Dear Spiritualists, Discoverers of the Inner Soul, Changers, Journeymen and Journeywomen of Self, The Selfless, The Unbound, the Seeker of Truth, The Uncovered, Those that Stepped Into The Light, The Reborn, The Born Again, The Newly Blessed, The Opened Eyes, The Traditionalists, The Untraditionalists, The Conformists, The Unconformists, Everyone Inbetween and Readers,
Thank you for following your eyes upon this Contemplation today. Truely this is one of those topics that many debate and discuss for hours, days, weeks, months, and years, and yet somehow end up agreeing to disagree about the meaning leading up to, through, and at the end of Transformation. How is transformation done, is it spiritual, is it physical, is it all, is it specific, is it generalized, to what degree or extent is it complete or should it be incomplete and for how long? So many questions surrounding transformation and how people go through it, why they go through it, and what impact it has on their lives because of it. I have not done my due diligence to read and parse out all the websites that offer it and professional and non professional services and books that support and train or deliver it to anyone who desires it. I did find an article that shares some steps about it, which I would like to offer for Written Contemplation today.
These steps are:
- Evaluate your overall spiritual state
- Identify spiritual strengths and weaknesses (sometimes called growth opportunities)
- Identify spiritual defects or hinderences and thei impact
- Reflect on spiritual issues in your life
- Develop a spirtual growth plan
Now I will say that I took the creative liberty to alter or paraphrase some of this, and if we, or I were to boil or synthesize this down further we would see that it can be brought to even simpler steps;
- Recognize that change is needed
- Evaluate who you are at this moment
- Identify weaknesses
- Identify strengths
- Reflect on the impacts of the negative events and issues in your life
- Reflect on the changes you want to make and can accept to make
- Define how you want to take action
- Follow that plan

So I aspire to encourage all you readers to agree or disagree with me and comment on your views. If you have s shorter and more concise way to go about this as well, please comment. I understand as well that there are programs of all shapes and sizes and religious or non-religious backgrounds and agreements. However you find them or attend them, I believe they are useful and I wish you all luck and the best intentions to learn what you need to learn from them. I would enjoy comments or conversation about your experiences as always, this site is an encourager of writing and of contemplation, which I hope this topic is in the mainstream of what you came to this site for.
Did I challenge you today? I hope so. Did I encourage you today? I wish I could. Did I engage your intellect to think deeper? It is my nature to do so.
These questions and more continue to flow from my thoughts to this page, however I must stop typing at some point. Please write back, comment, and begin your contemplation in writing or with friends. Thank you for reading today.

- The Establishment

Dear Sky Divers, Base Jumpers, High Divers, Trampoline Jumpers, Thrill Seekers, Balloon rRders, Altitude Junkies, Readers and everyone who knows a thing or two about the difference between percieved control and the realities of the uncontrollable, I welcome you today to the Blogtemplation.
I write today to ask any and all of you to respond to your experience with that feeling of Free Falling and loss of control, to the moment you are Standing up again and have a sense of control or stability and groundedness as it is sometimes called. I applaud all those trainers and experts who take the uninitiated and unskilled on high adventure experiences and tell your "newbies" to just "let go" and enjoy the ride. The way you have such faith and experience in giving calm and trust to those who don't trust what they are about to do or have seen others take that jump or leap or been pushed out into the wild rushing winds all all those experiences where the heart races, the body sweats, the mind throws a red flag for one last ditch hope to stop the impending activity from taking place. Does life ever surprise you still and give you that rush of unexpectedness? Are you still surprised by feelings you didn't know you had? Does adrenaline pump any differently in your blood stream than others with less experience? I would love to hear your stories and words of advice or wisdom to the Free Fallers who are not yet standing on solid ground to trust that safety returns or that security is real, or that the people you are Free Falling with are any more understanding of themselves and why they are Free Falling in the first place than you are. I implore and ask for contemplation, expounding on this topic as you see it or as you interrpret it to be. I ask all of you to let your fingers type, your words find placement in the comments or the "Like" buttons, and some discussion evolve on the comparison and contrast of Free Falling and Standing. Are there poems to express the human spirit in this? Are there poets wanting to lend their word to the page to share this? Has artistry been painted or drawn? Alas dear readers, I seek your words, I seek your communuity, I seek your supportive collective to contemplate today on where the mind goes and the heart takes pace while the adreneline rushes and overwhelms the body's normal senses and excessed leves of being and existing. Write, Share, Contemplate today's Blogtemplation for my thoughts meanderings.

