Path to Vibrant Health

The relationship

between you and your body, 

between you and all those living cells that depend on you,

can become the most beautiful relationship.  

                     Don Miguel Ruiz

AFFIRMATIONS  to help cultivate this BEAUTIFUL relationship   
           
                               

 
I am enjoying wonderful HEALTH and WELL-BEING.   My body is functioning perfectly just as designed.  My senses are WIDE-open, appreciating all of the GIFTS awaiting me.


It is easy for me to make healthy, nutritious FOOD  CHOICES and drink generous amounts of  WATER.  Just thinking about the Beautiful Effect they have on my body makes me want to include them in my glorious day.


Each day I give thanks for the Divinely inspired BODY which creates a perfect home for my SPIRIT, accompanying me on my EARTHLY JOURNEY and experiencing so vibrantly the joy, challenges and adventures of my life.


My body is always leading me to a PATH of Vibrant Health.  I  LISTEN to its wisdom and HONOR its messages.

                                  Mystic Marks:  Bookmarks for the Soul

 

 

 

 

 

 

image from AstrologyCom.com

The Divine "Nudge"

Sometimes we find ourselves in a holding pattern in our life poised in a place where the stress we encounter is consuming so much of our energy.  

And we are aware of the price to our well-being but for many reasons we stay there because there are multiple factors involved in making a change.

And then...

The Divine Universe who has been watching us with beautiful, loving attention gives us a "nudge"...one that we cannot ignore and this nudge presents us with the  opportunity for some very important work...challenges that test us to our core.  And we have to summon up our courage and strength to "deal" with these surprises.

But these surprise-gifts are well-planned and beautifully chosen and ultimately they jettison us onto a new path of growth and discovery, clearing out what is in the present picture of our lives and creating space for a new and a-ma-zing transformation.

 

We ARE well-loved and cared for.  The gifts of the future only await our discovery and they will happen in the perfect time for us.

Know deeply in your heart that the perfect moment will come and watch for and listen to all of the promptings to action that will show themselves and move you in that direction.

There are no coincidences.  Only LOVE watching ever so gently over us.

image from watton.org

Line Dancing

 

Have you ever been line dancing? 

It's really fun to move with the other dancers filling the floor...tapping, turning and swaying to the beat of country music.  There's something so smooth and satisfying about it.

The ultra cool line dance performed flawlessly by a group of enthusiastic individuals creates a beautiful energy and spirit that are impossible to resist.

It feels just wonderful to align with the group energy.  The movement seems natural and fun.  Everything seems right with the world.


There's a special  kind of secret to the magic of the line dance.  It has to do with surrendering to the music and dancing not only TO but also WITH it.

Which brings me to my metaphor.  (If you've been reading my blog, you know I always have one.)

There's another kind of line dance we can do and it's a very powerful experience. 

In this dance we ALIGN with the music (read energy) of the Divine Universe...accepting, embracing and even CELEBRATING what it is showing us.

This dance may not be something we expect or even desire...but it IS the dance which will bring the greatest fulfillment to our heart. 

The Divine Universe selects the music and we choose to align ourselves with its melody...surrendering our expectations and welcoming the beautiful guidance that arrives in our lives in the form of invitations, possibilities and challenges.

Surrendering to the Divine Universe opens vistas and opportunities we have not even IMAGINED for ourselves.  

We emerge from the dance floor ASTOUNDED at what we have learned. It is the ultimate and signature Line Dance.  We are lining up with our Creator.


The mysterious and incredible Divine Universe is just waiting for us to move WITH its music.

Everyone on the dance floor!

image from PicGifs.com

The First Catch of the Day

Wayne Dyer, contemporary spiritual writer and (according to Mind Body Spirit Magazine) the third most spiritually influential person living today, tells us that  OUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND MOVES 96% OF WHAT WE DO. 

As Dyer notes, the subconscious mind is  THE Power House  in charge of our lives. 

And we are, for the most part, unaware of what is going on in Control Central.

The patterns of behavior lodged in our subconscious are sourced from many different experiences we have encountered including VERY stressful episodes laden with unhealed pain. 

