Quantum Reflection – I am me because of the reflection I see off of you.

Have you ever heard the Theory that ‘we are all one’ ? That we are all connected, I am you and you are me? We are all manifestations of energy and when traced to the root, even on a molecular level, we are all one. If not this post might be a really far stretch but I invite you to come on this journey with me anyway as I, not only delve into a new way of looking at the theory, but also explore it myself.

Now before I go further I want to acknowledge that this article grew from a seed that was planted during a conversation with Cathy Patillo over at the Web of Life Wellness Center. I am sure Cathy’s thoughts grew from other conversations and so on. I do not presume to be the creator of any of this, only and explorer of it.

I am you and you are me… we are all one… right? But, what if I am me because you (all people) exist and you are you because I (all people) exist? If there were no people on this planet would I be me? Maybe my energy would exist but I would not be me. I would have nothing to define myself off of.

I am John Rogers? With out others there would be no need for a name, language, words, etc. I identify myself as smart, tall, clean, business minded, kind, etc, but without someone short I would not be tall, with out dirty I would not be clean. Right, right, right… the whole yin yang thing.

I would like to go one step further, instead of I am me because you exist, what if I am me because of the reflection of myself I see off of you. I am me because of the reflection I see off of you.

Have you every heard the “we are the creators of our universe” theory? That life is a sea of perceptions and we create our reality, our universe, by the perceptions we subscribe to? That being said, I don’t see myself through your eyes, I do not exist because of the way you see me.

You do not need to acknowledge my existence to exist. I acknowledge me off of you, to exist. I know it sounds like word games but bear with me. I am me because of the reflection I see off of you, I define myself through what I think you see. I read to my son not so that he thinks I am a good dad but so I think he thinks I am a good dad.

How many times have we thought we were a good friend, or employee only to find out for months that we pissed of our friend or boss? Many times my definition of my self, for example, as your friend is not what you see. But still in my universe I am your friend.

Now have you heard that the smallest particle in a cell is energy, it is a vibration and that by even looking at it with different intentions we can affect what we see? The example has been given that as I type with my arms on this table, I am not actually connecting, that the energies are just pushing off of each other.

What if that is what we are doing as people as our definitions of our self act as that energetic buffer. As I define myself off of what I think you see me as and you define yourself as what you think I see you as, never knowing what the other person really sees, never truly connecting universes, only our version of their universe.

Right some might say I do not define myself off of others but even that is a definition that took others to create. Some might also say that we can put down our definitions and truly connect energetically. Great, maybe so; or maybe we are just deeply connecting with the part of us we see in our reflection off of them.

Maybe we are just connecting with the part of us we see in our reflection off of them. If we are like the connection between my arms and this table, never truly connecting, maybe I am not really getting to know you better; I am getting to know me better. As I open up and see the strong, kind person you are I am really seeing me. As I open up to see more of you I am really opening up to see more of me.

Here is what I mean. After discussing parts of this with Cathy, I was driving down the road. I was at a light when I saw a gorgeous tall blond walking the crosswalk in front of me. I did what I normally do, notice and then have scripts come up like; “dang she is hot, I should look away” and even going right into the ways I define myself as a happily married man who loves his wife.

This usually happens in split seconds (yes some of us men are well trained). However, this time, with this concept fresh on my mind I found myself thinking that I was not seeing her. I was seeing my reflection off of her. Immediately my energy on the situation disappeared (some might say that the part of me I define as my libido got benched) and I saw as clear as day.

I saw my definition as a fit person, as a tall person, as a person that maintains themselves, someone who manages their appearance, etc.  I saw all the parts of me that I was reflecting off her.

As I drove down the street I passed a short, overweight, elderly, gentlemen and again I saw my definitions reflecting. I saw my fear of being over weight. I saw my fear of being immobile.

These same people could conjure up millions of different, possible, reflections for the people that come across them.

Once again, I was seeing myself. I was looking at them and validating my existence! As I drove down the road I found that, in light speed, every where I looked I was validating; that I was indeed alive.

Now one step further. If we are the creators of our universe by the perceptions we subscribe to. What if we all conjured up this life, this world, each other, to validate our existence? What if we, as nothingness, wanted to exist so bad that we created an environment, with mirrors and reflections, to validate that we are indeed in existence?

What if this table is solid not because I haven’t reached the level, mentally/spiritually, that would enable me to pass through it but because if I passed through this table, it would invalidate my existence. This table is solid, I am solid, this table exists, I exist…

We could have even created death to fill our need to define life. If I die, I lived.

