Welcome to the July Edition of 'Your Monthly Wake Up Call'. July 1 , 2007 From the desk of Aaron McNaught: Hello and welcome to your 'new look' Monthly Wake Up Call. Naked is the way to live... if you're up to it.... Opps, I've gotten ahead of myself. Let me back up. Happy Canada Day.! Because it's such an auspicious day, I end this newsletter with a special invitation just for you. Prepare to be SWACKED with my verbal Keisaku (Zen stick of compassion). With no further adieu, let's go! In this issue: Everyday Life As Practice (or: Getting and Staying Naked) Whether you like it or not, right this moment you are alive. As you sit and read these words, you bring with you countless patterns of conditioning, programming and habit. This means that your body/mind, because it has lived in a society, culture, family, and countless relationships, has been subjected to a variety of repetitive perspectives and experiences that have led you to form numerous patterns of thought, judgment, opinion and belief. Me too. But see, here's the thing: We can use our everyday Life as a practice to waking up beyond our countless patterns of conditioning, programming and habit. This means we can practice returning to what is real in our lives, BEYOND our particular patterns of thought, judgment, opinion and belief. Now, not everyone will be interested in this way of Life. Why? Well, I can guarantee that no one under the age of ten would be interested in this way of Life. That is because they are not mature enough to step outside of their own perspectives and see HOW they see. One clear sign of maturity is the capacity to see that the reason we have a crappy point of view is because our lenses are covered in crap. To put it less offensively, it means we can take off our glasses to see that they are affecting how we are seeing. More simply, it means we can hold our point of view (perspective) in front of us and look AT it rather than through it. It's not that children don't want to do this, it's that they couldn't even if they did want to. They have not developed the capacity to do so, because they have not been alive long enough to mature to the point where it's possible. Just as newborn babies can't yet walk, it's only a matter of time, natural unfolding and practice. While I won't say that immaturity (lack of developmental unfolding) is the ONLY reason someone wouldn't be interested in the way of Life I am describing here, it is certainly the biggest reason. Another big reason is that many people have not yet been exposed to the possibility of this way of Life. This newsletter is exposing you to that possibility right now, as you read these very words. Right now. Lack of maturity and lack of opportunity are the two biggest reasons that many people are uninterested in the way of Life I am describing here. So if you ARE interested in this way of Life, let me ask you this: Can you look around from where you sit and see everything without thought, judgment, opinion or belief? Can you see nakedly, without labeling, naming, or categorizing? Can you just drop everything you have ever learned and see nakedly, simply and clearly? Can you just BE naked? I invite you to get naked and stay that way. SEE nakedly, BE naked and STAY naked. It's a beautiful way of Life. This is Everyday Life As Practice (or: Getting and Staying Naked) SWACK! Aaron McNaught A.K.A. The Wake Up Guy