The Moonbeam Laden Trail

IMAGINE THE grace

AND elegance

AND goodness

OF AN ENCHANTING CREATURE who bestows love and beauty upon everyone whose life she encounters!

 

Imagine the generosity of the  love emanating from her heart, touching everyone in her radius!

  

Imagine THE MOONBEAM LADEN TRAIL she leaves behind as she moves through life, anticipating her next adventure!

 

Now...imagine this beautiful creature is YOU!

And it's not impossible to envision yourself as this kind and compassionate...and very generous...mentor.

 

HERE'S HOW WE BEGIN.  

We begin by embracing our humanity, the work of the soul, in which we recognize and acknowledge and experience our very human reactions to things which trigger our unhealed hurts.  

This is the arena  where our subconscious kicks  in, the ninety-six per cent of the power which drives our behavior.  The place where the shenpa occurs (the space of time when our trigger is activated and the flash BEFORE we react).  

In this holy juncture, this twinkling in time,  we have the opportunity to choose our next move...the thoughts we think...and if, at this very point, we choose to think with our heart, we will be guided to express that beautiful thought and we will intuitively know how to do this.

And when our hearts are directing the story of our life, that story becomes infused with gentleness, softness and caring and we speak and act from that place...

By asking someone if something is concerning or troubling them when they speak words of anger or irritation...

By seeing in someone's face or movements evidence of a struggle or unexpressed emotions and holding space for them as they navigate the murky waters...

By trying to understand the intent behind someone's actions or words that felt confusing or troubling to us and asking them to help us understand their feelings.

 

One...even ONE choice...one movement in the direction of openness and expansion and generosity and love will be the moonbeam to bring Light  into the moment. 


Love grows exponentially and one expression of love will beget more and more expressions of love.  Before long, the entire direction of a moment will be anchored solidly on an upward path.

And it is our choice, our impulse to move beyond the EGO REACTION of something-is-coming-at-me to the HEART SPACE of how--can-I-bring-Light-to-this-moment that is the catalyst for the transformation.
 

If we do not make a conscious decision in the direction of love, our subconscious will do its work of activating more of whatever is our prevailing emotion and, if we are already upset by something, even more of that upset will be downloaded.

The choice is ours.

If we aspire to giving loving energy in every moment of our life with every person we encounter,

in every place we go, 

with every soul choice we make in our moments of challenge and dismay...

we CAN become that enchanting creature who always leaves evidence of love in her wake by connecting to and touching the hearts of all who have the privilege of encountering her!


                                      Marie Helena

image from fairiesfanpage.yolasite.com

He Said, She Said

The glorious, mysterious, and often frustrating mix of energies between male and female has left mankind puzzled for centuries.  And nowhere is this more evident than in the LANGUAGE used by both.

Even given the most noble intention...to BE THERE for the other... males and females often find their well-meaning attempts to request help and to respond get twisted and turned when the other sex tries to ascertain the meaning.

And here's why.

Men like to primarily fix things.  The mere mention of a problem by a female makes a male want to come up with the perfect solution and be the hero in her story of distress.

Women, on the other hand, just want to be HEARD.  And this translates to being listened to with great patience and compassion as they explain their plight, often weaving into the story other related concerns.  They DO NOT usually want to hear a quick fix.  What they want is to feel they are being listened to, heard, understood.  They want to know that SOMEONE understands their feelings.

Now that's a recipe for a perpetual conundrum.

None of this is news as we have all been aware that there are vast differences between the way the sexes perceive problems and the ways they want to solve them.

My attention here is on HOW to navigate these waters.  And here's my thought.

The first thing we have to do is OVERRIDE THE ORIGINAL DEFAULT BUTTON...the button that makes males confusedly wonder why females  won't appreciate a great problem solving idea and females conclude that no one understands how they feel.

When that default button gets pushed, emotions start to CRACKLE and everyone is dissatisfied with the outcome of the interaction.

Overriding a default takes conscious intention and perhaps we can embrace this idea by the promise it offers to help keep communication misses off the radar.

The new default button is THE IMMEDIATE STATEMENT OF HELPFUL INTENTION.  

