“If you think bending spoons is cool, wait until you learn to bend your whole life.”—Martha Beck
Back in 1981, Bud Tribble, who at that time was a new hire at Apple, suggested that his boss possessed the superpower of creating “reality distortion fields.”
What he meant is that Steve Jobs could take what everyone else believed was utterly impossible and inspire his teams to do it anyway. Tribble said he got the term from an episode of Star Trek where aliens created new worlds using mental force.
What he didn’t bother to mention is that this same superpower is engrained in all of us. We all create our world, 100 percent of the time. Except instead of using our imaginations and going for what others believe is impossible, we get up each day and compress our world back into the mold we used yesterday. And the day before that.
The Course in Miracles says it like this: “I see only the past.”
Talk about a waste of a superpower. We could literally imagine into existence a more beautiful, just and compassionate world, one that works for everyone. The past story of scarcity and separation is getting creaky and old. All the forces trying to hold it in place are literally falling apart.
That’s why it’s the perfect time to use our superpowers of imagination, creativity and love. If we refuse to fall for the story that impossible things can’t be done, we can literally regenerate everything.
But we have to give up our training, our rules, our old, sad story. Each of us is a whirlpool of individual consciousness inside a vast universal consciousness. If we can give up the past, meet each moment anew and ask for help from what I often call The Divine Buzz, things that were once dubbed impossible can become “well, duh!” Here’s to regeneration, imagination and peace. #222 Forever
“One minute of joy is more powerful than 1000 hours of meditation.”– Ancient saying
All across the internet right now, there are Zoom groups happening. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands are gathering to play online bridge or talk about mushroom farming or, as we did the other night with East West Books, throw a pop-up possibility posse. Each of these bazillion digital meetings has a distinct Zoom link, a precise frequency that can only be accessed if you have the right link.
Life works the same. We connect on various frequencies. Sometimes, we literally can’t even see things that others see because we’re on, say a grumpy frequency.
I talk a lot about frequencies in my books. How important it is to stay in the frequency where miracles can get through, where the Divine can show me what to do next.
I know when I act from fear or if I start thinking compulsively, I show up on a frequency that does nobody any good.
The Course in Miracles repeats ad nauseum that what I see out in the world is a mirror of what’s inside my noggin. So the most productive, the most peaceful action I can take right now is to investigate and then ditch all thoughts within that noggin that create resistance, that instigate war–against myself, against others, against whatever life is trying to show me.
And when I do this erasing, I come back into coherence with my true self, the true light within. It’s here on this frequency where love is found, where peace resides. And from this specific “Zoom” link, I am better able to add to the true frequency that will bring peace to our planet.
We’re here at a tipping point in consciousness which, despite how it may look, is such a good thing.
The peace and divine expression is here, waiting like the bull on the other side of the rodeo gate for all of mankind to wake up from the illusion and get on that frequency. I know I’m going to do my part. #222 Forever!
“I want this now to be the now where we save our place, your place, our earth.”—Louise Erdrich
Do you feel it? The powerful shift in consciousness? Not only have we just entered the Year of the Water Tiger which encourages each of us to take big risks, but it’s the 2nd month of the 2022 year. Hi, Taz!
Big things are abrewin’! For myself, I’m hyper aware of just how little interest I have in the “old story.” The story of scarcity and consumption and fear has zero appeal. Zip.
I’m being drawn even more to stories of love, of openness, of miracles. And they’re everywhere. I’m hearing stories about indigenous people who can retreat into a cave for a few days and come out without cataracts or say, a broken foot. They simply leave the quantum superposition where that was a “reality” and step into a new reality. In fact, any story that doesn’t have an “anything is possible” narrative at its core goes poof in my brain.
What’s this you say? War? Disease? It’s just not of interest anymore. It like a bad movie that is begging to be clicked off.
Especially when so much beauty and love is happening right now, in this and in every moment. Just looking deep into the eyes of another human should convince you of the enormous potential, the infinite light that exists within each one of us. All we gotta do is dive below the crust of the psyche. That ego story isn’t real, guys.
The line “holiness is your superpower” from yesterday’s Course lesson really stuck out to me. Every single “problem” that our culture tells us to fear can be healed right now. We don’t need a politician or a product or anything else that society tells us we need. There’s no limitation. There’s nothing we’re not connected to.
I must admit that, as I’m writing this, I feel a little crazy. Or rather, I’m admitting to all the world that I’ve officially departed the bounds of normality. I’m no longer tethered to any semblance of what I’ve been “trained to believe.”
But why would I choose to live in a culture where these truths are considered the provenance of a crazy person.
This whole rant sorta kicked off February 1. As you know, Taz always sends a hedgehog on the first of each month—in really weird, supernatural ways.
