Life. What I’ve distilled so far is that my great bird spirit continually guides me to living in service. I’ve synthesized from much meditation and prayer, reading and gaining support and wisdom from every experience, every lesson I’ve received from every interaction I’ve ever had, that my service must begin within myself and must always be centered in Love; it shall be a contribution to the great healing and learning of this time, that it may describe Truth and evoke Beauty.
To remember Who One Is… as I understand it, is a process of getting to the bottom of one’s humanness, understanding the place of things like the anger and frustration that come when ‘arguing’ with someone coming back at you aggressively, even mildly, in their different prerogative; understanding the overwhelming pain that comes of ‘loss’, and the avoidance of that feeling in the cases that we perceive we have control of it; the stuckness of wanting to do something good in today’s world but feeling conflicted with things we perceive we ‘must’ do. It is the patient, hard work of eventually coming to the place in which one finally feels…This Is Me, I Know Who I Am, I Must Be Who I am and I Must Do This with whatever time I have here and… I Am Entirely Fulfilled and At Peace with Who I Am and What I Am Doing; and… I Love Myself as I Love Creator as I Love My ‘Enemy’, I Am Love.
So far, I feel learned and committed to the following:
I commit to living my Truth and Purpose of embodied Creation.
I commit to openness toward my own continued healing and learning, to remembering Who I Am.
I commit to describing Truth and Evoking Beaty with my life.
I commit to a life in service from a place of Love.
As a woman, I commit to answering Mother Earth’s call for help through my clear wisdom, courage and compassion.
To fulfill this, my spirit has guided me to become Independent from the systems and means which would steal this from me outright or by subtle conditioning; and I must serve, with love, to provide healing and education to others whose Truth and Purpose is in jeopardy as such (this comprehensively encompases all the forms of embodied creation).
Government, Money and Insurance
I commit to earning less than what is considered the federal poverty guideline annually as I wish to be outside of the:
- motivation of money – unbuyable, free.
- mandatory contribution via federal taxes which fund many unacceptable things the government directs and perpetuates: the dark web, military wars, the ‘war’ on drugs, fossil fuel energy development, Corporate Profit over People and Planet, etc. etc.
The implications of this guide the simplification of my life and commitment in other things, for example, I do not actively partake, or intend to, in the benefits of the social programs funded by the tax system such as the modern healthcare/insurance system, Disability, Unemployment or Social Security.
A different kind of ‘economy’
The natural reaction to this in many cases is fear-driven… How will you retire??!? What if something happens? Why don’t you work? How do you pay for things?
Actually, I do work, a lot, just not for money…rather, I create value through service. Now I live Fearlessly. I’m no longer fearful of the future because I am free to create it… I experience the freedom afforded by living my purpose fully each day, as if perhaps there won’t be another just like it or at all. I’ve found, while living in service I have more than enough to meet my needs and those of my little Cricket.
Many of the questions mentioned above are driven by the fear-based systems which sell solutions like, by investing your time into work and Social Security you’ll ‘retire comfortably’ and protect your family, by investing in healthcare you’ll be taken care of when you get sick. One could read a newspaper on any day to find stories which punch holes in these and many other false claims as the reason for doing anything for the majority of one’s life, like working for someone or paying into something over a lifetime.
The Truths I’ve learned are that when you grow food, you have food; when you catch rainwater, then you have water; when you build a house (tiny, natural, temporary, etc.) then you have a house; when you do healthy things, then you have health; and when you gift health, freedom and love, that is what you receive in abundance!
Naturally then, my actions are proactive, ‘preventative’; I reduce my own risks by the choices I make each moment. I have control over the things I put in my body – on a physical, mental and spiritual level; and I have control over the things I do with my body, mind and spirit – for example…
- Beyond bucking the pretty big modern norms mentioned above, I no longer rely on a fossil-fuel powered personal vehicle… I walk or roll on human-powered wheels just about everywhere. This has enabled me to divest from the car insurance and the fossil-fuel industry effectively reducing my own risk, decreasing my footprint, and exponentially increasing my health, happiness and freedom by traveling at the speeds my body is naturally built to go.
