Joyful Delights

In my last blog post, Wave Goodbye, I talked about exercising our magnificent imagination to help us introduce new habits into our life so today I went searching for images that would help me do just that.  

I wanted a picture that was light, inspiring and full of natural beauty. 

My goal is to lift my attention to the wondrous gifts surrounding us in nature…to highlight what we have inherited on earth…to help me remember the joyful delights I sometimes pass by without seeing.


I want to instill a new habit into my life…a connection with the gifts of the earth which will make me look at them with profound appreciation and will influence me to choose to bring those gifts more closely into my life.  

By noticing the flower petals that have fallen on the dew-laden leaves. 

By noticing the succulent allure of the bowl of oranges hiding on the second shelf of the  fridge, eagerly waiting for re-discovery.  

By breathing in the spectacular, ever changing color-hues of our sky (original art accessible to us…new and breathtaking…every single day). 

I don’t want to walk by the opulence of nature.  I want to develop AN  INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP  with it.  Breathe it in.  Let it nourish me with its purity and joy…such exquisite food for the body and soul.

This is how I am working on cultivating my new habit.  I am using my love of nature and art and my intention to LIVE IN THE MOMENT. 

 
This is where my imagination has led me today.

Where is yours taking you?

Wave Goodbye

Dictionary.com tells us that a habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

Many of our habits were developed during our childhood days as methods of coping with a world that seemed strange and challenging. And, in our childhood days, they served us well. They helped us survive.

Now, however, in our grown up world…they may not be working so well. Perhaps they are blocking our progress and growth.  

We have, however, gotten used to them…they feel comforting and familiar. In fact, they have been friends to us and, as friends, we should thank and bless them for the work they did for us.

But...perhaps it’s time to WAVE GOODBYE.

And, if we are going to say goodbye to old habits, we are creating am empty space that needs to be filled with new, more productive habits that strengthen us in every way.

What kind of habits would accomplish that goal? And, most importantly, what kind of habits are we willing to do the work of acquiring?

I have heard on several occasions that new habits take thirty days to get some traction. So the challenge is to find a new habit we are willing to co-habitate with for a whole month (for openers).

   

For this assistance I think we need to look once again at the beautiful time of childhood when we first developed our habits. Remember how creative we were as children…how everything could be fun and silly and delightful. Remember the incredible imagination we carried in our hearts.

Now, as adults, we have learned a lot about the world and about what is a healthy choice and will point us to some beautiful growth… so why not combine that wonderful learning with the innate gifts of childhood and use our delightful imagination to come up with some new habits we could actually have fun acquiring.

I know…you are looking for a really good example of what I am talking about and I am sitting at my computer inviting inspiration to help me do just this.  

Suppose you are someone who likes to make a meal of a burger and fries. And, of course, you know better. You are well aware of the nutritional price tag on this choice.  

What is it that appeals to you about eating that burger? 

The taste of the burger and fries seems to be something we have acquired (and not a healthy acquisition…but there it is). Also, there is very little work involved…just get in the car and zip over for take-out. And something about this meal feels comforting…we feel we deserve this treat. We’ve been working hard and are darn tired.  

I think that covers most of the reasons for the appeal. 

But now we need to remember when we take the burger and fries out of the equation we have some space to fill. And we need INSPIRATION.  

What can we borrow from childhood that would help us here?  

Could it be that as kids we were always excited about growing up and making our own informed decisions about how to deal with the world? We seemed to always feel ready for this before the governing grownups could realize this wonderful fact.  

So…it could be fun to be grown up…maybe…I guess. (At least, that’s a start.) 

And if we look at the FUN of being grown up, we see that so many CHOICES are available to us. And so much INFORMATION is out there waiting for us to tune in. 

Maybe it could be fun to experiment with these choices.

Actually find some cool recipes and try them…become gourmet cooks like on the reality shows…now that sounds like childhood play… and maybe even wear a costume of sorts…chef’s hat, apron, have an oversize spoon for tasting our delicious concoctions.  

OK, I’m getting into this now. And, as the chef, I would be designing a plate with a very appealing presentation. 

