Gratitude and Grace, A Daily Practice

Power of One

2012-01-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

"While many of us don’t know yet how to realize our potential,
we can all learn. Most important, we can learn this while we live our
everyday lives. The key is to act in ways that shape what happens
to us day to day, instead of passively allowing events to shape us.
For example, by learning how to embrace all our experiences, we
become strengthened, expanded, and spiritualized by them, and our
extra-ordinariness then emerges."
from the Urban Mystic by Ken Mellor

This is the power of choice which is our greatest asset. We may not be able to control what happens to us but we can control how we respond to what happens to us.

Do your thoughts control you or do you control your thoughts?

Many say "I cant help it, the world gets me down, its overwhelming." I am not unfamiliar to being sensitive to the suffering I see and having moments of feeling immobilized by my own life challenges but my belief, that we still have choice in how we talk to ourselves in these moments, is what gets me moving again. I look for the smallest step I can take now and do that. Even if its as small as cleaning out a drawer or making a phone call. These are the increments of a life and start my momentum. Often its the getting started that is the hardest part.

Never underestimate the power of one, one consciousness - yours - to transform your day. That can ripple outward to those around you and if you choose to be a positive influence in the world there is no limit to how many you can inspire. So no excuses today, you hold the power. Go use it well.

Paradise

2012-01-23T23:13:00.000-08:00

"If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it."

I can hear the skeptic voice in all of us rise up in response to this statement instantly, this paradise? Look at the poverty, look at the wars; how could anyone call this life of struggle and suffering heaven? Yet if I invite you to look at a freshly bloomed rose or the innocent smile of a child your heart would open to the beauty you see before you. Similarly if you recall a struggle from your past that you have surmounted and from which you have grown you can also see the beauty in that experience.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Behind us all things assume pleasing forms, as clouds do far off. Not only things familiar and stale but even the tragic and terrible are comely as they take their place in the pictures of memory.”

Even in my darkest moments I have known that there is beauty and good and love to be found and if I can adopt the pace of nature as Emerson says; "her secret is patience," it will reveal itself in time. So take heart if you are in despair or off kilter today, all things come to pass and not to stay.

For the Glee version of the song "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTBG7FZvmc0&feature=related

2012-01-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you for being just as you are. Every part of you fills this world with such undiluted light the stars gotta keep their shades on to catch a glimpse of your brilliance. And I'm not just talking to the "Spiritual Folk" I mean everybody! You can't help but shine! You are the unbounded light of Love knowing itself as this very moment! ♥ Ash Ruiz

YES, its true. Each and every one of us is an expression of the same energy - how you use that energy is up to you. Knowing there is good in everyone I know that even when someone chooses to act in an unloving way it is not the greatest Truth of that person.

When someone acts unkindly it is because they feel angry, sad, not enough, envious....any way you can describe not remembering who they are as LOVE, as LIGHT, as the ONE Energy of the Universe, which is INFINITE and available always. When we feel bad we separate ourselves from that source and feel lacking in some way.

Practicing "remembering" by reading inspirational materials, meditating, praying, choosing to honor our selves in how we eat, work and play helps us feel connected to that source and allows us to channel that LOVE more freely, making our own lives better as well as those around us. In essence making the world a better place!

So remember to "remember" and know the power of one consciousness to change more than one persons experience today.

Tell me a story

2012-01-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

We all love stories, as told in movies or novels, in short stories or tall tales. I like to write stories about events in my past and I may get that from my father who loved to tell stories from his childhood. In many ways telling our own stories helps us appreciate the life that we have been given, the journey that has been ours alone.

There is a branch of psychology called narrative psychology which has explored the effects of telling our stories in the third person. This is done either as the story told back to you from the therapist's illuminated perspective or as told by yourself as if you were describing the events as seen on a movie screen. The effect is in the removal of ourselves from the emotion of traumatic events. From this vantage point we may be able to make sense of what happened and find the meaning as it fits into the flow of our lives. This is a powerful process that serves to integrate events and shift who we see ourselves as today. We become empowered and more confident.

We do love to tell our stories! And tell them and retell them. If you are sick of yours this could be the catalyst for change you have been waiting for. If you feel stuck in your life this could be a great tool for removing blocks. Its worth a try and could be fun. Sharing our new third person stories with friends who support us helps authenticate our revised interpretations and creates an opportunity to connect which always increases our life satisfaction. So tell me a story and not the one about Johnny McGorey!!
Shall I begin it? That's all is in it!

Mental health?

2012-01-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

The new year brought news of the suicide of someone I knew from my church but had not seen in some years as she had moved back to her native England. It was news that rattled many as suicides do. This woman was a Spiritual Counselor and part of our core of practitioners. She was a very spiritually aware individual having been a seeker and a student along side me and many of my friends on the path. Thoughts of her have been my companions since her passing and I recognize our kinship in my moments of disillusionment or doubt. I wonder but will never know the thoughts that led her to take this drastic measure.

As I get older I find I have fewer answers to life's mysteries. More and more I simply give up resisting what is and find that acceptance provides me with more energy to act. Otherwise I get bogged down. Things change for good and for bad without our input - we have only so much control.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said,
"The measure of mental health is the disposition to find good everywhere."

In order to find that good we have to look for it and sometimes even do some digging for it in some circumstances. I'm not sure I can find it in a suicide but I can certainly try to find it in my life. In fact, despite my many complaints, if I decide to shift my focus to find good, there is more there than I even imagined. That feels better than complaining. And again I have more energy to be creative and take action when I feel grateful for the good I find. It is my hope that we can find some good always in our lives and if we can't that we can call a trusted friend who can show it to us.
Namaste

End of Year

2011-12-28T23:55:00.000-08:00

Endings always mean new beginnings.
Every new moment affords us the opportunity to begin again. At the end of the year I tend to look back and evaluate as well as look forward and make resolutions to improve the quality of my life in the year to come. At the very least I set intentions or wish lists. For the last 7 years I have written a list of ten things that happened last year and ten things I would like to happen in the year to come. The events I record are not only in my life but the lives of those close to me. It is a record of changes.
The list for next year often includes my wishes for someone close to me too.

If you don't choose to mark the passage of the year, after all it is simply another flowing moment - just know that each moment has within it the possibility for newness. At any time we can choose differently than we have in the past. At any time we can choose to act from love and not from fear, to be kind instead of critical, gentle instead of harsh, patient or compassionate instead of judging. Each and every hastening moment has the potential for a new experience and it is unbound by the past unless we decide to let the past define it.

There is freedom in this moment, take it!

Love again

2011-11-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

Who or what represents love in your life? When you close your eyes and picture the face of those you love truly and completely without question, who is there?

For me, the faces of love are my parents, first and foremost. In the past I may have had anger or resentments toward them because I felt that I did not receive some form of love I believed I needed from them. Now that is all dissolved as I have come to take responsibility for my own experiences and stopped asking for perfection from them and myself. All that remains is love. My relationships with them are the longest standing relationship of my life and our differences have been resolved.

I am still working on the relationships I have with everyone else in my life and they are at varying stages of resolution. I would like to come to that same place with each and every one but unlike with my parents their influence on me has not been as deep or demanded such urgent attention. Even so I am making a conscious effort lately to resolve issues and develop better relations with those I love because I believe it will greatly add to my peace. Being at peace I am more free. Free to be myself and to feel more connected knowing my oneness in the universal energy of life.

I am practicing by giving the compassion, understanding and generosity I would like to receive. Some days its not easy but having set the intention I am more conscious of where I am not being love. I have a long way to go yet. I begin the journey in hope and enthusiasm.

Blessings to you this day and may your circle of love grow with each moment in time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhMCBnwS220&feature=related

Create

2011-11-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

You are creating your day in every moment. The one moment NOW is the place of choice and action. No matter where you are, be it in line at the grocery store or sitting in a car with a sibling, parent or friend or meeting a person for the first time, BE PRESENT to them. This may be the last moment you have to give your full attention to, it may be that person's last moment to be acknowledged.

Ask what can you give rather than what you can receive. This way you activate the creative power within you. You realize you have the power to create a loving or peaceful moment. You are the center of the world you create. You are responsible for the energy you bring to a room, to a meeting, to your life.

Choose wisely because YOU have the power to create heaven or hell!

Love, Love, Love

2011-11-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

I was speaking with my mother across thousands of mile the other day when as the phone call was finishing up she said "Enough talking about nothing!" We didn't have a lot of news for one another but we still wanted the call to last a while. My reply was, yes, on the surface it may seem like nothing but what we are really saying is "I love you." She agreed that that is the most important thing.

Three different stories have been related to me in the last week of people coming to the end of their lives and in each case the person was able to see life from a different perspective. Facing death all they saw in life was love. One individual let go of a life time of judgment and resentment, mending relations with his brother.

Wouldn't it be great if we could see this sooner, if we could learn from these people, and know only love. I have been looking at my own life to see who I have distanced myself from or if I am holding unresolved anger or resentment toward anyone. If I am withholding love in any area then I may be blocking the channel for more self acceptance and greater flow in other areas of my life. If I am truly to embody love and peace I must let go of anything that is not love from my heart.

Is there anyone in your life that you still blame for some hurt you still hold on to? In the present the only one suffering is the one holding the hurt. Can you see your part in inviting this person into your experience and what you gained from it? For me it's time to explore, through journaling where these blocks may lie and to take back the power I am giving away. I am not a victim, I always have the power to forgive and to find my part and be responsible for it. I am ready to see the truth of every situation and see only LOVE. Are you?

Blessed day

2011-10-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today its a wonderful day...
because I am alive,
because I feel no pain,
because I love,
because I am loved,
because I am creative,
because I made carrot soup,
because my cat sleeps beside me,
because I went to church and met lovely people,
because I meditated,
because I set an intention and carried it out,
because I prayed,
because a friend said something nice to me,
because I have a friend,
because I did something nice for someone,
because I know my power today,
because I am free.

What was the best part of your day today?
Give yourself credit for bringing about the bast part of your day.
And if it has not been a good day, listen to this, its almost guaranteed to lift your spirits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFoXcO8llNI&feature=fvsr

Blocks in your head!

2011-10-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

How conscious are you of your thought patterns or behaviour patterns?
Are you creating your experience each day or simply going through the motions, in habitual routines or a busy blur?

I love being busy, I love filling my time, even in the car I listen to books on CD, my mind is kept busy. Well if my mind was not kept busy where would it go to...I guess I don't want to find out! Yet if I don't find out then unconscious ideas and thoughts may be running my life.

Situations and people that irritate me come easily to my mind and I can have great arguments in my head which really doesn't serve me or anyone. If we are all One, they are just representing a part of me that I disown and deem less attractive. I realized I could choose to bless them and as my minister says "Praise them and raise them" and that way I might heal that part of myself.
That would be better than stewing on an annoyance or rushing off to another activity and pushing irritation to one side. How can I be clear and loving with an annoyance in my breast pocket? My energy is divided, how effective can I be with blocks to love like this, lurking in the dark corners.
Ok, so I need to spend time in the spiritual practice of blessing and releasing the sticking points in my self so the flow can be clear and open. Back we come to time, time to be still and consciously choose my minds activity. I love the idea but will I take the time, in my busy day? How committed am I to growing and stretching myself? I could do these blessing exercises as I take my morning walk, that doesn't seem too difficult. Or I could set my timer for ten minutes. Either way I know its a necessary practice for me.
Signing off to take a walk...bless you all!

Another Day in Paradise

2011-10-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

As I lay my head on my pillow these nights I say to the universe, thanks for another day in paradise!

Is that because I live on a white sand island and eat my fill from the trees everyday, chatting with the other bare footed inhabitants as we loll in the sunshine? NO!!
I live in Los Angeles and though we have nice beaches here it is a far cry from anyone's vision of paradise! I drive on the freeways and I walk on the concrete, I wonder about the source of my next paycheck yet I eat well everyday. I am not without the normal concerns of a life.

But that's just it. The normal concerns of a life. My last statement of the day is inspired by a character in a fabulous novel I am currently reading. The character is a doctor in a Mission Hospital in Ethopia. He is father to twins who witness his nightly declaration, "Another day in Paradise!" It mystifies them as they see the poverty, the human struggle, the daily parade of needy patients in the hospital. They think their father a little crazy. It is not until their world is turned upside down because of a coup in Addis Ababa in the 1960s, which leads to the arrest of the man they know as their father, that they finally realize the truth in his statement. A day when things are normal, when the people we love are safe and warm, when our world seems mundane yet all is well, that is another day in paradise. Not till its taken away do we fully appreciate the humdrum pace of a normal day.

So may I suggest to you that today you live in paradise. If you have family that loves you, if you have health enough to love them and to do the things that you need to do, if you have a warm dry place to lay your head tonight and a fridge with food enough to eat today, you live in paradise. If you are not being bombed, persecuted, threatened, then let me suggest that you live in paradise and that the humdrum day can be something for which to be grateful!

(The novel by the way is "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese)

Life is an Experiment

2011-10-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

"When you alter your relationship with yourself, your external world will alter accordingly."
-Katherine Woodward Thomas

I used to visualize this idea as two people carrying a plank (connected in a relationship dynamic.) One day, one person decides not to carry their side (to act or react differently.) Now the second person has to adjust their behavior accordingly. When we no longer act as we used to, naturally people have to act differently around us. If I decide to get healthier, to grow, to change the way I allow others to treat me, naturally it upsets the equilibrium. People around me don't necessarily like it even if they support me. Change can be difficult.

Then should I not change?
You know the answer to that! I cannot keep myself the same for the sake of other people. I then sacrifice my integrity and trust in myself, plus I may be paying a higher cost than I know for playing safe. I may be losing the chance of greater love or expanded experience of life. Plus I am not giving others the chance to grow with me, to change and explore the limitations they have set for themselves. So I endure some discomfort for a time and some friends may fall away but some others may be inspired. I have to allow the external things to do what they will do.
My concern is internal. I must follow my heart, the quiet voice beckoning me on into uncharted territories. Its a natural progression and if I want a different experience than I have had in the past I must forge on in expectation of some discomfort as I break the mold of past conditioning. I may also expect great reward and vistas never before witnessed or experienced by me in my life. The things we leave undone cause us more regret than the things we do, no matter the outcome.
Emerson said "All life is an experiment." Who knows how many days we have left, let us be brave and move beyond our comfort zone. What have you left undone?

More Love

2011-10-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Love makes the world go round so THEY say! And yes love motivates a great deal of what gets done in the world. Love plants trees, nurtures children, builds beautiful buildings, creates music, gives to the poor, looks out for the less fortunate, listens to the voice of reason and inner guidance.
Then there's fear, the other less attractive motivator. Its the driving force behind greed, oppression, crime, and all manner of selfish acts. The fear is, I can't have what I want any other way than by taking it by force.

Love increases our experience of peace while fear keeps us awake at night.

Imagine Love and Fear as fires within us that we can choose to feed or not. The one you feed is the one that dominates your experiences. There is so much fear in our society today that feeding the love fire may seem like going against the grain but doing so can change the quality of your relationships especially the most important one, your relationship with yourself.

Here's what "Psychology Today" says about the power of love.
"Love is probably the best antidepressant there is because one of the most common sources of depression is feeling unloved. Most depressed people don't love themselves and they do not feel loved by others. They also are very self-focused, making them less attractive to others and depriving them of opportunities to learn the skills of love."
For more from this article with helpful tips about loving yourself (feeding the love fire) go here; http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200212/the-power-love
"Love is as critical for your mind and body as oxygen. It's not negotiable. The more connected you are, the healthier you will be both physically and emotionally."

Persistence

2011-10-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

”Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." --Calvin Coolidge

Have you ever felt discouraged and wanted to give up? I know I have.

And it can happen so easily especially after a disappointment. I may have had my hopes up, and attached a lot of expectation to one event but it did not go according to my visualization. It can be so disheartening. I feel the universe is telling me to forget it or that my idea was no good.
And I have to weigh up my strategy or my endeavor and ask myself do I believe in it? Do I believe I have something of value to offer, am I passionate about what I do? If I can answer yes to these questions I do what the song says..."dont lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip and pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again!"

Persist, have faith, meantime do whatever lifts your spirits, till you are ready to try again.
Listen to the song here....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6MtmkqPbps

Being Present

2011-10-24T22:51:00.000-07:00

How busy I get, how full my days are some weeks, I don't take time to be present with those I love the most. Then the time has passed and opportunities are missed to deepen my connections and in time I start to feel disconnected and wonder how this happened.