- Eat mostly whole, organic, local (in-season) food
- I definitely avoid eating processed things, this includes refined sugar and most packaged items with long ingredient lists which include sugars, gmo’s and preservatives (and wasteful packaging of course)
- I buy from the bulk sections in stores like Sprouts, reusing my bags and tags many times
- If not growing food or getting it from farmers market, or rescuing it, I’m helping people to find a good CSA to join – the benefits of this are abundant, one example is the reduction of our footprint even further by taking the individual weekly travel to and from stores/markets out of the equation, as one part in a whole membership base in which delivery is focused to one delivery truck per many households, for example.
- When I eat meat or eggs, I avoid those that have not been raised free and natural, therefore my diet is mainly plant-based as that level of quality is cost-prohibitive in many places
- Usually, I eat congee for breakfast, a midday big salad (cooling) or lightly baked veggies and soup (warming) with some beans, quinoa, lentils, tempeh or tofu. Fav toppings are a little salt, pepper, sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast with a small drizzle of oil. Again, all based on produce in season.
- I try to catch my water and filter it
- I drink two big glasses of neutral temp water first thing and throughout the whole day
- Fasting is a consistent, regular part of my life
- Try to get in 8oz of homemade kombucha per day
- Spending a good long moment of awareness with each bite, with each sip
- I strive to grow my own, free, clean food wherever I am/help those whom I serve to do so
- I limit time on technology, on it or near it – for example, screen time ends a couple of hours before sleep (ideally before sunset), fully shut down and kept in separate space than where I sleep
- I give much time to reading, writing, creating, learning, practicing skills, yoga, and teaching
- I touch the earth with my bare feet daily
- I stretch and play daily, with Cricket and usually with a pack of dogs – dance, run, jump, swim, roll, stretch, yoga, bike, hike – on natural earth and barefoot as often as possible
- I wear zero drop shoes
- Cold last minute (in the shower) or natural shower even better!
- I meditate each morning, at least, filling myself with great gratitude and receiving it abundantly, returning to the Oneness of all things, as I often slip outward according to my bossy ego humanness throughout the day
- I use the word LOVE freely, even with strangers, humans and creatures alike, who are not quite strangers but those I’ve come to know as my brothers and sisters, no matter their color or beliefs; to experience love is to feel the highest human experience – I work each day to heal so that I may know Oneness and when faced with sadness or anger, for example, I can remember the peace within the circular relativity in all things of this world; when I feel something less than, I go inward trying to find the original source as, for myself, it seems awareness precedes understanding which precedes healing and then change/evolution, elevation
- I ‘buying’ from thrift stores or play-it-again sports stores
- I avoid feeling overwhelmed with the world, my own health and what to do by letting nature guide my balance
…On my best day!
Of course I’m human and so lots of days don’t look just like this! This is when I’m reminded about forgiveness, the impossibility to judge anyone, unconditionality, love, patience, prayer, gratitude and so on.
I always have more than enough. When you are truly giving of yourself and your gifts, people, Earth and the Universe reciprocate with all that they have been gifted in return.
Rob Wisdom
For further reading, I have loved and gained MUCH from Rob Greenfield’s Journey. For more full and comprehensive insights on these topics, he is an excellent resource for the people regarding many of these things. His experience and teachings have empowered much of my own development in thought and practical application.
- On Government, Money, Healthcare… here and here.
- Rob’s Personal Guide to Health Happiness and Freedom
- House Guide to Sustainable, Simple, and Healthy Living
He has also posted wonderful commitments and vows, many of which my path has also aligned me with…
Aligned Commitments
I vow to donate 100% of my earnings from media to nonprofits
Agreed, if/when I get those, yes committed.
I vow to earn no more than the federal poverty threshold per year.
