So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key -Eagles THE KEY is about finding that key, and freeing youself of your chains. It is about the alchemy of changing tension, anxiety, and stress into happiness, health, and prosperity. It is a compact manual for the human spirit, containing wisdom to help you realize your dreams. To discover one's own true nature as a creator is to know the joy of an expanding universe in one's heart. THE KEY is a compilation of nearly a half century of reading, thinking, conversations, reflections and experience, boiled down into a book that is eloquent in it's simplicity, clarity, directness, and honesty. It contains essential wisdom that was at times hard won, but in the end, helps one to move toward a happier, healthier, richer life. We need a critical mass of people to reach this place of creativity and positive responsibility if we are to live in a world where creativity is the name of the game, and we are working together on a global scale instead of against each other.

THE KEY

Reflections and Wisdom of a New England CarpenterBy Peter Cassels-Brown

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Peter Cassels-Brown
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-3797-8

Contents

Acknowledgments..........................................1Introduction.............................................51. Revelation............................................92. Gratitude.............................................133. Forgiveness...........................................174. Love..................................................215. Union.................................................256. The Connection........................................317. The Great Spirit......................................358. Happiness, Health, and Prosperity.....................399. The Key...............................................4310. Letting Go and Lightening Up.........................4711. Where to Go from Here................................5112. Living the Dream.....................................5713. Fortune Cookie Wisdom................................6314. A Personal Affirmation...............................67About the Author.........................................69

Chapter One

REVELATION

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key. —Eagles

Revel-ation Rev-elation Revel-elation

Neither heaven nor hell is an actual place, separate from the universe we know, but that does not mean they don't exist. Both of them are present here and now, and we have a choice regarding which one we are in.

It was a beautiful day in March (which historically can be a slow time for us). I had decided to take a few ski runs at Sugarbush on my way to work. When I got to the mountain, the sun was already shining brightly in a chrome blue, cloudless sky. It was reflected even more brilliantly by the white crystal beach of corn snow that lay on a few surviving trails, while, all around, vegetation stirred and began to awaken from its winter slumber. As the temperature rose to over seventy degrees, my heart leapt with joy at being in the right place at the right time for once. A few runs later, however, thoughts of work started to creep into my mind. They were thoughts of phone calls, paperwork, placing orders, setting up projects, meeting with clients, service calls, etc. I started to feel guilty that I was having so much fun on a workday.

I decided to check my phone calls and e-mail when I realized I had left my cell phone at home. I became uncomfortable thinking about missed communications and possibly irritated clients. More guilt.

I had a choice. I could pack it in and head to the office and take care of business, after all, that had been the original plan, or I could stay for another run or two. I decided that another run wouldn't hurt. Then another. And another. Okay, time to go to work; then I ran into a friend. Okay, one more. Mmm. This weather and this type of snow are rare. Okay, one more. It's two thirty, and time to go; there's still time to take care of things ...

As I walked past the lodge on my way to the parking lot, a band was playing on the Castlerock Pub terrace (on a Thursday in late March, at 2:30 p.m., when there are only a few people around?)—not just any band, but a local favorite, an extremely good band that I hadn't seen in ages. Okay, hang out for a tune or two ... mmm, well, I am thirsty. Just one beer, a couple more tunes ...

At 5:00 p.m. I actually left to go to work. I did make contacts and organize the next day after all, but the truth is, it could have waited until the next day. Days like the one I just described happen only a few times a year if I am lucky. I was there, but I almost missed it. Fortunately, I was present enough not to have missed it, and was profoundly grateful for that, but definitely had tortured myself unnecessarily.

Another time, we were taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather (above freezing) in February to get the jump on a spring project by pouring the foundation in the dead of winter. Risky, but the alternative was being unemployed.

Long story short, the water table was higher than anticipated for that time of year, which created numerous challenges for us, such as a three-foot-deep freezing pond where the foundation needed to go. The drainage was impeded by the existing house, which was to be moved onto the new foundation. Pumps helped until the temperature dropped to significantly below freezing. We did manage to successfully pour the foundation, but I found myself alone at 2:00 a.m. in a frozen, muddy trench resembling a World War I foxhole. As I wrestled with frozen equipment in the wee hours of the morning, all the while resembling a frozen mud rat, I surprised myself by laughing out loud at the absurdity of it all. At the same moment a wave of warmth and gratitude swept over me for a few reasons. First, I actually had work at a time when many people, especially builders and carpenters, did not. Second, it made me appreciate my own fortitude, for which I was hugely grateful in the moment. Finally, it was the sense of some unaccountable old joker just laughing his ass off to witness my predicament. In that presence, I could not help but laugh at myself and the situation.

The point of all this is that we can be in a situation that would seem to be as close to heaven as is possible in our human world, yet still torture ourselves with anxiety, tension, and stress. We can also find ourselves in a situation that truly resembles hell, yet transcend it to experience joy, gratitude, and love of life.

