A few introductory words from one of our readers:

Sometimes our life path takes an unexpected twist or turn. It is our willingness to accept where we are, what we have at any given moment and transform it that determines whether we create a blessing or a curse for ourselves. Like an alchemist, Tom Brown has taken his circumstances of "iron" and transformed them into Gold.

I have been inspired by his example to examine what really matters in my own life. I struggle to find purpose, expression... waiting for something "out there" to liberate me from my own confines. No matter what the reality of our outer world looks or feels like, it is the limitless inner resources we can draw from to sustain and nourish us. Tom has not only done this for himself, but he has lovingly sent his ripples of insight, wisdom, and integrity out into the universe for others to draw upon. He has given me motivation to rise above my own limitations and reach within to "free" my own spirit.

It is my hope that Tom be granted his physical freedom again very soon. If you feel called to help, let us send our own ripples of love and support back and with God's blessing, they can become a wave that will make this happen. You may do this by writing a letter to the Board of Parole. Some helpful things to include are: your name, age and occupation, how you know Tom, how he has positively affected you, and why you think he should be released (Tom plans to continue writing and teaching).

These letters are important because they show that Tom has learned from his mistake, has used his incarceration time wisely to benefit others (in addition to writing this column, Tom has helped hundreds of inmates earn their GED diplomas as a teacher’s aide and has been a model prisoner) and that he will have a community supporting him once he is released. It is best to keep letters short and concise, but candid.

Please send them to: Arizona Board of Executive Clemency, 1645 West Jefferson, Suite 101, Phoenix, Arizona, 85007, Re: Charles Thomas Brown, ID# 140237, Parole.

Thank You...
An inspired PLW subscriber

Perspectives

SINCE EVERYTHING EXISTS in relation to our perspective of it, it is important for us to understand its affect in our lives. If it is too narrow, so is our vision of reality, but when we expand our consciousness, we are able to loosen our attachment to any particular point of view and embrace more perspectives simultaneously.

From one perspective there may be suffering; from another there is just a deeper understanding. We have the power to determine our view of what is happening, and much of our spiritual growth is simply the expansion and maturing of our perspective.

Often something perceived as a disaster may ultimately transform our entire life for the better. Things of a dramatically transforming nature may happen, yet unless we are sufficiently aware and alert, we may not recognize their transforming power.

We are used to thinking in terms of things just happening, by chance or coincidence. We rarely notice how each detail arises and how it is related to everything else. It seems as if our lives are fragmented pieces of this and that. However, when we realize that life is at least as orderly as a staged drama and that things don't happen by chance, accident, or mistake, we begin to tune in to the perfection and order of the universe. Things can "go wrong" according to our expectations or desires, but not in relation to the overall scheme of things.

The perspective of a "higher view" is not the view from the deepest ocean or the highest mountain, but rather from deep within each of us. From here, the ordinary becomes miraculous and miracles seem quite common and acceptable. Life in the fast lane is replaced by life in the VAST lane.

Prison Meditations

WE DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID of entering unfamiliar territory once we have learned how to meet events with the gentleness of our minds. Learning to transform obstacles into objects of meditation provides a much-needed bridge between the stillness of the concentrated mind and the movement of real life. As the practitioners of many martial arts often put it, we must learn to respond rather than react.

Rather than making a division between sacred and profane, the lesson of meditation is to bring awareness to bear on the (so called) disturbances of life. Rather than getting all worked up about how the noise in the prison dormitory is disturbing my meditation, as I have on many an occasion, I have learned to listen to the sounds rising and falling in the space of my mind.

Disturbing emotions do not have to be excluded; they can be doorways into an aliveness that is as vivid as a moment of spontaneous laughter, or irritation. By learning to be with these emotions in a new way, we can, in fact, energize our lives and enrich our personal relations.

As we learn this, boundaries begin to break down. The ego starts to reveal its innate permeability. I am no longer sure where I start and where you leave off. I discover that I cannot isolate myself from my world. I no longer need to make thoughts or emotions the enemy. I can make use of all aspects of myself to build my sacred space.

I no longer have to push away disappointment; I can use it to develop my tolerance. The very passions that once seemed so threatening to my meditative stability can become special opportunities for self-discovery.

I can feel the freedom that comes from accepting "what is" and as I sit here writing this in a prison dormitory, I don't feel half bad.

Lost and Found

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I have lost the article that I was so diligently working on. All that wasted time and energy! Oh, the unfairness of it all!"

Then I remembered, "Hey, what were you writing about, after all? What about all that stuff about maintaining our best state no matter what happens?"

This incident gave me an opportunity to examine the concept of wasted time, wasted effort, wasted energy. When I wrote those pages, I felt totally content. Did that contentment depend on "accomplishing something" or "having something to show for it"? Was the fact that it disappeared reason enough for my contentment to disappear as well? No, true contentment never fluctuates. We are the one who superimposes our own limited, habitual thoughts and beliefs.

If we act purely, without thought of personal gain, then should the fruit of our work disappear, there is no attachment, no outrage, no feeling of the injustice of it all. We simply step into the next moment and bring our highest state with us, unruffled. Each present moment is an opportunity for a new beginning.

We often subconsciously choose, out of conditioning and habit, to remain absorbed in our melodrama, our own descriptions and interpretations of things.

However, an essential part of our spiritual journey is developing the capacity to remain in an undisturbed state no matter what happens to us or around us. It has to do with breaking free from past concepts and assumptions, and seeing and experiencing the truth as it is in each present moment. To the extent that we do this, our lives will be a refreshing gift to the world and will be in harmony with our own true nature.

© 2001-07, Tom Brown

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles "Tom" Brown was a successful investor who did very well in real estate, oil, and the stock market. Friends began asking him to invest for them, too. And he did. Things went well, and more people heard about his abilities and wanted to be included in the investment strategies he had devised. All went well until there was a dramatic change in the market. All that went up turned down, and Tom wanted everyone to still have a profit - his big mistake - as he wanted to be well thought of. Tom was accused of defrauding investors. Although it was shown that he had never diverted any money for himself other than a modest commission, through unbelievable mishandling by an incompetent or dishonest attorney, what should have been a one-year sentence became a 17-year sentence. At the time of judgment, Tom was 62 years of age.

The purpose of Tom's blog is not to dwell on the injustice, but rather, to show the incredible unfoldment of consciousness in a man who has taken this sentence and created a workshop of Soul and Spirit out of it. His words are designed to help us see into life and do better with what we've been given. Tom's Beyond the Wall blog is located at www.Beyondthewall.blogs.com.  If you would like to write to Tom, he appreciates correspondence.  He does not have access to a computer but can be reached via Charles "Tom" Brown, # 140237, ASPC - Lewis, Barchey Blue - D2 - E5, P.O.Box 3200, Buckeye, AZ, 85326.