WALKING THE TALK
Copyright 2002,  Bill Austin, All Rights Reserved.

• The three key questions I ask myself every day are: 

  Do I love/accept/like/honor/cherish myself?
  Do I accept/respect/honor/cherish the divinity in others?
  Do I respect/honor/cherish Earth?

• The greatest and most profound service that I can render to others is to love and to accept myself.
  
• RE: Frost. While it seems that most people follow the heavily-traveled path, the more I get to know people, the more I wonder. I suspect that more people than I think go into the golden woods and bushwhack their way out. I hope so for this is the only way that people can become happy and fulfilled human beings.
  
• Question: What makes a healthy lifestyle? A: Finding out who you are inside and living your life in accordance with your truth.
  
• It is important to reflect upon our lives and to develop a belief system that nurtures and supports us. Too often our personal theology is hidden away in the subconscious closet, quietly coloring every aspect of our lives without us even realizing this. And when we do notice, aren’t we surprised?
  
• I used to look back on the past and beat myself up. But the clearer, higher perspective of the present was usually gained through experiencing the outcome or effect of the perspective of the past. The bottom line is that everyone does the best they can at any moment of time.
  
• Everyone is on the spiritual path. However, not everyone realizes this.
  
• Our lives are like building sand castles by the ocean. So often we try to cling and defend our creations from the inevitable onslaught of time and nature. Everything that God takes away from us is always replaced by something better. But how sad we become when our past creations are removed from us: It’s like removing toys or candy from a child. And oh how much time and energy we invest in clinging on to things that are no longer for our higher good.
  
• The soap opera aspects of our lives are like the waves that agitate the ocean without changing the inherent nature of the ocean. The dramas in our lives appear much fiercer than they really are. They cannot upset us permanently unless we believe them and act upon this belief. Nothing outside of ourselves can disturb our serenity.
  
• When we begin to consciously trod the spiritual path, we are never alone. Hordes of angels clear the path ahead of us and many more guard our backs. But since the path inevitably leads to and through our innermost heart, we often feel alone. No one else can walk the path for us.
  
• One must walk through the dark to find the light. There is no other way. As we seek the Light, we often are sidetracked into the dark and often we wallow in its oh so comforting depths. God in His infinite mercy sent Jesus and Krishna and Buddha to guide us through the dark and to haul us out of the pits. God planted the Holy Spirit within us to remind us of the Light.
  
• The dark side of ourselves really wants to be accepted & loved & transformed to Light.
  
• Every event or encounter we have is an opportunity to open our hearts or harden them.
  
• It is great arrogance on our parts to view life as "my" life or "your" life. We are all designed to be vessels and channels of God's Love and Light and Spirit.
  
• The people in our lives are like water running through our fingers. We can experience their essence and spirit, but we can never possess or control or cling on to them.
  
• The spiritual life is like the game "Mother May I." For every giant leap forward, there are two baby steps back. However, as long as we persevere, we progress. It isn't always easy, but it is very sure.

• How often we talk just for the sake of talking. Very rarely do we have anything meaningful to say. And so often what we say hurts another even when we don’t mean to.
  
• We draw problems to us for the impetus and opportunity they give us to connect with our souls. The larger the problem, the more potential there is for growth. I should know: It took some truly monstrous problems to inspire me to search for a better way to live.
  
• I use two rules of thumb to evaluate any new spiritual technique. First, I ask is it user-friendly, that is simple and easy to apply. If it passes this test, then I ask myself do I understand the principle behind it. If I don’t understand the principle, it’s not meant for me. Usually the simplest techniques like meditation are the most effective/transformative.
  
• We can either trust others or distrust them. Individuals who choose to distrust others, however, find themselves surrounded by untrustworthy people.
  
• Although I know that the words I use either build people up or tear them down, I don’t live this and I should.
  
• When you encounter an obstacle or block in your life, you are meant to experience it and go through it, not around it. However, when you choose to go around an obstacle and most of us do, know that you will encounter the exact same obstacle again and again until you are able to go through it. Eventually you get so sick and tired of the block that you just want to dynamite it, and it is usually at this point that we make a breakthrough.
  
• If you aren't enjoying the things in your life, give them away and get others. If the things and people in your life don't energize and revitalize and excite you, they no longer are meant for you. Carpe Diem! Get a life!
  
• Our thoughts are boomerangs that leave our hands to gather experiences which return to hit us upside the head.
  
• I tend to make spiritual growth harder than it actually is. Most people don't need to read anything at all or to even go to church to grow spiritually. What everyone does need to do, however, is to connect with their souls in one way or another each day and to pay close attention to the events of their daily lives. You begin to grow very rapidly when you view everything you experience as a lesson.
  
• The things in our lives that really push our buttons or trigger a strong emotional response are the areas in our life that need to be closely examined. It is like mining in that it takes some digging and probing to find the gold in them there hills.
  
• Any ism that separates you from another person or a group of people is a good ism to part company with.
  
• A lot of people awaken through a particular metaphysical belief system or path, and they naturally tend to believe that "their" path will serve others as well as it served them. It is important for people who are "further along" on the path to be as supportive of other paths and traditions AS THEY ARE OF THEIR OWN. Many people who experiment with your path may not ultimately commit to it and this is OK. It is important that each soul find the best possible match for itself and WE SHOULD ALL SUPPORT THIS.
  
• People who are "further along" in their journey toward God-realization than new comers often struggle with different issues than beginners do. When you encounter new friends to "your" path, try to remember how you felt and where you were when you began walking it.
  
• Sometimes we get fixated upon things like pizza, especially if we are starved, and we filter ALL of our consciousness through this one desire until we get what we want. When you feel as fixated upon finding the Goddess as you do about pizza, you will find Her. This is what is meant by the phrase "to hunger and thirst after righteousness."
  
• Saints understand the pizza idea very well. Brother Lawrence, who is delightful, once told a fellow monk: "If you want to know and experience the love of God above all else, please feel free to come to me at any time. If you don't feel this way though, don't waste my time."
  
• The most direct path to God lies in your heart, NOT in your head or in your church.
  
• Americans are spoiled in that we want everything NOW. Many people get discouraged or disillusioned from pursuing their spiritual growth, because it takes some time to experience tangible changes. Even if nothing appears to be happening though, something is. It's like planting a garden: Often it takes some time for the green stuff to emerge from the ground after you plant the seeds. And just when you think you need to replant them, they pop up.
  
• We are all very fond of organizing or placing aspects of our lives into boxes: We create boxes for partners, children, finances, work, friends, etc. We create so many boxes that we often box ourselves in, and then it becomes difficult to escape.
  
• When it snows, people always try to walk in the footprints of others, but this usually is an uncomfortable path to trod.
  
• The biggest menace/temptation to people on the spiritual path is the mistaken belief that "I'm really, deep-down, better than you are because" a. "I'm on the spiritual path" or b. "I'm enlightened" or c. "I know more than you do." This is why Jesus focused so much on the importance of humility.
  
• Spiritual teachers and sages over time have always advised the people they encounter to take the middle road - the path of moderation. Often people repress their shadow when they try so hard to be good. The more that you repress your shadow, however, the meaner and larger it becomes until eventually it overwhelms you and takes control. I think that this is what happened to the televangelists.