And, resourceful creatures that we are, we have succeeded  in learning how to protect ourselves from feeling that unhealed pain by shutting ourselves off from authentically experiencing...and acknowledging...the impact of any moment which threatens to resurrect it.  Instead, we choose limiting beliefs about ourselves and the world in which we live.

And so we move through life relying all too often on those default buttons.

And, yes, they keep the original pain away...but they invite a different kind of suffering...they block us from experiencing our full potential and the evolution of our personal growth.

Now that we know who's steering our ship, it's time to appoint a new captain.
And that captain is the beautiful state of our consciousness.

Our consciousness... which can decide what we NOW want to include in our modus operandi.

To place this process into motion we first need to learn to recognize and CATCH ourselves buzzing that original default button.  And, when we do, it is important to non-judgmentally take note of this.  And I suggest we have some fun as we go about this process.  Celebrate our "first catch of the day" and every other catch to follow.

Next, we need to reprogram ourselves with a new choice of response by consciously making a statement to ourselves about the way we would like to experience the moment.

For example,

First, we recognize and acknowledge our old response.

Old default:  when something goes wrong...                       
 "These things never work out for me."



Then, we program in a new mantra.

New choice:  
 "When I relax and give up control of how to do something I invite
   the Divine Universe in and let the experience LEAD ME."

Neville Goddard, a New Thought lecturer of the mid 20th century, has this to say about what we are choosing to aspire to when we perform this process:

"If this assumption is persisted in until it becomes your dominant feeling, the attainment of your ideal is inevitable."

That's a really encouraging thought...very profound...and actually easy to do ONCE we have made a commitment to steer our ship in a new direction...one that we have consciously chosen for our life instead of an old, coping (and hiding) maneuver that has helped us wade through murky waters but has kept us from the joy of stepping up and choosing a path for our soul's evolution.

Dyer gives us a simple but so powerful admonition:
Our subconscious mind responds to what it is we suggest to it.

But, remember...we first have to be aware of the limiting beliefs that automatically come up for us as we go through our day.

Why not truly and fully engage in performing this process...savor and celebrate this fishing expedition?  Catch yourself wading in old waters and bring in a fresh, new wave of what you truly aspire to be!

Aye, aye, Captain...and, by the way, that's you on the Love Boat 

loving yourself enough to be the Grandest, most Beautiful Version of Who You Aspire to Be!

image from squidoo.com

Albert Einstein and Dylan's Party

 

One of our most prevalent human tendencies is to process our issues and try to solve our problems in the same way we have always done it.

Even though it may not be successful. 

For some strange reason we tend to think that THIS time our approach will work for us.

And so we proceed onward.  We may even try to do the process or pursue the solution harder and faster.  To no avail. 

And here's the reason why.

If you keep doing what you always do...you get what you always get.

And we know what that is.


Albert Einstein had an insightful quote about this predicament.  He said,
“You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew.”

When I attempted recently to follow this line of reasoning I arrived at this thought.

When a problem needs to be solved it is often the case for all individuals involved to feel that they have the  "best " idea.  And this situation can easily turn into a "spirited" debate or, in some cases, a free-for-all with everyone jockeying for top position.

However, as Albert instructs, we could (and should) consider trying another approach.  

And here's one possibility.

If a decision needs to be made by more than one person it is very important for each person involved to have the opportunity to  "speak his truth" (share his feelings and view about how to solve the problem).  Each person needs to be heard by the others with interest and curiosity and without judgment.  This step is purely information gathering where everyone has a chance to give his point of view.

Once everyone has had the opportunity to be heard and understood,  a certain ease emerges and the next step can be undertaken with natural energy and some interesting creativity which tends to arise from the positive vibrations that have been created.

At this juncture the next step I am imagining is to brainstorm a solution that honors the energy of everyone's suggestions.

And it's fascinating how easily this solution tends to present itself.

Here's an example of how this can work.

Recently, family members decided to buy a kindle fire tablet for soon-to-be eleven year old Dylan.  Dylan is an avid reader and wordsmith so we thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to encourage his delight in reading. 

