Make Something Beautiful...

There are many profound philosophers in the world…thinkers of great thoughts, deep introspection, challenging suppositions...sharing their answers to life's great questions:  Why are we here?  How should we navigate this earthly journey?  What is truly significant?  

Many of these brilliant individuals have lived before us; some are with us now...all leaving us the treasure of their experience through their magnificent words, their art, their music.

Often we are inspired by the messages of these gifts…and, if they feel resonant to us, we choose to embrace what feels in concert with our souls.  

The lessons we learn instruct and guide us as we navigate our daily lives which are often replete with challenges and invitations to become more than we presently are.  The lessons often give us careful steps to follow regarding how to acknowledge, accept, embrace, experience and release the issues that are plaguing us, issues that may have followed us throughout our lives, painful remnants of days gone by, problems left unsolved and unsettled.

The serendipitous messages that flow from these artists and philosophers guide us through moments of chaos and cacophony, helping us come to resolution of difficult and embroiled issues.  This is a worthy goal.  A true achievement.  

  

As I formulate my own philosophy of guiding principles for my life and embrace the perceptions of the philosophers which sing to my soul, I feel a longing to do more...to take a step beyond achieving the "settling" of the issue at hand.   

I have come to imagine the delight of taking the resolution of a problem and Making Something Beautiful out of each puzzling Gordian knot, leaving my "Signature" in that moment as an artist would portray his original conception, embossing and inscribing each challenge with evidence of  Love and Beauty.  I aspire to transcending their boundaries, infusing them with a luminous outpouring of grace, imprinting each challenge which enters my life with beauty and light…and the glorious vibration of dazzling, radiant love. 💗

This kind of endeavor is a completely personal one as each of our lives carries its own stories and stumbling blocks.  Like the artist, it is we who can choose to Make Something Beautiful out of the raw material of our lives.

This is a supremely creative act and a deeply satisfying one.  It is immensely empowering for no matter what enters our lives, we have a canvas waiting for us to find the “Beautiful” as we uniquely envision it, solving an issue of great discord with an open heart and a beautiful grace that engages and animates our souls.

                                    Marie Helena

 

                   

from 

The Night Blooming Jasmine in Your Heart 💗

image from pinterest

watercolor of a gardenia 

What Would Love Do?

 

   

Whenever we are experiencing fear or anxiety…frustration or anger…and someone else is involved in the situation, we are often tempted to express our distress by accusing that someone else of causing the problem.  

An array of disturbing emotions washes over us…and, if we don’t consciously process what is happening…we can easily become the self-involved, suffering victim.  

It is so easy to feel STUCK in this turbulence…helpless…and, consequently, we often choose to REACT instead of respond…letting loose a litany of accusations about someone else's behavior. 

When these moments strike, a conscious intention to ask one simple question about how best to proceed can save us from behavior we will later regret.

And that question is…What would love do?

If we aspire to having love inform and define all of the actions of our lives…then love is what we need to lead us through this storm.

Love, if summoned consciously, would inspire us to give ourselves understanding and compassion (for we are obviously experiencing some unhealed hurt which has been triggered and wants some attention).  

Love would also inspire us to give the other individual involved understanding and compassion (for, like us, he, too, has been triggered and his pain has been activated).

I believe that under the best of circumstances...when we are fully conscious and present and in good energy, we will act with this compassion and understanding. 

 If we are not able to do this, it is because stress or exhaustion or some old, unhealed pain has appeared in our lives.

Acknowledging this and then taking steps to restore ourselves (and that is restoration for ALL parties concerned) to a place of beautiful energy and consciousness will empower us to come together at that point and navigate the distressful waters with sensitivity for everyone's situation and circumstance.

Consciously asking ourselves this question will help make this happen:

What would love do?

The answer to everything.