It would have food of many, varying colors...exquisitely prepared and would be adorned with luscious garnishes.

Are you getting my drift?

By the way, I sat here at the computer blank as could be while I tried to find an example for you and just asked for help…and, as always, in it came.  

The lesson here is that you can tap into that inspirational source, too. It’s always there as we aspire to becoming the next, grandest version of ourselves.  

So please remember to use all the heavenly resources just waiting for your invitation.

Bon appétit in both the “food” you choose for your new habits and, especially, in appreciating your wonderful imagination.

Solve the Mystery

Whenever we are experiencing a PROBLEM with someone...we are annoyed or bothered or hurt by their behavior, the solution is...

NOT to tell our companion they messed up...
NOT to stomp off in a huff...and
NOT to throw our hands into the air with the tempting I GIVE UP signal
(dramatically satisfying though that may be).


Nope. The answer is MUCH SIMPLER and MUCH HARDER to do.

The answer is WE DO OUR WORK.


And here's why.

The people around us might look like key players but the truth is they are just the messengers (as the Language of Light Glossary tells us)....and remember the saying about don't shoot the messenger.


That Glossary reveals It's Never About The Other.

The message others are delivering is for us. It is a reflection of us.

It is telling us something about ourselves..something we are perhaps not recognizing.


And figuring out what the message actually is can be kind of fun...like doing a puzzle...or solving a mystery. Those messages can be very creative...what looks like it is wrong with someone else is really telling us to see how WE are exhibiting that same behavior in our life.


And best of all, when we do our work...figuring out the message and taking steps to change the behavior, those "pesky" people magically change their ways. They don't have to show us the picture any more because...we figured it out for ourselves.


Good work, Sherlock!



image courtesy of free-retro-graphics.com

The Compass of Courage

When the Messages
I give to others
MATCH the Messages
of my heart…
my body and spirit
begin to HEAL
and my joy awakens.


Mystic Marks: Bookmarks for the Soul

Divine Delivery

Every beautiful thought or message we want to share with someone is present in the Divine Universe, held in the loving embrace of universal consciousness.


Words need not be spoken…or even read…the INTENTION alone ensures the preservation of this energy.

How its reception occurs is a mystery…perhaps it is perceived through another dimension.

Know this: LOVE moves in ways we cannot even begin to imagine.

Send your Light out to your loved ones and to the universe.
Invite the world to tap into the beauty of your generous heart!



Image courtesy of FreeStockPhotos.biz

Alligators, Elephants and Angels

Have you noticed any ALLIGATORS snapping at your feet lately?


Alligators are the troublesome thoughts that won't go away because your ego wants some attention and it is kicking up loudly but deep down inside you know what is producing this feeling and do not approve.


Hold that alligator in your mental image of a room.

We are going to introduce another animal into the picture right in the middle of that space…the ELEPHANT.

Now we know that a huge elephant sitting smack in the middle of a room represents a BIG PROBLEM we are NOT talking about (“the elephant in the room”).

We are going to use that awareness and be brave and choose to name the alligator (the issue that is bothering us) and thereby use the elephant to capture the alligator.


(Don't worry...even though the alligator looks menacing, when the elephant is on the scene and his power has been activated by our naming the issue, he can plop himself right down on the creature and make him behave. And there won't be any real life disasters to clean up here...these creatures are just figments of a very active imagination)


When we name the ALLIGATOR snapping at our heels we use the ELEPHANT to bring LIGHT into the picture..to acknowledge our very human reaction to some need we are feeling, to extend compassion to ourselves and after some reflection, hopefully to choose unconditional love as the path we wish to follow.


When we take ourselves through these healing steps the alligator and elephant morph into their true image..the ANGEL (who is obviously donning disguises to help us get some clearance on our emotional baggage).


Those mischievous angels...it's pretty clear Halloween is one of their favorite holidays!

Clip art courtesy of DailyClipArt.net

The Search for Beauty

The eye and the heart of the beholder…

the site from which beauty is perceived.


When we are in this wondrous state EVERYWHERE we look we find beauty.



There is beauty in the gentle breeze created by the circular fan sitting on my desktop while I work.


