Friday, December 23, 2016

Rite

I didn't come here last week. I'm having a hard time writing. My bones hurt. It's not that I'm not writing because my bones hurt. They hurt because I'm not writing. It's psychosomatic, I know. Not writing weighs heavily on me and I feel it in my body. I want to write, even if I don't know what it is I want to say. Writing is my flow and not writing keeps me stuck and heavyhearted.

I know why I'm not writing. Last week I finished a very difficult semester and, immediately after, I let go of my spiritual practices in order to take a break and relax. I haven't taken a break and I haven't relaxed. Sleeping in means that the world is awake by the time I get up and so I wake up to action, conversation and a whirl of activity. I believe that my lack of meditation has brought me to this point, has brought this on. The Universe likes order. Inspiration is in the rituals – mornings rise through meditation, prayer, silence, poetic movement and incense. It is then that the muses show up. When I forgo my practices, chaos enters. Maybe it's superstition. No, I'm inclined to believe otherwise. I believe that in quiet stillness my intention meets a higher Intention and, in concert, they set a tone and a rhythm to life that is smooth and powerful. As I meet my morning, so I meet my day and everything I do in it. It is a matter of ritual and reverence to the Self and a remembrance of what is important, what I hold sacred, and what makes me feel whole and happy. Writing flows from that connection.

Today, I stopped everything mid-afternoon to wash the dishes, mindfully and aware. That was my prayer, my acknowledgement of the heart of the ordinary things in my life that make up my life. It was a prayer of gratitude and forgiveness, and an invocation to flow. I'm flowing.

Today is a good day to do just that, to take a moment in the normalcy of life to say thanks, to connect, to call on Inspiration, to bring awareness and mindfulness to our days that we may create smoothly, joyfully, and vibrantly. Let's do this today, and then again tomorrow, and then they day after.

Image found at ceejaykayfit.com.

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Gray skin

I was on my way to a workshop I was teaching in another town. I had plenty of time to get there. I left early enough with a plan to find a place to eat lunch before getting to the school. Because I had plenty of time, I decided to stop and buy pens for the participants. I did. I got back in the car and went on my way. But, by the time I got back on the road, traffic had built up. The detour to the store delayed me more than I expected. When I got close to the school, I found that the only place near enough and quick enough to eat was a McDonald's. Oh boy. How bad could it be?, I thought.

Today I woke up a bit sluggish and looking a little gray. It's no wonder, considering what I ate. I know better than to eat McDonald's. What I take in builds me up or drags me down. This, however, does not only happen with food.

What we take in builds us up or drags us down. As Wayne Dyer once wrote, Beautiful thoughts build a beautiful mind. Thoughts build our feelings. Our souls feed on what we read, watch, listen to, speak, and imagine. A constant intake of pessimism, negativity, fear, worry, and gossip drags us down. Yet, when we take in optimistic, positive, hopeful, confident, assertive, and empathic thoughts, we become energized, inspired, and strengthened.

Today is a good day to ask ourselves how we want to feel and then feed ourselves accordingly. Though we may take in lesser thoughts every now and then, we can nourish and sustain our souls with beauty, kindness, a whole-hearted smile, literature, uplifting conversation, generosity, laughter, inspiration, shared joy, positive affirmations, creative visualizations, music, and gratitude. Good food, good thoughts and good feelings make us feel good. We can turn our gray skin and our meh-feeling souls around. What will you feed on today?

Image found at pinterest.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, November 18, 2016

In the contrast

I had two great days back-to-back earlier this week. They were the kind of day in which everything flows smoothly – everything from my mood to my circumstances and interactions. I felt so thankful. Today hasn't been such a good day, though. I feel overwhelmed and disoriented. It is such a contrast from two days ago. It's ok. I appreciate it.

It is in the contrast that we know what we like, what we don't, what makes us happy, what angers us, what inspires us, what bores us, what we enjoy, what drives us crazy, what we love about life. It is in today's contrast that I appreciate the sun, the way his face lights up when I walk in the door, eating slowly, courteous customer service, big belly laughs, not being nervous, the time I spend with friends,  getting it right, a good drive, and so much more. 

Today is a good day to appreciate the contrast, to find sweetness in the ordinary things of life, to know that the bitterness is part of life's flavor, and that the nuances make a beautiful difference. 

