Hug the Ice

...when you hug ICE, it has 
    no choice:  it must 
    gradually disappear.
       
                    David Mutchler



HUGGING  ICE?

This would probably NOT be the first idea to occur to us.  But, according to David Mutchler, perhaps it's THE  BEST.


Let's consider this rather strange suggestion for a moment and also think about our typical reactions to the "icy" moments in our life.


*What's usually our first reaction to someone's cold shoulder?
 
Who needs this?  I'm outta here.
We make our quick getaway and we're "safe"...until the unresolved problem that caused the cold shoulder comes up again.  And it will.  It didn't go away.  It went underground and it's waiting for the next opportunity to surface.



*What about the Icy feel of self-judgment when we trash our self-concept 
    with labels like...
    Nice move, stupid
    Loser!
    I can't believe I did that AGAIN.

It's difficult to get motivated into some positive action after we deliver that kind of speech to ourselves.

 

*And how about feeling trapped in the ice of some old, unconscious, non-productive habits...and beating ourselves up about this behavior time after time?

 


The escape hatch from these dilemmas, according to Mutchler, is to LOVE our way out.  That's right.  HUG THE ICE!
 
Love what is...accept what is...whether it's someone's negative attitude, our own poor judgment or decision or the repetitive, hair-trigger responses that never serve us well.

Call up a boatload of  COMPASSION (my favorite elixir) and apply liberally to the unsettling situation.  

There's a REASON for what is happening.  And there is undoubtedly a back story of unresolved pain and hurt.


Compassion first.  That's the mantra we need.
 

After giving this first application of compassion we soften our hearts and feel more open to and caring of ourselves or whoever is undergoing the suffering because we or they lacked the tools to deal with it...to release and resolve it...and are now acting out the hurt...once again.

And here's the really beautiful part.  When someone feels truly cared for and understood, that individual is perfectly poised to begin to envision their own view of how to approach their problem. 

They see the solution themselves...and they are willing to consider undertaking it.


But they won't do this if they don't feel loved and understood.  Oh no, they'll be fully engaged In defending themselves AND their behavior or in condemning themselves as the dregs of society.


Maybe that someone we're describing is another person...or...maybe it's us.  

Whoever it is, receiving the "hug" of attention and interest and, most of all, compassion will melt the icy outer layer we wear and reveal the bruised heart inside that's been protecting itself with the cold.
 
So hug the ice wherever you find it...in your heart or in the hearts of others.   Hold fast to your faith in acceptance, understanding and love and watch this magic melt AND heal  all of the pain we have ever encountered.

Melt the ice!

website for image: 

Fractal Art by Nathan Smith.      Melt the Ice by zueuk

creativefan.com

Morning PRAYER

 
Today I will become the Next, Grandest Version of Myself.



Just as a sapphire pond smiles gratefully at the sun's embrace, 
I will flow my energy to every person I encounter, warming their day with my curiosity and caring.



Just as the wind weaves its spell amidst the flora of the forest,  
I will weave my wonder at this glorious body I inhabit.



Just as the night covers the earth with its blanket of protection,
I will still my efforts to complete the mighty list I have imagined for myself.  I will honor my weariness and comfort myself with peace.


Just as the stars glisten in the evening sky,
my soul will shimmer with gratitude for the bouquet of gifts that have found their way into my heart.
 


I will watch the earth for its whispers of guidance and let it lead me into my grace filled day.




image from meta-gaia.angelfire.com.  

DANCING in the Rain

STORMS are mysterious things. 

  
They are gray and dark and  feel uncomfortable as if something is off kilter and is trying to right itself.  

They can make us feel apprehensive or fearful while we are waiting for them to pass. 

But even though storms can feel threatening to us,  they carry a beautiful message...crackling and  sparking, twisting and  turning in tumult and turbulence but eventually finding their way to clarity and ease.

And when they do, there is a glorious release on mother earth, the resonant rhythm of  RAIN.
 
 
So dance,  dance in the rain...the beautiful shower of  GRACE which illuminates your life, inevitably pointing you to the next highest path of your journey.   

But dance, dance also in and through the storm, too, for that storm is your readiness to acknowledge, confront, feel and release what you have previously placed aside.   


And this process...this journey...though challenging is BEAUTIFUL and sings your courage to leave the old, familiar, unconscious habits that have shortchanged your joy and brought you suffering...and move instead to embrace new paths that will bring you to freedom and peace.


All of LIFE is a dance.  Don't miss ONE  BAR of the beautiful music.




image from marliina.blogspot.com

Showstopper

One of the blog posts in the Mystic Marks Blog has just reached 2,000 page views, far surpassing the count of other selections.

