Mystic Messages

The universe 

and 

the light of the stars come TO me.*

What a dazzling visual...the beautiful, breathtaking light and energy of our universe streaming to and through our consciousness.

 Have you ever felt this happening?

 

I enjoy the essence of this concept being manifested to me each and every day as I watch and listen for messages from the Divine Universe.

*One of the first things I do each morning is CHECK MY BLOG to see which blog posts are currently on the top ten list as "most popular". 

That list is changing all the time as people around the world read selections. 

I have learned that the blogs that are showing up on that list (sometimes from nearly two years ago)  are ALWAYS messages I need to be reminded of that day so I go back and read what I had already written and receive the guidance I need.

*Here's another way that Divine Light streams into my life. 

 I often find that when I experience a problem THE SOLUTION LIES IN A BLOG I had written just a few days before. 

The solution shows up BEFORE the problem!  

What a brilliant example of the Divine Universe always attending to our needs and, in this case, there's a sense of lightheartedness and whimsy in the order in which the solutions appear.

 

*I ALSO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO COMMENTS made by people I am with and even people I am around (but not interacting with).   

Especially when someone feels very strongly about something.

*AND THAT ATTENTION ALSO EXTENDS to what I am reading or perhaps viewing on television, too.

*SOMETIMES I GET VARIATIONS OF THE SAME MESSAGE from different sources.  That is always an indicator of an important message waiting for me.

*AND IF THE PLUMBING GOES AWRY (or anything else)... I hear a "Knock,  knock... Something's going on" coming in.

The mystic  messages are EVERYWHERE and it's great fun discovering them and doing my detective work to ascertain their meaning.

I BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE CAN HAVE THIS WONDERFUL ADVENTURE.  

The clues for the advancement of our life journey are but waiting for our attention. 

Some are quiet and subtle.  And some (the really pressing, urgent ones) are over-the-top obvious IF we are paying attention.

The universe and the light of the stars come TO me...

and they can come to you, too.

Invite this breathless display of INTUITIVE RADIANCE into YOUR life.

*variation on a quote from Rumi

     quote courtesy of  Rose Shanti

image from examiner.com

The Universe and Me

Photo credit: 

Bodylovetalk.com 

originally published July 7, 2012

Forgiveness: A Return to Love

One of the spiritual messages we often hear talked about is the importance of Forgiveness. 

 And, although we are all (at least theoretically) aware of the importance of opening our hearts in this way, it is often very difficult to do this.
When we feel hurt or attacked by another it is so very human to pull into ourselves and view the person involved in this interaction as the enemy.

To break out of the grip of this fortress we have built around ourselves we need a very compelling reason which can connect strongly with the life view we hold.


To find that reason, let’s look backwards at the situation and stop focusing on the person who has “offended” us and look instead at ourselves and what is happening inside us.


It is very clear that when we harbor anger or resentment there is a massive toll exacted upon our bodies. Depression, anger, heart issues are only some of the physiological price tags for holding these emotions in our body.


The critical question to be asked here is: Why is anger so damaging to the body?


The answer to this question, I think, is this:

The state of anger and resentment is not our natural state…not where we are meant to be. This state is an interruption in the harmony of the innate stature of the soul. It is a disturbance, an impediment to the very simple and authentic state of LOVE which is meant to govern and direct all of our actions.

That is exactly why the body rebels when this beautiful state is disrupted…when we are disconnected from our true nature.


How do we then find our way out of the resentment, anger and hurt we are feeling?

From the time we are born…whenever we are affected by frightening or jolting situations, the memory of these moments is housed in the amygdala, a part of the limbic system of the brain involved in processing these difficult emotions.

Whenever something upsetting triggers a memory from the amygdala we go immediately into a state of fear or aggression.

The hippocampus, another portion of the cerebral hemisphere, can help us modulate the emotions coming up by helping us gain perspective and view the big picture of what is going on in the situation.


It seems to me that our INTENTION is a very important part of helping us do this work. And that intention must come from our realization that life…what is happening in front of us, around us, and in us…is much bigger than what we first perceive.

There is truly a soul view involved in every experience and we must desire to grasp and understand what that picture is.


Elements of that picture include the following:

Negative behavior comes from pain.

Everyone is on a unique path of unfolding and discovery which includes moments of failure, doubt, and hurt.

Everyone is doing the best he is capable of at any given moment.

Messages delivered to us may not be the messages we receive because of our own experiences and conditioning.

Our greatest joy comes from reaching out with understanding and compassion.