There is beauty in the strawberries and their cousin blueberries having a whispered conversation about the mother melon ruling so proudly on the plate on which they rest.


There is beauty in the memory/dream of a long lost cousin who died at the early age of forty at his Panama Canal home and in the energy of the dream in which we caught up on the years of moments which have made up our lives.


There is beauty in hearing Il Divo singing Hallelujah, the composition I always listen to when I am writing for my blog.


There is beauty in the message in my email from Owen Waters, author of The Shift, who talks about attuning our inner being to the Universe, and thereby receiving (in perfect time) all of the support we need to accomplish our dreams.


There is beauty in the leaves outside my window, resting so still now when yesterday they were delightedly laughing at my silliness.


There is beauty outside in the stately, wise tree waiting for its daily embrace from me.


There is beauty in my heart which feels great joy in sharing myself through my writing.


I am filled with this precious moment. It is enough. It is EVERYTHING.



If you were to look around you with curious eyes and a gentle, soft heart… where would you find your sites of beauty?



Image from dreamstime

The Ultimate Chess Game

Playing chess is a fascinating activity.

Heavy concentration
is required…
watchfulness…
diligence…
and strategy.

The chess player is responsible for decisions on all of his moves, for determining when and where he will act and for intuiting, if possible, what his companion chess player will do next.


To put it simply, the chess player makes his moves based on careful planning.


MAKING chess moves is pretty hard work. No down time here. Just plenty of concentration and mental strategy.



Now let’s consider another kind of chess game…one that requires NO mental exertion…that does not engage the mind but only the HEART.


In this chess game the player does not MAKE the moves. He WATCHES the moves as they happen.


Let’s translate that into everyday terms.

It’s so very human to always have our GAME ON so we can react to whatever is occurring. GAME ON means checking on what someone is doing or about to do, trying to figure out their plan (which is changing second by second) and being ready to DEAL…to counteract…to turn things to our advantage.


But what if instead of MAKING the moves... our chess game was the opportunity to just WATCH the moves of others.


Not watching with an eye to What does this mean for me but rather watching in an objective, interested, curious, fascinating, full-of-wonder way.


In other words…watching life unfold…watching things interPLAYING (caps there on purpose because I am talking about moments of fun and revelation…playing…enjoying what each other is doing…wondering what interesting thing everyone will do next that will give us more information about his uniqueness and personality.)


We learn so much when we stop moving things around for our OWN purposes and WATCH them move around on their own…playing out the scenarios of others’ lives.


If we are only engaged in moving things around for our benefit…we may become stronger in our skill…we may be riding the high of our already significant prowess, but what have we learned about the world and each other?


By WATCHING the chess pieces (people we encounter in our lives) instead of MOVING the chess pieces…we are taking advantage of ALL of the lessons available to us in this fascinating human playground of richness, variety, surprise and deep emotion.




Chess image from ClipartHeaven.com

The Unfinished Symphony

Franz Schubert, prolific Austrian composer who died at the early age of 31, wrote nine symphonies, liturgical music, operas, some incidental music and a large body of chamber and piano music. He began his famous Unfinished Symphony in 1822 but only completed two movements.

The immense body of work produced by Schubert reveals to us the powerful dedication and immense energy he gave to expressing his life view through the venue of music. And, still…given that…Schubert is most famous for his Unfinished Symphony…the composition that was never completed.


The theme of The Unfinished Symphony is singing in my heart this morning as I reflect on the connection we have with our families of origin and our ancestors.


I believe we choose the families we are born into so that we may have the very best environment to inspire us to work on the lessons we have chosen.

Sometimes those environments are nurturing and positive; sometimes they are troubled and conflict-ridden…but always they contain the impetus for us to explore and achieve our lessons and dreams.



And, now…another thread is weaving itself into this picture. The theme of The Unfinished Symphony.


Perhaps there is even more to our choice of birth family…

perhaps it is the CONNECTION we have to the dreams and desires of those who came before us.


