Bridge to the Universe

Today the new automobiles being designed have STATE-OF-THE-ART mechanisms to guide and protect us and preserve the life of the vehicle. 

If you are feeling warm, there's the luxurious air conditioning; if cold, you can turn up the heat...and to exactly the temperature you desire. 

Would you like your driver's seat warmed...no problem.  

Are your windows fogged or icy...not to worry.  

Confused about directions...your GPS will help you out here.  

There are even some luxury automobiles that instinctively know when you should stop...even if you missed the signals...and will do it for you.

If you owned one of these beauties would you even consider NOT using these exquisitely designed instruments? 

Would you fail to get your vehicle checked over periodically and not promptly attend to any irregularities that are presenting themselves for your attention?

I'm betting you would take EXQUISITE care of this special property. 

Not only would you use the wide array of functions available for your comfort and care, you would enjoy doing so and consider yourself uber-fortunate to be the owner of this treasure.

Why is it that we would most probably use these spectacular features and take such special care and give such great attention to an item of property we own...

and yet perhaps fail to do so with the greatest instrument ever designed...OUR  BODIES?

So easy, isn't it, to take them for granted.
And yet, they are super strong, resilient and even self-healing IF we take the time to pay heed to their messages.

Our automobiles will register problems in the word messages that appear in front of the driver:  Low Oil, Low Fuel, Maintenance Required.  They are easy to read and notice.

With our bodies, we may need to tune in to some  subtle  cues. 

If we find ourselves  grumpy or out of sorts, we may be in need of some more rest...or we may be out of balance (too much of one thing...work, play, overindulgence, etc.).

Or...we may not be taking the time we need for relaxation and reflection...always leaving those items on the list of NO TIME - SORRY!

If we keep short-changing  ourselves on this one, the quality of our work and relationships will suffer and our joyfulness factor will zoom downward.

 

Those  PLEASE ATTEND TO THIS  PROBLEM messages from our body might keep appearing with regularity and with just as much non-attention, we may keep ignoring them...until  KERPLUNK...we land in a disaster of our own making.  (The writing was on the wall, but we were too busy to notice.)

Perhaps we are only now learning HOW MUCH HELP the body can really give us...for example, energy testing our food and drink before we consume it to see if it is a good match for us.   

This can easily be done by standing near a kitchen counter.  Hold a can of soup in one hand.  Extend that arm straight out to the side, perpendicular to your body.  As you slowly raise and lower the arm notice how much stress you feel.  Now, repeat this exercise but this time use your other hand to hold the food/drink you are considering consuming next to your chest. You will be able to tell if your body does NOT like this choice of food or drink because the arm you are moving up and down will feel heavier.

Quite a remarkable system...and this is perhaps only the smallest glimpse of what the body can do for us...tell us...help us with.

Here is a message from Meredith Murphy highlighting the amazing abilities of this exquisite instrument:

Our body is our BRIDGE TO THE UNIVERSE.  

It is infinitely wise and continually renewed and expanded.  As we listen to our body more and more we are led from the aliveness that exists in each cell-fully informed of our future unfolding and able to guide us in all things.  Take something you're not sure about, and reflect on the options while feeling your body.  Your body sensations will give you a sense of the electromagnetic resonance of each option with the leading edge of you. 

(Life at the Ideafrontier, Expect Wonderful) 

It appears we are still in the process of discovering the remarkable and astounding abilities of our bodies to guide and lead us forward into a radiant, happy and joyful life...to tap into the universal intelligence of the Divine Universe.

No saving up for this one.  No payment plan.  No taxes or interest.

We already OWN this fabulous possession.    Do we recognize it for the gift that it clearly is?

image from beyond-the-law-of-attraction.org

Cheers!

Everyone loves a cheerleader.  

Cheerleaders are animated,  positive, affirming people who will root for you with all of their energy. 

If you fail to finish a move, cheerleaders will be filled with compassion for your plight and will lift you up to try again with their encouraging comments.

