Yutori

The Japanese have a word for the beautiful concept of

spaciousness...Yutori. 

Writer and story coach Sally Fox describes it as: 
living with enough time and enough space to allow the world to fill you, often in simple ways.

Seems easy enough to do, doesn’t it?  But so often we find ourselves rushing to an event or appointment arriving exactly on time or, perhaps, even a few minutes late and, thereby, leaping directly into the scheduled activity, missing the beautiful ambiance of the moment.   And, yet, it is in this wondrous and mystical ambiance that the world speaks to us and fills our souls with the energy of every element that is a part of each scene we enter.

We live truly enchanting lives.  Each new setting we find ourselves in holds vibrational  character and potential personal impact.  Each setting is just waiting to interact with us having been assembled by the Divine Universe to address the issues we care about and are concerned with.

But we must trust our hearts to be the connectors, inviting them to listen, see and feel the moment.  Every living thing has an animating spirit.  Every animating spirit exists to support our journey.  All we need do is invite and engage the support we seek.  We are surrounded by thousands of opportunities, by animating spirits excited for us, joining together to help us evolve.  Everyone and everything is BREATHING this joyful ministry.

Messages are waiting to be delivered to inspire and motivate us. The scent of a beautiful flower may evoke a tender feeling in our hearts.  The sight of a child’s playfulness can remind us of the purity and power of authenticity.  The coldness of the steel we touch may evoke the memory of a news report of immigrant children sleeping on cement floors.  Any or all of these moments may stir our hearts to take action in the direction we wish to grow.

But to SEE all of this, to not pass it by we must invite each moment of our day to speak to our hearts and we must create the spaciousness for this to happen.  We must pause in our valiant efforts of DOING to choose BEING instead.  Being present.  Walking into a moment and breathing it into our hearts.  Feeling ease.  Seeing the love and support awaiting us.  Inviting the spirit and beauty of all things to engage with us in our SPACIOUS lives. 

YUTORI 

                                                         Marie Helena 

image from Pinterest

The Ride of Your Life

Spiritual writer Eckhaart Tolle comments often about the power of the Present Moment and the importance of our acceptance of it.  

Recently, I encountered

a quote of his in which he goes beyond that guidance, instructing us to do more than just take the Moment and reconcile ourselves to it.

Here is the leap he is recommending.

"Accept - then act.  Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it."  

And Tolle promises us that this action "will miraculously transform" our whole lives.

What a  powerful concept to consider!  

This action would ensure a strong forward movement in life without the doubts and misgivings that we sometimes harbor about the choices of our actions.

If we were actually able to do as Tolle suggests, what would that say about us?

It would say that we trust we are unconditionally loved and cared for.

It would say we have an unshakable faith in the wisdom of  Divine Guidance.


It would say that we understand that everyone and everything exists together in the Divine Matrix. 

It would say  we are not attached to the whisperings of our ego.

It would say we have chosen the creativity and excitement of the spiritual evolutionary path over the comfort of old " fixes".

It would say that we watch with anticipation and expectation for synchronicities to show up and point us to areas of our lives that need attention.

What a system!  

Could  it be more perfect?

If you were to take an audit on the stipulations listed above...where would you land? 

Are you ready to take the ride of your life?

                     Marie Helena 

Invitation to the Dance

Simplicity is such a beautiful virtue.  It has a purity and clarity to it...and a certain easewhich comes when we understand the basic principle upon which something is operating.  



Let's apply that to life in earth school which can seem so full of twists and turns, complications and complexities.


But maybe it really isn't what it appears to be. 


Our souls have chosen to have an earthly experience and have designed opportunities for us to learn the lessons we have selected for ourselves.  Those opportunities include the circumstances and events in our lives and the people with whom we come in contact.  Each of these plays a part in our earth school story representing an opportunity for us to be encouraged, affirmed or inspired by what we experience. Some of these vignettes are positive and delightful...some are challenging, frustrating and even painful.  All of them provide us with the impetus for growth and change if we so choose.


Viewed from this vantage point, life reveals itself to be a number of scenarios
which attract our attention and invite us to embrace each opportunity by stepping INTO the Present Moment, navigating our way through intense circumstances, acquiring new wisdom and stepping UP to a new and grander version of ourselves.


The protocol is simple AND profound.  We need not worry about what will happen to us next as IT'S ALL GOOD.  We only need decide IF and HOW we want to rock each opportunity.