We must first give that understanding and compassion to ourselves and then we can extend it to others.

When we aspire to becoming aware of the big picture (soul view) of life experiences we are poised, I think, to override the jolting effects of the amygdala and set in motion a new default for dealing with upsetting and distressing situations.


Our soul view is based in LOVE and when we consciously aspire to come home to that LOVE our bodies feel the harmony of this intention and express this with a sense of peace and contentment. We approve of our choice of how to navigate the difficult moments.

Forgiveness. A return to vibrant health and the LOVE which graces and informs our souls.



originally published July 1, 2011

Holding Space

The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them. Thomas Merton

It seems so perfectly reasonable to want others to be like we are…to treat us the way we treat them, to see the world through our eyes, to react and respond in the ways we find most fitting. How comfortable that would be…How perfectly relaxing…How delightful not to ever have to deal with comments or with behavior that makes us feel uneasy.

The reason we interact with the world in the way we do is because our behavior is the product of our experiences. We have done some suffering and some learning and have come to some conclusions about the way we choose to live. And we are weary from the battle and desire to coexist peacefully with others in this very personal world we have created for ourselves.

The problem is that the same work we are doing for ourselves…that same task of making sense out of our lives and experiences and making mistakes and finding new ways of responding is also the work of every other human being. And we are, all of us, on our own journeys about how we learn the lessons and what directions the path we choose will take us. Thus, the great variety in human behavior.

It is so easy to question why someone can’t see what we see or do what we do…and to be annoyed and irritated by this. But if we expand our vision past the feeling of the moment, we can see the maze of life journeys unfolding and intersecting each other…each in its own rhythm and pace which may very well not be a match for ours.

If we look to the example of a person very dear to us whom we love and care for…we can probably recognize that we want this person to do what is best for him/herself…even if it is not what we prefer.  Love prompts that understanding, that acceptance, that behavior in us. And, if we view this loved one as a microcosm of the world, it is clear that loving everyone is wanting everyone to do what feels best to them…as each individual navigates their life lessons and journeys…not on our time line and schedule but on theirs.

We HOLD SPACE for them while they do this and send our blessings. And when we hold space for another person, we support them but do not interfere with the work of their journey. We respect and honor others as they find their way and do not force them to behave as we would like them to. If we use the beautiful example of the way we, hopefully, treat someone we care for as a microcosm and extend it to the macrocosm of the world, we will be emitting a powerful and transforming message of LOVE as we send our blessings to every fellow inhabitant of this glorious universe.


Just as I choose to bring into my life
the experiences I desire,
I also practice
the Art of Allowing
and
HONOR THE PATHS of others.

Mystic Marks: Bookmarks for the Soul


                                                                                   
                                                                                       Marie Helena

                                               

originally published October 29, 2010

The Pillow of Love

Imagine the feeling when your head first touches your pillow and you sink into that beautiful serenity, calmness and ease. At that moment, when you allow yourself to embrace the support and blessing of this gift all seems right with the world.

Besides the joy of relaxing our bodies and our minds, this pillow also holds the promise of even more sustenance. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could make all of our decisions and choices from that beautiful place of peace!

Instead of feeling the stresses of the day, the unfinished business we are carrying with us, the bone tiredness from perhaps pushing our bodies beyond the boundaries of balance…we would feel AT EASE.

And when we are at ease we are much more connected to our heart center and can act from that intuition. We can observe the world around us and ourselves with loving, compassionate eyes. We can enjoy the sprinkling of moonbeams that falls gently on every moment, helping us to see with our soul eyes what is really happening.


The moonbeams are ALWAYS there… if we only choose to access them.And the reality is that our pillow waits patiently for us. It may be manifesting as a gorgeous down filled object waiting with anticipation for us to access its pleasures, but the pillow is really LOVE.

 

 

 And, if during our day, we made all of our choices as if our heads were resting on that pillow, that place of welcome and peace, what would our decisions look like?

Would we be able to see the bigger picture? The pain behind someone’s angry words? The choices we clearly have in front of us that would nurture our bodies and souls and also the choices which would distract us from that loving path? Would we view ourselves and others with caring and compassion? And act on that compassion with our words and actions?

Seems like it would be so much easier to choose a higher path when we feel rested and comfortable and at peace.

This pillow feels like a priceless gift to us...and we already have the opportunity to access it every moment of the day.

