The Inner Realm, The Place In Between (continued) (2)


It has been a month since that odd dream Jeff had and it had become a distant memory. Jeff comes home from his long day at work feeling a bit more tired than usual. He starts a fire in his fireplace and sits down in his favorite worn out recliner beside the fire. Jeff Slowly drifts off into sleep as he watches the flames dance as he listens to the hypnotic and soothing cracking sounds from the fireplace.  As his eyes slowly shut and he drifts off he hears the laughter of that almost forgotten old man from that dream from a month before. He finds himself sitting on the ground in front of that same campfire across from that old man Verum Peto. The old man looks at Jeff and smiles then says” I see you finally woke up again”.

Jeff not knowing how to take that statement or how to reply sits quietly looking at the campfire trying to figure out how it got here again.  Verum sees that Jeff is still bewildered by it all so he explains to Jeff how that this is more than just a dream, that is the place between conscious and subconscious, the place between the physical and the spiritual  dimensions. “Jeff this is the place between all that you know and all that makes it all come into existence. This is the realm of thought, dreams and the border lands to both your physical dimension and the dimension of spiritual or the metaphysical plane. This place has been called many things but the Tibetans came closest with what they call the Bardo plane.

Of course I am referring to the Milam Bardo, the entrance to the in-between state or dimension when one enters the dream state. They hit it pretty much on the head with the Milam Bardo. Pretty much in a nut shell Jeff you are in the white space in-between heaven and earth.”

The old man Verum then hands Jeff a cup of hot cocoa and gently smiles at him. Jeff still trying to grasp and take in all that Verum said just sits silently sipping his cocoa. Just as Jeff takes his last sip of cocoa Verum turns to him and says “It isnt quite time for you to truly awaken yet” and with that said, Jeff sits up quickly and sees he has returned to his old battered recliner by the fireplace and wonders once again if it all was but a dream.

<to be Continued>

But that little voice within is persistent


003Self Control, Self Reflection and Self deception detection. Only if we had a built-in detector that could warn us when we are about to lose control or when we are deceiving ourselves… Oh wait we do, we just tend to ignore it. Some call it a conscience others call it a moral thermometer or compass.  It’s that little voice that most of us tend to ignore or act as if it doesn’t exist so we can do things that we think will get us that temporary pleasure or emotional high. It’s the voice within trying to warn us of the consequences of our actions and the damage it may cause.

It seems our ego likes to block out, gag and tie up or conscience so it can fill itself up and be big. Its selfish nature makes the ego a hard thing to tame and control.  The ego is only out for itself and is one of the biggest barriers to finding contentment and happiness in life.  The Ego tries hard to convince us we are totally individual and separate therefore the whole is unimportant and the self is all that exists and matters.  But that little voice within is persistent and will continually remind us of our connection with all other living things and that we are not the center of  all existence.  We are but one cog in the machine works of all that is and a contributor to all that shall eventually come. Our words, thought and actions be they small or great will play a part in what we call the present which will help set the course of the future.

Deflate that Ego and listen well to that little voice we all call a conscience.

Ray Barbier

Just some random thoughts on a sunday morning


When you put yourself above and before all else you tend to lose focus and wander through life only seeking out pleasures or power. When you put others before yourself you tend to realize how unimportant are you wants and how important is the welfare and needs of others. You also realize how you have far more to be happy about than you have to complain about in reality.Most of our lives are far better than we tend to see, when we see how bad others have it in this world the more we see how blind we have been.
The saddest part is there is more than enough wealth, food, water and other necessities to go around. We alow politics, greed and apathy to stand in the way of a better world for all of ourselves and our children. We need to pay less attention to our desires to have the newest and best electronic gadgets, automobiles and such, we waste so much money on keeping up with the Joneses or trying to be in style. A lot of the money we spend on such things could either help out a friend, neighbor or just could be saved for a rainy day.

Just some random thoughts on a sunday morning
Ray Barbier

random thoughts–1/28/2014


HPIM0319To Love others as God loves us, this is what we were taught to do yet we seem to miss that mark so easily. Why is it so hard to accept and love one another unconditionally? What makes us want to either judge others hastily and without compassion or causes us to choose to deny others love. We all want to be loved, accepted and to be a part of a group or community, but we tend to deny ourselves these things as much as we deny it to others due to our image of what we think makes one worthy of such.

The fact is we all deserve love, acceptance and to be a part of a community. God gave us his love so we could spread his love and cause it to multiply between us all. We all belong to the great community of humankind even though some people believe otherwise. No man s greater or lesser than his brother in the eyes of God nor is any person without sin or fault. To declare or to put oneself above another is but vanity and self centeredness in its purest form.

To claim to be wise usually is a sign one is a fool, to see that you are but a fool is usually the first step towards wisdom. To know thyself with out self-delusion or self-glorification is to be humble and to see the truth of what one is. I claim not to know the answers I only claim to know some of the questions and express that which I believe and understand as theoretical ideals.  I urge you to seek your own answers in life for you are responsible for what you choose to believe and what you teach others directly or indirectly.