Image found on Instagram (@eutopie.eu)

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, November 11, 2016

Out of my mind

The day began heavy. My heart was racing from the moment I stepped out of bed. My mind was going twice as fast. There was so much to do and so much to worry about. There was so much to think of. As a habit, I went into my meditation room. Yet, I meditated in a hurry, disconnected, unable to let go. The flow of thoughts was now rushing. Then, just as I thought I was going to lose it, just as I thought that this day was just too much, I asked for help. I put on some music, I lit incense and I closed my eyes again. I asked aloud, What else do I have to do?! The answer came: Do nothing. Trust. I did.

Within a few minutes I felt comfortable and was no longer in a hurry. My spirits lifted. Intuitively, I figured out some things that had worried me. I started flowing. I was out of my mind.

Today is not a day for analysis and conclusions. It is a day to trust. Today is a good day to trust in the friendship of the Universe. It is not a day to try to solve the conflicts of the world, to look for solutions for everything that worries us, to control anything, or to try to perfect ourselves to self-imposed standards as a way to minimize the struggle. Today is one of those days to not think, to be out of our minds and to flow in the trust that we are where and when we need to be and that we will achieve what we must and handle what comes our way. Creativity is ours. Obstacles fall away. We are loved. We are protected. Today we are here, now and we flow out of our minds.

Image found at wallcoo.net.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Feel the magic

Well, it's Friday. I don't know about your schedule, but around here, we are busier than ever. We are trying to keep it together. At home, at the office, at school – it is busy all around for us and most everyone we know. We would be celebrating that it's Friday, except that it seems to have become a day to catch up on everything we didn't get done during the week. Today feels like a Monday.

Let's take a breath. You and me. Come. Let's breathe together.

This is one of my favorite recharge, refocus, get-calm breathing techniques. It's what I use to bring down my speed, recenter, and reignite my energy. This technique goes by many names. Today, we will call it Magic. Use it now or at any moment of any day that you need an energetic pick-me-up.

Start by sitting up straight, on a chair or on the floor. Be comfortable. Just keep your torso straight.
Become aware of your body.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your neck.
Relax the muscles on your face.
Float your eyes closed.
Inhale through your nose. Exhale through your nose.
Focus on your breath.

Inhale to the count of four.
Hold for a count of four.
Exhale for a count of four.
Hold for a count of four.

In – 2 – 3 – 4
Hold – 2 – 3 – 4
Out – 2 – 3 – 4
Hold – 2 – 3 – 4

In – 2 – 3 – 4
Hold – 2 – 3 – 4
Out – 2 – 3 – 4
Hold – 2 – 3 – 4

In – 2 – 3 – 4
Hold – 2 – 3 – 4
Out – 2 – 3 – 4
Hold – 2 – 3 – 4

Repeat until you are calm.
Then open your eyes.
Feel the magic?

Image found at keithallenkay.com
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Fat lip

I was eating hurriedly and had my mind on several things when my attention came full center as I bit my lip. Ouch! It hurt, but there was no blood so I carried on with my day. As I went about, I kept feeling the wound with my tongue, but I kept on going. Instead of taking care of it, I ignored it. Over the next few days, the wound grew and the pain intensified. I numbed it with an ointment and kept going. I numbed it and kept biting the same spot on my lip, deepening and widening the wound. It got worse. The pain and the swelling did not let me sleep, eat or speak. Why didn't I take care of the wound sooner?! I mumbled in pain.

We ignore our pain when it is subtle. We don't make time to tend to what bothers us. We ignore certain issues hoping that they will go away. Yet they don't. Numbing ourselves from the pain doesn't make what causes the pain to go away either. These issues will be made felt until we deal with them.

Today is a good day to tend to ourselves, to our wounds, to what is bothering us, to what hurts. Healing begins with facing those issues. They will not go away until we care for them. They will grow deeper, and wider affecting us in other ways, developing into other symptoms and dysfunctions. Either our pain grows or we grow. Today is a good day to nurse the wound on our lip before it gets fat, swollen and painful. Today is a good day to heal ourselves back to well-being.

Image found at (Magical Mandalas) wordpress.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, October 21, 2016

The lay of the land

Things are much easier when we know our way around. To know the lay of the land gives us an advantage. We are safer, more productive and can make wiser decisions. We don't stumble as much, or make as many wrong turns. To know the lay of the land is to know the conditions under which we operate, the facts of a situation, the features and characteristics of a locus. To know the lay of the land allows us to evaluate before taking action.