Agreed, committed, fulfilled since September 2016
Others paying expenses on my behalf
My mission involves being present with a lot of people and that takes a serious amount of my time and energy. As I have said my income is capped but my aim is to increase my ability to affect positive change with these guidelines, not hinder it. So I will allow for money to be spent on my behalf under the right circumstances.
Agreed, committed.
Non-monetary gifts and sponsorships
My policy is that I support the gifting economy and will gladly accept small gifts. On the larger end of gifts and sponsorships I will at the very least be 100% transparent with what I accept and will aim to keep what I receive to necessities. If a large gift is sent my way I will likely send it to a nonprofit that can use it to make the world a better place.
I will likely work with financial sponsors at times to help me complete my missions. I will aim to always work with sponsors who share my ethics and morals.
Agreed, committed.
I vow to own a minimal and reasonable value of possessions and financial assets.
Agreed, committed. Still working on this, this is truly a process, it has taken revisiting many times to continually have less each time and I still have further to go!
“Rather than make formal, taxable organizations” I will be partnering with other nonprofits to carry out my work.
Agreed. There are enough orgs in the world to collaborate with, saving resources and amplifying the impact of a shared missional goal. Committed.
Financial transactions
I bank with a local credit union (Mission Federal Credit Union) and no longer have any credit cards (A few years ago I had about five credit cards). Credit unions are nonprofits and invest their money back in the community and often give the money to good causes.
Agreed, I divested from corporate banking and moved to a credit union; I still have 2 credit cards on which the balance is $0, have yet to cancel them.
Charging for my work
There are many things that I think should be free in a just and intellectually advanced society. Some of these include air, water, food, simple housing, education, reasonable levels of health care, and access to all nature. Those are just a few things but there are many more. I think information on health, sustainable living, and how to be good to the earth should all be free too. In my mind, it makes no sense to charge people for health and happiness. Maybe at times it makes sense in our current society but that is not the society I am functioning on. So because of that my work is free to access and free to redistribute under a creative commons license. This includes all the content that is on my website including my photos, videos, and blogs. Simply put I will not personally charge for my work unless it is also available for free. In this manner, it is the choice of the person paying because they want the information in a more special manner rather than the free version I have available.
Simply put I will not personally charge for my service unless it is also available for free. In this manner, it is the choice of the person paying because they want the information in a more special manner rather than the free version I have available.
If you are deeply analyzing this philosophy you may find that it’s not perfect. It’s a heck of a lot better than what’s currently going on though.
Agreed, committed. I’ve also found that many still wish to Donate funds to the mission.
Advertising
My policy is to never advertise for a company or product that I do not strongly believe in. And by “believe in” I don’t mean that I just like them or they are my friends. I have committed to not advertise for anything that causes destruction to the earth even if it is to take the money and give it to a good cause.
Agreed, committed.
Sponsors
I will only take on sponsors if our messages are deeply inline.
Agreed, committed.
In summary I vow to:
Practice financial transparency.
Agreed
Earn no more than the federal poverty threshold per year. Donate rest.
Agreed
Own a minimal and reasonable value of possessions and financial assets.
Agreed
Timeline
These vows begin today on 04/08/2015 and I am taking these vows initially for four years. Too often I see people make lifetime commitments and all too often I see these “lifetime” commitments last a fraction of their life. The frequency of priest celibacy scandals and the high American divorce rate are two examples of that. So because of that, I am making this vow for four years until 04/08/2019 at which time I will be 32. I chose four years, the length of presidency in the USA, because I wanted to feel how long that is so I can understand how so many of them break their promises in that time. I would imagine that I will renew these vows after four years but only time will tell that.
- Agreed, committed. Today 3/24/2020. To assess and renew 3/24/2024 🙂
Here are some more Excellent Rob Resources:
- Robs Vows and Commitments
- Robs Possessions
- Robs views On Media Income, Financial and Corporate Transparency, Net Worth
- Rob’s Journey/Process of Transformation
- Robs Creative Commons
