Living to Be: A Podcast by Reino Gevers

Our culture has been indoctrinated with the happiness illusion with the self-help industry promoting the image of the perfect human being, successful in all areas of life and beaming a happy smile on social media outlets. The "happiness" and "positive thinking" preoccupation is one of the many fallouts of a culture addicted to the distraction of the 10,000 things and immediate external gratification. Something is "wrong" with you if you are struggling with the challenges life throws at you. Admitting to your surroundings that you are going through a bout of sadness or even depression is frowned upon. Life is cyclical One of the key lessons the pandemic is teaching us is that life is cyclical. There is never only growth, happiness, prosperity and celebration. The ancient wisdom of the Five Elements emphasizes that impermanence is an essential aspect of evolutionary growth and an inherent aspect of cosmic law. Saint John of the Cross, the great 16th century Spanish mystic, narrates in the Dark Night of the Soul, the elevation of consciousness during periods of hardship and difficulty. In the darkest of nights the soul reaches the light in the union with the Creator. The ego has been killed and in that humility of quiet emptiness a door opens.

During times of rapid economic and social change we need to be aware and vigilant. A dark destructive force seems to awaken in the large human group when the individual mind succumbs to the herd-mind. Education in the Western world emphasizes individual freedom of expression and individuation. At the same time an inner loneliness and spiritual disconnect appears to exert a gravitational pull toward the herd-mind. Affiliation to a particular football club, political parties, music groups or a brand take on a fanatical religious fervor.It is tempting to join the fan clubs of the professional deceivers offering simple solutions for complex problems. Mass media, reflecting the voice of the mass crowd, has been contaminated with distortion, lies and conspiracy theory. Very few news channels still abide by the professional ethic in providing objective information to the public, instead falling prey to the general trend of stoking toxic emotions such as hate, fear, xenophobia and anger. News on many channels and social media is no longer information but designed to jolt you into a negative emotion.

For many people the year 2020 turned life upside down. But life is never a one-way street. How we look at things is a matter of mindset and perspective. How about looking back at the beginning of last year and what thoughts you had then. Did you have any resolutions on how you would approach the year? Did those resolutions come to fruition? In fact, studies show that most people give up on their resolutions before the month of January has even ended.

Some people walk the Camino de Santiago in northwestern Spain as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience. When Kevin Considine from Chicago walked his first Camino it changed his life. He has not stopped walking the Camino paths since. Kevin has walked in total 10,500 kilometers on the ancient paths and spent a total of 405 days just on the Camino. In this interview, Kevin Considine shares some amazing stories of his adventures and the deep spiritual insights he has gained from his pilgrimage walks.

Early in the last century the northeastern Italian town of Gubbio was once terrorized by a wolf. It waited outside the city gates waiting to feast on anyone foolish enough to venture outside. Saint Francis, who had lived in the city at the time, then announced that he himself would visit the wolf in its lair to bring peace to the village.St. Francis was followed by some townsfolk from a distance when he approached the lair. With the wolf charging at Francis he made the sign of the Cross and commanded the wolf to cease its attacks in the name of God, at which point the wolf trotted up to him docilely and lay at his feet, putting its head in his hands.St. Francis had elicited a pledge from the wolf that he would no longer attack the villagers if they kept on feeding the hungry wolf. The deeper meaning of this story is that human nature is constantly at war between the spirit and the temptations of the flesh and the lures of toxic emotions.Preoccupation with the "outward" as opposed to the "inward" soul calling is a constant theme in the writings of the ancient mystics and their wisdom is more topical than ever in a world where political narrative is a reflection of an ego-centered culture where image takes precedence over truth and minds are captured in an alternative reality.

Many people will tell you that the pandemic is the most anxious and fearful period in their life. Some people have even lost loved ones or all their material resources. So how can a crisis be a blessing?Any type of personal tragedy is always followed by a period of grief, sorrow, procrastination, and despair. Ignoring or suppressing such feelings will inevitably have long-term harmful effects.Acknowledging anxiety and fear The first step is thus always in acknowledging such feelings of grief or sorrow as part of a process you are currently going through in dealing with a situation that was caused by external events outside your control. The flat-on-the-ground moments or the "dark moments of the soul times" however always herald at the same time the start of a new beginning in finding meaning or purpose in any type of challenge you are dealing with.

