Dear 2020 Graduates,

A magnificent, herculean congratulations to you for you have braved a storm of incredible complexity to emerge successful, accomplished, task-oriented warriors.  New global leaders.  

You have already demonstrated your tenacity and resilience.  We are so thrilled to see your strength and so grateful for it.  You have crossed a huge barrier and are poised to contribute your determination, talent, and wisdom to the global community.  

No graduating class has ever been asked to do this before.  You are guiding spirits for every one of us.  You are the LIGHT of the world!

                                         Marie Helena

When We Are Ready

 The creator gathered all of creation and said,
“I want to hide something from the humans until they are 
  ready for it.

It is the realization that they create their own reality.”

The Eagle said, "Give it to me, i will take it to the moon."
The creator said, "No, one day they will go there and find it."
The salmon said, "I will bury it at the bottom of the ocean."
The creator said, "No, they will go there, too."
The buffalo said, "I will bury it on the great plains."
The creator said, "No, they will cut the skin of the Earth and find it even there.”
Grandmother mole, who lives in the breast of Mother earth and who has no physical eyes but sees with spiritual eyes, said, “Put it inside of them.”
And the creator said, “It is done!”

I am so excited to share this story with you.  I found it this morning in my email posted by a friend and it touched my heart so deeply.

These few, brief words give us a significant lesson about life:

The  purpose of our earth journey is to discover that we are magnificent beings with the ability to CREATE our own adventures and experiences.

We CHOOSE what we want to believe and those beliefs affect our feelings and emotions.  Those same feelings and emotions are then reflected back to us in the people and circumstances which populate our lives.


The realization of this comes when we are ready...when we have asked ourselves important questions...when we are able to view our lives as observers full of curiosity and wonder...when we look into our own hearts for answers. 


At the end of this pilgrimage lies this DISCOVERY.  

And this discovery empowers us to experience life not as victims...but as creators.  

We share this Divine gift which waits for our perception.  It is a beautiful flower, waiting to open and bring us joy. 

Cultivate your "garden"...
water your curiosity...
listen to your heart...
feel the rhythm of the universe...

and you will find yourself right in the midst of  this breathtaking bequest.

                    Marie Helena

The Hearts of Children 💗💗💗💗💗

The coronavirus.

Are we going about this all wrong? Counting… tracking… isolating… using masks and ventilators in an effort to fix a problem without looking at what is really causing all of this havoc?

Something is not right with the world. And the world “knows” it.
This beautiful oasis was created for joy and celebration. But the energy of dissonance in the world has reached a point of critical mass.  We’ve felt the warnings through climate change and spectacular natural disasters.  Still we forge ahead unwilling and, even perhaps, unable to fully recognize the effects of our behavior.  The earth must now express a fundamental truth that is being ignored.  And it is doing this in Intense, disastrous, LOOK-AT-ME fashion telling us that it is past time to return to the innocence of little children where the world is the beautiful playground it is meant to be.  Where the world is a lovely place to discover new things. And to get to know people. And to understand them. And play with them. To play TOGETHER.  To look at all of our different personalities and cultures and work ethics and merge them into a working model of delight and appreciation and celebration.  To embrace the wisdom of playing nice.

In his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum gives us advice that resonates even in our adult lives:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.

And, he goes on with some additional recommendations.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life -‐ learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Fulghum believes we all learn these rules in kindergarten.  But, somehow, it seems, we have managed to forget them.

It’s time to remember.  And, if it’s hard to remember then, perhaps, it’s worth the experiment of trying to do it anyway and then watching what happens.  We already know what happens when we don’t play nice.

Why not do something different and see what that does?  If we were truly curious and not attached to our own, fixed ways of doing things, perhaps we could enjoy wondering about all the many things we could learn from each other and, thereby, return to the beautiful, pure innocence of our childhood where everything seemed possible and interesting and every child had the right and the opportunity to join the playground.  No matter whether he/she agreed with us...or did things our way.

Each new person on the playground brings a different view and it is exciting to learn about it and see if parts of it would mesh with our view.  And, if that doesn’t happen, we have just gained valuable information about how people can be affected by the circumstances of their lives.

Through this interaction, we grow in wisdom and experience.  Perhaps we even figure out how to help the souls that are having trouble healing.

We are meant to be joyful creatures, curious souls, eager to learn about each other.  Amazed at the beauty of soft, loving eyes, the wonder of a strolling child and the forthright tears of a broken heart seeking
to mend itself.

We are meant to see the sunshine in the daffodils.  The birds celebrating their flight.  To hear and understand those on this journey with us.  To express caring and compassion to
individuals whose actions clearly come from their unhealed pain.

It’s a good place to be.  It feels warm and beautiful.  And peaceful.

