The Bigger Secret

By Scott Kalechstein

The Secret is out, way out. Those who have been entrenched in feelings of powerlessness are finding their mojo by applying its principles. Yay to the setting of intentions, the power of positive thinking, and the wondrous Law of Attraction! Yay to manifesting a perfect soul mate, the ideal income, and our wildest dreams! Rock on, minds of mankind!

And while I am glad it has become so popular, I do have a few further thoughts to add to the conversation. When it comes to the Law of Attraction, I'm a bit of an out-law. To me it's a little piece of the truth, and in the minds of egos wanting to play God, that can be a little dangerous. I believe that letting people in on the creative power of thought without also giving equal emphasis to the Law of Allowing is a bit like teaching people inhaling without letting them in on an intimate and inseparable part of the process – exhaling!

To put it simply, the Law of Attraction is about how to get what you want. The Law of Allowing is about appreciating what you get; in other words, letting go and letting God, or seeking ye first the Kingdom. When applied together, these Laws bring balance to the active and receptive male and female energies found within each of us.

It's no secret that getting what you want doesn't automatically lead to lasting fulfillment. If that were the case, the bathroom cabinets of the married, rich, and famous would not be filled with such an abundant supply of expensive anti-depression and anti-anxiety medication.

A Course In Miracles puts it bluntly: "The world I see holds nothing that I want."

Yet we all want what we want. But what's up with all this wanting? While wanting can be defined as desiring, it is also synonymous with lacking. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want" means that when we surrender our attachment to a specific outcome and trust in the benevolence of the universe, we shall not lack. And that is the Law of Allowing.

When we get rigidly attached to a desired outcome, however, we are coming from the assumption that we are not whole beings until we get what we want. And that's an illusion that life delights in coaxing us to let go of.

Thaddeus Golas, in The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment, says "There is a good attitude to take towards any goal: It's nice if it happens, nice if it doesn't." Does that mean we are to be detached from having passion? No, just detached from craving an outcome, from thinking there is some tear in the fabric of God's perfection that needs to be stitched before we can fully enjoy being alive.

I love watching dogs run after seagulls on the beach. They set their sights on a flock and then are focused, single-minded, and even quite passionate about running down a bird. At the same time, they are very fulfilled in the thrill of the chase, having a tremendous amount of fun just frolicking on the beach. Going home without having caught a bird doesn't for one moment diminish their love of life.

When we realize that just being alive is the gift that keeps on giving, we may pursue our own gulls just as passionately, but far less frantically. We value the process as much as the intended outcome. We embrace whatever we encounter along the trip with loving arms open wide enough to be grateful for it all.

When we have tasted the nectar of a fulfillment that is not dependent on the outside world granting us our desires, we realize that life is blessing us as much when we don't get what we want as when we do. In those times we get to practice being friends with reality, letting go of our adversarial position to what is. A heavy burden is lifted each time we release the arrogant assumption that we are in possession of the big picture perspective enough to really know what our highest good is supposed to look like. We get to more thoroughly chew on yet another spiritual slice of humble pie A Course In Miracles invites us to digest: "I don't perceive my own best interests."

There's nothing wrong with having goals and using the Law of Attraction to manifest them. Yet you can attain the world, only to have your achievements magnify and intensify your inner turmoil. An ego's basic condition of lack, that nagging sense of ‘not enough-ness,' cannot be overcome by worldy success. When Jesus said his Kingdom is not of this world, he was speaking for all of us.

Even my mother, a devout, practicing atheist, will exclaim after the first bite of some fabulous dessert, "Out of this world!" (It has been said that there are no atheists in foxholes, and I would venture to add that there also aren't any biting into Junior's New York cheesecake!)

The Bigger Secret is that there is a state of being available to us that is not of this world. Echoes of it visit us ever so briefly; the first few morsels of cheesecake, the first few mouthfuls of romantic love, and other fleeting moments of satisfaction. For some people who consistently choose to practice "Seek ye first the Kingdom", that state sets up shop and sticks around as part of the fabric. It becomes the foundation of a sense of self rooted in eternity.

That's what I want, to abide in a love that is not of this world. Perhaps that's what we all want, even when we are seeking to manifest things of this world.

Have you had enough of a sense of not enough? Do you want out of the state of wanting that always leaves us wanting more? Let's remember together: "I am as God created me, and I am free, whole and complete as I am. I am enough, I have enough, and I do enough. I wake up from the dream of lack. I am drenched in abundance at all times. Every sunrise is proof of my infinite wealth, every breath is a miracle, and all is supremely and eternally well."