Now here's a very unusual place where we could introduce the cheerleader:

Right when we are annoyed because someone forgot to remember what we have asked them to do (and they have already agreed to do it).

Not the typical setting you might envision.  

But borrowing the role of cheerleader at this time could possibly help us make the leap from a frustrated, complaining individual who is desperately trying to keep it together when someone steps on  his "sacred" ground to becoming instead a mentor, encourager and supporter.

When someone fails to act upon information we know they have  but instead resorts to old default behavior and our buttons get pushed, we are faced with the problem of how to respond.

If our buttons do get pushed and we have a reaction, then it is truly OUR issue that needs to get attention from us...and, if we can change the playing field and come out dressed as the cheerleader instead of the umpire...everything might go easier for us.

Here's an example of what we might say:  

"Oh, gee, sorry about that...I know you were working on handling that in a different way.  You'll get the hang of of it and pretty soon it will feel natural to you."

After we make this kind of statement  instead of unloading our annoyance, we can walk away from the interaction pleased that we took the HIGH ROAD instead of joining in and kicking up more static in the fray.

Just takes a SIMPLE SHIFT in role-playing...different lines...different moves...but the APPLAUSE we give ourselves after this dramatic shift would be astounding.  

Now we have become our OWN cheerleader, too...for we have managed to sidestep a drop into OUR old, negative, critical  behavior.

While we're at it, we might as well dream up a cool imaginary cheerleading outfit for the task.  Shopping in our imagination is just another way to have fun (at no cost to our budget) and to  increase the pleasure of our encounter.

Always, always access your creativity to solve a problem!

Go, team!




image from freecraftunlimited.com

Remembrance: Why We Should Forgive Ourselves

FORGIVE YOURSELF.

The supreme act of forgiveness is when you can forgive yourself for all the wounds you've created in your own life. Forgiveness is an act of self-love. When you forgive yourself, self-acceptance begins and self-love grows,
 
Don Miguel Ruiz

As we write the story of our life, our learning occurs in a myriad of ways.  Sometimes the path is straight and clear.  We take action that feels instinctively right...it works beautifully...we benefit and all is well.
 
Sometimes our learning takes a different path.  

Sometimes we are influenced by unhealed pain, hurt, unmet needs, etc. and we choose a path that is not in our best interest.  But, at that time, the choice we made felt like the only way we could go.

And so we went there.  And it was not what we expected. 

All was not well.  And we ultimately JUDGED ourselves for the choice and stayed mired in sadness and regret. 

Writing the story of our life is not usually a black and white endeavor.  Sometimes we are drawn to what SEEMS like a solution but ultimately does not deliver on that (false) promise. 

 

However, our learning can occur quite brilliantly when we can view our actions with some objectivity...

perhaps uncover what has moved us in that direction...

love ourselves through the pain of self-confrontation,,,

and emerge with a stronger, braver view of what we want to do with our lives.

Judging ourselves (or anyone or anything) is not productive. 

It delays our process of learning.  

What is needed is an open, accepting heart that understands we were trying to navigate some difficulty...a heart which knows that LOVE is always expressing itself the best way it knows how.

What we did is what we knew.  When we know better, we do better.  

And, as we reflect on our choices and their consequences, we begin to know better and we do better.  We pass by judgment, embracing instead our humanity and moving forward with new wisdom and insight.

 

Perhaps the forgiveness which Don Miguel Ruiz is talking about can really be called the simple act of KNOWING that we are on a journey with some distracting side paths which ultimately can lead us to our true destination...a REMEMBERING of the glorious perfection of Who We Truly Are and an acceptance of how learning can occur in a dualistic world.

image from salliesart.blogspot.com

Who Writes the Story?

Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements, tells us that RESPECT is one of the greatest expressions of LOVE...and that, if we love someone, we respect that this person is a good artist and can write his own story. 

Ruiz further says that  this person was, in fact, BORN to write his own story and if we respect him, we do not try to write his story for him.

