Sleepwalking in Your "Night"

 
If we're sensitive and paying attention, the universe can teach us what we need to learn by tickling us with a feather. 

 If we're resistant to learning and sleepwalking through life, we require the universe to use a sledgehammer to deliver the same lesson.
 
 Gay Hendricks

 


Great artists who produce amazingly beautiful masterpieces seem to hold a profound sensitivity in their souls which informs and directs the expression of their artistry.  They are profoundly aware of this soft whispering.  This voice of inspiration  which we all possess IS the voice which silences all others...the voices of enculturation, limiting beliefs, questioning of self-worth, fear and doubt...when we recognize and embrace it.


With clear intention and awareness we can learn to discern this whisper even amidst the clamor of the world which is "too much with us".   

 
This stunning sensitivity of artists can be found in every human heart.  It may not be uncovered, but this does not diminish its power or presence.  It is the guidance of the Universe which has the governance to bring us into the blossoming of our Spirit Self.
 

I have found that this soft voice will reveal itself after we have bravely observed what it is that disturbs us and how we would like things to be different.


The process of speaking what we feel "in this moment" seems to open the PATHWAY to recognizing the obstacle in our heart that is preventing us from acting with the pure LOVE of accepting "What Is".   Whatever is blocking us always comes from an unhealed pain.  By giving ourselves COMPASSION for the experience we have suffered behind the pain we calm and soothe our souls, clearing away the clamor of default buttons and trigger reactions,  It is then that the SOFT WHISPER can be discerned...and it is ALWAYS the next, beautiful step in our soul's evolution.  In that moment the whisper is feather soft...and profoundly powerful.

Can you sense this exquisite expression of Divine caring or are you  
sleepwalking in your "night"?

                                                                                              Marie Helena



image from crasheconomies.wordpress.com

Watch Your Heart Open

We are filled with breath, with life force. We walk amidst the beauty of this planet. We experience an incredible range of emotion. We are the beneficiaries of grace. And never so much as a thank you is required. Just for today, see if you can appreciate everything you encounter. Watch your heart open.
 
                        Pamela Hope DeLuca-Price



One of the primary tasks toddlers face in growing up is learning the names for everything.  This practice is convenient and practical.  We all have the same point of reference.  We "agree" on what a dog looks like...and a flower...and a tree.  


But a ramification that occurs from this exercise is that we begin to reduce everything we see and encounter...no matter how unique or breathtaking...to the "box" in which it fits most easily.  For example, dandelions, roses, and gardenias are all "flowers" even though they each evoke a different sensation and emotion, look and smell different and are found in different terrain.  Oaks and sycamores and pine trees share the same surname even though the "cousins" lead such different lives.


My point is that by taking on our cultural mores, by learning how everything functions and fits, we enter mainstream thinking which we need to survive but we lose the wonder and awe of experiencing a beauty which seems to have no name.  It is just something our hearts and senses embrace with fascination and awe.  Can you imagine, for example, describing the beauty of the gardenia...how it speaks to your heart....if you didn't know what a flower was?



And there is even more stunning beauty beyond what the eye can see.  There are things we can sense on varying levels of intensity and through subtle nuance such as our breath, our life force, our myriad emotions.  In the midst of our busy days, we often pass by this beautiful GRACE that awaits our awareness. 

Just for today, see if you can appreciate everything you encounter.
Watch your heart open!


                                                                                                        Marie Helena




originally published May 31, 2014

The Gathering

Media cinematographers have perfected the process of superimposing an image on a screen…with one image overshadowing the other.

Both images can still be seen but the superimposed image is the stronger, more impressive one.

What if we were to borrow this beautiful artistry and use it energetically to help us stay connected to what is the true purpose of our life!

When we encounter another in a moment of challenge or distress, perhaps we could superimpose right over them the image of their Higher Self.  Could be a brilliant white light…a figure our imaginations have created…a beautiful blend of harmonic colors and sounds…however we wish to portray the image of Higher Self.


This superimposed figure would no doubt be bathed in love and caring for its human counterpart, softly offering the energy of confidence and support, smiling and nodding as the individual breaks through the barriers of the challenge and finds his way to a LOVE directed answer.