What is life about if not to slow down and smell the roses, pet the cat, call my mother or sister, hug my husband and ask him about his day? Facebook just doesn't cut it when it comes to quality time! I take a half an hour to an hour to write my blogs each day, my cat sits patiently by my side. Tonight I think I'm going to keep this short in favor of a short walk with my beloved and a little fussing time with my kitty.

Who have you been neglecting today?
Maybe its time to go play.

Be Still

2011-10-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

"Be still and know that I am God"

AS THE CLIMAX of Psalm 46, this verse is not so much about meditation as it is about the mediation of God's kingdom in the heart of faith. The command to "be still" comes from the Hiphil stem of the verb (רפה) rapha (meaning to be weak, to let go, to release), which might better be translated as, "cause yourselves to let go" or "let yourselves become weak."

From http://www.hebrew4christians.com

But to what end are we to "be still," "let go," "surrender," and even to "die to ourselves"? In Hebrew grammar, the emphasis of coordinate imperatives ("be still!" and "know!") is on the second imperative. In other words, we surrender in order to know that God is in control. We "let go" in order to objectively know the power of God in our lives. We give up trusting in ourselves and our own designs in order to experience the glory of God's all-sufficiency. Our needs are met, let it be. Be still.

Take a moment and quietly enjoy this series of beautiful pictures as you are nurtured by the music.

This is not the version I was looking for ( a chant I am familiar with) but it is very soothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C01lLxEo3xM&feature=related

Grateful

2011-10-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Willing and grateful, I am today.

Grateful for all that I am and all that I have and the incredible abundance I experience everyday. Sights, sounds, experiences, sensations, thoughts, actions fill my day, and so many of them are joyous.So often I forget to acknowledge them. And even more so, to give my self a pat on the back for making the choices that allow me to have these experiences and sensations.
I took myself for a walk after all, I chose to paint with rainbow colors, I chose (well Spirit chose, I didn't resist) the man I married, I chose to have a cat, I chose to live in Montrose, I can take some credit for my good. Other things I am not in control of and they come as they may, good and bad.
In these situations I can be willing to look for the good, to decide to take what action I can and expect the best. Generally, things come to pass. The more I resist the longer they seem to persist. Like if I run toward an approaching storm, it passes quickly but running from it, it seems to follow me.

So, willing I am today, to face the storm and give thanks for the rainbow and the silver lining, which I know cant be too far away. I live in joyous expectation and gratitude meantime.

Surrender

2011-10-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

How do you respond to the word "surrender?"
Do you interpret this word to mean " to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; on demand or under duress" or simply "to give up, abandon, or relinquish."
I guess my first impression is the former, surrendering the Alamo, I surrender with the white flag, peaceably but only because there are guns pointing at me!
But if I think about surrendering doubt or fear, then its more of a relinquishing, giving it over, hoping someone will take it off my hands!!
Then there is outcomes, I like surrendering those too, it sure takes the worry out of the process. Like my life, I like to relinquish it to Spirit or God or Good, whatever term works. I've tried controlling things, or making plans and then having things take a completely different direction. It's not that I don't take responsibility for my actions, I do, I choose how I use my body, my time, what decisions to make and actions to take but after that I have to surrender. A big lesson in surrendering came when I met my husband. Unlike any relationship I had ever had before it flourished from the start and took on a life of its own. We both had done a lot of inner work and growth before we met but neither of us could take credit for how right it felt. In the same way as we could make a past relationship feel right if it did not.

I've learned I have an antenna that I have honed in sensitivity over the years - it tells me what feels right and what feels wrong and surrendering to this guidance has served me well while ignoring it has gotten me into real complicated and messy situations. This definitely comes into play in my surrendering and yielding to greater wisdom than my own. Today I invite this wisdom to guide me and I relinquish my doubts as I move forward in my life. I simply say YES to the good and Thank You to the God that provides for me as he does the birds of the air and the lilies of the fields, I know my preciousness in His eyes.

New Dawn

2011-10-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

I am grateful today to see the dawn, to witness the world come alive as it turns toward the sun once more. Without much thought we rely on this event to set the rhythm of our days. How much more do we take for granted our breath. Each time we breath out we trust that there will be another lungful of oxygenated air to fill that space. We dont know when will be the last but guaranteed we will wish for one more hour of light. As this song suggests, now, today, this very day, the moment in which you now live, this, is the best part of your life.

MAY I SUGGEST
Copyright © Susan Werner
Listen here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdPh4MpxwJo
There is a world
That's been addressed to you
Addressed to you, intended only for your eyes
A secret world, Like a treasure chest to you
Of private scenes and brilliant dreams that mesmerize
A lover's trusting smile, A tiny baby's hands
The million stars that fill the turning sky at night
Oh I suggest
Oh I suggest to you
Oh I suggest this is the best part of your life

There is a hope
That's been expressed in you
The hope of seven generations, maybe more
And this is the faith
That they invest in you
It's that you'll do one better than was done before
Inside you know
Inside you understand
Inside you know what's yours to finally set right
And I suggest
And I suggest to you
And I suggest this is the best part of your life

This is a song
Comes from the west to you
Comes from the west, comes from the slowly setting sun
With a request
With a request of you
To see how very short the endless days will run
And when they're gone
And when the dark descends
Oh we'd give anything for one more hour of light

And I suggest this is the best part of your life

The Force is with you!

2011-10-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

The miracles of Jesus were 'natural demonstrations of divine power,' a force available to any one with correct knowledge. In Religious Science we conceive of God as personal, present and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe. Man and the universe as a whole are spiritual rather than material in nature and that truth and good are real, whereas sin and error are illusory aspects of material existence; our small mind's mistaken thinking. Like Christian Scientists we believe that through prayer, knowing and understanding God, all things are possible for good.

Take away the idea of God and replace it with Universal Energy. Thought has energy, according to Quantum Physicists, beliefs, have the power to heal or to kill you. Are you ready to put this into action and demonstrate the miracles of "divine power" or "mind power?"

A tall order - part of my mind responds! Yes, a high aspiration maybe but having read Christian Science healings I know it is possible. Miracles do happen by invoking a Higher Power in which we have deep conviction. If so, why are we not all getting on board with these beliefs and testing it out for ourselves, seeing proof, demonstrating healing and seeing our lives expand in joy, love and success.
The collective consciousness seems to believe that the material world is most real. Ideas of God are accepted to occupy a limited space in the rhythm of people's lives. What can we trust, ancient texts and stories? Quantum Physics, a new and far fetched theory? Or can we trust an innate knowing or sense of something greater than ourselves? 83 percent of Americans claim to belong to a religious denomination but how many actively engage this higher power in their daily life? It can be called upon, felt, known and experienced in the blink of an eye. You might as well believe in something positive as something negative. Court the presence of optimism, call on the guidance of a Higher Power, be still and know. Release doubt and worry and striving. At least experiment with patience and trusting and see what ensues. Do your own exploration. You have nothing to loose but your stress!!!

Let these words be true...

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? From the Sermon on the Mount, Mathew's Gospel

Scarlet for Me, Scarlet for you

2011-10-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

"Something has a hold of my heart," were the words that came to me last night as I doodled with this painting. I googled it and found the words from this Gene Pitney song (you can hear it at the link below) I was very excited with the connection as the words were so fitting with the emerging theme of the image, changing the greys, changing the blues...When something has a hold of your heart or attention, it can change your vision of your entire world. The song can refer to falling in love and how our perceptions alter and everything looks more alive, vibrant and intense. It can also refer to passion for anything. When we are caught in the throws of love, passion or enthusiasm for anything our world changes color.

If you were to let something get a hold of your heart, what would it be?
Can you give it greater reign? Can you give yourself to it so thoroughly, you let it change you?

Life can be more vibrant when we give our hearts permission to lead us. Loosen the "shoulds" for a while and see what ensues. I recall a lady being asked why she thought her grandmother lived so healthily and well to the grand age of 113? She said, often her grandmother would choose what she wanted to do verses what she felt needed to be done! Sounds good to me and I can see how we might be less stressed if we followed this advice. I'm going to give it a try!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMQc8HthUFE&feature=related

Something's gotten hold of my heart
Keeping my soul and my senses apart
Something's invaded my night
Painting my sleep with a colour so bright
Changing the grey, changing the blue
Scarlet for me, scarlet for you

Reflections of the Divine

2011-10-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

We are each reflections of the Divine, a power or force that is universal and transcends human capacities. Is this how you see yourself?
Made in the image and likeness, sons and daughters of God, creators, imaginers, inventors, writers, artists, mothers, fathers, carers, nurturers, lovers, stand up comedians, singers, (in the shower or on stage, it's all good,) gardeners, judges, maybe even politicians, (maybe?) whatever way you choose to express yourself, we are all reflections of the Divine.

I just love this idea, that we each in our unique way are expressing a part of the Divine, we are drawing out of thin air something new, something never seen before and if it has, (there is nothing new under the sun, they say) its our version. No one else can do it just like you. Bad, good or indifferent, no one can do it just like YOU!

So see yourself as the Divine sees you, unique, perfect for you, as you were born, with creative abilities, the limits of which you have not yet tested. It serves no one to play small. Think big! Then remember, life in this body has an expiry date and go test those limits!
What are you made of? The Divine, limited only by your imagination. What have you always secretly wanted to try? Dont wait, begin it today, just try, just take the first step, go beyond your comfort zone and live now. Take a deep breath and jump in with both feet and as my friends sister says, when its time to go, you can give a great wave and shout "thanks everybody, its been great!"

ENJOY!

So you think you can't change?

2011-10-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

Bruce Lipton says a negative thought can kill you, and positive healthy thoughts can heal.
The mind influences biology, the subconscious mind is equivalent to a tape player, the conscious mind is creative.
The subconscious has programs in it that have strongly influences our biology, it carries out all the functions of our body such as heartbeat and all those functions we don't have to think about. 95% of our day is run by the subconscious and we don't even see that those programs are not supporting our conscious desires. We tend to take a victim mentality when things don't work, blaming the outside world.
The subconscious being a tape player you cant negotiate with it. You can talk till you are blue in the face but that tape player keeps playing back the same messages. Not till we hit the record button can we change that recording. Tapping or as its often referred to as EFT, emotional freedom technique is one way to record new data.

I just love what he says about healing yourself and believing that a doctor is a necessary step. We are more powerful than we know and are capable of incredible change if we can change our beliefs. Its how the placebo effect works and we can multiply this, if we work with scientific principles in Quantum Physics. Genes do not have to control your experience.

In his words, "Quantum physics and epigenetics provide amazing insight into the mystery of the mind-body-spirit connection. While Newtonian physics and genetic theory dismiss the power of our minds, the new science recognizes that consciousness endows us with powerful creative abilities to shape our lives and the world in which we live. Our thoughts, attitudes and beliefs control behavior, regulate gene expression and provide for our life experiences."

listen to Bruce H Lipton, PhD an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit.
http://www.2011tappingworldsummit.com/VideoSeries/?page_id=60

Who loves ya baby?

2011-10-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

When you first arrived on the planet did you deserved to be loved? You were cute, you were cuddly, fresh smelling, vulnerable and wide eyed, so I 'd say yes, you were deserving, you were innocent, being loved was as natural as breathing.

Where or why did all that change? On my bad days I can be so mean to me. I say harsh things, I make unkind judgments, I am not a good friend. Thankfully I have good friends who can mirror to me my strengths and love me despite my weaknesses. I dont have to put up a facade with those loving friends, I can expose my fears and doubts and be nurtured. Because of them and because I have some experience of unconditional love in my life I can in my darkest moments see some sliver of light. I am grateful. As if I was latching on to the trail of a distant star I focus on that glimmer until I can come out into the light of truth. I am still that innocent child and no matter what state my life is in I am still deserving of the same love.

This goes for you too, so be gentle, encouraging and compassionate to yourself. Life supports you in its infinite possibilities, life supports you in the myriad of inspirational ideas that spring to mind, your job is to follow through in trust. Take the action that feels most uplifting to you and as my mother would say "one step and then another and soon the longest journey is done." Don't loose heart, she also said "Rome wasn't built in a day" so be patient. My co-workers mantra lately applies "It all comes right in the end!"

So "Who loves ya Baby?" Me and God and Kojak!!!!!

No Atheists in Foxholes

2011-10-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

The statement "There are no atheists in foxholes" is an aphorism used to argue that in times of extreme stress or fear, such as when participating in warfare, all people will believe in or hope for a higher power.
So says Wikipedia.

For me, already far from an atheist, the challenge is to turn to that Source in times of stress and not to the mainstream thinking or material evidence. Its easy to be faithful, to meditate, to pray, to give thanks when times are good, its when they appear to have gone awry that I am amazed how fear shakes my foundations. At least initially my reaction can be despair, depression, helplessness. Its not unusual and not permanent, in the same way as all things that come to pass.
I realize in stressful times it is the opportunity to double my practices, to look at my faith and reacquaint myself with my beliefs. It is an opportunity to put into practice all the tools I have honed in good times and to remind myself I have a ready tool kit. Once the initial shock at the new circumstance wains enough, I can, from a place of calm and not panic, see more clearly the way to proceed. I am never helpless. Help is available to me everywhere I turn, my loving friends, my church, my journaling, my inner wisdom, the still small voice which I court in in silence. I simply ask for guidance and wait expectantly for the way to be revealed as I act on the inspiration that comes to me. This I am grateful for even as I am patient and trusting in the process. Impatience is distrust, so I allow the Truth to unfold in the right timing.

As John Milton poetically said "God does not need either man's work, or his own gifts: ..... They also serve, who only stand and wait."

God, or as I see it "Love, Health, Prosperity" reveal themselves in time as we attend to what is ours to do. What is in front of you right now? Dishes in the sink, a pile of paperwork, phone calls to make, then attend to them and let God attend to the big picture. Trust in the Greater yet to be and observe its revelation in time!

Love one another

2011-10-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy. - Sai Baba

Its so true that love is infectious. I watched a 5 year old hug and kiss an old lady in a wheelchair and I could feel that unconditional loving of a child who does not judge whether a person is deserving. I see it in my cat who, even when I force her to take her antibiotics, which she hates with a passion and struggles to avoid, comes to me minutes later wanting to be on my lap. Dog lovers know what I'm talking about.

Happiness is infectious also. Someone displaying their happiness in the work place can affect co-workers to the extent that a work project can enjoy increased productivity and speedier progress. Communities, families, social groups are similarly positively affected by a member's happiness, especially one serving in a leadership role.

Loneliness is also infectious. Strange as it may seem, someone living alongside a lonely person tends to share some measure of that same feeling. Human beings even in this society where privacy is prized, need to feel connected to maximize happiness. These facts are generally accepted to the extent that work is being done in the military to increase empathy between soldiers and also between astronauts spending time in space.

Throughout human history groups have always been stronger and more effective than an individual working alone. Do you feel you are working all alone sometimes? Maybe today you could give some thought to how you can enlist support for yourself or for another. Henry Ford had a mastermind group that met weekly to support each others endeavors by unifying their thought. Christ says "Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there I am." To be gathered in his name is to see beyond the separate self and realize we are interdependent and interconnected. Realizing this we can increase empathy and open the way to unconditional love. And that's a two way stream from which we all may benefit. Worth exploring, do you think?
Namaste!

Make me a channel

2011-10-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today I would like to share a hymn I have always particularly loved as it represents a goal worthy of our aspiration. If you want to hear it sung by Sinead O'Connor click here. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdgSPu4vO94&feature=related

The Prayer of St. Francis
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in you.

Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there's sadness, ever joy.

Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.

LOVE

2011-10-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

"Love in your mind produces love in your life, this is the meaning of heaven.

What we are trying to control is much better off without us and what we are trying to fix cant be fixed by us anyway!" - Maryanne Williamson

The conclusion is simply to love. Love where you are - at very least be there in willingness to see the purpose and beauty in your situation. Love yourself and the others involved in your circumstances as you are, unconditionally! A tall order you may exclaim in horror and yes it is, but its not impossible! How about beginning with willingness and setting a time period to practice? Do you think you could practice unconditional love for a half hour or half a day? Its an amazing practice, to let go of our ideas of how a person or a situation should look and let it be OK. It can actually be a relief, to not be in resistance, to not have to try and impose rules or righteousness. Imagine!