What is even more important is that imposing ourselves in someone else's story is a blatant example of our lack of faith that the other person is capable of learning for himself what there is to be learned and applying those lessons to his life.  The consideration of how and when and if he does this is not In our job description.

 

I do believe that we can communicate to others in a gentle, positive, loving manner any suggestions that we may have about the turmoil they may be experiencing BUT that is it...just SUGGEST...not expect and not punish if someone does not wish to embrace what we are envisioning as an answer to a dilemma.

We are NEVER in the place of knowing all of the factors involved in how someone's life is playing out and  to act as if we are and to envision what we think is the perfect answer is to exalt ourselves and fail to honor the other. 

It represents the giving of affection with CONDITIONS, falling short of a truly loving response and indicating a lack of respect.

Truly understanding our place in the world and the place others occupy is a challenging task for us.  It requires clear boundaries for ourselves and others  but it frees everyone involved to make life choices in an atmosphere of support and caring.

Expressing our faith in everyone else's right and ability 

to listen to the guidance of his own heart...

to  decide issues for himself...

to experience the consequences of his choices and to learn his own lessons when and if he chooses..

is a most beautiful and pure expression of love and caring.  

It also frees us to use our energies for the selection, welcoming and experiencing of our own adventures.

image from tootsiegrace.blogspot.com

Through the Looking Glass

The behavior we display to others when we are IN OUR POWER is usually strong, positive, considerate and compassionate.  

This behavior represents our very best self and is a JOY to behold.

However, when we are especially stressed by life's challenges or very low on energy because of certain  burdens or unresolved issues, our behavior can look very different.

Everyone experiences these times of dissonance as we struggle with the difficulties of the moment and, during these times, we may display some not-so-attractive behavior.

What a beautiful GIFT it is, then, when someone close to us can recognize that we are not at this moment our naturally bright and loving selves and may be challenging or uncomfortable to be around BECAUSE we are in pain or have overextended our energy and not listened to and honored the messages of our own body.

How wonderful to have someone in our lives recognize that when we display this kind of behavior, we are in distress...to have someone have a strong sense that  this is not the person they know us to be.

How easy is it for YOU to see through someone's moments of tumult and turmoil and connect with the beautiful soul underneath these outer (and often frustrating) trappings? 

Can you hold an image of love and caring when the words you hear seem so different?  

If  you can, what a beautiful gift to extend to someone...to be  able to honor their soul and spirit even while it labors under the duress of these difficult moments!

Here is Spirit's guidance to help us through this challenge:

Keep the highest/best moment you have ever had with that person strongly in your heart.  Know that this is what he is capable of and that some distress has intervened between that experience and what you are currently seeing.  Tell that person you sense that he may be encountering some stress and and offer your support if the person would like this from you.

Whenever  someone's light is not shining through, it is being obscured by unresolved pain.  We can recognize and minister to that pain by our LOVING ACCEPTANCE of however that moment is showing itself to us.

Everything that exists is love expressing itself the best way it knows how.  Sometimes that BEST WAY is cloaked in pain and a generous heart is needed to LOVE WHAT IS!

image from

Through the Looking Glass

students.ou.edu

Lifting the Veil

It has dawned on me that we may be missing the evidence of genius in others because of the stories we tell ourselves.

These stories seem to revolve around the personal projections and expectations of what we want from others.

If we could move past these very subjective ego needs and our reactions to not receiving them...if we can get out of our own way and can see with a clear, unencumbered view...

these pictures would reveal some very beautiful talents and abilities.  

Though these discoveries of ours may not fit the traditional definition of genius, I am choosing to use that word because the amazing abilities I see emerging appear to be a Divine offering...an example of some qualities WE NEED to introduce into our life.

The genius here is undoubtedly Divine in nature because we are being gifted with some beautiful examples for our own edification.  

To access these examples we need a clear and objective view unimpeded by our own expectations and reactions... 

and, if we can arrive at this point, what beautiful information we would discover...

what  GLORIOUS ROLE MODELS await us...all arranged by the Divine Universe watching over us, loving us, protecting us.

