Thursday, January 30, 2014

You are crazy...

Well, if you are crazy that means that there is a part of me that is crazy too. In order to know that you are crazy, cranky, selfish, a perfectionist, lazy, arrogant, vulgar, flirty, compulsive, a genius, generous, brave, creative, faithful, loving, polite, resourceful, considerate and fun I must recognize those traits in myself. We project who we are. And we attract what we are.

When we see ourselves in light of those who drive us crazy, we have an opportunity to change, to grow into our best self. When we see ourselves in light of those who inspire us, we have a chance to burn brighter, to continue unfolding into our true self.

I no longer wonder why the people who are in my life are in my life. I know, from a metaphysical position. There are people in my life who rub me the wrong way. When they do, I realize that I am capable of the behavior I criticize in them, that I am fearful of it or that it triggers negativity in me. I realize that I have inner work to do. Then there are people in my life who move me. They make me want to be a better person. There are also those who I admire. I see in them the traits that make me successful, kind and happy.

Who drives you crazy? Why? Who do you like? Why? Know that in the oneness of all, we are the same and that who we are is reflected in those around us. Maybe today we soften our gaze as we look at others and see them as an image of ourselves. Maybe today we inch a little closer to who we really are by what we recognize of ourselves in others, to say a-ha!, improve what displeases and unsettles us in others, to nurture and amplify what we appreciate, respect and enjoy in others as well.



Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Unconditionally...

We aim to love unconditionally, to love every side, every imperfection, every peculiarity of our lovers. When we think of unconditional love, this is what comes to mind–romantic, eternal love.

To love unconditionally, is to love the flaws of another, to understand them, to see beyond their reflexive reactions, to see them as they are and love them, to see them and not judge them, to be compassionate towards them, to want peace, well-being and happiness for them, to accept them, to forgive them every time. Yes, this means our lovers but it also means everyone else. Romantic love, filial love, fraternal love, puppy love and neighborly love are all types of love in which we can love unconditionally.

To love unconditionally also means to speak our truth, to share ourselves honestly and sincerely, to relate in love. This unconditional love can be shared, can last even when relationships change as in a breakup or separation of another kind. Unconditional love means loving, forgiving and accepting the being, not necessarily the doing. We can refuse the behavior of a loved one when it does not come from their highest self. We can refuse the behavior, let them go and still love them.

To love unconditionally is tough, I know. To love unconditionally is also joyful and satisfying. To love ourselves, to love the other in a more spiritual and expansive way, although not easy, is our target and so, we try over and over...unconditionally.



Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Have-beens

I don't like talking about my past. I do, all the time. It's a habit and a following of our societal custom of reminiscing.

Talking about our past keeps us there. We exaggerate, we lie. We may not do on purpose, but we do because we remember with feeling and we justify it. For some, constantly going to our past stems from insecurity, doubt and regret. Yet it is only in the present where we are safe, where we can change, where we can find satisfaction. The fear we felt, the frustration, the failures do not exist anymore. Analyzing, discussing, rethinking what has passed will not gain us a better present. In fact, with our mind on the past, we don't think of our present. We can't. We operate mechanically–we breathe, we walk, we drive, we work all on automatic pilot. We don't learn anything new, we don't enjoy anything we do, we don't see things as they are for we are thinking with our past mentality and judging everything from that stance. Our days become long and more of the same because we stay the same.

Even when our past experiences have been great, recalling them constantly prevents us from growing. Our challenge today is to find a balance between remembering the sweet giggle of our children when they were little, the tickling of a first kiss, the sensation of walking our spaces, the thrill of a victory, the lessons learned, the suffering endured, reliving what we have already lived and letting go to be who we are to be today. The dare today is to go from who we have been to who we are.






Monday, January 27, 2014

If you could fly...

To fly we don't need wings. We only need to want to fly.

I want to fly. I want to ______________ (fill in the blank). Whatever change we want to make, whatever goal we want to reach, whatever intention we want to fulfill, we must want it, not merely need it, but want it wholeheartedly. Wanting implies a strong desire and desire is what propels us into the life we want. 

