Divine Feminine Energy

As we celebrate the beautiful occasion of  Mother's Day, my thoughts are drawn to the power and beauty and significance of Love as it is expressed in Divine feminine energy.  This beautiful Grace which streams so elegantly from the hearts of women.  Such an exquisite blessing.  It seems to be their birthright . . . their gift to the world.

Somehow, women intuitively know that when someone is experiencing pain, in that moment there is nothing more powerful, more healing than for that person to feel understood.  To have someone mirror back to them an understanding of the intensity of their pain or distress and how it is affecting them.

This essential longing to be understood is a vital part of the human condition.  Without this loving kindness it is difficult for an individual to move forward into an acknowledgment of what is transpiring.  And, without that acknowledgment, that acceptance, it is impossible to move through the experience to the other side. . . . to the peace that comes through Surrender.

The feminine heart holds the key to the unfolding of this process.  We are all so in need of this exquisite form of compassion.  When we receive it, we find the energy to lead ourselves through the dark night of the soul.  This precious feminine offering is the antidote to loneliness, to abandonment.  It promotes caring, a sense of safety, connection.

Because our world is changing and evolving it is wonderful to note that feminine energy is now being expressed by males as well. And, in return, masculine energy is leading by example the demonstration of the importance and value of steadfastness and devotion.

How wonderful that we an all minister to each other, sharing the precious and pleasing endowments of our earthly lives!


                                           Marie Helena

                                                             
image on Pinterest
Joyce Hicks watercolor

Mosaic

If you can keep yourself sensitive and fragile, intuitive and connected...if you can live in this beautiful state of GIFT, the Universe will no longer need to reharmonize your life.

Helena Sanches da Silva




Although our life in earth school is filled with countless challenges and "adventures" that test our courage and tenacity. we are meant to ultimately find our way to the profound simplicity of CONNECTION.

CONNECTION with our hearts that brings us a truly authentic life in which we honor ourselves and bravely speak our truth...  
 
CONNECTION with the hearts of others, even though they may be blocking these messages because of unresolved hurt and pain...

CONNECTION with the mystery and messages of nature, her verdant offerings and her noble and resplendent creatures...
 
CONNECTION with the Divine Universe of LOVE which authors all things and creates for us whatever we can imagine and desire.
                                                              

  When we succeed in aligning ourselves with this magnificent MOSAIC...when we know that EVERYTHING exists to help us become stronger, happier and more loving...life becomes for us

   
a continual unfolding of grace informing and guiding every moment of our lives.
                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                             Marie Helena

top image from Fantastic-Fractals.com.                                                                        

bird image from 

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 anxietyhas flared up in them in that moment?  To ask whatconclusions 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

Prelude

The initial note...
the dawning...
the "ceremony"

that leads us into the space of 
THE CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE. 

So salient, so critical...the overture that fashions the response to what is about to unfold.


What kind of "prelude" do we usually create in that compelling moment before we engage in the discussion of a burning issue?



Do we "get right down to business"...not even noticing whether our audience is ready (and calm enough) to receive the "message" on our mind?

Do we begin by listing the words or actionsthat are affecting or, possibly, distressing us?

Do we describe in great detail our view of how things SHOULD have unfolded?



It would be so easy to launch into one of these approaches when we are upset and disturbed by someone's actions. But, by failing to create a space which invites heart sharing, we may well up the ante on distress and significantly lessen our chance of working out our problem with mutual intention and cooperation.


The PRELUDE that we need here in this moment (before we engage in discussion of the issue) should flow from an open heart...a heart that trusts in finding solutions that minister to EVERYONE'S needs. And this intention can be voiced as a prelude to the "discussion".



Here are some examples of what we might say...


I want to share my feelings with you and hearwhat your feelings are.

I want to tell you what I would like to do and have you tell me what you would like to happen. 

I want to honor my feelings and also honor yours. 

I trust that we will find a way to navigate this moment that will take care of both of us. 

I want to give and receive love, support, joy and wisdom. And I thank you for taking the time and making the effort to do this with me."



The first moments of an encounter can meet everyone's emotional need to feel "heard" and "cared for". 

By holding...and voicing...a clear and loving intention to peacefully approach our issue, we set into motion the vibrational PRELUDE that leads to peace, honoring and harmony.



                                           Marie Helena






image from Angelsinnature.wordpress.com

The Cutting Edge: Curiosity

Many people carry the perception that it is difficult to cultivate spiritual practices...that a great deal of restraint and discipline are required to accomplish this goal.   We are often encouraged by inspirational leaders throughout the world to practice love and compassion in our every interaction and, sometimes, this may feel very challenging given the intensity of our own triggers and the pain we may have been holding as a result of them.

But, introducing the actual practice of COMPASSIONmay be as simple as expressing interest and curiosity about how an event that has just transpired has affected another.   Most likely, this would occur after we have expressed our own reaction or response to what has just happened. Admittedly, it is very easy to carry on for a while about how things feel to us but   what if we turned to another after we have spoken our thoughts and simply asked, "How did you experience this?"

With just these few words we have moved beyond the narrow and very specific subject of OUR reaction and generously expressed our curiosity and concern about how another has been affected.  Whether we have been an agent in the action or whether the action has been graced, supported, imposed or inflicted on ourselves and others, the very act of asking someone how this felt to them would naturally influence the way we might choose to respond. 

