Masquerade

Deepak Chopra,world renowned mind-body connection guru, tells us that "All great changes are preceded by chaos."

It is only when our usual, predictable methods of handling our life problems FAIL and we are feeling LOST that we step outside the box and search for new inspiration regarding how to reframe the issues and, thereby, change our perspective, our beliefs and ultimately our feelings.  

This point in time is extremely valuable to usbecause without the turmoil and tumult...without the agitation and frustration of the chaos... we would keep doing what has always worked for us...

we would ride the high...

but we would stop growing.

And that is why we need to BLESS these moments.  The Divine Universe is sensing we are READY for the next cutting-edge change in our life.  It has upped the ante, sizing us up as capable of dealing with the distress and, even more importantly,  capable of making it work in our favor.

In Alberto Villoldo's COURAGEOUS DREAMING he gives us an inspired suggestion regarding how to change the story we are telling ourselves about the chaos.

Villoldo says we tend to see ourselves in one of three roles:  victim, rescuer or perpetrator. 

If, however, we can vacate these roles and fly instead to the spiritual level of eagle in our version of the story...we can successfully REFRAME its significance...how it affects us...and what we are able to learn about ourselves.

If the chaos we are experiencing makes us feel victimized...

if the fallout of the crisis feels personal...

know that it IS personal but it is not meant as an attack on us...

it is a personal, unique-to-us  OPPORTUNITY to reach deep inside and find the strength and resilience to transcend the experience and find within ourselves the courage...the creativity...and the conviction to see the bigger picture and to nurture a character trait that we have not yet developed.

What brings  us angst, fear, distress, frustration... ALSO brings us the very  powerful occasion for transcendence and release from that suffering.

Chaos is the ultimate MASQUERADE.  What looks like pandemonium  is, in reality, a perfect strategy.

An always-brilliant plan to help us evolve  into the Next, Grandest Version of Ourselves...from the highest state-of-the-art personal development bureau, The Divine Universe!

                                       Marie Helena

                                                                        

image from ayrerabbitry.webs.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

ENERGY IS ABUNDANT.

All that we seek can be experienced and created from tapping into the infinite source within. 

When we forget about this we find ourselves in conflict with others as we attempt to get energy from interactions instead of THE SOURCE.  

Peace begins with each of us choosing to tap in and turn on ourselves.  Then showing up fully energized we share and amp up our collaborations and fun.

Meredith Murphy 

Ever hear the saying you're barking up the wrong tree?  That's what Meredith Murphy is talking about here and it's something we all like to do.

We go to others to get our energy amped up.  

We have some pretty high hopes and expectations regarding the experience we would like to have and when the interchange or encounter doesn't deliver what we desire, we are VERY unhappy and we feel sure that "the other guy" dropped the ball and let us down.

What's wrong with this assumption?

"The other guy" isn't here to read the lines we write for him or tell us how great we are doing.   Oh, no.  He's got his own drama going and, like us, he's smack dab in the middle of it. 

What's really happening is a conglomeration of endless dramas, many of them intersecting...each one is of primary importance to the show's principal character.  That's you and me and everyone else.  All of us.  WE are the principal character in our own drama.  It's the human condition.

And, as the principal character on this vivid earth-stage we need to ascertain the fountainhead of our own strength.  And we needn't look far.  All that we have to do is focus on the Divine, Infinite Source within us to find the juice...the power...the energy ,as Meredith Murphy says, to tap into and turn on ourselves.

And it's a tremendous relief to be our own Life Force.   There is no question about getting connected.  No waiting,  No anxiety about being left behind.

And there is no judging or blaming others.

It's a matter of recognizing and taking responsibility for what we are designed to do.  We are Divinely connected.  Our Higher Self is ever-present and is just waiting for the opportunity to guide and serve us.

THAT'S  the right tree to climb and the view is SPECTACULAR from the highest branches.   Up there we have oceans of energy for all of the adventures we have only imagined and, once we access this treasure, we can enter into all the vignettes of our life prepared for full engagement.

                       Marie Helena 

image from georgeideasandconcepts.blogspot.com

The Lotus

 

“If you can see yourself as an artist, and you can see your life as your own creation, then why not create the most beautiful story for yourself?”

don Miguel Ruiz

Take a quiet journey back in time and ponder the artist palette of your childhood.  In those moments you painted the picture of your life with bold, splashy colors and magical dreams.  Everything seemed possible, just awaiting your attention.  Even though the constraints of time have moved you into more grown up circumstances, the vibrancy and joy of your innocence still see so clearly the beautiful spirit you are.

