Abandon tension all ye who enter here

One of the things I like most in life is

Walking in nature...

Walking in nature with my dogs...

Walking in nature with my friends and all our dogs...

Over the years walking in nature turned into something that is close to praying or meditating for me. In an expanded state of awareness being able to communicate with myself, my dogs and my friends is an experience I cherish.
It is not something I shrug off or push away. If I would do that I would miss a door that is sometimes leading to another world.

A interior world where I can dissolve tension and be free from conceptions of the past.

For me personally it has been very important (and it still is of course) to unlearn what I learned in the past about myself and about dogs.

What I needed was NOT more information about the exterior world.

Many times when I visit clients they tell me they have had dogs "all their lives" or they show me the dozens of books they have read about dog training. Years ago I used to ask myself why they needed me. I even used to say:"Having read all those books you must know more about dogs than I do!"
Now I know and understand the difference between information about the exterior world and wisdom from the interior world.

Clients want me to come and visit them because they are looking for the solution to a problem. Some of them seeing what my simple presence does to their dogs, ask themselves what is happening. It allows me to explain the importance of the way we behave. And of course, the way we behave is the result of what we feel.

According to me more dog training classes, more books about dog behaviour, more videos, dvd's or television programs about dogs, are useless if our way of knowing ourselves is faulty.

All these dog training classes, books, videos, dvd's and tv programs are a waste of time and money if we do not learn more about how we really behave.

As an illustration about how wrong we can be when we suppose something, or when we make assumptions, have prejudiced opinions or make expectations I want to tell you an old story.

One day some men took refuge from a storm in a barn that was pitch-black inside.
- "There is something in here with us!", exclaimed one. "I can hear it breathing."

- "You are right", another said,"I'm reaching out and feeling a large, rough wall that seems to be moving."

- "No! From where I am it feels like a snake", a third one said.

- "Over here I feel a very large leaf moving up and down", still another said.

- "Over here I can feel the trunk of a tree", a fifth shouted.

The men argued for a while longer and then decided to light a torch. When they did, they found they were all looking at an elephant.

Perhaps what our dogs are looking forward to is not to meet an elephant but to live with a human being who can relax and loosen the knots in her/his muscles, whether emotional, physical, mental or psychic. If we can do that we will be able to offer them the luxury of our calm, assertive energy.

It will be a most amazing present for them and certainly for ourselves too.

There is a story about the twentieth-century Sufi Samuel L. Lewis who had a vision of the doorway leading to heaven. What Lewis had seen was that over the doorway stood written:

 "Abandon tension all ye who enter here."

When I walk in nature with my dogs, this is the heaven I want to be in.

Dog walking classes in the Orba heaven on Sunday/Zondag 24.11.2013

I want to make several suggestions for this coming Zondag/Sunday.

Taking into account the knees of Astrid and the hips of my 15 year old Labrador (I want to bring her along) I am inviting you to join me for an easy, flat and not too long walk in Orba, starting from the cemetery.

There is another reason why I am suggesting this.

This coming Sunday my very good friend Anne Duguid from Montserrat will join us. She is prepared to drive 250 km to and fro from Montserrat in order to experience the magic of our pack.

Last but not least I am suggesting that we stay together after the walk and go for lunch at La Piscina in Orba, where they serve the best pizzas in Spain. No wonder because Maurizio the owner is Italian.

Is that OK with ye'all?

Please offer me the possibility to book a table by telling me if you are coming or not. 

If you know the cemetery in Orba, be there at 10.15. If you do not know it, come to the library in Jalón where I will wait from 9.45 till 10.00. I will pick up Anne from Montserrat at the Salida Benissa/Teulada/Calpe at 9.15 

Kindest regards from Brunothedoglistener.
Teaching humans how to behave around canines.
http://www.brunodogs.com
brunoswalkscaminatas.blogspot.com
690 19 29 76

Rules for being human

Cherie Carter-Scott's rules of life 

('Rules for Being Human')

(Carter Scott references this quotation:) "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." (Helen Keller)

Rule One - You will receive a body.
Whether you love it or hate it, it's yours for life, so accept it. What counts is what's inside.

Rule Two - You will be presented with lessons.
Life is a constant learning experience, which every day provides opportunities for you to learn more. These lessons are specific to you, and learning them 'is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and relevance of your own life'.

Rule Three - There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Your development towards wisdom is a process of experimentation, trial and error, so it's inevitable things will not always go to plan or turn out how you'd want. Compassion is the remedy for harsh judgement - of ourselves and others. Forgiveness is not only divine - it's also 'the act of erasing an emotional debt'. Behaving ethically, with integrity, and with humour - especially the ability to laugh at yourself and your own mishaps - are central to the perspective that 'mistakes' are simply lessons we must learn.

Rule Four - The lesson is repeated until learned.
Lessons repeat until learned. What manifests itself as problems and challenges, irritations and frustrations are more lessons - they will repeat until you see them as such and learn from them. Your own awareness and your ability to change are requisites of executing this rule. Also fundamental is the acceptance that you are not a victim of fate or circumstance - 'causality' must be acknowledged; that is to say: things happen to you because of how you are and what you do. To blame anyone or anything else for your misfortunes is an escape and a denial; you yourself are responsible for you, and what happens to you. Patience is required - change doesn't happen overnight, so give change time to happen.

Rule Five - Learning does not end.
While you are alive there are always lessons to be learned. Surrender to the 'rhythm of life', don't struggle against it. Commit to the process of constant learning and change - be humble enough to always acknowledge your own weaknesses, and be flexible enough to adapt from what you may be accustomed to, because rigidity will deny you the freedom of new possibilities.

Rule Six - "There" is no better than "here".
The other side of the hill may be greener than your own, but being there is not the key to endless happiness. Be grateful for and enjoy what you have, and where you are on your journey. Appreciate the abundance of what's good in your life, rather than measure and amass things that do not actually lead to happiness. Living in the present helps you attain peace.

Rule Seven - Others are only mirrors of you.
You love or hate something about another person according to what you love or hate about yourself. Be tolerant; accept others as they are, and strive for clarity of self-awareness; strive to truly understand and have an objective perception of your own self, your thoughts and feelings. Negative experiences are opportunities to heal the wounds that you carry. Support others, and by doing so you support yourself. Where you are unable to support others it is a sign that you are not adequately attending to your own needs.

Rule Eight - What you make of your life is up to you.
You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. Take responsibility for yourself. Learn to let go when you cannot change things. Don't get angry about things - bitter memories clutter your mind. Courage resides in all of us - use it when you need to do what's right for you. We all possess a strong natural power and adventurous spirit, which you should draw on to embrace what lies ahead.

Rule Nine - Your answers lie inside of you.
Trust your instincts and your innermost feelings, whether you hear them as a little voice or a flash of inspiration. Listen to feelings as well as sounds. Look, listen, and trust. Draw on your natural inspiration.

Rule Ten - You will forget all this at birth.
We are all born with all of these capabilities - our early experiences lead us into a physical world, away from our spiritual selves, so that we become doubtful, cynical and lacking belief and confidence. The ten Rules are not commandments, they are universal truths that apply to us all. When you lose your way, call upon them. Have faith in the strength of your spirit. Aspire to be wise as wisdom is the ultimate path of your life, and it knows no limits other than those you impose on yourself.