The past: a set of ideas about things that, in this present moment, are no longer true. The past and its stories exist only in our minds. As such, the past can be useful, but never real.

Useful, in the sense that we carry what is real about the past with us. Past love, friendships, or creations are real depending upon their existence in the present. Positive habits and work we have done in the past may also be real in that they shape us now. Similarly, errors of the past can be real in the present to the extent that we have learned the lessons and made corrections.

What is real about the past is only that which is real and alive in the present. Therefore, only the present is real. If a relationship or situation from the past holds no relevance to the present, it can be forgotten. If a wrong of the past has been corrected in the present, it should be forgiven.

The question is always this: what is real now? The present is where healing can occur, where progress can be made, where joy can be experienced, where love can be shared, where creation can occur. If what you do now extends on and on—remaining as part of this eternal present moment—then it has become lasting, real, eternal in this holy instant (what the mind would incorrectly understand as a "future” separate from now).

A better future is then, really a better present moment. You remain in a positive state of being. All your doing, relating, and creating is flowing from joy and peace. You and the people around you want this, will reward you for it, and will ask for more. They will experience happiness and goodness with you. Do not wait for the future, create it now.

It is always a question of now. To live as though the past and future are more real than the now is to live in darkness. The ongoing now is the only field where everything exists, has always existed, and always will. To see this obvious reality is to awaken from the mind-based dream, to destroy the ego, to end illusion and confusion, and to embrace all that is real and true. We continue tomorrow and each day after that.

It is said that we reap what we sow. If we are metaphorically planting seeds each day, maintaining the proper conditions, and waiting patiently for the harvest; then abundance will materialize seemingly on its own.

While everyone’s intentions are good, many cannot tell the good seed from the bad. They plant seeds of attack, negativity and oppression. Their harvest will surely come, but it will bear no fruit.

Others are in possession of good seed, but they may lazily scatter it on the path—which can only happen when little attention is paid to the task at hand. For them, there will also be no fruit.

Still others plant seeds in shallow soil. Here is lacking patience; rather, only a desire to get the fastest possible result. The planting and nurturing is not enjoyed as an end, detached from the outcome. At first, sprouts do shoot up and the results seem promising. However, because there is no root, the plants cannot survive and the fruits never materialize.

To plant seeds on good soil is to do the right thing while also paying attention to your inner state of being. Your joy, your love, your positive state is the richest of soils. As you go about your planting, pay attention to how you feel. Do not dwell on the goal or the outcome; rather, enjoy the ongoing present moment fully and notice the beauty in everything.

Your harvest does not require you to sacrifice feeling good; rather, it demands the opposite. Take your time, resting in the peace of God, absent of fear, aligned with the feeling and energy of unconditional love. When all your planting is of good seeds in fertile soul, your fruit will grow on its own and your abundance is inevitable. 

This is what coming together in across faiths looks like and how it can be a way to build lasting friendships and strengthen our faith. We talk in depth about perfect love, God, A Course in Miracles, we read from the Book of Mormon, discuss pride, spiritual awakening, sacrifice and so many other topics.

I apologize for the wind noise. We plan to do future videos so please check back. This is best viewed on a VR headset.

To love yourself is to see only that part of you which is lovable. When this is done, self-love is felt. In the presence of self-love; somehow the fear, the shame, and the guilt all melt away. Absent of the stress from these negative emotions, the mind and body begin to function optimally. This is healing.

When you are healed, you can then look upon every other person to see each of them in this same way. All that which is lovable in you is also true in them. Only love is lovable, and love is the same in each of us because it is one. There is no person absent of love within—though, through shame and guilt and punishment, people have become blocked to various degrees.

Forgiveness is the act of seeing only that part in a person which is lovable. All the rest is error, it is unreal, and it can easily be undone just by letting love melt it away. In the end, it is as though all that negative garbage was never real—for the simple reason that it never was.

I’m grateful that Aaron Rodgers is beginning to open up about his spirituality. He speaks for me and the millions of us (and growing) around the world who have found salvation outside the structures of organized religion.

May we all begin to respect, accept and to celebrate one another’s path to awakening whether it is inspired by an organized religion or not.

Check out the entire December 26th podcast he did with his girlfriend, Danica Patrick. There's much more than what is showin in this clip.

All strategies to isolate yourself are failed strategies of a suffering egoic mind.

The ego seeks refuge in separation as a response to the suffering it generates — which it projects as the fault of the other. But isolation creates even more egoic suffering in the form of boredom and mind self-chatter. It no wonder why you see so many Instagram posts about “boundaries” and “toxic people”. This is a person who first seeks isolation, then reaches out to the world to talk about it.

To be alive and happy is to participate fully in life. But what about dealing with challenging people?

"What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you don't understand this, you will get lost, no matter how clever you are. It is the great secret." - Tao Te Ching

Engage fully in life and do not isolate yourself. Open yourself to others completely, but in love not ego. In love, or presence, or consciousness, no human interaction can be painful. Nothing is taken personally. You don’t care about judgments. Attack isn’t real. Nothing negative touches you; rather, healing flows from you. 

We continue tomorrow and each day after that.

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Abscondo Podcast - 50 - Chasing Dreams interview with Floyd

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Abscondo Podcast - 49 - Interview with Stephanie Campbell, author of 14 novels by age 22

Stephanie is a remarkable and interesting young author of fiction from Utah.  I really enjoyed our conversation and wish her lots of success.

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Abscondo Podcast - 48 - Comedy Meets Music with Phil Johnson

Conversation with the musical, comedic, and multi-talented Phil Johnson.

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