I want to _______________ (fill in the blank). Now let's let go of what weighs us down–bad habits, old thoughts, fear, doubt, negativity, insecurity, concern for what others think, excuses and unwillingness to follow through. Once we know what we want, let us tender it to the Universe and then let it go. We must let go of the heavy stuff and let go of our grip on what we want in order to soar. When we let go we free our minds and our hearts to see, listen and receive. We free our spirits, synchronicities fall into place and we know what to do. 

What would you do if you could fly? Let your wish lift you off today. Let your wish be your wings. Be clear on what you want and hold on to it. Fly. All you need is to really want to. 


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Echo

I need a break! I want to be understood! I need you to listen to me. I need help. I'm in an awful mood...cut me some slack. Not now...not today. I want to be left alone. I want people to comply. Can't I get a little cooperation? Why me? I deserve better. I'm entitled. Do you ever feel this way? Does it seem that when you do things get a little more frustrating when what you need is for things to loosen up a little?

When a tree falls in the middle of the forest it makes a sound, whether we are there to hear it or not. Our attitudes and emotional states fall and, just the same, reverberate. Whatever our sound, our energy, our emotion, our vibration, our projection is is what comes back to us. The Universe responds in the same tone we give it. People reciprocate with the attitude we give them. Situations result in the spirit we bring. We make our energy the underlying mood in what we do and in our interaction with others.

The good news is that the same happens with our uplifted spirits. When we offer our best self–whether we feel good or not, when we offer kind thoughts, warm gestures, sincerity, understanding and goodwill, we receive the same. How can I help? gets us the help we need. How can I be of service? echoes back to us goodness. The Universe responds with what we need in order to help–time, money, ideas. In turn, we also get the cooperation we need, what we want, the peace we seek.


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The looking glass

I am complete.
I am whole.
I am creative.
I am adequate.
I am worthy.
I am good enough.
I am more than good enough.
I am thriving.
I am brave.
I am capable.
I am Spirit.
I am grounded.
I am protected.
I am lifted.
I am supported.
I am shifting.
I am power-full.
I am beautiful.
I am inspired.
I am wise.
I am willing.
I am giving.
I am receiving.
I am living, fully.
I am fearless.
I am open-minded.
I am open-hearted.
I am on purpose.
I am connected.
I am well.
I am awake.
I am aware.
I am loved.

Yes you are.






Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Everything is a prayer

Everything is a prayer. We are in constant communication. The Universe listens to us, to every way in which we speak. We pray in the joy with which we do things, what we celebrate in others, what we are grateful for, what we enjoy, what we wish for. Our very attitude is a prayer...may we continue to receive or may we continue to endure, is what we say.

The Universe listens to, allows and supports our wishes. It does not decide for us so we need to be aware of what we communicate. The Universe respects us and will not impose anything on us. It listens and takes to heart our subtlest whisper.

Many years ago I prayed for a different life. I prayed with daydreams, writings, wishful thinking and conscious asking of Spirit. Today I have the life I prayed for. It took a while. But the Universe orchestrated circumstances in the background while I continued to live life as I had it.

I learned that being too specific got in the way. When we get too precise, the Universe has to arrange more details. Because it does not impose itself on us or anyone else, this can delay our miracles. However, when we are open, miracles beyond our wildest expectations come true. You can wish for a very specific job, or be open to receive a job in which you can contribute, grow and be happy in. You can wish for a very specific love, or be open to receive a love in which you share your best version, are honored, cared for and reciprocated with your lover's best version. You can wish for a very specific house to live in or be open to a new address in which you can live life more fully.

Everything is a prayer. Be mindful. Be present. Do not contradict what you want with adverse thoughts or actions. Be joyful. Be grateful. Be willing. Receive.



Friday, January 17, 2014

Anger is not the problem...

...it's what we do with it that is the problem.