Live life to the fullest, but do so with compassion and a charitable heart. Forgive not only others,also learn to forgive your own self, for one must face their own shortcomings and go beyond them in order to see the grace in forgiveness. Think for your self and follow not the mainstream ideology, for the path to ruin is wide and so is the path to hell. Seek the truth and be not persuaded by wolves in sheep’s clothing, for many profess to be leaders in Christ and are but men of wealth and greed.

I am but a fool who seeks to become wise, I am but a man who tries to be a good man, nothing else.

Ray Barbier

Thursday’s Random Thoughts 1/9/2014


eye.jpgGo beyond the barrier and see what is hidden from your view, open your eyes and see that which you have been blind too. Put away fear and uncertainty to make room for your hope and curiosity for they will serve you far better in life.Follow no man, philosophy or even religion blindly for you are responsible for your own actions and thoughts as well as the effect they may have on others. Better to doubt and be wrong than to follow blindly and be mislead or mistaken.

Thoughts on Love and Forgiveness


Rembrandt – “The Return of the Prodigal Son

Love, one of the greatest gifts and blessings God gave us. The love we have for family and friends and the love they have for us as well . The love for our fellow humans and the love we share with all those we interact with. So much we long for and desire, but Love is the grandest prize we can obtain and definitely the greatest gift we can give and/or share.

We were created in Love, we were saved by Gods love and we will in the end bask in his love. We should live this short life full of love and sharing it everywhere we travel. Forgiveness and Love are the two things we have the power to manifest and to spread wherever we go. We should love one another for it is commanded that we do so and it seems to be the most joyful thing we have to do in our lives. To forgive lifts the burden from both the one who forgives and the one that is forgiven.  Love  fills us with light and happiness.

Ray Barbier

Feeling free to be who you truly are.


010Sometimes Happiness is nothing more than feeling free to be who you truly are. Being free of worry and fear of judgment by others. Being myself with no regards to what others may think allows me to enjoy my day. Seems also when I allow my true self to appear I don’t seem as critical or cynical  of myself or others. Such a weight lifted on the days I let my true self come out to play.

This world and modern society puts way too much restriction on how we must behave and be to belong or fit in. This puts such a burden on the backs of those whom are not the norm and even on those that conform.

Be yourself and not that what others expect or want you to be. To pretend to be whom you are not for the sake of conformity is but a dark and dreary way to exist.  The Love and happiness within you multiplies exponentially when you live as the person who you truly are.

Be true to yourself and cherish  each moment of every day.
Ray Barbier

Take a few moments out of each day


IMG_1387Take a few moments out of each day to tell those you love how you feel about them, let them know how special and important they are. Take a moment or two each day to be kind to friends and even strangers, be an example for others to follow and be a person you can be proud to be. Find happiness in the joy of others and help bring joy into all whom you meet along the way. When you begin to think negatively just think no over and over till the negative thought subsides and/or try to think or a more positive thought to take its place. Don’t complain about what is wrong, learn how to fix it or at least how to avoid it. Sometimes there are things you can not change, you do not have to accept them, you just have to learn to work around them.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself and embrace that silly child still within you. Do not become cynical and bitter for it will only put a wall between you and happiness.  Do not worry about grey hairs and wrinkles, they are part of aging. We are all unique in how we look, act, think and perceive this world.  To one you may look old, to another you may look young and you are good-looking to some and not to others. It is all superficial and really unimportant in the end. It is who you are inside and how you interact with this world along with how you treat others that counts. Plus to God all of us are beautiful and he loves us all for who and what we are. We should look at each other in that same way, love one another as is and know we are all beautiful and loved.

Inspire others to be kind, accepting and compassionate, teach others to love themselves and others unconditionally. Encourage others to be themselves and not just a carbon copy of the so-called popular or in crowd.

Ray Barbier

All you can do is your best


p10052Your attitude is what makes or breaks your day, How you perceive the world around you is distorted and/or filtered through your state of mind.  Positive thinking may not be a cure-all, but it sure makes life a lot less stressful. Negative thoughts on the other hand makes ones day far more stressful and frustrating. So how you think is how you and your day will be in the end.

Happiness is a state of mind and is the result of a positive outlook and a heart that is compassionate and kind. The key is not to worry so much about the thoughts and opinions of others and to be thoughtful of how you think of others and yourself. Just do the best that you can and be the best possible person you can be.for when it’s all said and done, all you can do is your best. If you have done your best and been the best person you can be then you will at least you will be able to go to bed with a clean conscience.

Ray Barbier

Some Random Ideas


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Too many times I find that I choose to be unhappy by focusing on the negative thoughts running amok in my head. I also have noticed when I put some effort into pushing the negative thoughts aside with a more positive frame of mind, my day seems to get a lot brighter and/or happier. So I have come to the conclusion that ones frame of thought controls not only the mood one is in but also significantly influences ones total outlook on life. To think positive, to reject the negative thoughts within yourself and that which comes from an external force can change ones day if not life. We are what we think or believe we are and we are either limited or expanded by those thoughts and/or beliefs. The power of thought along with emotions are what makes us the sentient beings God has created us to be, without self-consciousness and emotional awareness we would not have the great potential we as human beings have.

Ray Barbier