On a historical note…
I have read that when people emigrated to this country...often at the very young ages of thirteen or fourteen seeking the opportunity to make their way in the world and often coming for the purpose of making an arranged marriage…when they arrived here, they were overwhelmed with the work of finding a place to live and securing a job to support their families.

Because every ounce of their energy was being used to survive, it has been theorized that their children carried on the process of mourning their parents' loss of the mother country for them.


And so the tapestry unfolds through many lives and many generations. Which brings me to the concept of The Unfinished Symphony.


The questions presenting themselves to me are these:

Can we identify the longings and dreams of our parents…not for material goods or money…but for the character traits they wanted/needed to develop (consciously or not)?

And, if so, has the development of these character traits been begun by our parents but has now become their Unfinished Symphony?


We have so many choices in life…so many places to put our energy.

Is the finishing of their Symphony something we are especially equipped to achieve because of our understanding of their life circumstances and longings and the impetus we have experienced to carry on the dream

and

is it something we wish to complete?

Of Magic Wands and Messages

Every one of us has A MAGIC WAND. I imagine it as an air-light, golden baton with a dragonfly at the tip and beautiful fairy waiting for instructions.

Our magical wand performs whatever we request.

Just as the orchestra conductor directs his musicians, we influence the flow of the sacred and precious gift of our ENERGY.

We can direct our energy vibrations into a slump downwards if we think negative thoughts…if we worry, complain, feel anxious.

Plunk…there it goes. “Now who made that happen?” we ask.



We can also take the wand and swing it UPWARDS into higher vibrations…by noticing what is beautiful all around us and feeling gratitude for our gifts…by expressing love and compassion to the earth and its inhabitants…by noticing the baby toad crossing our path as we walk…by hugging trees and smiling at the sky.


Oh, yes, WE are the ultimate maestros…with our baton poised to move into action at any second.

The question is: what MESSAGE (music) are we giving to our energetic flow?



Here are some beautiful ways to use this fascinating inheritance.


If we are feeling an ache in our body, we can send that spot a surge of this powerful force.

We can also direct this gift to others. If we envision ourselves as a clear crystal, we can reflect our beautiful light and energy outward...to help with someone’s healing.

We can also send our energy into the world to use wherever it is needed.


With this EXQUISITE GIFT in our possession, it is so important to be aware of HOW we are using its magic.


Don’t forget to don your magician’s cape today and make a conscious choice about the messages you are broadcasting to yourself and the world!




animated image courtesy of WEBWEAVER'S FREE CLIP ART

Leaping Off the Endgrain

Sell your CLEVERNESS and purchase BEWILDERMENT.

Rumi
13th century Sufi mystic





Cleverness is a process of the mind.

In cleverness we use our mental faculties to assess, analyze, plan and strategize.

We move things around so they will operate to our best advantage. We are concerned with how we will benefit from a situation...how we will be protected...what we will gain for our trouble.


Bewilderment comes from a connection with the heart.


We are struck by the innate beauty of something..deeply moving, transported to some mysterious and unknown place.

We willingly give up control and let our hearts lead us through wonder to some new and fascinating destination.

We leap off the endgrain for the sheer joy of the exploration...to see what there is to see and learn what there is to discover.


We give up control of our experience and LET THE EXPERIENCE LEAD US.


CLEVERNESS keeps us tightly inside control center.

BEWILDERMENT connects us with joy and opens us to worlds of energy of which we are perhaps not even aware.


The world is now moving to this beautiful place of heart-centeredness but our instructions for this journey have been made clear by prophets for centuries.

We must release our distraction with maintaining control over the gifts of the universe and instead delight and revel in their wonder.


Image courtesy of people-clipart.com

Amazing Work Project in Progress!

With all of the media hype about having the perfect body (and what wonderful things this will bring us) it is easy to get into a somewhat negative mind set about our lives and the earthly vehicle in which we travel.

No, I don’t mean your SUV or Honda or even the reworked antique you inherited from a distant family member

I am talking about our bodies…those wonderful spiritual/physical/emotional/mental mechanisms which we inhabit and which move us from one adventure to the next.


