Addiction – The Real Cause

Michael Cupo proposes that society does not clearly address the real cause of addiction. He has an understanding that all addictions can be overcome when that real cause is addressed and understood. – See more at: http://ow.ly/I57B1

A Tribute

Here is a tribute someone messaged to me about my book. I was so honored by this that I wanted to share it.

I have 2 online businesses, on both I posted your book, It’s Monday Only in Your Mind as reading material for 2015. Your written experience has influenced me more than any book I have read, what my M.A. in psych has taught me, 16 years of on/off therapy, Byron Katie workshops, personal interaction with Phil Lombardo, Shakit Gawin , Bob Stahl, Louise Hays and various Hay House authors that I personally know who have directed me towards my true being of love. I haven’t seen my therapist in 6 weeks. I am looking forward to a new relationship with him and with myself. Thank you so much for discovering the truth and sharing it with the world. Without meeting you, I believe you are my friend.

Distracted Lie

Truth arises when a person looks at themselves, all sorts of things happen when this arises. For most though the distracted mind creates a lie to avoid the truth…

It’s unfortunate, but most people live a life of distracted lies more so than one of truth. They believe they’re living by truth, but upon further investigation this fallacy can be seen. On the outside the lie seems so much better and this is what keeps a person distracted by it; one’s conditioning is what makes it seem better. Truth arises when a person looks at themselves. All sorts of things happen when truth arises. Without this understanding truth is avoided as if it was the plague. Becoming aware of the distracted lies so truth can be revealed is essential in understanding oneself. Sit with the assumption that you will sit in stillness and watch how little stillness there is. Just sit and be with whatever is there, that’s where stillness is. When the mind isn’t looking for anything, it’s still.

Only a distracted mind needs to create a lie, and only with being with the distraction does the mind settle. This doesn’t mean changes aren’t made, but when changes aren’t necessary the mind is settled. This is why to me there’s no positive or negative, because if it’s negative and you want something positive, it’s no different than if you are positive and you don’t want anything negative. A distracted mind is a mind that needs things to be a certain way whether it’s positive or negative. This is the distracted lie, but the truth is nothing needs to be different and the mind will settle when life is accepted without the distraction of positive or negative…

Repeated Reactions

The repeated reactions of a Conditioned Mind can be devastating if they’re not understood. The repeated reactions manifest in many ways, but when the mind is quiet many fall by the wayside; that’s when life truly begins…

The reason why it’s so difficult to change is because the mind defaults to repeated reactions; even to the point of its own destruction. The conditioning must be changed if the repeated behavior is to be changed. If this isn’t identified the behavior is repeated over and over, that is until the necessary practice is cultivated to initiate change. If nothing changes nothing changes. If the conditioning is changed the repeated behavior becomes non existent. You don’t change the behavior because it’s a by product of the conditioning. When there’s quietness instead of conditioning there won’t be any repeated behavior associated with the conditioning.

This is immensely valuable in understanding the incessantness of the mind. If quietness isn’t brought into your life the noise in the head will continue to run the show. It really is that simple. You have been conditioned to act in repeated ways, whether those ways are beneficial to yourself, others, the planet, and the Universe as a whole, depends on what the base of those ways are. Their base is what determines the results of our decisions and how they affect the entire Universe. You may not think you acting in a self serving way affects the Universe, but how can it not. Energy is energy, never created or destroyed, simply transformed.

No act is isolated from itself, whether based in love or greed, hate, and delusion; it affects the whole. But the real issue is getting to know how the repeated reactions of your mind makes your decisions for you. Change comes when this is realized and then different behavior can be selected. Your own mind will fight you on this, it makes you think the unknown is not good, but it’s only a story because everything that is known today was once unknown at some point. So learn to quiet the squirrel cage mind so the repeated reactions aren’t on automatic pilot. You’ll be amazed with the way life changes because when you start to do things differently and act in ways that are conducive to love suffering lessens. It’s truly that simple, but because the mind likes to revert to what it knows change is not easy…

Programmed Intentions

You can only do what you have been programmed to do, so unless you wake up to see what that is, the programming will remain in place and that will be the driving force behind your intentions…

Everything reached for is a coping mechanism that you have been programmed to use. And although using different things produces different outcomes, the core of all reaching is the same, it arises from the programmed lack created by your own mind. This programmed lack is what causes you to constantly need to reach for something, the lack isn’t real, but the programming makes you believe it is and the ensuing behavior manifest to fill this. The programming says, Hey you have lack and you need to reach for something to fill it. And according to how you been programmed that will be what you reach for; sit and ponder this for awhile.

