The Adventure of Receiving

 It all seems so simple.  

We've been knocking around a while, experiencing life... becoming seasoned travelers through our adventures and struggles and have drawn some conclusions about how to navigate things.  We know what feels good to us and we like to act on those feelings.  That way, things seem predictable...they feel right.  And, furthermore, we are most comfortable when someone responds to us in the way that WE respond…the way that we prefer.  What we consider the RIGHT way.  The perfect moment for us is when someone acts exactly as WE do.  

But maybe this is not our real perfection.

While it is true that life would feel predictable if everyone acted exactly the way we did, that feels almost like the Stepford Wives story, doesn't it?   Mindless echoing of our thoughts and opinions.  And that scenario gets old really quick.  It's not enjoyable to be surrounded by parrots who keep "squawking" our own words back at us.

And we do not HAVE TO live in that Stepford world.  It's V E R Y boring and there are no invitations and opportunities to transcend the sticky moments of life.  The messy, really challenging, mountain climbing, truly soul satisfying stuff that teaches us new ways of looking at things.


We get to ENJOY the ADVENTURE of not knowing what will cross our path.  Not knowing if our words, thoughts and actions will be affirmed, well received or questioned.  Not even imagining the life clues for us that could fall from someone's lips or the example their life story might provide for us.  Receiving all of this sensory stimulation
being delivered in varying states of emotion, sometimes dramatically different from the way we perceive what is happening or how we feel about it.

THIS is where the perfect adventure begins…witnessing, experiencing, RECEIVING the different ways that people think and feel and express themselves about life.


And this can be VERY interesting…puzzling, even intriguing and sometimes downright eccentric for these experiences reveal to us a great deal about the mystery of each person we encounter and the messages they may hold for us.


To truly take all of this in it is important to have NO expectations.… to be completely OPEN to whatever wants to present itself in our world whether it takes us completely by surprise, excites or even irritates us or produces a feeling of camaraderie.   It is essential for us to not require others to walk through life exactly as we do. 


If we can feel at ease with this supposition, we can experience our own exciting ADVENTURE every single day. Actually, every single moment. Everything we encounter brings us new information, new perceptions and invariably teaches us something new we need to learn.  We are the RECEIVER in this fascinating experiment...a whirlwind of continuing new sensory impressions swirling around us, tapping us on the shoulder, inviting us to see something in a different and often creative way.

And THAT is The Adventure of Receiving, a gift of life intrinsic to this dimension.

                                    
                                                                                                 Marie Helena



image from Paintings on Pinterest
Krishna, African Art and Abstract Paintings

Dreaming You

  















Whatever is happening in your life is coming from an image you hold about yourself.
  The images you send out attract situations to you.  These pictures are absolutely
  available to your conscious awareness.  You can change any situation by looking at
  and changing your vision of yourself.

                                 Sanaya Roman
                                            Personal Power through Awareness

I'm always so clumsy.
I can't cook.
I am never comfortable telling people what I really feel.

 

The descriptions we give ourselves are the source of our behavior.  Whatever we believe to be true determines the course of our actions. 
It's the biology of belief. 

And it belongs to us.  

Granted, we were influenced by our families, society and the world around us.  They all helped by providing us with some predispositions to these images but guess who made the final purchase?  Oh yes, we bought in.  And when we did that, we set a course for ourselves that would play out in a hundred different ways.

Here's the good news. 

We are NOT stuck on those checkpoints.  Even though we may think we are and give up on ourselves ever becoming anything different.

The fact is we have INDISPUTABLE CONTROL over these images and just need to choose their replacements. 

OK, maybe not JUST choose...because there is some work involved.  It includes conscious awareness, creativity, focus and follow through.  But we can handle that...we earth dwellers are constantly reinventing ourselves...we just need to reinvent in the right direction.

Instead of whining about how we are losing our touch...what if we were to SEE ourselves as bright, alert, tuned in. 

Instead of feeling we lack the motivation to realize our dream, we can begin to see ourselves full of joy and satisfaction, creating something beautiful for the world in physical form or in the beautiful love and compassion we send out.  

We already have the resource we need for this exercise...it's  our IMAGINATION.