- The Establishment

Dear Readers, Television watchers, iPAD viewers, Tablet viewers, Internet screeners, Radio listeners, Seekers of Adventure, Activists of Activity, Couch Consumers of technology, and everyone in-between,
I write to you all today to share Entertainment Value I experienced this weekend and ask you to share what your values are on Entertainment for yourselves? I for one enjoy a good Fish Fry on a Friday night, and I have been looking for a place for some time now. I believe I have FINALLY found an Irish Pub Restaurant that does it nicely and decently priced. I hope you find your favorite venue, but my point is that food is one of those creative tastes that I am beginning to see has Entertainment Value for me. I took the Family to this Restaurant, there was a live band, lots of people enjoying the "atmosphere", and I felt like I could relax and enjoy the entire experience, food and all. Do you have a place like that? Somewhere you go to eat and just relax? I know some friends I know have a backyard set up just for this occiasion, and some people have homes with this in mind all the time. Entertainment Value also came in the form of getting out of the house to a local West Valley Event put on by The Boy Scouts of America called "Scout-O-Rama" and I must tell you, if you ever wanted to see home made Entertainment Value at it's most creative outdoor venue, this was it! I highlt suggest a good Scouting event once in a while. The last Entertainment Value event was in full swing on our couch watching the Oscars. Now, I am not advocating for extreme Hollywood extravagance or the indulgence of giving any more dues to the crazy life of the Hollywood film industry, but to see an awards show for movies I have seen through the year and watch how the awards show played out, while eating home cooked food, it was a nice piece of home grown Entertainment Value.
So I ask you, all my contemplating readers, what rates best as your Entertainement Values? Do award shows please or sicken you? Are Family friendly events enjoyable or too PC for you? Is the wide world of Restaurant dining exquisite or a quick exit for you? What defines your Entertainment Value?
I hope you find humor in your daily life, and love abounding in your relationships friendly or forming more romantically, and food that nurishes as well as pleasures your nature. I enjoyed a weekend of Entertainment in many forms and functions. I contemplate sometimes if I enjoy my enterainment in more specific ways or more out of variety, and the only answer I can come up with is that if it tells a story, and I can talk or write and share it with others, then it seems to be worth it all the same.

- The Establishment

Dear Readers, Contemplators, Agents of Change, Agents of Peace, Motivators, Followers, Believers, and The Faithful,
Do Not Loose Your Zeal, but set your thoughts to praiseworthy things and actions. It is a time of transformation, slow or fast, and sometimes easy, sometimes hard, sometimes painful and sometimes healing and loving.
I suggest to you to give yourself time to reintegrate yourself back into your daily world after big changes through your transformative times. Be kind to yourself, listen to enjoyable music, encourage your soul to fill your body with positive returns on your changes within. While my blogtemplations today may sound like something from Baz Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreeen" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI ) then I apologize, however check out the video, cause it's pretty great too at the same time!
I would enjoy hearing about each of your experiences in change this Lent '13 season, and it you are changing for other reasons, then please share that as well. It doesn't have to be Lent to change or see that change is needed in your life. I implore your sense of writing and expressing thoughts, and suggestions of action you have seen be beneficial. If you have a story of testimony to results you praiseworthy, please share so that others may think on these things. If your story is about something to avoid, then I am sure that is useful too.
Remember your unconditional love and giving. Remember to forgive and show grace on those around you. Be gentle with those who are truthful with you, guard your purity with those who are not. Speak from Courage, seek Serenity and Peace.
I look forward to hearing and reading from any of you and your experiences with change and action. Thank you for reading today and stopping by to check out the updates and changes here at the Blogtemplation and The Establishment of Contemplation.

