A great spiritual practice is to catch yourself judging and choosing to let it go. This includes judging ourselves, others, situations or events.
How often do we find ourselves saying things like "That should never have happened?" or "Why did I do that?" or "I wish so and so weren't so ___________(fill in the blank)." The fact is, so-and-so is the way that she or he is and wishing it weren't so isn't going to change a thing. There is great freedom in accepting that so-and-so is the way that they are. When we stop judging things as good or bad, or right or wrong we can actually begin to deal with situations constructively, prior to that we are stuck in wanting things to be different.
To discern what is right or not right for you is wise. To judge is futile and unwise. The aborigines have a saying when something happens that is not right for them...they say "that smells bad." When something smells bad you simply move away. They do not judge the person or situation as good or bad. When they feel that something is not right for them they move away.
Accepting things as they are can bring up pain or disappointment or some other feelings. If so, feel it and move on. Let yourself come face-to-face with the situation and let the feelings about it be. Then deal with what is right in front of you.
Live wisely by accepting what is happening. Let the feelings about the situation open your heart as they move through you.
We are not here to judge. We are here to experience and enjoy what life presents to us. Let go of judgment and live freely.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Stay present with your heart and your shell will be cracked open
At a New Year's visioning experience in January the question was posed "What is Spirit's highest vision for you?" The answer that I received was "That my shell be broken open so that Spirit can flow freely."
Life breaks open our shells if we let it.
Stay present with your heart and your shell will be cracked open.
One aspect of growing spiritually is learning to handle our emotions...that doesn't mean making them go away, it means learning to let them be without having to avoid them and without letting them control your life.
Be present with whatever is happening in your heart. Let it grow you. Let it open you. Your Soul is calling to you through the matters of the heart. Will you listen?
Some Rumi quotes to inspire and support you on the journey:
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
“That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful.”
“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?”
― Rumi
Life breaks open our shells if we let it.
Stay present with your heart and your shell will be cracked open.
One aspect of growing spiritually is learning to handle our emotions...that doesn't mean making them go away, it means learning to let them be without having to avoid them and without letting them control your life.
Be present with whatever is happening in your heart. Let it grow you. Let it open you. Your Soul is calling to you through the matters of the heart. Will you listen?
Some Rumi quotes to inspire and support you on the journey:
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
“That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful.”
“And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?”
― Rumi
Thursday, January 16, 2014
CHANGE DEMANDS INTO A PREFERENCE
One simple change that seems to make a big difference in my ability to not resist life is to:
CHANGE DEMANDS INTO A PREFERENCE
Instead of being frustrated about sitting in traffic, when I say "I would prefer not to be in traffic" it puts things into a better perspective. No one likes to sit in traffic but it really isn't the end of the world. Viewing things as preferences lightens them up a bit and makes it easier to let them go.
Life is an experience than I am having. I have very little control over what actually happens in my life but I have a lot of control over how I respond to what is happening in my life.
At any moment I can choose to change demands to preference, or choose to be happy-no-matter-what, or surrender to God, or move into appreciation and gratitude, or stay present with my feelings and allow them to pass through me, or change my perspective by moving my awareness to the question of "Who am I?"
There are many techniques such as these that I can use in any given moment.
What I do not want to do is stay stuck in judging, blaming, complaining, being irritable, resisting what is happening, or reacting to life based on past conditioning.
What if when you get to Heaven some day (: God says to you "Hey what happened? You were supposed to be experiencing and enjoying the life that I created for you and instead you spent most of your time trying to arrange people, events, and things the way you wanted them to be. You missed all of the gifts that I had provided for you: the birds that sing and dance for you, the breeze that caresses your sweet face, a bounty of fresh fruits to delight your tastebuds, flowers to brighten your day, children to bring you joy, and a family of millions of brothers and sisters to share this experience with."
Lets not miss out on the gifts of life because we are so busy trying to get somewhere else. Maybe where we are right now is just fine, no matter what. Maybe it is more about how we respond to life rather than what is actually taking place. In each moment we have a choice...what will it be for you?
CHANGE DEMANDS INTO A PREFERENCE
Instead of being frustrated about sitting in traffic, when I say "I would prefer not to be in traffic" it puts things into a better perspective. No one likes to sit in traffic but it really isn't the end of the world. Viewing things as preferences lightens them up a bit and makes it easier to let them go.
Life is an experience than I am having. I have very little control over what actually happens in my life but I have a lot of control over how I respond to what is happening in my life.
At any moment I can choose to change demands to preference, or choose to be happy-no-matter-what, or surrender to God, or move into appreciation and gratitude, or stay present with my feelings and allow them to pass through me, or change my perspective by moving my awareness to the question of "Who am I?"
There are many techniques such as these that I can use in any given moment.
What I do not want to do is stay stuck in judging, blaming, complaining, being irritable, resisting what is happening, or reacting to life based on past conditioning.
What if when you get to Heaven some day (: God says to you "Hey what happened? You were supposed to be experiencing and enjoying the life that I created for you and instead you spent most of your time trying to arrange people, events, and things the way you wanted them to be. You missed all of the gifts that I had provided for you: the birds that sing and dance for you, the breeze that caresses your sweet face, a bounty of fresh fruits to delight your tastebuds, flowers to brighten your day, children to bring you joy, and a family of millions of brothers and sisters to share this experience with."
Lets not miss out on the gifts of life because we are so busy trying to get somewhere else. Maybe where we are right now is just fine, no matter what. Maybe it is more about how we respond to life rather than what is actually taking place. In each moment we have a choice...what will it be for you?