To know ourselves is to know the lay of the land. This is no easy task. We must have the willingness to look within, to see what's there. This is not easy because once we survey our inland, we have to appraise, to acknowledge what we find. Yet, this is where it may get easier for us. Once we know the lay of our land, we may understand what our triggers are, why we react a certain way to certain circumstances, where we flow, where we are afraid and where we are excited to go, what we enjoy, what are past conditions have made us believe, where we get stuck, what are current conditions are, where our perceptions take a false turn, where we have fallen, the wounded places, and the points of healing. Once we start to know the lay of our land, we get more adept at handling situations, we recognize our strengths and weaknesses. We know where we ought not to go, where we have to repair, rebuild, rehab, renew and restore and where we can go for inspiration, feelings of ease, encouragement, energy, insight, motivation, imagination, perspective, clarity, creative juices, intuition, discernment and reminders of what we want and what makes us happy. When we go there, we respond better to life. We become composed, patient, serene, able to deal.

Today is a good day to look within, to start to familiarize ourselves with who we are beyond the scope of our self-concepts and external pressures. Let's take a few minutes in meditation to focus only on our breath in and our breath out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Stay for a few minutes. Still. Quiet. Focused on the breath. Let's do that again tomorrow. Then the day after that. Let's do that for a few minutes each day. That is a sign of our willingness to know ourselves. We will then know not the way around, but the way in.
Image found at lapresse.ca.


© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Haiti

The morning didn't work out as planned. He called me to vent, to tell me how his plan for work went bust. He set a goal and wasn't able to meet it. The people at work didn't cooperate and didn't seem to care that they were now behind on their objectives. He was so angry. After a few minutes on the phone, we hung up.

I, on the other hand, had had a very productive morning. I was on a roll when he called. My mood was opposite his. After we spoke on the phone, I could've kept going with what I was working on, but I had to go pick up my son from school. But then, right before I stopped writing, he texted me. In his awful mood, he offered to go to school. And then they came home. His was an act of love. 

He and my son were both smiling and talking lightheartedly as they walked through the door. The day had shifted. From then on, it went much, much better. 

And so it seems that the best way out of a funk, out of our frustrations and out of the chance of perceptually enlarging our problems, is to serve. To do for others what we would have others do for us. To do for others what they cannot do for themselves. To do for others what we would like to do for them as an act of love. Sometimes it is more than that. Sometimes serving others in the midsts of our feelings of need is a challenging of our circumstances, an act of alchemy. Serving others is also an act of hope, love, generosity, goodwill, kindness, decency, respect and compassion. Sometimes we do it intentionally and sometimes we are moved and do not know rationally why we are serving. In any case, when we serve, we bring the light and, somehow, our grievances are shadowed. 

Today is a good day to shadow our grievances. It is a good day to remember Haiti, its people, and the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew. We may not be able to serve Haiti and its people physically due to our geographical distance, but we can bring the light in other ways. Moments of silence and moments of prayer for Haiti and the relief workers, alone or with family and friends,  are a way to bring the light. Donations of money and goods and other forms of funding the aid efforts are another way to bring the light. Spreading awareness and acts of remembrance are yet another way of bringing the light. Let us serve and be lifted up by doing so. Let us serve and shift our energy in a positive way. Let's bring our thoughts to Haiti and to the other places hurt by Hurricane Matthew. Let us bring the light. 

Image found at LIKE A HURRICANE.wordpress.com.

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.


Friday, October 7, 2016

Roadblock

I live and work in the city. In it, there are construction sites everywhere – regular maintenance on roads and utilities, new construction, emergency repairs. I plan my days, and, though there's a little wiggle room, I don't plan the delays I meet on the road all of which can be very frustrating. I map out the best routes trying to avoid traffic, but the jams I find while driving are out of my control. Set on my ways and routines, when I come across a roadblock I can find myself in a downward spiral of aggravation and pessimism. This, of course, is metaphorical of life: We have a plan. We are set on it. We hit a roadblock. Then what?

Well, we have choices to make. We can sit there waiting for the roadblock to clear up. However, sitting there, waiting in a state of inertia, we are lethargic, apathetic, bored, passive, joyless, dissatisfied, and jaded. We could push against the roadblock. Yet pushing against an obstacle creates other problems. We act without full knowledge of what's on the other side, we get hurt, we lose our imagination, our resources and our strength, we risk our safety, we ignore our protection, and we can set ourselves back. We could, on the other hand, take a detour.