We are the designers of our multi-faceted plan.  We have come here to experience, to learn.  Because of our agreement in the veil of forgetfulness we may be bewildered by the unfolding of these events but, on some level, our soul clearly knows the heights we can reach.




Are you dancing with this Divine Universe in the amazing story of YOUR life?

                                 Marie Helena 

image from Thyme Graphics

Our Treasure Chests

In a recent blog post I made the deeply passionate statement:  If we keep ourselves in a state of BLISS our bodies will naturally do their  work of healing.

A wonderful genie (metaphorically speaking), Georgiann Voissem,  had shared that amazing thought with me  recently and I have been totally entranced with this concept.

Today I spent some time reflecting on how to achieve that state. 

I came up with the thought  that we naturally end up in that place when we make healthy choices regarding what we are putting into our bodies. 

That idea sparked a memory for me of an earlier blog post I had written (Happy Birthday to Me, June, 2011)in which I had listed a number of ways I would celebrate my birthday all through the year by having the intention to return to radiant health.

Today it occurs to me that this list was a wonderful beginning to my quest for reaching this avenue of BLISS so I am reprinting it here for your consideration.


Ground each moment.

Walk often during the day.

Enjoy the beauty of nature.

Connect with the rain.

Adore the sun.

Enjoy every different color in the sky.

Drink generous amounts of water.

Meditate.

Stand tall.

View each person as a mystery... unraveling...
and bless my role as witness to that.

Experience the day in vignettes.
When one is complete, release and move on.

Celebrate my efforts.

Study others to find their beautiful character.

Choose foods from nature’s bounty.

Hug my favorite tree.

Completely feel my emotions.

Clear out a little clutter each day.

Be authentic.

Speak my truth and listen to others' truth.

Get up and move around every twenty minutes.
 
Write my blog.  :)

Give thanks.

Embrace the Present Moment.

Embrace the pain body and gain the wisdom of each lesson.

Dance.

Sing.

Be silly.

Simply be.

Invite a sprinkling of moonbeams to help me see the soul view of what is happening.

Do Over difficult moments guided by Higher Self.

Vibrate at a high frequency using Conscious Intent.

Listen to water.

Embrace my intuition.

Appreciate life for the amazing gift that it is.

Read uplifting thoughts.

Acknowledge every wonderful thing I see.

Hold space for those in distress (as my energy permits).

Watch the birds and squirrels outside my window.
 

I am sure YOU will have many other unique ideas regarding achieving the state of bliss and I invite you to send them to me as a comment to this blog (see section below) so we can all share in the TREASURE of your imagination!

                        Marie Helena 

image from lytle.lps.schooldesk.net

Painting the Picture of Your Life

L

  

If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path.  

Your own path you make with every step you take.  That's why it's your path.

                                       

              Joseph Conrad

  THE GIFT OF CREATION  is not reserved for artists, composers, designers, authors.  

EVERY ONE of us is a creator and we are creating the journey of our life with every step we take...every decision we make... every thought we think...every word we speak... every emotion we feel.

And we are constantly reinventing that journey...

turning in new directions, becoming aware of new concepts, discovering new beauty in life, observing our reactions and behavior and learning from them 

or

staying stuck in old patterns, resisting new information, dwelling on what feels uncomfortable or difficult and, thereby, digging ourselves deeper into depression or desperation.

We are not static beings.

We are constantly dipping into thoughts,memories and emotions to produce the colors of the art which is our life.

And there is great reason here for hope and optimism.  Every day...every moment is an opportunity to influence the unfolding of this object 'de arte,

And we have the OPPORTUNITY to choose how we respond to every thing that happens.  

We can choose to recognize, acknowledge and experience our feelings. 
  
We can choose to express those feelings authentically...to speak our truth in the best way we know how.  

We can not only love ourselves enough to honor and own our feelings we can also love others enough to respect and honor theirs.  

We can choose to accept the flow of life and be open to the lessons it is presenting to us.  

We can choose to find the GIFT in every moment.

What makes up the artist's palette of your life?  

Are you constantly trying new brushes, new colors, new materials and tools?   

Do you stand back or to the side to get a different view of what you are creating? 

 Do the sun and moon illuminate your work and make it sparkle?

Every day, every moment you  bring new perspectives, new vision to your work.  How will you paint your picture today?