                          Marie Helena 

A New Year's "Light" Show

After themagical days of Christmas holidays…when pine-scented boughs andcranberry candles perfumed the air and glittering lights whispered their grace-filled secrets into our happy hearts…decorating our spaces with joy and celebration…

after these magnificent days have passed and things have grown so very quiet and restful thesteady, sure-footed march of the New Yearalights on our doorstep, enters our homes and slides into our hearts.

It’s time…to renew and redirect our energy to the wonderful life we have imagined and make the changes that were placed on hold as we made merry and felt merry and loved the "merry" of the holidays.

Now, there is a NEW JOY that awaits us and it is born of reflection and inspiration and discipline…our New Year’s Resolutions.

Much has been said and advised about NYR’s…suggestions that we examine our lives, compiling a list of every change we can imagine…suggestions that we make NO resolutions and not place ourselves under that kind of stress... even a suggestion that we only try to improve ourselves by one percent in the category we identify as “most needed” or, even better, “most desired” and, thereby, let our accumulated steady, slow progress become its own source of motivation.

This morning in the quiet moments when I found myself awakening a different thought occurred to me. 

I had been searching for a simple resolution…one that would be easy to hold onto and yet would change my perspective and this is what arrived in response to my request:

As you go through the day and encounter many moments…some relaxing and some difficult and challenging…as you go through the day, just take a moment and imagine how your Higher Self would respond to what is happening. Do not put any pressure on yourself to do what Higher Self would do. Only imagine it and take note.

This sounded wonderful to me…and it feels instinctively that just choosing to put myself in the place of imagining a Higher Response would do some subtle, behind-the-scene work for me even while I went busily about my day, impressing my consciousness with a more beautiful, more loving, more joyful way to navigate it…and, most importantly, a way to be my own SOURCEof happiness and satisfaction.

And it actually sounds and feels quite practical, too, to become, on a continuing basis, the ANCHOR for my joy.

So I am going to give it a pop! This means I may pause a few seconds before I react and respond to what is going on…allowing myself the time and perspective I need to call up a Higher inspiration than what would automatically appear on my default button.

It will be very interesting to take this journeyand, no doubt, it will have its own BRILLIANTLIGHT SHOW as I enter into this universe!

The Amusement Park

By the time we leave our childhood behind and get on with issues of the "adult" world most of us have managed a trip or two to the glorious island of escape called. The Amusement Park. 


There we stuffed our faces with cotton candy while we waited in line to take our seats on VERY scary and unpredictable rides.  And why did we do this?  Because it was FUN! We screamed our hearts out and then turned around and doubled back for more.


Maybe we loved these "wild rides" so much because there is something in our makeup that loves the unknown... mercurial adventures, precarious positions, challenging perspectives.


Which brings me in a roundabout way to an interesting occurrence I had just this week.  

While sitting in morning meditation a few days ago I experienced a very unusual stream of imagery.  I often have images popping up during meditation and, in fact, they routinely do,  but this meditation scenario was the most delightful I have ever encountered. 


Several Disney characters were whirling inside a powerful vortex, riding it downward at a very fast speed having the time of their life and shouting"Whee!".  


When they reached the bottom (as they all invariably did), they were bounced back up to the top and were each affectionately catapulted into a bed floating in space.  They were tucked into warm covers and weresoothed, comforted and rewarded from their madcap adventure by having a nice, long rest.


The all encompassing feeling of this fantasy was one of fun and delight.  The Disney characters were All IN.  They had no question of their safety...of the road they were traveling or of the loving embrace (the comfortable, billowy beds) awaiting them at its completion.  The TRUST was implicit, palpable.  Its vibration provided a powerhouse of energy for this adorable and motley crew.


So, here's the thing.                                      

The vortex in my meditation feels like earth school.  We've all experienced the WILDrides of life when it took us some time to 
B r e a t he, take it all in,  restore our equilibrium, gain perspective and choose our response, hopefully learning from the lessons being presented to us.


The Disney characters bouncing back up to the top and landing in a comfortable bed feels like a message that we are always looked after and deeply appreciated for our sojourn on this planet. 