When that state of enoughness takes root in you and permeates your being, you will most probably be moved to chase some gulls and have some fun.

Gangway… I'll see you on the beach!


"Those who bind themselves to a joy
Doth thy winged life destroy
But those who kiss the joy as it flies
Live in eternity's sunrise
-William Blake



Scott Kalechstein is an aspiring ambassador of The Bigger Secret. He is known and celebrated (and sometimes tolerated) for his playful and passionate propensity for alliteration. In addition, he is a traveling minister, a Life Coach, a modern day troubadour, and an inspirational speaker. He travels the United States, Canada, Africa, and Europe giving concerts, talks and workshops, as well as presenting at conferences. Please visit www.scottsongs.com ( Linked text) to find out more and to sample songs. You can also sign up there for his free muse-letters to receive articles like this one on a bi-monthly basis.

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SCOTT'S SCHEDULE


ROWE, MASSACHUSETTS

May 25-28- Every Memorial Day Weekend I offer my music to complement the love and wisdom of Joyce and Barry Vissell at a lovely Couples Retreat. Committed relationships are supported, renewed, and often healed. Contact Rowe at retreat@RoweCenter.org or call: (413) 339-4954 or visit www.rowecenter.org/.

NOVATO, CA

June 2- A Saturday night Scott house concert at The TreeHouse. Email Scott for directions and details at scott@scottsongs.com.

BERKELEY, CA

June 17- I'll be the guest minster and singer at the Unity Church of Berkeley. Visit www.unityberkeley.org or call (510) 528-8844 for more info.

VACAVILLE, CA

July 15- I'll be the guest minster and singer at the Unity Church of the Valley in Vacaviile. Visit www.unityvacaville.net or call (707) 447-0521 for more info.


There are many dates in the year that are still open and available. If you would like to discuss how easy it is to bring me to your neck of the woods and set me loose on your community, church, friends, etc., please call me at 415 721 2954 to talk about it. Or email me at scott@scottsongs.com if you prefer typing over chatting.

The Gift Of Song Portraits

By Scott Kalechstein

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace."
-St. Francis

We all have moments when our egos get out of the way and we experience the joy of being an instrument, when The Big Picture uses our hearts, hands, and talents to help others. Some call it being a channel. Whatever words we use, these are the pivotal and peak experiences of life. Since I was fifteen years old I have been aspiring to have more of those moments, in fact to have my life be all about such moments.

In my adolescence, which lasted well beyond my teenage years, I ingested more than your average share of psychedelic substances. The fact that I am here now, writing this article, with (most of) my brain cells intact, is somewhat of a miracle. I thank my angels for protecting me from my own foolishness during that time. Yet there were many moments while under the influence that were very helpful to my growth. Sometimes I experienced a taste of the gifts that I would be developing later in life. Like a divine carrot held in front of me, these adventures inspired me to move forward in the treasure hunt for Self.

Usually I took along A Course in Miracles to refer to during my psychedelic field trips. LSD literally made the Course come alive for me. (Have you ever seen a book breathe?) I remember picking it up during a particularly hairy hallucination and reading, "I am upset because I see something that is not there." Those words instantly dissolved the snakes that had invaded my space. Other Course phrases that were handy and practical to have around in a psychedelic pickle were "I could see peace instead of this," and "Forgive, and this will disappear."

On numerous excursions I would pose questions to the universe, and the answers would enter my mind in song. The music sounded like Broadway show tunes and the lyrics addressed my questions quite profoundly, poetically, playfully, and always in rhyme. One time I asked, "Why does guidance always come to me in song?" The answer went something like this: "God loves you, Scott, and knows you oh so dear, and speaks to you in the language you can hear. Others hear in silence or in art, but for you, music is the language of your heart!"

Gradually I learned that I didn't need drugs to connect with guidance, and that this gift of music was not meant for my ears alone.

One day in 1986 I was at the airport waiting for a flight when I decided to take out my guitar and sing to pass the time. I was joined spontaneously by two other passing guitarists, a woman in a wheelchair, and other assorted travelers with an ear or a voice to lend to the creation. We sang everything from The Beatles to the classic airport tune Leaving On A Jet Plane. At one point an airport employee approached me. I feared that he came over to tell me we would have to stop, but instead he inquired if I were available to entertain there on a daily basis!