Since the kindle fire is an expensive gift and several of us were contributing to it,  this meant that Dylan would not have several packages to open for his birthday celebration.

My idea was that we should place the kindle fire tablet in a box and put that box into another box and yet another box, etc.  Then Dylan would have the fun of unwrapping each box. 

My daughter felt it would be an anti-climax to have Dylan open so many boxes and finally get to his gift. 

Another comment was that it would be better to wrap it simply and then see him surprised by this wonderful gift in some typical wrapping paper.

It wasn't easy to give up my excitement of using all the boxes but I could see the logic of the other suggestions.  And so we good naturedly decided on a solution that would HONOR the energy of everyone's ideas.  We wrapped the gift simply in birthday paper ...in one box...but with a VERY large, bright bow that captured the "spirit" of my multiple box theory.

Solving the problem this way was fun and very satisfying. 

Giving respectful attention to everyone's ideas and engaging in an unusual problem solving method turned what could have been a tense situation into a creative  exercise that tapped into everyone's energy.

I'm sure Albert was a silent and smiling observer at the planning of Dylan's party.

image from blog.difflearn.com

Wings

 

 

Our lives are filled with messages waiting to be delivered to us.

And the messengers who deliver these messages are everywhere.  

They include everyone we encounter... from our family to our colleagues, sales clerks, repairmen, television personalities, the little boy playing across the street..even the bad-tempered clerk who waited on us in the store or the driver who cut us off in traffic.

They exist in our world to present to us the life view we hold about ourselves and they may be engaging and endearing or frustrating and fractious.

If you can summon up some perspective about this and add in a dash of creativity and humor,  I have a suggestion regarding how to enhance and enjoy this experience.


Give them all WINGS...in your imagination!  Make them all angels!
 

They are all actually  doing the work of angels...helping us see the picture of the world we  have created  for ourselves and master the earthwork we have undertaken.

And since this is how the earth school system works we might as well put a big,  broad smile on our face while we learn our lessons.

Consider the visual delight of walking into a GATHERING of family or friends and imagining all of them with their own unique set of wings fluttering in a beat to match their personality.

The gregarious individual would have wide, flapping appendages whisking the air to and fro with the vibration of his excitement.

The person who loves to sing or hum would be sporting smooth pinions undulating with a distinctive rhythm.

The joker in the group would probably have one of his wings tucked into a piece of clothing so he would attract the second takes he loves so much.

All of these individuals could be illustrating for us the joy and excitement and fun we are experiencing in our lives.

In our next encounter, however,  we might find a road rage driver with stress written all over his face.  He, too, would be sporting wings but his accessories might be audacious wings that would move thunderously in a loud, clapping sound.

Now it may be easy to picture the so-called "nice guys" in the angelic costume but it may seem strange to picture our road rage driver wearing wings and you might wonder how this frustrating individual can fill this
angelic role. 

Fact is...he may be resonating with  something inside us, something unsettled...a stress we have not  acknowledged, perhaps, or let ourselves experience.  And  he is showing up in our life to bring this omission to our attention.

And here is how he might be  an angel to us...Emotions that are not acknowledged go underground (translate...deep inside us) and often make their next appearance dressed as a major upset,  illness or disease.

So it would behoove us to welcome ALL of the angels in our life and give thanks for the messages they bring us regardless of  the varying roles they play.

After all, the Divine Universe only assigns them the reflections of our own mojo so we can "hear" the sounds and "see" the pictures we are making with the way we choose to live our life and also learn the lessons we have chosen for our experience here.

So, I say, WING ON!

Recognize these Divine creatures  with their dazzling (if imaginary ) wings who are educating and enlightening us and enjoy their sometimes affirming, sometimes challenging messages while we earn our own bright and beautiful wings in earth school!

image from craftyjenny.com

Can I Be the Space for This?

 
 Spiritual teacher Eckhaart Tolle instructs us regarding the critical importance of accepting and living in the Present Moment.  Tolle feels that placing our attention on the Now is a primordial, fundamental  spiritual practice which  is necessary to truly experience "the fullness of life ".

