The Eyes and Ears of Love

"If all you did was just look for things to appreciate you would live a joyous, spectacular life."

                                          Abraham Hicks

  

It's a gray, gloomy day and you have just dragged your weary body out of bed.  Sighing, you reflect on what is waiting for your attention.

What happens next depends on the CHOICE you make about how to experience your day.

You can predict and expect a difficult scenario with a long to-do list of things you DO NOT want to do.

Or...

You can be the eyes and ears of Love, just looking for beautiful things to enjoy.

Like the shower-rain cascading down your body, waking up your sleepy skin with a splash of good-morning messages...leaving you refreshed and now wide-awake and alert...

Like the bounce of your sneakers and the comfort and warmth of your snuggly socks...

Like the allure of coffee brightly brewing just for your pleasure...

And the bed you just made with pillows fluffed and blankets smoothed, ready for your next sojourn that evening

And the scent of the freshly mowed grass of your early bird  neighbor

And the stirrings of other family beginning their preparations for the day.

Gray day or not...you have just started YOUR day with an abundant supply of beautiful  inner weather because you CHOSE to look for things to appreciate.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  And you,  beautiful soul that you are, know that the Divine Universe loves you unconditionally and has gifted you with many simple pleasures and, therefore, you are eager to uncover, discover and revel in their glory.

You are finding everything right and beautiful and joyous in the world.

And that's YOUR spectacular life!

image from e-nidhi.com

originally printed May 6, 2012

In the Evening by the Moonlight*

...there shall be peace, wisdom  
   and harmony. Mankind's hope shall
   be restored in the beauty and
   magnificent wonder of nature...
   and of life.
                       Julia Altamar



I have this beautiful, new, summery white wicker chair.  It is so comfortable and relaxing.

I love to stretch out in it and gently lean into the supportive arm rests.  It has a delicate light beige and white pattern on the cushion.  Perfect for sitting on the porch on late summer nights.

Now there's something that people used to love to do...sit on their porches at the end of the day, sipping a light summer drink...nodding and smiling as their neighbors passed by on their passeggiata.

And it is not surprising why they engaged in this lovely ritual.  

                                  


As the soft evening breezes wane and the trees gently flounce their leaves, there is a soothing quietness, a stillness...a nocturnal signal that resting time has come.  

A few delicate yet ambitious insects decide to ignore nature's curfew and make their rounds circling overhead.  You can barely hear their wings in motion but it's a delight to witness their sense of ambition.  

Before long the ultimate, sparkling "herald" of the night arrives in full majesty as dozens of ladylike lightning bugs flash their joy throughout the landscape, agreeably sharing their flickering rainbow radiance.

The gorgeous scent of summer...fresh, dew laden grass...rises fragrantly in the air.

And, all of this wonderment and beauty is merely a prelude to the liquid grace of Mother Moon Herself sailing serenely in the night sky. 
                      


From my white wicker chair I gently rejoice at the exquisite fullness unfolding before me.  Only one breathtaking example of nature's peace, wisdom and harmony...


When will we recognize our greatest teachers?






*Title borrowed from a song of the same name,
   In the Evening by the Moonlight
     music by James Bland
     lyrics  by Nina Simone


image from layoutsparks.com

Peaceful Co-Existence

... I can choose to observe 
    someone's process  
    as separate from my own.
                           
              Melissa McCausland
 




Making sense of our life is a very big assignment.  We have to juggle many strands of influence and enculturation and, somehow, configure our personal perspective on what things mean to us.  

This is a major task.  It takes hard work and, when we finally get a handle on how to interpret what is happening, BAM...we run smack into someone who has formed his own (and very different) picture about what things mean.  
  
And this new and different picture can feel very disturbing if it doesn't jibe with ours.  We have a natural tendency to want everyone to see things our way...after all, we have struggled long and hard to get to this point of understanding.

But this other person...these other individuals...have struggled, too, and they are equally convinced of the validity of their life "picture".  What may easily ensue at this point is a debate on the "correctness" of each interpretation.