 
What if...just for tomorrow...we hold this amazing image of ourselves living each moment with attention and awareness and appreciation and gratitude? And what if our new fabulous image is totally feeling JOY and having FUN exploring the glorious moments we can create for ourselves?

 
Sounds like a winner to me.  High vibration.  Open, aware, connecting with life...someone we would so love to be around.

Ooops....that's already WHO we are and we got there by dreaming ourselves.  Now watch  how THIS  delightful person attracts the most fabulous scenarios into her life.

                                                                                    Marie Helena                                                    

website for the image

1891455-2-dreaming « The New Writers

The Honoring of Pain

When I am healed,

  I am not healed alone.

A Course in Miracles

         

 
Even though we may make a practice of consciously expressing ourselves in a thoughtful, considerate manner, when we speak to others, sometimes the words we choose or the way we speak them unwittingly ignite a land mine of unhealed emotions buried in someone's psyche.  And, sometimes, the person we are addressing is not even aware that the turbulence now showing itself has been brewing under the surface. 

In this moment, without meaning to, we have pressed a hot button and our button-pressing, unfortunately, gives way to an explosion of fear based emotion fiercely aimed in our direction. 

Voices intensify. Energy steeps and stews.  Now EVERYBODY is feeling agitated and the stage is set for torment and tribulation.

Or not.



WHAT IF in our own emotional evolution, we have learned a powerful way to defuse a distressing situation...and bring insight to the chaos?
 
WHAT IF we have learned to OBJECTIVELY observe what is occurring?  To step back and dispassionately discern another's distressful reaction?   

WHAT IF with compassion (and no trace of judgment) we were to gently and patiently ask the other if fear or anxiety has flared up in them in that moment?  To ask what conclusions they may have drawn?  What pain they may be feeling?

WHAT IF we were to study their PROCESS to help us understand the "message" of their emotions? 


Moving from the heat of the moment's reaction to a gentle desire to understand what is transpiring in another is a profound act of transformation.  It is the practice of alchemy...the process of transmuting a common substance into a substance of great value...for the gift of compassion and the desire to understand bring to light pain that needs to be released and a heart badly in need of soothing.  


Is there a greater gift we can give to another than to see and hear and honor what has unconsciously been driving their behavior and deeply affecting their view of the world?

We are here together to minister to each other and help release the pain that is preventing the experience of joy.  

We are here together to listen to the "music" of each other's heart...no matter the cadence or cacophony...creating a symphony of acceptance, love and understanding.  

We are here together to share the treasure of our own spiritual evolution.


The honoring of pain...however it shows itself...is a most eloquent expression of compassion.  And, when we create these moments of beauty, we experience the wonder of that gift being reflected back to us by others who have been touched by the gentleness of our hearts.  


                                                                                      Marie Helena


 image from innerharmony.com

                                                                                
                                                          

Remembrance: Why We Should Forgive Ourselves

FORGIVE YOURSELF.

The supreme act of forgiveness is when you can forgive yourself for all the wounds you've created in your own life. Forgiveness is an act of self-love. When you forgive yourself, self-acceptance begins and self-love grows,
 
Don Miguel Ruiz

As we write the story of our life, our learning occurs in a myriad of ways.  Sometimes the path is straight and clear.  We take action that feels instinctively right...it works beautifully...we benefit and all is well.


 
Sometimes our learning takes a different path.

Sometimes we are influenced by unhealed pain, hurt, unmet needs, etc. and we choose a path that is not in our best interest.  But, at that time, the choice we made felt like the only way we could go.
.

And so we went there.  And it was not what we expected.

All was not well.  And we ultimately JUDGED ourselves for the choice and stayed mired in sadness and regret.
 

Writing the story of our life is not usually a black and white endeavor.  Sometimes we are drawn to what SEEMS like a solution but ultimately does not deliver on that (false) promise. 

 

However, our learning can occur quite brilliantly when we can view our actions with some objectivity...

perhaps uncover what has moved us in that direction...

love ourselves through the pain of self-confrontation,,,

and emerge with a stronger, braver view of what we want to do with our lives.

Judging ourselves (or anyone or anything) is not productive. 

It delays our process of learning.

What is needed is an open, accepting heart that understands we were trying to navigate some difficulty...a heart which knows that LOVE is always expressing itself the best way it knows how.