At a certain moment I felt an inner prompting, almost a celestial nudge, to sing Amazing Grace. I mentally squirmed in resistance, not wanting to wax religious and possibly turn off some people. Yet sometimes the heart (thank God!) speaks louder than the mind, and I let go of my fears long enough to initiate a powerful rendition of the song, gloriously joined by most of the crowd that had increased in numbers and momentum. When we were done, a man with tears streaming down his face approached me. He told me that he had just come from his mother's funeral and that Amazing Grace had been played there, her favorite song. "Just now when I heard it sung," he said, "I felt her presence. I heard her telling me she was safe and in the light, and that she would always be with me." I also had tears well up as silently I thanked the universe for using me as an instrument to touch this man's heart. I remember inviting God to use me more often!

As I grew spiritually, music (which had always been a hobby and a dear friend) was becoming something I never knew it could be: a form of communion with Source, and a tool to support awakening and healing for others.I began to experiment with singing directly to the soul of a person, allowing music and lyrics to come through me in the moment. Often the words would address relevant issues that were not covered in our initial conversation, and that I had no way of knowing beforehand. At the time I was living in A Course in Miracles study community, and my house-mates were grateful to be guinea pigs. Was I channeling, improvising, or just exercising a heightened sense of spontaneity? I had no role models or teachers to help me grow into this gift until Michael Stillwater came to our community to facilitate a weekend workshop.

Michael, a beloved troubadour and musical shaman, shared his own wondrous gift of intuitively creating songs for each person in attendance. Watching him work was like seeing a preview of my future self. I asked him for a song to help bring my own gift out of the closet and into the world. He sang out a vocal blessing that gave me the permission, validation and support that I was needing to take my next step.

Six months after being musically ‘baptized' by Michael Stillwater I was finishing a concert in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. My concerts consisted then of a mixture of both touching and hysterically funny personal growth related songs. Everyone was getting up to make a run for the snacks and/or to purchase my recordings, located strategically right next to the food. I heard a commanding voice in my head, as clear as a bell, saying, "Sit people back down. You are ready to go public with song portraits." Before my mind had a chance to debate on whether this was truly guidance or a symptom of departed brain cells from my days of psychedelic overkill, I asked everybody to gather in a circle on the floor. I invited someone into the center to receive a song. She spoke a few words about what she wanted support for, and then lay down. People lovingly placed their hands on her, and out of me came a relevant message in song. Everyone was stunned, including me, by the beauty and power of what came through. Many other songs followed. When the clock read midnight I put down the guitar for the evening. I was aware that I had just turned a corner, and that my work and my life were changed forever.

Currently I am sharing this gift with individuals and groups of all kinds - at conferences, corporate meetings, churches, healing centers, in small group workshops called Song Portrait Circles, and in private sessions, both in person and on the phone. With individual sessions I ask a person to tell me about their goals and dreams, as well as their struggles and challenges. I offer empathic listening, coaching and soul support. Then I get quiet, turn on the CD recorder, and out comes the song. How does it happen? All I know is that words and music flood my mind, love and compassion fill my heart, and I am moved to sing. The power of the universe, expressing love, poetry and guidance through the medium of song, never fails to touch and amaze.

Music is a gift from the angels. All of us have had our moods transformed, our defenses softened and our hearts stirred by the power of music. Song Portraits carry the direct intention to heal and take that power to new and expanded potential. Sometimes when I am finished with a session both the person receiving and I have tears flowing down our cheeks. Many report that listening to their song is like having a cheer-leading squad on the sidelines of their life, and is particularly helpful in transforming the inner critic that is constantly singing a negative song to ourselves. Some play it every morning upon awakening, and/or every night before they sleep.

When I was a child, my parents tried to teach me to respect myself enough so that I would not be used. Having come full circle, it is now my greatest joy to be used fully and completely, as an instrument, in service and in love.


For more about Song Portraits, including how to get one, click on: ( Linked text)

SONG PORTRAITS by SCOTT KALECHSTEIN
As Unique As You Are

Intuitively composed in the moment and recorded on CD for a lifetime of enjoyment and reflection...


Scott Kalechstein has been offering Song Portaits professionally since 1989. Sessions are $150.00. Songs can be received over the phone or in person, in private sessions or in special small group experiences called Song Portrait Circles. Scott can be e-mailed at scott@scottsongs.com His phone number is 415 721 2954.

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