She says something like, "I am feeling sad (distressed, worried, anxious, etc.) and I think it would help me to know that you understand the emotion I am experiencing.  Just understand it...no need to solve it right now as I am not ready for that step just yet."

He says, "I can see that you are distressed (unhappy, worried, stressed, etc.) and I care about you and want to help you feel better.  I have some ideas on how to do that when you are ready to hear them."

Now this will take some adjusting on the parts of both sexes because when the female is in a distress mode (the forlorn maiden locked in the tower of her emotions) and the male is in the problem solving mode (riding up on his noble steed, equipped with the weapons needed to fend off the enemy)...when these conditions have arisen, it is not easy to change directions.

The forlorn maiden must vacate her role as damsel-in-distress and the prince-riding-to-the-rescue must vacate his action-driven energy and both must  become the calm, patient and wise communicators...at least for the first few minutes of the interaction. 

Then, knowing what each other's intentions are, the conversation will now have the chance to play out differently.  Both parties can feel understood and appreciated.

Peace reigns.

The crisis has been attended to.

This is not an easy formula to put into practice because it is so natural to feel that the other sex SHOULD KNOW what we need and are intending.

But, energy-wise...this is a very efficient idea because the investment of a different approach and new default button will ultimately save the emotional trauma of someone  feeling misunderstood...a perception that can persist for an indeterminate amount of time

In this way we can even improve on Mother Nature's DISTRIBUTION OF EMOTIONAL RESOURCES and, through a conscious investment of our energy, easily receive/respond to what it was that we were originally looking for and hoping to give.

                                                                                            Marie Helena

The Ides of March

Let go of the need to defend your position.

       don Miguel Ruiz



It happens so easily to all of us.  We suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a highly spirited discussion and discover that we are face to face with an opposing or alternate perspective and so we automatically step into the role of “defender” of our position, digging in our heels...gently at first and then with increased vigor...as we set out to convince others of our point of view.  

What is it that encourages and even entices us to go for the “win”?  What is it that is driving this behavior that is so prevalent...and even predictable in the human psyche?

And, while we ponder that, imagine how disarming it would be to encounter an individual who has no need to convince everyone of the validity of his position, no need to be recognized by everyone as holding the "right" answer.


I had my own personal encounter with a situation like this a few years ago during a holiday gathering at our home.  It was a very subtle experience but later I strongly felt the significance of the moment.

Several people had been invited over for the holidays and we were chatting happily and enjoying the interchange.  I am not sure how we landed on this topic, but someone introduced the subject of 
The Ides of March.

At that point, I enthusiastically interjected myself into the conversation, remarking that I happened to know that The Ides of March fell on March 12th and that I knew this because The Ides of March was the birthday of a good friend of mine with whom I had worked.  One of our guests commented that The Ides of March was actually on March 15th.   At this observation, I strongly asserted that I was certain it was the 12th and that I had a memory of holding a very specific intention to recall that particular date.  After my interjection our guest declined to assert his belief that March 15 was the date in question and the group moved on past the consideration of the event’s date to its actual meaning.

By the way, Wikipedia describes The Ides of March as "a day in the calendar notable for the Romans as a deadline for settling debts."


This little incident was long forgotten by me until  a few months later on March 15 when I happened to hear a commentator announce that it was The Ides of March.

Oooooops!  I thought and looked online to verify this unexpected piece of information.  As I absorbed the correction, two thoughtscircled in my brain.  The first was:  How did I ever confuse this date and become so convinced that I had it right?  The second was:  What a considerate 
guest we had hosted at our home that evening during the holidays.  The visitor had obviously known his information was right and yet he chose not to make a point of debating this with me in front of the others.

This gesture of his felt important to me.  I saw this behavior as evidence of his generosity and thoughtfulness and I made a point of telling him so the next time we spoke.


How refreshing it had been to engage with someone who was not harboring a strong competitive need to prove his point.  And, on the fifteenth of March, the point was made for itself quietly and with no aggressive fanfare.


This choice of action of our guest that night most certainly revealed his honoring and understanding of human emotions.  Giving me the opportunity to learn for myself what I did not know was actually very profound.  He clearly saw that the date itself was not the primary issue and neither was emerging as the person who had all of the answers.  

He had no need to engage in a battle of rightness; he just wanted the opportunity to plant the seed of what he knew to be true.