We CAN recognize that LOVE is our pillow and let its wisdom and discernment soften our hearts and ease our souls in this life journey we have so ambitiously embarked upon.

originally published March 30, 2011

Game Changer

Accept that what other people do or say has absolutely nothing to do with you...absolutely nothing.

                    Ken Lauher

Hmmmmmmmm.  That's really a major GAME CHANGER, isn't it? 

Here's the logic behind this statement.   

What a  person says or does is a really an authentic expression of how he is being affected in this moment by the circumstances, influences and events of his life...and that is exactly what his message tells us. 

It's a state of the union kind of message.  And his reaction or response to these circumstances, influences and events is determining   
IF, WHEN, WHAT AND HOW 
his message will be delivered and how the events in which we interact with him will unfold.

This is a VERY important piece of information for us to have because this awareness can alter what his message FEELS LIKE to us.
 
WHAT IF every time someone spoke to us we viewed the encounter as a fascinating checkpoint of what is transpiring in this person's life?
 

The information we receive from the interaction would still be FOR us but in a much different way than we had expected. 

It would be information ABOUT the other person and that information (intellectual, emotional, etc.) would help us choose how we might wish to respond...what we say and in what manner we say it.   It would surely be signaling very clearly  whether the person has a need for compassion, support, understanding or assistance.

This would be a MAJOR SHIFT for us 
               from 
"what just happened to me" and "how that made me feel" 

                to 
"what can I observe about you and what you might need from me". 
 

And while this process is going on we would still  be able to learn what we need to know...what is going to happen, is happening ...or not...BUT we would be learning it from a different perspective.  

It would be other directed...and possibly action oriented.  

Not only would it give us an opportunity to pay generous attention to someone else, the fact is that when we sense the emotional need of another and respond in a way that supports that need, our dialogue and conversations play out more smoothly and the other party feels gratitude for our caring and may even choose to respond to us in kind.

Being open to observing a person and learning about the space he is in would serve everyone well.  

In particular, we would no longer SUFFER from feeling hurt by the message itself or the way the message is delivered because we would know that the message is not an attack on us but rather  a behavioral transcript in this moment about the messenger himself.
 

Here is a place where Higher Self can offer us some BEAUTIFUL GUIDANCE as we exercise patience and show support, love and caring.


The question is:

Can we make this leap and view each person as a mystery...unfolding...and bless our role as witness to and supporter for that revelation?



 
 image from stushieart.com

originally published June 26, 2012

Awakening

 

Whenever we realize that we have made a misstep, reacting to someone or something in a way that is negative or critical…

it is so easy to REPLAY OUR MISTAKE over and over in our minds, heaping blame on ourselves and sending ourselves messages about how poorly we have behaved.

And by doing this we have found the perfect way how NOT to make things better because the more we focus on (obsess over) our mistakes, the more we attract more negativity into our lives.

 

In Personal Power through Awareness Sanaya Roman says:  It is important to learn forgiveness, because every time you REPLAY a negative memory, making yourself wrong, you are CREATING IT AGAIN in the future.  

In moments of crisis A NEW SELF is often born, a baby self, one that has just come into being with the crisis.  Like a small child it may not have the skills to handle things perfectly or beautifully, and yet that self is growing every moment.

It is NOT a gift to this new being if you go back and send it images of its wrongness. 

One of the skills we may have already developed in our life is how to be a good nurturer.  We may already be able to beautifully support and guide our family and friends in their time of need.  Now…what is essential…is to give that compassion to ourselves.

Once again…we are, in effect, REINVENTING OURSELVES.  Life is a series of reinventions and the time of recognizing, accepting and blessing our missteps is a perfect opportunity to use this process for our spiritual growth.

Sanaya Roman says we never do anything that is not in some way an attempt to bring more LIGHT into our lives. 

Therefore, we can bless the circumstances that have produced the new self that has been born.  Bless and thank them…and then nurture this new, more loving, more luminous self which is being introduced into your life.

Celebrate...

the wonder of your humanity…
this amazing opportunity in earth school…
your openness to learning…
and
the beautiful work of your Higher Self who has directed you to this EPIPHANY!




Flower image from preciouswomenproject.wordpress.com

originally published August 8, 2011

Swept Away!

 















Several years ago...for my birthday...I took a ride on a glider.
 
It was wonderful using only the wind to power my journey!

I felt so free to be supported in this way. There was no effort involved for me...only the choice to take the ride. There was nothing for me to do but ENJOY.


I felt a sense of awe at the way the earth was moving beneath me. Lovely images appeared...seemingly for my approval...and then moved on.