And, if the human counterpart has not yet found his way but is suffering from some hurt or pain, Higher Self would be offering the energy of compassion and unconditional love.


And… as WE enter the scene… we would also be accompanied by our Higher Self superimposed upon us. The two beautiful Spirits would recognize each other, and connect telepathically through the realm of LOVE.

What if we made a habit of seeing this superimposed figure covering EVERYONE we saw.

Wouldn’t life look different to us?

Wouldn’t we be eternally bathed in the higher vibration of Spirit?

Wouldn’t we see others through new eyes, through the vision of our and their Higher Selves?


Let's consider the beautiful and inspiring possibility of GATHERING all of our Higher Selves and welcoming them into our consciousness.


What a wonderful way to experience the day and see ourselves protected, honored and loved by this supreme vibration!

                                                                       

                                                                                       Marie Helena

image from eternalgodz.blogspot.com

originally published July 13, 2011

Vignettes

Sometimes the task of living the whole day in the way we aspire to feels daunting. It seems like a lot of work lies in front of us.

We ask ourselves…Will we be able to keep centered and calm and responsive? Will we be able to give our loved ones beautiful listening? Will we clearly honor the paths of others even when they choose different avenues from ours? Will we be able to fully embrace each moment that presents itself to us?

But,

What if we broke up our day into segments? What if our day was filled with many VIGNETTES…each with its own rhythm and pacing and needs (and blessings, too)? What if we could see our way clear to just truly embrace the vignette we are in at that moment and engage fully and be present to that context, landscape and scene?

Seems like it might be easier to navigate our day.

If we direct our attention to the segment we are currently enacting, that’s all we need to do. And consider how wonderful it will feel if we perform like the STAR our Higher Self knows we are. How satisfying! How motivating! It will undoubtedly give us energy for the next vignette to come.

Consider dividing your day into scenarios.

The scenario of waking and greeting the day and deciding to amp up your vibration by intending and choosing to BE LOVE in all of your encounters. The scenario of breakfast... having your morning coffee while you contemplate the beautiful day outside of your window. The scenario of how you interact with the persons who enter into your life, extending beautiful listening and compassion as you give the gift of attention and reveal what you are feeling at that moment. And the many other scenarios to follow, each with its own unique vibration, pacing and energy.


Why not set the stage to always have an enriching and enlightening experience, embracing each challenge and opportunity one vignette at a time? There will always be something to enjoy and, even more importantly, something to learn about ourselves from the way we move through our day.


                                                                                                  Marie Helena


originally published February 16, 2011

Increased Capacity

 

"Increased Capacity"... That's what my chiropractor called it when I told him what had happened to me last week.   

My younger daughter had come home for her summer visit with the strong commitment to help us go through our home and release whatever we were not using. 

It was her idea.  She had been performing this "spiritual" surgery on her own home and found herself feeling very liberated and full of energy as a result.

The twelve days she was home were packed with a LOT of activity including frequent encouraging comments from her about how someone else could use the item or how things don't have to be the way they have always been. 

She was the voice of reason and she was the voice I needed to hear.  As we navigated our way through a lot of difficult decisions, many emotions surfaced and I found it necessary to "step up" to a new, more simplified way of living.  And it wasn't easy to release the paperwork I had accumulated (this body of work, the testimonials to my perseverance and effort), but it felt necessary and important and I recognized what a wonderful opportunity this was.  By the time my daughter's visit was over, her voice had become "the voice in my head" and I knew the good work that we had begun would continue.

I have read many times, in many places that releasing things...moving them out and possibly giving them to others who could use them...brings new energy into your life and I looked forward to this happening.  But here's where I was surprised.  I thought the new energy would show up in my writing as I am busy with that vocation nearly every day.  However, before that even had a chance to happen, the new energy showed up in a different, very unexpected way.

I suddenly found myself able to deal with issues that had previously felt overwhelming to me.  Now I was processing them in a relaxed, centered way and these were things I had been struggling with for some time.

As I told this amazing story to my chiropractor and we assessed my physical situation I recognized that the new energy was also helping me heal my body and, for this, I am especially grateful.

