The Amusement Park

By the time we leave our childhood behind and get on with issues of the "adult" world most of us have managed a trip or two to the glorious island of escape called
The Amusement Park. 


There we stuffed our faces with cotton candy while we waited in line to take our seats on VERY scary and unpredictable rides.  And why did we do this?  Because it was FUN! We screamed our hearts out and then turned around and doubled back for more.


Maybe we loved these "wild rides" so much because there is something in our makeup that loves the unknown... mercurial adventures, precarious positions, challenging perspectives.


Which brings me in a roundabout way to an interesting occurrence I had just this week. 

While sitting in morning meditation a few days ago I experienced a very unusual stream of imagery.  I often have images popping up during meditation and, in fact, they routinely do,  but this meditation scenario was the most delightful I have ever encountered.


Several Disney characters were whirling inside a powerful vortex, riding it downward at a very fast speed having the time of their life and shouting "Whee!".  


When they reached the bottom (as they all invariably did), they were bounced back up to the top and were each affectionately catapulted into a bed floating in space.  They were tucked into warm covers and were soothed, comforted and rewarded from their madcap adventure by having a nice, long rest.


The all encompassing feeling of this fantasy was one of fun and delight.  The Disney characters were All IN.  They had no question of their safety...of the road they were traveling or of the loving embrace (the comfortable, billowy beds) awaiting them at its completion.  The TRUST was implicit, palpable.  Its vibration provided a powerhouse of energy for this adorable and motley crew.

So, here's the thing.


The vortex in my meditation feels like earth school.  We've all experienced the WILD rides of life when it took us some time to
B r e a t he, take it all in,  restore our equilibrium, gain perspective and choose our response, hopefully learning from the lessons being presented to us.


The Disney characters bouncing back up to the top and landing in a comfortable bed feels like a message that we are always looked after and deeply appreciated for our sojourn on this planet.

And the fact that the characters were all having such an exciting, fun time feels like guidance on how to look at earth school as an exercise in curiosity and wonderment because it's all an illusion.  Real as it may seem, earth school is the vortex playground for trying on various personas and life situations to see what we can make of them...and learn from them, all the while sending the vibrations of our new wisdom out for everyone to energetically tap into.

When WE (our Spirit Selves) watch the glorious adventures we have designed for ourselves as earth dwellers, the story of our lives becomes truly enchanting!

                                                       

                                      Marie Helena

roller coaster image from clipartist.info
Disney characters image from childcoloringpages.net
pillow image from wikihow.com

The Person You Become

We’re all born into a role but the person you become is up to you.

                               Emile
                                  A Winter Princess



Countless stories in our collective cultural psyche abound about children who followed in the footsteps of their parents, stepping into a distinct path carved out of many years of work, dedication and commitment in their families of origin.  And many of those adult children are pleased and happy to continue the family tradition which may take the form of professional vocations, personal commitments, or even lifestyle choices.  Many are happy as these choices  feel right.  Many...but not all.

For some there is a sense of obligation or expectation...perhaps even the desire to please someone and make that someone happy.  But there is a miscalculation in this thinking for the path to happiness always comes from listening to the music of our own heart.

Living for someone else eventually exacts a heavy toll.   Somehow, we miss the beautiful orbs of energy which are born from the choice to do or be what we desire, to follow what makes our heart sing.

When we discover that we love to do something, it is because we have a gift in that direction and honoring that gift produces an exquisite joy which then blesses everyone with whom we interact for JOY cannot be resisted. Our gift to the world literally comes from gifting ourselves.

The circumstances under which we are born are meant to function as a springboard for the blossoming of our lives. They give us a base of operation...one we can adopt and develop more fully for ourselves, or, one we can use to propel us forward into new and different adventures which lead to the discovery and development of talents we find in ourselves.

Every element of our lives plays  a meaningful role as a spark or catalyst for what we decide to do.  We are not locked into a blueprint regardless of who may mistakenly hold this belief.

Our challenge is to take the gifts of our heritage and decide how we want to examine, expand, transcend or celebrate them.

