Week 7 – Master Key Experience

I fell behind a bit this week and missed the Sunday webinar due to going out of town to celebrate my Mother-In-Law’s birthday. It was a nice getaway up to the foothills where I experienced “graupel” for the first time! Graupel is a German word for sleet, but this phenomena refers more to “precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming 2-5 mm balls of rime.” The cafe table where we were sitting was bathed in sunlight for about 10 minutes, when the clouds brought about this new experience, which transmuted into rime. I would describe rime as miniature “Hershey Kiss”-shaped soft snow globs. While the rest of our family and other cafe patrons retreated for shelter under the eaves of the historic gold rush building, my son and I sat in wonder. I caught a slow-mo film with my phone of the graupel pelting his rain shell which followed closely a joyous 11 year-old grin emerging from his elated face. 10 minutes or so after, we were surrounded by a deep blue rectangle of sky lined with billowing gray-white clouds and the beauty of the triangulated green pine tips, red circular leaves overlapping squared yellow foliage changing with the season. It was a blissful few minutes enjoying pure nature with my son.

Today I listened to the webcast for week 7 while driving to and from the Bay Area from Sacramento for work. I was/am blown away! Holy Universe Batman! What revelation(s) came about while listening to this? I realized that the prior weeks were the foundational components and this week was so juicy and real and applicable for me! Replacing negativity bias (thousands of years genetic blueprint) What?! Yes!! with POSITIVITY bias (do it now!) is just like replacing negative habits with good habits – Just like that?! What?! Yes!! Keep my opinions to myself. Oh we’re supposed to keep that going? Mental diet – yes please! The unbelievable is believable! When Mark asked one of the MKE members in the Q&A how she felt not offering her opinion, she said she felt peaceful. Why go back to being unpeaceful – tears! Does any of that make sense? YES!! I just know positive transformation IS FUN!

So, I’m subscribed to a list to receive texts for ordering albums by mail. When signing up, I chose different genres of music and this company sends various albums of varying artists once a week. I received a text from them earlier this week featuring an album for an artist called Childish Gambino. I had never listened to his music before getting this alert, but recognized his face on the cover of the album as I’ve seen him on a tv show called Community and in the Star Wars film called Solo. In addition to being a musician, he is a writer, actor and stand-up comedian – multi-talented! His birth name is Donald Glover and so I was curious how he came up with his music name. He used a name generator created by the hip hop group called the Wu-Tang Clan. I was curious how the name generator worked, so I googled my way to the website and entered my first, middle and last names into the generator. The result came back after several seconds of anticipation. This is what it said: John Alexander Heilbron, from this day forward you will also be known as X-pert Mastermind – What?! Yes!!

This kind of thing has been happening for the last few weeks. It makes sense for what we focus on emerges! I could go on and on, but here’s one that came up earlier this evening. My wife bought me a gift certificate for one of my favorite local book shops for my birthday last month. I went for a browse and found a book called The Puzzle Universe – A History of Mathematics in 315 Puzzles. I like puzzles and decide to get the book because it has a lot of fun and interesting art, illustrations and historical references. When I get home I start reading the first chapter which starts talking about creativity and intelligence, then creativity and problem solving. The section below that has a subheading titled “INTRODUCING YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS” What?! Yes!! A Dutch professor from the University of Nijmegen states “In the course of our lives, the subconscious handles over 90 percent of our problem solving. Complex decisions are best left to your unconscious mind to work out.” That sounds very familiar!

Signing off from Ether & Earth

Week 6 – Master Key Experience

Week six continues to provide insight and the practices are becoming more internalized. The symbols are starting to meld with positivity goals and services. I have created more space in my life to absorb the readings, practices and meetings. The sacrifices are feeding my soul and breaking off the cement as my gold shines through. I have noticed personal interactions improving. It’s fun to see people smiling and have engaging conversations with them as love is exchanging. I miss the handshakes with those I first meet and the embraces with those willing to reciprocate. Now I’ve discovered it’s possible to create those experiences in spirit and with right attitude all is possible.

Week 5 – Master Key Experience

I had an insight in the shower the other day… I envisioned a tapestry full of beautifully swirling patterns layered with intricate deep reds and blues. All of this was intertwined with golden thread that balanced and enriched the deeper tones of color. All of this was a flash that lasted seconds and then faded. And now more of a quilt appeared. This quilt had a patchwork of square shapes were all different sizes with some being pure, clean, new and others were well worn, tattered and yet others mere threads hanging, clinging haphazardly together. Some squares were brightly colored and vibrant, dynamic while others were dull, flat and singular. Something magnificent was happening – the same type of golden thread I had seen in the tapestry was weaving itself through this mixture of patches and reinforcing the squares slowly, methodically stitching, connecting and linking them. The tatters were mended, the threads were bound, strengthened and adjoined to the vivid until the whole large square became one unified piece. Once I noticed it was complete, the gold continued, this time like an electric sewing machine, back and forth each line overlapping the previous until the quilt was completely engulfed in shimmering gold.

