10 Ways to Open Your Mind

However you may feel about Deepak Chopra, his commentary on closed minds (found courtesy of Rob Brezsny’s Pronoia Resources) is apt.  I particularly like his ten ways to open your mind:

1. Stop believing that you’re right. Examine the compulsion that forces you to be right all the time.

2. Don’t make every argument us versus them.

3. Be less attached to winning and more attached to the truth.

4. Don’t color every issue with morality. Right and wrong are generally useless when it comes to finding creative solutions.

5. Write down the five fundamental beliefs that guide your life. Now write down the best arguments against those beliefs.

6. When you are the most emotional about any issue, assume that you are blinding yourself. An open mind is calm, centered, flexible, and tolerant of opposing views.

7. When you are thinking of saying an idea that you know came from someone else, let go of it.

8. Most people either automatically agree or automatically disagree. Examine this trait in yourself and give it up.

9. Be aware of how you feel before you speak. Feelings are closer to the truth than words.

10. Walk in someone else’s shoes before you judge them.

A Change of Perspective

Describing the amount and depth of the transformation in my life since the solstice is difficult.  With everything that is different now compared to three months ago, my expectations have given way to a sort of constant, quiet awe.  My gratitude for the bounty that is my life grows daily.

Lately, I’ve been reading through Rob Brezsny’s Pronoia.  Pronoia is the state of being Terence McKenna was in when he said, “I believe reality is a marvelous joke staged for my edification and amusement, and everybody is working very hard to make me happy.” I’m learning something, and I’m changing my attitude.

Another book in progress is James Endredy’s Ecoshamanism.  I don’t agree with everything I’m reading, but the text has been engaging.