I was scheduled to be in surgery all day and was curious, “how will Taz deliver this month’s hedgehog? For one thing, I’ll be under anesthesia.” But lo and behold, I get home from the surgery center and waiting on my front porch is a stuffed hedgehog and a box of chocolates. Keep in mind that this was sent from someone I’ve never met who had NO IDEA I was having surgery. The chocolates were an especially thoughtful touch, don’t you think?
I believe Taz has emissaries all over the world. As we all do. This connection is so strong right now and I feel so many beautiful souls from what we call “the other side” stepping up to free us from the old story that anyone with a nose can plainly see is breaking down.
Anyway, beloveds, it’s almost 2/22 and, in the meantime, I’m out there employing my superpower to heal every water system, every soil system, every belief system that no longer applies. Consider yourself invited to join in. #222 Forever!
“Love will immediately enter into any mind that truly wants it.”—A Course in Miracles
If you want to fish, you need a pole or a net or maybe a spear. But if you really want to up your angling game, nothing beats a pair of polarized sunglasses.
By eliminating glare from the water, you gain a whole new superpower. Polarized filters change the axis of light transmission, so the vertical reflections from the water’s surface no longer block your vision. You can better peer beneath the surface, get a 10-20 on that 35-pound trout. It’s kind of revolutionary.
Just like spiritual practice that enables us to see things anew: each other, the sky, the trees, the habits and patterns and emotional routines in which we so often get stuck.
Spiritual practice allows us to see beyond our private, self-made worlds. It allows us to recognize love in everyone, in everything.
A Course in Miracles, my main spiritual squeeze, can be summarized in five words: Help me see this differently. Whatever it is, I can be sure my view pales in comparison to the Dude’s vision.
That’s my daily mission. To be open to the infinite and therefore see infinite possibilities.
I’m ready for a new pair of shades. How about you? #222 Forever
“You will be bound until all the world is seen by you as blessed.”—A Course in Miracles
Happy Monday, my friends! I’m down in Mexico, loving the weather, the mountains and all the beautiful souls who live here in Ajijic.
Every morning at 9 a.m., I head to Jimmy Twyman’s Namaste community for the morning message and to get a bunch of hugs.
Today, Jimmy challenged each of us to do something “impossible.” The example he shared was his own belief—up until yesterday—that he, a talented musician, couldn’t write a song in Spanish.
Rather than continue on with that belief, he decided to challenge it. He not only wrote a song (in perfect Espanol), but he produced a video (complete with graphics) that he shared with us this morning.
Another “impossible” story came from my dear brother Rod who I met three years ago when I first came to Namaste. He’s 80 now, but when he was 65, soon after retiring from his demanding career as a construction supervisor, his body more or less gave out. He had tremendous back pain, neck pain and could barely get out of bed. Doctor after doctor couldn’t help. Like all of us, he was given the cultural programming about “old age.”
But since he had a much younger girlfriend at the time, he decided that being infirm wasn’t going to cut it for him. He met a guy selling a tonic called “Longevity” that supposedly would keep old age at bay. Rod bought a bottle, began to feel better and bought another bottle.
Within a couple weeks, he was back to his old self. As he says today, it wasn’t so much the tonic that “cured” him, but his belief changed. It was no longer “impossible” that he could be as fit as he ever was. And today, 15 years later, he’s hale, hearty, passionate about life and one of the most loving humans I have ever met.
I also want to let you know that my website is being re-designed this week (one of the many blessings I’ve received over the past few months) so it will likely be unavailable for a few days. So if you can’t access it, that’s why.
And I’ll leave you with this question: What “impossible” belief are you willing to let go of today? #222 Forever
There’s a line in the movie The Ten Commandments where Moses asks to be forgiven for his weak use of “God’s great power.”
I can relate. I have the means (as do you and all humans) to heal, to spread love, to literally command matter and what do I so often do? I stare at what appears to be.
What appears to be is a big fat illusion, showing the content of my egoic mind, covering up the Truth that joy is my ultimate nature and that everything is working out perfectly.
Right now, without taking another class or reading another book or doing anything but removing the blinders, I can rest unshaken by the world’s appearance.
There is no suffering this power cannot heal, no illusion that will not return to truth once I let go and chill. Today’s Course lesson says this is a day of infinite peace.
Furthermore, (and I love this part) every time I stop and repeat my Course lesson (I rest in the timelessness of truth), a thousand of my brothers (and sisters) all across the globe will also come to realize there’s no reason for anxiety or pain or fear of the future.