And the fact that the characters were all having such an exciting, fun time feels like guidance on how to look at earth school as an exercise in curiosity and wonderment because it's all an illusion.  Real as it may seem, earth school is the vortex playground for trying on various personas and life situations to see what we can make of them...and learn from them, all the while sending the vibrations of our new wisdom out for everyone to energetically tap into.

When WE (our Spirit Selves) watch the glorious adventures we have designed for ourselves as earth dwellers, the story of our lives becomes truly enchanting!




                                                                                                  Marie Helena


roller coaster image from clipartist.info
Disney characters image from childcoloringpages.net
pillow image from wikihow.com

The Best Christmas List of All

It's December and time for our Christmas to-do lists. 

Some especially ambitious individuals have started on their lists many moons ago.  But for those of us who kick into high gear after Thanksgiving...it's time to get down.

And I bet you have LOADS OF ITEMS on your list: 

 buy a Christmas tree (and decorate it), 

 shop for presents,

 plan a holiday party, 

 balance that budget so finances will work smoothly,

 try some new holiday recipes...

oh, and clean the house (including those jobs you've left undone but now have to do because out-of-towners will be staying with you).

I'm guessing you might be exhausted just thinking about these tasks and that's nothing compared to the EXHAUSTION you feel when you start trying to complete the tasks and keep on trying...even when you are stressed and tired...and in need of sleep and relaxation and nourishment. 

In other words, when the concept of BALANCE has gone completely out of your life.

 

Just yesterday I got   a wonderful idea  about this whole conundrum of how do you get the work done and avoid feeling STRESSED to the max.

 

And here it is.

This is probably going to sound radical to you, but after some reflection I am convinced it's the answer to this problem.

The first premise of this idea is:  Christmas (and all of the preparations that go into the holiday) should be fun.  

Easy enough to say.  But, you may wonder, how can we have fun doing the Christmas to-do list when we are bone-tired...weary...dragging ourselves around?

The answer is not to do it.  DO NOT make yourself do the things on that list when you are not  IN YOUR POWER and have good energy, a  positive disposition and are ready to be in-the-flow.  

Just DO NOT do that list of tasks when your chin is on the floor.

Instead (and here comes the next premise) do WHATEVER IT TAKES  to get you  back to your place of power.  This might mean taking a  nap, relaxing, having a lovely conversation, enjoying  nourishing food for your tired body (and eating it slowly and tasting and enjoying every bite).  WHATEVER IT TAKES.

Then...when you have reclaimed your power (whenever that is)...do something on the Christmas prep list.

 

You are probably thinking THIS WILL NEVER WORK.  There won't be enough time. 

But here's my thought: 

If you've ever pushed yourself to do things when you DID NOT have the energy (physical, mental or emotional) to do them, then I am sure you know there is a hefty price tag on that delightful maneuver.  

And I bet this is when you develop that cold or catch that flu or get so totally out-of-sorts that nobody wants to be around you.  

Then...what good did it do to have the things on your list completed and you can't even appreciate what you have accomplished?

 

I know...I know...this concept will take some reframing of the way we usually tackle our tasks but consider this:  

How wonderful would it be to actually enjoy all of the holiday preparations...to be in such a lovely space that  it felt like you were constantly accessing the joy of Christmas and what it represents?  

How lovely also for all of those around you to engage with the happy, positive person you know you can be!

 

Wouldn't it be worth taking the leap to give this a try and then see how everything plays out?  

And, by the way, this isn't just a wonderful plan for Christmas...I think it's the best way to engage life all year round.

So start making that special list of all of the wonderful things that will rejuvenate you and move you back into that DELIGHTFUL place of joy and power and make that one THE LIST you always remember!