What we did is what we knew.  When we know better, we do better.
  

And, as we reflect on our choices and their consequences, we begin to know better and we do better.  We pass by judgment, embracing instead our humanity and moving forward with new wisdom and insight.

 

Perhaps the forgiveness which Don Miguel Ruiz is talking about can really be called the simple act of KNOWING that we are on a journey with some distracting side paths which ultimately can lead us to our true destination...a REMEMBERING of the glorious perfection of  Who We Truly Are and an acceptance of how learning can occur in a dualistic world.


 

                                                                                      Marie Helena

image from salliesart.blogspot.com

Moving with the Universe...

When the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready... The teacher will disappear.

                               Lao Tzu


In this very moment the Universe is undergoing an intense transformation, moving from the third to the fourth and fifth dimensions.  As inhabitants of this cosmic plane, we are being called to this important evolutionary shift.  To move with the Universe into this higher vibration, we need to release any of our old, limiting behaviors that are preventing our expansion into more loving and generous individuals.

No small task.  These old, defensive modes of reaction have been a part of us for many years. At one time they helped us cope with difficult situations when we did not have the tools to navigate their complexities and contradictions and find our way to a peaceful, loving place.  They become our survival, self-protective defaults.  And they are very stubborn and resistant to change.

Because this strong metaphysical alteration exists in the Universe affecting each of us in a profound manner, we are all students encountering circumstances (let's call them opportunities) that test our mettle, engaging us in distressing scenarios, disturbing our self-developed default behavior which previously  enabled us to "handle" our problems without self~reflection and ownership of our part in the maelstrom. 

This is no longer the case.  There is no running away from the scene.  The stage is set.  As citizens of the Universe, we are now considered "ready" as evolution vigorously moves us forward.  The difficulties we are encountering themselves are our teachers. Until we recognize and acknowledge them AS our teachers, they continue to provide the stormy weather we keep encountering.

Resistance to these issues is non-productive.  Resistance is only a stalling technique. The issues will soon appear again… this time in different and, possibly, more disturbing disguises.

Once we recognize our "teachers" and choose to study the "curriculum", we have the opportunity to gain insight and wisdom and move WITH the universe as it rollercoasters its way to the higher dimensions.


Here is a technique we can practice to help us get "truly ready" for each lesson-of-the-day (courtesy of Georgiann Voissem, LifeLine Practitioner): 


When we become upset, choose to ONLY pay attention to the fact that we got upset... NOT what someone said or did that introduced the problem and NOT who said or did it.  Direct our attention ONLY to reflecting on the truth about ourselves that was just revealed to us:  the FACT that this comment or action upset us, the fact that we are unable to view the words or actions of the event dispassionately...that this event has triggered an unhealed hurt within our hearts.


This is not the way we usually react to upsetting circumstances.  Typically, we react by feeling attacked and quickly assign blame for our feelings to the other person involved in the interaction.  Here is the interesting thing about this behavior.  In the scenario that has just been enacted, the other person is ONLY the messenger, and, when we ascribe blame to that other individual, we have just SHOT THE MESSENGER.  The "messenger" was there to bring something to our attention… something we have not been noticing about ourselves…something we need to pay attention to for our own healing and evolution.

Responding to situations in this way instead of reacting by feeling attacked and hurt and blaming others helps us recognize what needs to be healed in our own lives. And it is a calming influence on our interpersonal relationships, helping us see ourselves in a new and inspiring perspective.

No more need for the teachers. We have literally become the teachers to ourselves.  And, when we move with the natural inclination of the universe, we strengthen ourselves AND contribute to the collective consciousness, supporting our fellow travelers on this fascinating journey. 


                                                                                          Marie Helena



image from artprojectsforkids.org

Let It Begin with Me

 A truly peaceful mind is very sensitive, 
very aware.

Tenzin Gyatso

  
Have you ever noticed that some individuals are especially conscious of the beauty they see around them?  To be in their presence is to experience the continual expression of joy and wonder.  They are curious, mindful souls, awake to the innocent and guileless nobility of nature...bountiful, brilliant, fragrant blossoms, the astoundingly intricate navigation of the hummingbird, the metaphor of majestic thunderheads presaging a clearing of deep emotions, the merriment and mirth of the monarch butterfly dancing its delight with the celestial scenery.  Gifts of the universe presenting us with a playground of unparalleled splendor!