So today, I sink into stillness and remember the only two things I ever need to know: The universe has my back and everything is going to be okay. #222 Forever
“What you think you are is a belief to be undone.”—Course in Miracles
Computers and phones have what’s called a cache that stores data, making it easy and efficient to retrieve files you frequently use. But when your cache gets full, it slows down processing speeds, takes up precious gigabytes and makes it harder to find new answers or websites or whatever it is you use your computer for.
When you clear the cache in your browser, deleting no-longer needed files, you’re open to new possibilities.
At last week’s possibility posse, we talked about this very thing. Carla sent a video of Dr. Hew Len talking about the ancient Hawaiian art of ho’oponopono that as he said, “cleans our mind.” We had a great time talking about “clearing the data” in our brain, about deleting the stuck places that continue to play out in our lives.
If you look at a two- or three-year-old, you notice they’re alive in every part of their body. But as we get older, our heads are about the only thing still alive. I heard Elizabeth Gilbert describe our bodies being mainly carrying devices for our brain jars. And sadly, most of our brain jars are filled to the brim with a cache of habits, beliefs and grievances. That’s why the Course in Miracles tells us to let it all go, every single piece of data from the past.
So today, I delete no-longer needed programs. I clear my cache, remove old cookies (packets of data, also stored on computers) and recognize that this is a day that has never been before, that will never be again and that, when I clear my old cache, absolutely anything could happen. #222Forever
“If you have love in your heart, then your very life will bring about a transformation of society.”—Krishnamurti
It’s that time of year, my friends, when I take pitches for the 222 Foundation I started to honor my magical daughter, Tasman McKay Grout, who died in 2018 from a cerebral aneurysm.
As I’ve written before, Taz landed here on planet earth with indiscriminate and generous love. She was beautiful, brilliant, had wild light running through every cell.
To honor her vision, the 222 Foundation is committed to changing the dream of the modern world from consumption and acquisition to the more meaningful pursuit of creativity and self-expression. We believe happiness comes from human solidarity, simple living, respect for nature and the empowerment of all people.
Here are the guidelines for the yearly award:
Each year on February 22 (2/22), Taz Grout’s 222 Foundation will award a $10,222 grant to an innovative project or person with a big idea to change consciousness and therefore the world.
We look for projects that support the following ideas:
1. All people long to be generous and create beautiful things.
2. The story of scarcity, lack and the need to fight for resources was made up and is no longer valid. We aim to prove that, once liberated from outdated paradigms, the world is generative and endlessly abundant.
3. We believe all humans are interconnected and that even tiny actions have great significance.
The more creative the project, the more likely it is to be chosen. In the past, we’ve funded a coffee shop in India run by survivors of acid attacks, a forest of 2222 trees (hey, every tree helps), a school in Nepal and a random acts of money project in the Pacific Northwest. The 222 Foundation also gave away grants of $222 to the favorite charity of the first 22 folks willing to post a Stay-at-Home dance during the beginning of the pandemic. I particularly loved that project because it involved all my favorite things: dancing, creativity, making a difference and spreading joy.
In the 5-week Laddership Pod I just finished with ServiceSpace, I met dozens of folks from all over the world who are doing beautiful things. I learned about an NGO that builds schools out of discarded plastic water bottles and another that figured out how to purify water using plastic bottles and the sun. These projects appeal to me because they incorporate the Course in Miracles maxim about “the holiest places on earth being where an ancient hatred becomes a present love.” And while my dislike of plastic water bottles isn’t exactly ancient (although I get closer to that description every day), it certainly represents a letting go of judgment, a transformation of, at least, my consciousness.
Above all, the 222 Foundation is committed to generating new possibilities.
Next year’s grant will be awarded in less than four months on February 22 (2/22).
If you or anyone you know has an idea to help bring about a change in consciousness, please consider applying for the 2021 grant. It’s easy to apply. Just send a description of your big idea to taz.grout.222.foundation@gmail.com.
I hope you, my friends here on the blog, will help spread the word.
Also for your listening pleasure, I’m posting my new favorite song by the indie band Cloud Cult whose music is informed by Kaidin Minowa, whose two short years on the planet has transformed countless lives.
And as always, go out there and have the VERY BEST weekend of your life. #222 Forever
“Magic is becoming the new norm.”—Bentinho Massaro
This incredibly gorgeous illustration was sent to me by your fellow Miracle Investigator, Pelonne. I love it SO MUCH!
At the Omega Institute where I was scheduled to present this week, there are always several workshops going on.
I’ve been there when Marianne Williamson was teaching, Paul Selig and even Eckhart Tolle. It’s pretty tony company.
Everybody eats in the same dining room and people from the other workshops would often quizzically approach our group and ask, “What are you guys doing in there? What ARE you smoking?” They could feel our joyful, gleeful vibe. It was palpable.