I am convinced the Divine Universe has lent some very significant assistance in this endeavor.  My daughter told me she had come up with the idea to make this offer last March and, once it had popped into her head, she had never wavered from it.  She has been an instrument of grace and the gifts coming from her generosity are manifesting in a vibrant and soulful way.

I am writing about this exciting experience because it seems too important not to relate.  Releasing things no longer needed to people who can benefit from them is truly an exercise in compassion and the personal level of  INCREASED CAPACITY resulting from the effort is nothing short of miraculous.

                                                                                                   
            
                                                                                             Marie Helena


 
image from artprescription.com

originally printed June 24, 2014

Road to Amazement

Oh, how we love to be in COMPLETE CONTROL 
of our lives.   

The technical and artistic designer.  

With a strong, persistent vision. 

We LOVE to construct our experiences.   Place them in a box of our design.  

We can see them in our mind playing out beautifully.  Just as we imagined.

In this picture there is precision and polish.  Everything works just as we envision  it.  Stimulus...response.   Action...reaction.  

 
It's our story and it's a work of art

But...are we missing something?

Is this picture we have so carefully planned going to help us create the life we want for ourselves?
 

Whenever we are strongly attached to an experience playing out just as we have conceived it...

and someone agrees to say the lines we "write" for them...

and agrees to be contained in OUR vision of the world...

we get what we prefer and we are comfortable.

 

BUT WE MISS SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES.

***************************************************

We miss the excitement of something new and unexpected entering the scene.

We miss the challenge of having to create our response IN THAT MOMENT...the challenge of testing ourselves to see how we can call on the influence of new things we have been learning.

We miss the glorious opportunity to see different aspects of the persons with whom we are interacting.

We miss the opportunity to learn something new or gain a new way of viewing things.

We miss the ENERGY of a brand new moment expressing itself with twists and turns and full to the brim with the promise of awareness, excitement and challenge.

***************************************************

In short, we are stuck in the groove we have been digging for a long, long time...and that groove is called  Having It My Way.
 

Jesse Nichols George says, 
 
*When we let go of our attachments we set things free to be so much more.  If we try to restrict people and relationships to be a certain way we miss so much of what they have to offer; when we let them be themselves, WE CAN BE AMAZED OVER AND OVER AGAIN."


Here's a thought...  

What if the "program" we create for the experiences in our life was blank?  

No predictions or hints of what is to come... no plot points.

 
Just a tabula rasa, a blank page waiting to be created by the information and emotions of the players revealing themselves in each moment.

 

Life would never be static or boring, would it?  

There would always be something new to consider...enjoy...watch for.  We would never have to travel to a Mecca for something new and exciting.  

OUR LIFE and the way we live it would be the new, exciting thing.


If we allow...no, let's make that  INVITE,  ENCOURAGE and  DELIGHT IN the scenes which  are WRITING THEMSELVES (even in this moment), we will undoubtedly have a front row seat to the evolution of our awareness, joy and wisdom!

                                                               
                                                                                     Marie Helena



image from casualtext.wordpress.com

originally published July 22, 2012

Sleeping with Books under the Bed

OK, Everyone... It's time for me to make an admission I've been holding onto for over a year.  

I've been waiting for the perfect moment and this feels like it has arrived.

I sleep with books under my bed.


The first time I heard about this idea of how to gain new information (which was a number of years ago) I thought it was way, way out there.   I asked myself:   How in the world could we gain the knowledge  of what is in a book by simply sleeping over it?

Well, a lot of things have changed for me. 

I now have a very different view of Energy and how the Divine Universe and the Biology of Belief work.  And, I have come to the conclusion that if we can send out our loving thoughts through vibrational energy, then the Magic of Energy can do astounding things.
 

For example, through the theory of the Hundredth Monkey :
When a certain tribe of monkeys began to develop a new skill and the number of monkeys able to perform that skill reached one hundred...monkeys all around the world  began to demonstrate the skill.
 

And the theory (now proven by Dr. Masaru Emoto) that water holds feelings and energy (see my earlier blog post below, The Glorious Messenger).            

And the theory about how we CREATE our lives by our conscious choices...for example, changing our view of ourselves from victim to beneficiary of a spiritual lesson (see blog post below, Once Upon a Time).
 

