Last Days of the Old

I just heard the news of the passing of an old family friend who had reached the spectacular age of 102. She let go of her body after already letting go of so much, including friends and loved ones. We all must let go of so many things along lifes road.
In these last days, of what is soon to become the old year, it is a great time to reflect on what you would consciously like to leave behind you. 

Its also a great time to set intentions. Wayne Dyer wrote a beautiful book called The Power of Intention. He says the intention we set must not be self serving or material, it is more about a state of consciousness. 

“ Its not about attracting what you want, but attracting what you are. You have to just be. You have to let go. You have to allow. You have to be free and make this your consciousness. Basically, what you would see is a frequency (of energy) that manifests itself through the process of giving, of allowing, of offering and of serving. It asks nothing back.”

I think this is a worthy intention; to be true to oneself, with honesty, and kindness, in reverence and consideration for all life and in service to humanity. Being in the flow of life as our unique selves, with the gifts we have to share and the blessings we give asking nothing in return but the simple joy of showing up, fully present to life. That is my intention this year, to release any efforts at forcing, or feelings of struggle, to let go of efforts to control or manipulate outcomes, to make no judgment of good or bad but to adopt a Buddhist mantra;

"Everything that happens to me is the best possible thing that can happen to me."

I know this wont always be easy when things dont go pleasantly but I do believe I can grow from every experience that comes my way and I allow this to happen. I attract what I am by letting go.
What are you intending or allowing in the New Year?

Happy Holidays

The holiday season always brings with it some stress and lately I have begun to understand that situations that stress or frustrate us are simply asking us to find the real truth at the heart of life.
Let me explain what I mean. Ups and downs are part and parcel of life, big ones like loosing a job and small ones like screaming kids at the mall; they are pretty much unavoidable so what do we do when we can't change something?
Viktor Frankl says “When we can no longer change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” And the Buddha said the more we resist things as they are the more we suffer.

I dont think its possible to go through life without encountering something that triggers our upset or annoyance or challenges our sanity in one way or another. Its part of being human.

The real truth at the heart of life, as I mentioned earlier, is that we all deserve and are love and understanding. Something that makes us suffer is asking us to find our compassion, to remember that on a soul level we can grow through this experience and find love for ourselves and those around us. Circumstances change, things come to pass not to stay. The only lasting thing is our consciousness.
No matter if you are heading out to shop for Christmas or caring for someone with cancer, in whatever situation you find yourself pushed to your limits, remember it is in your power to practice compassion.

Soften your heart and speak gently to yourself. There is already enough stress in the world. No less than we would wish for ourselves, let us also wish the best for others. Try to find the best possible reason for a person's rudeness or seeming insensitive behavior. There is always room for more love in the world and you can be a channel for it this Holiday Season.

It is a wonderful opportunity to practice goodwill to all men.

And remember if you feel your goodwill toward men running low maybe its time to take yourself back to your sanctuary and make yourself a cup of hot chocolate as you congratulate yourself on your patience and your ability to change yourself instead of fighting the inevitable.  How powerful you are!

New Year, Old You?

Its a new year today or so we are told. The old calendar is no use. We have to get a brand new one, it feels like a chance for a fresh start.
And it can be an opportunity to reassess the state of our lives, relationships, careers and implement changes, set new goals and adjust our sails, if we are willing to change our thinking, our actions and consciously create something new.

“You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.” Albert Einstein

"Learning to see the world anew," - that means the world does not change but we who looks on it change our perceptions, our consciousness. Only you know what shifts you need to make in your own thinking.

For me as I assess my own circumstances I have decided I need to simply be more conscious of how I use my time and energy, my greatest resources. I have a tendency to set goals and ignore opportunities to follow through on implementing the steps toward that goal. Negative thinking and fear are two major impediments to pursuing my goals. So seeing the world anew for me means really evaluating the truth of the doubts and fears I become conscious of as I allow myself in the moment to be mesmerized by the worlds distractions.  If I want to create a new experience in 2013, my way of seeing the world anew is being in integrity with myself, becoming more conscious of how I spend my time and energy and creating a new consciousness with which to see my world.
How will you see the world anew and create a Happy New Year?
For inspirational stories from others who look to a higher power for support in change see www.SpiritIsTalkingToYou.com