Our circumstances are external, but our experience of them is internal. We have a choice of how to respond to any given situation. Our choice of response not only determines how we feel about ourselves and the situation, but since the world functions as a mirror for us, it also determines to a large degree the outcome of those circumstances.

Chapter Two

GRATITUDE

Giving thanks for the blessings we do have is grounding, healing, uplifting, and energizing. By focusing on the best things, we attract more of that to us.

It can help pull one out of a tailspin when things are looking bleak, spirits are sinking, and fear is creeping in. The beneficiary of gratitude is the giver of thanks. Giving thanks feels good.

Gratitude creates a healthy energy through and around you. People can't see it, but they can feel it. It helps make a person feel comfortable around you (because it helps you to be comfortable with yourself), which improves the chance of successful interaction.

When I'm feeling anxious, tense, or stressed, nothing gets me back on track like thinking of the things I have to be grateful for. I start with the basics, such as shelter, clothes, food, my children, work, etc. I keep going until I get to a point where I'm feeling quite fortunate indeed. It is hard to be in a negative space when you are truly grateful. When one is in a positive, grateful space, circumstances, seemingly almost by magic, have a way of changing to a more positive situation.

Many times at work, when I focus on the challenges I face as a business owner in an uncertain economy, I feel overwhelmed by the liabilities and obligations. I start to panic, and wonder how I will ever make ends meet. That is inevitably when circumstances seem to conspire to support and fuel that fear.

If I change my focus, however, and think about all the resources I have amassed in the last several decades, and the opportunities that are right in front of me, and give thanks for those, in a heartbeat I feel wealthy already. It seems like the most natural thing in the world that things will progress in a positive direction. In fact, I can't really see it any other way. Inevitably, this is when I will get a phone call from someone who wants us to help them with a really good project, is interested in investing in an expansion of our business, or is offering us an opportunity that supports that expansion.

Gratitude has the power to change my energy completely, from anxiety about how I am going to balance the budget to excitement about all the possibilities that exist for me. When my energy changes, there is a corresponding shift in what happens externally. When I am anxious, that is when I get calls from customers with warranty work, or we have equipment or vehicle issues, all of which cost me money. When I am grateful for what we have and am feeling upbeat and confident, that is when customers call in with exciting new projects that will bring in enough money to take care of any expenses we may have and much more.

Chapter Three

FORGIVENESS

Holding anger toward another person, it has been said, is like holding on to a hot coal with the intention of throwing it at someone. All the while you are the one getting burned.

Like gratitude, forgiveness benefits primarily the forgiver. It is not as much to exonerate the perpetrator of a violent act, crime, or injustice, as it is to free the victim from toxic, angry feelings, and to help them move forward into their own healthy space.

Forgiveness is empowering for the forgiver. Without it, a tendency is to fall into victim head. Nothing is more disempowering than to claim the victim space. Even if one has been horribly wronged, it only makes matters worse to wallow in victimhood. To blame someone else (even if justified) is to give away power. To forgive is to claim power.

I have had opportunities recently to put this into practice, and the results are nothing short of profound. The difference between feeling anger and bitterness versus acceptance, forgiveness, and love is like night and day. Anger and bitterness eat away at you and are simply the worst feelings in the world. To accept what is, and to extend love to that, is to give yourself the gift of a free heart, unencumbered by the poisonous drama of resentment. I am not talking about the righteous anger that is born of injustice and inspires action to facilitate justice. Nonetheless, even with that, what is important is the healing action and the justice, not the anger.

Forgiveness is absolutely essential if one is to be truly free.

Without boring you with the details of personal drama, suffice it to say that a few things have happened over the years in the areas of work, friendship, and love that were absolutely gut-wrenching and tore me apart.

Whenever I had let myself go to a place of being a victim, or a place of blame, the ensuing flood of emotions was absolutely crushing, toxic, and incredibly destructive (internally, that is; I wasn't throwing things or taking it out on anybody else directly). Fortunately, these feelings were so intolerable that I could not remain in that space for long. If I had remained there, I am certain it would have literally killed me one way or another, be it cancer, heart attack, stroke, car accident, etc.

It seemed the only answer was to accept what was, forgive what I felt was unjust, and extend love to those who were involved. The alchemy of this was simply amazing. No sooner than I managed to turn my feelings around, the world around me responded with compassion, support, and opportunity. The rotten, heavy feelings of anger and resentment were displaced by the lighthearted feelings of joy and freedom as the world once again opened up to me with new opportunities on every level.

Chapter Four

LOVE

Similar to gratitude and forgiveness, the real value in love comes in the power of giving. The receiver of love is truly blessed, but the real joy in love is found in the giving. Loving unconditionally is devotion. For thousands of years, devotion has been recognized as a path for the spirit in its quest for union, or unity consciousness.

Love is a master key that can unlock almost any door.

Love and fear do not readily share the same space, somewhat like oil and water.

