Staying in Faith

“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.

“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

"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.

“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?

“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

“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?

“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!

“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!

“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

“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!

“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

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

Divine Timing!

“He that can have Patience, can have what he will.”
Benjamin Franklin
Our timing is definitely not divine timing I've noticed! Have you ever felt impatient with life and felt things were not happening as you would like? That's a rhetorical question by the way!!
There are times when I get so frustrated with something and being a Practitioner of Science of Mind I have to remind myself that there is an order at the back of all things. If life is not unfolding exactly to my plan I try to remember there is probably a better way that I am unaware of and I need to just have faith. I don't always know what is in my best interest from the center of my little world. There is usually a perspective I cannot see.

When I was single I wanted so much to be part of a couple and finally came to really appreciate that single state and remember it's benefits; there's no one to answer to or consider in my decision making process, less compromising and more time to myself. I used to tell myself enjoy this because the time will come when you will be in a relationship and that state has its benefits too but they are not the ones you have now. And at the right time for me in my growth and development I met my husband.

Yes it all worked out for the best but I know it can be challenging to be patient and remember what is best for us is unfolding. When I became aware that impatience is a lack of faith I made a greater effort to align with what is and trust in divine timing.
I am constantly tested but I am much less reactionary now when things don't seem to be going the way I think they should. I've seen that what is right for me will not go by me, that what I thought was right for me paled in comparison with what transpired in time.

So release your small ideas of control today and as Ralph Waldo Emerson says, get your bloated nothingness out of the way! Let Spirit work through you in divine right order and time and be prepared to be more than pleasantly surprised.

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.”
Rainer Maria Rilke

Being who we are!

“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”
John Jakes

"How long have you been an artist?" the judge asked me today as she assessed her jury candidates. "All my life." I replied. It's the truth. It's just one of those things. You are born that way. Unlike some careers you grow into or choose to go to college to be, being an artist, like many gifts we are born with, is something you carry through life. Being a good mathematician or communicator are other gifts we come into the world with. There are many unique talents we each bring to this life.
In some cases it takes a certain belief in ourselves, some courage to put these gifts to use. As an artist I have often felt like I was not part of the practical main stream of life. Many people don't appreciate what artists bring to the world. Ask any artist. Their parents wanted them to be something else, I guarantee you!
But the truth is, from the phone we use, to the cover design of the novel we are reading, to the coffee cup we drink out of in the morning, our lives are touched by artists. Everything we can lay our eyes on right now was designed by someone; an architect, an engineer, a designer, all creative and aesthetically aware, an artist or artisan.
Society seems to favor certain types and strengths over others, extroverts, entertainers, beautiful people, persuasive speakers, especially I find in the US. It has made me question my worth in the world at times. I don't think I am alone. I think we all wonder if we are contributing our strengths truly to the world and if our lives have purpose.
We all need to be who we are, embrace it, love it and unashamedly express it. There is such deep satisfaction in doing what we are here to do. How can you be more yourself, more authentic, today? What are your strengths?
If you don't automatically know them, give it some thought today. There's a website where you can take a strengths test, if you feel the need to. It's called authentichappiness.com. If you can incorporate the top three strengths into your day no matter what job you are doing, you will have greater satisfaction and happiness now. It's in your own hands. Enrich your life and the lives of those around you today by being your beautiful, unique self!
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”
Dr. Seuss

Ask for what you want.

"We find what we expect to find, and we receive what we ask for."


Elbert Hubbard, American writer.



I think we forget that there is great power in asking for what we want. So often we expect something to happen or expect a behaviour from another and get very disappointed, even annoyed when it does not unfold as we would want. How did we let our desires be known? How can someone or for that matter the universe, give us what we want if we have not expressed it clearly.

Very often we fear getting a "no" in response or we simply feel the other person should know what we want. By some telepathy I suppose! So we don't ask outright. Well if we asked directly me might get that direct no. Rejection is a deeply held fear. It goes back to being rejected from the tribe or society, from a time we could not survive alone. Risking disappointment is safer than outright rejection.