Perhaps your image has been dusted with weariness or tarnished with unresolved pain.  But the child/spirit/artist in you knows your beauty and worth. 

So bring that sense of adventure and vibrancy into your story.  Make something beautiful in your imagination.  Visualize the exquisite LOTUS, a symbol of rebirth and transformation which blooms perfectly pristine even from the murkiest of waters.

YOU are the radiant lotus emerging so brilliantly from the complications and adversity of the world.  

                                     Marie Helena

“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”

                           Henry Ward Beecher

Lotus image from pinterest

Codependency, the White Horse Syndrome and True Love

  Let's face it.  Most of us have some degree of codependency (we are mega-affected by the feelings of people around us, and, especially, by their feelings toward us).  

If we bring up an idea or express an emotion that does not sit well with someone and that person seems unsettled or disapproving, we are NOT OK.  Our state of well-being DEPENDS on what someone else thinks about us and our actions.  This state of affairs can produce in us a feeling of disappointment, of sadness and, most importantly, of powerlessness.  


And the fact is we have unknowingly GIVEN our power away.  

We do this by placing every person in our lives on a white horse...in our imagination, that is (and we all know how powerful our imaginations can be).  Everyone knows what people on white horses do...they are the heroes who say and do all the "right" things.  They are busy prancing around on their masterful white steeds bringing happiness and peace to everyone around them.

That's in our version of a "perfect world".  But what happens if the figure on the white horse does or says something that is not what we would like to hear...what we think will make us feel better about ourselves?


 
Disappointment.  That's what happens.   All because we EXPECTED white horse behavior.

 

We expected it because that's what white horse riders do...BUT we have given this assignment to others WITHOUT their knowledge or consent.  And we have assigned this task to others because we have been wounded and want and need to heal our pain.  We have experienced some dysfunction in our lives such as failing to learn to trust ourselves for the answers we seek.  We have missed the all important message that WE have the capacity to heal ourselves, that WE possess that power.  And because we have not developed that belief in ourselves, we look OUTSIDE of ourselves and expect others to heal our hurts.  


We are making a misdiagnosis here and it is something we agreed to do long ago on a soul level so that we can travel the path of discovery and find our way back to the source of our authentic power.  We may not yet believe this fact but that doesn't mean it isn't so.

 
The answer to the conundrum of the white horse syndrome lies in true love.  In the state of true love, we accept others unconditionally.  Attaining this, of course, involves a good deal of experience and learning but when we are ready and able to aspire and eventually exist in this state, we no longer expect everyone around us to take care of us by soothing us with gentle, approving, affirming statements.  We see clearly that we are all foot soldiers, embarked on our own adventures and we love all others unconditionally, regardless of their behavior toward us.  

 
And, when we give this same beautiful, unconditional caring also to ourselves, WE no longer expect to be perfectly happy, satisfied and affirmed at all times.  We accept OUR humanity, including our missteps and misperceptions and the consequences of these actions.  As fellow foot soldiers, alongside our compatriots, we know that we, too, journey through the adventure of discovering where our true power lies...in our own self-approval.  When we have done something we approve of, we do not need anyone else to affirm us.  Deep within our hearts, WE affirm ourselves. And when we look back at something we have done that has not worked well for us, we OWN that "adventure" and learn from it as a part of everyman's (and, in this case, our) journey.

 
Let us all consider adjusting our range of view from holding an expectation about our white horse saviors and, instead, moving our loving gaze to ourselves and our fellow journeymen on foot who are all in the business of recognizing and enjoying their authentic power and, therefore, their ascendancy to their true Spirit selves.


                                                                                           

                                             Marie Helena

                                                      

  image from  pinterest

Longing

I simply gave you what I longed for.

Jason Wilson


If there is something important in your life that you are missing, something you did not receive and desperately needed…a sense of identity or worthiness, for example...there  is a way to make your personal history a beautiful and meaningful experience.  Because you did not receive this gift you so longed for, you have profound clarity about what this loss feels like and, undoubtedly, you have dreamed about what it would be like if things were different.


This deep sense of desire, intense awareness and passionate longing may be exactly what is needed for you to be able to gift others with the very thing you do not have.  And, the very fact that you do not have it may be evidence of a soul contract you have made so that you would be powerfully motivated to see that all others in your wake would not experience your pain.  In this case, your motivation has been sourced through the principle of omission which can be a magnificent impetus for gracious and generous service to others.


