The Cutting Edge: Soft and Gentle

 

The words CUTTING EDGEtend to evoke a strong, vigorous effort, a high level of energy and a huge commitment to stepping up to meet a pressing need head on.  There are, however, also other ways toengage a cutting-edge approach than with a zealous, strapping enterprise.  Like a soft, sensitive, gentle effort that also requires a strong commitment and enlists a conscious reshaping of energy so that it flows with warmth and compassionate tenderness towards others and also towards ourselves.

This approach is as simple and profound as these three words:  just keep talking.  But the "talking" here  needs to be of a special quality and intention.  Its purpose is twofold…to understand others and to help ourselves be understood.  The outcome it desires is a sense of peace and harmony.


This particular cutting edge approach involves creating a space which invites heart sharing and self honoring and the honoring of others.   This choice of a grace-filled effort enhances the opportunity to resolve pressing issues of discord with mutual intention and cooperation.


Recently, when I have found myself dealing with an agitating incident, I have chosen to sit down with the persons involved and gently talk about all of our feelings regarding what is going on...to listen with an open heart to others and try to understand how each person feels while also authentically expressing how I feel...softly, gently, in a healing way.


**********************************************************************

Here are some SUGGESTIONS for how to begin to open this kind of conversation:

I want to share my feelings with you and hear what your feelings are.

I want to tell you what I would like to do and have you tell me what you would like to happen.  

I want to honor my feelings and also honor yours.   

I trust that we will find a way to navigate this moment that will take care of both of us.

I want to give and receive love, support, joy and wisdom.  And I thank you for taking the time and making the effort to do this with me.

******************************************************************

By introducing this beautiful intention and modeling what we wish to accomplish we can set the stage for others to relax into this loving energy.  As Ghandi expresses this thought to us so eloquently:   "Be the change you want to see."

There is great power in accepting the leadership for resolving issues of dissent.  And also great rewards.  This cutting edge approach is a beautiful instrument of healing.  I have found that in these situations as we keep talking and listening to each others' needs with the gentle, soft voice of the soul and, with an open heart, considering their importance to others, we ultimately come up with a solution that honors how everyone feels.  


I have never seen this approach to fail.  Never.  What a beautiful way for all of us to take care of ourselves…together!


                                                             Marie Helena

A Quantum Leap

The Universal Mind is perfection. It perfectly creates what you think about.
How can you best use your connection to this vast, all-powerful force?
You can create miracles by doing ENERGY WORK.

Sanaya Roman
Spiritual Growth: Being Your Higher Self

Much has been written in the last several years about the power of manifestation, bringing into physicality that which we have imagined...and felt strong emotional desire for. Usually, the formula for this process instructs that we imagine the object, relationship or situation in vivid, colorful hues and let ourselves feel our intense yearning for it.  

Currently, I am reading a fascinating book entitled Spiritual Growth by Sanaya Roman which gives a new and different perspective on manifestation.

Roman talks about the immense power of working first with the energy of what we want to manifest before we even envision its physical appearance. Roman asks us to IMAGINE a grid work of light around our heads, connecting upward to the Universal Mind. The higher the grid work extends, the more beautiful and delicate it becomes. (At this point we are moving our awareness into the world of essence.)  

Next, Roman suggests we meet the unmanifested energy and use our imagination to picture it. He recommends considering what this energy would look like…how it would move…its rhythm…its dance…its musicality…its nuances…its strength…its power…its beauty…its texture…its appeal to our senses. Then he suggests we make the energy vision even more flowing, open and harmonious, adding sounds and fragrance, picturing the unmanifested energy as alive and interacting with us. Roman tells us to luxuriate in this vision and bathe in its magic  

Now we are ready to bring this breathtaking energy into physical form. We transform the vision into subatomic particles of light, with as high a vibration as possible. We see the particles becoming form. We bring them together into a shape and mass. Then we open our hearts to receive this very personal energy we have designed from our desire. We greet it with LOVE. We let it next move into our DNA, then our cells and then, finally, into our emotions and mind.

Now we give thanks for this gift and make a place for it in our lives. We are ready to recognize and receive it when it appears. We feel the CONNECTION to it. It is becoming part of us.  

A quantum leap? Acceleration of our spiritual growth? More joy, harmony, peace and love?

You decide.

                                       Marie Helena 

Irish Taxi Drivers

“Hello, luv…good morning to you…and are you here on holiday?” 

This is the beautiful way I was greeted nearly every time I stepped into a taxi in Galway, Ireland.