That’s what all of us have been doing this week. Creating a resonant field of excitement and energy. From the many comments on the blog, it appears that our team of miracle P.I’s has successfully contributed to the upliftment of planetary consciousness. That sounds all woo-woo, I suppose, but it’s no small thing. To me, it’s one of the best ways to serve mankind.
I like to think of myself as a computer programmer (even though I don’t know the first thing about coding) who goes in and changes the code on this three-dimensional video game called life. Most of us were programmed to believe in lack and limitation, to believe that miracles are impossible or at least not everyday occurrences.
By changing the code (which is what we’ve done this week), we discover a more magical way of existing in the world. Instead of looking at “what is” we open ourselves to a resonant field of glorious possibilities, we start asking “What if?”
I trust all of you will continue on in your consciousness-changing work as miracle spotters. The more we call out miracles, the more normal, natural and easy they become. Which creates even more miracles. The toggle switch in our field of awareness has been changed to a whole new setting.
So today, in conclusion of this online mini-workshop, I’d like to share a couple thoughts on how to keep the high frequency going. Just remember:
1. Miracles are natural. The Course says if we’re not experiencing them on the daily, something has gone wrong.
2. A miracle can be accessed at any time. It doesn’t take seven or nine or whatever steps. The Course calls this toggle switch the holy instant. It can happen that quickly.
I got an amazing email last week from a woman who attended a workshop I once gave in Austin. Because she walked in late, she had no time to get into her “story.” Right away, it was her turn to share, and before the old familiar “poor me” narrative could fall into place, a completely different thought popped into her head. “My entire life has been a miracle.” Before that holy instant, she had always focused on her struggles. She grew up poor, her parents died when she was young, she got into drugs, yada yada.
But because she had no time to call up her normal script, this other story came pouring out. She described one miracle after another. And the most amazing thing, she said, is it felt more REAL and more TRUE than any other story she’d ever told.
Since that time (and this is my favorite part), the old story never returned. The switch became permanent. She now sees miracles instead of sadness, accomplishments instead of struggle.
This switch in attention can be made that fast. It can be made at any moment you decide to switch it.
3. Help is available 24/7. The Course asks us to relinquish all that clutters up our minds. Anytime we get off track, we’re encouraged to simply ask for help from what the Course calls the Holy Spirit. In my new book, I compare this always-available resource to the character Hobson, the hilarious butler who took care of Dudley Moore in the 1981 movie, Arthur. Hobson loved his irresponsible charge with an open heart, no matter what ridiculous, immature thing he did. All Arthur had to do was ring a little silver bell.
So whenever I notice my mind settling into problem state or forgetting to be grateful or worrying about anything at all, I just stop, think of Hobson and ring the silver bell.
Thank you all SO MUCH for joining the Miracle P.I. team. Don’t forget to leave today’s miracle in the comments section below. And remember none of our lives will ever be the same.
With so much gratitude, Signing off from Lincoln Street. 222 Forever!!!
“The only obstacle is believing there’s an obstacle.”—Rupert Spira
Someone asked yesterday, “So what exactly is a miracle?”
To me it’s the restoration of what’s really true.
So when someone opens a drawer and finds money (even though it wasn’t there the last 42 times she opened it), it restores the truth that abundance is our divine nature. We can’t NOT be taken care of.
When estranged brothers decide to get together for the first time in five years, it restores the truth of what I call the biggest secret in the world. That “we all really love each other.”
When someone stumbles into a fairy garden or their own personal jungle (complete with darting hummingbirds and trapeze-performing squirrels) or has three parrots land on their deck, it restores to our awareness the incomparable beauty constantly being bestowed by nature.
When someone is gifted with a microphone, the very thing she needed to start her new podcast, from a friend she just met, it restores the truth that we are constantly being sourced and guided by a beneficent, invisible force.
All these stories, by the way, were reported right here in this very miracle party. They are just a few of hundreds. In fact, I woke up again today to find Day 2 with 222 miracles. Again, restoration of truth that I will never be separated from my brilliant daughter Taz who is now sound, light and color, free from the box.
The only thing that ever gets in the way of us enjoying miracles is believing, as Rupert Spira suggests, that there’s an obstacle. The cool thing is, even when we’re not privy to all the miracles happening around us, they’re still happening, patiently waiting for us to notice, patiently twiddling their thumbs until we finally look around and say “Wow!”
Today’s party game is to go outside, lay down a blanket and gaze up at the stars, feel your connection with a bigger reality. For kicks, I often look at the Astronomy Picture of the Day reminding me there’s so much more than I’ll ever know.
Lastly, remember to leave today’s miracle (again, this is a daily, even minute-by-minute reality) in the comments section below.
Thank you so much for playing along. I love you guys to the Comet Neowise (today’s Astronomy photo) and back!!!