Until this lack is understood and the programming is seen for what it truly is, suffering will remain because you will always need something to fulfill the arisen desire to fill the lack. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but when programmed lack is the driving force of existence, it will keep the mind in a constant state of agitation. This cannot be seen by a mind that’s programmed to lack, only a quiet mind state will be aware of this. The reason why anything is reached for is because there’s programming that makes you think there’s a need for the present moment to be different; this is the lie of the programming. You can only do what the programming in place allows. Unless you wake up to see what this programming is, it will remain in place and be the driving force behind your intentions…

Love Energy

The energy that unites and draws humanity together is the energy of love. When you’re in this space others will also be attracted to it as it’s the one place where there’s unity simply because of the energy of love…

It’s very important to be in harmony with love energy so people know there’s a place they can turn to. Many people read my articles and they expect them to be there. I don’t mind this because of what has been revealed to me; I’m grateful for this love energy. Everyone needs a place where they know they can go to withdraw from the unconscious world. It does matter where you go for this withdraw. If you go to a place that’s used as a distraction it may feel like you’ve withdrawn, but that won’t be the case. Even when you get lost in something menial the day will go by simply because time waits for no one. But if you’re spending the same day in the state of awareness you’ll be in harmony with love energy and people will turn to you.

Don’t be concerned with what others think about you, just be steadfast in what you know as love energy and let no one take that away. Being in harmony with love energy in a world that’s mostly not will allow others to also be united which is needed for any transformation to occur. The harmony that draws you to someone is the love energy that becomes a part of humanity. Life is an open experience and if you’re not learning from it, you most likely have your mind made up with what you think life is about; when you truly see these made up stories aren’t needed they fall away. This falling away allows love energy to arise. When you’re in this space others will also be attracted to it as it’s the one place where there’s harmony with all humanity and it’s simply because of the energy of love…

At One With Life

When you’re at one with life it’s because you’re at one with the present moment. When you’re not at one it’s because the Conditioned Mind nonsense is in play…

Spirituality isn’t magical, it’s everyone’s true essence. Being alive is being spiritual regardless. If there‘s awareness of this or not it doesn’t take away from the fact that your true nature is spiritual. Let’s take a practical approach to spirituality so the blocks to awareness can be narrowed down. Look at one of the most common realities of life, to me that would be everything that happens does so in the present moment. This is such a common reality of life, but it’s so hard to live in this moment. We hear it all the time, live in the now, all we have is now, be present, yet it is so hard to remain present.

The point of this is the mind will not stay at one with the present moment on its own, there will be a need to develop some discipline so it becomes the minds default way. It’s only because of the way the mind has been developed to begin with that not being at one occurs. And understand this, the mind will not become reconditioned on its own, it needs help. It’s in the reconditioning of a settled mind where one becomes aware of their spiritual nature. This is because when you remain at one in with the present moment you’re at one with the Universe. If there’s the development of awareness of what takes a person out of the present moment, it will be discovered what takes one out of harmony with life itself. When this is discovered the default setting of the mind will be of its true nature of the spirit because you’re at one with the only thing in place; the present moment…

Wanting Crutch

Wanting is like wishing your life away as it keeps you from experiencing the present moment. It’s used as a crutch because what’s occurring right now is always what’s here as opposed to wanting the present moment different…

Many people think wanting is something that’s needed, but it’s used strictly as a crutch by the Conditioned Mind and it keeps you from not understanding what it means to be in the present moment. It’s a direct cause of suffering as it makes you believe it’s something that’s needed by making you live life in the future. The Conditioned Mind does this by telling you the present moment isn’t good enough and it needs to be different. It projects a lie that things would be better if they were in some other way. And maybe on the surface they would be, but inward is where one derives the perception that makes life what it is; so it will either be a life of suffering or one of contentment. Even if what’s wanted is attainable, it won’t last, especially when it’s from the surface. Inward there is a slight better chance for it to have a lasting affect, but this is only if one is awake enough to see this.