Our ego, however, has other ideas.  It is never satisfied in the present but is always wanting something more so it can be "satisfied" and "happy". 

However, our constant grasping for something more is actually covering up the happiness.  Tolle says when we slow down and become very relaxed and create spaciousness, we let the happiness COME TO US.

Dr. Betty Sue Flowers, Director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and a devoted follower of Tolle, recently made this comment during Tolle's  PBS presentation on present moment awareness:

"When you are fully present what you need comes to you. 

 Some kind of magic happens.  

When you are fully present you think of the answer without going through all the stress.  It comes to you as if it's a gift and you can be relaxed.  When you are in the Now not only do things take care of themselves but the thing you thought you wanted happens in a different way or becomes something utterly different."

Dr. Flowers is telling us that we DO NOT need to strive for answers or solutions; we just have to be Present in our lives and we will then receive what we need.  And I am betting that the answer we receive will be the best, the most creative version of what we wanted and it will be something we could not imagine on our own.

Tolle says to have the fullness of life we have to come to an OPENNESS to the present moment...to establish a relationship with it.  For whatever arises in the Now, he suggests we use this mantra: 

     Can I be the space for this? 

This question invites you to enter into the Present Moment and there you are.  Whatever is happening IS happening.  If you argue with thIs, you suffer.

If you accept what is happening...surrender to it, you go more fully into Life and become aligned with it.

Here is Tolle's proposal:

  Open yourself to what is.

  Take it in with your attention - the Now.

  Surrender to what IS at this moment.

If action is required, it will come out of the state of attention and awareness and whatever answer you seek will emerge in its most glorious presentation from your alignment and connection to "What Is".

Yet another brilliant example of how our connection with Life blesses, affirms and sustains us on our Divine Journey!

The Art of Alchemy

 

                                    The master 
                              gives himself up 
                                    to whatever the moment brings.                                                        Lao Tse

                                                                                                       

There is a SECRET WISDOM shared by some people and it is about  the reason why we suffer. 

It is simple...but very profound...we suffer when the things that happen do not meet our expectations. 

We are all formed and influenced and affected by the values of those around us...by our parents, grandparents...by members of our immediate and extended family as well as our ethnic origin,  by our culture, our society...by the world we inhabit and the century in which we live. 

As a result of all of this massive influence we develop EXPECTATIONS of how we think things should be or how we want them to be. 

And the result all of this earthly influence seems inevitable...we are a product of the
Intellectual, emotional, and social milieu in which we live. 


But Life and the lessons we decided to learn in earth school often present us with very different outcomes than those which we  have come to desire or expect. 

 

And this great, mysterious journey we are on unveils "surprises" in our lives designed to engage, confront,  bewilder and challenge us.   When we are not open to whatever comes in...when we do not ultimately EMBRACE what arrives AS the brilliant light of a LEARNING MOMENT...we are left with disappointment, disillusion and doubt.

We doubt that we are being cared for and protected...and WE SUFFER.


The master, however, bypasses suffering.

As Lao Tse points out, the master gives himself up to whatever the moment brings.  

He has no doubt that he is eternally loved and cared for.   He meets each moment with an open heart ready to receive its wisdom.  He welcomes its unveiling no matter what form or circumstances the moment takes.  He possesses the knowing and the certainty that All is Well, that the "surprises"  he encounters are actually disguises for his lessons, that they provide enlightenment that his discernment, curiosity and creativity may discover.

The master experiences life as one engaging, blissful moment after the next.  He is in this world but not of it.  He has discovered his heavenly connection.

Suffering on earth occurs UNTIL we recognize the BLISS that our journey is leading us to...the beauty of feeling eternally cared for as we gather, experience  and integrate our earth knowledge into our Infinite (and well loved) Being.

image from tango-beat.blogspot.com

The Imagined Ending Point

The greatest secret of the miraculous mechanics of manifestation is that the entire process happens in exactly the reverse order shown to us by our physical senses.

...An imagined ending point forces the means (the right people appearing at the right times) that will bring about the manifestation.


                  Mike Dooley

What an interesting concept:  the ending point  IS the beginning.