As a result we act out of fear or a lack of awareness of what is truly going on. We fail to see the possibility we could also get a yes. People are pretty obliging, they want to help, they generally want us to be happy and so does Spirit. So ask! Put it out there. Be forthright and brave, and expect the best. We may occasionally be disappointed but often delightfully surprised too.


Have you asked lately for what you want? Have you expressed a wish in wondering what something would feel like? Or by saying, yes, that's for me, when you see someone else doing or being what you want to be? These are all really great and positive ways ask for what you want and to manifest your desires. I know because they have worked for me.

What do you want?



"Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened onto you."

Being Right!

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

Social psychology research has shown that the single most important motivating factor in our decision making process and formation of our attitudes, is the desire to be right. When we hear a source that we consider credible, that we respect and admire, expressing an opinion that is different to our own, we are more likely to consider shifting our attitude. We wish to align with it, especially if it came from a trusted friend, a beloved minister or a TV personality we look up to, so that we can feel that we have it right. If they think that way then there must be some validity to it.

However I have found that if there is a position you wish to defend in the world you can find ample evidence to support that stance. This too is a recognised phenomenon in social psychology; justification of our decisions. Absence makes the heart grow fonder or is it out of sight is out of mind? For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is a good side to every seemingly bad situation, etc. Who or what is right!

How do we decide?

Is what we have been telling ourselves all our lives right? When did we form the things we believe about ourselves and the world? Could they be looked at again in the light of maturity to asses their validity?


I have uncovered many false beliefs in my lifetime and continue to do so. And the way I do it is listening. I do listen to learned women and men I respect and I always listen to my intuition. I gauge if I resonate with what I hear and assess if it frees me or binds me and people in general. Has it got love at it's center? People often ask how they can distinguish their intuition from all the other voices in their heads and I say, it may speak in gentle tones and will always have love and your good, as well as the good of all, as it's deepest desire.


The only time it screams, and it does at times, is when you have ignored it way beyond what it can stand and you'll know this because you will have been hit by the "cosmic 2 by 4" somehow. It's best not to let it get to that place and listen now. Sometimes we have to wait in silence for it's reticent voice. It is wise and knows a timing better than ours. Trust it and nothing else, it will never let you down.


The only tyrant I accept in this world is the 'still small voice' within”
Mahatma Gandhi

God Speed

“I sent my soul through the invisible,some letter of that afterlife to spell; and by and by my soul returned to me,and answered, "I myself am Heav'n and Hell"
Omar Khayyam

Loosing someone we love whether in an untimely way or after they have lived a long and fulfilling life raises questions for even those among us who have the strongest faith.
I used to visit with a lady I came to call my adopted granny for about 5 years before her death at the grand age of 95. I knew her husband also who died a year or so after I began visiting them. She felt his loss acutely but it did not dampen her zest for life despite being legally blind and her mobility slowed to a snails pace. She used to tell a story of trying to console a child who was grappling with the death of an aunt. She would tell her that that person was with her in spirit although she couldnt see her anymore and that all she had to do was think of her and she was present. The young girl seemed to understand but her response was, "That's all very well but I'd rather have someone with skin on!"


I think of that story when someone passes. I know that people sense the presence of the deceased person from time to time and definitely hold that loved one forever alive in their memory and hearts but its the loss of the physical presence that the mind has such a hard to coming to terms with.


A young man of about nineteen gave me pause for thought when he made a comment as we talked about death. He had meditated since he was very young and felt he went to that place of simply being energy or spirit when he sat to turn within. He felt as if he had already visited that place of disembodiment and pure consciousness, there was nothing to fear in the afterlife.

If death is the ultimate fear, fear of non existence, his experience is a good argument for the meditative state. Only once in my life have I had that truly freeing experience. I felt unencumbered by all my attachments to who I am on this physical plane and it was blissful.


If this is what our loved ones go on to, we can celebrate their release knowing we will join them one day or any day if we choose to incorporate deepening our meditation into our daily practice.

If I myself am heaven and hell, it's a powerful and comforting way to choose heaven as we commune with the universal energy where we are one with our beloved and they are one with us.

Can you relate to this? Have you had a similar experience? I would love to hear about it.