There is obviously some reason why so many people have been vibrationally drawn to this selection.  As a celebration of this occasion and as an honoring of the Divine Love which authors the blog, I am presenting it again for your consideration.

Balloon Prints

 

The funny little balloons we see above the heads of characters in the comics are the place we look to see what words the personalities are speaking.



They appear to contain the "message"...the information we are meant to have. And, it is true, they do contain a message...just not ALL of it.



In the same way, the words we speak in real life contain a message but they actually do much more than that...they emit energy, sending a vibration out into the immediate vicinity and even much further on...to the universe.


It's interesting to imagine our words hanging above our heads in a balloon and wonder what kind of impression they would make.

If we could view them objectively, would they appear to be direct, friendly, well-considered, kind?

Would they be slapped together without much thought or consideration for the impression they would create?

Would they notice the beautiful things in life and express gratitude?

Most of all, would they enhance someone's life?

Would it make a difference to someone that WE were there...that the words we spoke felt affirming....showing the warmth of our hearts?


When we make the choice of which words to speak we are also determining what kind of energy we send out. Is it loving energy? Is it truth? Does it take into account the person to whom we are speaking and how that person will be able to receive the message?


Do our words affect someone's life in a positive way? Does the environment feel lighter and more beautiful because of what we have said?


What kind of balloon prints do we really leave in our wake? Are they skirting the air with ease... bouncing and bowing in pleasure and joy?

The effect of what we say lingers long after we have left…to delight or disorient someone's heart.



blue ribbon image from pspb.org

Marissa

 
My name is Marie Helena and I have a story to tell that is startling but true.
 
I had a visit last week from Marissa  (the name I have given to Future Marie).

I bet that little bit of news got your attention.
It got mine, too.

I was stunned to see the evidence of Marissa's visit.  (I didn't actually see her, just the message she left behind.)

 

Here's the back story on how I pieced this together.


It has to do with my relationship with the glorious element of water.

I am a big believer in the awesome and incredible power of water.  I have read several books by Dr. Masaru Emoto and am totally convinced by his work that water holds memory and emotion.



"Dr. Masaru  Emoto discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward them.
 
He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, polluted water, or water exposed to negative thoughts forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors. The implications of this research create a new awareness of how we can positively impact the earth and our personal health."

               from the cover jacket The Hidden Messages in Water by Dr. Masaru Emoto




As a result of my learning about the magical properties of water as discovered by Dr. Emoto, I began to leave post-it note messages on bottles of Fiji water which I drink throughout the day.   Sometimes I would jot them on a scrap of paper and tape them to the bottles.

The messages were always words of  love and caring or emotions I wanted to experience that day such as peace or joy.  


I have also found that by BLESSING THE WATER before I drink it, the taste of the water would transform and become more vibrant and satisfying and so I often perform this ritual with the water I am drinking.


I have been following these very special practices with water for a long while and I think that is why Marissa decided to communicate with me through the emotional intelligence of water.
 

She came at a time that was extremely difficult for me...a time when I was so discouraged I felt as if the lead apron we wear when having our teeth X-rayed had been spread across my entire body.  I had not been able to pull out of this emotional land mine and old triggers of mine had also been activated, rendering me nearly powerless to release my burden.

Into this grave moment of my need Marissa appeared.


I found the evidence of Marissa's visit when I noticed that my thermos (which I often fill with hot water that I like to slowly sip) had a note taped onto it.


A note which I had not put there.
 

The note measured 2" by 5" and was taped VERY securely to the thermos on all sides with clear plastic tape.  The note was blank except for a few letters (obviously the ending of a word which I had written)  which appeared slantwise in the upper right hand corner.

The really interesting thing about the note was that the center had been carefully torn out in a rectangular shape, making the note appear to be a picture frame.

It only took me a moment to see that  the appearance of the note was a message for me and I knew it was especially designed for my attention because I immediately saw that it was a METAPHOR.  (I totally love metaphors and have been known to sprinkle them liberally throughout  the writings in my blog.)

The picture "frame" taped on the thermos  was obviously the picture's foundation and it was taped securely in place on all our sides and thus I saw the clear message that the foundation of my life was clearly in place.  I was unquestioningly SAFE.  

The center part of the picture was empty and was obviously waiting for me to paint it...and the question presenting itself was "What kind of picture would I choose to paint for myself?"


Would I paint a picture of sadness and heaviness?  Or would I choose to paint the lightness of trust and ease and the simple joy of beingness?


Suddenly, it all became clear.