-The Establi

Dear Contemplators, Life Alterers, Perspective Changers, Ash Admirers, Dust Enthusiasts, Human Humblers, Surrender Guides, Outlooking Optimists, Revolutionists, Unselfish Unifers, Suggestionists and Readers,....
    Thank you for stopping by to find another digestion of Blogtemplation. I humble correct myself from one week ago, THIS is the week of Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The 40 Days and 40 Nights of change begin for those who celebrate the lenten tradition. 
    I would like to give a Shout Out, a Praise Positive, an Echo Encouragement, a Hand Slap of Sincereity, and any other creative way to recognize those that are changing their lives daily. The act of a traditional time of year to change youself, be it for a New Year, or a faith following from upbringing, seems to be falling away to a quiet ground swell of those that decide it is time to change their lives no matter the time of year, or the "best time" in their lives to do it. You may have noticed that the graphic I am displaying today is tilted to look down. While I generally have a postive, and up looking point of view, I have changed the graphic direction with careful and purposeful thought. 
    It is with reverance and acknowledgement that the face of this Blogtemplation is bowing down to the transformation of change and the metaphors of becoming dust and ashes to the past, only to be created new again in the process of change.
    I have come to believe now that a New Year, and a Lenten season are only reminders to the reason and need for change, however I hope that through any time of year,  people are inspired to change for the better, for an end to suffering, for a hope of renewel, for a desire to fight for an end of pain in their lives. I don't think being "saved" or pushed into being "saved" or changed by others within formalized religious context is beneficial or successful. I DO think that personal intent, inner conviction, strength of personal spirit, and willingness, yes willingness; are all strong reasons for defining one's faith and spiritual direction in order to discover the changes needed in one's life. 
    I also hope that upon reading this, you the reader, the actionary, the rebel, the visionary, the out spoken, and friends alike, will comment and share some of your thoughts and contemplations. I encourage you all to do so, for the sake of growth. There may be conflict, but I will share that opening written debate, discussion, and contemplation of thought, all still continue to be the goal of this site. Please write from your unique viewpoint on change, the purpose of change, and the motivation for change. I also wonder if some of you might feel so inclided to fight this all together and choose to write for the viewpoint of stability or NOT to change, the purpose for status quo, the motivation for status quo as well. Let it all be written and share for change and staying the same.
    The next 40 Days and 40 Nights will be transformational for many I hope, the continuation of Days and Nights should be ever transformational for many as well.
    Who ever you are, where ever you may be, and what ever stage of life you are in, may your change be positive, graceful, merciful, gentle, and firm to support its continued benefit in your lives. Happy Season of Change to you all!

-The Establishment

Dear Mardi Gras Celebrators, Bead throwers, necklace wearers, costumed adventurers, Party goers. faith walkers, trenders, Louisiana seekers, New Orleans state of minders, and readers of this Blogtempaltion!
    It's that time of year when Catholic Tradition and New Orleans Spirit collide and share in the wonderful party celebraion known as MARDI GRAS!!
My brother lives in Louisiana and sent me a picture of his chilren's party wagon for this year. While the kids are not even old enough to know why they are sitting in a red wagon decorated with purple and green beads hanging from the side, I am happy to know my brother is taking care to celebrate with his family in a tradition that has a core following in the state he lives in these days. I am sure the state grows in population for  a few days this time of year and the tourist season supplies the community with an income boost it depends on. So to the economic security of a colorful town sharing it's culture with the masses, I say throw few beads and enjoy the celebration!
    I'll share as well that my faith beliefs are my own, and I am not claiming a strict Catholic viewpoint, or that anyone who reads this blog has to share even a Christian viewpoint. 
    In fact I do hope that people from many faith viewpoints read and will share their comments about everything. I do enjoy the variety of the human condition and the contemplation that follows through the mixing of culture and life choices. Please do not be offended or loose interest in this vested interest in contemplation across all people in all that writing and thought have to offer!
    I write tonight simply to offer a platform of contemplation about a tradition that consumes many people across the nation this time of year. If you are not consumed by it, then I am sure you are witnessing the consumption of people drawn to the party, I hope you are enjoying the sight and sounds of that event! Please write or comment about your observations and contemplations, I would love to hear about your sights or experiences!
    If you are a few days behind reading this because you were one of the celebratory engagers of the celebration, I would love to read your comments about the personal experience of FAT Tuesday and Mardi Gras with everyone you mixed with that night.
    Ahhhh the joys of all the variety of Holidays across cultures and faith.
I look forward to your "Likes" and your comments, please send your contemplations, thoughts and views when you can.
HAPPY MARDI GRAS and FAT TUESDAY EVERYONE!!!
Catch those beads and scream like crazy! WHOO HOOO!

- The Establishment