Musical Chairs

  

Do you remember the fun we all had as kids playing  MUSICAL CHAIRS?  

 Everyone  would parade around the room to a merry song and, when the music stopped, we would all scramble over each other to grab an available chair.
 

As I think about this game today I can envision a beautiful method to the  musical chair madness. 

What if we were to play musical chairs by choosing to occupy the metaphorical position of someone else (a family member, perhaps, or someone we are close to) for a day...and during that day we would really try to look at things from their perspective?

To do this we would have to vacate the position we all favor so much...the-world-as-it-looks-to-us. 

Instead, we would be directed to see what the picture looks like from another whole vantage point.  And, wow, can the situation look and feel different to us when we take into account the personality, conditioning, genetics, interests and experiences of another.  

The vantage points can be many.

The football fan will be thrilled to do Monday morning quarterbacking; the bookworm might be excited about his latest find at the bookstore; and the would-be chef might be rhapsodizing about the recipe he invented.  And, all the while, you could be biding your time...just waiting to break into the conversation with comments about the cool gadget you just bought.

But what if you put your "stuff" on hold and, in an effort to enter into someone else's "world", asked some questions about their interests and really listened to the answers?  

Even more importantly,  what if you made a really big effort to view events that are occurring  the same way they are impacting your "musical mirror"?  

Wouldn't this effort change YOUR picture of what is happening?

We co-create everything together...including the energy of EACH moment. 
 

That alone is a big enough reason to understand others, to tune in to their viewpoints, to see where common ground exists and to learn new things.

How open are YOU to the priorities, interests, sensitivities and issues of others?  And does your level of openness and appreciation and understanding make you a compassionate person?

image from vote29.com

Me and My "Shadow"

The plaintiff lyrics of the wistful  ballad, "Me and My Shadow", describe the loneliness of being "all alone and feeIin' blue".  It's a beautiful song, with a melodious refrain, but it's the stereotyped version of the shadow.

The Divine Universe has something else in mind. 

The SHADOW which the Divine Universe provides us with is none other than our own HIGHER SELF and there is nothing sad or lonely about this companion. 

Our HIGHER SELF embodies unconditional love, mastery, brilliance, compassion, sensitivity, power.  The list goes on.  

This significance of this "shadow"  is the fact that HIGHER SELF is ALWAYS with us.  We can choose not to be aware, to fail to connect with this power...to go alone on our own path, but support and assistance and wisdom ARE within our reach in this glorious, yes..luminous, "shadow" which we all possess.

HIGHER SELF reveals itself to us on so many occasions...IF we are listening.

Recently, I did some reading on the concept of Surrender...something which has intrigued me greatly and, in this moment, I WAS listening carefully.   Up until that point I had thought that the guidance to Surrender (which I had read in many different places) meant stop trying to solve the problem.   But now I saw a new interpretation of Surrender...and it was Surrendering to the experience itself (and not just to the issue of discovering the solution).

Shortly after this I found myself unable to find my way through a difficulty of some magnitude.  I decided to try "Surrendering to the experience itself" and was astounded to discover that no sooner had I taken that step, the wisdom of many insights began to enter into my consciousness.  

I had acknowledged the challenge facing me and accepted it (surrendered to it) with amazing results. 

Which leads me to the questions:   

Is it our earthwork to realize that in this illusion we call LIFE it is our job to "see" we are not alone and open the door to guidance from HIGHER SELF?  

Is  the door closed until WE open it by acknowledging the power and wisdom we already possess and which is housed in our HIGHER SELF?

Later I had still another experience of HIGHER SELF support. 

At this time I found myself affected by a comment which triggered an emotional memory of pain.  I chose at that point to be completely aware of my body's reaction and to stay in that place of great mindfulness until my body became calm so that my hippocampus could have the time and opportunity to reframe the experience of pain. 

Here again I found my "Shadow", HIGHER SELF, stepping in to help me see that the pain I had been experiencing was only the result of the earth journey I was on (with its accompanying lessons to be learned).  

The truth is that I am (as are you) ALREADY perfect as embodied in HIGHER SELF. 

It is only in this experience (life) that we take on the veil of forgetfulness  that we are ALREADY perfect... ALREADY whole...luminous and loving....and courageous enough to take on our earthly journey to learn lessons within this dimension.

And, as real and as intense as they may feel, our experiences here are ONLY the illusions of our earth journey.

What magnificent wisdom is possessed in that glorious entity, our heavenly "Shadow"...what brilliant insights...what support and affirmation...what reassurance and peace!

Know that this most wonderful Shadow is unconditionally following your life...with curiosity and delight and unquestioning support. 

You are NOT alone.

image  from  thornesquest.com

Going Viral !