Every encounter is a holy encounter, allow us to see that today and loosen the attachment of ego, to worldly and mundane ideas. Let us see as Spirit sees and let us remember how much we have to be grateful for, rather than focus on what is missing. Let us not withhold love and if we tend toward harsh judgment or criticism let us remember to ask for a shift in consciousness, for that miracle of seeing the truth of our oneness with others, and let us observe the Golden Rule. Do onto others what you would have them do onto you. Be the love you wish to experience today. Wear a symbol of your intention so you might be reminded throughout the day, a special ring, a badge or broach, a watch, a piece of string around your wrist, all good ways to remind ourselves as the day progresses and we are distracted. Allow it be a great day!

Power

2011-10-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God. - Albert Einstein

When you think of power what comes to mind? Presidents, world leaders, military forces, natural forces? How about authority, rules, accepted beliefs? Who has power over you? I like to think I have power over my choices and beliefs, and I do to a degree. Yet there are ideas already set in consciousness that pervade society and are accepted as truth by the majority to the extent they dictate their decisions and actions. We are all subject to these.

Here's one harmless example - jackets should be worn with buttons in front. If I decided to wear my jacket backwards I would be ridiculed or at least pointed at in public, definitely thought of as odd at work and loose some credibility I would imagine.
This is just an example of going against the flow. Nicolaus Copernicus came up with the new idea that the earth was not the center of the universe but the sun, to much controversy. In 1616 Galileo came to his defense yet the Catholic Church authorities banned Copernicus' ideas. Now there's power!
Or is it? Authorities may tell us how to think but just like Galileo who kept silent following his trial, still held to his beliefs, we too have the freedom in our own minds to hold to our own truth. Those in authority, those with the big bucks, those with seeming power can not hold back the tide of new thought, of innovation and change. Ideas that have truth in them will win out in the end. Truth has power, love has power, imagination has power. You have power in how you choose to think and what you choose as your truth, a reasoning power of which Einstein speaks. This is God in you, closer than hands and feet. Be open to it today and align with the Power in you. Listen to the words of Steve Jobs and be inspired. God speed Mr. Jobs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Getting to "I love me"

2011-10-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

At what point in your life did you get to really appreciating who you are, to accepting yourself in all your imperfect delightfulness and unique abilities and gifts? Maybe you are still working at it or maybe you had an innate knowing from the beginning that you are precious and loved even if the world tried to tell you otherwise. For myself its been a long journey and it may be part of the maturing process but I would not be twenty again! Back then I thought I was just the odd woman out in life, I might as well have been an alien. My clothes were never cool enough and they just symbolized the misfit I felt inside. Shy and introverted, life was a painful experience. Wherever I went, there I was, never acceptable to myself, gauche and inept in the light of my judgment. Of course this was the energy I brought with me and sometimes got reflected back to me as a self fulfilling prophesy.
Thankfully that excruciating existence has long since been traded in for a gentler and much more loving experience. What changed it all you might ask and I have to say it came slow and with much conscious work on my part. I hated the restrictions of my fears and charged headlong into finding my way out. First of all I emigrated from all that was familiar, jumping into the deep end of discomfort and almost drowned. Culture shock and learning to drive in LA at the age of 30 was almost more than I could handle after being a bicyclist and train commuter for a decade. I used to blush dreadfully when speaking in groups so I took acting classes. I did improv as a way to be more spontaneous. It was a crash course in finding out who I was and truthfully it was not all that loving.
Yes I tested my metal and found I was stronger than I ever imagined but it was not till I found my spiritual home that I could be more gentle with myself and allow myself to be loved unconditionally. Now, I love me. Imperfect as I am, I am proud of who I am and I can be more gentle with my ineptness and my unique expression in the world. I am not an alien - I am just unique! And I am the same as everyone else in their uniqueness. Do you know that about yourself? Can you say "I love me?" If not, can you at least be gentle with yourself today and allow in the possibility you are lovable and precious exactly as you are. Speak lovingly to yourself today, to the hurt and lonely child within, he or she looks to you for protection and support. Be her best friend today and make it a joyous day!

Always look on the Bright Side of Life!

2011-10-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. - World Health Organization

Positive mental health is a presence; the presence of positive emotion, the presence of engagement, the presence of meaning, the presence of good relationships and the presence of accomplishment according to Martin Seligman in his book "Flourish." He goes on to explore physical health as it is affected by our mental state and how when we are optimistic and feel we have some measure of power/ input in our healing we are more likely to recover from illness.

If we have had experiences in our lives where we had no control over our circumstances we may have "learned helplessness." Cant you feel the weakness in that state of feeling as if there is no point, that we have no power. It goes hand in hand with pessimism and pessimists generally underachieve in their jobs, in sports, in the classroom and they are more prone to depression.

So there's a lot to be said for looking on the bright side of life, to knowing what you say and do matter, that you have the power to change things. I keep coming back to meditation and that step back we can take as we observe our thoughts and be present to ourselves. Thoughts dictate or lead to our emotions so if we can detach from the thought, knowing we are not victims of them, we can prevent the spiral into fear, gloom or helplessness. Knowing we have the power to do this gives us mastery of our attitude and can lead to more positive emotion, to engagement and to meaning, those requirements to flourishing and health.
So no matter what circumstance we face in life there is a course of action we can take in becoming present and acknowledging our own power as Spiritual beings. As Seligman concludes "When people flourish, health, productivity, and peace follow."
I can say yes to that! Can you?

To thine own Self be True

2011-10-04T03:49:00.000-07:00

"The river that flows in you also flows in me."-Kabir

We are not separate though with our eyes we look out from one perspective imagining we observe another. Our perceptions can be wrong when we imagine a life, a motivation or the happiness of another. No one goes without challenges in life and if things look great today for them, I cannot know what they have already weathered in life or what might be in their future.
Years ago, an ex-boyfriend of mine who's life I envied, he was now married with three lovely children while I remained single, said to me, "There's nothing to envy." I couldn't see what he meant. I wanted his life.
Yet I traveled round the world, climbed mountains and saw sights that today still bring me no end of pleasure in their recollection. I would not trade any of my experiences.

We each make our decisions according to our hearts. With each commitment to a path we cut away other possibilities in order to have the experiences we have chosen. This is part of the creative process of living. Not choosing we cannot live. Choosing we must let go of what we did not choose.
So I make a choice today so I may live my life according to my unique perspective and know that further along there will be other choices and opportunities. My life will look different to my friend's life but I don't know what he has had to cut away in order to have his experiences. No path is better than another, especially if we allow ourselves be guided by our own inner compass. So be at peace today with your life and gather the wisdom of your unique experiences. You have chosen and you represent one of the many variations in color and flavor that life offers. Without you, life would be lacking and we would all feel the loss.

To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man. - William Shakespeare

Change is the Only Constant

2011-10-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

"There are 6 billion belief systems in the world" - Andrew Newberg

Its so interesting to me the way we make sense of the world, each of us doing our best to be at peace with our version of how things are and work. Newberg also says there are huge gaps between the world out there and our inner worldview, so the brain stays busy revisiting its cognitive maps selecting some perceptions, ignoring others and filling in the blanks with conjecture. Busy brains!

No wonder in these times of media bombardment more and more people are turning to meditation. I just attended the Scripps Institute Nursing Conference in San Diego and witnessed the latest ideas in healing. I was part of the Chakra Pavilion as an artist and Practitioner with Centers for Spiritual Living. I spent three days in a room full of energy healers and it was a delight to see and hear the nurses talk about the work they are incorporating into their medical practices.

Dr. Mimi Guarneri, heart surgeon and head of the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine and Healing Hearts Program believes in treating the whole patient - mind, body and soul. She works with cardiac patients using treatments such as biofeedback, acupuncture, guided imagery and hypnotherapy, healing touch treatments, kundalini yoga, cooking classes, stress reduction and meditation!

Beliefs are changing as part of the expanding consciousness of the universe. Are you open to it?
As we meditate, we take a step back from the routine thoughts that may have us stuck in a groove. Try it today and be willing to allow new in. Life can get better, experiences can be expanded, healing can come in unusual and unexpected ways. Just be willing today and see what transpires as you loosen your hold on old beliefs.

A New Beginning

2011-10-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Each day is an opportunity for a new beginning. I think that's why I love early morning so much. Its like untrodden snow, no one has put there mark on it yet and I have a feeling of optimism and expectation as I begin the day, (especially if I have had a good nights sleep!)
Its so interesting to me to observe my highs and lows - day to day - like night and day it can all change with a conversation, a piece of news a realization or a thought. Those thoughts are most powerful! My thoughts about what I perceive or hear have the ability to change my mood and my feelings tend to follow them down to the abyss or to the peak like the children to the pied piper! It all starts with a thought.

This is the reason I meditate. There was an elderly lady I used to receive prayer from when I first came to church at Centers for Spiritual Living. She used to say to me that the mind was like an untrained puppy, you had to keep calling it back and directing it. I remember back then this used to irritate me and when I wanted prayer I would seek out someone else but of course I got her, with her profoundly simple message which I most needed to hear!
So today if I feel low or depressed I ask myself where are my thoughts, what am I telling myself? Once I identify where my mind has gone I call it back.
What do I know is True? What do I believe about myself and the world? What counsel would I give another? How can I love myself in the midst of all that is going on?

I know that I am deserving of love, that I am loved, that I can love, I know that nothing can make me less precious in Spirit. I know that I am part of all life, one with the very source of all potential outcomes and variations in the universe. As I go through this process I begin to feel a shift - slowly I begin to grasp my connection to the Divine, and now releasing the small fearful thoughts I allow in something new, something positive, powerful with the potential to create something more desirable. I choose rather than become a victim. So I say thank you to that lovely lady today, who is no longer with us on this plane but so much with me in Spirit, and begin a new day, making it a good day as I go no matter what comes my way.

Resistance is Futile

2011-09-29T22:08:00.000-07:00

What have you been resisting lately? There is a certain energy to resistance, we have to use our will to push something away or to hold ourselves back. I find that effort exhausting personally. But I will resist all manner of things that I absolutely know are good for me, like hiking in the hills which is a boon on any given day I choose to do it. I resist cleaning my office and I wonder why when I finally give in and delight in the order I have created. I often resist invitations to events that don't feels like they might be comfortable for me and even when I say Ok I'll go, with a "I suppose this could be a good thing" attitude, I can feel my feet dragging and my enthusiasm lagging. Can anyone relate?
Then I go and I have the best time possible. I've heard similar stories from friends, "I didn't want to go to the party and I ended up meeting my soul mate!" I wonder why we don't approach the thing with less resistance and more expectation of good, especially as we give in, in the end. It would make the entire process more pleasurable.
Maybe there was a bad experience once and we let it color our vision of the future event. Slowly I'm learning that precedent has no power over the present, that its possible that new experiences can have no relation to the past. The more I learn to give up resistance, the sooner I can allow more good into my life!
A little trust, a little optimism, a little visioning of a positive outcome, more consciousness of my own power to create and releasing of a need to control, can add up to being in the flow. In the flow who knows what might come? Can I handle it? I say yes, yes, I am willing to accept more good. At least I'm going to try to let go of that energy of resistance, and say yes to life. I trust, I imagine good - I'll keep you posted as to how its working for me.

Challenge Yourself

2011-09-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

Never compare someone else's outsides against your insides, a very wise friend once said to me. Meaning, appearances can be deceiving and we can never know the whole picture of whats going on for another. It's much wiser to compare yourself today with who you were in the past and see your progress.

I know for myself I can see so much growth, I used to be so shy and uncomfortable in my skin. I know a big part of that change came from firstly making the choice to move to a new country, very much out of my comfort zone and secondly through continual study of Science of Mind. I was both pushed by pain and pulled by inspiration in my growth. I am much happier today than any time previously in my life.

At some point I set the intention to expand and grow, from here on, through joy and love, less of the pain thank you very much! And glad to say that has been the case in large part. I think too that I also need to challenge myself and continue to move out of my comfort zone if I am to broaden my experiences. If I keep doing the same thing I keep getting the same results, if I want something new I have to take new action. I also have to ask myself what am I willing to give up in order to have this new expanded experience because its inevitable that some old beliefs and behaviors wont survive.

When I became a Spiritual Counselor with my church I let go of the fear of commitment. I was afraid if I took on this role that much would be asked, even demanded, of me, something that would impinge on my freedom. It dawned on me I could let go of this idea when I was aware how much I loved doing everything involved in being a Practitioner AND that I could say no!

I now invite the next phase of my expansion and declare my willingness to grow while releasing any ideas that do not serve me in this endeavor. Will you join me? Can you be willing to be willing? Even this slight movement can start the change, loosening the grip of the old and creating an opening for new. I give thanks for all that may transpire in our willingness to know more of who we are. And so it is!

When am I not myself

2011-09-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

I was not myself last night! That's a phrase I have often heard people use and I use it now as I think about my mood last night. I was very tired, not having gotten a good nights sleep the night before. Preparing for an art show and trip out of town combined, to be followed quickly by a wedding, I was feeling overwhelmed. I was grumpy, finding fault, generally out of sorts and stressed. Not my usual self, definitely not my highest self.

Yet I wasn't being anyone else even if I was doing a good imitation of Cruella DeVil, inside my head! I certainly didn't enjoy the experience and I'm certain my husband didnt either! I wanted to get out of my own skin and walk away from that person I was. I was conscious of it all too. In the moment I even thought I can let go of this mood but another part of me did not want to. It was all a mild insanity, a personality split, most definitely a separation from good.

You'll be glad to hear in the morning it was as a bad dream, clear headed and mild, I begin my day glad to have the old me back again. Thank goodness things come to pass! I'm grateful for my husbands love and patience and his ability to see the whole picture and not react to me as I was then. I hope to remember this when I encounter others having a bad day. People who are nasty or impatient that I meet in the course of my day today may also be undergoing a temporary aberration. I hope I can remember to bless them and smile, send them love and know that inside there is another more loving and centered being whose voice is temporarily silenced. In fact my actions may even coax it out. Either way I trust in the balance of all things and that my experience has allowed me find more compassion for others who are not themselves today.

Florish

2011-09-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Do you have someone you could call at 4 am if you really needed to? If your answer is yes then you are more likely to be flourishing in life. "Other people are the best antidote to the downs of life and the single most reliable up," according to Martin Seligman from his new book Flourish.

In the first two chapters he gives two exercises which I found worth trying and he insists are guaranteed to increase your feeling of well being. The first is DOING A KINDNESS. This he says has been found by scientists to produce the single most reliable monetary increase in well-being of any exercise tested!
The second is GRATITUDE and he sets a very specific exercise.

Close your eyes and bring to mind someone who contributed greatly to your life, someone living with whom you could easily meet face to face. When you have identified this person, write them a letter, it should be about 300 words; be specific as to what this person did for you and how it affected your life and how it still comes to mind. Now set up a meeting with them without telling them your purpose. Its much more fun when its a surprise! When you meet them read them the letter - do not let them interrupt, but watch their reactions and your own. Only after you have read it completely discuss the contents and your feeling for each other.
"You will be happier and less depressed one month from now." Seligman guarantees.

I'm going to try it, I hope you will too.

Know the Truth

2011-09-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you hit a bump in the road of your plans? In the past I probably crumpled in disappointment or cried in frustration. These days I find, along with a mild feeling of concern I tend to be amused. In my mind I see myself throwing my head back in maniacal laughter (picture The Count from Sesame Street) saying "I laugh in the face of this set back because I know the Truth!"

With experience I have seen how these setbacks are nothing, that I have dealt with them, that they have come to pass and it all turns out alright in the end.

As practitioners of the Science of Mind we step into our Power and declare in the face of all that contradicts us with our eyes, that all is well in Spirit and we are being blessed by our circumstances.
Yes we turn to prayer, yes, we can take three wonderfully cleansing breaths, yes we can turn to an inspirational reading or dial a prayer. These are all fantastic things to do when we meet a bump in the road. In time the shift from despair to a knowing smile can take seconds.
I used to think if you were enlightenment enough you just wouldn't encounter as many problems but as the Buddhist say "Before enlightenment - Chop wood, carry water, After enlightenment, Chop wood, carry water." And we would agree with Norman Vincent Peale "The secret of life is not what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you."
So take those delicious cleansing breaths and know the Truth. You are strong, you are precious, you are a spiritual being, always perfect, whole and complete, untouched by circumstances that come to pass not to stay.