This individual was obviously able to enter into a moment and quietly leave his gentle signature on it, inviting others to engage with the information in the perfect moment for them.  No need to defend...just a subtle awareness and affirmation of how we learn best when we are in the most relaxed and curious frame of mind.

What a splendid idea!  No “debt settling” of The Ides of March...rather just an eloquent exploration.


                                                                  Marie Helena

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 aroundthem?  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, fragrantblossoms, the astoundingly intricate navigation of the hummingbird, the metaphor of majesticthunderheads presaging a clearing of deep emotions, the merriment and mirth of the monarch butterflydancing 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 of 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

Safe in the Net

 

When acrobats and trapeze artists leap into the air they are protected by a STRONG, RESILIENT and VERY LARGE NETwaiting to catch them, if needed, in an affectionate, all encompassing, welcoming  embrace.




We, too, have a net protecting us through the possible mishaps of our earth adventures.
This super strong, ever supportive, always available protector is The Divine Matrix. 

It is a symbol of unconditional caring.  It supports us unquestioningly on our journey.  It is always looking to help us move to a position of even greater strength and power. 

 

And it functions through quantum energy magically weaving its way in, through and around  everything...taking care of All That Is


..protecting each and every one of us who is so brave as to temporarily forget our Divine nature, to forget Who We Really Are and, through our intention to experience duality, take on the confusion and distress of life in earth school.
 

And here is the most significant thing about The Matrix.  

Where we possess the awareness of our limited experience..bounded by the parameters bordering OUR life, The Matrix has the awareness of All That Is and provides for The Greatest Good for EVERYONE. 

We no longer need to worry that the decisions we make are the best for all concerned or even for ourselves.  The Matrix knows the most creative and successful path and WE are a part of the Matrix.

When our consciousness is attached to earth school we cannot access universal knowledge but  The Matrix does it for us.  

All that we need do is observe and accept Life Unfolding in The Matrix for this exquisitely wise and beautiful process presents us - and everyone - with the exact thing we need (be it a challenge or opportunity) to help propel us forward in our quest to learn the lessons we have chosen for ourselves.

The Matrix is our net

a quantum, universal inter"NET" and we are always and truly safe there.  

                      Marie Helena


 
image from aflockofpixels.blogspot.com

Down the Rabbit Hole: Turnabout Day

“Before long Alice was dressed and ready to depart, now carrying a satchel filled with special ingredients.  As she stepped out onto the road she was joined by several vibrant birds, their feathers fluffing and refluffing themselves as they twittered away in excitement.  Though Alice could not decipher the special code of the birds' twittering, she was certainly able to translate their emotional state.  Obviously. Alice was not the only one expecting to have an exciting day.”

Down the Rabbit Hole: Turnabout Day

Alice awoke extra early that morning.  She felt excited and happy but couldn't remember why this was so.  She took her index fingers andgently massaged her ear lobes, a trick that helped her wake up more easily she had learned from her dear sister Penelope.

After a few seconds, she remembered the source of her pleasure.  It was Turnabout Day (or, as it is commonly called on the earth's surface, Monday)!

 
The "Mondays" Alice remembered from BEFORE the rabbit hole had held all kinds of unsettling vibes for people.  Everyone was always unhappy that the weekend had ended and it was time to go back to work or school.  There was always lots of growling around the subject of Mondays whether you could hear it with your ears or not.  Alice instinctively KNEW that some sounds were LODGED straight in the heart and it was difficult for them to escape even if they wanted to.

Now, Turnabout Day...THAT was another story.  Everybody down the rabbit hole waited for THAT day because it meant there would be much gaiety and laughter and, surely, there would be surprises.



Alice hopped out of bed with anticipation and tried to remember what she had planned for her debut in the village square.  "Oh, yes," she exclaimed.  "That's right.  I will need to go down to the pantry before I leave."


Before long Alice was dressed and ready to depart, now carrying a satchel filled with special ingredients.  As she stepped out onto the road she was joined by several vibrant birds, their feathers fluffing and refluffing themselves as they twittered away in excitement.  Though Alice could not decipher the special code of the birds' twittering, she was certainly able to translate their emotional state.  Obviously. Alice was not the only one expecting to have an exciting day.