The world has exponentially become more complex. As each year passes we have even more ways to define ourselves. Instead of being a farmer or a baker.  I am a computer geek, business consultant, blogger, straight, drinker, anarchist, U of U fan, snowboarder, Lyricist etc… Most of these didn’t even exist 50 years ago!

No conspiracy driving this ship out of control, only our hunger to define our selves?

What if our need to exist is the only thing keeping this together?

Okay, bringing it back a bit, how does this apply to my life? I believe in the power of being neutral. Being neutral allows me to come from a space of choice rather then reacting. When I saw that woman walk in front of my car I reacted. Seeing the definitions of myself allowed me to choose. It allowed me to understand my choices. It allowed me to get to know more about myself, how I define myself and what I was creating.

What if our leaders did this?

What if, when faced with confrontation we noticed our definitions. Especially the definitions we are holding onto tightly! Or as we reach for what we want, the new client or great relationship, instead of the anxiety of how they might view us, noticing that it is actually our view ourselves that is scaring us. Then instead of reacting, explore these views and why they are there.

I see this as a way to practice the conscious creation of my universe and understanding the universe I have all ready created.

What do you define yourself as and who are you defining it off of?

p.s. I know I refer to a lot of different theories with out a reference. I don’t have the time (right now) to find them and link to them. If you read this and know where I might find the a reference then please post it in the comments below. Thanks!  definition

Sweat Lodge and Grandpa – Part 2

Today, Friday the 13^th, 2 days after the sweat lodge. I did not write this yesterday (or post this until today) as I was letting the experience sink in as I reflected upon it. Today, the day of my Grandfathers viewing, I am ready to write. Before I poor my heart out about one of the most powerful experiences of healing I have ever had I must share something with you.

I have many people ask me why I write. Especially, why do I write such vulnerable personal feelings and thoughts and put them out so others can see them? I will go into this in much greater depth in a future article but I wanted to touch on it briefly here.

I John C Rogers believe in living life on the out side. I believe in the beauty of a world with out secrets, a world where each person openly shares their joy, pain, love, and passion so that all might see, gain strength, learn and be inspired from one another. I believe this so much that I have often found myself baring my soul to complete strangers. I believe this so much that I share this moment with you.

Wednesday night at 6 pm 5 members of the Campbell clan and 2 adopted members (my dad and My Brother in-law) showed up with an open and trusting heart. We had all been asked to come with an intention for the evening. Mine was, as I said in my previous article, to let go physically of my grandfather and to forge a bond with him spiritually.

I went into the start of the event with a belief that my clan was going to be a mess of tears and wailing from the pain of losing our grandfather. I would like to share with you my experience of what happened that night. I will respect the experience of the others that were there, as well as the ancient ritual, by sharing my experience only.  I am going to share it in the form of a letter to the men in attendance and extend the message to all of Grandfathers’ family.

Brothers, Campbell’s, clansmen, I come before you humbled and in gratitude for you. During that night as I was given the opportunity to connect and reflect I found myself in complete awe of you.

During the moment when I was invited to reflect on the masculine I took pause and reflected on Grandpa and the physical things I will miss; his smile, his solid hug, his toothpicks, him walking around trying to get us to eat more food, the way he told powerful stories and made them seem like the great events were done with ease, they way he spoke with certainty and more.

I shed some tears as I acknowledge such a powerful physical being as Grandfather. As I felt deeper into the moment and Grandpa’s strength I found myself noticing and feeling the souls of each of you there with me.  Here I was surrounded by some of the noblest of men I have ever met. My tears became tears of gratitude for Grandpa and for you.

Later that night as we were given the opportunity to connect with our ancestry, I felt grandpa so strong that I could see him kneeling down in front of me looking at me with wisdom and love in his eyes. I had the thought I should be crying. This was the time I thought all of my family would emotionally lose it. But I was not crying.

Instead I found myself yearning to speak to grandpa. I thanked him for the lessons he taught me, I told him I was going to miss him and I promised him I would carry him in my heart for ever. Upon whispering that, I stopped and my mind started to analyze what it would look like to carry him in my heart forever. I had the fear come up that I might forget, that I might forget how he looked, how he spoke, what his message was.

As I started to analyze deeper, my heart jumped back on line and I once again noticed grandpa. He leaned over to me and put his hand on my shoulder and I could feel the gratitude in his heart for me. I could feel the gratitude in his heart for the other men there. And amongst my fears of forgetting him he said “John you don’t ever have to forget, if you ever want to remember look at your brothers, look at your cousins, look in the mirror”.