I am the Painter...the Creator of the picture of my life.  And it is SAFE for me to do this.  Moreover, it is my GIFT to do this...the fascinating legacy of life in earth school.



And it's not as if I have never heard before that I create the circumstances of my life.  I certainly have.  But in this moment of pain and anguish my HEART had to hear it again...and Marissa (aka Future Marie) knew that and met me on my path to bring me the message.

 

We are...all of us... INTERDIMENSIONAL BEINGS.  We exist in the past, present and future simultaneously.   I know...that's a lot to wrap our brain around...but if we take our mind out of the picture, we can see oh so clearly how our HEARTS can hear and respond to the message.

 

Here is my amazing HEART RESPONSE to Marissa's message: 

I feel so very deeply loved and cared for.

I feel safe and protected.

I feel grateful for the opportunity to witness the veil which separates the dimensions lifting to bring me the strength and sustenance I needed.





With the infinite measure of Caring and Compassion surrounding us that Marissa's visit reveals...

I feel we will ALWAYS ultimately have the strength to release our earthbound limitations, move bravely forward and take our honored place within our beautiful Universe of Healing and Pure Love.



image from openhandweb.org

Feeling Peace

 
Our often unpredictable and mysterious subconscious drives 96% of our behavior.  It is birthed from a myriad of experiences many of which have been troubling and painful and remain unreleased and unresolved.

And so we carry this enormous residue with us and, whenever it is triggered by an uncomfortable circumstance, our emotions are flooded with a download of the unhealed hurt we have been harboring in our bodies.
 
And it's WHAT we do with that download that is so very important.

IF we choose to do nothing with the download but endure the obstruction, we will catapult into the leaden state of depression...perhaps into anxiety and fear and, for sure,  into the roadblock of numb and icebound inaction.

Bur what IS the antidote to being stuck in what feels like an overwhelming and sometimes paralyzing situation?


The antidote to this difficult situation is to consciously CHOOSE to go to a different place.

Consider what emotion you would LIKE to feel...and I mean feel all-of-the-time.  What emotion would you choose to replace the fear or frustration or anxiety?

Let's say, for example, it's PEACE.  You would like to feel PEACE 
ALL OF THE TIME.   



So take a moment and consider what PEACE would look like to you.
 
Perhaps PEACE to you means a sojourn in a lovely meadow where you can inhale the fresh, dew-laden grass and hear God's woodland creatures in the forest nearby.  Squirrels scampering everywhere, playing hide and seek among the leafy oaks.  Gentle birds chirping in the branches overhead as they track the squirrels' frolicking about.  Bouquets of lilacs blossoming brilliantly in great profusion from several nearby bushes, delicately scenting the air with their dulcet  fragrance.  
 
You are observing and listening to this pastoral scene from a grassy knoll with the sun shining boldly overhead while you sip a mimosa of pristine water and floating slices of succulent strawberries.  
 

That's my take today...in this moment...of what peace would viscerally look like in my imagination.  But what really counts is what would it look like in yours. 

The place that you paint as peaceful...the description of THAT beautiful scene is what YOU need to bring fully into your consciousness so you can evoke it whenever the need arises.


And when would that moment be?  It would be whenever an upsetting download appears from your subconscious. 

But first, BEFORE you replace the default that is playing with a NEW setting...there is something that is very important to do.  And that is to ACKNOWLEDGE the download (upsetting reaction) and THANK IT for showing up because that download represents your subconscious protecting you from fully feeling a flash of pain because you did not have the tools you needed to deal with the hurt at that time.
 
This thoughtful and conscious rewiring of your subconscious that you are about to undertake represents your readiness to release the issues you have been holding.

Now you have developed a SOUL VIEW of this truly loving process and you recognize the beauty of the protection you received during a time of great difficulty and are ready to input your new default setting of choice.   


Your new "setting" in this scenario is a visualization of the concept of Peace.

You have greeted the subconscious "visitor" and thanked it for the protection it has provided and now you choose to place yourself right in the middle of your image of PEACE and you visit the beautiful place in your imagination that represents PEACE to you.



In so doing you are honoring your commitment to BE  PEACE at ALL TIMES.  This means you are choosing PEACE no matter what is going on.   Regardless of what circumstances are occurring in your life and regardless of what you are feeling, you honor your commitment to choose PEACE.



When you freely and fully make a commitment to BE PEACE and to call up in your imagination whatever scene or choice of action would bring you the feeling of PEACE, you have set a course for yourself to flip the 96% of your subconscious out of anxiety and suffering  into the Land of Peace (or whatever beautiful place you choose for yourself).


