Mum's the Word

 
It’s almost Halloween and I am a holiday junkie.  

The front porch is filled with scarecrows, corn stalks, bales of hay, a black cat and some very big (and I mean big) pots of chrysanthemums in purple, yellow and white. 

 And though I love the color and texture of everything on the porch, the really big deal for me is putting my face right into the flowers and taking in their essence… the touch and smell and coolness…in other words, their vibration!


I take breaks during the day to go out and do this. It connects me with nature’s bountiful gifts and beauty. It lifts me out of my everyday tasks and says, “We’re right here…just waiting for you to enjoy us.” Yep, those flowers are smiling. I know it. They love to have someone get right in their faces.

Which reminds me…I am also addicted to hugging trees. I have a particular tree in the neighborhood that lets me feel its roots straight down into the earth. I used to look around before I approached the tree, but, naw…I don’t look around anymore. I just see that beauty and go for it. I hug bushes, too. And have been for many years.

Although I am no gardener, I think that this is exactly the kind of  high  that gardeners feel when they do their thing. Now here’s a really interesting fact I learned recently about plants and gardeners. If you are raising plants that you will eat, when you tend them with personal, loving care they produce for you whatever your DNA requires.
 

Now that’s mind blowing. And it sure tells you that the universe is alive and wanting to spread its goodness everywhere. 

 So have at ‘em…pumpkins, flowers, trees…the whole works. They’re just waiting for your perceptive eyes and glowing attention. 



originally printed October 31, 2011

Bottom's Up!

 

You've probably heard this strapping toast expressed when friends and acquaintances get together for relaxing conversation and a social  hour. 

That’s when people encourage each other to enjoy the moment with a "refreshing" drink.  

Although the list of fancy cocktails available for social engagements seems endless, nature has its own perfect cocktail which your body absolutely loves.  It's WATER...and, just as all expressions of nature are perfect in design and natural beauty, this "cocktail" is no exception.  

Here is a list of its special attributes.

Its taste is serene and tranquil.

Its texture is smooth and clear.

It goes with everything, naturally harmonizing with any culinary delight.

And, most important of all, your body LOVES it.

Individuals who are aware of these special properties serenely sip two glasses of this cocktail upon arising...before they even have breakfast...helping activate the body's energy channels and physical functioning. 

They know that this liquescent gift  empowers the cells of the body to do their work.

Although it's delightful to sip water all throughout the day, there are also some additional times when it is especially effective:

Thirty minutes before a meal

Before taking a bath

Before going to bed.

Best of all, it is easy to access this cocktail and there is great availability.

I am extolling the delightful virtues of this aquatic dream because I could not believe the improvement in my health and, especially, my sense of well-being since I began to make this perfect aperitif a very important part of my day.

This feeling of wellness and exhilaration is waiting for you, too!

L'acqua è cocktail perfetto della natura!

 

Postscript:

I wrote this blog post last night and this morning, when I awoke from a dreamy night's sleep, I realized that I had received a gentle nudge and a nod of approval from the Divine Universe via Mother Nature regarding the beautiful properties of WATER.

While I was composing last evening I had my television on and was vaguely aware that I was listening to and recording several episodes of House Hunters International.  The interesting thing about this is that all of the episodes were filmed on islands bordering the beautiful, blue-green ocean and, while I was consciously aware of my writing, my subconscious was apparently soaking up the grand expanses of water.  

The Divine result: an extraordinarily beautiful night's sleep, another loving result of opening myself to this fabulous (and free) gift.

You might want to keep this in mind if you are longing for some peaceful slumber!

image from mom5kids.blogspot.com

originally printed January 28, 2012 

 NOTE: 

Several people in my circle have decided to drink only water for 100 days.  They will bless the water before drinking it and offer their thanks and gratitude for its beautiful gifts.  How about you?  Are you in?

10/21/13
 

Blueprint of Grace

Iyanla VanZant, African American inspirational speaker, author and spiritual teacher,  has a lovely BLUEPRINT she follows regarding the way she interacts with others: 
 Acknowledge, 
Affirm, 
Appreciate.