Please...please let us study our beautiful little children who see themselves as capable of EVERYTHING.  Who have not yet learned to be afraid that they are not enough and are not engaged trying to become their version of “enough” by having their view prevail in every moment.

Let us find the Beauty that is everywhere. The beauty in our own hearts and in the thoughts and feelings of others.  The natural symmetry of the world and, equally, the fascination that exists in the complicated journeys of all of its inhabitants.

Can we at least imagine this… visualize it… desire it so strongly that we can manifest it for ourselves? This is what we are meant to do...to find our way back to the innocence of childhood… to this precious place of peace.

The actions of each one of us touch so many others.  Can we begin to imagine sending love and compassion to EVERY fellow sojourner for the pain and distress he may be suffering instead of telling him why we think he is wrong?

If change is what we want, this is how we get it.  If we understand and express our compassion for an individual whose negative actions clearly come from his pain (as they always do), he is then freed up to examine his own choices without the burden of having to defend them and now has an opportunity to see the picture of his life with new eyes.

We’ve tried arguing, fighting, manipulating , bargaining all in an attempt to prevail.  We all know where that gets us.

Let’s be curious children once more.   Let’s recapture and this time keep the precious experience of feeling the invincibility of love.

Ultimately, the coronavirus is no match for the hearts of children.

                                             

                                            Marie Helena


Image:  imree's Paris Balloon Girl Painting ...pinterest.In

The Orchestra

The Orchestra

In the great symphony of life, we all have important parts to play. While some people are best suited to be conductors or soloists, their contributions would be diminished considerably without the individual musicians that lend their artistry to the fullness of an orchestra.

                             Madisyn Taylor
                             Daily OM*

If you've ever attended the brilliant performance of a commanding and impassioned orchestra, you KNOW how important every instrument and every musician are to the authenticity of the presentation.   The convergence of the beauty of each instrument achieves an exquisite richness and tapestry of emotion.  One cannot help but be moved by such a moment!  It is all encompassing.  It is fullness.  It is transcension from the ordinary to the sublime.


And why is this so?  Because TOGETHER we create the collective consciousness.  And this consciousness becomes the Grandest Version of Ourselves when everyone brings an open heart and the gift of his own "music" to the performance.  And it is not only in the "bringing" of the beautiful hearts and the special "music" (which are, in themselves, courageous), it is also in the generous and courageous acceptance of ALL orchestra members for each other and in the welcoming and celebrating that the performance transcends ITSELF.


THIS is what we CAN BE.  


As earth dwellers, we have not yet come to this awesome orchestral MOMENT but, inspired by the dream of universal Love, we are moving steadily in that direction.

"Orchestra members" are "seeing" the soul signature they share with their compatriots.  They are working together to produce "exquisite melodies".

"Drums" keep us ready and alert.  "Horns" call forth our emotions.  "Violins" honor the vulnerability of our hearts.   The list goes on.  ALL are a part of the breathless symphony.


Together, we are so very beautiful!    

                                                                                                              
                                            Marie Helena





Image from Baroque Orchestra Painting Baroque orchestra (eubo)
imgarcade.com


*Reprinted from DailyOM- Inspirational thoughts for a happy, healthy and fulfilling day. Register for free at www.dailyom.com.

We Are Powerful Beyond Measure

I was a part of a global experiment when the waters of Katrina decimated the beautiful city of New Orleans.  People around the world (linked together by the internet, a true, contemporary gift of consciousness and unity) all prayed together for the cleansing of the waters contaminated by Katrina.

Three weeks later I noticed an article in 
U.S. World Today commenting that authorities were mystified to find that an analysis of the water from Katrina yielded no more sediment than what would be found in an ordinary storm.

And, now, people around the world can pray together for the Corona virus to dissipate.


“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." 

                                                    Nelson Mandela



                                                                              Marie Helena



image from pinterest

WHO’S IN CHARGE?

Today In the United States there are people in a position of authority who are failing to take care of the country.  To safeguard the lives of its citizens.

Our biggest problem right now is HOW to get the immovable to MOVE.  We’ve been viewing this as the impossible dream.  And it isn’t.

We are ATTRACTING more of what we don’t like because that is what we focus on.  We are investing our energy looking at “what is”.

We need to be dreaming the DREAM of what we need.  And we need to be dreaming it with profound emotion and laser focus.  We are designed to be creators, not reactors.

We are not working with the laws of the Universe.  We are stuck in our reaction to fear and negativity when our real work is to Envision a country and a world where everyone is cared for and protected.

We know how far “reacting” has gotten us.  Let’s do something different.  Let’s do something much more powerful.  Let’s ATTRACT what we want and need from the depths of our hearts, be open to inspiration to action and let the Universe bring it to us.


“Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
                    Nelson Mandela




                                                     Marie Helena




image from Oil Pastel Portraits on Pinterest

Hiding in Plain Sight

We have sixty-six pots of New Guinea impatiens in our back yard.  They are a brilliant shade of fuchsia, especially cultivated for us by a local greenhouse.  The lovely impatiens adorn two fountains and a hot tub which border a central area of white summer tables shaded by dark green umbrellas.

Our grassy European courtyard has an interesting history.  It began years ago with a single pot of flowers and a hammock.  Several trips to Europe changed all that.  We fell in love with the enchanting outdoor cafés and decided to replicate their ambiance in our own backyard.

On our front porch there are  also bountiful flowers displaying their summer dresses.  They
abound in purple, white, rose, and fuscia accented by their rich, dark green leaves allowing only enough space for a sojourn on a white wicker chair to inhale the intoxicating beauty.

Every flower in our front and in our back yard is gorgeous...fresh, vibrant, and more beautiful than ALL of the other summers they have inhabited.  MORE beauiful!  More everything!

And, this, right smack in the middle of a terrible pandemic, the corona virus.  Right when thousands of people are falling ill and our hospitals are overcrowded and our medical staff members are exhausted, some even overcome by the virus from which they’ve worked so hard to save others.

What a paradox!  Such beauty and brilliance and vibrancy In the same landscape as the devastating virus.

I believe the incredible display of beauty and well-being and vibrancy seen in our flowers
is a significant message to us.

The flowers and their foliage are simply being Who They Are.  They are untouched.  Unaffected by any attempt to persuade them to bloom in a different color or less gloriously or at a different time of the year.  They are simply who they are and they are quite brilliant.  And beautiful. Untampered with.

We, on the other hand, in our great experiment of incarnation on earth have willingly consented to experience “limitations” and we are finding ourselves in a drama of mammoth proportions.  We are undergoing sadness, disbelief, distress, profound suffering.  And, while we pass through the very difficult stage of this metamorphosis, the magnificent flowers are there to remind us of the beauty of simply being Who We Are...Creatures of Love.  We have gotten ourselves lost in the quagmire of ego, fear, separation, and scarcity thinking.  And some of us have carried it to massive proportions.  To make a point.  To ourselves.

There is no peace in this place. There is no joy. There’s no satisfaction.  Only the trauma of trying to keep up, the trauma of trying to be better than.  When all along all we need do is return to our natural, loving disposition, to our beautiful, loving hearts.

Even while the pandemic rages on, we are being given a  reminder...the promise of what life can be.   From the flowers.  A simple gift tucked into our day.  Hiding in plain sight.

                                         

  Marie Helena



Image on Pinterest
White wicker chair

An Incredible Event on the World Stage

There is NO reason that we cannot act to protect our students and teachers even though the federal government is failing to do so.  Even though historically we have allowed our hands to be tied by the inaction of federal leaders, we must recognize that reaction as an old pattern of behavior.  And THIS is a new time.  With new circumstances.  New chaos.  Pandemonium.  And we must respond accordingly.

How exciting it would be to see every governor, state, and local school board in our beautiful country stand together to ensure that our schools are SAFE for our children and educators.  To see EVERY governor, state, and local school board follow the recommendations of the Center for Disease Control before we allow our schools to open even though our president refuses to accept them, describing  the guidelines as overreaching, expensive, and impractical.

THAT would be an incredible event on the world stage.

WE are capable of this courage.  We need not hand over the governance of our schools to an authority who is not protecting the citizens of this country.

This is an opportunity to shine as brilliantly as when we first founded our country.  This is a necessary response to the world as it exists today.

Leading edge.


                                                    Marie Helena



Image from pinterest
world stage (rubinanawazilya)

At This Point in Our Evolution...

As they stand, our political traditions do not serve the needs of our country. 

They provide for a two party system but, at this point in our evolution, the lure of a two party system encourages one party to align itself against the other.  The desired result is always to win… to prevail, to satisfy what one half of the country espouses.  The other half is left to struggle against the party in power with the hope of prevailing via the next election.

We have seen a stunning example of how this operates with the power wielded by the Senate majority leader who can prevent urgent and desperately needed proposed legislation from even reaching the floor of the Senate for consideration and discussion.  Sadly, this has become the common practice.

And there is an even more blatant illustration of why our political traditions are not serving our needs.  During the last few years our current president has been able to perpetrate many actions which have been damaging to our country, its honor,  the well-being of its citizens and have presented  grave danger to their lives.

Here, in her own words, is a list of some of these travesties compiled by Rachel Maddow of MSNBC:

“The worst coronavirus response of any industrialized country in the world killing 131,000 Americans in the process and heading into month seven with Americans still not reliably able to be tested for the virus.”

“Botching the response to hurricane Maria which killed 3,000 Americans in Puerto Rico and then blaming Puerto Rico and cutting off their funding and support in the aftermath of the hurricane.”

