The Hearts of Children 💗💗💗💗💗

The coronavirus.

Are we going about this all wrong? Counting… tracking… isolating… using masks and ventilators in an effort to fix a problem without looking at what is really causing all of this havoc?

Something is not right with the world. And the world “knows” it.
This beautiful oasis was created for joy and celebration. But the energy of dissonance in the world has reached a point of critical mass.  We’ve felt the warnings through climate change and spectacular natural disasters.  Still we forge ahead unwilling and, even perhaps, unable to fully recognize the effects of our behavior.  The earth must now express a fundamental truth that is being ignored.  And it is doing this in Intense, disastrous, LOOK-AT-ME fashion telling us that it is past time to return to the innocence of little children where the world is the beautiful playground it is meant to be.  Where the world is a lovely place to discover new things. And to get to know people. And to understand them. And play with them. To play TOGETHER.  To look at all of our different personalities and cultures and work ethics and merge them into a working model of delight and appreciation and celebration.  To embrace the wisdom of playing nice.

In his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum gives us advice that resonates even in our adult lives:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.

And, he goes on with some additional recommendations.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life -‐ learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Fulghum believes we all learn these rules in kindergarten.  But, somehow, it seems, we have managed to forget them.

It’s time to remember.  And, if it’s hard to remember then, perhaps, it’s worth the experiment of trying to do it anyway and then watching what happens.  We already know what happens when we don’t play nice.

Why not do something different and see what that does?  If we were truly curious and not attached to our own, fixed ways of doing things, perhaps we could enjoy wondering about all the many things we could learn from each other and, thereby, return to the beautiful, pure innocence of our childhood where everything seemed possible and interesting and every child had the right and the opportunity to join the playground.  No matter whether he/she agreed with us...or did things our way.

Each new person on the playground brings a different view and it is exciting to learn about it and see if parts of it would mesh with our view.  And, if that doesn’t happen, we have just gained valuable information about how people can be affected by the circumstances of their lives.

Through this interaction, we grow in wisdom and experience.  Perhaps we even figure out how to help the souls that are having trouble healing.

We are meant to be joyful creatures, curious souls, eager to learn about each other.  Amazed at the beauty of soft, loving eyes, the wonder of a strolling child and the forthright tears of a broken heart seeking
to mend itself.

We are meant to see the sunshine in the daffodils.  The birds celebrating their flight.  To hear and understand those on this journey with us.  To express caring and compassion to
individuals whose actions clearly come from their unhealed pain.

It’s a good place to be.  It feels warm and beautiful.  And peaceful.

Please...please let us study our beautiful little children who see themselves as capable of EVERYTHING.  Who have not yet learned to be afraid that they are not enough and are not engaged trying to become their version of “enough” by having their view prevail in every moment.

Let us find the Beauty that is everywhere. The beauty in our own hearts and in the thoughts and feelings of others.  The natural symmetry of the world and, equally, the fascination that exists in the complicated journeys of all of its inhabitants.

Can we at least imagine this… visualize it… desire it so strongly that we can manifest it for ourselves? This is what we are meant to do...to find our way back to the innocence of childhood… to this precious place of peace.

The actions of each one of us touch so many others.  Can we begin to imagine sending love and compassion to EVERY fellow sojourner for the pain and distress he may be suffering instead of telling him why we think he is wrong?

If change is what we want, this is how we get it.  If we understand and express our compassion for an individual whose negative actions clearly come from his pain (as they always do), he is then freed up to examine his own choices without the burden of having to defend them and now has an opportunity to see the picture of his life with new eyes.

We’ve tried arguing, fighting, manipulating , bargaining all in an attempt to prevail.  We all know where that gets us.

Let’s be curious children once more.   Let’s recapture and this time keep the precious experience of feeling the invincibility of love.

Ultimately, the coronavirus is no match for the hearts of children.