At that moment I realized that Grandpa had stood so tall that he had inspired us all to walk in his foot steps. That we his children and grandchildren, are living examples of grandpa and his messages. Each of us in our own way carrying on a part of this great man.

Instantly I saw a flash of each of the members of his clan, OF OUR CLAN and I saw them through grandpa’s eyes.

Phillip, with your heart the size of the universe and beautiful tenderness.

Josh, your thrust for knowledge and the courage like that of a commander and leader of men.

Adam, with your strength and certainty in God and acceptance that is so strong you are willing to stand as a bridge from your religion to the world.

Casey, your absolute loyalty and love. A man who even with the world on his shoulders can inspire others to feel peace and at home.

Grant, your open acceptance and willingness to be a support for others, even a complete stranger.

Ryan, the nobility that can lead a kingdom by example and heart alone even in the toughest moments.

And I saw the rest of grandfather’s posterity there with us that night and I felt a pride and honor that I will never forget as grandfather once again whispered “you will remember”.

In that moment I became aware of the calmness around me; instead of the sobs of loss I felt a sea of love. I found the peace and strength to carry on knowing I will always have grandpa in my heart and more so then ever in my life I felt proud to belong to a heritage of honor, love, and leaders. Who each in their own way carry on Grandfathers message.

I stand here as a witness to each of your greatness and the greatness of our grandfather and heritage. If you ever feel alone, if you ever start to think that you don’t remember just look around… and remember. I love you all and I love you grandpa!

Is My iPod Trying to Tell Me Something?

I am fortunate enough to be able to take 30 minutes at lunch each day and do an exercise from the SyncCreation Home Study Course. It’s very powerful for me to be able to take some time for myself each day, and do an exercise that moves me forward.

Last Thursday I had a unique experience while on the couch at the office with my iPod. I did my usually preparations. I put out a sign asking people not to enter the room. Told my co-workers that I was “taking-off” and would be back in 30. And selected the exercise for the day. Thursday it was to be “Free Flow 12”.

Next was to create an intention for the meditation. I wanted to create some registered attendees for our next workshop. I wanted to attract some like-minded, super powerful people to be part of our January workshop.

Now I was ready to go, I pressed play, and went to focus 12 (takes about 10 minutes). But something happened once I got there. It wasn’t playing the Free Flow 12 exercise I had selected.

Abundance Tree was playing. Of course this pulled me out of the meditation for moment. I looked down at my iPod and it still read “Free Flow 12”. What was going on? Free Flow 12 I can create patterns I want. Abundance tree is all about eliminated blocks of lack and guilt. Hmm… was my iPod trying to tell me something?

I decided to continue on with the meditation rather than restart with my intended selection. Partly because I was taking it as a message and partly because I didn’t want to take an extra 10 minutes it would take to get back to focus 12.

So I went on, releasing blocks of feeling like I was to blame for the results of the workshop. Like there was never enough that I could do. Like I should work more, longer, harder. I kept running these thoughts through the chipper and over and over I heard “Gratitude” after releasing the blocks. This message kept ringing in my ears.

After coming out of the meditation, I felt great. I was lighter, more free, and full of energy. But this was nothing new. This how I always feel after this meditation. Wondering what had happened I looked at my iPod to see if it read the abundance tree exercise instead of the intended free flow focus 12. And it didn’t. It still read that I was listening to Free Flow 12.

I exited out to the menu screen. Paused the recording. And pressed play again. It was still reading Free Flow 12 and yet playing Abundance Tree. How odd. But who knows, could be a technical glitch, could be the universe trying to send me a message.

Not being one to dismiss a possible message from the universe, I immediately went to work on being more grateful. I listed all the wonderful people I have in my life. I thought of the people I had met through SyncCreation and how powerful they are. I thought of family, friends, work, pets, and everything else I have to be grateful for.

I felt great and it was a wonderful experience. And I’ll never know if I should tell Apple they have a glitch, or if there was something larger going on. What I do know is that over the next few days the exact blocks I was trying to clear up by doing free flow 12 seemed to have melted away. I was looking for some specific results and they came rushing in the door.

The company was able to communicate with some people who were interested in the workshop and in our home study course. These people are amazing, and truly powerful.

What do you think? Was this merely a glitch in my iPod’s software? Or was there a message to be found in this?