 

The Internet has presented us with the perfect instrument for spreading a message throughout the world.  

When this access point is engaged to communicate a message of great import and significance and the consciousness of the world is ready to receive it...we have a global stirring which is described in the vernacular as GOING  VIRAL.

As the world evolves it is ready for new messages and, gloriously,  we seem to be moving into the beginnings of a beautiful, uplifting spiritual evolution where LOVE is being revealed to be the center of All That Is.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to embark on the cutting edge of this new dimension and make a personal contribution to its expansion?

This can be done in so many truly creative ways.

In a recent issue of O (Oprah Winfrey's magazine) a contributor described her new project of writing a thank-you letter to someone each day of the year.  The author of this message said this decision is changing her life.  

Wow!  What a beautiful mindset we would be in to be able to identify each and every day someone who has touched our life in a special way and express that sentiment in a thank you.  Now that's gratitude and Don Miguel Ruiz says, "Gratitude is one of the greatest expressions of LOVE."

I just bought myself a beautiful package of THANK YOU NOTES with a lovely bluebird resting on an assortment of lavender and blue flowers.  I picked this package because it filled me with JOY and I am sending that vibration of joy out each time I send out a note.  I am already finding it a favorite moment of the day.

Here's another way  to do some cutting edge work on this concept.

 
In a recent blog post (The Divine Matrix) I explained that I check the listing of the ten most popular posts in my blog each day because I now believe that the blog posts on that list are pointing me to some thoughts I need to be conscious of in that moment. The list is changing all the time so I make a point of looking on a daily basis to see the messages being selected for my attention.

On a recent day I noticed the post called "Hug Alerts and Compliment Showers" was listed in the most popular blog posts.   

I pondered the question...Does someone I know need a compliment shower?  

None of the key players in my life came to mind so I decided to send out compliment showers via the Divine Universe to whomever I thought of.  It was great fun to reflect on the beautiful gifts of persons I knew and name their special qualities and I made a point of including some individuals who had presented me with some challenges in my life.


Do you remember the story of THE HUNDREDTH MONKEY? 

It goes like this...

When a certain tribe of monkeys began to develop a new skill and the number of monkeys able to perform that skill reached one hundred...monkeys all around the world  began to demonstrate the skill.

 

Can you imagine the huge contribution you can make by entering  a gesture of Love into  the universal consciousness and helping the number reach critical mass?  And wouldn't it be fun to think of some cutting-edge, far out way to do it?

 

Let's all be a part of Love, the Defining and Signature Principle of the Divine Universe,  Going Viral!

image from australiaday.org.au

The French Have It!

"Vive la difference!" the French love to say when they celebrate the great variety in the way individuals look at life.  

This is not a problem to them...it's mysterious and glorious and life-enhancing.

And I believe they are right...this IS worth celebrating.
 

So even though men feel they just cannot understand women and women label men as clueless (at least to their way of thinking)...

even though friendships and work colleague relationships encounter all kinds of challenges between and even within the sexes...

even though all of this produces mountains of  misunderstandings we are left with a rich tapestry of individual interpretations of all manner of things.   

And these interpretations have  layers of emotions built on the life experiences of all parties involved.  

To put it succinctly - it's a CIRCUS...and it's wild and it's unpredictable and yes, it's FUN.
 

Just think what life would be like if we all felt exactly the same.

Stepford City?  We meet in a group; one person suggests a new idea; everyone immediately agrees; meeting is done.  What fun is that?
 

Give me the good old-fashioned, spirited dialogue when individuals have a very different take on what is happening.

Of course, it's pretty important to have an Open Mind and be able to let some new info slip into our brains (which have probably been pretty well conditioned based on the influences we have encountered in our lives and will need some flexibility to welcome a new, fresh viewpoint).

And if we HONOR each other's viewpoints, we will not only be expanding our base of knowledge we will be strengthening our relationships with others and sending the vibration of LOVE and caring out into the universe.
 

Sounds like a good deal to me.  I love running into someone who can teach me something new that becomes part of my repertoire and that I pass along to someone else in the perfect moment.
 

It's all part of the Divine Matrix and even if people haven't been literally exposed to this new thing, they will automatically sense the ENERGY of it.
 

So HURRAY for our dedication to hear and honor another's life view!

This new view may hold EXACTLY what we are looking for (on a conscious or subconscious level) and, once we have mastered it, our life might become the blueprint inspiration for others in our global village.
 

Let's all get in on the fun and keep our eyes and ears open.  

The key to one of life's mysteries might be waiting for us in the casual comment of another.

image from unc.edu

On Eagle's Wings

  We don't have to turn to TV programs or the movies to find the element of DRAMA  in our lives because we have all become very adept at producing it for  ourselves. 