                                             

                                            Marie Helena


Image:  imree's Paris Balloon Girl Painting ...pinterest.com

Dream catcher

Crazy Horse dreamed and went into the world where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. That is the real world that is behind this one, and everything we see here is something like a shadow from that one.

~ Black Elk ~

In the dream of Crazy Horse the major players are the Spirits.   They dominate the scene, connecting and collaborating with warmth and passion, expressing themselves in rich, vibrant conversation.   
Love so clearly rules here, interlacing every encounter with resplendent interest and compassion and appreciation.  There is beautiful listening and heartfelt concern. And there is a sense of lightheartedness and joy.

I see these radiant beings inhabiting the terrain of our lives.  They are the backdrop, the guidance, the inspiration for our adventures.  Always present, always ready to support, always wishing us well.  Watching, witnessing and waiting.  Though not visible to the eye, their vibration is unmistakable, inspiring us to join their formation by infusing our experiences with our own special loving radiance.  

Though we are shadow figures in the dream, we need only move into the Light of Love to take our rightful place in the celestial cavalcade. That is how close we are to Home...merely walking through the earth dream we imagined for ourselves, already possessing a shared divinity waiting to be remembered.


What if the dream of Crazy Horse were the lens through which we viewed our lives?  What if we could discern our Guiding Spirits walking, laughing, dancing among us?  Would that make it easier to join their party?  Would that help us see with new eyes and a clarity of vision that we are all residing...or in the process of returning...to the Love that rocks the universe?


                                                             Marie Helena





image from Pinterest
atrapasueños dibujo - Buscar con Google | imagenes vintage ...
Dreams

Transmuting the Virus

EVERYTHING is energy.  Including you, including me,  including the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the homes we live in.  And, most significantly, including the Coronavirus.

EVERYTHING has a purpose,
a raison d’etre.  And there seems to be an immense and compelling energetic force animating the Coronavirus, purposing its existence.  The questions we must ask ourselves are:  Why does this astounding tsunami impulse exist?  Why is it so intractable and treacherous?  So seemingly impervious to alteration?

The answer is because it is reflecting us to ourselves.  And perhaps it is meant to continue to do that with increasing intensity until we fully recognize the devastation humanity has often caused with our commercialism, our me-first mentality, our prejudicial and supremacist attitudes and negative emotions.

We are riled with discord and unrest, with blatant and sometimes violent opposition to differing factions, with the sometimes unalterable need to prove ourselves right.  And nature is showing us how grievously  we have departed from our true selves as caring, loving, generous souls who understand that we are truly “in this” together.  And, because we have forgotten this, we are being provided with a reminder so powerful and so devastating it cannot be ignored.  Nature has forced us into recognizing that we are all our brothers’ keeper.  And, thankfully, in the midst of all this tumult, it is beautiful to behold elements of society coming to grips with the reality of the Mirror and stepping up to change the global template.

The negative behavior we have displayed has been spawned from fear.  The fear of not being good enough.  And, since there are really only two primal emotions… Love and fear… the more we love, the less we fear.

And Love is truly the reason for our existence.  We are creatures of
Love.  We are made from Love.  And, when we find our way back to that beautiful foundation, the world releases its unrest and upheaval.

This is a grand experiment in which we are all residing.  We have willingly taken it on.  Only the bravest souls have volunteered to experience what is happening to us right now.

By returning to our true source of Love, we can release the energy of this virus.  It will no longer be needed when we see ourselves and all of our fellow compatriots and, indeed, all that exists in the universe as Resources to share and support and love.  We are all exquisite facets of the same diamond that is humanity.

The resolution to the pandemic is only as far away as a global shift of the heart.  Can we each be an inspiration for others, igniting a massive wave of awakening into the peace of our true nature?

Let’s transmute the Coronavirus from a messenger gone rogue throughout the world in a frantic attempt to awaken us to the peace that will naturally flow from a Divine message that has been well received.

