• to make a difference
• to live life more authentically in the business arena
• to be inspired and supported in business
• to help each other succeed

Prior to the meeting I had given much thought to what must happen to keep building upon the momentum of our intention - the reason for this group's being. Having already communicated the principle Success Breeds Success in the initial communication and meeting, sinking this principle in our group dynamic in order to build on the momentum took priority.

I loved seeing this question posed and naturally responded with a Yes! I mean, why not?? Then memory served up an Ace down the baseline that I couldn't return.

Are you ready for this? Business, and our entire capitalist infrastructure. Who are the real polluters? Not just industry polluting water, and the air, but also the landfills. It's almost as though the system creates a program to appease the masses so it appears that action is being taken. Except the reality is far from the goal of the objective.

Just a quick update that I'd also like to share. One of the things I felt called to act upon this year was to begin providing a venue and opportunity for entrepreneurs who are looking to experience business and working relationships that honors their values. 

I'm pleased to announce that last week a small group of us met for the first time, and the vision I proposed for this collaborative endeavour has been well-received. We are continuing to build this as an organic grassroots movement in order to maintain the integrity and vision of the intention that inspired its' birth.  

Weary to the bones, feeling the heaviness and despair, the fatigue demands you to sit and breathe awhile. As you sit and withdraw within the burdened mind and heart, you pant for breath, for life to return. A gust of wind stirs and refreshes you momentarily, clearing away the dark thoughts of the day, the months, and the years, and you raise your head and eyes to observe.

"How did I not notice this?" you ask. Two paths open before you. One appears to lead down the same path life has been handing you the past 10 years. It doesn't feel right, it feels like a lie, like all smoke and mirrors. The other road is shrouded in mist, within a dark forest. Even so, off in the distance you see a speck of light, like a promise, of something that appeals to a deeper part of yourself.

You look again, at the foreboding dark forest, the mist, and wonder what lurks in the dark. Its’ eeriness sends shivers and goose bumps crawling across your skin and through your bones. What surprises you is that the bones know, they know that this is your road, and one that you've passed many times before.

Finally, tired of the same repetitious path of life, the path that has lulled you into a slumber of pity, self-loathing, even longing, you find a spark within the heart that ignites a tiny spark in the belly, and then the head, and you know the adventure begins: The life you were born to live. All that needs to happen now is to turn towards the ominous and hopeful path of rightness, not familiarity, and to strike out on foot with courage.

For many, the piercing arrow of fear strikes to heart with its' ghost-like quality. The transparent, smoky, frail, and temporal arrow of fear relies on illusion to fool them and their ever-so intelligent mind that can never be wrong. As they turn away from the path of rightness, of their true life that they were born to live, fear returns to the dark woods as a whispery haunting laugh follows the blind back to the illusion of familiarity and security.

You remember this, how many times you glanced and walked on; how many times you stopped and longed; and you even have a vague recollection of having passed it without even noticing. No, the time has come, the pain of familiarity has made you too numb, and you long for life to seize your heart and start beating again with the joy of promise given to you as a child in the arms of the Supreme.

Checking in one more time, you feel the excitement build in the bones as the pilot lights sparked earlier fuel the passion to be alive and ride life. With nary a look back your heel strikes out and into the gloom of the dark forest, and the promise of that light off in the distant future. Inside the forest, you find the familiar surround you again, as the denseness of this familiar place brings memories, mistakes, missed opportunities, and the healing to let go.

This dark forest is love and loves you. The embrace is firm, cold, and yet bold. Welcoming each error of past misjudgment transforms you, empowers you, fuels you, heals you, and the forest urges you on as each barb yields to the beautiful rose. And one day, in the unknown distance of time, you step out fully into the brilliance of your authentic life upon the meadow of gaiety.

Dancing, singing, rejoicing you spin and turn and tumble with joy. After moments or hours, as time is no longer the prison it once was, you stand, exhausted with joy and delight and turn slowly absorbing the beauty that surrounds you. Gazing back along the road less traveled you see the path from the forest to discover the beauty in the tragedies and pain, as majestic Oaks, Maples, Firs, and so many more, tower to the sky with a firm strength that stands the test of time.

Bending to knee, falling forward, embracing the earth, and all your self-worth, you give thanks with tears and sobbing that releases the fullest joy imaginable. And the quiet voice of Love speaks into your heart, clearing your mind once again, and says, "Sweet child. I honor you. It was you who seized upon Courage and found Strength where I reside. It was you, My Delight, and you bring great Joy to My Heart, knowing that you have claimed this Gift of Life fully."

The bones speak again as the flesh is crawled with goose bumps and the rightness of the words sink into the flesh. Rolling over and sitting up, you lean back on your hands for a moment to gaze up into the blue wonder to ponder thanks. "My dear God," you say, "I have fought you, misunderstood you, and even abused you, yet you call me your delight. Thank-you for acknowledging that which is in me as you, and never, ever, giving up on me."

Regaining your feet, you feel the ground firmly beneath you like you've never felt it before. You feel the blood course through your veins with a fury of life that will never lay down again. You feel the gratitude and love of a heart that has swollen in proportion to ALL. And you forge on with a zest and appeal for experiencing joy that leaves your mouth watering, knowing that the path of rightness is your own and that goodness will always reign.

A ghost appears, ever so slightly, to pierce the truth with a nightmare of fear. And just as quickly, you turn one last time and remember what that forest has taught you. For all the mistakes, wrong turns, hurts of life, and damage caused to others, forgiveness and love have never left you, let you down, abandoned you, or held any grudges. It was you, it was fear, it can and has been let go, and firmly planted in the roots of majesty. You will prevail.

This, I just wrote, from heart and creative spirit.

Today saw the launch of a group of individuals looking to create a new way of working together, creating life, and enjoying community and family. Entrepreneurs tired of compromising their values in the corporate realm, having a higher understanding of their role within society and humanity.

I have been asked quite a few times over the past year and half about starting something along these lines. Each attempt fell short, partly due to my own history requiring something clever and professional to be created, rather than something authentic and organic. Finally, after many false starts, recent connections revealed the gift of authenticity and inspiration that spills from my lips in a given moment when people are sincere in their desire to grow and learn. Seeing this more clearly paved the way for today's event to launch itself as a handful of us came together to co-create the vision that will unfold in the coming months.

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I wish we could all hear with our heart
instead of smelling the dogma we stepped in.

When I took my coaches training, a particular subject area related to "What's hard to be with?" Often times, we human-beings in our need to be right, or loved, or even simply liked all the time means that we fail to stick-to-it when the going gets tough. I, too, have often been guilty of the same behavior in my life. One place you often find yourself not doing that though, is in a relationship that you've already invested a lot of emotional energy into. So what about the rest of life and other relationships?

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett play amidst an international cast in this modern day reflection on the consciousness of society. For the audience the trick is to get beyond our own arrogance about who, what, and where we are in our own ideologies socially, economically, and politically, and to really witness the humanity and needs of humanity at the deepest part of our being.

In this movie, we see social stigma, cultural stigma, and a system that defines how we manage our societies around the world. Looking closely you can see how we act out against this system, act out against each other, and how we impose ourself and our views upon one another. It was a good movie, an intelligent movie, with what I feel has the potential for great social impact. The trick is to look beyond your own class, your own society, and to look deeply into the heart of each character in each culture.

What are my thoughts?

You know, I did read it and thanks for posting it by the way. I had heard some disturbing things and wanted to give it a once over. I confess, I didn't give it my fullest attention as I did a lot of skimming. Skimming in itself denotes a lot of bullshit to wade through, I would think - or at least not the kind of substance that I'd like to hear.