Anger is pain, it is fear, it is our reaction to what we perceive someone else has done. If we don't recognize our anger or we deny it, it rots inside of us and becomes a medium of self-destruction or destruction of others. We close-off, become contemptuous and remain at a lower energetic vibrational frequency.

The phrase "blind with anger" is somewhat literal. When we act out of anger, we don't see the truth. We see situations and people through what we feel. We see what our anger convinces us to see. When we act out of anger, we are capable of destroying relationships, opportunities and ourselves. We become angry people.

Anger is insistence from ego, a departure from who we are. It pollutes our emotional and psychic environment. Feeling angry, we are bound to experience other negative emotions which will take up our feeling-space.

What we can do with our anger is see where it is pointing. What are the issues in ourselves that we need to heal? What are the parts of our personalities that we need to work on? What do we need to let go of? Do we need to work on our tolerance, our impatience, our need to be right, our concern for what others think of us, our jealousy, our procrastination, our lack of self-confidence, our communication difficulties, our lack of focus, our insistence on controlling outcomes, our narrow view of life, our prejudice or other issues? When anger rises today, let us see behind the anger to the matter. Should we become angry today, let us do something with that anger. I don't mean repress it. Let's learn from it. Let us allow it to help us grow.


Thursday, January 16, 2014

The way out...

They say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This can have several meanings. Religious groups have one way of using the proverb, while psychoanalysts have another. I think hell is in our minds and the road to it is complicated.

Hell is a mental state in which fear reigns. In it, selfishness and self-loathing impede the full enjoyment of life. We are in hell when we act out of anger, when we project our negative qualities onto others, are intolerant, fail to forgive, attack, exclude, retaliate, compare ourselves constantly to others, become desperate, are self-righteous and our egos rule our emotional state. Hell becomes our dysfunction. Our hell are thoughts of hopelessness, thoughts of violence, obsessive thoughts, depression, addiction and compulsive action. Hell is our behaving from our most fearful self.

How do we come out of hell? We take another path. Yet, just as the road to hell is complicated, taking another path may not be easy. It takes recognizing that we are in hell to want to take another path. Sometimes we are too arrogant to admit that in the first place. The way out of hell may take bottoming-out, an a-ha moment or an emotional breakdown. The way out of hell is not easy, but it is simple. It begins with wanting out. This willingness opens up the way. This willingness is a beacon lighting the path. The way out is best followed with our eyes closed and our hearts open listening for direction. We will be guided, we will be led, we will be guarded.

To find the way out, take a few moments, close your eyes and just say I'm willing. Breathe. Let go. Will the way out. It is a process. Make it part of your meditation. It takes patience. It takes practice. It is well worth it. The path out of hell leads to a different mental state in which love reigns, not the cherubs-and-angels-and-chocolate-and-roses gooey kind of love, but the love that keeps us sane. Out of hell and into heaven, we understand, collaborate, cooperate, generate goodwill, forgive and show compassion. We become strong, receptive, and open-minded. Our heaven is our haven. It is where we are confident, joyful and happy. It is where we are our best self.


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Chameleon

Today she has straight hair, in her natural color. She is as beautiful as ever. And happy as well. My friend, Anna*, is married to a wonderful man who loves her. Together they are raising their children while maintaining the flames of romantic love alive.

I didn't always appreciate Anna as much as I do today. I didn't understand her. I thought she was fickle. When I moved away, I traveled back home once or twice a year for several years. During each visit we would see each other and about every other visit she would be different. Her hair was either long and curly or cut pixie style, dyed in some other color. She listened to rock or reggae...versus the ballads I had known her to favor. She became a camping-hippie or a political activist. It all depended on the boyfriend she had at the time, on his preferences.

I thought she was selling out. Why would she care what the dude wanted? These guys needed to appreciate her just as she was, I thought. And they did. I just did not see the beauty of her gift. She wasn't changing to be liked or out of insecurity. She was pleasing someone she cared for. Her identity remained the same. She was loving and open-minded and none of the apparent changes changed her core. What they did do was expose her to new ideologies, music, art, places, beliefs, thoughts, fashion, reading material and more. She was richer for it. She still is.