Being of Service

2011-09-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

I remember an English TV show from the 80s called "Are you being Served?', it was set in a Department Store on the floor for ladies and menswear, supervised by a very proper Mr. Peacock. It was a great favourite of my Dad's as he worked in this environment when he was younger and I'm sure enjoyed himself and the interesting characters with whom he worked. They had two refrains - one to the customer "Are you being served?" and another to each other if they had a question "Are you free?", meaning not serving anyone at this moment.

So I'm asking you "Are you free?" Because I have a question for you, when it comes to work do you think about the service you give? Each of us right now has a place in the world where we are of service and its very easy to dismiss the value of the things that we do.

Whether I am volunteering, working for pay, doing dishes or speaking with a friend, I am in service to something or someone. If I am between jobs I can often feel isolated as if my life lacks purpose or value but this is a false idea. Its not what you do but how you do it that matters. If I tidy my office I contribute order to the world, when I wash dishes I can do it with love not grumbling, when I work I can remember my essential part in the process as well as the consciousness I bring to the workplace.

The energy we bring to each task big or small is the most important way we can serve the world. If I can bring my best self to all that I do today I contribute consciously, allowing Spirit to work through me, being uplifted in the process and adding that lightness to the very atmosphere I create. Once I am in the flow I can be assured that my good is coming back to me by laws of circulation.
I just have to remember to ask the question, "Are you being served?" by my consciousness, my love, my attitude, and adjust in consciousness accordingly.

Demonstrations

2011-09-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Demonstration - the act or circumstance of proving or being proved conclusively, as by reasoning or a show of evidence: something serving as proof or supporting evidence.

In Science of Mind we pray in the present tense, with feeling and we affirm through our connection with the One Source (which goes under many names, God, Spirit, Universal Energy, just to name a few) that our good is already present, our needs are met and we are an embodiment of all the qualities of this Source individualized. In fact we are indivisible from all that God is, as we say like a wave in the ocean.

Ernest Holmes said all the theology in the world is no use unless as a result of your Spiritual practice you are not seeing evidence of increased good in your life. I think this very practical approach was one of the things that attracted me to Religious Science to begin with. We are a science because we work with the laws of the universe. Therefore like any science there is evidence, results of our experimentation, we call them demonstrations.

Very often I pray, I get what I asked for and forget to acknowledge the results, as if my prayer had no influence, that the thing just happened regardless. Bringing my attention to the process and remembering my powerful part in the results can help to remind me to take a more active role in my life circumstances.

As Ernest Holmes himself said;

"We are alchemists in the laboratory of the Universe, what then shall we create?"

Remember your power today as the individualized Spiritual being that you are. In Unity with Spirit, I claim your good today as deeply felt connection, as an awareness of your prosperity and power, and joy in simply being here now. I am grateful for all that you are and bring to this life. I release my prayer to Law and let it be, and so it is!

Prosperity

2011-09-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

How do you know when you are prosperous? What is the measure you use? What I can identify when I give it thought is a feeling of freedom, to feel unrestricted and to have choices.
Yet I can already see areas in my life where I have a feeling of freedom and choice. I put the laundry in the washing machine, I turned a dial and walked away, I wrote a blog and returned to clean clothes. There is freedom, thank God I didn't have to wash them by hand.
One thing that astounded me when I came to the US first was the supermarkets. So many choices in cough medicine!
I eat three varied meals a day. I am already flourishing, with freedoms women have rarely enjoyed before in history and still don't in many countries. I can forget how prosperous I already am.

The dictionary definition of prosperity is a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects; good fortune.

Finances! Well when it comes to that... what number on a bank account will suffice to feel prosperous? Its a loaded question, loaded with shoulds! You should have so much for retirement, you should have savings enough to be able to live without a job for 6 months, you should bla bla bla! Its nice to have those things but some people who have them don't feel prosperous - there's the fear of loss, of stock market fluctuations, still the fear of not having enough can preside like a dark cloud over the mind.

Balance in all things and FAITH has to be the middle ground in this thing called prosperity. Good stewardship, trust in the infinite abundance of the source within and around us, and gratitude for what we already are and have. Our security is not in the bank account of the financial institution but in the bank account of Faith, faith and confidence in our creative selves and the universe that provides.What idea or inspiration have you been provided with lately but ignored ? Decide to take confident action today, mix in some love, faith and gratitude, and see how prosperous you feel!

Day 21

2011-09-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

Its day 21 of September and twenty one days since I committed to support the release in consciousness of the idea of lack. I don't know how anyone else is doing but I feel I have been challenged on many levels by thoughts with deep roots coming to light for release and healing. I have to acknowledge that this is a process I am in the middle of and need to continue to work on. This is not discouraging to me even as I wish I did not have to address my issues. I feel I want to address them, I have invited them to tea, to sit and negotiate and smooth the way to change.

Some old ideas are more stubborn than others and I now recommit for another 21 days to continue to be willing to change to do the work and to refocus on the Truth.

I continue to affirm I possess all sorts of riches which I can bestow upon others. I can bestow them generously and my action will open the way for even greater riches to flow. I can start from the point where I am and give on the spiritual and mental plane, feeling the creative impulse extend through me to the material plane. It is all energy and I put this energy into motion knowing it returns to me multiplied abundantly and in myriad forms.
And so it is, Amen.

Discipline

2011-09-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

I had an boyfriend once who hated when I mentioned the word discipline. Immediately he associated it with external authority, teachers, parents, priests! I had to explain to him I was talking about self discipline - acting according to an intention set by yourself. Staying committed to a course usually for improvement as my dictionary gives the example; acquiring the habit of promptness requires self discipline.

Practicing Science of Mind requires self discipline as we practice dominion over our thoughts so we might improve our circumstances. Releasing old ideas takes discipline as we replace our automatic reaction with creative acts.

I have been having a problem lately with self discipline in one area of self improvement, my diet. There is a rebellious child in me that stamps her foot and says no when I try to direct her to better food choices! Ive had to sit down with her and find out why she's so acting so stubborn. I realized there were feelings I was keeping at bay when I did this, feelings I was trying to ignore. Just as with a child, we cannot use force, criticism or punishment with ourselves to keep ourselves in line. Fear or force of will will like a hastily constructed dam, only last so long.

Love on the other hand is the most powerful force in the universe, and when our motivation is love we can make monumental shifts. Talking to by unhappy and rebellious inner-child with gentleness and understanding has produced more alignment within me with love. Now I am also aligned with the flow of good and as I keep regular corrections to the tiller of self discipline I move more swiftly in the direction I wish to be going. Give it a try!

Monday Monday

2011-09-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Monday mornings, back to work, to school, or to the void of not working or the first day of a vacation, Monday morning is a beginning of a mini cycle in our month, year, lifetime. As with any beginning we can make choices, start as you mean to go on! Did you think this morning how you would like your day to unfold or did you start already racing, from shower to breakfast to car?

Do you think it would make a difference if you were to take one 60 second piece if time and close your eyes to bless the new day? Just one minute, to remember the Truth that spirit is the activity in and through the day and consciously give it full reign. It is powerful to remember our dominion over our thoughts and even better to take that dominion and make a choice to not just react to the world but be a creative force in the world.

Lets set an intention today to allow our Truth to be reflected to us, the Truth of our preciousness in Spirit, the Love we are and the Love we are freely given as children of the universe. It's a blessing to be alive, to breathe, to love, to see, to walk, to hear, to give, to receive, to smile, I could go on. Remember the abundance of the stars and know your blessings out number them, feel it today. Give thanks for it today.
I claim a supercalifragilistic-expialidocious day for you, now go enjoy it!!!!

Presence

2011-09-17T22:18:00.000-07:00

I want to comment on this poem, but it would be superfluous. Just to say I revel in this man's writings and feel he has a direct line to all souls, to Spirit. Truly we all have and if we practice presence, and acknowledge the sacred in the mundane we might maximize on it. John is no longer with us physically but his Spirit most definitely is. Enjoy...

Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.
Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path.
Let the flame of anger free you from all falsity
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.
May anxiety never linger about you.
May your outer dignity mirror your inner dignity of soul.
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention
Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.
by John ODonohue from a Book of Blessings

Pay it forward!

2011-09-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

I received this in my e-mail today from a friend I have not seen in years. We have lived in different continents for almost two decades now. She has three young children and though we used to write long letters, sharing our struggles and our hopes as well as our doubts that our dreams might never be a reality, our communication now is reduced to a scant trickle. Its OK. Some of our fondest dreams are now the reality that prevents our sharing in the present but I know the love that supported those dreams is being passed along by both of us.
So rather than regretting what is lost I choose to quietly let the words she has sent me permeate my day and in gratitude I bless her.
I hope these words bless your day also.

Connecting to the Divine

2011-09-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

The Seventh Chakra – Your Crowning Glory

The energy center at the crown of the head, connecting to the Divine, allows us to transcend all senses as its focus is on the spiritual meaning of life. This allows you to experience the goodness of the universe directly. It opens your way to becoming a bearer of light to the world.

Mission statement - I know.

To most effective way to open this chakra is through prayer and meditation.

Listen to Baroque music (Vivaldi, Pachebal, Teleman – it regulates the heart and puts the body in a deeper meditative state.)

Talk to God, Spirit, and ask it to direct your life, to help you moment to moment to find your way to the highest possible good.

Look for the sacred. Open your eyes, ears and heart for signs of Spirit around you.

Life is a remarkable gift, not a moment of which should be missed, pay attention to the miracles around you, unfolding daily.

Consciously bless yourself and your day before you open your eyes in the morning.

Sound a bell, donate to a local animal shelter, and tithe to your church as an affirmation of your soul’s abundance.

Rest on the 7th day, learn to value downtime.

Acceptance

2011-09-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

"Believe in yourself as the physical instrument through which God (Spirit/Energy) operates.
Absolute dominion is yours when you have sufficient self-mastery to conquer the negative tendency of thoughts and actions.
Ask yourself daily; "What is the purpose of the power that put me here?"
"How can I work with the purpose of life and liberty in me?"
After having decide these questions endeavor hourly to fulfill them. You are a law onto yourself.
If you have a tendency to overdo anything; eat, drink or blame circumstances for your misfortunes, conquer that tendency with the inward conviction that ALL POWER is yours. Eat less, drink less, blame circumstances less and the best there is will gradually grow in the place where the worst seemed to be.
Always remember that ALL is yours to use as you will.
You can if you WILL; if you WILL, you do.
God the Father (Spirit/the Universe) blesses you with all He/She has to give.
Make good Godly use of it."

From Your Invisible Power - The Religious Science of Judge Troward by Genevieve Bertrend
Italics are mine.

Be willing to open your mind today to the truth spoken here, and in gratitude accept your good!

Oneness

2011-09-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

I love the idea of Oneness, the idea that we all, each separate individual, as well as every rock, tree and creature are connected. Everything in creation emanating from a single source of life. It can be a difficult concept to really get your head around and I'm not sure I have or every will completely but it feels right.

As part of my Practitioner training I had to attend a stranger's memorial service. This had its discomforts I can assure you as I felt I was intruding on the intimacy of a family's grief. I sat in the back and listened to the eulogy and the sharing of who this lady had been in life and I guess I got what was the lesson we were intended to learn. I felt her loss, I felt her humanity, her desire to leave some good behind and sensed the love that the gathered group had for her. I saw myself in any one of those attending and in she who had left this mortal plane.

Once we are born, we strive for so many of the same things, to love and be loved, to express who we are in our unique and varied ways, to live fully and well, to be all we can be and make some contribution to this thing called life. If I could see this in a woman I would never have the chance to meet, can I see it in strangers I encounter today. And if I see myself in others can I be unkind, judgmental or cruel?

We are all connected by the divine spark of creativity which brought us on purpose into this life form and being one with this force we are imbued with its wisdom, beauty and power always. Oneness that connects us eternally, unfailingly. At any moment, if we choose to remember this, we can realize our own power, the power to transcend any challenge or difficulty, the power to create new circumstances, to forgive, to give, to uplift our thoughts, to love, to ask for forgiveness. We need not fear or be anxious.
Lets try and remember the power that we are as spiritual beings and our connection on that plane with all those we encounter today.

Abundant Support

2011-09-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

I cant write today without touching on the commemoration of the tragedies of 9/11. No doubt following those events there were a lot of questions flying to heaven looking for a god or asking where is the order in this chaotic and seemingly cruel random existence.
My prayer today is that each and every person touched by these events has found a measure of peace, that they have made their own sense of it, each finding his or her own answers.

"Unfortunately every attempt to grasp the totality of life from a cognitive perspective is bound to fall short, because the brain is limited in how it perceives the world.
We may try to fill in the gaps with intricate beliefs but ambiguities and uncertainties remain and these are the very things that pull us deeper into our biological quest for knowledge, meaning and truth.
Around and around we go, for wherever there is a mystery, our brains are destined to explore."
Page 99 from "Why we believe what we believe" by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman

Each of us must find what resonates in our own hearts as we make sense of our worlds but one thing I am fairly assured of is, that every person affected by these events were offered some form of loving support, from sister, brother, mother, daughter, father, stranger, neighbor, friend. In some small way or large, love was offered.
It is my belief that Spirit/Life always supports its own expression, so we are each supported in our highest expression today and always.

P.S. So were those who died so tragically supported? It is my belief they were equally supported in their transition to a higher plane of existence. Like in birth, they have started life in a new form, no doubt welcomed by loved ones already passed and offered no less loving words and gestures. This is simply my sense of it, you must find your own.

ORDER

2011-09-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

"The wonderful thing about emergence is you don't need something new to get something new!" - Murray Gell-Mann, who discovered the existence of the quark (smallest particle of matter)

It is believed by science that if you get enough things interacting with each other something new naturally emerges. Out of chaos, order.

In other words, something can come into existence, something beyond what has been seen or experienced before, by an orderly sequence of natural growth.

This same activity can work in each our lives to create new experiences and circumstances, each greater than any we have experienced before. As in the macrocosm so in the microcosm.

Give this idea some thought, if it makes sense to you, really embody it.

No doubt you can identify how growth has happened in your life so far. Maybe that gain was hard won through painful experiences or imposed change. Why not choose to have it happen through joyful experiences next time?

If we can really embody this idea of order and allow it to have its way in our lives we can hope for greater experiences of love, joy and abundance. There is no limit to what the mind can imagine so visualize the expansion of your experience. What is it you wish for? Greater contentment, peace, finances? Be willing to allow it and keep your mind stayed on this idea order, its a natural law, like gravity. Trust in it fully and you will not be disappointed.

"Each one should realize that there is nothing in him that denies that which he desires. Our unity with our good is not established while there is anything in us that denies it." - Ernest Holmes

Circulation

2011-09-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

We have all heard "What goes round, comes round." The idea of circulation seems to be a widely accepted idea. Emerson talked about this concept liking the microcosm to the macrocosm, as blood circulates in the body so too does all energy in the universe. Drawing from this, what we put out will indeed come round. So what do you want to put into circulation?

If you wish to experience love, give love. If wealth, put money in circulation. Tithing is the idea of giving a tenth of your earnings to that which feeds you spiritually. Even if you cant or don't feel comfortable giving a tenth then give what you can. Remember you are putting energy in motion. Give of your time if money feels impossible. Give of yourself. Its not difficult to give a smile, a compliment, a kind word, in fact it can make someone's day. You have the power to do this.
Doing it reminds us of our power. What a simple mechanism we so easily forget. You are a center of power and a cause of circulation of energy, what are you waiting for? Go to it!!

"The progress of the intellect is to the clearer vision of causes, which neglects surface differences. To the poet, to the philosopher, to the saint, all things are friendly and sacred, all events profitable, all days holy, all men divine." R.W. Emerson

This is my favorite image of Emerson, it seems to capture his intelligence and his playfulness. I love his mind and often quote him. He wrote many essays in the mid 1800s which are as relevant today as they were then. Did you know Louisa May Alcott who wrote Little Women was a neighbor of his and was a little in love with him. When Louisa's sister got married Emerson kissed her on the cheek in congratulations. Louisa who never married, commented, "It might be worth getting married if one got a kiss from Mr. Emerson!"

Abundance is Now

2011-09-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

Place your order...we do it all the time in restaurants and we usually receive what we order. Several stories have been shared with me in the past week about how people put out an order to the universe in very definite ways, some very specific and some not so much. Each got a response and learned something in the exchange.
No.1 You must be very specific.
No.2 When you are specific be prepared to get what you asked for!!