                                   
                              Marie Helena



image from Pinterest

The Chauffeur

Imagine a sleek, shiny limousine waiting for you to ride in...complete with a skillful, experienced chauffeur who effortlessly whisks you away to your desired destinations and knows so well the routes you enjoy.   


This is a personal assistant with whom you are extremely comfortable.  You have traveled to many destinations together and it is always the ride you desire and expect.  And, of course, YOU are the one who is responsible for hiring this chauffeur whom you trust so implicitly with the task of getting you to all of the events on your life calendar.  And why wouldn't you be for he is the EMBODIMENTof your own PERSONAL BELIEF SYSTEM.


A  chauffeur is entrusted with important responsibilities.  Once he knows the location you desire to be transported to, he determines the ROUTE he will follow to get you there.  He knows you well...your likes and dislikes, your preferences, the things you absolutely feel comfortable with and the things that annoy, irritate and rattle you to the core.  And, of course, he will go to great lengths to avoid them


There is something to be said for preserving and perpetuating your comfort but  perhaps following the same old route EVERY TIME is not serving you well.


There is a very simple yet profound adage that says,
If you keep doing what you always do,
  You're going to get what you always get.


If you perchance are not satisfied with what is happening in your life, perhaps it's time to see who is really driving your limo.  Just who is this limo driver so sure of how things should go?  Is he (you) missing something?  Does he always follow the routes he (you) learned many years ago and has he (you) stopped considering any new input?  Has he (you) missed something important or misread or misunderstood the "street signs"?


Such is the nature of our belief system.  It shapes and molds and may even calcify our view of life effectively eliminating the possibility of viewing life through a different lens than the one we have always known.


And what if we have adopted the view of someone in our life who has exerted great influence upon us?  And what if that very influential person's "view" has been subject to his own personal limitations or experiences?  And, by the way, WHO is driving HIS limo?


This complicated state of affairs has been the case all along for all of us because it is the nature of how things work in earth school.  We are ALL struggling, learning, and sometimes misperceiving or misunderstanding how things are.  If we limit ourselves to the initial view that we have learned from the influence of another, what will we have missed because we have never considered it possible?


And that is why it is so very necessary and wise to examine carefully ALL of our beliefs, to hold then up for introspection and to also consider alternate beliefs and see how THEY might operate in our lives.


I have been astounded to discover the possibilities I have cut myself off frombecause of the societal and cultural beliefs I have unquestioningly embraced.  Now I have adventures "playing" with opposing beliefs, turning the original ones topsy turvy to see where they might land.


By the way, I've got an ad out for a new chauffeur.  

Adventurous, open-minded, out-of-the-box thinker who is always searching for the most astonishing routes on this roadmap called Life.


I'm looking to mix it up in this new version of myself and see where it takes me!  How about you?


                                                                                       Marie Helena

Denying Our Pain

The truth is everybody's addicted to something...shopping, food...drugs, alcohol.  We don't choose to be addicted; what we choose to do is deny our pain.

The good news is that every choice you make supersedes and overrides every other choice you have made so today you can choose to be in peace not pieces.
                                       
             Ilanya Vanzant
                     spiritual life counselor

What we choose to do is deny our pain.

We are probably not even aware we are making the choice that Ilanya Vanzant describes.  

And we may not even know we are carrying PAIN.  THAT would take some significant conscious and courageous attention to what is going on inside us. 

A good deal of the time we might just assume we are edgy or irritable from the stresses of the day (which we often feel have been inflicted on us by someone else).  

And, as we take on that victim mentality, we feel a need to COMFORT OURSELVESand we turn to our addiction of choice.

But the addiction (comforting though it may initially appear) has no real peace to offer...only a MASK to hide behind...for now.  But the pain which is driving the addiction remains.

Soon we find ourselves repeating the process as needed.. with the same results.  And we wonder why this keeps happening.