Let’s say you’re diagnosed with some kind of illness, the only thing wanting does is it makes you wish the diagnosis was different, but it doesn’t change the fact of what is occurring right now. The illness remains regardless of what’s wanted. If you don’t want your life to be different and it’s accepted as it is, you will experience the peace of the present moment and this is regardless of what’s occurring. This is because right now is the only place of true existence so it’s important to see this. Not in the future, but right now because you don’t need right now to be different because it already exist…

Your Hurdle is You

The only hurdle to truly being free is yourself and until you face yourself freedom is something that will always seem to be in the need to overcome the next hurdle…

Consider life as water and emotions as a flood, if you’re on low ground you’ll be overcome by the flood waters (emotions) but if you’re on high ground the same flood waters will come, but the way you’re affected you will be much different. This is what happens when a person faces themselves, you’re naturally put on higher ground which builds up a defense against your emotional flood waters. Without facing yourself there will be no defense against the flood waters because you will be stuck on lower ground. On lower ground when the flood waters rise, some form of destruction will be the result and the severity of the flood (emotional attachment) determines the destruction.

The flood waters only affect what’s on lower ground, and this lower nature manifest as emotional attachments. The destructiveness of this attachment is determined by what is reached for, drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, food, politics, and so on. Not everything reached for is destructive, but some have much more destructive potential than others. If one doesn’t face themselves there won’t be awareness of either the destructive or the subtle things reached for. To me, the key is facing yourself because it puts you on higher ground so when the flood waters do come it has less of an effect on you. This is the value of facing and understanding yourself, it allows you to not be flooded emotionally by circumstances that occur. Although the flood waters will rise, because you’re on higher ground you aren’t affected like the person who’s stuck on lower ground and is reaching for a life preserver, in whatever form that may be…

Monkey Mind Energy

As long as there is seeking there will always be seeking and one will remain on the monkey mind path exerting all kinds of energy, but not really getting anywhere…

What keeps a person stuck on the monkey mind path of seeking is trying to manufacture peace, love, kindness, mindfulness, spirituality, and so on instead of aligning yourself with the present moment which allows these attributes to arise naturally. This is what keeps the monkey mind energy in place. The energy of this seeking is circular (like being on a treadmill) so it’s never going to produce anything that’s going to free you from the monkey mind. You may bounce to a seemingly different energy because it’s given a different label, but as long as you think you have to do something to manufacture a certain desired result, monkey mind energy will continue regardless of what it’s called and so you will remain on this path.

This seeking of desired results makes a person use an array of things, from sweets, drugs, alcohol, gambling, tv, success, sex, programs, another book, retreats, a path, meditation, and many other things. What these all have in common is they keep you attached to the monkey mind energy of seeking which is a byproduct of the Conditioned Mind. A true transformation of the spirit cannot be manufactured. This is because seeking energy is the exact energy that blocks the alignment which allows energy to transform. Only when you break free from the monkey mind can a transformation or shift occur. As long as there is seeking there will always be seeking and you will remain on the monkey mind path exerting all kinds of energy, but not really getting anywhere…

Open Mind Lessons

Many things in life can be a lesson if you have an open mind willing to allow it, but if there’s constant noise in the space between your ears, nothing will be seen as it truly is…

Nature provides lesson if you’re not all caught up in what’s going on between your ears. The other day I was watching a duck family sitting in a pond. They were all perfectly still, their heads tucked away. None of them were struggling with trying to be still, there was no guru duck leading a guided meditation, no chants, or mantras being recited. No duck had on headphones listening to meditative music or positive affirmations. They were all just sitting there in the quietness of the moment. I actually went closer to observe this further to allow my present moment awareness to be a part of theirs. I was experiencing the peace of their stillness and it was a serenity beyond words; the peace that passes all understanding. This peace only happens when there’s stillness to allow it, this is what the awareness of this blessed moment gave to me.