There is certainly a mystifying logic to this but the journey of the soul is an original and very creative path.  The breadth and depth of what this caring of yours can accomplish for others is unimaginable.  And, what is gained from this devoted, beneficent action will advance the evolution of your soul in luminous and profound ways.


We are Divine Creatures sourced in Love and we take great delight in finding remarkable ways to traverse our earth journey.


                                                        Marie Helena



image from pinteret.com
girl climbing tree squirrel child wishes red dress watercolor painting

Can You Hear Me Now?

Don Miguel Ruiz tells us that it can be very exciting to create amasterpieceinstead of the emotional dramaearth dwellers so often experience.
 

Perhaps you've never thought about bringing artistry and beauty into your life.

Perhaps you feel  what's going to occur in your future is beyond your control and may not be pleasing to you.

Things will  just happen and you will be left with theJOB of reacting to them.   Hence, the origin of "emotional drama" as you may feel you will be left to deal with events you do not desire and, consequently, you express your dismay, your apprehension and anxiety and, sometimes, your utter frustration.

 

But what if you are missing something in this picture? 
 

WHAT IF THESE EVENTS ARE NOT WHAT THEY APPEAR TO BE? 

 

What if they occur NOT to make you the victim but to inspire you to become the best person you can be...to reveal to you something important about yourself that needs attention...to help you develop wisdom...or compassion...to help you be more generous and loving?

 

According to spiritual teacher and author Gary Zukav, there is nothing you will ever encounter in your life that is not for the healing of your soul.

If that is true (and I believe it is), we are receiving on a daily basis the subtle clues we need to recognize the path to our spiritual evolution.
 

How TUNED IN are you to these messages? 

Are you aware that they can arrive from the most seemingly unimportant detail...from an offhand comment someone makes waiting in line at the store or the paragraph you read when you open up the pages of a book...

 or,

that the message may arrive from a major event... from the storm that brews when everyone in a crisis becomes reactive or the project you put so much time and effort into fails.

 
The Divine Universe is always, ALWAYS working on your behalf in the most creative and  powerful way to bring these messages to your attention...messages that ultimately contain the INSPIRATION for your transformation.  IF you are listening. 

 

These messages may be delivered in the most unexpected ways.  And it is greatly entertaining to see how they manifest in our experience.

We can give an unconditional YES to life when we pay attention to what is happening and choose to learn the lessons contained in the circumstances and events that are being presented to us. 

In doing this we weave together the GIFTS of these spiritual  sparklers tucked into the corners of our busy days and use their wisdom and love to create the masterpiece Ruiz is describing.

 
.
This awareness and attention will truly produce thejoy of awakening to the mysterious and engaging "music" that is playing so lovingly and serenely by the Divine Universe in the background of our lives.

                           Marie Helena 

image from stushieart.com 

Irish Taxi Drivers

“Hello, luv…good morning to you…and are you here on holiday?” This is the beautiful way I was greeted nearly every time I stepped into a taxi in Galway, Ireland.

I had just returned from a trip abroad to visit my daughter Rachel on sabbatical there and I truly must say that the taxi drivers in Ireland so warmed my heart. I was able to sit up front with them in what we would call the driver’s seat here in the U.S. as the steering wheels there are placed on the right side of the car and so I got the wonderful opportunity to ask a few questions and learn so much about their lives. 

I heard about pride in their families, about their wives and children (names, ages and personalities), about how the college aged kids were driving them to the “poor house” and how they had learned to step out of the fray and, thankfully, let their brilliant wives negotiate with their teen aged daughters. I heard about last night’s christening celebration that threatened to turn into a brawl until the taxi driver stepped in and told the offending party to get his priorities straightened out. I heard many comments about the recession and how it had dampened somewhat the spirits of the Irish. (I can hardly imagine what they were like before!) And, when I mentioned that I was visiting my daughter but leaving soon, I heard the comment, “Not to worry for we’ll be keeping an eye on her.”

The sense of living life in the Present Momentand embracing it with such passion are so strong in Ireland it is truly amazing. If I had known what I could find there in the open hearts of the Irish, I would have gotten myself to the Emerald Isle long before this. 

Whenever I left the taxi, I always commented to the driver my wish that he have a beautiful day. And I always received a beautiful smile and blessing in return.

Irish eyes sparkle with fun and mischief…and delight in what the day will bring. What a lovely inspiration!

I am now determined to find the “Irish” in everyone I encounter and am set on uncovering this beautiful gift embedded in every human heart!


                                                                                             Marie Helena