The tapestry is who I want to become and the quilt is the process of how I get there. I am striving for excellence and embracing and enjoying the process. Thanks for reading.

Week 4 – Master Key Experience

Last Sunday was the start of my fourth week in the Mastermind Experience and I really felt like quitting. I was exhausted (aka resistance) and reached the point where I had to make a commitment to move forward with the program, or not. I felt fear attempting to take advantage of my doubt as it bubbled upward through my body trying to fill me with indecision. I prepared for the webinar like I had the previous three weeks by gathering my binders, notebook, colored pencils and index cards. After positioning myself comfortably on my bed, I paused for a moment to reflect…

The webinar began and the presenters were quite casual and having fun in spite of technical challenges. I felt them ooze passion and enthusiasm with a good dose of genuineness. Is that a word? It’s definitely a mouth full! This laid-back yet intent purpose reminded me why I chose to engage on this path to begin with. The pace felt fast as previous weeks, but easier for me to stay in the flow and the 2 hours blipped by – ahhhhh! I felt relieved and reignited to keep my commitment to persist, push myself, carve out new pathways, practice, practice, practice….

With the grateful help of the “Alchemists” I was successful in “transmuting common substance into a substance of greater value” this week – many thanks to my guides/peers for sharing your experiences on our Zoom call and Marco Polos! I had an amazing insight yesterday while driving between two housing communities where I work: I had my music playing randomly, so songs play spontaneously, which I love! This allows me to hear music I’ve never heard as I often save music that others have shared! So this bluesy piano driven tune chimes on and I’m busy groovin’ to the upbeat rhythms and beats without giving much, if any attention to the lyrics until… this phrase pops through loud and clear to me: “A master keys that fits every lock”! I replayed it 3 or 4 times just to make sure I was hearing it right. I knew what I heard the first time. That lyric sums up exactly where I am on my path this week. I have the key and now know it fits in every lock. I ecstatically look forward to experiencing what unlocks in the coming days, weeks, months…

Week 3 – Master Key Experience

Hello!

Week 3 has been really great and pivotal as I am becoming more enthusiastic with the exercises (The Greatest Salesman Scroll 1 reading, MKE readings/audios, reading out loud accountabilities, chore goals/completions & stillness sittings) as they begin to become easier and integrated into my daily routine. Sitting mostly still for 15 minutes every day for 16 days feels like a great milestone and I very much enjoy the peace and calmness that follows each session. We have a Marco Polo tribe with a name of sorts: “The Alchemists”? We turning lead to gold – ahhhh! It’s a treat to experience! I’ve been waiting to chip away the stone and concrete to reveal the lead which is transforming to gold! I experience flashes of gold out from under this mortar and it’s exhilarating, at the same time a bit frightening. It reminds me of a beautiful quote from the mystic poet Rumi: “Don’t you know yet? It’s your light that lights the world.” This inspires me to continue to practice and share my experiences with my tribe and anyone who reads my writing. I realize now that I previously dipped my foot into this pool and now I am immersing my whole self into this universe of experience. Thank you everyone.

Week 2 – Master Key Experience

It’s Thursday night here in Northern California and today actually felt like autumn! I’m ready for a break from the extended summer we’ve had here. Whew, I am feeling a bit tired today as I continue with my new committments. I have been sitting (nearly) still every night for 15 minutes for 9 days in a row – great job me! My son Boris, who’s 11, joined me for 3 of the 9 sessions which brought me extra joy. We shared our experiences with each other, which makes me feel great as I type these words. I’m finding myself reading Scroll I very fast as the days continue, so I do slow down to allow better absorption and contemplation. I’m really just working on flowing with what naturally occurs (trusting the process) as it progresses for me, which feels good and right. I am definitely getting out of my comfort zone (pushing myself) and having daily break throughs that are manifesting in my daily interactions with people I encounter and it has me feeling more connected and humming. I am noticing people having positive reactions to my positive actions – ahhh! I am finding myself complimenting more and it feels very nice! I look forward to delving deeper into this practice as the beginning has been remarkable and unprecedented for me. Do it now!

Week one of my new path…

has been exciting and full of activity in getting set for new positive habits! The Master Key Experience is chock full of great content and feels a bit overwhelming as I navigate and learn the system and its processes. I fell behind a few days due to login issues, but was able to resolve with the help of Davene – thanks Davene! I am playing catch up and enjoy being accountable for keeping up with the assignments, readings, videos, blogging and drafting my DMP. Sitting still for 15 minutes has been really interesting for me as well. It is much more difficult than I had anticipated. The awareness of the space around me and the sensations through my body have definitely been heightened. It feels good to do nothing and flow along with whatever and wherever my body and mind go. Reading the GS has been wild too, the content seems a bit different each time I read it as different words and phrases resonate into my being. They are very powerful and my attitude is shifting positive – very cool! Making these commitments to myself is very inspiring and I can see this will become infectious.

Hello people!

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You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

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You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

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Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus your own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.