There was so much peace in this moment, nothing of the material world has ever blessed me like this; and I’ve had some beautiful things happen to me. I can see why this peace was being experienced, it was because of using the body to be anchored in the present moment; this allows the mind to be much more settled. I’ve seen ducks in this pond before, but it never had the affect on me as it did this time. Many things in life can provide lessons if the mind is open enough to allow it. But if there’s constant noise in the space between your ears, nature or anything else for that matter will not be seen as it truly is, and this includes the lessons being laid out before you…

Mind Desires

Although the desires of the world take on many forms, it’s the desire of the mind that makes one seek them. Desires can only subside in stillness because when the mind is still no one desires…

One aspect of the Conditioned Mind is how it’s constantly fulfilling desires. Even when we get down on ourselves, it’s a perverse form of a mind desire. The mind wants to keep desiring the pleasure and discards the unpleasant; it spends most of its time doing this. Whether it’s weaving in and out of traffic, only to catch a red light and have all the cars that you just passed pull up to the same light. Or doing something and asking yourself why you did it; the reason is strictly to fulfill some form of desire. That your own mind questions why you do what you do is how diabolical it is, but understand it’s only this way because of the way it’s been conditioned.

The desire seeking mind is not one which has our best interest at heart. The Conditioned Mind doesn’t really care about that; control is all it cares about. It makes you think fulfilling desires is a necessity. It’s when the mind starts to settle and it loses its hold on you, that’s when you’ll see the fallacy of this. True desire is in stillness not in things, but the desire of stillness is not what the world offers. Desires of the world are based in lies, the desire of stillness is based in truth. Most desires are of the world, this is what the world creates, but it cannot be stilled. It’s only in stillness that one is satisfied, not because it’s given something, but because in stillness a desire never materializes so there is nothing to fulfill…

Outer Perspective

If you can develop some awareness of inner stillness, the outer perspective will have less control as your mind agitations subside. And without these agitations you will never have a need to reach for anything outer…

If you’re always seeing life from the outer perspective of what the eyes see, those things will be judged accordingly and what’s going on beneath the outer will not be noticed. Although with an outer minded perspective life still goes on, but it’s very limited almost to the point of being delusional; I say this because it’s how I lived for forty nine years and it caused my life to be a constant struggle. The constant struggle was self created and controlled by the outer perspective, although this wasn’t understood at the time. An outer perspective life is one where there is constant needing which is caused by the mind agitations that aren’t seen. This is why someone will reach for anything without giving it much thought regardless if it’s beneficial or not. In that moment the Conditioned Mind deems it beneficial, but this is a big fat lie.

The outer perspective will only be noticed when the Conditioned Mind stops its incessant busyness. One will have to be able to just be for the busyness to subside; you will not see the essence of the forest from the trees if the mind is busy being focused on the trees. This outer perspective is strictly mind based. Hence the reason it’s not conducive to one’s well being is it’s unstable as there are so many things outer to see, one right after another. This is why the big fat lie is in the forefront of most lives and stillness takes a back seat. If you can develop some awareness of inner stillness, less and less the outer perspective will be in control because the mind agitations will subside. It will be at this point that the need to reach outside for something will be lessened; it’s probably the first time in your life that this has happened…

Conditioned Puzzle

Because of the way we become conditioned, we see life as if there are puzzle pieces that need to fit into certain spots. And because of this we are constantly working on completing the puzzle…

The issue with having to constantly arrange life as if it were a puzzle is it’s based on our conditioning. Even if you make up a story the puzzle is complete, the mind begins a new conditioned puzzle almost immediately. Life is continuous, it’s broken up into segments (puzzle pieces) by a mind that’s in a constant state of agitation. If this wasn’t true the puzzle (life) would be seen as complete and life wouldn’t constantly need to be arranged to your liking. It isn’t because of anything right or wrong that makes what is seen this way, it’s because the mind has been conditionally trained to do instead of be so it’s only doing what it’s trained to do.