Alice and the birds soon reached the gathering assemblage in the village square where all of the villagers were busily inspecting everyone else's personage for evidence of creativity.  Frederick the Owl was wearing his spectaclesperched upside down on his beak which made his line of vision quite cumbersome, inducing a massive amount of swaying and stumbling about.

 
Priscilla the Pig wore her frothy white apron backwards, Alice noticed, smiling at the delicate, giant bow tied so prettily over Priscilla's tummy.

 
George the Otter had cut holes in his rain cape...big gaping, raggedy holes, a clear indication that George had slept in (yet again) and had clumsily fashioned the costume just minutes before.

 

As more and more of the villagers arrived, Alice decided she had better ready herself and dug into her satchel, producing a small kitchen knife and a cob of corn which she then smeared with peanut butter from a tiny jar.  "That should do it," she exclaimed to herself.  "I will be OK as long as I stay far away from Priscilla."


As silly as this entire scene might appear to a visitor wandering by,Turnabout Day was, in actuality, a day of grave significance down the rabbit hole (even if it WAS accompanied by great fun).  It represented an effort by ALL of the villagers to consciously change their default buttons.  The proclamation declaring Turnabout Dayhad occurred only after much discussion in the village hall, hours of problem solving rhetoric from the Owl Triumvirate who always took matters of personal growth VERYseriously and the resulting consensus of the villagers that SOMETHING had to be done if things were to ever have a chance of changing.

 
It seemed that every creature to be found in the rabbit hole harbored a mysterious default button that, when activated, inspired behavior that was "less than courteous and civil".  For example, Frederick the Owl became enraged whenever he was interrupted and started slinging accusations at everyone in his line of vision about their poor communication skills and disregard for others.  Priscilla the Pig was extremelysensitive and felt dishonored when others did not notice her reactions and sensitivities and try to console her.  George the Otter had an insecurity complex...he always arrived late to events and tried to sneak in.  If someone noticed George's lateness and got in his otter face about it, well, to put it simply,
it was "ON" and George had an anger issue and was NOT insecure about batting his tail around.

 
The fact is, EVERYBODY in the rabbit hole displayed some kind of unconscious behavior that did not serve them well and the entire community had decided to do something about their bad behavior and replace it with gentleness and consideration for others.  And so Turnabout Day was born, one day each week when every resident of the rabbit hole decided to do something  "different" to consciously remind himself about the behavior change he aspired to.

 
And it was really working...most of the time.  The village citizens were becoming more aware of when their default buttons were being activated,  especially on the several occasions (which shall go down in history) when several default buttons had gone off at the same time!  Oh, my, thought Alice, remembering some episodes.  I don't even want to go THERE.


 
It had all been too much to deal with and so the decision was made that ALL citizens would take responsibility for reminding  themselves to be present to what was transpiring IN THAT MOMENT..to be consciously aware of what was happening NOW and simply deal with that issue and not act out from the past hurts or unhealed pain that could spring up and surprise them. This was not an easy assignment for ANYONE but Alice was very proud of the efforts the villagers were making to bring a measure of peace to the bustling community.


Alice looked cautiously around to make sure that Priscilla was not nearby and gingerly licked the peanut butter off of the front of the cob of corn.

 

She became very pensive.  Peanut butter always induced this state in her.  If everyone can become a better version of himself by becoming aware of his default button, Alice pondered, and...if everyone can find a more gentle way of consciously expressing himself, then the rabbit hole was destined to become more harmonious, she decided.  And, working together,  maybe they could solve whatever problems presented themselves.

...and maybe even then they could solve the problems that existed ABOVE the rabbithole!!!

 
With that, Alice decided to join the flock of birds that were twittering their way home and, though she did not know the word/notes to the songs they were singing as they winged their way down the road, she felt a certain happiness enter 

her heart. 💗
                          

                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                     Marie Helena

                                                                                          



top image from DragoArt.com.   
how to draw Alice in wonderland  characters

Down the Rabbit Hole: The Mayor, Betsy and a White Dove

“Nearly all of the creatures were now circling the mayor, their hearts mysteriously opened at this unexpected show of vulnerability.  Betsy moved slowly away from the mayor and found herself approached by a gentle, white dove who drew in close to where she stood.  ’It's always beautiful...every time,’ he whispered to her.“

One morning Alice was feeling especially tired because she had eaten too many sweet peas the previous night and had stayed up late frolicking with the caterpillars who insisted on dancing "The Locomotion" in never ending circles around the garden.  As she made her way through the village commons, she noticed several other rabbit hole creatures looking weary and out-of-sorts; some were even complaining crabbily about the butterflies winging good naturedly over their heads.