The person you become is up to you.


                                                                                    Marie Helena



image on pinterest

Tapping In

For the last two days I have sent out the intention to understand why we sometimes make choices that are not in our best interest…why we react sometimes out of sadness or anger or hurt…why we comfort ourselves with things that do not enhance our well-being…why we are trying to fill up some space inside that feels empty.

This morning (when I usually get my most creative connections) I got a spectacular mega-image that is giving me an explanation of what I am trying to understand

It’s like we’re living in the center of a city that is teeming with vitality…there is action…there is adventure…and connection…and wisdom…and beauty…and insight. Marvelous, mind-blowing opportunities everywhere but we are sitting at home, unaware of what is around us. And the reason we are doing this is because we feel essentially alone.

And it’s difficult to feel alone…our struggles seem bigger, the burden heavier…we get tired…it’s easy to give up and it’s especially easy to feel sorry for ourselves.

The amazing concept that came sailing in to me today is not something I haven’t heard before. Oh, yes, I have heard it many times, but I have never HEARD it the way it came in this morning.

It all has to do with THE ENERGY around us and THE ENERGY that comes through us…and it is unending…spectacular…fourth-of-July fireworks…mind-blowing.

But we don’t see it or feel it or connect with it sometimes because we are living in the space of our own, private, singular lives. And the point is…our lives are not singular, even though they seem to be. They are not separate from all that is going on around us. They are so finely interconnected as to make EVERYTHING available to us…if we open the window to this realization and our eyes…and, most importantly, our hearts.

There is an ENERGETIC FLOW going on around and through us ALL OF THE TIME. And we have the capacity to tap into it. But we have to "see" it first…we have to know it is there. And it’s fascinating…

When we step out of ourselves and our singular lives and plug into the cosmos, suddenly, we are a part of it all.

Can you hear the teenagers snowboarding down the hill with screams of laughter as they navigate a curve or crash into each other? Can you sense the steady, protective energy of tree roots, holding strong while they wait for winter to complete its cycle and the eternal promise of spring to arrive once more? Can you smell the delicate skin of the new baby who is filled with wonder and awe at the depth and brightness of the sights he sees and senses around him? Can you intuit the unfolding of wisdom in someone’s eyes?

Wow! It’s all there…happening around us. All we have to do is tap into the vibrations…and all that it takes is the intention.


We are not alone.

We are interconnected and ALL that is occurring is there for us, too. It’s part of us.


When we know we are not alone, our loneliness is replaced by wonder and connection and curiosity and excitement. All because we’ve been born and are here.

Oh, yes. We’ve got a ticket to ride. Have you checked your pocket lately? 

                                                       

                                                                                  Marie Helena

Follow the Energy

We often ask ourselves the question: Why can’t I make this thing happen?

Perhaps it is something we want to achieve or acquire…perhaps it is a personal change in our lifestyle, something that appears to be for the good of our health and well-being.

We struggle and struggle and still we fail. Then we end up blaming ourselves for not being strong enough to make this desire of ours a reality.


But Sanaya Roman, author of Spiritual Growth, says what looks like culpability on our part, like weakness and a lack of follow through... may be entirely something else. Things are not always what they appear to be or feel like.


What is really happening in this case is that we are trying to use our forceful will to accomplish our goal. But if our goal or the way we are pursuing it is not for our highest good, our wise will jumps in to intervene with this message from our Higher Self: This is not for your Higher Good. "Create resistance; stop; do not carry through with the action."


In this picture whatever we were planning to do and/or the way we were planning to do it are clearly not in harmony with our life path.


According to Roman, “When it is good for you to do something you will feel a desire to do it; you will be drawn to it because it is something you love and not something you are forcing yourself to do.”


The implications of this spiritual design are astounding.

When we follow this scenario we stop focusing on feelings of failure and disappointment. If something is not clicking for us, we sense there is a reason…a good reason…a Higher Self reason that is protecting and guiding us. So when we hit a roadblock, when our energy flags and we feel defeated, we release our attachment to the goal with the knowingness that it is not the best path for us to pursue at this time.