Now, with this interaction...the knowledge and awareness of how both parties are experiencing the moment...we naturally begin to consider how the emotional needs of both persons are presenting themselves and can be addressed.  And, when both persons feel heard and cared about, things move forward with mutual support and consideration…and, ultimately, with COMPASSION for each other.

Though amazingly powerful, Love  directed responses are innately and profoundly simple.  They emanate from the heart and feel generous and joyful and soothing to our spirit.  If mindfully cultivated, just a very slight change in the pattern of our reaction to distressing moments can redirect us into the flowering of a beautiful spiritual practice: 

How did you experience this?


Marie Helena



image from arocordis.com
Two Flowers Floating, Watercolor.

A Tender Place

I believe there is a very tender place in every human heart.  A place where unconditional love and compassion reside.  This is a gift we come into the world with but, sadly, gets clouded over from the limiting experiences we undergo.  As a result of this, it is sometimes difficult to access this beautiful oasis because we have all been scarred by emotional debris and are in varying stages of doing the work of clearing it out.

I believe there is a way to access this place...a way to help ourselves and to help others connect with this beautiful resource and that is by letting them know the emotions we are experiencing in our body.


So often, when we are triggered or affected by an assumption or a comment made by others, we react with stony silence or a counterattack, drawing the conclusion that we have not been supported or understood.  We feel alone… and sad… and uncared for.  But the reason we feel this way may be that we have not clearly communicated in a very primal and pure way what we are physically experiencing in that moment. 


When we choose to engage with another in a moment of upset or distress exclusively in the mode of this-is-what-you-did-to-me, we miss the opportunity to avail ourselves of a resource of great power that has the potential to bridge the chasm that we are feeling between ourselves and another...and, that is, the sharing of the raw emotions we are experiencing. 


What if when we feel upset or attacked instead of moving immediately into an expression of blame or hurt feelings, we were to take a breath and softly and gently describe the feelings that are taking hold of our body?


For example, we might make a comment such as "In this moment I feel my heart racing and my chest feels tight and I don't know why."

For some beautiful, and, I believe, spiritual reason, the nonjudgmental description of the emotions we are experiencing in that moment has an intense, transformative effect on both individuals involved in the conversation. The person describing the feelings being experienced accesses what lies beneath his surface default reaction of protecting and defending themselves. The person who hears the feelings described experiences the sharing of sacred information.  And both are transformed in that moment because they have together entered into a journey of exploring the pain that is occurring without the heavy armor of accusation, guilt and recrimination.  


In order for an experience such as this to take place, both individuals need to be prepared for it and agree to this very different response to conflict.  Perhaps an understanding can be reached during a peaceful moment to speak to each other in this manner when feeling deep distress.

There is something so intuitive, so powerful that occurs when we truly feel the stirrings...and sadness...of the human heart.  That beautiful, tender place in each of us rises up effortlessly in this epic moment for the purpose of understanding and soothing the emotions being revealed with such deep authenticity.

Whether we are the person expressing the emotions revealing themselves in our body or the person hearing them expressed by another… in this interaction, we enter into a sacred covenant of understanding and compassion, helping to heal ourselves and helping to heal another.


As simple as a soft, gentle step away from the usual fray we engage in and into a space of Divine interaction, offering and receiving the tender grace of a kind and loving heart.


                                                                                                       Marie Helena




image from pinterest.com

New Territory

“Just as any explorer encountering unfamiliar territory, we are going to have to face the lions and tigers, the sand traps and swamps. 

But remember WE put them there and WE can take them out.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whenever we decide (and I mean REALLY decide, ready-to-roll decide) to step up into a new and grander version of ourselves, we usually encounter the rumblings and grumblings of our old default behavior which is not going to take being passed by..stepped over...demoted!!!  in a light and casual manner.

Our default behavior has been with us for many moons...maybe even eons in the larger scheme of things and it's firmly entrenched in our psyche.  When our buttons get pressed, our emotions get T-R-I-G-G-E-R-E-D and we're off and running...running wild, that is. 

And, when we finally DECIDE to step up into a change, the battle lines are drawn (our Higher Self draws them with a firm assist from our growing intention and persistent tenacity) and, to describe the situation in contemporary language, let us just say, "It's ON!"

And, as frustrating as all of this is...it's EXCITING, too,  because we are about to become newer, stronger, more beautiful, more filled with the Light of Grace.

And it is the PROMISE of that TRANSFORMATION that provides the anchoring for the choice.  

We are going to be happier.  

We are going to be more satisfied.  

We are going to AH - PROVE of ourselves even more. 

The "AH" in the previous sentence is there to represent the peaceful place we are moving into and, oh yes, it's quite beautiful...but, just as any explorer encountering unfamiliar territory, we are going to have to face the lions and tigers, the sand traps and swamps. 

But remember WE put them there and WE can take them out.

We put them there because we are awesome and creative dreamers who envision a mighty and exciting battle for ourselves as we march forward in our quest to triumph over defeatist, limiting behavior.  

And, just like Indiana Jones, who ALWAYS prevails over the troublesome adventures that "befall" him, we, too, are the Stars of our Story and are already equipped with the  courage, conviction and wisdom to march into that NEW TERRITORY and claim it as the work of our Soul!

                                    Marie Helena

image from behance.net.   

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