In the latter I recognized that the order was not placed as a command of even a plea but simply a statement of what the person felt she deserved. It came from the heart with a deep knowing that it was a Divine Right. It was as if this woman had come to a place of realization that she had been accepting less than she deserved and in that came the shift in consciousness. A week later her hearts desire showed up and she was a little taken aback. Now she had to work on her fears and sit down with herself to see what those were. She discovered her courage to say yes to a new experience. Getting what you want demands new behaviors and often what stops the receiving is comfort with the status quo.
Are you ready to let go of some way of being in order to have your greater good?

Sit with this question today and make your declaration of what you truly deserve as a child of God. Not as a demand or a plea but as a simple statement backed by conviction.God is not with-holding but we may be with holding from ourselves!

Buddah said; You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.

Individuality

2011-09-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

The world of men will always try and impose its vision on to you, of how you should behave, what you should do or how you should live. I hear people who are seeking employment, in transition from a dying career, ask what the work place wants. It always rankles me. So you are going to try to fit a round peg in a square hole I think.

This is such a mistake that is commonly made. In relationship with parents and lovers its asked, if I behave this way will I be acceptable. Bosh, I say! Be yourself in mutual respect and allow yourself to be loved as you are as you respect the other.

If you love, love to the best of your ability, with kindness, support and compassion for the beloved. If you need employment look to what it is you thrill at doing, LOVE is the key. And you express it uniquely so don't be afraid to be yourself. This is what the world needs. Believe it. As an individualized expression of the Life of God, you are a center of its Infinite Abundant Nature. How good it is to know this!

"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." -Emerson

Expansion

2011-09-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Scientists tell us the universe is expanding all the time. Of course it is so vast that we cannot fully comprehend it and so much of this world we live in is similarly incomprehensible. Cut open my brain for instance and where is the image of my childhood bedroom? I see it but a surgeon can't.

Yet so often we look for the solid proof of what we decide to believe in, scientists are only scratching the surface of this incredible universe and will seek its explanation for eternity.

In the meantime I believe since I am a part of this whole thing called creation I too am expanding in my knowledge and understanding, in love and my ability to create. Just talking today with a friend, about acknowledging our own progress, I have to admit I don't mark it as much as I could. I tend to forget how far I have come, in my need to reach further goals. I usually look at the distance yet to travel, to be more of who I want to be and express as I wish to express rather than pat myself on the back for what is achieved. I believe this is fairly common. So if you have been doing the same to yourself, I invite you now to take a little time to appraise where you were five years ago and where you are today. Measure not in finances or job status or outward trappings but in inward qualities such as wisdom, maturity and loving kindness.

"I believe that Spirit is forever creating, forever changing and forever becoming more of Itself, through that which I am. Therefore I know that this creative, expansive and self-giving nature is working through all of my affairs including financial." SOM
I can trust this is so because I acknowledge evidence in my personal experience, satisfying the scientist in me; times a need was met even when I did not know how it could be met. Acknowledging this and my growth, increases my belief and so my experience. Can you say the same? If not then maybe its time to begin a gratitude journal and find something to be grateful for no matter how small. With this practice in time you will see shifts you never thought possible. Begin where you are today and let me know what you manifest!!

Balance

2011-09-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

So often we set an intention and suddenly the universe challenges us on our new resolve. Do you ever find this?

Let me give you an example.
I set an intention to release my belief in lack and began September's blogs on this theme so I might be mindful of what I believe and be in integrity with it. Already I find myself challenged by unexpected expenses; my cat needed x-rays this weekend and my car is seeing a mechanic tomorrow. Immediately I could begin to claim "I cant afford this," "I just cant get ahead," "I'm sure as heck not feeling abundant!!" etc.

Thankfully I am a Practitioner of the Science of Mind and I may momentarily respond that way but very quickly I remember what I have stated as my belief. I believe I am One, as the wave on the ocean with God/Spirit. Spirit is infinite and abundant in all things. My source is not external to me, it is not a bank account or a job, it is Spirit. That being so, I trust that by winding passages or straight, I don't have to know the HOW, Spirit supplies my need. I believe the activity of Spirit is always harmonious and balanced. Therefore I am a center for the expression of Balance in my financial affairs. I can pay my bills right now and be assured that whatever comes I can handle it too because I am a portal for Spirit's wealth.

A bit like Jesus isolated and fasting in the desert, being tempted by Satan offering all manner of power and false alternatives, he knew his Origin and his Power and did not accept what was seeming to be offered. Appearances are deceiving, and I do not accept the false belief in lack. At times like these I find its best to close ones eyes and meditate on the Truth. Give it a try, I find it works wonders!!

Awareness

2011-09-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

So often I move through the day lost in my concerns, my plans, comparing my reality to some ideal of how I think my reality should be! What these preoccupations have in common is that they most often lead to exhaustion, missed opportunities and subsequently limited possibilities for the expansion of good in my life.

Holidays are a chance to down time, a chance to take a break from doing and just be, and today was that day for me. Slowing down has the effect of allowing me to be more aware of everything around me as well as what's going on in my mind. I can more easily take a step back from my thinking and loosen my attachment to things. Today I acknowledge I was in the flow of being and was aware of an abundance of riches; in the form of chance encounters, a most glorious sunset, a full rainbow, thunder and lightening and a walk on a beach so teaming with life it was as if the whole world was represented there. It was one of those days I will remember for a long time.

So yes it was a holiday today and I had the advantage of being more relaxed, but is it not the truth that everyday has the potential for such awareness of the good. I believe it has if I just remember to slow down. The number one complaint of people today is that they don't have enough time, that they cant catch up, that they are overwhelmed and I can feel this way at times too. I have to ask myself who creates my experience? The answer is "I do," in the choices I make and how I approach any commitments. For myself I know, when I make better choices in how I use my time and choose not to do so much, I am more present and effective. I am trusting in a Higher Order and my oneness with It. My awareness of my oneness, is the source of my Abundance. Therefore, this awareness is my Abundance. So it doesn't have to be a holiday for me to experience it. With that in mind I wonder what this work week will bring!

Always enough to do good

2011-09-03T04:39:00.000-07:00

Sure there are days I feel the world is against me and it can feel very uncomfortable. Like today. I wont go into the gorey details but one thing after another seems to be telling me that everything I touch turns to dust! Interesting to me how one day can so differ from another and how when negative events come in a row I begin to form a belief that everyone hates me, I'm useless or unworthy. I realize I may not be everyone's favourite person on any given day and also recognize that I'm simply not my favourite today.
So rather than letting things continue on this downward spiral I turn to what I really know. In Spirit all things are whole, perfect and loved, including me! OK so there may be things I need to redress, something I need to do or say, to put somethings to rights. I can do that. I resolve to do what needs to be done and I can go beyond that, take it up a notch and do something good for someone. When we most feel depleted of good, of love, of gentle understanding - that is the time to draw on the reserves of the oneness that we are. We are not isolated and separate little human beings but powerful spiritual emanations, connected, as the waves to the ocean. So from the morass of my mind I come forth and write this blog of Hope and Truth, reminding my self and you that there is always enough to do good because I believe in the infinite resource of Spirit which is equal to every demand placed on it, be it financial, physical or mental.
I am glad to have this knowledge at the back of my mind and the presence of mind to bring it to the forefront when its been forgotten. I hope its been a reminder to you to be gentle with yourself or someone you know who may be lost in forgetfulness and falsity momentarily. Now go have a wonderful day and so shall I!

Infinite Abundance

2011-09-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Arriving home from work yesterday thinking about what to make for dinner I resisted calling my husband in response to my first impulse. I was thinking of New Moon our favorite restaurant and the meal we had shared there last week. I remembered our intention to not eat out this month so we could save for what we really wanted, which was to give a money gift to our nephew who is being married October 2nd. It seemed like good money management and not an action taken from a belief in lack. It is our way of keeping us in the flow of giving generously. I went through the food items in our fridge in my mind as I drove home and came up with a plan for dinner.

On my arrival at the house I found the door open and a large empty shipping container for perishable goods on the couch and my husband looking very pleased with himself! "Whats all this" I asked and he delightedly brought me to the freezer which was full of boxes. "Gifts from heaven," he declared. "Salmon fillet, sirloin steaks, creme brulee, pot roast, accompanied by a set of knives and a cutting board! From my mother!"

Needless to say my dinner plans changes slightly and we ate like kings. I believe there is only One God and the nature of God is Infinite Abundance! We gave thanks to God and toasted my husbands mother!! We live in the flow and as we focus on giving we are putting the law of circulation to work which cannot help but result in the inflow of all kind of good. This was never so clear to me as while I ate dinner last night!

Willingness is worthiness

2011-09-01T04:49:00.000-07:00

I believe that whoever brings the qualities of God into expression, for example practicing kindness, compassion, generosity, experiences kindness, compassion and generosity.

I didn't always know this. I started out in life passively wanting others to treat me with kindness and thinking things come from the outside in. I was constantly looking to receive. It took me decades before I learned it all starts with the self. I went about looking for someone to be generous to me, to love me or to have a kind word for me on a bad day, always in want and feeling depleted and powerless. I found it most often ended in disappointment if it came from a neediness that I was unwilling to meet myself. Having this experience lead me to feel undeserving, compounding the feeling that this was the case to begin with; a belief that was picked up somewhere along the path of life and lingered long beyond its usefulness, if it ever had any.
Thankfully I changed the cycle of experience of lack, of disappointment, of feeling undeserving.
A place within me knew the Truth. Tired of the pain of my life and inspired by others example I was finally willing to experiment with new ways of being. The change did not come till I truly deeply knew my connection with the infinite source. Without this knowledge I imagined I had to give from my limited resources of love, compassion, praise, prosperity but with God as my source I could give generously and never feel depleted. What a powerful place from which to live. I saw so many areas of my life flourish as a result. The faith of the mustard seed at the back of my willingness, a hope that springs eternal within us all opened the door to truly finding out that I was worthy of the good I wished to experience.
Willingness is worthiness. So knowing this I continue to be willing to know more and more of the good that is to be experienced in this life as I daily remind myself of the Truth of my being as a channel of the Infinite, bringing the qualities of God into expression.

Reality Check

2011-08-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today I am feeling pulled by thoughts to the past, to childhood places and people especially my Dad who passed away a little over a year ago. Where is he now I wonder? Sometimes I feel he is nearer to me than other times and I wonder if that's my imagination.

I am presently reading a book titled "Why we believe what we believe," by Andrew Newberg and Mark Waldman. Its a fascinating read exploring the biological aspects of how beliefs are formed and the workings of the brain. When you realize how much our brain fills in the blanks for us and how much our beliefs depend on a general consensus from those around us combined with the emotional aspect of it feeling comfortable, you realize I could have a completely different set of beliefs if I'd grown up in another part of the world.

The author says when we encounter someone with a different set of beliefs we naturally want to convince the other that our beliefs are right because we have made our beliefs our truth. In reality there is no truth only best guesses. Even mathematics which is held up as a definable truth as in 2 + 2 = 4 can be proven to be inaccurate by a mathematician by the name of Kurt Godel. If there is no truth we must create it so we can feel comfortable in our world. We cant rely on our eyes or our ears as our brain is selective and cant possibly process all the information it receives. So what does this all tell us? I haven't finished the book yet so I don't know where the author is taking this but for me it means I need to question my beliefs a little more and hold less rigidly to some while allowing other people theirs. It adds up to greater compassion and gentleness and understanding in my mind.

As to where my Dad is today, I have my theory's but I know he is in my mind, in memories now fuzzy or distorted and his presence in my life is palpably in my heart as the love that never dies.

Childhood Gifts

2011-08-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

“Its never too late to have a happy childhood” Tom Robbins

Our childhoods gave us infinite gifts some we easily recognize as good and grounding and adding to our well being and others not so much.
I just learned that mushrooms dont need light to grow, they get all their nutrients from the earth, however humidity has to be just right for them to flourish. I personally love light, my living room is light filled and I love to sit in the window seat to read and feel the greeness of the plants outside. My least favourite time of day is dusk when the light is fading and night approaches.

When I think about my siblings (of which I have eight) and our unique personalities and life paths, having come from the same parents and home environment, I imagine that we each had individual needs most of which were met there, enabling us to grow and flourish like the mushrooms. I also know that almost always some ingredient is missing in a childhood, some aspect of light or love. Maybe it was a feeling of safety, maybe it was unconditional love, maybe not enough attention, maybe too much attention! Each of us, as we meet the challenges of life have our dark moments of fear or doubt, feeling our area of weakness or lack of confidence. The process of re-parenting, where we identify our unmet need and rather than having someone or something outside of ourselves fulfill it or solve it or mask it, attend to it ourselves, can be the process by which we discover our truest gift of childhood; the one that if we work with it right can be our greatest strength and gift in this lifetime.

Spiritually we talk about enlightenment and talk of bringing the light of love or Spirit to a situation. Bringing something dark into the light dissipates the scary aspect and dispels imagined ghosts and goblins. We often find the thing we thought of as unforgivable or shameful was not our fault and that we are blameless. If we are truly spiritual beings we chose our parents, our life circumstances and the lessons we wished to learn. There are no mistakes in Spirit. Negative associations are just that and can be changed and released if we choose to do the work. We are in the perfect place at the perfect time to begin the healing process. Its a powerful healing choice and we have an ability with our new enlightened vision to turn our previously imagined lack into our gain and strength and most of all our gift to the world. What is your less obvious gift?

Its a great world we live in

2011-06-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Me on Eagle Hill which overlooks my hometown of Hacketstown in the County of Carlow.

I just got back from three weeks in Ireland, the country where I spent the first thirty years of my life. The unique fragrance of the earth and the air there is in my blood. When I'm there I feel grounded, filled up, something deep within me is satisfied like no where else on earth. Los Angeles is like a dream when I'm there, like a bad TV mini series I recall with nostalgia, like "Dallas!" Its somewhat unreal to me and it seems I could slip back into life there in Ireland and never miss the newer one I've been living for over a decade.

Yet I return and take up where I left off. I am in touch with family weekly. I'm OK with this situation even if sometimes I yearn to be there again.

I remember one of my goals in leaving all that was familiar so long ago, was to make a friend of all people, to be a citizen of earth. I felt so dependent on the few back then, which seemed to me to be limiting. I felt vulnerable to loss and fear.

It seemed if I could know, that I can depend on the kindness of strangers, develop a network of diverse friends and essentially trust in the goodness of people I would be free. I am a great believer in our interdependence as a species, even as society encourages us to become so independently isolated. One example is cell phones. Yes we are connected to those in our network and if our car breaks down how great is it to call someone we can trust.

I love my cell phone for such an occasion. But wouldn't you know, when I needed it recently in just such a situation, the battery had run down! So I was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers and pleasantly I found that kindly stranger. I like having faith in humankind. I feel free when I don't live in fear, its a friendly place this world I live in. I like believing this even with all the fear mongering that goes on today. People, be they Muslim, Catholic, American, Armenian, French or Irish are intrinsically good. Lets not let the few who act badly dictate our behaviour or beliefs or limit us. I'm here for you, are you there for me?

Get Happy Today!

2011-05-02T09:41:00.001-07:00

If you are not feeling great today - you can change that. Happiness is in your own hands and you can begin right now! Think of one thing you are deeply grateful for and come up with one kindness you can do for someone else. Do this right now! It has been scientifically proven that these two attitudes, gratitude and kindliness can increase your life satisfaction in a matter of days. According to research done at the University of Pennsylvania if you take note at bedtime of three things that went well that day the benefits in general well-being will continue for months, your mood and your relationships will improve. A kindness journal or a gratitude journal can make you aware of how blessed your life already is and can increase optimism and peace of mind. This of course will reduce stress and subsequently improve overall health - so simple yet so profound and powerful! I myself have taken to writing thank you cards. Yesterday I went to lunch at a restaurant that I don't go to very often but one waiter always remembers me, asks how I am and he even asks for my friend whom I usually meet there. This never fails to make me feel welcome and acknowledged. This time I got his name and a card will go out to him today because I want to acknowledge how his great attitude brings good to my life. I know you too have many things for which to be grateful today. Start now and watch not only your own happiness increase but the happiness of those around you. If you read this far I thank you and I'm smiling! Namaste.

Renewal of Spring

2011-03-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Hiking in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains above La Crescenta / Montrose today I was awestruck by the profusion of wildflowers and growth since the wildfires of late 2009. Only a year and six months and the land has renewed itself in large part. Charcoal enriches soil, and some plant species have flourished in the wake of this devastation. It was heart warming to see and to recognize the force of nature behind this plenitude of purple and green. Humans have helped reshape the park following the complete obliteration of trails by the torrents of rain and erosion of topsoil that followed. New pathways have been created where none existed before.
It gave me hope.
I felt my spirits lifted.
Then I knew the Japanese will come out of their present circumstances, altered for sure, with losses most definitely, yet good can come in time, as nature and the human spirit have illustrated over and over.

