Mum's the Word

reprinted from October 2010

It’s almost Halloween and I am a holiday junkie. The front porch is filled with scarecrows, corn stalks, bales of hay, a black cat and some very big (and I mean big) pots of chrysanthemums in purple, yellow and white. And though I love the color and texture of everything on the porch, the really big deal for me is putting my face right into the flowers and taking in their essence… the touch and smell and coolness…in other words, their vibration!

I take breaks during the day to go out and do this. It connects me with nature’s bountiful gifts and beauty. It lifts me out of my everyday tasks and says, “We’re right here…just waiting for you to enjoy us.” Yep, those flowers are smiling. I know it. They love to have someone get right in their faces.

Which reminds me…I am also addicted to hugging trees. I have a particular tree in the neighborhood that lets me feel its roots straight down into the earth. I used to look around before I approached the tree, but, naw…I don’t look around anymore. I just see that beauty and go for it. I hug bushes, too. And have been for many years.

Although I am no gardener, I think that this is exactly the kind of high that gardeners feel when they do their thing. Now here’s a really interesting fact I learned recently about plants and gardeners. If you are raising plants that you will eat, when you tend them with personal, loving care they produce for you whatever your DNA requires.

Now that’s mind blowing. And it sure tells you that the universe is alive and wanting to spread its goodness everywhere. So have at ‘em…pumpkins, flowers, trees….the whole works. They’re just waiting for your perceptive eyes and glowing attention.

Tea by Special Invitation Only

We design our lives by making conscious choices. 

If we do not purposefully choose the direction in which we wish to go...the body will react to whatever emotions we are experiencing. 

And,  if those emotions are fear-based or anxiety-ridden, that is what the body will express.

 

We CAN, however, bypass this avenue of default by choosing to keep our bodies in a state of  bliss.  if we engage in something that is truly joyful to us and we sustain that state of being...the body will do its healing work, undeterred by emotional obstacles.

And to help us stay continually in that beautiful place of bliss we can allow Higher Self to take over the Heavy Lifting.  

We do not need to know or understand what is needed for our greatest good.  All that we have to do is express that intention with the knowingness that  the Divine Universe will guide us to the most perfect way to achieve our goal.

 

If we find ourselves experiencing the lower energies of fear, anger, judgment or self-doubt we can respond by acknowledging their presence, thanking  them for visiting and informing them that they will NOT be having tea with us today so they either have to transform themselves to a higher vibration or leave the premises.

 

Remember, this is our territory and WE get to decide which vibrations visit and which get to stay.

 

We need to do whatever it takes to place and keep ourselves in the exquisite state of joyful flow...

listen to enchanting music, 

read beautiful words,

drink in nature's glorious offerings

...do whatever produces this bliss for us 

and we will present our body with the perfect state for healing and rejuvenation.

What a Beautiful Opportunity to direct our energy flow for the purpose of achieving radiant health!

image from conceptart.org

"Light" Switch

If you find that waiting for people to adopt "your" way of doing things is a fruitless endeavor...here's something new to try. 

Study THEIR  process.

This is a really  interesting way to get into the flow. 

Instead of waiting for people to "finally" see your light...

LOOK AT THEIRS INSTEAD!

See what makes their eyes brighten and shows off their dimples. 

And, while you are at it, keep an eye out for their hot spots and triggers.

 

If you can OBSERVE PATTERNS in their behavior,  you'll get a glimpse of their priorities and their issues...what they hold dear and what gives them distress.

When you can view their actions OBJECTIVELY (after all...you ARE making a study), they suddenly become fun to watch.  

And...you will get a better handle on how to interact with them most successfully.

The really wonderful thing about this new habit you're cultivating is that it takes you out of your preoccupation with having everything unfold your way and it broadens your perspective about how things can be accomplished.

 

This practice also has the potential to develop your sense of empathy and compassion. 

What a generous and considerate person you've now become by seeing how you can fit into someone else's life instead of trying to make him fit into yours!

image from abirdersnotebook.wordpress.com

The Divine Matrix*

How beautiful it is to feel CONNECTED to someone we hold dear!  

How wonderful to know that we are understood and embraced and that we hold that same sense of knowingness of and caring for our beloved.


This is one of the greatest gifts we can experience in our earthly life.   But...can you imagine what it would be like to be connected to EVERYONE and EVERYTHING!