I had just returned from a trip abroad to visit my daughter Rachel on sabbatical there and I truly must say that the taxi drivers in Ireland so warmed my heart. I was able to sit up front with them in what we would call the driver’s seat here in the U.S. as the steering wheels there are placed on the right side of the car and so I got the wonderful opportunity to ask a few questions and learn so much about their lives.  

I heard about pride in their families, about their wives and children (names, ages and personalities), about how the college aged kids were driving them to the “poor house” and how they had learned to step out of the fray and, thankfully, let their brilliant wives negotiate with their teen aged daughters. I heard about last night’s christening celebration that threatened to turn into a brawl until the taxi driver stepped in and told the offending party to get his priorities straightened out. I heard many comments about the recession and how it had dampened somewhat the spirits of the Irish. (I can hardly imagine what they were like before!) And, when I mentioned that I was visiting my daughter but leaving soon, I heard the comment, “Not to worry for we’ll be keeping an eye on her.”

The sense of living life in the Present Moment and embracing it with such passion are so strong in Ireland it is truly amazing. If I had known what I could find there in the open hearts of the Irish, I would have gotten myself to the Emerald Isle long before this.  

Whenever I left the taxi, I always commented to the driver my wish that he have a beautiful day. And I always received a beautiful smile and blessing in return.

Irish eyes sparkle with fun and mischief…and delight in what the day will bring. What a lovely inspiration!

I am now determined to find the “Irish” in everyone I encounter and am set on uncovering this beautiful gift embedded in every human heart!

                                                                                                Marie Helena

Eat, Pray, Love, TRUST

 During the last week I watched one of my favorite movies…yet again.

I  simply cannot get enough of this compelling drama and, if you haven’t discovered it yet, I highly recommend you make this connection.  

It’s based on a 2006 memoir by American author, Elizabeth Gilbert and its title is: Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.

  

At the end of the movie the title character gives a deeply felt expression of the philosophy she has developed in her life.  She calls it The Physics of the Quest and it goes like this:

If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting which can be anything from your house to bitter old resentments and set out on a truth seeking journey either externally or internally and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared most of all to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself then the truth will not be withheld from you.

This truth seeking journey that Gilbert describes is no easy task.  Especially when you are jolted out of your comfort zone by a totally unexpected and undesirable occurrence.  Trying to make sense of the why always seems to prove a futile and hopeless task.  And the reason is that the “sense” of the SURPRISE is not something that comes from a place of intellect.  The mind CANNOT save the day.  Try this and you will see how much energy and time you will have wasted.

No. the “sense” here comes from the HEART and it emanates from a very basic, cardinal place…a place that MUST be accessed to gain THE WISDOM OF LIFE…the place of TRUST.

This means giving up control ofunderstanding the reasons for the SURPRISE and it’s no small task..  It’s easy to feel like you are free-falling…and hopeless…uttterly lost on this quest.  And the reason is that the knowledge being sought does not reside in the intellect (our usual plan of attack to gain information); it is a soulknowledge and we have to develop FAITH that it is here and operating.   (This may easily be the most important part of our earth journey.)

Two days ago I received a message on my email that was channeled from an Ascended Master, El Morya Khan, entitled A Simple But Effective Remedy.and it spoke to my soul.  It gave me deep comfort.  I printed out a part of it…the part which felt so very important... folded  the paper and placed it under my pillow (a variation of sleeping with books under my bed).  

I would like to share this passage with you.  Perhaps it will bring you the peace it brought me. Perhaps it will resonate with your heart.  Perhaps it will help you see more clearly the Light that we are and the beautiful way that we can awaken to this wonderful truth.

It is as if you are being asked to climb a mountain, but you have no idea what you will find at the top. And that is fitting. You do not know -- and we cannot describe that for you. The reason we cannot describe it is because what you are experiencing now in every moment has been very uniquely designed by you for one reason only: To bring you, a sovereign Being of Light, into a full realization of that Light that you carry within.

That is the truth. It is the one and only reason that you are choosing any course of action that you are taking at this time. But how you choose to awaken will be unique to you and you alone. And whatever that course of action might be at any given moment, it is perfect, absolutely perfect for you right now, in this moment.

We know that is a difficult answer for you to accept. And it does not seem to do much to alleviate any worries, fears, or concerns you might have about what you are choosing to experience. We understand that as well.

But we ask you to trust this process. Do not have expectations how things ought to unfold and do not berate yourself if things do not turn out as you think they should. Do not come to conclusions regarding “success” or “failure” as you cannot see the whole picture.