And it is not only nature that sings to these perceptive creatures.  They easily discern every gesture of love and good will being expressed to and around them.  And, having recognized these gifts-of-the-heart, they cannot help but laud their elegance and grace and the engagement of the souls which are sourcing them.

Conversely, when these glorious individuals encounter dissonance and distress, they immediately open their hearts, ministering to the unhealed pain that is being manifested.  They are patient and receptive while the troubling emotions are expressed, releasing their iron grip upon the chambers of the heart.

These sages see beauty in and through everyone's journey, however it is being expressed.

This is the gift of Peace… a recognition that all is right with the world and with everyone in it. A recognition that each of us is following a path of our own choosing, a journey we have willingly embarked upon for the purpose of gaining experience, insight and wisdom through life in this glorious, precarious dimension.

When we fully comprehend the nature of our earth school sojourn, every action and reaction we feel or witness, every emotion we or others express, every event we experience becomes a thing of beauty… The story of the odyssey of our souls.
Though it is often difficult to ascertain the significance of what is unfolding in, around and through our lives, there is concord and serenity in the recognition that each of us has the opportunity to create experiences that enhance our wisdom.  And each of us can choose how we want to respond to our own "adventures".

The beautiful gift of Peace comes from awareness and understanding of the nature of our journey.  Once we fully recognize this fascinating opportunity we have chosen to experience, we cannot help but acknowledge with great sensitivity and appreciation the evidence of every grace-filled moment.

How lovely to imagine a world of "peace"ful earth dwellers!


                                                                                   Marie Helena                                                                                                                                               





Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.*




                                                                                        

 *song by Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller

   image from mymospot.com

The Joy of Gliding

    Wouldn't it be wonderful to have your own very special MENTOR?  Someone to inspire and guide you...and help you recover if you stumble and fall. Someone who's got your back.  Someone who truly honors your gifts and talents and wants to help you challenge yourself but does it in the gentlest way.

 
You may think this kind of arrangement is not the easiest to find and ask yourself "In this busy world who has time for ME?".  And, because you haven't found the luxury of this ever-on-duty sage adviser, it seems it's ALL ON YOU and so you go through your day trying to address your issues with every ounce of strength and insight you can gather.  And, well, it's exhausting...and, sometimes, it doesn't go so well.  But, frazzled though you may be, you keep giving it the old college try.

Do you know there is a still, small voice trying to get your attention and put your worries to rest?  A comforting, affirming messenger bringing you solace or inspiration or even energizing you...whatever is the perfect gift in the perfect moment.


Why is it so difficult for us to discern this?  Is it because society has indoctrinated us to the idea that WE have to keep "trying"?  Trying to do a better job, trying to find the answer to our problems,  trying to satisfy ourselves...or others?



Somehow we miss the gentle, divine "voice" that comes into us as softly as a harp or string violin inspiring us, showing us the way to achieve our aspirations.  It may be disguised as an image, a memory, a new thought, an inspiration.  It may be spoken by another or appear in an email or in a show we are watching but it is always the perfect counsel, pointing us in the direction of our dreams.

 
And that is why we need to SURRENDER our problems...stop trying to figure them out.  Listen, instead, to our wonderful bodies which are telling us to walk away and rest.  We merely need to have a CLEAR AND CONSCIOUS INTENTION regarding what we want help with and then we need to LEAVE THE PLAYING FIELD and do something that brings us joy.

'
We are designed to discover the wonder and beauty of life.

We are designed to remember the ever present and ever powerful Divine force that is supporting and loving us and just waiting to be accessed and embraced.  The force through which all wisdom flows...the force which always has our back and knows the grandest way to gift us with what we desire.

 
As Lola Jones,  spiritual teacher and healer, says, "Let the Divine do the Heavy Lifting...just watch for the Divine Opening!"

 
Like Lola Jones, I believe we are meant to GLIDE through the Magical Playground of our Lives sustained by our awareness of the Divine grace just awaiting our attention, the beautiful manifestation of the mentor we have dreamed of.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Marie Helena




image from HikingArtist.com