Today is a good day to enrich our relationship to others by appreciating their likes and dislikes, opening our minds and hearts to what makes them happy–without judging. Let us feel free to change as a gift of love, disregarding the opinions of those who don't understand. Let us be open to those who love us and adopt some of our preferences as well. As our colors change, our understanding and our love grows.

*I have disguised her name to maintain her privacy.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Believing is seeing

Do you believe in Santa or do you know the truth, but still believe? My son was watching The Polar Express while I wrote. I know the truth, but I choose to believe in the magic, I answered him. Me too, he smiled.

We see what we believe, not the other way around. If we believe the world is corrupt, dangerous, damaged and full of anger, we will see it. If we believe our relationships are doomed to fail, we will experience that. Our belief that our days are complicated, tough and empty of purpose will be what we live through.

The same is true for our belief that love, in any and all of its forms, can prevail. We see charity, union, peaceful demonstrations, communion, silent and decided change, strength in communities, shifts in personal and global awareness, courage and determination when we believe in goodness.

I read the news. I know what is going on in the world. I also know that there are many unreported stories of people who are doing wonderful things, transforming in small, but significant ways. This is how change begins. It does not make front page news, but it makes a difference. And it will make a bigger difference when more of us see the power in our light, in our passion for a better world, in our imagination, in our coming together, in our love for ourselves, our families, our friends, our lovers and our communities, in our recognizing our divine nature.

What we believe in, becomes our truth. We will find peace when we believe in it. We will find love when we believe in love. We will be happy when we believe in happiness. We will see our greatness when we believe that Spirit created us on purpose. There is no risk in believing, in hoping, in entertaining optimism. Today is a good day to believe in something good...



Monday, January 13, 2014

As is

I recently traded in my old car. The car dealership was happy to make the deal. I was thrilled.

I started to wonder where my old car would go, who would buy it, who would enjoy it now. Whoever buys it takes it "As Is". There are no warranties stated or implied. Simple? Not so much. We don't always take things, people or situations as they are. We assume, anticipate, hope and want others and other things to agree with our expectations. And then we are disappointed when people, circumstances or things turn out to be something different. 

Eckhart Tolle teaches that whatever we accept, we go beyond. I have learned, instead of expecting something different, to see what's there, to accept what is. Accepting what is allows us find peace, learn and appreciate. When we stop expecting different behavior from others, a different outcome from a situation we don't have any control over or a different result from some-thing, we allow inspiration, intuition and guidance to fill us. Today is a good day to accept life As Is and release our frustration, our disappointment and our dissatisfaction so that we may grow, rise above, cultivate understanding and become our best self. Accepting life As Is does not mean we become complacent, take others' offensive behavior or accept less than what we deserve. It means that we no longer expect something different. We move on. We deal with what is.


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Getting the job...

...or the car, or the extra money, or the lover, or whatever it is we are wishing for that would make us happy, we think. Our minds are so powerful that we are bound to get whatever it is that we want. Our happiness, though, is not guaranteed. What guarantees our happiness is our choice to be happy.

If our happiness is up to us, then our intention should be the best outcome in any situation and not a particular goal. Setting ourselves up to achieve one thing and one thing only can limit our potential. It can hold us back and can restrain what we get. In a creative Universe, there are no boundaries to what is possible.

Many times we set a goal and are disappointed when we don't achieve it. Yet, how many times are we surprised by what magnificent opportunities we are able to enjoy because we are not bound by what we wanted?

Today is a good day to align our goals to our purpose and our true being. Let us surrender the details and do our part. Let us trust. Whatever the outcome, it will be the best possible one for us.


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

I did not plan for this!

The year turned and I wanted to go into high gear. There's so much going for me and, I thought, I have to hustle now. I took out my agenda and crucified it with plans and timelines. Yesterday was to be my first day back to the grind–according to no one's agenda but my own. My alarm was set. My plans were written in blue ink. Yet nothing started as planned. To begin with, I woke up late... three and a half hours late. This cut into my plan, not to mention my sunny disposition. I meditated, I prayed and I made myself available to the Universe. Everything would be alright, right? I was asking for cooperation. I got none. Frustration set in.