That is exactly how Gregg Braden describes The Divine Matrix...the place of pure energy that connects everything and everyone that is.  And we are a part of that Matrix...along with the rest of existence.

To me THE DIVINE MATRIX is an empowering web of love.  It is soft but also strong.  it moves and and breathes with us.  It responds to our desires and needs.  It  CONNECTS us...every one...with each other.

It may seem extremely difficult to imagine the workings of such an immense Instrument of Intelligence.   

Consider, though, the miraculous process of how a baby grows in the womb...or how it develops after birth according to an intuitive life plan.

So beautiful...so amazing...so mysterious that we are left in awe of this magnificently orchestrated symphony.   

The miracle of birth and growth is but one illustration of the Divine Power  which informs, designs and sustains the Divine Matrix.

 
Within the last several days I have intuitively felt  the Presence of the Divine Matrix  And it was hiding in plain sight.  Right on my blog.


Currently, there have been seventy-nine countries which  have had someone visit this blog.  And only a few days ago did I realize the messages that were being beamed back to me from those countries through the blog's logistics.

 
On the right hand side of the blog there is a listing of the most popular blog posts.  This listing is being continuously updated and reflects what people are being drawn to read in that moment. 

I now believe it also reflects something more.  

I believe it reflects how we are ALL connected through LOVE and CARING with each other and that the blog posts people are choosing to read are ALSO their response to what is needed in my life in each moment. 

I came upon this discovery when I noticed blogs from several months ago were on the current list of what is most popular.    Curious, I went back to those blogs and reread them and astoundingly found that they contained the messages I needed to see at that moment. 

And I am talking some very big insights here...insights that I was currently lacking and in dire need of and reminders that were important for me to hear.
 
It seemed to me that the blogs on this list not only told me what people were finding important to them...they were also telling me what was important for me.  They were ministering to my needs.  

Somehow people were sensing my needs and feeling my moments of distress.  And the blog posts they were selecting felt (and feel) like messages of love and caring.  It is as if on some deep level we are all working together.

We are not alone.

 
What a beautiful illustration of this truth!

 

I am so grateful for The Divine Matrix and  your place in this awesome, life-giving, universal village.

 

Because you are reading my blog  I feel a connection with you..and I thank you for your generous caring.

*Title from The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden

image from artsandcraftsnsw.com.au

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 us because 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!



Image from ayrerabbitry.webs.com




See blog post below from October 2010  (Ichabod's Night Life) for illustration of how to change your story.

Ichabod's Night Life

It was a windy night in Galway, Ireland. I was visiting my daughter Rachel who is on sabbatical there and I was sleeping in her guest bedroom. Rachel’s apartment house is located on a peninsula on Galway Bay. It sits literally in the middle of the harbor and, if you look outside of her window, you can see sailboats of all sizes lined up and moored to the docks.

On this particular evening I was awakened by the sound of someone apparently working on a boat in the middle of the night. There was a persistent clanging, actually two different clangings…and it felt like one was agitating the other. My daughter had told me earlier that she slept with earplugs because of the harbor noises, but I didn’t feel a little background sound would make a difference to me. I was wrong.

That night I tossed restlessly for hours, growing a strong frustration that vibrated every time I heard another sound. I could hardly believe that someone had decided to work on his boat at this hour. The logic was beyond me. I went to the window of the bedroom and parted the curtains. The boats were sitting in the water, magically illuminated by the mooring lights. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful…and there was no one to be seen working in the area. Confused, I looked further and discovered that the wind was willfully whipping the branches of a very tall tree against the night sky.

So, I thought…it’s the wind I have to deal with and decided I would try to use my consciousness to slow it down. (I had read on a couple of occasions that it is possible to move a cloud so I thought I would try changing the wind speed.) I was finally able to slow it down enough so that I could get some sleep but decided I needed a better plan as I am not yet practiced in the art of cloud/wind transport.

We checked the anticipated wind speed for the next night and, sure enough, a very windy evening was in the offing. I decided to see what resources I could call up because I did not want to go the ear plugs route.

Remembering a very important lesson I had learned from a book called Courageous Dreaming by Alberto Villoldo I decided that I had to change my story about the clanging. The first night it had represented a series of constant intrusions into my night of peaceful sleep. Now I decided to call up my imagination and create a new story. In this scenario the clanging actually was coming from a phantom sailor called Ichabod. I was asleep on the lower deck of a boat with several sailors. Every night the phantom Ichabod made an appearance on the top deck and proceeded to adjust the masts and moorings, clanging away as he worked. Everyone on the boat knew Ichabod and held a great affection for him. Ichabod’s appearance each evening signaled that all was right with the world…and with the clanging reminder of his presence, everyone slept soundly. Including me.