We tend to block ourselves from direction, guidance, creativity and inspiration by stressing the shoulds – I should do this, He should do that, This should be the way, That should be the norm, We should take this road, They should think this way, I should be there by now. We block ourselves by setting our ways. But taking a detour means letting go of our insistence of an exact way life should go, things should be, and people should act. It means letting go of control.

When we reach a roadblock and take an unexpected detour, we are given time to reflect. We allow new pathways to open. We discover new things, new musings, new ways of going and of doing. Obstructions don't necessarily halt our progress. They may be part of our path, giving us the opportunity to go where we intend to, even if in a roundabout way.

Today is a good day to flow in a different direction when faced with an obstacle. Let's trust a higher knowing. Let's be open to intuition and guidance. We will get there. An indirect way is still a way to arrive.

Image found at flickr.com. Blue Mandala by Marco Braun.

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 30, 2016

Watch and learn

One of my daily practices is a written meditation. It's not so much a journal, but more of my version Julia Cameron's morning pages. Every morning I sit and let my hand write all the thoughts I'm having at that moment. I have years' worth of beautiful notebooks, all handwritten into in blue ink. They are stashed away. "What do you use them for?" He was curious about the material I may find there. "Just that", I said. He looked puzzled.

Just that. That is all I do with my morning writing practice. It serves many purposes, but my intention when I write as meditation is to watch my thoughts, feelings and emotions. I don't reread these pages. But I do pay attention to them. It is one of the ways I watch myself.

There are many ways we can learn, grow and be better. We can read books, attend conferences, learn from a mentor or someone we respect. Yet we may learn more from ourselves than from anybody else. If we look at ourselves without judgment and with an open mind and heart, without blame or justifications, we may pick up exactly what we need.

We observe ourselves in memory, imagination, photos, journals, writing, déjà-vus, the feelings we get when we watch a movie one more time, the notes we find in books we read long ago, our dreams, our doodles. I recently watched Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Watching the movie took me back to the time when I first watched it. I remembered how much I enjoyed the movie then. I also remembered what I took for granted, what I liked, what I feared, what I hoped, what I wanted, what I was in a hurry for, the thoughts I had about life during that time. I started watching my younger self. I saw and understood that I move forward when I stop trying to control outcomes and circumstances, that my connection to Spirit sustains me, that I have evolved. I saw, too, how it is that I learn and that few things are insurmountable.

Today is a good day to watch ourselves and learn. It is a good day to start to pick up on the themes of our lives, our patterns, and recurring dreams. In watching ourselves we learn about our limitations, our potential, our misgivings, misperceptions, strengths, what are triggers are, how we love, how we fail, where our power lies. We will learn why we are so good at somethings or why we can't quite succeed in something we really want. Let us watch ourselves with wonder, trust, faith, curiosity, grace, acceptance, willingness, and appreciation in order to understand and grow, evolve and reach a better version of ourselves. Let's watch and learn.

Image found at ingrum.net.

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Yes (but, no)

The difference between achieving something we long for and staying in the dreaming, yearning and planning stage may just be our willingness.

We say yes to a dream, a path, a career, a relationship, a goal, a way of life, or to learn something new yet we block our possibilities with preconceived objections, limitations and exclusions. We will do anything for what we want, except for this or that (insert your own reason or cause here). When we do this, we sabotage ourselves. We call these reasons or causes deal-breakers. But what breaks the deal is our unwillingness. 

Should we be willing to say yes to everything? Yes. Yet fear overcomes us. This fear encompasses many things. Among them are the fear of upsetting the status quo, of making a mistake, of having to do something ridiculous, dangerous or threatening to our egos, and of not knowing what the outcome will be. There's also the fear, born out of our religious and cultural conditioning, of extreme sacrifice. We must remember that everything we go through, in one way or another, happens for us. Also, that what we should be willing to do is relative to what we want. More importantly, when we are aligned to our purpose, what we want is possible and what we must be willing to do, what will be asked of us, will not be something that will put us in a position of detriment, loss, harm, disadvantage, or struggle. 

If we enter anything insisting on what we are not going to do, we block ourselves and create precisely what we don't want. We confuse our intentions. Our focus should be on what we want, on being alert to the signs, and on our attitude. Our yes, our willingness, unfolds the path, does away with the obstacles, clears our way, and arranges our circumstances in order to manifest our wishes. 