One more example of the unending love expressed to us so creatively by Divine Wisdom!

Can we LIFT THE VEIL of our personal expectations to unwrap the gifts so gloriously presented to us by the persons who populate our lives?

image from petexryan.blogspot.com

The Ultimate Prescription

Emotions play an important role in helping us process what is happening in our lives.  

They enable us to take in the impact of an event, feel its significance to us and express our reaction or response. 

They carry our feelings outward...moving them out of the body,  clearing any emotional residue and purging us of emotional toxicity that might be hiding inside us.

But there is an even MORE POWERFUL function of emotions that we experience in our life. 

Regardless of the kind of emotions we are feeling, they are all doing HUGE WORK in strengthening…or weakening the body.

Rhonda Byrne, author of  The Power  tells us that, "Every feeling you have saturates every cell and organ in your entire body." 


If you are radiating love, "you receive the full force of health through your body at an astounding rate."
 
On the other hand, Byrne tells us that  tension  from anger, fear, stress, etc. causes your nerves, cells and blood vessels to contract, “changing the vital chemical production in your body...all of which reduces the force of your health.”





LOVE appears to be THE ULTIMATE PRESCRIPTION  for strengthening and protecting  the immune system and every cell in the  body.

This means that WE CONTROL THE STATE OF OUR HEALTH by what we choose to believe and, therefore, feel (through the force of our emotions).


We DO NOT have to stay programmed to any beliefs we have been taught that violate what is in our hearts, our intuition, our instincts.  All that we have to do is stay true to our authentic selves by recognizing, acknowledging and speaking our truth. 

This includes accepting and acknowledging ALL that we feel, including the troubling emotions. 

It includes giving them a voice (actually BEING their voice) so they can be heard and embraced by us. 

By not denying these emotions, by not chasing them back into the shadows we are LOVING WHAT IS and, because we let ourselves love what is within us, we naturally extend that love to all that is around us.



iT IS MY BELIEF THAT WE NEED TO COURAGEOUSLY CONSULT OUR HEARTS, MAKING THEM OUR FINAL AUTHORITY IN ALL OF OUR DECISIONS. 

In doing this we will feel the beautiful freedom of designing/embracing our own life journey and will be inspired to choose the universal path of caring and love.  


This path CAN be our legacy if we are not impeded by a compelling need to meet another's expectations at the cost of our own honor.



Nature is Divinely designed to serve us and reward our self honoring and consequent outpouring of love by taking BEAUTIFUL care of our health and vitality. 


To achieve this,
LOVING and ACCEPTING OURSELVES 
are the ultimate prescription.



 image courtesy of  ClipartHeaven.com

The Flight of the Hummingbird

 

One of the most glorious beauties of life on earth is watching nature's Divine creatures as they fulfill their intuitive calling. 

They seem to be sent to us so we can learn from observing and enjoying the grace and ease they display in their pure pleasure of BEING.

There is such simplicity and beauty to their flow and such Divine wisdom.  They have so much to teach us about the JOY OF LIVING.

A stunningly beautiful example of this DIVINE GIFT is the iridescent and irrepressible hummingbird.

The hummingbird's plumage is brilliant, celebrating the lush luminosity of life.

It is unafraid to approach and enter into relationship, teaching us the importance of caring and connection. 

It can rotate its wings in a circle (signifying the circle of life) and thus can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways and also hover in mid air.  The hummingbird can navigate every challenge needed to traverse the adventures of life. 

The hummingbird is also hardy and resilient with wings that flap up to ninety times per second, signaling a seemingly unending source of high vibrational energy.

Perhaps the most significant lesson to be learned from the hummingbird is the image of its magnificent HEART which can exceed 1,200 beats per second.  This is a heart with an almost unfathomable capacity...with unceasing  love.  This heart propels and informs all its actions.  It is the SOURCE of the hummingbird's power.



We have been given the hummingbird to ILLUMINATE our path...to MENTOR and TEACH us.