The next morning I ecstatically celebrated the beautiful way I had been able to “dream” myself into a peaceful place.

Telling myself a new story has become for me a new way to deal with the challenges that present themselves in my life. And it’s not always easy. And sometimes I forget to do it. But, oh, when I can remember this lesson and make it happen, I am overjoyed with the knowledge that I can change the way I perceive my reality. I was over the moon about Ichabod. Rachel, too. She has even adopted him as a guest in her harbor home.

In creating this story I followed Villoldo’s advice to create my story (or dream) by flying to the level of eagle which is spiritually based. I framed the sound as a peaceful resonance and that is what it became.

If you have a story in your life that is bringing you suffering, I invite and encourage you to call on your power to paint a picture that will soothe and comfort you, delighting your soul and bringing you the peace of Ichabod.

The Signature Gift

Of all the earth-lessons waiting for our attention, there is one that is extremely crucial to our development.  

This lesson is learning how to listen to and trust ourselves

  ....and, equally important, believing that we have the right to do this.  

This ability is, in fact, not only an honor, it is also a NECESSITY for navigating our earth-life adventures.
 

If we do not master this lesson we spend untold amounts of energy looking OUTSIDE ourselves for guidance...and we fall prey to the false beliefs of community and culture  that we alone are not sufficiently equipped to perform this task.  

We begin listening to the prevalent beliefs of society telling us that  

more is better...

status and money are to be desired...

revenge is understandable (after all, we have been hurt...now it's someone else's turn to feel the pain). 

All of these mores lead us AWAY from a beautiful and fulfilling
life and make us victims of mass consciousness.

 

Left alone to our own resources...our hearts would fill with joy the way we see children doing when they are exploring and discovering new adventures in life. 

Left alone to our own resources...without the whispers (and even shouts) of popular trends... we would find deep joy in our connection with nature and with the persons populating our life.  

Most importantly, left alone to pursue our own dreams (and not the dreams of others) we would spend our lives in joyful pursuits.
 

There is nothing...NOTHING...as important as the path in life we choose to follow. 

Is it a path which truly represents our deepest longings?  Or is it a path that reflects what is expected of us...a path which satisfies the needs of others  but denies our own heart?
 

We have the honor, the privilege and the right to look to ourselves for our answers. 

We are exquisitely equipped to do this.

Listen to the body and you will clearly hear what it wants and needs...from the food and drink it wants to sustain itself to the places it wants to go and the people it wants to engage with.
 

The lesson here is SIMPLE and PROFOUND...but also difficult and challenging

 
Overriding the body's signals can become a habit that is hard to break.   And there is a price on this behavior.  Ignoring the nutritional needs of the body and failing to acknowledge and to express our true emotions can create toxicity and contribute to illness.
 

Our journey through earth-life is truly the challenge of RE-MEMBERING the gift we have been given. 

 
Open that gift...notice the bright,  resplendent colors of the wrapping and the Divinely love-laced bow waiting to attract our attention.
 

Have the most wonderful celebration with yourself because you have discovered THE SIGNATURE GIFT which has been waiting for you all of your life. 

And please do all that you can to help others make this discovery, especially in the sacred trust of how we raise our children.



image from Dream-Wallpaper.com

Leave the Playing Field: The Beauty of Surrender

Oh, the energy we consume when we set our minds to solving a problem.  

Yep...we are the TOUGH GUYS...the ones who can figure things out.  

And we are determined to make it work somehow.

It's so exhausting to set out to prove something to ourselves. 

It's exhausting because we may be able to tough our way through to an answer but you can bet it's not the ULTIMATE answer.  

It's the one we can access from our limited, earthbound point of view.  It's the one that takes into account all the parameters we can see...but it DOES NOT have access to the UNIVERSAL consciousness...the view which clearly shows  what is the perfect way to achieve our goal and which is the best  way to touch the lives of others.  

This is why it is so important to SURRENDER our problems...to stop trying to figure them out.  

We don't need to. 

We are confused about our job description.

We merely need to have a  CLEAR AND CONSCIOUS INTENTION regarding what we want help with and then we need to LEAVE THE PLAYING FIELD and do something that brings us joy.

We are designed to discover the wonder and beauty of life. 