 “Success” or “failure” are terms bound to the Earth plane; from where we observe you, such terms are irrelevant. The only measure of “success” on the higher planes is the degree in which you allow the Light to flow unencumbered through your being.

Having embraced this message through my heart instead of my intellect it seems to me that - 

If we choose to positively embrace what is given us and honor it as a Divine spark offering us guidance on our life path, our journey promises to be the amazing adventure we have dreamed of!

In the beautiful Italian phrase of Elizabeth Gilbert spoken at the end of Eat, Pray, Love as she finally finds the message of her life:  Attraversiamo!

Let’s cross over!

                                    Marie Helena 

image from en.wikipedia.org

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 usbecause 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!

                                  Marie Helena

                                                                                    

image from ayrerabbitry.webs.com

Proof Positive

Earth Life is such an interesting combination of the fascinating and the mundane.

And, often, we place our consciousness on those everyday tasks and responsibilities…cleaning, cooking, earning a paycheck, paying our bills (and our taxes), keeping up with the news and the neighbors.


What we often take for granted is the fascinating, the miraculous, the wondrous phenomena thatsurrounds us and quietly anchors our everyday life.


I am talking about the body…that same body that can get tired and feel aches and get a cold. We can become so caught up with these body sensations that we miss the message right in front of us.


And that message is:

The body is a work of art...a masterpiece.
This wonderful body that can process emotions…sadness, for example, that permeates our every cell and take that sadness and change it into chemicals that move through the body and release themselves through the shedding of tears.

This wonderful body that can harbor an embryo and nurture it so carefully on a beautiful heavenly timetable so that a fully developed infant is born with all of the chemistry and growth patterns intact to help it become a mature adult.

This wonderful body that can produce super-human strength through its resource of adrenalin, aiding a grief-stricken mother to lift machinery that weighs many times her weight to save the life of her child.


This wonderful body that can do all of this and much, more more has the capacity to heal itself...IF we don’t get in the way.

But it’s so easy to do that…and so human to get lost in the duality of our life and the problems we have taken on.

It is our work to see beyond the mundane and our suffering and to trust in the sacredness, the gift of life.  

It is our work to keep our hearts and emotions clear by acknowledging our feelings, accepting them, valuing and not judging them and speaking them in a loving way to ourselves and to others.

It is our work to clear the way for the body to do what it has been designed for…to provide radiant health. 


It is so very clear. There is  Proof Positive that our body has the capacity to do this if we look at the miracles that already happen.


All that we have to do is get out of our own way,
enter into the flow of life
and connect with the LOVE that governs the universe!

                                   Marie Helena 

Changing the Default Button

Eckhart Tolle has become a well-known guru of Living in the Moment. 

Tolle's book, The Power of Now, instructs us regarding the importance of releasing our fear and anxiety about the past and what the future may bring and concentrating solely on what is occurring in this moment. Quantum belief says that time is an invention of man and that, if you change the present, you've changed everything (what you have already done and what you might choose to do in the future). If quantum belief is correct (and I believe it is), we are not bound to our past choices, decisions and actions. What those past choices, decisions and actions represent is the opportunity to learn from experience. (Of course, if we don't get the lesson, then we get another opportunity to "seize the day".) 

The mindset we bring to the present moment is critical to what it brings to us. Somehow we always find what we are looking for. If we are looking for the difficulties we anticipate to be inherent in a situation, we will be able to find them like flashing neon lights. If we are open to learning new truths or experiencing new insights, they will be there. Our choice of focus will be borne from our most basic view of whether the universe is a friendly place to be. Let's say we recognize that the concept of a friendly universe is not and has not been our default button. Rather, we have been disappointed and hurt and have come to expect disappointment and hurt in order to protect ourselves. Now, let us imagine, we wish to change what we have realized about the way we view the world.

Enter Abraham Hicks and some very simple, very practical advice.  

"If all you did was just look for things to appreciate you would live a joyous, spectacular life."

The more we practice finding the beauty and love in everything around us, the easier it is to do so. It may not come naturally at first, but what a great way to begin to see the world's color and passion and light. If we notice the delicate flight of the hummingbird, the roses scenting the air and the insect colonies building their fortresses, we can be delighted in the gorgeous setting of the Play of Our Lives. If we can find love in someone's action (even if it is in the intention and not the behavior), our life view starts to change. We begin to expect positive things to happen. We expect beauty and goodness. We expect love and, in expecting love, we begin to radiate it. The giving of love lifts our hearts. Then, experiencing our Present Moment feels like a gift...waiting to be opened and reopened whenever we desire.