When we become upset, the event or circumstance and the person that triggered our aggravation tend to take center stage in our consciousness. 

We find ourselves living and reliving the "thing that was done to us", getting more and more upset with each replay...all the time missing the DIAMOND that is buried in the interaction.

The diamond I am speaking of is the REVELATION to us (IF we are listening) that we are upset because we have unhealed pain.  

And that unhealed pain is the ONLY thing we need pay attention to.  We do NOT need to concern ourselves with WHAT was said or done nor with WHO said or did it.

Now that proposition may seem quite radical.  Ignoring the perpetrator?

Where is the justice in that?  

The answer is that this is not an issue of justice, this is an issue of LOVE.  And the individual who has triggered our ire is performing an act of love by showing us the pain...the unhealed hurt we are carrying.

To heal that hurt we must become aware of the PAIN...embrace it...let our body feel it...all of it...understand that the pain has served the purpose of protecting us until we acquired the tools to deal with its source.

 
And this moment...this stunning awareness... holds the potential and power to break that pattern. 

We must see that WE own the pain...and that is why we are upset.  

Once we recognize that we have been hurt and can send ourselves love and compassion, we can begin the process of healing. 

In this space of feeling loved and cared for (by ourselves), we begin to gather the strength and insight and wisdom to see that ALL people need compassion because they, too, carry the scars of their struggles. 

And that universal, unconditional caring provides us with the beautiful energy we need to release our pain and begin the path of healing.

Following this path takes courage. 

It's so much easier to deny the unhealed pain which has been activated in us, to  blame the other person and, therefore, feel justified in comforting ourselves with our addiction.

But, as Ilanya Vanzant says, every new choice we make overrides every other choice we have already made.  

Regardless of how we HAVE BEEN navigating our upsetting experiences, we can choose NOW to accept the messages that are waiting in these moments  to help us free ourselves from the underlying but ever present pain.

The grace we need to break free from our suffering waits patiently for our awareness.  

We are always free to choose peace...the  beautiful gift awaiting us at the end of this courageous undertaking.

image from classicalmusiccalmsthesoul.blogspot.com

My Sibs

I have this brother.  My little brother. Over six feet tall.  Smart as a whip.  During our growing up years, he tried to convert the family to Adelle Davis' nutritional philosophy before it was even in vogue.  

He was definitely born in the wrong century.  Likes building furniture with his own hands. 

And, oh, how he loves water.  He always manages to land someplace where there is plenty of it… Michigan, Florida, Oregon, California.  He was an underwater diver and built his own underwater housing for his camera.  As a young teenager.

My brother has my dad's personality.  A little reserved but when he has something to say, it's definitely worth listening to.  Often very dry.  Very funny.

Then there's my sister.  Now there's an angel for you.  Once we had a dressmaker design a pair of wings for her. She still has them...in a closet or under her bed, I think. 

She is always finding ways to surprise and delight us.  And herself, too.  She travels the world...been to Italy, Greece, Ireland, Egypt, the Galápagos Islands, the Mayan Ruins.  I have actually lost track of her adventures but I am pretty sure she's planning to go to Iceland this October and she's just returned from visiting Hogwart's Castle at the Harry Potter Theme Park.  Her life mantra is "Who's in Charge?" inspiring the rest of the troops to seize the day!

That wry brother of ours likes to make irreverent commentsto my sister and me from time to time.  Here's one of my favorites…

"You two have no taste...you like everyone."

The really funny thing about this comment is that he turned around and married someone just like us.  I mean...how cool is that!

Though the three of us live across the continent from each other, the miles do not separate us.  When one of us needs something, we areAll In.  We share our everyday adventures and challenges and pass on whatever worldly wisdom we have managed to acquire.

My mom and dad must have done something very right for us to feel...and stay...so connected.

Thank you, my darling  bro and sis.  I've got your back, too.

                                                                           Marie Helena

image from pinterest.com 
otters holding hands