“Soliciting, accepting, and trying to leverage further help from the Russian government to help Trump’s election effort against Hillary Clinton then spending four years in office doing every single thing the Russian government wanted from him and then firing, demonizing, and trying to criminalize everybody in intelligence and law-enforcement who was involved in investigating what happened there.”

“The end of the independent justice department...its transformation into a tool that both hunts the president’s enemies and protects and rewards the president’s criminal allies.”

and, most egregiously...

“Over 700 children (babies, toddlers, and teenagers) separated by policy from their parents after crossing the southern border and sent to live in jail like conditions, sleeping on the floor under space blankets by order of the federal government in the name of the American people.  An early but unspeakably ugly chapter of this administration that will never be forgotten.”

Any ONE of these atrocities should have been enough to ensure the removal from office of the sitting president.  But this has not happened.  There has been voluminous reporting on the circumstances of these actions. There have been many leaders who have spoken out in their condemnation.  There has been  passion and unrest and disgust at these actions. And still they go on.  And we continue to endure them.

Why haven’t we been able to remove this president and those who support him in these despicable actions?

We are clearly shocked and horrified by this situation but unable to take action.

Our political traditions that have evolved over time give too much power to federal office holders who have not evolved enough to deal with their own fear and angst and now, through their actions, foist them upon our country.

To go even deeper into the issue… These office holders are able to be elected and hold office because we, the people,  have also not dealt with our fear.

What is the answer to this tragic situation?


Marie Helena



Image from  clipart.me

The Leader

The European Union has decided not to allow Americans to fly into their countries because of the current Coronavirus situation in the United States.  This is a clear example of self protection.  It is important, it is needed and it is a disgrace to our country.

Clearly, we have not taken all of the important steps necessary to combat this virus.  This is a failure of federal leadership.  But let us not fall prey to the rationalization that we are not receiving the leadership we need and, therefore, we are on a downward spiral with no hope in sight.

It is true that our government has failed us but we need not fail ourselves.  If the leadership we so desperately need is lacking, then it is incumbent, necessary and critical that we lead ourselves.

On this Fourth of July, let us once again declare our independence.
Independence from those who act purely from self interest because of their own fear.

There is  power in the people.  Ultimately, there is absolute power.  We have recently seen stunning evidence of what can be achieved when we step up and become 
THE LEADER.  The leader who is strong enough to assess what is needed to ensure fairness, health and safety for all.  The leader who is an independent thinker not swayed nor deterred by actions designed to incite fear. The leader who keeps making new decisions as they are needed.  Decisions that may be different from the ones they made not long ago. There’s new evidence to clearly tell us that change is imperative.  On this Fourth of July, let us all assume the mantle of moral courage that led us to found this country.

We need not wait for our president to do this work.  We need not lament that it has not been done. The president can only preside because we have abdicated our power.  Working together, we can show ourselves and the rest of the world what the United States of America stands for.


                                                                                   Marie Helena



image from pinterest
Independence Day:  July 4th
si.edu, it is needed and it is a disgrace to our country.

The Cutting Edge: Curiosity

Many people carry the perception that it is difficult to cultivate spiritual practices...that a great deal of restraint and discipline are required to accomplish this goal.   We are often encouraged by inspirational leaders throughout the world to practice love and compassion in our every interaction and, sometimes, this may feel very challenging given the intensity of our own triggers and the pain we may have been holding as a result of them.

But, introducing the actual practice of COMPASSION may be as simple as expressing interest and curiosity about how an event that has just transpired has affected another.   Most likely, this would occur after we have expressed our own reaction or response to what has just happened. Admittedly, it is very easy to carry on for a while about how things feel to us but   what if we turned to another after we have spoken our thoughts and simply asked, "How did you experience this?"

With just these few words we have moved beyond the narrow and very specific subject of OUR reaction and generously expressed our curiosity and concern about how another has been affected.  Whether we have been an agent in the action or whether the action has been graced, supported, imposed or inflicted on ourselves and others, the very act of asking someone how this felt to them would naturally influence the way we might choose to respond.

Now, with this interaction...the knowledge and awareness of how both parties are experiencing the moment...we naturally begin to consider how the emotional needs of both persons are presenting themselves and can be addressed.  And, when both persons feel heard and cared about, things move forward with mutual support and consideration…and, ultimately, with COMPASSION for each other.

Though amazingly powerful, Love  directed responses are innately and profoundly simple.  They emanate from the heart and feel generous and joyful and soothing to our spirit.  If mindfully cultivated, just a very slight change in the pattern of our reaction to distressing moments can redirect us into the flowering of a beautiful spiritual practice:

How did you experience this?


Marie Helena



image from arocordis.com
Two Flowers Floating, Watercolor.