Oh, this is going to be a loooong and very tiresome day, Alice thought, feeling the vibes of disgruntlement all around her.
  

Soon after, Alice noticed that a new visitor to the rabbit hole had entered the square...a pretty brown mole wearing a blue and white checked apron with the name Betsyembroidered on it and a smile that could melt the coldest heart.  Immediately, a low level buzzing could be heard as all the creatures wondered to each other who this surprising stranger could be.  

Just then the rabbit hole's mayor, an officious looking, giant rooster, burst on the scene.  His burly chest huffed and puffed with a feeling of FRENZY, so much so that the air around him began to turn cloudy and thick.  It was clear that the mayor (who was often found to be greatly agitated) was in a dither of the highest intensity about some transaction that had just occurred and he sputtered and mumbled continually, barely pausing to take a breath.


All the creatures witnessing this scene began to back awayfrom the rambling rooster, hoping to avoid being drawn into a conversation with him.  When nearly everyone had backed away from the mayor, Alice suddenly noticed that Betsy, the new visitor, had stepped forward and was advancing toward the disconsolate figure.  Alice took a deep breath and hoped that this would not cause even more drama in the moment.


From the vantage point where she stood, Alice could only see a partial view of what was happening.  She could tell that the mayor was distraught from the way his shoulders shook but all she could see of Betsy was the calm silhouette of her back and her head which was nodding gently every so often.  


Then, after a few moments, Alice suddenly saw a bustle of energy move in the air.  She drew in closer to the scene to see what was happening and could not fathom what could have possessed  Betsy to make such a dangerous move. Betsy was HUGGING the mayor!  

And, after a few, very long seconds, HE WAS HUGGING HER BACK!


Alice was not the only person shocked at this turn of events. Everyone  ALWAYS avoided getting too close to the mayor and had learned to step wayyyyyy  back when he entered the scene.  This default behavior of everyone had existed to protect them from the mayor's unpredictable and erratic blasts of emotion.  Betsy was BREAKINGthe unspoken Rule!   What was going to happen now, everyone wondered and hoped that Betsy would be OK.


Betsy and the Mayor stood hugging for a REALLY long time.Watching the scene, Alice felt that, as strange as it might sound, maybe the mayor had NEVER been hugged before...at least, not the way Betsy was hugging him as if the hug had welled up from deep within her very heart.


All of the creatures in the rabbit hole had obviously been mesmerized by Betsy's show of courage and began to murmur among themselves.  Now the mayor and Betsy moved over to a nearby log and sat themselves down and everyone could see that his freshly starched shirt was wet with tears.  From her vantage point Alice could see the mayor smiling at Betsy and wiping his flooding eyes with a handsome linen handkerchief.


Instead of the frenzied posture he always carried, the mayor now seemed calm and even approachable.  Something about him seemed inviting, though no one could explain why that was so.  Unable to help themselves, the creatures crept closer to the mayor and found themselves smiling at him.  Soon, he noticed this and began smiling back at them.  What had produced this transformation, everyone wondered.  Why, it seemed a miracle had occurred!


Nearly all of the creatures were now circling the mayor, their hearts mysteriously opened at this unexpected show of vulnerability.  Betsy moved slowly away from the mayor and found herself approached by a  gentle, white dove who drew in close to where she stood.  "It's always beautiful...every time," he whispered to her.


No one but Alice saw the two talking.  Alice smiled to herself.  Obviously, 
a great secret had just been shared.  Alice did not know what the secret was, but she could see the luminous results of what had just occurred.


That night Alice went to sleep with a special prayer of gratitude on her lips.  Maybe the rabbit hole is where all of the wonderful things in life happen, she thought.


                                                                                                     

                                                                              Marie Helena

                                                                                                 

mage from hellaheaven-ana.blogspot.com