But every person's path in life is unique and has been created by their individual circumstances. 


There will be differences in their perspective and ours and that is OK.  Those differences need to be honored as the path their individual journey has taken.  And the processes used by others to draw their conclusions are a part of their sacred journey.
 
What IS important is to support each other by honoring EVERYONE's lifework...by seeing it as the unique expression of their vision...as a process separate from our own.

This process is an exclusive course of action which is serving a particular individual in this moment.  We do not need to argue its merits, nor convince someone to our way of thinking.  We do not need to feel threatened by another's view of life.


What we CAN do is observe it with objectivity and, if we feel inspired by what we see, we can choose to tap into that vibration and explore its possibilities as they could play out in our lives.

Everyone does not need to see things the same way even though that may feel most comfortable to us.  

We are all here to have our own experiences and adventures and to learn to process them through our hearts.  Let's try to give compassion and support to our fellow earth dwellers in PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE.



image from planetkeke.com

The Cart Before the Horse

Ev-er-y-bod-y has heard this old adage..."Don't put the cart before the horse".

And it makes good sense (as all cliches tend to do). 

However,

The Divine Universe doesn't follow ordinary rules. 

It's  so original...and creative. 

What I've discovered in my life (and I'm sure it's tucked into yours somewhere, too) is that the fabulous, infinitely wise, infinitely powerful Universe LOVES to put the cart before the horse...and by this I mean it provides the solutions BEFORE the problems appear.


Let me explain how this plays out in my life. 


Whenever something is troubling me and I am feeling stuck...not sure how to proceed or lacking the energy or motivation to go to work on the issue...as soon as I take a moment to breathe...to relax...a soundless bell goes off (it's something I just feel) and I gently recall something I had read the day before or a comment someone had made to me recently or, even more frequently, I remember a blog post I have written that reminds me of something important I had grasped and understood earlier but have since forgotten.  And that something I have forgotten is ALWAYS exactly what I need to remember now...today...IN THIS MOMENT.


Sometimes the "direct-tions" are even more direct.


Each day I check my blog's list of the ten most popular posts.  This list is changing moment by moment.  It is based on what posts people are reading and the information is coming from around the world as I know that 110 countries have accessed my blog.  I look to see what is being read each morning and, without fail, it's something I need to be reminded of THAT DAY.


How BEAUTIFUL is that!  Individuals around the world are choosing my posts to read and, in so doing, they are ministering TO ME.  They are helping me become the next, grandest version of myself.


Talk about Love circling back to us!  I send out my thoughts and they come back to me EXACTLY when I need them.  


Wow!  What a system!  And that's just one example of how this beautiful dynamic works.


I KNOW...I am SURE...
that YOU have a heavenly guidance system in place. ..the CART before the horse. 


Maybe  you haven't discovered it yet.  Maybe it's hiding in plain sight...a little heavenly merrymaking and mischief.  PLEASE look around and tap into this awesome, original and brilliant celestial stratagem. 


We are all so very loved.   : )





image from thesaurus.babylon.com






 

All Aboard!

 

"... imagine that everyone and everything you see or hear has something
       to teach you..."

                      Marie Herbert

According to Marie Herbert's suggestion, school doesn't end for us at 3:15 in the afternoon. Our education accompanies us wherever we go...BUT to really take advantage of this "free" schooling we've got to be watching, listening, tuned in 24/7.

And it's not as difficult as it looks...no hefty textbooks to wade through, no long essays to write. This on-going pageant is hiding in the people we meet and the events and occurrences of our day. All you need do is tune in to your life frequency and catch the messages coming your way and poof! It's clear that YOU are the Duke or Diva of this production.

It's all about you and for you. 

Whatever lesson you still need to learn will automatically pop into your life...and here's the fun part...it will be masquerading as someone else's personality trait in need of attention.  Don't be fooled...it's all part of the spectacular production that is your life telling YOU what you need to know about yourself (and what needs looking into).