The hummingbird's legacy to us is to open our hearts, fill them with  joy and teach us to laugh and sing and take delight in God's creation.  

All we need do is observe this Divine teacher to learn how to embrace and appreciate the treasures awaiting us in this Divinely inspired and magical playground called earth.

He Said, She Said

The glorious, mysterious, and often frustrating mix of energies between male and female has left mankind puzzled for centuries.  And nowhere is this more evident than in the LANGUAGE used by both.

Even given the most noble intention...to BE  THERE for the other... males and females often find their well-meaning attempts to request help and to respond get twisted and turned when the other sex tries to ascertain the meaning.

And here's why.

Men like to primarily fix things.  The mere mention of a problem by a female makes a male want to come up with the perfect solution and be the hero in her story of distress.

Women, on the other hand, just want to be HEARD.  And this translates to being listened to with great patience and compassion as they explain their plight, often weaving into the story other related concerns.  They DO NOT usually want to hear a quick fix.  What they want is to feel they are being listened to, heard, understood.  They want to know that SOMEONE understands their feelings.

Now that's a recipe for a perpetual conundrum.

None of this is news as we have all been aware that there are vast differences between the way the sexes perceive problems and the ways they want to solve them.

 

My attention here is on HOW to navigate these waters.  And here's my thought.

The first thing we have to do is OVERRIDE THE ORIGINAL DEFAULT BUTTON...the button that makes males confusedly wonder why females  won't appreciate a great problem solving idea and females conclude that no one understands how they feel.

When that default button gets pushed, emotions start to CRACKLE and everyone is dissatisfied with the outcome of the interaction.

 

Overriding a default takes conscious intention and perhaps we can embrace this idea by the promise it offers to help keep communication misses off the radar.

The new default button is THE IMMEDIATE STATEMENT OF HELPFUL INTENTION.  

She says something like, "I am feeling sad (distressed, worried, anxious, etc.) and I think it would help me to know that you understand the emotion I am experiencing.  Just understand it...no need to solve it right now as I am not ready for that step just yet."

He says, "I can see that you are distressed (unhappy, worried, stressed, etc.) and I care about you and want to help you feel better.  I have some ideas on how to do that when you are ready to hear them."

 

Now this will take some adjusting on the parts of both sexes because when the female is in a distress mode (the forlorn maiden locked in the tower of her emotions) and the male is in the problem solving mode (riding up on his noble steed, equipped with the weapons needed to fend off the enemy)...when these conditions have arisen, it is not easy to change directions.

The forlorn maiden must vacate her role as damsel-in-distress and the prince-riding-to-the-rescue must vacate his action-driven energy and both must  become the calm, patient and wise communicators...at least for the first few minutes of the interaction. 

Then, knowing what each other's intentions are, the conversation will now have the chance to play out differently.  Both parties can feel understood and appreciated.

Peace reigns.
The crisis has been attended to.

 

This is not an easy formula to put into practice because it is so natural to feel that the other sex SHOULD KNOW  what we need and are intending.

But, energy-wise...this is a very efficient idea because the investment of a different approach and new default button will ultimately save the emotional trauma of someone  feeling misunderstood...a perception that can persist for an indeterminate amount of time

In this way we can even improve on Mother Nature's DISTRIBUTION OF EMOTIONAL RESOURCES and, through a conscious investment of our energy, easily receive/respond to what it was that we were originally looking for and hoping to give.

image from Roseanna Piter.com

The Acceptance of Grief

Whenever we experience a loss...and, especially, a significant loss...we are thrust with great impact into the work of GRIEVING.

The process of grief can occur quite naturally for us if we have a clear channel open to our emotions.  

Hopefully, we have been fortunate enough to learn by instruction, example or experience the importance of letting ourselves feel and express our emotions...such a significant lesson to learn for our happiness and health.  

And, because we have learned this lesson, we are able to allow ourselves to experience the natural expression of our pain and distress.

This reflection is not about that process. 