Today is a good day to give our willingness to our intention. Let's then observe how the obstacles fall away, the path clears and our understanding deepens. Let's be willing to co-create the life we want.

Image found at cosmisperspectives.blogspot.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Wrong line

A few years ago, we took my son and my twin nephews to Disney World for their birthdays. When we got to the Magic Kingdom, we were given lanyards full of Fast Passes for many of the attractions. We were so lucky. This was great for we were able to skip many of the long lines at the park that day. One of the attractions we went to was Peter Plan's Flight. As we were exiting the ride, I caught a bit of an argument a family was having as they waited in line to go in. It seems they wanted to go on the It's a Small World ride, but, here they were, in a line for something else. As my family decided where to go next, I unintentionally eavesdropped on their argument. We are forever in the wrong line, one of them said. Yet, there they stayed. They made the line and got on the ride.

This is very common–to get in the wrong line, to get in line for something other than what we want. Moreover, we know we are in the wrong line, but we stay there. We then complain all the way. When are we in the wrong line? When we want to finish a project, but we go to the mall; we want to spend time with our children, but we get on Facebook; we want to have a better relationship with our coworkers, but we gossip either with them, about them or both; we want to enjoy more time with our family, but we keep accepting more commitments that require our time; we want financial stability, but we spend our money without a budget or a plan; we want to study humanities, but we enroll in law school to please our parents; we want to build a business, but we keep working for others and not taking the steps to make it happen; we want to be more positive, but keep dragging ourselves down with the same old speech; we want to be healthier, but we don't sleep enough; we want to know God more, but we refuse to meet him in others.

Today is a good day to to look at the line we are in and see if it leads to where we want to go. What change do we need to make to get what we want, be where we want to be or do what we want to do? What line do we need to get into?

Image found at teachkidsart.net.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 9, 2016

Flips, changes and makeovers

In flipping a particular property, the new owners of the house hired painters, bought new limestone tile, marble countertops, lighting fixtures and cabinets, replaced broken glass window panes and contracted the services of a real estate agent. They had a great plan for this house. They, however, encountered a big problem from the beginning. It was an awful smell that permeated the entire house. It was so strong and unpleasant that the real estate agent warned them that it might make it difficult to sell the property. They walked around looking for its source without any luck in finding it. They felt it stronger near the vents of the central air conditioning system. I couldn't understand why, from the get-go, they didn't check all the vents and the plumbing to see what was causing the smell. Regardless, they kept pressing forward. It was close to finishing the upgrades and repairs to the house when the owner, almost haphazardly, came across the cause of the smell: a small, dead bat in an air conditioning duct in the kitchen.

The changes to this house would not have been complete without finding what was causing the awful smell. It's full transformation would not have been possible. The smell was too strong. It's a good thing the owners found its origin. Masking it or making other temporary coverups would have been damaging. The makeover would have been more fluid, though, had they gone through a more thorough search and clean-up from the beginning.

Image found at pinterest.com.
In our personal transformations we are tempted, as well, to fix the outside, to make pretty what others can see. But real change entails going inside and cleaning out the old, smelly stuff that resurfaces over and over until we otherwise deal with it. Skipping the deep clean-up can cause rotting, create other problems down the line and attract more of what is causing the problem.

We can't be flip about change. For change to be transformative, lasting and rewarding, we have to task ourselves with the parts of our personality that are offensive, that cause us trouble, that reek, that are of poor quality, that will get in the way of a better version of ourselves. Today is a good day to identify that part of ourselves that we don't like, the part that we don't want affecting the rest of our lives in a negative way, that part that pulls us down and sabotages our efforts to better ourselves. This is not easy or pleasant, but it is necessary. On the flip side of this, once we have worked with it, we will find our self improved and alchemized. We will find our own evolution and a real personal makeover.

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Cheer up, Charlie

When he was a little boy, I used to sing the Cheer up, Charlie song from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to my son when he was sad. He has grown so much since that time. Last night at the dinner table he was telling me how he doesn't like being cheered up when he is sad or angry. I like to feel what I feel to know how to deal with it, he said.