And  when you are at peace and in peace,  your body and emotions work in perfect harmony and serve you well and bring you joy.
 
YOU are now THE SOURCE...the conscious chooser of your thoughts, feelings and actions...and you have empowered yourself with the ability to live freely and fully the  life you have chosen for yourself.





image from nemcoskyart.blogspot.com



Post Script 

As I practice this harmonizing process I am finding that many different scenarios represent PEACE to me.  Here are some that have occurred to me so far:
 
*The beautiful, grassy knoll described above
 
*Listening to the mellow and gentle sound of Willy Nelson's music while I sit outdoors in the Great West  
 in front of a roaring fire... the night sky filled with white, luminous stars... and Willy sitting on a nearby 
 rock singing and strumming his guitar

*Contemplating the majesty and rhythm and power of the waves of Lake Michigan which I observe while 
 sitting quietly in meditation on a pier near a lighthouse

*Remembrance of acts of kindness

*Remembrance of acts of love

*Remembrance of acts of self honoring

*Hugging my favorite trees and connecting with the thriving nature of Mother Earth



My list will undoubtedly go on.   Yours, too.  :)

Frozen Feelings

  

It is not easy to allow ourselves to express emotions that are difficult and troublesome.  

Happy  feelings just seem to flow out of us easily, their vibrations sailing away out into the universe.  

But the storm of anger and frustration or depression can feel very intimidating.  Oppressive and burdensome.

We feel the darkness and may want to hide these feelings away because of the weight of habit or the discomfort pressing heavily upon us.  

Or, we may brood about our upset.  We may lapse into self-judgment, telling ourselves that we SHOULDN'T give them any space or expression.

And, sometimes, we may not experience or expose these feelings because we don't have the words to express them in a comfortable way.


 But...

There is a price to be paid for the harboring of FROZEN FEELINGS. 
 
The  price tag is a disturbance in the natural healing process of the body.   It is an interruption, an emotional filibuster that stalls the beautiful cleansing inherent in our human nature.  

We are designed to be able to FEEL AND FLOW OUR FEELINGS and thereby release them from our body.  This action keeps our organism open to receiving everything that is out there, including the experiences that bring us joy and delight.

 
"If we don't allow ourselves the time and freedom to heal, some of our ability to experience life is frozen - locked away - and is unavailable for the 'up' experiences we seem to like:  Happiness, contentment, love, peace.  

The mechanism that feels the anger and depression is the same one that feels peace and love.  If you refuse to feel the anger and the pain of a loss, you will not be able to feel anything else until that area heals."

                                                                                 Life 101

 

It's very clear, then, that expressing our feelings is so very important.   So let's take a moment to look more closely at the obstacles to accomplishing this.
 

HABIT

Perhaps we have grown up learning to gunnysack our troublesome feelings because their expression was not welcomed. 

Over the years this gunnysacking may have become a signature part of our repertoire.  Now we may be able to see that dragging this gunnysack around is sapping our energy.



BROODING

And speaking of energy, one of the greatest drains to our energy quotient is the practice of brooding.  Here we get stuck...mired in the difficult emotion and, by so doing, we bring on even more of it.  There is no solution...no way out.  Only a wallowing.  Not very pretty and not much fun.



SELF JUDGMENT

Here we get to make ourselves feel even worse by condemning our behavior as unseemly and ungracious and not living up to the high expectation we have for ourselves.





These obstacles plunge us more deeply into the darkness.
But we DO NOT have to be stuck in the frozen tundra of buried emotions.

It's very possible to THAW OUT the iceberg of our hidden emotions.  And with practice and understanding  we can get this job done and free ourselves from the fallout we've been dragging around.
 


Here's how we begin.

First, we let ourselves flow with the river of "what is".  We recognize that there are reasons for our reactions...unhealed hurts that are triggering us and so we give ourselves a boatload of love and compassion and let the emotions flow through us...whatever they are.

We give ourselves permission to HAVE the feeling.

The point is we DO feel this way and so we don't choose to argue with reality. 

We let ourselves feel whatever the body wants to unleash and we visualize the scrambled  energy stored in our vortex which is streaming out as A MOMENT OF RELEASE. 
 
And we bless it and love it.

 

This new way of dealing with our emotions may take a little getting used to but what a significant step in our spiritual and emotional evolution! 

 It is truly worth the effort to free ourselves from the weight of unexpressed emotion.

The process of melting the burdens we have been carrying in our hearts is a glorious act of self love, and  it opens the channels of our energy to recognize and receive the beauty of the world awaiting our full awareness and experience.


image from springboardmagazine.com