Or, something in your environment (your car, your finances, your leaky roof) may need an upgrade or overhaul or, perhaps, to be completely replaced...a symbol, perhaps, for your attitude or modus operandi (the way you dance through life).

Whatever grabs your attention will, undoubtedly, have a metaphorical story for your consideration.

Look how loved you are! The steps necessary for your evolution are hiding in plain sight. You can learn while you uncover and discover the clues.

It's all pretty exciting and challenging. 

It can mean some serious contemplation with accompanying life changes but it can also be fun once you understand how the universe is inviting you to view yourself in the global symphony.

So...C'mon...get yourself up into this glorious morning, jump on the cosmic bus and discover the mysterious and enlightening surprises lovingly tucked into the magnificent drama of your day!

All aboard!

 

 

 

image from atisable.com.     

 

 

 

Helping Ourselves (and Others) Heal

 
There is a very deep and special place inside each of us waiting and wanting to be filled...it's the nature of our earth school journey.  

As we travel our path we all experiment in an attempt to find what will actually meet that longing in our hearts.



Power, money, possessions, fame, control, admiration all seem like possibilities...and we embark on our adventures trying these things on to see how they feel.  

All of the above have one important thing in common...they all exist outside of ourselves...which means, among other things, that we can't predict how they will roll out in our lives.  We can make gargantuan efforts to attain them...or, they may seem to drop into our laps...but they can meteorically rise and fall.  Even more importantly, they only provide us with what appears to be external "rewards"...and, in the long run, do not satisfy our soul.


And so we are left with this longing to give substance and meaning to our lives.


In the last few days I have felt inspired to direct my energy towards the concept of healing...practicing healing efforts for myself and for everyone I encounter. 


We usually have a good idea of what we want to strengthen in our lives and, if we pay attention and observe the actions of others, we will probably have an idea of how we can encourage, acknowledge and affirm them on their journeys.


Here's what I found when I turned my attention to this point of focus. 

ANY effort I made to help heal myself or another gave me a profound satisfaction and sense of joy and I knew it was filling the space I felt of longing for the something more. 

In addition, it helped me to accept what I found coming my way (What Is) because as I embraced whatever was coming in, I had a sense of what to do with it....use it to help me become more than I have been...use it to help others to become more than they have been.


That forward motion, that reaching onward, that beautiful evolution, it seems to me, is what fills the space I have been describing which, then, makes me believe that we are here to become grander, more expansive, more loving and caring of ourselves and of everyone around us.
 

This amazing evolutionary motion is what brings us PEACE and, in reaching for this beautiful aspiration, we gift ourselves and everyone we encounter with the grace of kindness...supporting and empowering all of us to fill the space that is waiting in our hearts.


We truly are in this together.





image from thecreativemearchive.com 

The Boulevard

....your successes, though pleasurable and welcome blessings indeed, do not indicate any great growth in your spiritual status, for they only confirm the growth you had previously attained.
                                                                                       Bill Attride


If you don't try something tougher than you already done, how you gonna learn?"    
                                                                              Norman Rockwell
                                                                                Shuffleton's  Barbershop

Challenges create the necessary energy for the flowering of consciousness.
                                                                      Eckhart Tolle


Many voices can be heard instructing us on the importance  of experiencing difficulties and discord in our lives.  And I know someone who actually LOVES the experience of TUMULT.  You know...disturbance,  disorder,  turbulence, turmoil.  "Yikes!" I exclaimed the first time I heard that comment.  Who wants to go there on purpose!


Fast forward my life through a series of "tumult"uous experiences.  Lots of emotion...not the happy kind.  The ragged, edgy kind.  The kind that MAKE you face a capitol C "Challenge"  in a totally new way...because the old way "just ain't working no more".

It's as if someone (The Divine Universe) has the perfect plan to inspire a reality check on our default reaction.  The clear and incontrovertible conclusion:  although the default has helped us manage (and survive) some tough moments, it's definitely time for an upgrade cause the old default is not going to help us step up to the next grandest, version of ourselves.

No...that's going to take the T word so we will have to keep both hands on the rope as this might get to be a wild "adventure".