Translation:

To manifest something in our lives we need to zoom directly to the image of ourselves  we wish to produce and infuse that image with vibrant emotion and intense energy.

What a magical design plan and so totally delightful!   What fun!
Could it be any easier to manifest what we desire?

Albert Einstein told us that "Imagination is more important than knowledge."  And the Divine Universe has given us a playground in which to unleash this fierce and fabulous ability.

Paint the most vivid, colorful  portrait in your mind of who you want to be.  

Remember, you've already been hired to play this role (by the Divine Universe, no  less).  And it's all because YOU decided this is what you want.

Now, infuse that picture with compelling intensity.

Who could resist you...you NEVER resist Life!  Whatever it brings,  you're in...ready to deal...ready to find the beauty and strength and the impact of that moment.  You're a-ma-zing and confident.  You view EVERY moment as a chance to ex-per-I-ence and learn something.  You reach out and resonate with everything around you.  You are not just in the picture; you ARE the picture.


OK, then...thanks to your fabulous imagination... you've done the KEY  work...creating the ending/starting point.

Now the wondrous Divine Universe steps in to choreograph the production, lining up all of the actors, writing the lines, directing the action and setting the scene design...all leading up to the unveiling of the image YOU requested.

Thanks to the beautiful, magical Divine Universe the path to The Imagined Ending Point has uncovered itself!

Fabulous!

image from thecostaricanews.com

CODE WORDS

One of the really fun ways to discover the delightful individuals who have learned to embrace ALL of life's offerings... including the unexpected, confusing and difficult... is by their use of their special brand of CODE WORDS.

On some soul level they all seem to have agreed on these words (and the meaning behind them).


What some people might label as terribly upsetting this beautiful bevy of souls will call "interesting".  Often you will hear them describe troubling times as "all kinds of fun".   And trauma to these individuals gets translated into "a challenge " or "an opportunity".


Not only have they learned the wisdom of what The Divine Universe is ultimately teaching them...somewhere along the way they have swept that wisdom into their positive, upbeat (and often humorous) approach to life.


Every time I encounter one of this wonderful group of individuals I leave the moment with the beautiful vibration of their wisdom and courage and I feel INSPIRED to follow their path.


Have you encountered any of these earth angels and been positively affected by their beautiful attitude about life?
 


If you're watching them...chances are someone's watching you.

What Code Words do you use?

image from pakmanzil.com

The Soul's Odyssey

In the springtime go out and observe the blossoms on the fruit tree.  The blossoms vanish of themselves as the fruit grows.

Swami Vivekananda



Dr. Wayne Dyer, inspirational author and lecturer, recently presented the quotation above to his audience  in a  PBS presentation entitled Wishes Fulfilled.  The image evoked  in this quotation so carefully selected by Dr. Dyer  presents us with the lesson of the beauty and grace of transformation...and  it is nature who serves as our teacher..the lovely fruit blossom unpretentiously and naturally ascending into a higher version of itself.


As Dr. Dyer points out, within this metaphor we can find the inspiration for our own transcendence.   Our lower self vanishes as the Divine grows within us.

It is natural for us to evolve in this way.  


It is admittedly a challenging road we travel through life filled with experiences that try and tire us...for as long as we feel alone and separate from each other.

But when we recognize our place in the tree of life and understand our interconnectedness with every other blossom...each with its own "blossoming" story... we happily embrace this GIFT and experience a  spiritual surrendering to  the magnificent journey  designed to help us recognize the Divine within and ascend into our Higher Self, the fruit of the tree.

image from hennydonovanmotif.co.uk 

Layers of Love

Throughout the day, ask yourself, What’s the most loving thing I can do for myself right now?
         
Marci Shimoff

Did you ever try to do something when you did NOT have the energy for the task...or try to  give someone support or assistance when you were emotionally depleted?

Do you remember what happened? 

Very often this misguided effort leads to complete and unmitigated disaster.   It's very difficult to try to take care of someone else when YOU need taking care of. 

And so my response to this awkward dilemma is DON'T.

DON'T try to do it because the plain fact is you can't give what you ain't got...