So much of the time, fear of the worst drives us to protect, pull inward, separate ourselves with walls and defenses of various types and we don't know the resilience of our own spirit.
We can come through, overcome, transcend, renew and flourish once again. Yes we are stronger than we realize, we are our own greatest resource, we just need to be reminded of our power sometimes as I was today.

Chasing a rainbow!

2011-02-20T20:40:00.000-08:00

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players, said Shakespeare, but who

is the audience?

Who do you play your life to, whose approval and applause do you hope

to receive?

I know I spent much of my life looking for that approval in all the wrong

places. It was as if one section of the crowd gave me a standing ovation

but I sought to convert those faces that showed disapproval or mere

indifference.

Why would a person do that?

It is human nature to want to be loved and accepted. If we are not then we

may find ourselves alone and isolated. This brings up the primal fear for

our very survival. As a child I learned quickly how to get that approval

from parents who loved conditionally and a pattern was set.

When as an adult I sought approval from those who with held love, then

I am chasing a rainbow. I had lost myself.

How then could I feel good about who I was.

The belief that hides in this behavior is, "I are not enough as I am."

These people I choose to pursue confirmed my belief. Only when I risked

being true to myself, approving of my imperfections, and loving the

whole rather than just parts, knowing at the same time that I was growing

daily, only then could I find those faces in the crowd that already said,

"YES, you are enough!"

They were there waiting but I devalued their opinion as I did my own.

As Groucho Marx humorously put it,

 "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members."

This realization for me was the turning point in my relationships. I began

to see the approving individuals that I had dismissed and looked for what

I liked in them. Wayne Dyer says, be a love finder instead of a fault finder.

We most often find what we look for. I found love and so can you.

Henry David Thoreau - Walden

2011-02-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

"However mean your life, is meet it and live it. Do not shun it or call it hard names, it is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault finder will find fault in paradise.
Love your life, poor as it is, you may have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours even in the poor house. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms house as brightly as from the rich man's abode. The snow melts before it's door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind could live as contentedly there and have as cheering thoughts as in a palace.
If you are restricted in your range by poverty, if you cannot buy books and newspapers, you are but confined to the most significant and vital experiences. You are compelled to deal with the material that yealds the most starch, it is life near the bone where it is sweetest. You are defended from being a trifler, no man looses ever on a lower level by magnonimity on a higher.
Superfluous wealth can buy surerfluities only. Money is not required to buy one necessary of the soul."

Written in another time and place in language old and awkward - yet I find his meaning as profound today as ever. It is not how much we have but how much we are that dictates our experience of life. Today I look to gratitude for who I am and the inspirations that are freely given by spirit. I am inspired by this quote which I noted down in a diary in 1995 and find I am motivated to share these ideas in hope you too may be touched and find appreciation for yourself today. How rich are the experiences of this life no matter what form they take. Feel the vitality of the life in you today, the sweetest and simplest pleasures should not be overlooked, what are yours?

Meditation

2011-01-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

I recently recommitted to meditation as a daily practice. I vary my method depending on what I feel I need that day. Somedays I use Vipassana - becoming the observer of my thoughts thus giving me the distance I need to realize the real "I" is separate from my worries and fears. Other days I use a mantra or affirmation that I repeat silently. My favourite at the moment is "God is the love that I am." Another way I like to meditate is while hiking to try to be fully present with nature, observing my surroundings and listening to the sounds I hear; all the time being aware of the solidness of the earth beneath my feet.
Of course meditation for some takes the form of a creative activity such as playing an instrument or painting. Its a time they are so absorbed in their task they forget themselves, loose track of time as if they have been absorbed into everything around them and merged as one.
Joseph Campbell says meditation is simply where we place the majority of our thoughts in any given day. He believes we meditate a lot on how to procure money and how to spend it, how to provide for our children, how to improve our lives and of course whats wrong in our world!
This idea I find very interesting because it is my belief that what we focus on grows. Being aware of what occupies the majority of our thoughts can help us realize how we are creating our life circumstances. Ernest Holmes says trained thought is much more powerful than untrained thought, the more one gives conscious power to one's thought the more power it will have. So be watchful today of where your thoughts are going. Where you feel it necessary try to make more of a conscious choice of what thoughts you think. Then observe the difference in how you feel, and how others respond to you. Add to this better posture, speaking with more confidence in your more positive thoughts and really notice the shifts that happen. Have fun with it and know your own power to create.

New Year, New beginnings?

2010-12-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

I love the New Year even if it is just another day designated as the changeover of the calendar. I have always kept a diary and delight in the newness of the page for the January 1st entry. It's a time of reassessment for me, not so much to set New Year's resolutions but intentions for the year to come.
I write out ten things that happened in the previous year and ten things I would like to happen in the coming year. It's my way of acknowledging my progress or the changes that a year brings in circumstances, in relationships and career. At the same time I get to be conscious of what I would like to create. And we create each day anew if we choose to. So whether its January 1st of Feb 1st or the ides of March itself, one thing holds true, the past can only affect the now if we choose to allow it to. I love this passage from Thomas Troward, which acknowledges the possibility for expansion of our lives and the possibility of completely new experiences.

"My mind is a center of Divine operation. The Divine operation is always for expansion and fuller expression and this means the production of something beyond what has gone before, something entirely new, not included in past experience, though proceeding out of it by an orderly sequence of growth. Therefore, since the Divine cannot change its inherent nature, it must operate in the same manner in me; consequently in my special world, of which I am the center, it will move forward to produce new conditions, always in advance of any that have gone before."
-Thomas Troward, The Dore Lectures on Mental Science

May you allow and enjoy in 2011, new conditions beyond what has gone before, as your life expands and the Divine finds fuller expression through you this year. May you create the new beginnings you most desire.
Blessings, Joan

Walking Through Illusion

2010-12-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

Betsy Otter Thompson leads us to see with deeper discernment the growth opportunities in life's challenges in her book "Walking Through Illusion." Using different Biblical characters who struggled with memories, complaints, beliefs, handicaps and confusion, to mention but a few of her chapter titles, the reader is brought on a vicarious life path to the insight and gift of the challenge faced in each situation. The characters were each personal acquaintances of Jesus Christ and Thompson channels His compassionate understanding of the path their lives took. Each individual is doing his best as are each of us. What Thompson offers us is a door to unconditional love of ourselves and others if we are willing to explore our own challenges and look at our lives from a broader perspective.
A workbook, each chapter is followed by thought provoking questions so we may explore our own experiences with each issue. Most helpful I found were her own own personal insights, gained on her own life journey that conclude each chapter; the theory in practice.
I am reminded of a question posed once about upsets in relationships, why is it when we love someone who upsets us we cannot simply skip the anger, confusion and argument and jump to "I love you" which you know will come at the conclusion? This is what would happen if we truly walked through the illusion as Thompson is asking us to do. She offers us gems of great value if we seek a more peaceful and lovefilled experience of life and who would not wish for that. May your Christmas and New Year be blessed by the revealing of what is of true value in all aspects of your life.
To check out her book go to http://www.betsythompson.com/index.php

Season of Light

2010-12-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

Personally I love Christmas because I have strong positive associations from my childhood. With nine children in my family we were not affluent in terms of money and but we were abundant in comradery and love. Christmas carols, cards, gifts and get-togethers, its a busy time of year!

These days there are so many ways to be stressed at Christmastime: shopping, lack of funds for shopping, planning dinner at your place or not having a place to go for Christmas, organizing travels, dealing with colds, flu, family or maybe a combination of all of the above!

Or maybe you are someone who stays centered at this time of year, feeling only the goodwill and childhood joys of the season. Its possible!

Whatever your experience, my wish for you this coming week is to find time to really be present to your power and to your every experience. You are alive, you have the capacity to love and be loved - whatever is going on around you or within you, you can choose to be the light of love. Your presence is the greatest gift of all so be conscious of where you spend your time and be aware of your thoughts. A kind word is a simple and inexpensive gift so why not give generously this week! First to yourself and then to others. Its not really complicated but its so easy to forget.

If there is sadness of loss in your Christmas, acknowledge it and find a way to include that person in this year's experience. Lighting a candle in their honor at the Christmas table is one possibility. Loss makes everthing more precious and helps us see what is truly important. Be present in your present relationships.

You have the power to make this a peaceful, love and light filled Christmas.
YOU are the light of the season!

I Find My Path

2010-12-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

I always find my path, even if I sometimes have the impression that I have lost my way. So often I have taken pointless detours. I find the one and only reason for my presence in the universe- my ultimate realization, the return to Unity. I now walk in peace.

Bleak mid winter.

2010-12-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

With the images and news I am seeing from my homeland of Ireland I am reminded of iambic pentameter! In the convent where I went to school the poem "Winter" was used as a beautiful example of this rhythm of poetry writing. Reading the poem again I cant help but think of the perishing cold that these characters had to fend off with wool and wood. How hard their lives must have been and short their life expectancy.

The double glazing, the gas heating system and my fleece jumper ensure my body heat, and my electric kettle boiled water for my tea this morning. I am grateful.
I woke up, I walked to my kitchen to feed the cat. I am grateful.
My husband walked by and kissed my head, I am grateful.
I see my sister's latest art on Etsy, I am grateful.
I use Skype to call my mother, I am grateful.
And though money may be tight and the winter bleak, I put a prayer out for protection to my angels for my family and for all people experiencing difficult circumstances. I affirm Spirit as our source and sustenance and know that we have much to be grateful for and grace will see us through.

WINTER.

When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp'd and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit;
Tu-whoo, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth blow
And coughing drowns the parson's saw
And birds sit brooding in the snow
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl, Tu-whit;
Tu-whoo, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

I feel dead people!

2010-11-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

"Life is real

Life is earnest,

And the grave is not its goal.

"Dust thou art, to dust returneth"

Was not spoken of the soul."

There are more people dead than there are people alive on the planet today!

Great minds, paupers, kings, mothers and murderers, all gone on to inhabit the next life. And one day we too will join them. Where are they do you think? Many imagine multiple worlds in order that the next might not suffer from overpopulation!

I know people who see dead people. Trustworthy individuals who get messages to pass along and others that seem to make no real sense at all. There are so many opinions and beliefs about the afterlife that it really comes down to your personal experience what you choose to believe.

When we do talk of death I believe it is only of the physical, what we see with our eyes. And we are so much more than that. If you have ever looked on a dead thing, be it an animal, a flower or a human being, you know that what you see is just a shell; a shadow of its former self with the essence of life force gone somewhere else.

As the poet Longfellow says the soul does not turn to dust.

When I feel in my heart the presence of someone lost to me in the physical, they are as real as they have ever been. This is not uncommon. My friend Robert speaks of his deceased father in the present tense. In meditation we turn inward to experience the vast field of possibility, our connection with the infinite. There it is in our very being as if a portal opens to the other worlds. This is our connection to all life including our beloved in the next. We are never separate except by choosing to think that way. We create and demolish our very own personal blocks to our divinity and to love. Open up today to connection in whatever form your meditation takes; a walk in nature, painting, listening to music, journaling, day dreaming, creating a collage of your loved one. Feed your soul connection and know that you are never alone and you are loved just as you are. Then go forth and love unconditionally and in earnest while you still have time in the physical world!

Talking about death won't kill you!

2010-11-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

I have heard people say as a positive conclusion to a list of physical ailments or complaints "Oh well, it beats the alternative!" To which people respond with agreement, acknowledging that whatever we may be experiencing, we are still alive and that is always preferable to being dead! After all death is the ultimate fear, the unknowable and the great void, the end...that's all she wrote! Shakespeare's Hamlet contemplated "to be and not to be" concluding that there may not be peace even in the permanent sleep of death. How can we know so lets not go there, what's the point?

I was browsing a book at my library the other day, intriguingly entitled "Talking about death won't kill you," just my kind of book by the way. I like to tackle ideas that others throw up their eyes at and have little time for. The author Virginia Morris, a woman after my own heart as we would say in Ireland, was putting forward the idea that talking about death has many overlooked benefits. It can help us appreciate life more fully for one thing, it can help friends and families appreciate the relationships we enjoy more deeply and also can help immensely when the inevitability of loss visits our lives.

My father broached the subject of his demise to me years ago when he was making his will. I kept the discussion brief, adding I didn't want to imagine that day. This is a very natural response and I know I am not alone in my feelings. But I wish I'd been able to say how much I loved him and how unthinkable it was to no longer have him in my life. I wish we could have held each other and acknowledged that love and continued our discussion to its conclusion in awareness of the reality of that eventuality.

So many of us run from emotion - from being real and authentic and we miss out. I really feal our lives would be richer if we could simply allow our selves to be real. Emotion and discomfort just like all things come to pass and not to stay...we will not be swallowed in the slough of despond forever..in fact if we go there we can come out more quickly instead of skirting along the edges indefinitely. Its all about living fearlessly. All my life I have worked at releasing the fears that restrict my experience of life. I am still determined! So who wants to talk about death?

In the quiet moments...

2010-11-24T03:53:00.000-08:00

Lately my life has taken a slower pace. Its the time of the year when in America we turn to Thanksgiving. Yes this involves turkey and friends and travel and the tensions and joys of family. I spent the last two weekends celebrating with my husbands family so the coming break will be quiet and I hope a time to rest. For this I am thankful.
My life has taken a slower pace because work is slow and I am having to use my time creatively without remuneration except of the most personal nature. My own family are caught in the morass of the dismal Irish economy crisis. Every day the news is full of doom and gloom with no hope of a light at the end of the tunnel for years to come. Where can we turn at times like these when optimism is all but quenched?
Help wanted? Apply within! We must look to ourselves for the truth of our experience.
It is our own thinking that has the power to darken our world according to John ODonohue.

"Search and you will find the diamond-thought of light. Know that you are not alone and that the darkness has purpose;
Gradually it will school your eyes to find the one gift your life requires hidden within this night corner."

He seems to be saying there are gifts in times like these that without them we would never discover. Depths and strengths unexplored. Overlooked blessings that if we can pull our eyes away from the external, await our appreciation. Look for them in life's simple quiet moments. This poem by Irish poet Seamus Heaney illustrates, in quiet moments with his mother, the sacred found in the mundane. Turn your eyes from the world this Thanksgiving and find your abundant blessings of love, strength and insight within. Then shine it for all to see, it is the greatest gift you can give to your loved ones and to yourself.
Have a blessed and joyous Thanksgiving!

In Memoriam M.K.H., 1911-1984

When all the others were away at Mass
I was all hers as we peeled potatoes.
They broke the silence, let fall one by one
Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:
Cold comforts set between us, things to share
Gleaming in a bucket of clean water.
And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes
From each other's work would bring us to our senses.

So while the parish priest at her bedside
Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying
And some were responding and some crying
I remembered her head bent towards my head,
Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knives--
Never closer the whole rest of our lives.

Let Death lose its Sting...

2010-10-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

They say that death is our ultimate fear and all other fears can be traced back to the idea of death. The word itself makes us recoil. It means something is devoid of life, inanimate, inert, ended and without power of any kind. Our ego screams at the thought of its annihilation, the idea that we end or no longer exist. This is the human reaction to the death of the body.

In Religious Science we believe very differently; that life never ends, we are not our bodies, we are our consciousness and as such a unique part of Spirit which is infinite and ever expanding. Depak Chopra gives an example to illustrate this idea; your TV until it is turned on is inert but the signal information is always there no matter how long the TV has been off. So too with people when they die in the physical, their energy still exists, its just not channeled in a visible body. For this reason we are never separate from those who have left this plane of existence, though our energy/consciousness still expresses through our bodies it is also connected with the whole, as a wave in the ocean of being. Therefore we can still commune with our loved ones in consciousness and they with us. What a comfort when we truly deeply know this.

As an old friend of mine used to say I'd still rather have someone with skin on!!! Yes we miss those who have left us. I live 6,000 miles from my family but at any time I still gain great comfort in writing a letter to my mother which is an action that I take separate from her. This year as part of my artistic expression I began making collage portraits of my family members. It is one very satisfying way of spending time with the individuals I miss and love. I also get to acknowledge their unique traits and qualities and how they express those in life. My art pieces represent my experience of another individual, what I see in them and the connection we enjoy.
In the Workshop "Remembering with Joy" that I designed with my friend Mary Hylan this is the core idea; we focus on the beauty of a relationship and how we have been enriched by another, knowing that we can still draw joy from it, that we have gained from it and that every situation in life including loss is an opportunity to know our spiritual interconnectedness more deeply.
For details www.GratitudeandGrace.com

“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.”