Our bodies are simply amazing. The work they ceaselessly perform for us is astounding. No days off for the beating heart. We need it 24/7. When we cut ourselves our body pharmacy goes to work repairing the damage.

And here’s something else the body does…it expresses for us in a physical way what our emotional/spiritual/mental struggles are trying to tell us.


That’s plenty hard work. And it can get tired. And somewhat worn down.
It carries the story of our lives.


The body is IN all the way. The constant companion to our Spirit.


We have so much to be grateful for…even every stiff and creaky feeling we sometimes experience. Even the sore throats and colds and occasional flu.


Our body has gone the distance with us. It’s the record of all of our challenges and struggles. It is a testimony to our courage and bravery and sometimes it keeps going under the pressure of extreme distress.


Let’s show our wonderful bodies love and appreciation for being our companion in earth school. We all have the perfect body for what we have come here to do and learn...an amazing gift from Spirit.




My EARTHLY FORM reflects the Work I have chosen to undertake and I
congratulate and celebrate the Body which embraces this awesome journey.

Mystic Marks: Bookmarks for the Soul



website for True Stories image
imageglobalschoolnet.org

The Alto Horn, Multiple Moons and Other Secrets of the Universe

Owen Waters is a favorite author of mine. Any time his name appears in my email I stop to read the wisdom and insights he is sharing. Owen is the author of The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness, Discover Your Purpose in Life and the creator of the website InfiniteBeing.com.

Today I read an offering from Owen’s newsletter Spiritual Metaphysics for the New Reality in which he talks about the unfolding of his spiritual quest.


Owen’s journey began at the age of thirteen when he was practicing the alto horn and noticed that a “long, deep note started to sound unusual”. Immediately after that he noticed that he was no longer looking straight at his music stand but was viewing it from above.

This out of body experience began for him a lifelong journey to understand the nature of life and our place in it. On this journey Owen feels he has received a great deal of inspiration (being in spirit) from guides and ascended masters.


Owen believes that every one of us can make this journey to what he calls “the profound depths of understanding” but we need to create the beautiful environment and support for this work…as artists phrase it, the ambiance for the reception of this wisdom.


Our days can be so easily filled with the noise of activity and projects…lists of things we wish to accomplish. So much of life feels like a hurrying to get somewhere and when we finally land there, we are exhausted…we recoup…and then start composing our next list of to-do’s for tomorrow.


Owen cautions us: "don't limit your potential by spending the entire day in conscious thought. Give yourself the time to go within, expand.”

In the restful state of “expanded awareness” we are much better able to find peace and balance..We are more receptive to guidance…more open to new insights.


Two days ago while on a late evening stroll, I stopped to gaze at the moon and became so fascinated I stayed there for several moments.. Within seconds I saw not one moon, but four. three distinct moons which were intertwining and one surrounding the three on two sides which seemed to be composed of etheric energy.

The moon has never looked like this to me before…but I am sure there was something in it for me to discover. If I had not stopped to be in that moment, I would have missed this exquisite demonstration of some important truth which is still to be revealed.


Does your day allow for this beautiful state of expansion so available to all of us?

Do you choose to open yourself to the messages of the universe?

Do you create the opportunity to be spiritually connected in this way?


Perhaps we should all follow the very wise advice of Owen Waters when he says: “Inspiration is there for the asking, if you just pause to reach upwards to where it exists.”

Heavenly Interventions

Sometimes we feel truly stuck in a disagreement. We can see things from our perspective so clearly and we cannot understand why others are so rigid in their perceptions.

Egos (ours and others’) get involved; hurts are resurrected and it becomes very difficult to find our way to a harmonious solution to the problem.




Here is a method I happened upon (Divine Inspiration, no doubt) that has helped me immensely whenever I felt myself unable to move from my position in a dilemma .


Whenever I have an unresolved conflict with another, I deliberately choose to do something positive for that person…perhaps it’s the giving of a gift (often the method I choose)…but it can also be a compliment or a supportive action.


And it’s not that I feel like doing it. In fact, emotionally speaking…I usually do NOT feel like doing it.

But I have come to realize the immense power in taking this step.

This action cuts through the static of what is occurring
and
affirms the beauty of the relationship I have with another.