And, it often does. 


But the fact is...there's no way we're going to change things in our life when they are working just fine for us...Naw, We're too busy enjoying the ride.  "So far, so good" seems to be our mantra. But, that's exactly where we end up if we don't step up.  Only, "So far".

And that doesn't seem to cover what is necessary to embrace the master lesson designed for earth school.


The Divine Universe (and our Higher Self) want more for us and they know we are capable of reaching it so when we choose  power, control, approval, adulation and all the other fun traps earth dwellers get caught up in, they know the growth process that is necessary to move us off dead center so they shake things up with an unsettling surprise.


And then we are left to find our way through the trials of earth school.  We go through agony and suffering...stages of "Why me?"and " What does this mean?" trying to escape the  agitation. To no avail.

The master lesson our soul is seeking ultimately kicks in when all else fails to being us peace and we look for the "something more" which has been eluding  us.


And that is when we discover that the exquisite heart feeling of true joy comes from the decision to make LOVE the author of all of our actions.


There is something so beautiful and gentle and soothing about Love.  It's not always easy to reach for...especially if our ego is kicking and screaming, attempting to run the show.  But when we
step up and step out of ourselves, it somehow becomes clear that

the best decision we can make is to honor everyone's journey as we also honor our own

for we are all traveling the same beautiful BOULEVARD...the path of LOVE...

and LOVE always delivers us to our destination: 
peace of mind...centeredness...joy...and a return to our magnificent Spirit Self.




image from uniformedcupid.wordpress.com

The Performance of Our Life

The more love we feel for ourselves, the more we allow the creative energy of the Universe to flow through us.  

Since how we see and feel about ourselves is how we see and feel about other people, feeling more love for ourselves is the most mutually 
supportive focus we can have.
                                                                                     Arnold Patent                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

This very interesting quote reminds me of a favorite saying of mine... 

You can't give what you ain't got.
 
And it's a physical reality.

Even if we aspire to be loving toward others, we won't be able to give that loving, generous, thoughtful attention and energy  to others if we don't feel that way about ourselves.
 

And here's a big part of the reason why this is so.

There's a very popular character who tends to show up quite often in our life, perch on our shoulder and stream into our consciousness.  That character's name is the VOICE OF JUDGMENT.  

And he is a very busy fellow indeed.  He waits for us to make a misstep and then jumps right into that opening with a litany of how we have screwed up once again. 


Now the next thing I am going to say might sound strange to you. 

This character needs to be paid attention to...

but not in the way we usually do this.

Not by shrinking our self-esteem and cowering under his words.   Not that way. 

We need a different approach. 

We need to give this annoying voice ALL of the air time and space he needs.  Let him get it all out.  
 

Embrace the message.  

Literally BECOME the character...as if we are on stage and this is 

The Performance of Our Life.



When we really commit to this, an interesting thing happens.  Some PERSPECTIVE begins to enter the picture. 

While we are being "the voice of judgment" with primal passion and conviction and and living it to the nines, there is a part of us that can clearly see this character is over-the-top with his lengthy list of our wrongdoings and failures. 

And we begin to feel some compassion for this character who has lost touch with the big picture...the truly authentic picture that embraces our humanity, our occasional missteps and less than beneficial choices and that encourages us and supports us on our journey and knows us to be the beautiful, loving spirit we are.

And when we begin to see the theatrical intensity of this diva voice...it is not long before we are sending love and compassion to this character who has lost his way and is tripping over some very heavy expectations that are sourced in the opinions of others who have influenced our life.
 

But now it is WE who are making the call and We Can See far beyond the limitations and restrictions of experiencing the blame game.

And by loving this voice, embracing its expression and extending it compassion, we are truly loving ourself, filling up the bounty of our soul so that this same loving view can spill over onto others,  empowering "the creative energy of the universe to flow through us."






image from digital-polyphony.com

quote by Arnold Patent courtesy of Houston Vetter, balancedlivingmagazine.com

originally published Friday, June 29, 2012