There seems to be a lot of confusion at the moment on truth and reality. Friedrich Nietzsche once said: "Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.”When Christopher Columbus arrived on the shores of Latin America the local people were unable to see the sailing ships because they were completely outside their experienced reality.Times of crisis inevitably herald a shift to higher consciousness while at the same time we are seeing humanity falling back into the shadow world of superstition, fear, delusion, and sectarian extremism.

When the external world appears to crash down all around you it is crucial how you react. What do you do in that moment of loss and despair? The first step is the acceptance that external circumstances are at times out of your control. Stress always starts with a thought. The challenge is to imagine those thoughts as your friends who come to visit and then depart again.

During times of crisis the fear demon gets stoked by the professional deceivers. The divisions along cultural, racial, gender, and religious friction points become particularly pronounced. We are all susceptible to burying parts of our character that we find unacceptable. But if we don't accept the shadow, it becomes too big to control. Only in unconditional acceptance of the imperfect human condition, and self-love of all aspects of the personality can grow the seeds of tolerance and compassion.

The fear gripping our societies is far worse than the coronavirus pandemic. The constant dosage from coronavirus trackers is putting many people into panic mode. We cannot change the circumstances but we can control our thoughts. It's a time to reflect, to remain grounded and aligned. Every crisis has something to teach us.

This is a power-boosting meditation to improve your energy levels, improving your health and aligning body, mind and soul. After practising this meditation you will likely experience a positive effect lasting several hours. It is a meditation you can practise at any time you feel stressed out, overwhelmed and exhausted.

The time between Christmas and New Year is a good time to reflect on the many things we can be grateful for during the past year. It is also the time to look forward to the start of a new decade. Our biggest challenge is probably the restoration of our planet for future generations. Imagine a world with forests and oceans teeming with life, clean air and rivers and foods that keep us healthy rather than making us ill.

You attract those people around you who are similar to you in sharing the same views, values and even mannerisms. Especially when you start raising your consciousness it is worth taking the time to analyze who you really want to spend your time with. We often stay too long in relationships that have outlived their purpose. Who is your main reference group? Who do you want to spend more time with or less time with? We live in a matrix of relationships that start from early childhood. Human life essentially finds meaning and purpose in relationships.

The Meseta section of the Camino de Santiago in northwestern Spain is a flat, monotonous plain between the cities of Burgos and Leon. Many pilgrims prefer to skip this section because it is renowned as a walk "through the valley of death". These "boring" sections of the Camino, however, force the pilgrim into introspection and acceptance of the shadow. Those pilgrims who have walked the Meseta describe it as a part of the Camino they would not have wanted to miss.

After having served as a volunteer or Hospitalero in one of the pilgrims' hostels on the Camino in northwestern Spain, I found that many pilgrims come to the Camino unprepared for the physical and emotional challenge that this 800-kilometer route poses for the walker.The Camino is so much more than just a physical endeavor. It affects the pilgrim on many subtle levels.

This is the first part of a series on Deep Walking and preparation for a pilgrimage walk. Walking on an ancient spiritual path like the Camino in Spain is so different than going on a normal hike. The Camino has a tradition going back many centuries, and its magic can only really be felt if you take the step to walk this ancient path. Taking time off to be alone for mindful, deep walking, is the time when we come closest to the divine. It is what the Chinese philosophers called the empty space between the spokes of the wheel where most of the energy lies.

The human mind is like a recording device. What you feed your mind with - you become. Are you one of the avid followers of negative news on social media? Are you living an imaginary life of the rich and famous in the yellow press? You do have the power to stand guard at the doorway of your soul and to determine who is allowed in and who should stay outside.

Jim Rohn once said: You are the summary of the five people you spend most time with. Are you surrounding yourself with people who nurture, and support you or are those around you mostly influencing you with a negative outlook?We cannot control external circumstances but we can control who we want to spend most time with. Who are the five most important people influencing your life right now?

Following the daily news media we could easily assume that the world is on a downward spiral. It is however very much a matter of perspective, especially if we look back two or three centuries. A wealth of data proves that our world is a much better place today. It does not mean we must procrastinate. A negative attitude reflects on the exterior world. What we perceive externally is what happens within.