So often we sabotage ourselves by letting our insecurity and fear get the better of us, whether it is in the context of work, relationships, friendship, marriage, etc. The world reflects back to us what we feel inside. If we are anxious, circumstances will mirror and feed that anxiety or fear. The fear can displace the love.

If we can nurture the joy and warmth of love inside us, the world will reflect that back in the form of people and circumstances that support more of that. If we can keep our internal love fires lit, and they are reflected back to us by the world, we begin to lose the feelings of duality and separateness that alienate us and cause suffering. We become suspended in a field from within and without, and find ourselves swimming in an ocean of love. In this way, love displaces fear. When we are in this place, anything seems possible. Our dreams take on a dimension of depth and solidity. They become alive and three-dimensional. This further fuels an undercurrent of joy as we realize we can ultimately create anything we want. Indeed, we begin to understand that perhaps that is why we are here.

The choice is ours—to live separately and in pain, or to live in unity and love. Simple? Yes. Easy? Not always. It takes constant stoking of our internal love fire to maintain this vibrantly healthy space.

The thing to remember is that separateness or duality is just an illusion. By definition, we are all made of the same stuff, and that is all there is. Whether we like it or not, we are all connected at the most elemental level, the seamless energy that is the universe.

As life progresses, naturally there are losses along the way. How one regards those losses can make a huge difference to the quality of one's life. If one focuses on the loss of love or a loved one, the sadness can seem unbearable at times. If one focuses on the love that was there in the first place, that is something that can never be taken away. In a way it is like an Olympic medal. Whether you have the medal itself or not, nothing can take away the fact that you won it. It will always be a part of you, and in that way it is never truly lost. It adds richness of texture and color to the fabric of our lives. It stretches us and helps us to grow, and if we allow it, it opens us to the next level of life.

Chapter Five

UNION

Albeit the illusion of separateness is a stubborn one, at least when viewed from our normal perspective of the world as we see it, namely, what you see is what you get. There is, however, more to life than meets the eye.

One need look no further than to the field of subatomic physics, or quantum theory, to see that this is true. It is a most rigorous and disciplined field of science based on physical observation and mathematics. It is interesting that in such a technical, factual area of study, we come closest to actually seeing the magic of the universe we live in.

Atoms, long considered the building blocks of our physical world, are primarily empty space and are in constant motion. Comprised of a nucleus (a proton) and orbiting particles (electrons), an atom resembles a solar system with vast amounts of empty space between these components (99.99 percent empty space, to be precise). These components are further broken down into subatomic particles. Upon close inspection, these particles appear to behave rather strangely. Again, that is if they are viewed from our normal frame of reference, that of the physical world as we see it. They appear to blink on and off like lights on a buoy on the ocean or a lake at night. Now you see them, now you don't. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. At this level, they respond to the way in which they are observed or measured. If the observer chooses to measure a particle as a physical entity with a specific mass, location, direction, and velocity, that can be done. If the observer chooses to measure the entity as a wave, that is to say they can predict where it will be at a given time (a probability amplitude) that also can be done. This is to say that how the particle behaves depends on how the observer chooses to measure it. In other words, they are inseparable. This is the interface between the observable world as we know it and the realm of pure energy from which all things are made. When our reality is viewed from this perspective, it becomes clear that the universe is a single seamless entity.

Why, then, does it not feel like that most of the time? Determining that is one of the fundamental challenges we all share.

To know this truth experientially in one's heart has been the goal of spiritual traditions since they were established thousands of years ago, and probably for individuals long before that. It remains central to the challenge of finding out who or what we really are.

I have been fortunate (I use this word loosely) to have a number of experiences that have brought this home to me. One that sticks in my mind was a night (March 9, 1978, to be precise; I will never forget it) when my friend Ted and I decided to walk across Lake Champlain from Burlington, Vermont, to Plattsburgh, New York, at midnight, a distance of twelve miles one way across the ice (of course, that meant we would have to walk back as well). I won't bore you with technical details, but suffice it to say we were perhaps not in possession of our best judgment at that time. We got nearly to the center of the lake (already more than five miles offshore), when we simultaneously stopped in our tracks without saying a word to each other. We realized that the ice was moving up and down on the water and that the St. Lawrence Seaway was flowing openly in front of us only steps ahead. The current was surprisingly rapid, and the ice, with our weight, was starting to tip in the direction of the mid-lake river. Water was moving up the ice shelf toward us as if to invite us to join it in its travels to Quebec. At that moment, I looked up for an instant at the clear black sky with its millions of stars reaching for the horizon like an internally lit crystal chandelier, and a thought occurred to me: If I slip into this stream and am swept under the ice, part of me will not survive. There is another part, though, that may not even go below the ice, but simply merge with the stars. This happened in a split second but was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. I was absolutely convinced beyond any shred of doubt that there is a dimension to our being that is indestructible, infinite, timeless, and incredibly beautiful.

"Ted?" I said.

"I know," came the reply.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from THE KEYby Peter Cassels-Brown Copyright © 2012 by Peter Cassels-Brown. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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