Feel what we feel. This is what many of us fail to do when something or someone makes us feel unhappy, discouraged, disappointed or mad, and in doing so, we fail to learn and we fail to grow. It is easier to numb ourselves with social media, tv, wine, shopping, work, exercise, drugs and any other thing we do in excess to avoid or to deaden our feelings. It is not pleasant to feel sadness, anger, uncertainty, anxiety and frustration. But if we want to avoid falling into patterns of repeated actions and reactions, change our conditioned responses, or understand ourselves, we must feel what we feel, mindfully. When we become aware of our feelings and accept them without judgment we can then deal with the issues that underlie our feelings.

Today is a good day to acknowledge our feelings, mindfully, and become aware of what they signal to. Then we can not only deal with our feelings, but with the issues that arise from that awareness. They may point to an action we must take, an idea we must let go, or a decision we must make. What are you feeling today?
Image found at pinterest.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Shiny red calipers

I drive a very impractical car. It seats only two people, it has a drawer for a trunk and every time I want to put something in the back from within the car, I smack my hand on the metal stabilizer bar that runs across behind the seats. I can't drive it over water to avoid chocking its air intake pipes. I end up taking two parking spots so that I have enough room to open its wide doors. Parallel parking? Forget it. I can parallel park like the best of them, but I will not risk scratching one of the rims–which is easy to do in my car because the rear tires are wider than the front ones. This also means that I can only rotate tires per axle. It runs on premium gas and it uses 6 quarts of synthetic oil. Impractical. It is a beauty to look at, a joy to drive and when there is enough road available, it is an antidepressant. But my car is no longer practical for me and my family.

Fortunately, he drives a four-door passenger car that makes sense. It is what we use on beach weekends, when grocery shopping and when doing anything as a family. It's nice, it's comfortable, and it makes running errands, going to school and driving across the island so much easier. Event though I can count on the sedan, I have decided I need a more sensible and practical ride. I want a small SUV with four doors, 18-inch wheels and good gas mileage. I decided this a long time ago, but it hasn't happened yet. I just figured out why.

I caught myself earlier today wondering how much it would cost me to have the calipers on my little silver beast painted 1975-911 Targa-red. And, suddenly, it hit me. I want an SUV, but I'm short-circuiting myself with dreams and plans for my current car. How can I make an SUV happen when I am fueling two opposing visions? And why am I doing this? Is it fear of driving a mommy-mobile, of not being able to outrace the bullies on the road, of giving up my comforting escape or part of my personality? Whatever the reasons, I have to identify them and work on them–those issues will not go away–and then get clear on what I want in order to make it happen.

What have we not accomplished yet? Why haven't we done so? On small and large scales–from finishing a book we are reading to opening up a shop, from do-it-yourself projects at home to fixing our credit, from clearing the clutter in spare rooms to going to therapy, from learning a new language to deepening our spirituality, or from taking ballroom dancing lessons to asking for forgiveness and healing a relationship–we must ask ourselves why we have not manifested our desires. We have to look within and acknowledge any self-created obstacles, then we have to get clear on what it is we want. What we say has to be congruent, consistent and aligned with what we do (even the daydreaming–especially the daydreaming). Mixed messages keep us confused and stuck. Today is a good day to make our intentions clear, focus on them and bring what we want into being.

Image found at pinterest.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Summer

It is summer. We are on break. We hope you are enjoying the longer days full of light. We will return soon. Love & Light, the Soulcerer.


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Life goes on

Impotence. This is what I feel. I did not lose any friends or family members in the Orlando mass shooting. Nonetheless, I feel the pain. I am so hurt, distraught. I walk about with this collective pain. I don't know what to do with it. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help.

The hardest thing to say in a moment like this is life goes on. It is especially hard for those who lost someone in the massacre. The hardest thing to do in a moment like this is to love. The impossible thing to do in a moment like this is to forgive. Yet, it is what will heal us and help us move on. For until we do, we will focus on the wrong thing, on what causes the pain, on what injures, on what is wrong with the world.

We can't change this state of the world with angry outbursts, attacks, blaming, condemning, cursing.
The churches are not to blame. Neither is religion or non-religion. Guns are not to blame. School systems are not to blame. The media is not to blame. Bad parenting is not to blame. Governments are not to blame. We do nothing with this blame.

Certainly the separation and judgment created by certain religions, governments, beliefs and ideologies do not help and do make our work harder, our coexistence more difficult. But this is a mental health issue. We are ill. Our conditioning and life experiences can predispose us to certain behavior. Yet, many of us are exposed to many of these experiences, dogmas, beliefs and ideologies, and we do not go out to murder others thinking that this will solve, fix, cleanse, right anything or to convince anyone to believe the way we do. We help the cause by attending the mental health aspect of it.