 

We often  develop our stories of suffering  as a way of coping with the most difficult challenges that we encounter and, influenced by our genetics, conditioning and environment,  we sort out the dissonance by proclaiming ourselves the victim...and, like all good victims...we suffer.

We often find ourselves reliving the same story.
We are being taken advantage of.
We are the injured party
Our feelings are hurt because of the way someone talked to or treated us.

And, so, we feel justified in our suffering.  Someone "did us wrong".  OF COURSE, we are going to suffer.  And the more we replay these old feelings, the stronger they take hold of our emotions.

Don Miguel Ruiz has an interesting take on  this kind of behavior.  Ruiz says

"All of our drama and suffering is by practice.  We make an agreement with ourselves and we practice that agreement until it becomes a whole mastery."
 

That agreement, over time, becomes a habit...one that we repeat effortlessly without even being mindful of the signature reaction we have designed for ourselves and which shows up automatically whenever we have been triggered.

But  we can make a NEW agreement with ourselves. 

We can fly to the level of EAGLE...the level of  SPIRIT...and, instead of  feeling put upon we can recognize that we are being given the opportunity to LEARN SOMETHING about ourselves.  Whatever is appearing through the lives of others interacting with us and in the circumstances of our lives is there for us as a message for our personal growth.  

When we recognize this, we gain our power because there is something here for us to see about ourselves and also to accept, deal with and release.

All of the occurrences in our lives are there to help us move forward. 

But we must recognize them as  beautiful gifts of grace coming our way.  And when we do this, we feel motivated to design a way of consciously responding to our triggers instead of jumping to our old, automatic reactions.

How do we become strong enough to take this adventurous step?

Here's a beautiful way to develop that power and strength.

When  we are in FLOW we are beautifully poised to make this leap and we are in flow when we SHOW UP  for all the vignettes of our lives...fresh, alert, paying attention to THAT  MOMENT. 

Experiencing it...

not  thinking about it or analyzing it, 

not remembering old hurts, 

not worrying about the future. 

Just recognizing where we are and what is happening and doing this over and over in every moment of our lives...bringing our intense presence to it AND being  fully present for whomever we are communicating with.

Being in FLOW manifests happiness and happiness manifests the strength we need to make this new agreement with ourselves...and with repeated practice it will become our new default button.

Wouldn't YOU love to be the person in the room 

who is so centered 

and has such love and compassion

and presence of mind and emotion

to be able to see THE SOUL VIEW of what is happening

and grasp whatever lesson is presenting itself 

for your spiritual growth and happiness?

 

Note:   You can learn how to fly to the (spiritual) level of EAGLE by reading 

                         Alberto Villoldo's COURAGEOUS DREAMING.

image from blessing4fathers.blogspot.com

Manifesting and 11/11/11

You may have heard many theories about the meaning of 11/11/11 but here's one I want to share with you. 

This day...this eleventh day of the eleventh month... is one during which we are able to MANIFEST very, very quickly. 

I received this information courtesy of LifeLine Practitioner, Georgiann Voissem, and it felt so important I wanted to share it with all of you!

 

On the eleventh day of November choose to place yourself in the most beautiful, most positive frame of mind and emotion and  let your imagination soar to bring in  the most wonderful things you desire for your delight and wonderment.  

Take care to be conscious of what you think about and ENJOY the special magic of the day.

image from mediumability.com 

 

If you would like to read some reflections on MANIFESTING,

I have included three of my earlier blog posts directly following this message:

Harold and the Purple Crayon  (for the child in you)
Pocket Treasures (for some practical ideas on how to make this happen)
A Quantum Leap (for a more advanced way to manifest)

or, read all three to get a broader view of this wonderful gift  just waiting for our attention!

Harold and the Purple Crayon

 

a reflection on a book by Crockett Johnson

There’s a Harold in all of us. But, sadly, he often gets lost when we grow up. Harold (the innocent, all-powerful, all trusting child) is untouched by the “lessons” we are supposed to learn…That we have to be careful…and safe…and do what we are told to do. Harold knows that he already has everything he needs. To him life is simply a wonderful adventure and he creates whatever he wants to bring into his world by drawing it with his purple crayon and then letting the fun begin.

On a purely intuitive level, Harold knows that he is creating his life. He embraces this gift and is grateful, making choices that are delightful, supportive, adventurous and full of bliss. He is happy and hopeful and his purple sketches reflect these beautiful treasures. So he draws more of “happy” and “hopeful”.

This delightful creature is not just a fantasy. He is accessible to all of us. Ideally, the journeys of our lives will ultimately lead us back to the realization that Harold is still in our hearts, waiting to be let out to play.