Small Daily Tasks

2010-08-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

"A small daily task, if it be really DAILY, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules"
Anthony Trollope

This wisdom is a good thing to remember when we are feeling overwhelmed or that we cannot seem to achieve all we would like to. It reminds me of water on limestone, it has the power to wear away caves over time. Similar to love, whose action is gentle, it has the ability to make its way into the hardest heart with daily acts of kindness.

We put off so much saying I need an entire free day to tackle this task, or I need a consistent day off to really make a dent in this goal. Its not true! This is just one way to hold ourselves back from achieving. We get out of testing ourselves, we can avoid failure but in doing so we also avoid success.

So if you are attempting to love yourself more today or love a difficult person in your life or achieve a major task, know that persistence is omnipotent. Do something in line with what your heart is prompting you toward today, no matter how small. Place reminders on your fridge or somewhere you will see it to remind yourself to take time DAILY. You can achieve so much in just five or ten minutes a day - EVERY DAY. Novels have been written this way. Fitness, closer family connections, forgiveness, a more beautiful home, clearer consciousness, more peace, all of these things can be and have been achieved this way.

What could you attempt to do? I'm certainly giving thought to this idea. I know there is power in it.
I'll keep you posted.

We must maintain love.

2010-05-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

Its not what happens to us in this life that matters most - it is the attitude we take to what happens that dictates our experience.

Some people derisively call keeping a positive or optimistic attitude, a Pollyanna attitude as if seeing only the good is some how a delusion. A course in miracles would say that any other way of seeing is ego based and we have forgotten who we are. Only love exists. If a person acts unlovingly it comes from fear. When we choose to love that person despite their negativity or fearful actions we are choosing the power to heal that person. Making a person wrong, pointing to their anger or negativity we lock them into the illusion they are creating, forgiving them we see through to their innocence.

We are all innocent. Marianne Williamson says in her book, A Return to Love that when a person acts unlovingly, if they lie or hurt us with criticism or judgement, that it is a call for love. If we can step out of the way of the insult or negative behaviour and remain nonreactive we can find our power. Our power lies in seeing the illusion or dream the other person is in and seeing with the eyes of Spirit. We are instruments of love not of defense of the ego.

The choice to act this way is not easy but it is within the realm of our choosing. We can ask for help in this shift of perception. Outside circumstances don't bring us peace, it comes from within. Are you willing to stop withholding love as forgiveness? Do you choose love or fear? Let us not let the closing of another's heart tempt us to close our own. "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." (Romans, chapter 12: verse 19) , lets leave that to her as we choose love today!
Namaste.

Willingness is Worthiness

2010-04-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

I believe that whoever is willing to bring the qualities of God into expression is worthy of experiencing them. Therefore because I am willing to prosper others I am worthy of being prospered. - Science of Mind Principles

Say this out load to yourself. How does it make you feel? Does this phrase evoke a sense of truth or feeling of hope? Do questions come up in your mind about what it means to prosper others and do you feel you are doing it?
The word prosper has its origins in the latin prosperare, to make happy. The dictionary says it means to make successful or fortunate especially in financial aspects, to thrive, to flourish.

I cant necessarily make others rich, though I circulate money when I purchase services and goods and I give to charity. That's only a small of my power to be willing to prosper others.
What about to make happy? I can't make anyone happy if they are not willing to be but I can add to people's happiness by my attitude, my respect, my time and attention.

I can look at what I need to thrive and flourish in the world and provide that for myself to start with. There are so many ways, I will list just a few; getting to bed early, exercising, eating well, finding time to journal and feel gratitude, to call my friends, to be kind to myself and also exercise self discipline in the areas I am lax, expressing my creativity, my joy, my love. Sharing who I am. Your list may be similar, it may be different.

Then I can look to my family and friends, acquaintances and people I meet in the course of my day and constantly ask - how can I assist or serve this person in order that they may flourish and thrive? What is it they need right now? Is it a smile, a kind word? How can I contribute in the work place to prosper my company, my work colleagues, the patrons of my business?
The Science of Mind principle states "because I am willing," so a willingness to simply ask what a person needs to thrive is the beginning of your own prosperity. What does your sister need to thrive, what does your husband or wife or daughter need to thrive? Very often when we think about it, it is love in some form; understanding, support, compassion, a word of encouragement or approval or a listening ear. Its not difficult to prosper others, it takes our willingness to be present to them. Take that time today and "Live long and prosper!"

Take Time

2010-04-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
- H. Jackson Brown Jr.

So many perceptions of time. These days there just doesn't seem to be enough of it. I know I feel that way often. So much so that when I suddenly had some time the other day I wasn't sure what to do with it. I was a little panicked even!!

This morning was a different scenario. I found myself writing my journal as I lay on my couch looking out at the greening trees in my neighbourhood and simply so present I did not want to move. It was a delicious moment and I reminded myself to just enjoy. The house was quiet except for the ticking of the clock. I let seconds go by just listening and looking and breathing. I continued to write and as I did I could feel the morning close in with lists and choices and tasks and the old feeling of rush and tension. I recognised what I was doing and as always I knew I couldn't get everything done this morning so I had to choose. In time all things would be taken care of. Right now my power was to choose. Rather than what I usually do on a task oriented day getting caught up in doing, this morning which I consider my morning off, I chose to spend one hour doing necessary jobs and two and a half hours till lunch doing fun things. Balance!

Its all about balance. We work so hard these days despite our labor saving devices and our computers! Or because of them! The brain needs space to be be undisciplined and free flow, to reflect and rejuvenate. In this time I can assess if I am headed in the right direction, I can access my feelings about my life and my choices. I can make new choices based on what I find. If we don't take time out we are definitely on a treadmill, caught up in the rat race that goes nowhere I want to go. So give yourself time this wonderful Easter weekend. The perfect time for rejuvenation and rebirth and enjoying family and friends. Even if there is sadness in your family this Easter, be with it fully, be present for a time before life sweeps us all forward again. Just choose to be fully present, your present to the universe!

"Time discovers Truth" - Seneca

Who are you in relationship with today?

2010-03-11T07:32:00.000-08:00

Relationships, they are the thing of popular magazine covers and scandal, who is Jen seeing now? Will Brad and Angelina last?!!! We love to watch how celebrity relationships play out. Actually we love to hear stories of love. Just look at the movies we watch, almost all will have a little romance if its not the main plot. People love to be in love and if they are not, hearing your story of love will warm their hearts. It is my belief that love makes the world go around not money!
At least it moves my world!

The truth is that love, passion and relationship permeate not just our intimate relationships but every aspect of our lives. Even if we live alone and rarely venture out, love plays an active part in our day. When we put on a beautiful peice of music or choose what to eat for lunch we exercise love or the lack of it. Choosing what to wear, how to spend your day, how to perceive the events of the day or people in our lives, they all ask us to activate care and attention. Loving anything is bringing care and attention to it. Your plants wont grow without it, your relationships wont either, whether this relationship is with yourself or your pet or your mother.

So many people want to find the love of their lives, the One! I say you have found it but you dont realize it. YOU are the One, the love of your life is the love, the care and attention you bring to every task, event and happening no matter how trivial or traumatic in your day. Activating the choice to bring love to your mundane everyday tasks can enrich and enliven our lives immeasurably. When we do this, whether we find our mate or not, we experience the joy of a lifelong and faithful love that will not desert us. Then, if or when that person does show up the joy increases and the person does not carry the burden of being your main source of joy or love.
It makes for a happier and healthier partnership.

So love yourself today as you would wish to be loved. Find time for yourself, do something that brings you joy, eat healthy, enjoy the earth and its pleasures, it is full of wonders.
With love to you, Joan

Creative Visioning

2010-01-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Its life's dichotomy's that challenge me to really think. At this time of the year I love to make a Vision Board. It is a visual representation of what I would like to experience. It is similar to day dreaming, which I have a particular talent for since I was very young, much to the annoyance of my school teachers. God bless you Mrs. Duffy!

A vision board is similarly enjoyable to create as I pull images from magazines that are attractive to me. Its a playful and pleasant dreamy pursuit, yet the intention is there to somehow set in motion the energy of creation. I've heard of people creating them as you will have too if you watched "the Secret" and later finding that they live in the house they pasted on their board or driving the very make of car they chose in that dreamy state.

Getting back to dichotomies, in my attempt to figure out how come some things manifest from these boards and others do not I have heard conflicting things; you must want it with all your heart and spend time focusing on it daily! And you must release it and be equally willing to not have what you want. The moment you do this it will be yours! Can we do both at the same time?
The answer to this became clear to me as I read Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth. He says "Attachment to things will fall away when you no longer seek to find yourself in them." The motivation for wanting something is all important. How much of our value we attach to having that object matters.
Tolle puts it like this. "Ego says - I don't have enough yet, and means I AM not enough yet." When we truly value ourselves and know we ARE ENOUGH as we are - beautiful, precious, whole and complete then can we create and manifest from the substance we already are. Its all one. No separation, no barriers to joy or the idea of deserving it. As Spirit we are joy. Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness of this truth. Maybe not getting what we imagine will bring us joy serves to teach us we can be joyful anyway. And when we are joyful already more is added to it.

Desiring one more way to express joy, as in a holiday or a new car while we express it already is one way of letting go while also focusing on it daily. Whether we get that car or not we know we can express joy, if we get that relationship or not we can express love.

So with this in mind I will make my Vision Board and as I bring joy and love to my daily tasks, I can anticipate more joy, more love and more abundance in my life. And you can too.

We are Kings and Queens

2010-01-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinately precious things that cannot be taken from you." Oscar Wilde

We look at scenes from Haiti and feel for their struggle, their poverty and their loss of life. People there are suffering what we all dread, hunger, devastation of lives, homelessness, loss of families. Things will never be the same for so many. Naturally there is an outpouring of sympathy and support as differences and separation pale in the light of empathy. There but for the grace of God go I.

I am grateful today that I can give. Though I am not wealthy in finances and I live modestly, I have so much to give thanks for today. I also choose to not just carry on with a self satisfaction that its not me in that situation but look at what I can give.
After I give to Haiti in whatever way I can, I can look to my own life for people who are less fortunate and do what I can for them, remembering there is so much need in the world. Volunteering your time to the elderly living alone or to children who need a stabilizing influence has rewards untold. We are not alone or separate and we can always find something to be grateful for in being able to give. Giving of ourselves is a reminder of how rich we are.

"Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them." Napolean Bonaparte

The importance of grounding.

2010-01-09T06:14:00.000-08:00

"Unless your heart, your soul, and your whole being are behind every decision you make, the words from your mouth will be empty, and each action will be meaningless. Truth and confidence are the roots of happiness.”

I just got back from a ten day stay with family in Ireland. Living in LA as I do, this visit is exceptionally grounding for me. I always feel renewed, strengthened, more sure of myself and true to myself. With the new year just beginning I feel very positive and ready to create a new experience.

I have dreams I am working toward and goals I have set and I am very much aware of how life can distract from these focused ideas as the year progresses. This is one reason I make a Vision Board. A vision board is a collection of images I put together that represent my goals and in particular the feeling I want to experience as I actualize these intentions.

Goal setting and vision boards are powerful. Once you commit your deepest wishes to paper it's as if you are initiating the process, igniting the spark of divine creation. You have begun something which throughout the year takes on a life of its own especially if it continues to be fed by you with your enthusiasm and energy.

Keeping your vision board before you acts as a reminder of that spark. You may find yourself flagging in April or July. Don't be discouraged if things are not shaping up as quickly as you would like - maintain your attunement with yourself and make the necessary adjustments. Reaching your destination is much like driving a car. Constant steering is necessary to keep the vehicle on course.

So remember to ground yourself so you can find that certainty of who you are and what is your deepest yearning and truth. I cant always make a visit to Ireland but I can connect with the feeling either in nature, in a conversation with my sister or writing a letter to a dear friend. Identify what gives you that feeling of connection with your true self and consistently renew your spirit throughout 2010. From a foundation of stability and rootedness it is possible to build lofty dreams. From a place of deep self love and connection you can make this a great year!

The fairest thing in nature, a flower, still has its roots in earth and manure.”
D.H. Lawrence (British Poet, Novelist and Essayist, 1885-1930)

Can there be new beginnings?

2010-01-05T23:01:00.000-08:00

This bright new year is given me, to live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be my highest and my best.

New Year always invites us to review the old year and reset our course for the new. It's an opportunity to set goals and take action to create something new. I have always loved New Year for that reason. I feel if the previous year was not so great, that this marker divides my experience and can bring a new page in the book of my life. It is a nice feeling to turn over a new leaf, declare how I desire my life to improve and set an intention to take the necessary action to make it so.

Unfortunately often the best of intentions wain and resolutions are broken before we are even a quarter of the way into the year. Why can we not hold for long to our moments of high resolve? It has led me to wonder about the depth of my desire to change or if I really just prefer my old slovenly ways! I have come to the conclusion I do have a strong desire to make changes but that I often set unrealistic goals.

Change happens slowly, gradually unless one is propelled by great pain or great inspiration. So firstly I believe we could be a little gentler with ourselves as we venture to implement change in our habits. Secondly, we need to be mindful, on a daily basis and access if our actions are in alignment with what we have declared as our intention. Doing this reminds us that it is love for ourselves that motivates the changes we have chosen to make. There is no power but in the present moment, the only time we can make a choice or take action is now. Not in the past, not in the future but here and now. Be it New Years Day or March 17th, let us consciously choose our actions.

Human beings are great at self deception and rationalization, so honesty with ourselves and regular evaluation of our motives is essential to real change. The boost of the general consciousness of goal setting we feel around us at the start of the year helps get us off to a good start. This year I am marking my calendar with a big red X at the start of each quarter with the intention to review on these dates the goals I have set today. Once a year is not enough. With that I wish you a healthy and prosperous 2010 and may you effortlessly implement the changes you desire.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
Jim Rohn

Staying in Faith

2009-11-08T02:04:00.000-08:00

“Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”
C.S. Lewis, British Scholar and Novelist 1898 -1963

Its easy to be faithful when things are going well or there are minor upsets that come right with prayer and the passing of a day or two. But what is going on when its been more that a day or two and things are not well, or even a month or two, or a year or more...what then? Can you stay faithful to your belief in an abundantly good universe, a benevolent giving spirit, the working of the force for good, in and through all things?

It gets a little tougher doesn't it? And yet we know that there really is no other choice, no other Truth. I affirm this truth, which is my belief despite what I see with my eyes but I wonder, is there something I am not aware of, in my behaviour or thoughts which belie my belief, which deny or negate that faith I say I have. I wonder more when I am not seeing change, the change I desire or believe is possible. I question and examine my thinking. I look more deeply when I don't see shift or experience peace about the pattern of my life. It means I cannot continue as I have been going, that I need to do or know something different in order to experience something different.

At trying times like these its so much easier to blame the external world, the economy, the politicians, the conspiracy! The truth is, we are being guided, by "doors closing behind us" maybe rather the door we hear will open before us, if we have faith.

If whatever you are doing is not working for you its time to shift focus. Only you know the answer to your own problems. Getting quite in meditation or taking a long walk in nature will help. Ask for guidance and watch for the message in something you overhear, something seen on TV or mentioned by a friend. It's there, really it is. Be open to receive from the most unusual places. Don't forget those pennies in your path that declare in God we Trust. Keep the faith, be aware of your speech and what you are affirming by your words and deeds, remember to be guided by love and most of all be gentle with yourself. Then watch the shift happen.

“Faith makes all things possible.... love makes all things easy.” Anon.

Come from love.

2009-11-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
Howard Thurman

Can you do what comes from love today?
Just for one entire day! Do the things you love to do, and do the things you must do with love as the motivating factor. As you wash another sink full of dishes or carry out the most mundane errand can you imagine you are being of service?

Loving anything or anyone contains an element of service. When we love ourselves we listen to our needs and act and speak up so that we serve the meeting that need; for food, cleansing or letting our emotions be heard. When we love another we serve their need to be themselves and be heard, supported and acknowledged for who they are. When we do what we love it is our unique service and contribution to the world, something we have been born to do. No one else can do it quite like us, from our vision or perspective.