Emptiness is in fact form when we forget the self. There's nothing in the universe other than ourself. Nothing to compare, name, or identify. When it's the only thing there is, how can we talk about it?- Taizan Maezumi

For Clifford Giles beloved and loved by all who knew him.

Jury Duty

“I think a man's duty is to find out where the truth is, or if he cannot, at least to take the best possible human doctrine and the hardest to disprove, and to ride on this like a raft over the waters of life”
Plato (428 BC-348 BC)

The attorneys acknowledge everyone wants to be out of the courtroom. When we get the notice and have to call in and see if we are required, we pray to be released from the burden and the disruption to our lives of the dreaded jury duty! We resist and complain and moan loudly! We think up excuses and discuss strategies to evade it. We give it a lot of energy.
Naturally I prefer to get on with my life too and I understand the frustration but isn't it a bit like a child's tantrum when he is told it's bedtime. Isn't resistance futile! Might it not be a great opportunity to practice non resistance and allowing the flow.
Emmanuel Teney said “As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.” This includes jury duty as much as you may resist it! If you are meant to be the one to hear and judge the validity of the testimony of someone accused of a wrong or someone trying to escape the consequences of his action then you will be there. And your world will not fall apart though it be disrupted. If not, you will not.
This is my truth that I "ride on like a raft over the waters of life." It's not so much, what will be will be and things are preordained but that I have control of my response to what happens to me. What I think is right for me is often out of self preservation or wanting to maintain the status quo but in the bigger picture there is so much more going on. I affirm today that we let our greater good prevail and loose the ties of our small thinking. And may you be most pleasantly surprised by the results.

In deep water

“A great ship asks deep water”
George Herbert (English metaphysical Poet and Clergyman, 1593-1633)

Thomas Moore in his book Care of the Soul says that when a person ...or I will add, a country...is depressed, it feels as if there is nothing happening, everything has come to a halt, slowed down as if we are caught in the doldrums. But on a deeper level the person is shifting and re-evaluating their beliefs in a reshuffling of priorities.

When I read his words many years ago I felt them to be true. I believe that there are no mistakes and that everything is perfect as it is even though it looks so wrong and badly in need of fixing. These doldrums will pass as we shift in our thinking to catch the winds again, renewed and with a new awareness, wiser and knowing more acutely our responsibilities. We are stronger than we know.

Yes there are days I am taken in by my eyes and ears as I hear people talk from fear and negativity but I can choose to focus on something else. I can choose a bright future and even if I don't know how that can come about I know with the grace of God it will. I have witnessed it in my own life and what is true in a small scale is true in a large one too. If you have ever studied statistics, which I am presently, you will know the pattern of results doesn't change if you change the scale! What do you choose to imagine? If you join me in seeing a strong, globally conscious and concerned world where people listen to each other then together we can make it so. To quote Rumi - "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." In that field of infinite possibilities why not join me in imagining something amazing and then live our lives from that vision. Sounds better than the alternative you must agree!

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”
Seneca (Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)

Finding Peace

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Where is peace to be found? On a hillside, by a lake or the ocean, in a garden, in nature? Yes, all of those but it can be found equally within. We find it in these quite locations because we allow the outward setting to affect us. The ionized air of the ocean seems to demand a deeper breath than we usually take. We say scenery is breathtaking! And it is and we do.

Yet it is possible to take that breath anywhere at anytime. Just today I could feel mild anxiety weighing on me and I wanted to push it aside and get on with things. It was a nuisance to me, unwanted, burdensome, old and unproductive. Doing battle with it was just adding to the tasks of my already busy day. I wanted to be rid of it.

Knowing as I do that what we resist persists I realized I had to go with it and so I turned and faced it taking a deep breath and saying OK, what are you? As I allowed myself to feel it and breathe deeply, being with it for a moment or two, it had already gone. For it really was a shadow with no substance. I affirmed God as my source and I moved on feeling light and free and at peace.

The peace we feel in nature is simply nature reflecting what is already present. Peace is here and now fully present for you to experience. Be breathtaking today and know that you are peace.

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

Buddha (563-483 B.C.)