Acknowledge


Every one of us has a basic need to be "seen".  We would like to have our presence recognized and not in an offhand, careless manner as if to say "I see you've come into the room  but I'm busy doing other things."

Even if we are otherwise occupied, we can always look up and smile (thereby radiating love) and let the person know we are AWARE of their presence and will get back to them when we finish our task.

And, when we do have the time and energy for this interchange,  we ENGAGE with them.

We give them our full attention (and if we cannot, we express our intention to do this and explain why we cannot give this energy at this time).  We  honor their feelings and try to understand them. We listen with sensitivity and caring and we help them "see" us and know the substance of our hearts.

Affirm

To affirm is to declare the truth of something.  What a beautiful practice to announce, proclaim, reveal the truth of our heart...something that has touched us deeply and now wants to be expressed when we have noticed something beautiful or generous or loving in someone's behavior.

Expressing "affirm"ation  is an awesome gift which only grows in abundance as the vibrations are shared with the person with whom we are interacting.


Appreciate

To appreciate means  to be grateful or thankful for...to be fully conscious of.  so much of our life is lived on default.  We walk through life unconsciously following the same pathways and patterns.  It is when we bring our full consciousness to something that we are able to recognize the gift it holds for us...the new beauty and wisdom that is revealed to us.  When we are  fully engaged, fully conscious, the appreciation that we express...that we give to someone...is really a confirmation of a gift that has been given to us.


 

Acknowledgement, Affirmation and Appreciation...

What beautiful treasures to bestow upon someone and what beautiful gifts to request for ourselves! 


Knowing the joy these benevolent actions inspire and their stunning potential for enhancing our life we, too, can dip into this wellspring of grace and ask for these beautiful blessings when our heart needs to be soothed and comforted, thereby strengthening and deepening our relationship  with someone important in our life.
 




image from www.rose-gardening-made-easy.com

The Dance of Dharma

We are given talents that match our Soul's Purpose and lead us in the right direction through our enjoyment and satisfaction. 
  
Follow your heart
  and 
pay attention to what is pleasing to you.   
                                     Nur Ray


 Study hard what really interests you
 in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible. 
                            
                                                                    Dick Feynman 





 There we have it...directions for answering the eternal question:  What am I here for? And they couldn't be easier or more fun. 


If we could just disregard the confusing street signs posted by culture, society and authority figures:
 
        THIS WAY to success.
        WE have the answers.
        That's not practical.
        Follow in our footsteps!

 ...we could see that 

being true to ourselves...authentic in everything we do...
is 
THE road to happiness and success...
and the fulfillment of our soul's sacred contract.


Our sojourn here in earth school has been undertaken for a very special purpose. We are here in the perfect place at the perfect time to make our own unique contribution to humanity. And the journey to discover our oh-so-special gifts is not brain surgery.


All we have to do is NOTICE what we like to engage in...what feels like fun...what's easy for us and what makes time stand still.  Once we find those answers and slip into our special  slot in the universe,  we've found our dharma!

Congratulations!   It is now PLAYtime because that's what it feels like to follow your heart...easy, effortless, relaxing...like HOME.  

You're safe there...so this is the time to be irreverent, original.  Make your OWN discoveries...your OWN connections...follow the stars and YOUR intuition.  Go wherever they take you.

What a beautiful example of the salience and simplicity of listening to our own beautiful hearts.  That's what we were designed for...our own true North!


And when we truly embrace our place in the Universe, JOY spills over onto everyone and we end up making those around us delightfully happy, too.


Honoring ourselves honors everyone...we all learn these glorious lessons from each other


If you've lost your way and you're not packing a compass to guide you, dip into your
soul sense...your so lovely Guidance System. 

 Ask yourself, "What DO I love to do?"  
 Then go do it. 

Life  takes on a very special HAPPINESS when you're cruizzzzing with something you really care about.





 image from anitafolio.blogspot.com