When I went downstairs to brew coffee I found workers in my kitchen. No power, no water, no kitchen. Ok then. I went back upstairs. I tried writing, but it was apparently lawn mowing day in my neighborhood. The trimmers buzzing, the lawn mowers roaring and the dogs barking made it very difficult to create. Ok then. I decided to work on something else. I needed to start and finish something! And then, my son woke up, hungry. I had to figure something out. I did. I ordered pizza. At this point I had not written anything. Oh boy.

Pizza came. My dad joined us for lunch. We laughed and joked for a while. My son enjoyed that and we enjoyed him giggling. In the meantime, the clock kept ticking.

I had not seen one of my best friends in a few days. She called and said she was coming over. Finally!, I thought.  She and I can always work together. By know you must suspect that that was not going to happen. You are right. My uncle stopped by. The three of us sat for a while in great conversation. My son joined us and laid on my lap. The only thing happening by this point was a Tuesday acting as a Sunday. Time ticked a little more and called for coffee. Coffee turned into hors d'oeuvre... and more conversation, and more laughter, and more enjoyment. What?!

In my morning meditation I had asked to be led, I asked for cooperation. I had things to do. I asked for me to be able to accomplish my most important tasks for the day. What happened here?! Well, what happened was that I got what I asked for. I learned that what the Universe needed me to do was to put Love first. I rarely get an opportunity to sleep a little longer, to spend time with my uncle, to have lunch with my dad, to have my son curl up to me, to have girl-talk with a friend.  Once I opened my heart and followed the guidance I was receiving, my frustration lifted and I was able to enjoy every bit of the day, even in retrospect. As night dawned and we savored an amazing and unplanned dinner, I delighted in how blessed I am. My tasks and responsibilities are still pending, but blessing others and enjoying their blessing is a huge part of my purpose... and yours. Today is a good day to follow where Spirit will guide us, to willingly allow Love to command the day in leisure, in business and in our work. Love is always returned. Let us trust that in the grand scheme, everything we do is part of the plan and that we move in the direction we are supposed to.


Friday, January 3, 2014

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

I had a Marketing Management professor in college who used to say that the instructions on shampoo bottles to Wash. Rinse. Repeat. were a ploy to get us to spend more money by using more product than is necessary. If the shampoo was good, she said, repeating wouldn't be necessary. Yet there are other things that are worth doing over for their benefit comes with repetition.

People who are part of a church community attend religious services regularly to reinforce their faith. Many couples who have been married for years renew their vows to recommit to each other. Professionals attend continuing education classes to refresh their knowledge. On a daily basis, we brush our teeth, take our vitamins and supplements, exercise and sleep. Repeating all of these activities has a cumulative effect in us. Not doing them regularly makes it harder for our minds and our bodies to assimilate. Creating a habit becomes more difficult when we lack consistency and the benefits of the habit sometimes do not come to fruition.

Meditation is a wash-rinse-repeat daily activity. When practiced every day, we benefit that day and subsequently. As I meditated this morning, I noticed my mind was spinning with thoughts and my body was tense. I couldn't wait to finish my meditation. I kept thinking that I had so much to do. Yet, towards the end, I felt my bones relax and my mind become easy. At this point, I didn't want my meditation to end. After years of meditation, this is my daily experience. Throughout the day I will feel the effects of my meditation, I'm sure. Just as I feel the effects when I don't meditate.

Today is a good day to wash, rinse and repeat your meditation, morning run, prayer time, conversation with your children, new year's resolution habit or whatever it is that makes your life better with consistent practice. You may not end up with more shiny and beautiful hair, but you will enjoy a better attitude, a healthier body, a stronger relationship, a deeper appreciation for life, a clearer mind, sharper intuition and a more profound connection to Spirit.