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Observe how the lilies of the field grow...
I have been enjoying a couple of (non-fictional) novels (Mutant Message Down Under, and, Mutant Message From Forever) which talk about the spiritual practices of the Australian Aborigines people. Despite the bad press the Aborigines are deeply spiritual people. They live very close to the Earth, believing that nature (Spirit or God) always provides. One of their mottoes is to "Have faith in yourself and trust the path."
Given that we are One with Spirit we can have confidence in our selves to handle any and all situations that arise in our life. Wisdom, clarity and divine right action are always available to us.
Trusting the path means that life always provides for our needs. During a walk-about through the Australian desert, the Aborigines keep their eyes open for food (i.e., often small animals that cross their path). As you can imagine there is not a lot to eat in the desert, however, nature always provides for them... they just need to keep their eyes open.
Trusting that life is supporting us at all times is a great way to live. However, it can be difficult to trust that all of our needs are being met all of the time. Instead of accepting life we may struggle with, manipulate, try to control, or avoid aspects of our lives. Learning to trust the path can be a spiritual practice. If we relax into life instead of resisting what is showing up, and watch/listen for guidance we will find that it is always there! The Universe always provides for us. We are always being taken care of. All is well.
As it says in Matthew 6:28:
"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,"
Given that we are One with Spirit we can have confidence in our selves to handle any and all situations that arise in our life. Wisdom, clarity and divine right action are always available to us.
Trusting the path means that life always provides for our needs. During a walk-about through the Australian desert, the Aborigines keep their eyes open for food (i.e., often small animals that cross their path). As you can imagine there is not a lot to eat in the desert, however, nature always provides for them... they just need to keep their eyes open.
Trusting that life is supporting us at all times is a great way to live. However, it can be difficult to trust that all of our needs are being met all of the time. Instead of accepting life we may struggle with, manipulate, try to control, or avoid aspects of our lives. Learning to trust the path can be a spiritual practice. If we relax into life instead of resisting what is showing up, and watch/listen for guidance we will find that it is always there! The Universe always provides for us. We are always being taken care of. All is well.
As it says in Matthew 6:28:
"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,"
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Three Wise Men and Conscious Completion
There are two topics that I would like to write about this week.
The first has to do with the Christmas story seen from a metaphysical/mystical perspective where each character in the story represents an aspect of self.
What stands out for me is King Herod and the three Wise Men. As the three Wise Men were on their way to Bethlehem to find Jesus they told King Herod that a Messiah had been born. King Herod felt threatened and so he told the Wise Men to report back to him letting him know where Jesus could be found. After finding Jesus, one of the Wise Men had a dream not to tell Herod where Jesus was and so they did not.
Using this as a metaphor, King Herod represents ego while the three Wise Men represent a wiser part of self. We have a choice in each moment to listen to the Herod within (who is threatened by the idea that there is a power greater than itself that lives in us and as us) or, we can listen to the wisdom within which always directs us to the Light of Truth. The Wise Men did not try to eliminate Herod, they simply did not listen to him and instead they followed the Light! I do not need to try to get rid of my ego, I simply choose not to listen.
The second idea has to do with a term that Pattie Mercado introduced to me which is "Conscious Completion." This practice involves bringing a conscious awareness to activities, events, situations as they are ending (i.e., noticing what the experience was like) in order to let them go without holding onto regrets, hurts, resentments, unfinished business, or even the positive aspects of situations (which we sometimes want to cling to).
As 2013 comes to a close can we be conscious of what occurred throughout the year? Perhaps recalling the times when we listened to the Herod-within instead of acting with wisdom? Can we touch those situations and then let them go? Same with the joyous, beautiful moments of 2013...can we recall these and let them go? Not attaching to anything allows us to enter the next moment with open hands ready to receive the gifts that Spirit has been waiting to give to us.
Much Peace, Joy, Love and Light to you in 2014 and beyond!!!
The first has to do with the Christmas story seen from a metaphysical/mystical perspective where each character in the story represents an aspect of self.
What stands out for me is King Herod and the three Wise Men. As the three Wise Men were on their way to Bethlehem to find Jesus they told King Herod that a Messiah had been born. King Herod felt threatened and so he told the Wise Men to report back to him letting him know where Jesus could be found. After finding Jesus, one of the Wise Men had a dream not to tell Herod where Jesus was and so they did not.
Using this as a metaphor, King Herod represents ego while the three Wise Men represent a wiser part of self. We have a choice in each moment to listen to the Herod within (who is threatened by the idea that there is a power greater than itself that lives in us and as us) or, we can listen to the wisdom within which always directs us to the Light of Truth. The Wise Men did not try to eliminate Herod, they simply did not listen to him and instead they followed the Light! I do not need to try to get rid of my ego, I simply choose not to listen.
The second idea has to do with a term that Pattie Mercado introduced to me which is "Conscious Completion." This practice involves bringing a conscious awareness to activities, events, situations as they are ending (i.e., noticing what the experience was like) in order to let them go without holding onto regrets, hurts, resentments, unfinished business, or even the positive aspects of situations (which we sometimes want to cling to).
As 2013 comes to a close can we be conscious of what occurred throughout the year? Perhaps recalling the times when we listened to the Herod-within instead of acting with wisdom? Can we touch those situations and then let them go? Same with the joyous, beautiful moments of 2013...can we recall these and let them go? Not attaching to anything allows us to enter the next moment with open hands ready to receive the gifts that Spirit has been waiting to give to us.
Much Peace, Joy, Love and Light to you in 2014 and beyond!!!
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