Live in the moment and let that moment bring you an appreciation of all that surrounds you...the beautiful, miraculous, intelligent world we take for granted. Revel in its beauty. Savor its sweetness. Honor your LIFE and the joys awaiting you!

                                    Marie Helena 

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
 

Loving the Distance

Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.

                                               Rainer Maria Rilke

         
                                                                                                              
To see the other "whole against the sky"...

How beautiful and loving to truly "see" and "know" another sans the heavy trappings of our own unmet needs, conditioning and ego!  How transforming...how triumphant!


And not the easiest task when mired in the heavy density of earth school where we struggle so to come up for the air of feeling in control, satisfied, vindicated, "in the game" and winning.

Rilke is suggesting in his beautiful poetic way that we choose a view much more vast than just taking care of ourselves.  He is asking us to look much further...to reach, to stretch our souls up into the infinite distance where we have the clarity of seeing the view of each soul traversing its own terrain.  And it is a stunning picture...it is magnificent.  It is a work of art creating itself in each moment...the story of all of our journeys.

That work of art is subtle and sensitive...intricate and winding...powerful, chaotic and peaceful...teeming with the stories of all earth dwellers trying to find their way. And the paths...and landmarks...and back roads vary greatly but they make sense to the traveler and THAT is what we need to honor in ourselves and in all others.  In that honoring is birthed the exquisite gift of understanding and  empathy...and the life-changing, mystical experience of Loving the Distance!

                                Marie Helena 


image from scamp.ie
Scamp:  The Irish Illumination Blog
 (from Brian Fitzgerald's sketchbook)

Let the Good Times Roll!

Super Bowl 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 Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles) 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. 

FIDDLERS on the Roof

In the vibrant, captivating musical, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye and his Jewish brethren give voice so brilliantly to the longings of their heart.  

There is celebration.  There is dancing. There is toasting.  Laughter.  There is commiseration.  There is sadness.  Tears.  There is hope. 

And, most importantly, there is an embracing of reality

Tevye and his cohorts in Anatevka have found their way to this all important EMBRACE and it is sourced in their honoring of community and in the way they care for each other.

Though they live their lives steeped in the architecture of tradition, they unmistakably express themselves… they chirp, they warble, they whine, they shout.  They cantillate and croon lullabies in a metaphorical and literal manner.  They sing their joy.  They sing their misery.

They do this because SOMEONE is listening. 

In Anatevka Everyone is listening.  Listening.

There is caring. There is concern. There is COMPASSION.

In Anatevka people want to know. They want to understand. They may not agree with each other but they want to hear each other’s stories.  They are counseled by the HEART.

Is Anatevka a reminder to us of how we were created…to engage with  each other, to learn from each other, to find our way by sharing our perceptions of how to SEE our journey?

We all have a great need to be heard, understood, and loved.

Ultimately, we are all Fiddlers on the Roof in search of community, connection, and meaning.

        

                                     Marie Helena

Image from Fiddler on the Roof  (the musical Broadway poster)  Playbill Store

The Music of the Soul

I 

Always do what makes your heart sing, what makes you feel good. That  RESONANCEspreads to everyone around you.

         Suni Pele Nelson





What is the most commanding thing you can do to make the world a more peaceful, generous and loving place for its inhabitants?
 
Add to the Joy by joining the chorus of those who have found the music of meaning in their life and unselfconsciously delight in expressing that melody!


Whatever it is that makes your heart sing...

the moment when you are lost in time and place...
where you have found the voice of your soul,
YOUR signature contribution to the collective consciousness,


Take that GIFT and GIVE it to the world...

By CHOOSING what gives you pleasure
      and
ALLOWING yourself the time to cultivate your art.



SING your SONG...for the crickets, the birds, the squirrels, the sun
                          ...for everyone around you

And you will gift them with the beautiful lyric of a happy heart
Which is LOVING the moment
              TRILLING its pleasure
              SCAMPERING through an isle of delight
                          and
              FLOWING its LOVE to the Universe!
 


THIS is the RESONANCE of world transformation!  

 THIS is the sunshine which melts the pain.  
THIS is the music which rewrites the narrative of the heart.
 
Not the judgment...not the cries of the critics...not the anger nor the horror.
They intensify the suffering.

 
It is LOVE joyfully expressing itself that RESONATES, bringing Light to the Darkness.
 
It is the simplicity and beauty of a singing heart that makes the difference.


Where is your song?  Have you sung it today?

                                                                    Marie Helena

image from christinecrook.squarespace.com