A Second Set of Eyes

What am I not seeing here?  Help me see what you're seeing...
 
                            Rob Bell
 


Don Miguel Ruiz, spiritual healer and author of The Four Agreements, tells us that our emotions act like a filter through which we see the rest of the world.  The emotions that we are feeling in any given moment ARE the artist's paintbrush we use to construct our perception of what is occurring.  And, because our emotions can be so strong and powerful (and sometimes unrelenting), we are often convinced that our perspective IS the privileged interpretation.

There is something missing, however, from the portrait we paint for ourselves in a particular experience...and that is the portraits simultaneously being painted by everyone else in attendance at that event.


If we limit ourselves to the perception we hold of what is happening, if we firmly attach ourselves only to the conclusions we draw, we will only succeed in affirming what we already think and feel (and there's nothing new in that).  We will have missed an opportunity to gain a more expansive view of the individuals who populate our world.  And, in missing the opportunity to hear and make sense of their views, we will also have lost the opportunity to co-create with them a consciousness which honors everyone's perspective and history. 

The work of evolving this conscious understanding is so very significant.  It is the Genesis of Peace on both a personal and global plane.

And that is why the words of spiritual author Rob Bell to us are so compelling:
"This other set of eyes is a gift to me."  And, yet, as Bell says, "for many people, the second set of eyes is a cause of constant tension."  We ask ourselves, "Why don't they see things like I see things?"


 
Let's face it, Bell's suggestion does mean some special effort...something way beyond fighting to hold the prevailing view.  It means stepping outside of our little corner of the world and taking in what is swirling around us...and doing it with openness and compassion. Recognizing the Divine spark in every person with whom we interact.  Blessing each individual on his journey to remember the  LOVE at the center of his heart.

 
Perhaps more work than we are used to doing.

 
But there is a beautiful peace that accompanies this effort, the sense that we are reaching for a greater understanding, a more expansive view of the world and the struggles and challenges of others.

 
Any effort we make to open our hearts in this way is a stunning contribution to our spiritual growth, to more loving and profound communication with others and, ultimately, to the achievement of world peace.


Nàmaste
(The Divine in me recognizes and honors the divine in you.)


                                                                                                        Marie Helena



mage from sendscraps.com

Changing Dogs into Cats

This morning I laughed out loud as I read an inspirational message from Don Miguel Ruiz about accepting others the way they are.

Ruiz said to try to change others to fit what you want them to be is like trying to change a dog into a cat.


When he says it that way, it’s abundantly clear how ludicrous the idea is.


And still we persist in our folly.

The question is WHY.

Is it because it feels so comfortable to have someone recite the "lines" we write for them? Then we know what to expect. We get just what we wanted. But…did we learn anything?

Is it because we are focusing on the microcosm of our little world and we forget there’s a macrocosm circling all around us? Remembering that sounds like work…doesn’t it?

Is it because reminding ourselves who is the dog and who is the cat means we have to be in top form…centered, balanced, loving, calm? Wow…to do that we have to take really good care of ourselves…all the time!


It seems like there is a Dogs are Dogs and Cats are Cats School and someone enrolled us when we weren’t looking.


The price for not doing our homework is perpetual frustration. The reward for figuring out this one is peaceful cohabitation.


                                                                                    Marie Helena                                               
        



originally published June 4, 2011

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.

                               

                                                                                          

                                                                                            Marie Helena

 

 

image from zazzle.com

originally published March 30, 2011

Spiritual Warriors

  Earth School is not for the faint of heart.

Everyone who has chosen this path has, on some level, accepted a huge challenge: experiencing the density and duality of the third dimension including navigating the many obstacles placed in the path of learning our soul lessons.

Yes, we are - all of us - Spiritual Warriors.



Now for the good news. We are not being left alone in the dark.

We have all been gifted with a spiritual compass which helps us find our true north. That compass is the deep, abiding joy we feel when we act in alignment with our Higher Self.

Another way of saying this is we have chosen to respond from the perspective of Love.

Even if we do not reach the full expression of love...if we can clearly identify the behavior to which we aspire, we are poised to move with great power in that direction.

When we are out of sorts, or irritable or impatient this is an indicator to us that we are not in that spiritual alignment.

But when we choose to act from a place of peace and acceptance and compassion...it doesn't matter how difficult the circumstances are for we transcend the darkness and difficulty by introducing the Light of Love.   In this way we need not fear what challenges we find in our path for our only concern is the energy we choose to bring to the occasion.


Spiritual Warriors need only the desire and commitment to follow the promptings of their soul and they will surely be shown whatever they need to know.

                                                                                   

                                                                                                   

                                                     Marie Helena

                                                                                     
  

originally published June 14, 2011

Let the Good Times Roll!

Super Bowl Sunday, the annual championship game

of the National Football League and the American Football League, is today!  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 lies in wait just hours away.

So LOVE the fun of Super Bowl Sunday and watching your favorite teams (the Seattle Sea Hawks and the New England Patriots) 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.




                                                                                              Marie Helena



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


originally printed February 1, 2013