 It is about what happens AFTER  we grieve.  

We may be able to express our emotions freely whether it is through words or tears or sensory experiences of the body.  But where that grief takes us NEXT is worth pondering.

The grieving process can leave us with a heaviness and sadness...permeating our day as we carry it through our every thought, word or action.

The process can color our day so strongly that it seems impossible to get out from under this storm.

Or...

This process can free our spirit 

as the rain opens the sky to the sun...

as Mother Earth nurtures the seeds which have been planted on her terrain...

as the crying baby responds to having its needs met and now sees the world with eyes of beauty and wonder.

The process of grieving is truly beautiful...

representing our connection with another,
our treasuring of the gifts of that connection  

and, because we enter directly into feeling the experience, it represents our ACCEPTANCE of the natural unfolding of the Divine Universe.  

This unfolding carries the truths of the universe, some easy to embrace, some more challenging. 

There is nothing for us to do but BE in this moment.

Like the underside of a work of embroidery, our lives can appear to have many loose, chaotic strands, but when we turn the fabric over the beauty that is intended emerges.

In our earth journey we mostly see the haphazard strands with no clear pattern emerging...but our spirit knows the beauty of the work of art that is our lives and the way in which that art is unfolding.

An awareness of and a faith in this process help us to know on a soul level that the acceptance of our expression of grief is an affirmation of our humanity.

It is a gift...a cleansing...ultimately nurturing and preparing us for whatever work lies ahead in our journey. 

It is an important part of the rhythm and music and pace of LIFE itself.

The Messenger Does Not Rest

Can you imagine for a moment the existence of the most determined, dedicated, conscientious  message delivery system?

A system which NEVER fails to perform its appointed duty...

whose byword is The Messenger Does Not Rest Until the Message is Delivered...

That intricate, universally reliable message delivery system already exists...in the human body.  And we are in this moment in possession of this powerful instrument of operation. 

We are constantly receiving messages from the body, our home base, but often they do not register in our consciousness other than as the annoyance of a fly that needs to be waved away. 

We can easily miss the clues being telegraphed to us.  And that is because we are not AWARE of the glorious network of signals which are constantly in operation.

To pick up the signals, to hear the message takes a deep faith in the beautiful intent and design of our earth vessels and a persistent curiosity and desire to search out the meanings being transmitted to us.
 
If we are somewhat tuned in, we may at least be aware of the first level of communication...

we may have a sense that something does not feel right...we may experience an agitation, a fluttering, the start of a headache.

If we push past the signal, continuing on with whatever is preoccupying us, it will RETURN...most probably in a new and different disguise.  

It will be a little stronger...a little louder.  And if we fail to recognize its "tapping" because we have attached ourselves so fixedly to an ego need, we will be setting  ourselves up for a more intense, more distressing announcement.

We can choose NOT to answer the ringing of this bell but the visitor will not go away.  

Oh no, this visitor has a message to deliver despite the rain, sleet and snow of our distractions and he is not going ANYWHERE. 

The messenger is trying to get our attention...to deliver a message about something we need to recognize about ourselves...something which is not serving us well and which is contributing to the disintegration of our emotional and physical health.


NOW the messenger may become an illness or catastrophe - SOMETHING WE CANNOT IGNORE. And when this occurs, his duty is complete.  The message has been delivered.  Our personal radar is flashing warning signals.  And now we have to DEAL.

Our message delivery system honors what is true and real.  The body does not lie.  We can rationalize our way past this information but the body will not be fooled by this strategy and will persist in making contact.  Ultimately, we HAVE to recognize the message.

Here is the really wonderful thing about our message delivery system:

The message that is being delivered is there to HELP us...experience radiant health, rev up our energy, become centered and find peace.

The delivery of that message is a SPECIAL GIFT to help us achieve optimum health, joy and happiness.

If we pay close attention, we can more easily discern these special deliveries. 

Do you hear that tapping?  Is there a messenger knocking at your door?

image from torch-relay-run,gif