How do we then know what path is the best choice to pursue? 
We follow the energy of our day. The feeling of vitality and interest which makes us feel engaged and strong.

We hold the knowingness that this focus is the very best direction for our journey at this point in time and that our other goals will be reached at the most perfect moment for them.


This way of thinking lifts our spirits so beautifully and moves us seamlessly into the delightful flow of energy which is filling our lives, often from unexpected places. Our willingness to hear this message and engage and respond brings us exactly to where we need to be.


And we do not have to find this place ourselves.


All we have to do is notice what energy is entering our lives and embrace it.


What an adventure life then becomes when we understand that
EVERYTHING is being done for us and for our ultimate happiness. Our only work is to watch for the signs and signals that tell us what is moving into our path right now and with a full heart enjoy every present moment of that beautiful energy surge (which is already making us feel alive and happy).


Quite a master plan…so ingenious it is hiding in plain sight.


All it takes is the faith and trust that we are loved and supported and cared for and the knowingness that everything we need will be delivered to us… and everything we experience is a lesson for our souls.

                                                                        Marie Helena


originally posted 4/18/11

Peaceful Co-Existence

... I can choose to observe 
    someone's process  
    as separate from my own.
                           
         Melissa McCausland
 




Making sense of our life is a very big assignment.  We have to juggle many strands of influence and enculturation and, somehow, configure our personal perspective on what things mean to us.  

This is a major task.  It takes hard work and, when we finally get a handle on how to interpret what is happening, BAM...we run smack into someone who has formed his own (and very different) picture about what things mean.  
  
And this new and different picture can feel very disturbing if it doesn't jibe with ours.  We have a natural tendency to want everyone to see things our way...after all, we have struggled long and hard to get to this point of understanding.

But this other person...these other individuals...have struggled, too, and they are equally convinced of the validity of their life "picture".  What may easily ensue at this point is a debate on the "correctness" of each interpretation.


But every person's path in life is unique and has been created by their individual circumstances. 


There will be differences in their perspective and ours and that is OK.  Those differences need to be honored as the path their individual journey has taken.  And the processes used by others to draw their conclusions are a part of their sacred journey.
 
What IS important is to support each other by honoring EVERYONE's lifework...by seeing it as the unique expression of their vision...as a process separate from our own.

This process is an exclusive course of action which is serving a particular individual in this moment.  We do not need to argue its merits, nor convince someone to our way of thinking.  We do not need to feel threatened by another's view of life.


What we CAN do is observe it with objectivity and, if we feel inspired by what we see, we can choose to tap into that vibration and explore its possibilities as they could play out in our lives.

Everyone does not need to see things the same way even though that may feel most comfortable to us.  

We are all here to have our own experiences and adventures and to learn to process them through our hearts.  Let's try to give compassion and support to our fellow earth dwellers in PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE.

                                                                        Marie Helena

image from planetkeke.com

A New Year, A New Day, A New Me

I delight myself with the Gift
of  peaceful slumber.
I awaken naturally
when I am ready
to experience
the Beauty of a New Day.

The Divine Tapestry

 

The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.

    Benjamin Disraeli


There are so many wonderful ways to let others know the strength and beauty we see in them. 

The first and perhaps most powerful way is to hold space for them...thereby clearly communicating how much we care about their feelings, their experiences, their burdens, their joys.  This means giving focused attention to them without our automatic advice giving but rather with the intention of seeing...and feeling life through their eyes.  Validating others' feelings implies the significance of their response to life.

A second way to communicate this is to acknowledge the efforts they make toward helping others and improving themselves.

We can also take the time and energy to let them know how they have touched our lives...how the imprint of their actions has gifted us with some special grace.

Within the Divine Matrix we all work together to minister to each other's needs and share our Love.  The exquisite unfolding of this glorious design is amazing to behold.

How magnificent that we all get to play a part in this elegant and ethereal Divine Tapestry!

                                                                                 Marie Helena

image from ytfe.blogspot.com