We are designed to re-member the ever present and ever powerful Divine force  that is supporting and loving us and just waiting to be accessed and embraced.  

The force through which all wisdom flows...the force which always has our back and knows the grandest way to gift us with what we desire.

Lola Jones tells us to "Let the Divine do the Heavy Lifting."

We do indeed need to exit the playing field...to LAY DOWN OUR BURDENS with the certainty that we will receive exactly what we need at the perfect moment in time.

We are all truly meant to RELAX in faith and ENJOY the power of  Divine  grace unfolding.
 

image from DragoArt.com

Embrace the Waves

It's a lovely, warm day and you are gently immersed in the beautiful blue waters of the ocean.

As  you undulate with the WAVES you are constantly surprised at their energy...
sometimes soothing...

sometimes playful...

sometimes strong and challenging. 

No matter what the watery excursion presents you with...always...always the waves offer you support through your sojourn and ultimately they transport you and bring you back with loving kindness to the warmth of the beautiful sandy shore...refreshed and renewed...and ready for your next adventure.

This is the story of our earth journey.  The spiritual story.  And it's one we do not always remember.

Gary Zukav has a beautiful  and inspiring comment about life:

 "You cannot and will not, encounter a circumstance, or a single moment,   

   that does not serve directly and immediately the need of your soul to  

   heal."

Every wave we encounter...from the simplest, most  gentle motion to the wild and turbulent surges and swells...every wave comes into our life to show us something...to teach us a lesson we are missing...a lesson that we need to master for the purpose of becoming what Neale Donald Walsch calls The Next, Grandest Version of Ourselves.

Consider for a moment the beauty of that thought.  

When we trust that the Divine Universe cares for us unconditionally and is leading us into whatever cutting edge experience we are ready for...there is no reason for fear.

All that we have to do is embrace the experience of the wave and look for the lesson.  Doing this can be quite an adventure.  It can actually be quite delightful and most certainly is very empowering.

In this way we can see that everything...EVERYTHING...is working  FOR us.  

It can take some dedication and creativity sometimes to uncover the lesson...the healing...but what an expedition and what amazing and life changing transformations are available to us as we navigate this Divine invitation to awaken our spiritual selves.

There is always the warm, sandy beach awaiting us as we appreciate the courageous work of each new lesson we master and prepare ourselves for the next amazing discovery.

Metaphorically speaking...it's ALWAYS summer....and the waves are ALWAYS waiting!

image from freevectordownload.com

Releasing the Past: Emerging from the Chrysalis

TAKE a slow, deliberate deep breath.  

INHALE the universal life force waiting to give you its strength and power. 

EMBRACE its quiet wisdom.   

Now slowly EXHALE and BREATHE OUT ALL of the burdens of your past.

Do you feel lighter?  Freer?  More able to move forward?  Unencumbered?

With this one powerful, significant INTENTION  you can make the choice to leave behind this OBSTACLE which is depleting your energy from living fully  in THIS MOMENT. 

 

How does it feel to be able to truly embrace your life as it is today...with openness and curiosity and delight? 

How does it feel to begin each moment with a new wonder...with the incredible joy of knowing new discoveries are waiting for you on the horizon and there are no issues to burden you with the weight of regret?

 

This magnificent state of incredible lightness is exactly what the Divine Universe makes available to us.  

It is available because THIS is the way that we move forward in our journey...with no stumbling blocks, judgments or regrets.  

It is available because LOVE  is authoring it...as it authors all things.  

LOVE understands, honors, waits patiently, provides, stands by.

LOVE knows us and the immense challenges of our journey. 

LOVE knows how we learn, through choices and consequences and 

LOVE applauds our courage to experience.  

LOVE wants us to keep experiencing freely and with joy...and without the weight of the past pressing on our metaphorical and literal shoulders and back.

LOVE wants us to be free...to fly free...to keep learning...to keep releasing the past so that we can fully BE in this moment.

 

We have to travel light...without the EXTRA BAGGAGE.

It slows us down.  It blocks the path...and it is  e x h a u st i n g.  

There is no need to carry the baggage; we can release it as soon as it appears because it is ONLY the trail of yet one more earthly encounter.

 

We can traverse our lives beautifully by carrying only our free, light, loving hearts and by keeping our eyes wide-open in joy and wonder as the miraculous universe who LOVES us so deeply manifests itself to us.

 

image from newmoonjournal.blogs.com