Life will come to an end one day and I hope we wont die with our song still in us. I hope for each of us that we live this moment with a consciousness of the gift of our life, the preciousness of time and the knowledge of how much we have to give. I saw a movie called "The Shift" http://www.dyermovie.com/ this weekend and it reminded me that in the afternoon of our lives our motivations are different to what they were in the morning and that's OK. Its how it's supposed to be.

We desire a more meaningful experience as we age than we did when we were younger. And this always involves service of some kind. Even if it's as simple as being cheerful, this is a definite service to humanity; sharing a smile while in line at the bank. Or as grand an effort as writing that novel! If we are honoring our inner urges we are also inspiring others to imagine they can do the same. What a fabulous service that is to perform.

Service has had a bad wrap. Its not about putting our desires last as we might imagine. It's more about honoring our desire and ability to contribute. The reward is a deeper satisfaction and joy that you can experience in any other way in the afternoon of life. Try it and see.

"Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try " Mary Kay Ash

Comfort for the weary

2009-10-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

"Be still and know that I am God. Instead of being disturbed by the condition, be still, that you may know the Truth."
H. B. Jeffery from The Principles of Healing

Being a nurturer by nature I have a really hard time when someone I care about is not doing well mentally or physically. They keep popping up in my mind and my heart yearns to comfort them in some way and make their lives easier, less challenging or less painful. I feel a helplessness and a sadness that weighs on me.

I used to be so much more deeply affected by this type of situation to the point of being unable to sleep and feeling the burden of responsibility to do something, fix it or find out how to make a difference. Thankfully one day it dawned on me that it was not my job.

Yes I could do what was in my power to do to help ease their burden, like bringing hot soup to a sick person or giving a word of comfort or an ear when that's what is required. But it was not my job to remove their burdensome life circumstances. Each person is on their own life path and as friends we can support them but only they can know what is in the challenge for them to learn or change or accept. Meantime there is something we can do.

Our real work is to remember the power we do have. We have the power to hold them in love, visualize them surrounded by the light of the love of all those who care, and of life itself. I try to remember to be still and know the deepest Truth for my loved one, to know the perfect, whole and unquenchable Spirit they are; that God/ Love/ Spirit is more powerful than any circumstance. As I allow myself to simply feel the deep I love have for them I am doing the work of healing. In the service of light. We are more powerful than we know! It's an excellent practice when we feel most helpless. Try it.

“Love is not consolation. It is light.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

Darkest before the dawn.

2009-10-26T05:11:00.000-07:00

“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” Anon

Have you even noticed that its just before things seem to have reached their lowest point that the cavalry arrives? In the nick of time before all is lost we are suddenly saved.
Why do you think this is? Why is disaster averted only when what we most fear is closest to becoming real? Maybe this is not your experience but I know it has happened to me.
If our deepest held beliefs are what manifest as our experience then somewhere I am harboring a notion that things must get worse before they get better. Its a tad stressful to hold this belief so here and I now I let it go!

What do I know that I can replace these ideas with?
The universe is constant in its expansion. The sun constantly shines even if clouds temporarily obscure the sight of it or night gives the impression of its having gone to sleep. Spirit it is more powerful than any circumstance or human held notion. What's true of any part of creation is true in all parts of creation so my life being the life of Spirit then I am an expression of that power. If I can manifest near disaster I can manifest order, harmony and abundance.

I cannot expect this Power to do for me more than it can do through me. My part is to remember the power at my disposal and choosing my thoughts, act in confidence, trusting without anxiety that the outcome is already good. There is no need to worry nor is there any positive effect of worry or despair.

It is necessary to have a good talk with ourselves from time to time, to check in and see where our thoughts are going and what scenarios we are imagining. There will be no need for cavalry for me. I actively choose now to see Spirit's expression in all areas of my life. Things may not always look perfect on the surface but I know the deeper truth, the silver lining tells me the sun is shining behind the clouds.

“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.”
Peace Pilgrim, American Teacher and Spiritual leader and Peace Prophet, 1908-1981

A Clarifying Commitee?

2009-10-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

“Muddy water, let stand - becomes clear.”
Lao Tzu

Confusion, muddled thinking, or even most definitely right, ego driven thinking can obscure the truth from us. Where do we turn - when the answer isn't clear?

Well, some turn to Psychics, others turn to their spouse or best friend, some become depressed and stuck and others become more forceful, bringing the sheer force of will to bear on circumstances, hopeful of gaining control of their lives. I've definitely flailed around and tried them all!

Here's another alternative I feel could have great merit. A clarifying committee! In the Quaker faith this is normal, when you are faced with a great decision. A clarifying committee is a trusted group of elders, wise people, who question the decision maker about every aspect of their decision. It is done for the purpose of the questioned one to become clear about his or her motives and to really know what their deepest and highest self desires. Her answers must be as honest and as true as they can be.

I just love this idea. I want to gather a clarifying committee. I know the trusted friends I would have on it too. It strikes me as challenging but most of all I would hope that the result would keep me true to myself, in integrity with who I am in the world, my true nature and no one else's. I want to have clarity and live authentically. Afterall its my one and only life that I am aware of, I want to live it according to the unique perspective and expression I am. No one else will do it as I do, in the way that I do and with the vision I hold. Your gifts are unique to you, the world needs what you have to give, if you dont know what that is today maybe its time to gather a clarifying committee! Or simply be your own.
What do you think? Could you go for this challenge?

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
Carl Gustav Jung

The Creative Process

2009-10-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.”
Julia Cameron

I started a painting with an intention as to what it would look like when I was done. It was an abstract concept which meant I was not stuck to anything too concrete and in watercolor paints that means all kinds of happy accidents can occur to add to the mix. Before beginning I sat quietly and closed my eyes in order to get a clearer picture as to how I was to proceed. Its always a daunting moment putting the first colors down on a blank white page. The only thing for it was to jump in.

And so I did, and as the painting progressed I would regularly walk away and take breaks so I could be somewhat detached from what was emerging. I got it to a place close to how I had originally seen it in my head but I knew it was not finished. I always feel a certain tension throughout a painting. I feel at any moment it can go either way; into the trash can or into a frame. I seem to judge it all the way through its evolution. There is often a point at which I am ready to damn it and declare it worthless and I push on through to make something of it. It can be quite painful, this process of judging your own creation.

My intention from the start of this piece was to let it create itself and so I questioned my creation all the time, "are you finished?" It said no and I proceeded to add a figure at its center. Quan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Compassion. Trees seemed to sprout from her head, and I saw a moon peak through. She seemed to presided over a tumultuous ocean. I went to bed knowing the painting was not finished yet. In the morning I woke and knew what needed to be added.

When it was done my painting was not at all what I had set out to paint. I was surprised by it, pleased with it for the most part, though I find it hard to be detached enough from my painting initially to know if I'm satisfied with it. Ive heard it said that the way we do one thing is the way we do everything. The process of this painting was so interesting to me. I thought about the way I do life; how I tend to judge the process if things are not yet resolved in some area. My friend calls it 'being in the hallway.' It's a time before you have reached a goal, there are questions, uncertainties, you must bear some discomfort until its resolution. My tendancy I find is to want to rush things to their conclusion.

The truth is we can not know the result until we know the result. Living in the grey area can be uncomfortable but if that is where you are, you have no choice but to practice patience and faith. I realized through the process of this painting that I need to have greater faith in the process. It unfolded as it had a mind to, my job was not to control but to surrender. Ah, sweet surrender!

It does feel good if we can remember to trust that all of life is a process and that what is unfolding has the capacity to surprise us in the most delightful way, if we can let go. I want to practice that more and more. How light it feels to give it over and trust, like having wings and knowing the wind current will support me. All is well. Ah sweet, sweet surrender!

“Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise.”
Julia Cameron

If not today then when?

2009-10-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
Maria Robinson

When will we choose to live? When will we choose to be happy? When will we choose to be who we really wish to be? When will we dare to risk all for what we want? If not today then when?

Can we afford to wait, will tomorrow come too soon and we find we have not lived the life we have imagined? I hope not. So many people are presently going through transitions of one kind or another as the economy changes and evolves. It's a time to evolve ourselves as well.

This too shall pass. If you find yourself out of work, in dire straight, that's a good thing to remember. In the mean time its good to reassess what is most important to us, our values, our hopes and dreams and set a new course.

Turn your eyes away from what you see around you and ask the inward questions. These answers are what will move you forward. Spirit desires your happiness and abundance, work with it. In this act of co-operation we are unstoppable. Doors open, grace steps in and for no reason you find yourself in another place looking back and wondering why you worried.

Rising above the clouds we see the sun still shines and always shines even when we cannot see it. There is good and abundance and joy even if we momentarily cant see it. Why wait to express it, start today from where you are. Give yourself ten minutes of moping if you must and then do something productive, enjoyable, for fun! Do something for someone else. Call someone you haven't called in a long time. Move, do, be! Now! Life is too short and precious to waste a moment.

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”
Ashley Smith

Growing old is not for sissies!

2009-10-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

“The soul is born old but grows young. That is the comedy of life. And the body is born young and grows old. That is life's tragedy.”
Oscar Wilde

I visited with an aging friend today, eighty seven and still working one day a week, wracked with pain, barely able to walk and ready to say goodbye to this world. All alone, she has no children and finances are tight. How must the world look to her who can no longer fully enjoy and savor it's delights? I can only imagine and judge from my perspective. Seeing her always gives me pause for thought and I wonder how my life will be when I am her age. I come away remembering it's not the circumstances of our lives that dictate our experience but our attitude.
I have known elderly individuals, in their nineties and one who lived to 102 years and it was the spirit within them that impressed me most of all. Focussed on the positive and what they could do rather than what was lost to them, these women were inspirational. If we are to grow old gracefully, in fact if we are to live gracefully, this is a wise perspective from which to view our lives. This is who I want to be and I set this intention today, realizing I have much for which to be grateful. Of course it's the simlple pleasures that endure, watching the rain fall on the window pane, the dappling of sunlight on the pavement or the birdsong in the morning. A letter fom a distant friend, a kind word or smile we can give another. Remember this as life is whizzing by you and practice that which will serve you when all the hubbub and hecticness of this stage of your life passes into a quiter phase.
Be grateful for the agility of your body even if it has begun to slow, for the pleasures you enjoy and the companionship you share. Give of yourself generously. " I want to be all used up when you die." said George Bernard Shaw and so do I. May you be too.

“If wrinkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.”
James A. Garfield

Hope springs eternal!

2009-10-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

“Hope is the dream of a soul awake.”
French Proverb

Have you ever come to that place of feeling a situation was hopeless. It seemed like nothing could make things better, either you were out of ideas or someone involved just didn't seem to have the heart or incentive to change their choices. Well, let me tell you from personal experience, be prepared to be surprised, because hope does spring eternal.

When I come across this type of situation in my own life now, or in the life of someone who has come to me for prayer, I absolutely know that nothing is impossible in Spirit. No matter how bleak or impossible the situation may seem. I have been astonished too many times to give credence to what I see with my eyes or even feel anymore.

Our feelings are not realities, they are just the result of what we are telling ourselves. For example if we are saying to ourselves "This will never work, don't even try" or "She'll never change." or "I give up, its hopeless" then you can just imagine how these words do not serve to increase our feelings of well being or allow us to envision something new! Very often we don't see the entire picture, our narrow perspective doesn't encompass the immense possibilities always available.

If we can let go of our declarations of doom and disaster for a moment and open to Spirit's vision, simply allowing for alternatives for just a moment, I think we will be pleasantly surprised. I guarantee it actually. It has never failed me. Have you ever had a similar experience? I'd love to hear about it.

“In all things it is better to hope than to despair.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Solitude

2009-10-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

“Solitude is painful when one is young, but delightful when one is more mature.”
Albert Einstein
It seems when it's our choice, solitude is a delight but if it is not, it is a lot less delightful. Sometimes I long for my space and for quiet, craving the freedom of associating with my own thoughts and reflections. It seems then I am most myself, unaffected by another's energy or opinion. Alone too I seem to be in touch with the creative flow, as I have the spaciousness to explore ideas.
I did not always feel this way. I was fearful of being alone in my twenties, fearing loneliness. Fearing that existential angst of being a life separate from others. It was painful, I did many things to avoid it. When I finally really faced it, living alone in a foreign country, some days it was a real struggle. Eventually I learned to deal with it by calling friends or meeting with them. Later it came to me that a big part of the feelings I had of isolation, of separation and loneliness was really because I was separated from my very best friend, myself!
When I did some inner child work, talking to that frightened child within me and comforting her, it seemed I finally could feel that pain recede and melt away. I've heard it called self soothing. Something we should learn as children but often don't. The healing part in this process, I believe, is being the observer, realizing that the emotion is not who we are.
We are; the observer, the comforter, the wise parent, eternal spirit, the higher self, which is always peaceful, always wise. Realizing this is liberation from pain and struggle. Try it next time you are upset by someone or by your own thoughts.
Just remember to keep the conversation inside your head so you don't risk being accused of insanity!
“I lived in solitude in the country and noticed how the monotony of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind”
Albert Einstein

Affirm what you believe, and as you believe, it will be!

2009-10-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

“Affirmation of life is the spiritual act by which man ceases to live unreflectively and begins to devote himself to his life with reverence in order to raise it to its true value.”
Albert Schweitzer, German Theologian, Musician and Philosopher. 1952 Nobel Peace Prize

These days I feel a bit off center as I am faced with many choices in my life. In times of transition nothing is certain, it feels like its all up in the air and who knows where or on whom it will fall! In essence I don't have the answers yet and not knowing can be a difficult place to dwell. I try to remember to deal with what is right in front of me, the ironing for instance or the phone call that must be made. If nothing is pressing then I find a drawer in the house to clear and organize. There are always steps to take.
In order for me to get to that step there is something else I try to remember also. Affirming the truth of who I am and what is going on. I believe I am a spiritual being and that my life is constantly expanding. My life is the life of Spirit and when I let go and follow my inner guidance I will be guided to greater joy, greater peace and greater understanding. So the first step to take is affirmation and that usually leads to a little space for peace to creep in and from there I can act. I can act from fear but peace works better for me!
Christian Science healings amazing amaze me. What impresses me most is the persistence of their affirmations. The evidence before their eyes may say other that what they affirm but they do not stop until what seems amiss comes into alignment with their truth; which is wholeness, well being, abundance, peace! Its profound! While they do this they also look at areas they may have unresolved forgiveness or resentment issues or any thought that is holding back the flow of Spirit's activity through them. You can read more at http://christianscience.com/
It's a good thing to acknowledge that with God all things are possible, the evidence is there. You have nothing to loose but your stress.
“I am optimistic and confident in all that I do. I affirm only the best for myself and others. I am the creator of my life and my world. I meet daily challenges gracefully and with complete confidence.” Unknown

Natural Healing

2009-10-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find eternity in each moment. - Henry David Thoreau

I took a hike this morning for the first time in a while. I offer no excuses but wonder why when I enjoy hiking in the hills so much that I don't go more often. It was a perfect October morning, a little chilly, I needed a sweatshirt at least part of the way. I used to hike three or four times a week so walking on the gravelly earth with the scent of sage all around me brought back happy feelings of deep pleasure.

I had recently listened to a CD on developing your intuition and one of the things recommended is to be in nature and drink deep of its healing energy. We are so bombarded by energy from people all day, particularly in cities. Even buildings and places have energy that affects us in both negative and positive ways. The earth is naturally regenerating and can sooth our jangled nerves and stresses. I think we all know that, but we forget it, caught up in the fast pace of life.

My experience this morning showed me how it takes effort to really relax if you have not done so on a regular basis. I found as I walked I would get caught up in my thoughts and miss the moment. Then a scrub jay would screech and I would be brought back to my environment. I thanked the birds for reminding me to be in the present moment.

Children don't need to be reminded. I think their ability to be present is why time seems to go so slowly for them. At least that's my memory of it. A half hour car drive to the seaside seems like an eternity. "Are we there yet, are we there yet?" Now I drive a half hour and blink, I'm there! I likened my hiking experience to our life experience, if we are not present, we miss the gifts of the moment; time flies by and next thing you know, blink, its over. Is it possible to slow down and smell the roses? It's certainly worth trying. Meditation helps, awareness helps, a desire to be here now helps. Do you have any suggestions? I'd love to hear them.

Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now. Don't miss it.- Leo Buscaglia