And... my own personal encounter of learning to Surrender to an Experience Itself (let myself really feel the discomfort and not try to escape it) which automatically opens the door for Higher Self to send me the wisdom and insights I need to heal myself.
 

As my faith and trust and belief in all of this grows, Sleeping with Books under the Bed doesn't sound so far-fetched any more.
 

And I have tried it with amazing results. 

It's not that I get all of the specific knowledge that is contained in the books...it's that I get their WISDOM and it starts to pour out of me right away.
 

There you have it...one of my favorite cutting edge things to do.

Are you of a mind to step out on this spiritual limb and see what the view looks like from this amazing nocturnal Tree of Wisdom?

p.s.

Don't let the image above overwhelm you as I am only talking about sleeping with one or two books under the bed at a time.  I usually search for the perfect image when I write a blog post and this one seems to embody the essence of my special secret.

 

image from ofpaperandponies.tumblr.com

originally published November 29, 2011 

Once Upon a Time

As little children we often looked forward to hearing a bedtime story as we were being tucked in for the night.





In this story there were often princes and princesses, magical castles, beautiful pastoral settings with fields of flowers and sunshine sprinkled all about. Of course, there was also the evil stepmother or stepfather (or some such figure) who represented trouble but always, always the good prince and princess prevailed in the kingdom. In the end of the story everyone rejoiced and PEACE reigned everywhere.


We loved those stories because they engaged our imagination and desire for drama and also because good always triumphed over evil.

These bedtime stories which soothed the hearts of little children were truly gifts from the angels because the effect of the stories is that little weary bodies relaxed into a place of comfort and safety and let themselves drift peacefully off into the night.


When we grow up, we somehow feel we have to leave our child’s playthings behind. And so we learn to look at the world as a difficult and sometimes jolting place in which we have been planted. And we feel that there are lots of hard knocks to be endured because we are grown up.


And, because we expect that these things will happen, we invite them into our lives. And when they appear, we suffer.

We suffer because we feel someone is doing something to us…Someone is trying to get into our space…or trying to take what is ours…or trying to get us to do something we don’t feel like doing.
This place of victimhood seems to be part of what we believe is our legacy and we feel we just somehow need to endure it.


And yet, an entirely different outcome is possible.


The same loving magic of our childhood still exists and is just waiting for us to recognize it and let it reenter our lives.

This magic is the principle called Changing Our Story.

Alberto Villoldo describes it so beautifully in his book Courageous Dreaming. And here is how it goes.

When something happens “to” us, we feel like a victim…like what is happening is beyond our control and that we have to somehow LIVE with it or, perhaps, we might choose to put up some resistance. In either case, our reaction translates to SUFFERING.

But, and this is so very important, when we change our role from victim to HERO (think the glorious bedtime adventures of your childhood), everything looks different…feels different…those beautiful moonbeams have fallen on our lives and have given us a look into what is really happening on a soul level.


If we truly believe that everything in our lives exists to teach us something (and I do), this totally changes the story of our lives. Our lives become an adventure of discovering what new wisdom and insight await us in each set of circumstances.

We believe that we are loved and guided and are being led to astounding discoveries. We become the hero who finds the gold (think alchemy) in every new challenge.

In this way, we are not only empowering ourselves to learn life’s lessons we are also comforting ourselves as we did with our childhood bedtime stories. If WE become the heroes of our stories, if we accept the challenge of discovering what there is to learn… we are left with feelings of joy and satisfaction.

Like being tucked in by someone who loves us…who has just given us the gift of the bedtime story... but this time we are giving it to ourselves.

Once upon a time…they lived happily ever after!

Not just a childhood fantasy…but a formula for dealing with life.

 The Glorious Messenger

The Potential to Transform Your World View

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 of The Hidden Messages in Water by Dr. Masaru Emoto

Water is such a wonderful bounty of the earth.

It helps sustain our physical bodies, provides power sources for our technology and extends a loving embrace as we immerse ourselves in its pleasures.

Now science is discovering that water holds even more for us than we could have ever imagined.

Dr. Emoto's experiments have shown us that water holds memory and has emotion and provides a reflection to us of ourselves.