So you gotta go get you some.

Some rest...or relaxation...some nourishment or distraction...whatever it is you are in need of.

And, meanwhile, what is to be done about the person waiting for our assistance?

There's a gracious way to handle this. 

ACKNOWLEDGE the request you have received.  EXPRESS your willingness to help (if this is true). And then CONVEY the state of your emotions and energy level.

For example, you  could say...

"I would really like to do this for you...and I will  be happy to...as soon as I can handle it.  Right now I have to give myself some loving attention to keep me centered and take care of what my body is telling me. "

You might get some strange looks the first time you respond like this but, believe me, you are not only taking care of yourself,  you are doing the other person a big favor, too.

When you are able to handle the request you will be a joy to be around.  And how wonderful for them to be able to enjoy your great disposition.

If you try to do something when your body is clearly saying NO you can bet that some evidence in the guise of tone or attitude will slip out from your persona.  And, if this happens, the situation escalates to another level and there is much more to take care of than a simple request.

In approaching things this way you will have also communicated the state of your emotions and energy level, one of the most loving things we can do in the communication process.

So stay in touch with what your body is telling you and give yourself loving attention when you need it and you will also then have a  boatload of loving energy  to give to others, too,

image from yogaomwork.wordpress.com

The Toolbox

 

Today an enterprising, talented (and very wise) young man, a computer repair business owner, spent some time with me answering some questions of mine and explaining to me a few things I needed to learn about computers.

 
In the last few minutes of our conversation he made a comment I found both interesting and fascinating.  He said he did not know off the top of his head the answer to the last question I asked and that he actually did not know any of the answers to questions.  I look up at him puzzled and he replied, 

"I only have to know a few things:  

What am I looking for, 

Where are the places I can look for it, 

and 

How do I move around the computer to find my way to the information."

 

A little while after the conversation it struck me that these very simple instructions were also the answer to some of life's biggest questions.

For example, if we have decided that we want to find the meaning in Life (in general) and the meaning of Our Life (in particular) then we have the answer to the first question.
 

Knowing where to look...the second point...is a little trickier because man has found many potential destinations that have NOT delivered on this premise: money, material goods, reputation, power, fame, talent...the list goes on.
 
Great amounts of energy and resources have been spent pursuing these end points in hope of finding meaning (translate peace, contentment, joy).
 
And yet we hear story after story of the futility of these kinds of searches.

The interesting fact is that WE are the search engines...every one of us.  We are capable of "knowing" in an intuitive, heart-centered way what that meaning is...but to do it we must retreat from the active pursuit of the above-mentioned "prizes" and, instead, go into the place of greatest depth and wisdom...our consciousness.
 

The third and last step is knowing how to navigate this "search engine" terrain and, to accomplish this, we have to withdraw from the noise and frenzy, the unending to-do lists which govern our day...and MAKE the time (not FIND the time because we always MAKE the time for the things that are important to us) to LISTEN to our own hearts.  To be PRESENT to the moment...to LIVE in the NOW as Eckhart Tolle says.  Actually, the title of one of Tolle's books says it all: Stillness Speaks.  

When we are still, we connect with the Source energy that informs and directs all of our actions.  We stop our mental processes and, instead, allow...embrace...welcome... the messages of our heart...where love resides.

 
And in these moments (and through the powerful effect of experiencing these moments) we are gifted with the guidance that directs us very clearly to all of the help we need to fulfill the dreams of our greatest good.  

We become acutely aware of the MESSAGES being sent to us by the Divine Universe in so many wonderful and creative ways...in the thoughts we think, in a comment made to us, in an email message we receive, in the song we are listening to, through the chirping of a bird, the power of a storm, the brilliance of the sun, the magic of the moon.  The list goes on.  It is unending.  It is glorious. And it is awaiting our discovery.
 

The way that we navigate these three tasks described by my computer guru as we move through our day powerfully determines our success...our happiness...the joy we find in life.

What am I looking for..
Where are the places I can look for it...
and 
How do I find my way.

Does your Toolbox have the answers to these questions?

image from bloggerbusinessplan.com