                                                                                        Marie Helena

image from vickiblackwell.com

Dolce Far Niente

 

In the midst of the holiday season when so many preparations are being made…Christmas trees bedazzled with shimmering lights, ingredients assembled for an array of culinary pleasures, on-line shopping planned to catch the latest sales, spotlighting of porches and roofs with illusionary reindeer…

In the midst of all of this, does it seem strange that I would wish you Dolce Far Niente... 

The Sweetness of Doing Absolutely Nothing!

And yet, what more perfect time to just BE in the midst of all of these treasures?

Time moves so quickly now as we hasten to finish our self-appointed tasks for the holidays and, if we don’t pause to take in the ambiance and flavor and spirit of these moments, they will be gone before we know it. We will be left with crumbled Christmas wrappings to clean up, dishes to wash from the fabulous dinner we have prepared and an exhausted body for our reward. 

So let’s imagine another dimension to our celebration.

I invite you (and myself as a reminder as I write this), to not miss a single breath of this breathtaking season. To allow the brilliant red poinsettias to nourish and sustain us with their glorious color and powerful presence. To honor the trees populating our landscape outside as they abide winter’s passing and keep their spring secrets warm inside their roots for us. To enjoy the delicately flavored herbal tea and gingerbread one sip and one small and succulent bite at a time as delicate snowflakes descend outside our windows. To watch the faces of the young and young-at-heart as they embrace the magic of families gathering and the waves of joy layering the room as gifts expected (and surprised) are revealed.

Let us all fully embrace the beauty of this season, honor its festive and joyous rhythm and reverence the  MAGNIFICENT MOMENTS  being given to us!

                                Marie Helena                                                                                             

For our experience to feel whole, our body must be allowed to permeate our experience, BE our experience, entirely. And our awareness must be released from living in our heads and allowed to flow into EVERYTHING.

Meredith Murphy

EXPECT WONDERFUL

The Ride

DURING OUR EARTH JOURNEY we have the possibility of experiencing many different kinds of rides.  

There is the slow, meandering jaunt,..the steady-as-you-go excursion...the hustle and bustle we've-got-to-keep-moving expedition...and the roller coaster loop-to-loop that leaves us breathless and downright disoriented.

Yes, we have a wide variety of choices on how we wish to navigate life.

But there is a VERY SPECIAL OPTION that is so unique and so perfectly designed for our ultimate success, happiness and delight that it seems incomprehensible not to choose it as "THE" MODEof transportation for our earth journey.


There IS a ticket that is required for this ride...and that ticket is FAITH.  Faith that our life is unfolding in what I call "perfect time". And, there's more...Faith that it is also unfolding in the "perfect place" and in the "perfect way".

Can it possibly get better than that...Perfection!!!



Now let's get down to exactly what this means.  

In very basic terms it means that no matter what...NO MATTER WHAT is transpiring in our life...whether it is soft and smooth, topsy turvy, or difficult and very, very  challenging...whether we must summon up our patience and tenacity or find some hidden inner strength...

WHAT IS HAPPENING is the right path, the right combination of circumstances.  

It involves the absolutely right people who will help us learn our lessons...sometimes by example and positive inspiration and sometimes by motivating us to step up our game, rise to the occasion and let our Best, Highest Selves show up to deal with the challenges of the situation.



IF you truly have this faith, this trust that you are loved beyond measure...this experience we call Life on Earth can be One Essentially Smooth Ride.  

Yes, you may have to hang on to your hat through the twists and turns, but when the Divine Universe is providing the Guidance, there is no question 

that the ride is perfect for you...

for your evolution,

for your growth, 

for the opportunity to transcend the challenges of earth life and duality 

and

for the RECONNECTION with your beautiful Spirit Self who has long been your loving passenger with you on this journey and who now celebrates your remembrance and return to the SPECTACULAR PERFECTION of WHO YOU REALLY ARE!

Bon Voyage! 


Relax into THE RIDE and Surrender to the most beautiful journey that is Your Life!

                             Marie Helena 


image
Alicia Florence on the Gondola
by Kythana
mewdragon.deviantart.com.