The Conditioned Mind sees puzzles all over the place. The shortest line in the supermarket, traffic, diets, to do list, politics, and so on, all this is strictly seen to put another piece of the puzzle in place; which makes one think the piece will make life perfect. Let’s say everyday is a new puzzle, that would mean I completed roughly 23,000 puzzles during my life and all for the purpose to constantly have life the way I thought it should be. After all nobody purposely gets in the lane that has the most traffic, but if you did nothing would really change except for maybe not having to constantly arrange life to complete your conditioned puzzle…

Accepted Lies

There are many lies that are accepted which keeps you trapped to the lies. And if these accepted lies aren’t exposed at least to where this is realized, your life will mostly be lived as a lie…

Accepting your lies is what gets you in trouble. Thinking the grass is greener on the other side is one of these lies and until it’s seen that this grass also has to be mowed, you will continues to accept the lies. If you accept when certain things happen you’ll be set, you will be sadly mistaken even if those things come to pass. This is very hard to see and as one clings to the acceptance of needing life to be a certain way, the lies are reinforced. Case in point would be something as simple and seemingly innocent as playing the lottery. Here’s how this works. There’s the lie that makes you accept if life is a certain way you will have it made; it’s the answer to your so called prayers. So you buy a lottery ticket just because the jackpot is a hundred million dollars. This seems innocent, but make no mistake it isn’t.

There’s nothing wrong with money in and of itself, but whatever is accepted that makes a person think life would be better if this or that happens, it puts you in the chains to “I”. Granted a hundred million dollars would make life different, but different doesn’t mean it will necessarily be better. The moment one accepts that life needs to better, it means the present moment is wanted different. There are many lies that are accepted which keeps you trapped to the lies and if these aren’t exposed, life will mostly be lived as a lie. Money is only one lie, anything can be substituted for money. Don’t take my word on this, investigate this and see the lies you’re accepting. Or not and remain in bondage to the lies that you’re keeping in place by accepting them to be true…

Love in Every Heart

Love is the energy of the heart. When there’s an awakening expansion of it is inevitable. It will not be denied because it’s what’s in every heart. As the heart opens to oneness, oneness becomes the heart of humanity…

Just as the body has many parts that make up the whole so it is with humanity; as individuals we are many parts that make up the whole. What is done to one is done to all. We are a collective unit sharing one planet. Nobody does anything without affecting someone else. Hate and it affects everyone, but love and the energy generated is ten fold.

Compare some of the worlds most evil tyrants and the affect they had on the world as opposed to the ones who had nothing but love in their hearts. The comparison is not to single out individuals, but to put the emphasis on love versus hate. The hate is far reaching and it doesn’t stop because an individual is killed, but it does dissipate ever so slowly. With love it’s different; love expands even if the source is killed. A perfect example of this is the love of Jesus’s teachings; the message is stronger today than when it was written. The energy of the love that was in his heart is what lives on, it expands and generates more love. The nature of love, to expand, hate doesn’t do this. Not that it doesn’t grow, but when its source is taken away the energy generated doesn’t expand, it dissolves. People will hold onto its trace energy, but it becomes a pocket of hate that is isolated as opposed to love which expands because it’s in every heart…

Vigilance to Change

People don’t change because the vigilance to investigate why you do what you do isn’t given 100% of your focus; 50% focus doesn’t get it done…

The idea of doing what puts you in alignment with love is much different than actually putting it into action. It’s not because it isn’t how you truly want to be, there’s just so much conditioning against you that without constant vigilance it‘s difficult to sustain a connection to love for a substantial amount of time. We all have times when it’s easier for this than others, but we also have our times when we say screw it and self seek. Don’t be to hard on yourself, a lifetime of living one way will not change with a few sittings. The key is to remain focused on a practice that allows for the self seeking behavior to become less and less and for love to be more reflected in your actions.

Although love is natural, willingness is needed so there’s alignment with it. Sometimes it will seem like” what’s the use” but understand this is all part of the conditioning, the noise, the story, the unconsciousness, whatever you want to call it. Constant vigilance is a necessity if there’s to be change because the old behavior is so deeply ingrained to let go of its control on its own. Why people don’t change is because the vigilance to investigate why you do what you do isn’t given 100% of your focus. It‘s impossible to get more out of life than what you put into it. If you give 50% that’s what you’ll get and change will be minimum at best…