These gestures have NEVER failed to lessen the tension and somehow change the nature of the conflict. Reminding someone that he is cared for and giving a special symbol of that caring somehow breaks the stronghold of hurt feelings and bruised egos. It gets to the center, the core of our caring.


After I take this step, issues seem to correct themselves. It’s really fascinating to watch this occur.


On one particular occasion I bought flowers for someone with whom I had an ongoing conflict. On the way to the store to buy the flowers, I remember mumbling to myself that I didn’t feel like doing this, but I have learned to listen to these HEAVENLY INTERVENTIONS.

When I presented the flowers to the person locked in the conflict with me, he asked if this was for his “good” behavior. I answered that I had just felt like I wanted to bring flowers to him.

Moments later, he came to my office, stood at the door with a very emotional look in his eyes and softly said, “No one has ever brought me flowers before.”


Wow! So very amazing! What a response! Such beautiful wisdom so readily available to us when we open ourselves and receive the inspiration!


I now have a reputation with others for buying gifts when I am experiencing an unresolved conflict. When my daughters and I have a particularly spirited discussion they will often ask if this means they are going to get a present from me.

Smiles all around. They are acknowledging the LOVE that exists between us and enjoying how it occasionally gets manifested.


In the end, affirming our underlying love and caring for another at a time of discord can be a challenging order but it is ALWAYS a very effective step to take to bring a calming presence to an uncomfortable situation.

The Divine Universe (our Eternal CEO) always knows the best way to return to peace.




Unresolved CONFLICT
sometimes masks
the Beautiful Bond
I have with another.
I bring this Joy
to the LIGHT
and watch the issue
fade away.


Mystic Marks: Bookmarks for the Soul

Knock Three Times

Some years ago a friend of mine made the remark that if a particular book was mentioned to him by someone on three different occasions…

this was a sign that he should check it out…that there was apparently something in that book that he needed to know.


I often think of that formula and have found that the Divine Universe delivers many, many messages to us beyond the suggestion of book titles…in fact, it may very well tell us everything we need to know.


Its delivery system is subtle, intricate and creative. Everything and everyone around us are potential methods of delivery. Once we grasp that fact, all we have to do is LISTEN...and I mean listen with a full and open heart for the messages of the Universe.


I recently wrote the blog post on Forgiveness because the concept came up three times in my life in close succession. One of those deliveries was a very personal, pointed one when someone asked me why I had not yet written a piece on Forgiveness.


It doesn’t have to take the three knocks to get through to us…one will do if we are particularly tuned in.


Here’s another message that keeps showing up in my life: the stunning red cardinal. I learned that the appearance of the cardinal is a message to honor the body and choose wisely how we care for it.

I see cardinals ALL the time.


There’s another component to using this delivery system. It has to do with how we feel about ourselves.


Messages do us no good if we do not feel we deserve to get them. We may offhandedly notice them and then pass by thinking…nothing here for me…I’m not that important…or worthy of that kind of attention…it all seems too strange and wonderful for me to be attended to in this way.


But the fact is that each and every one of us is worthy of this attention…deserves it. It is a birthright…even more important…a soul right. We are, all of us, loved beyond measure and the proof of that love is everywhere around us.


If we watch for the messages that gently (and sometimes not so gently) enter into our lives…if we decide with gentle acceptance that we are being cared for and that we will place some energy into what is being brought to our attention…if we do this in a gentle way that shows great compassion to ourselves, we will see miracles occurring in our life.


The changes that we have wanted to make will feel much easier.

These miracles come because we have accepted our worthiness and the fact that we are loved and cared for and we have softly embraced the message of where we need to place our attention next.


I have mentioned gentleness so many times because I feel it is a very important component of success. The messages come from love…are delivered with love…and need us to gently attend to them. Not with a bang…but a whisper. The whispers by which love often travels.


It is so very easy to judge ourselves…the path to releasing that judgment is a challenging one and we need to traverse it supported by Love and all of creation.


The messages are in your life…gently and patiently waiting to be discovered. Are you willing to hear and answer this Divine Delivery System?