Our consciousness has the ability to change the composition of water. And, because our bodies are made up of 70% water and we, therefore, are dependent on water to sustain us...it becomes very important that water reflect the Highest Good man can imagine...i.e, love, gratitude, appreciation, joy.

We are the determiners of what that water will reflect.

And here is the most exciting news...we can use water to heal ourselves and the earth.

I was a part of a global experiment when the waters of Katrina decimated the beautiful city of New Orleans. People around the world (linked together by the internet, a true, contemporary gift of consciousness and unity) all prayed together for the cleansing of the waters contaminated by Katrina.

Three weeks later I noticed an article in U.S. World Today commenting that authorities were mystified to find that an analysis of the water from Katrina yielded no more sediment than what would be found in an ordinary storm.

Just a few days ago another global experiment was conducted as people around the world joined in prayer at a given point in time to pray for the cleansing of the waters contaminated by the nuclear plants in Japan. The prayers were for forgiveness of Mother Earth and gratitude and appreciation of the gifts bestowed on us by the waters affected by the devastation of the tsunami.

How awesome it felt to be a part of such a global intercession...to feel so connected with the world in expressing feelings of caring and compassion.

Recently, I read a suggestion in an Expect Wonderful message about writing our prayers and hopes on paper and placing the water we drink directly on top of them. I did this yesterday with amazing results...not only did the blessed water taste like it was embodied with grace I also received direct spiritual inspiration regarding my requests.

I have tried this before by taping messages of love and gratitude onto water containers and have also held a glass or bottle of water over a Tibetan bowl I was striking to invoke a higher vibration. In each case, the water tasted different...more life giving, more loving...what seemed like a response from the Divine Universe to my requests.

The astounding properties of water suggest an awesome consideration.

If the world and all of its gifts exist to reflect and respond to us, what does that tell us about our journeys?

To me, it says:

We are not alone.
We are loved beyond measure.
We only need ask to receive whatever help we are seeking.

That help will always come in the way which will serve our Highest Good. And it may not arrive in the form we have envisioned.

But that is because Spirit knows what is the BEST way to learn the lessons our souls are seeking through the fulfillment of our desires. The development of faith and trust in this process will ensure our comfort and joy in this journey we call life.

The response of water to our consciousness is a beautiful example of the RESOURCES with which Spirit gifts us.

Let us not fail to take note of this Glorious Messenger!

                                                                                   Marie Helena

The Courage of the Lion

There are so many lessons we can learn from watching the beautiful creatures of the earth.  They operate purely from instinct and are not hampered by judgment or conditioning.  They only do what feels natural to them.

 
And herein lies one of their most beautiful gifts to us.

When faced with a threat they contract and protect themselves; afterwards, they expand and return to their native physical expression and presence.


Our problem may be that we also contract when we perceive a threat but then choose to STAY IN CONTRACTION...never allowing the healing of expansion to occur because we refuse to fully experience our feelings.

 

Raphael Cushnir has written extensively on this critical subject.  A few days ago I finished reading his book, The One Thing Holding You Back.

I found it mesmerizing...powerful.   

It was easy to understand what he was saying and to see the steps he outlined for mastering the full expression of our feelings.  

Simple...but very, very challenging...because our lives are full of obstacles to this free, full expression of feelings (possibly because it is one of the greatest barriers we face in earth school).

And the price tag for staying contracted (in fear, judgment, anger, anxiety, resentment, etc.) is a deterioration of our health and well-being.

 

Like all of God's creatures we are exquisitely designed to experience...and that means experience fully...bravely and boldly.   Cushnir instructs us:  "You don't just feel the moment but lean into it, let it ROAR right through you, and meet it with equal intensity."

Truly not for the faint of heart.  But the cost of shutting down...of staying in contraction,  Cushnir says, is becoming  "unavailable to love".

 

And so I pose this question to you:

If you wish to live your life filled with love, can you open yourself courageously to a FULL EXPRESSION OF YOUR FEELINGS...accepting and embracing them without judgment...thereby inviting the inevitable and highly treasured EXPANSION that leads to LOVE?

                                                                                  

                                                                                                           Marie Helena

image from grandmaideas.com

 originally published June 13, 2012