I went for a walk tonight and heard the melodious crickets chirping with
the rhythm of life so I am going to draw more crickets and more musical
notes.

I received some beautiful emails from my friends this week so I am going
to draw more friends and more email messages.

I saw the powerful waves at Grand Haven last week wash majestically over
the pier and so I am going to draw even bigger waves.


Thank you...is the message of my heart. Thank you…and I’ll have more.

Harold, the magical creature, is our child heart's manifestation of our desire for connection with the beauty and hopefulness of life…a dream we all share.

What could the purple crayon do for you?


"Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."

Pablo Picasso

Pocket Treasures

The pockets in our jeans, shirts and skirts are a designer's nod to our desire to keep some very special things close to us. This might include a tissue, a comb, a key. Something we do not want to be without..just in case the need for it arises.

Recently, I have found a new thing to put in my pockets. And, yes, the need for it does arise.

It's a list of what I want to experience on that day. My conscious intention. My desire to call in various states of emotion to support me.

Somehow writing this message down always anchors my proposal for the day.



I started on a day when I could really feel what Eckhart Tolle calls the "pain body".
And this is what I wrote:

Releasing of the Pain Body with Wisdom of the Lesson.

It worked. Lots of great insights came in that day.



Here's another list I used recently:

No Expectations
Intensely Present
Creating from One Moment to the Next
Choosing Joy and Love
Making Room for the New

Again...another brilliant experience.


This morning I had to go to the dentist so I was busy at my computer. And this list was long...because I needed some extra reinforcement:

Serenity
Peacefulness
Enter into the Now
Wonder
Curiosity
Love and Joy
Synchronicity
Gratitude
Awareness
Enjoyment.

I emerged from the dentist's office with a clean bill of health (after teeth cleaning and X-rays) but, most importantly, in a wonderful state of mind.



So I ask the question: What's in your pockets?

Perhaps you might want to record a conscious intention for the day and tuck the note into your jeans, shirt or skirt pocket. Notify the Divine Universe that you want in on the positivity and delight circling the globe.

Those glorious virtues come from the beautiful way you choose to enter each moment of your day.

And your pocket companions can be a great reminder of who you aspire to be.

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.

Passeggiata

We live in a  magnificent universe.  

A universe that we create with the consciousness given to us as a Divine gift.  

Every one of us is on a beautiful journey undertaken for the purpose of experiencing life in the earthly dimension and learning lessons for the edification of our souls. 

And we are not alone on this journey.  The same astounding ENERGY that moves within us is manifested in everything that exists.

This afternoon I took a very leisurely stroll (the Italians call it a  passeggiata, walking for the sheer joy of it) out in the lovely autumn air. 

I noticed that the earth is gradually being covered with falling leaves...leaves which have completed their cycle of vibrancy and have moved into a dormant state. 

It struck me that every leaf I was seeing...each and every falling leaf...has its own story!   

Every falling leaf contains energy and has already interacted  with all the elements surrounding it. 

It may have been the brightest, most colorful leaf on the tree...generously sharing its glorious hues...serving as a spirit lifter to every person passing by who noticed it.  

It may have been the grandfather leaf of a tree...the first leaf to appear and, perhaps, the first of that tree to descend to the earth.  

It may have been a leaf specially selected by a fourth grade student to bring to his classroom for a special art project.

 

The beauty and mystery and awesomeness of these leaf stories...and, indeed, the stories of every living thing... so present and so intertwined with each other...make up the landscape of our earthly environment.  (They serve as a reminder to us of the fascinating stories unfolding in our lives...stories we may not be fully aware of or appreciate.)

It is so easy to pass by the  beauty in nature and in our lives in our haste to keep moving...keep doing.  And, when we engage in the frenzied activity of our to-do lists, we pass by the fullness, richness, substance of what surrounds us.

BEING in each moment, as opposed to DOING in each moment, carries an astounding gift for us.  That gift is full of the Infinite Intelligence, Devotion, Caring and Love of the Divine Universe for us...each one of us...and for every falling leaf and all that each leaf represents.
 

Falling leaves are only the beginning of the story of this artistry and  bounty.  Perhaps we need to end our preoccupation with doing and, instead, just ENJOY what is already surrounding us. 

Breathe it in.

Feel it. 

Consciously connect our energy with it and, thereby, "know" in the deepest, most beautiful way, the manifestation  of the consciousness of the  Divine Universe which  has made all of the magnificence possible and shares it with every one of us. 

This gift so freely given by the Heart of  Our Creator is waiting to take up residence in OUR hearts .  With great gratitude and the deepest appreciation... let us accept the gift already waiting within us and just outside our door.

image from thesimplefrontporch.wordpress.com