The Dawn Has Come

Happy New Year to you all.
I hope you are feeling positive even if its just a date on a calendar it does give us the opportunity to re-evaluate our choices and make new ones, to look at the past and see what we might like to change about our direction and what ways we can be more proactive in creating the life we want.

I am feeling very positive and as always being conscious of the guidance there is available for us all as I navigate the mundane of my daily tasks.
As some of you know I have been grieving the loss of my beautiful mother. Having lived in LA for the last 20 years I have had a letter from her almost every two weeks over that period of time despite my weekly phone calls! In her thoughtful way she always tucked into the envelope a poem, a photo or a clipping from the Irish newspaper that she thought I might enjoy. I miss her little love notes but fortunately I kept quite a few and have been perusing some of them and sharing them with family.
Now in the first new year she did not see I have been blessed in being busy work-wise and I feel the shift of my focus to my future and not the past. And yet her love is always with me.
Just yesterday I was putting away some printer paper and there as I rearranged the drawer I found a poem and piece of card with a quote in my mothers handwriting. Coming upon it unexpectedly was like the delight of finding a letter in my mailbox. Seeing her familiar handwriting lit up my heart.
And the quote - like a message from beyond said;
"Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come."
by Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet
I was delighted with my first message of 2014 from my mother in Spirit.
Keep your eyes open, Spirit is talking to you and together we can make it a great 2014.

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
Rabindranath Tagore
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/dawn.html#ymqbLvvb5IiKHLkm.99

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
Rabindranath Tagore
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/dawn.html#ymqbLvvb5IiKHLkm.99

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
Rabindranath Tagore
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/dawn.html#ymqbLvvb5IiKHLkm.99

Being Present

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.

Love one another

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!

Connecting to the Divine

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.

Oneness

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.

Let Death lose its Sting...

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.”

The importance of grounding.

"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)