                      Marie Helena 

image from clipartof.com

Island Metaphor

Imagine you have been selected to appear on the newest reality show which will be taking place on an amazing island where everything you might possibly need has already been provided.  No matter what you decide to do...design something, construct something, invent something…ALL resources are available.  But, and here is the sticking point, they are hidden within the topography of the island.  They are most certainly there, but they are not easy to see.  And they emerge into your view only when you are truly ready for them and not a moment before.

The challenge then becomes how does one get ready to receive these resources?  And this cannot be done through manipulation, force or trickery. Only authentic responses ensure their accessibility.

Welcome to the reality show of your life!  And it is simultaneously amazing and magical whileconfusing and challenging, too.


And this is because we perceive that we live in linear time but, in fact, there is only the NOW.  The past and the future are only an illusion but we are so convinced of them that we can only recognize things within the context of logical progression.  And so we fail to see that the opportunities… the resources… are ALWAYS available but, because of our programming, they are hidden in plain sight.

Wondrously, it appears the Divine Universe is designed to accompany us on our journey and offer us support precisely at the moment we are ready to receive it.


        Isn't it amazing how so many of the things we need arrive at just the opportune moment.
       Almost like magic or a miracle.  
       But it can't be a miracle if it is already there.  
       It just must be something in us has let us see what we need.

                                               Paradigm Shift


In the reality show of our life we move through a series of challenges designed by our soul to learn lessons and help us develop character traits. If we authentically embrace whatever is being presentedto us and offer no resistance, we are "ready" and the Universe  makes accessible to us whatever ideas or resources are necessary to navigate our path.


What so often appears to be a coincidence or good fortune that has just occurred, in reality, has been residing in the eternal NOW, awaiting our awarenessand receptivity.
.

If, indeed, everything we ever need to grow and evolve is available to us whenever we are ready to "see" it, could we possibly live in a more loving and compassionate Universe?  Cerebral, provocative, emotionally rich and intelligent.  Profound in conception.   Home.

                                                                                              Marie Helena



image from pinterest.com
Caribbean islands and island life

Unspeakable Kindness

 

Bestselling American author 
Geneen Roth tells us that whenever we feel an upsetting explosion of emotion that arrives unexpectedly and without invitation, it is a holy moment.  Sacred information is being revealed to us and it is our being triggered that opens this fascinating door to our awareness.

This triggering is not an easy moment for any of us.  It is messy and confusing and unpredictable...but it is real.  We can feel it in our bodies and now we can no longer pretend that nothing is wrong.  It is here and it is running the show.

Yikes, we think.  This is not how I want to express myself.  But the intensity of the moment has revealed our truth... something is very wrong and disturbing us and it wants to...it demands...to be heard.

How do we deal with this maelstrom

of emotional turbulence?

We WELCOME the messengers.

But who are these strangers who have burst into the middle of our lives?

Geneen Roth has chosen a mysterious and compelling image to describe these characters who are presenting the epiphanies  to us.  She calls them Ghost Children.  And we all have a cache of them waiting in line to be recognized and heard.

I think Roth calls these characters ghosts because they are the couriers of unresolved pain and she calls them children because they represent our innocence as we enter the world and also because they are persistent as all children are in wanting to be heard and acknowledged.

And what are we to do with these internuncios...these  emissaries of the soul longing for acknowledgment and release? Roth has a remedy to suggest.  She instructs us to welcome, love and question our ghost children.

Further, she passionately advises us to be unspeakably kind to them 

for they represent our unhealed hearts and, left unattended, they will affect the way we view life and ourselves and how we interact with others.

This may seem a very challenging way to deal with our own storm surges  and the emotional explosions of others because the very act of being triggered or of triggering others is fraught with grave tension and anxiety and the survival protection of defensiveness.

But, when a triggering occurs,  it is unhealed hurt that has gathered the courage to speak and it needs to be honored.  Hence, the unspeakable kindness Roth proposes for when our tears, metaphorical or otherwise, are attempting to show themselves for release and resolution, we will always do this more easily when we have been met with loving kindness.  When an open heart responds to our pain, we are gently encouraged to examine the circumstances that have inspired it.

When moments of Intense and disturbing gravitas are met with beautiful  tenderness, love and “unspeakable kindness” we move together through an incredible 

transmutation and healing. 

This vision of Geneen Roth is beautiful and  inspiring.  We have the ability to dream it and, having dreamt it, we can more easily manage to make this a hallmark of our lives.

                            Marie Helena

Image from pinterest