The "big picture" presented itself to me like the answer to a question I didn't even have to ask.

I felt protected, loved and inspired.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have that experience every day?


This wondrous ride IS always and ever available to us,

It's called the Flow of the Universe and it moves through everything! It is a mighty, powerful force and is always working for our Highest Good.

Our job is to recognize its presence and power.

When we fail to do that we try to WILL our lives into happening the way we think they should be. We struggle against the current...trying to make sure WE remember everything important to do...trying to do everything OURSELVES...resisting the magnificent, all powerful, all knowing force that loves us so dearly and manifests this love by arranging our life experiences according to the intentions of our soul.


A Daily OM inspiring message tells us:

Learning to step into the flow can help you feel a connection to a force that is greater than you and is always there to support you.

The decision to go with the flow can take courage because you are surrendering the notion that you need to do everything by yourself.

Riding the flow of the universe can be effortless, exhilarating, and not like anything that you ever expected. When you are open to being in this flow, you open yourself to possibilities that exist beyond the grasp of your control.

As a child, you were naturally swept by the flow. Tears of sadness falling down your face could just as quickly turn to tears of laughter. Just the tiniest wave carrying you forward off the shores of the ocean could carry you into peals of delight.

Our souls feel good when we go with the flow of the universe. All we have to do is make the choice to ride its currents.

Let us embrace this beautiful invitation from the Daily OM:

Move with the flow like a sailor using the wind, trusting that the universe is taking you "exactly where you need to be..."



originally published June 9, 2011

Let the Good Times Roll!

Super Bowl Sunday, the annual championship game

of the National Football League and the American Football League has just landed on our doorstep.  This event has become an American national holiday and has frequently been the most watched sporting event  in the world.

That kind of interest and exposure and excitement delivers a huge whomp.

Watching the Super Bowl, is, for many people, the source of great exhilaration and relaxation. Its theme song is something like "Let the Good Times Roll."


And, as always, what appears in our life, especially that which whips us into a frenzy and takes center stage, carries a message for us
and.........drum roll here......like the Super Bowl itself, it's a really BIG one.



And it's also simple...but tricky to do.


Shil Bagh says,
"Enlightenment is all about how a tiny shift in your perspective will create a major transformation in your life."


So here's the lesson of Super Bowl...

Just as you watch the game with heightened curiosity and passion and fascination...take those same qualities and point them to an object of even greater interest and power...YOU!

That's right...watch YOURSELF...and not just on Super Bowl Sunday...all day long, every day.


OK, I realize  this might take some doing because it isn't our usual way of operating.


Elaine St. James gives us some good advice about how to do this.  She says,  

"Try to get into the habit of stepping outside yourself and becoming the observer." 


And when you do what St. James suggests,  something very exciting happens.  In a quiet, impressive and powerful way.  Let me explain.  


As we go through life, we find ourselves caught in the thick of things. 

We are affected...upset sometimes...annoyed by what's transpiring with and around us.  

Another way of putting this is to say 
WE ARE SOMETIMES EMOTIONALLY REACTIVE.

Later, when we think things over, we may wish we hadn't said or done something and promise ourselves it will be different next time. 

But when that next time comes, we enter the fray and off we go again with our default reaction.  And these kinds of behavioral habits are mega-hard to change as we walk through the difficulties and obstacles of life.



But there is a way...

a simple, quiet, introspective  way to make the changes we so desire.  

It's as simple as WATCHING  OURSELVES...becoming the OBSERVER.


Something very exciting happens in this process.  

As the observer, we become an objective witness and recorder of events  and our involvement in them. 

And, somehow, that objectivity presents us with a picture that doesn't feel upsetting or distressful...just a "noticing" that we have been following a predictable pattern that contributes to our turmoil and suffering and a noticing that that picture could easily be changed by a shift in our perception and behavior. 

There's no drama to be found in doing it this way... just a quiet insight that takes hold...with the promise of a more, calm, centered life.  And that is why the very simple action of observing ourselves is so powerful.


Life is teeming with glorious lessons for us and a beautiful one has just presented itself to us.

So do LOVE the fun of Super Bowl Sunday and watching your favorite teams (the Seattle Sea Hawks and Denver Broncos) duke it out on the field (wild ride that it is)...

and LOVE even more the quiet, perceptive, life-enhancing adventure of watching YOU on the playing field of YOUR life.




image from article by Tony Hicks in Contra Costa Times
For Super Bowl 2012, please be quiet --I want to watch the game. 

originally published February 1, 2013