We don't fix this by yelling, moralizing, censuring, or pointing fingers. Until we take some ownership of this, nothing will change. If we blame anything or anyone, we have to wait for that anything or anyone to change for the world to be better. We can't wait. We have to figure out our part in this and do our part in healing it.

After the catharsis, we need to come together, not for tolerance, but for understanding and respect. We need to love. How do we love? We do it by accepting others, by ceasing to call out the differences, by acknowledging others' dignity, humanity, and personhood. We love by changing our thoughts. By healing our own thoughts, we move from fear into hope. We heal by coming into the present and loving through the fear, the confusion, the misunderstanding, the pain, the despair, the rage, the feelings of revenge and righteousness. We need a break from all this hate. Hate breeds hate. Love breeds love. Healing breeds healing. Healing is what we need right now.

There is a time for everything. We cannot change others minds in a moment as raw as this one. Our rhetoric will be returned with more rhetoric. This is a time to embrace the pain, the anguish and, more importantly, each other. This is a moment to value life – ours and others'. We pray for the courage and the strength to forgive. Hate will not heal us. Love will.

Life goes on. Do we want it to go on in pain and fear, or in love? Do we want it to go on as it has or do we make it better, different? Our life goes on. Let it make a difference.

Today is a good day to realize that we have gone mad. Let us stop the insanity. Let us heal our minds that we may feel and act out of love and not fear. Let us remember that this too shall pass and life goes on.

Image found at eaglespiritministry.com. 
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.


Sunday, June 12, 2016

We send thoughts and prayers of peace for Orlando, as well as thoughts and prayers of comfort, consolation and condolence for the injured, friends, families, and loved ones. May the Light dissipate confusion, fear and intolerance. May Love bring us together.

Friday, June 10, 2016

Money Wise

I hesitate writing about money here. I have written about it in other mediums and have given workshops on it. Yet I know it is a sensitive subject and I abstain from bringing it up here. This morning, though, I was performing some of my money rituals and a wave of gratitude, appreciation and joy came over me. I felt I had to share it. So here I am, writing to you about money.

I love money. I do. I have many rituals, habits and attitudes around and about it. They include balancing my checkbook, creating a budget, calculating my cashflow, ordering the bills in my wallet by denomination and facing all of them in the same direction, sharing it gladly, spending it joyfully, paying bills on time, saving it with intention and purpose, never feeling embarrassed about it, celebrating when others get it, never speaking ill of money or judging it as good or bad, blessing it when I give it, never complaining about it, and never talking about its lack. I have a relationship with money. We all do. Some of us have a good one while some of us don't.

People can be wounded about money and this translates into a fearful, emotional, resentful and angry relationship with it in which we blame, judge and begrudge. When we do, we never seem to get where we want to be or do what we want to do. We focus on the wrong thing. We assume it has to do with money. But it doesn't. It has to do with our perceptions, beliefs and attitudes. This is not about public policy and world economics – that is another matter. This is about our personal relationship with money.

Money is energy. It flows. It needs to flow. When it doesn't, it festers. When it flows, it allows, because we have allowed it. It is also neutral – neither good or bad. Because it is energy, it never ends. Money never ends. It flows. Perhaps it helps to know that money is not only about currency, cash, credit, income, expense or debt. Money, as I write of it here, is about an abundance of good things and experiences.

I wanted to share this with you as a testimony of what love can do to change a relationship. Money doesn't love us, but the Universe does and as we handle our finances with honor, respect, joy and love, we receive with great measure. It doesn't give because we do. It is entirely up to us to allow its flow. This is very empowering to know. It took me a very long time understand this. I lack for nothing. I live with an abundance of goodness in all areas of my life.

Today is a good day to release our fear about money, to remove the obstacles to its flow. Let's relax our attitude about it. Let's trust our relationship with it and invite its flow with joy, gratitude, and non-judgment. Spend it, share it, receive it, let it flow.

Image found at livingmandala.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Bloopers

I am so glad I waited until the credits rolled. The movie was not that funny, but the bloopers were hysterical. I laughed so hard my abs were burning, my cheeks were hurting, and I forgot everything that was bothering me. I was enjoying life. Everything that mattered was happening right then, right there. What a mindful, wonderful moment. It helped me put everything into perspective, lifted my mood, and opened me up to joy.

I realize that laughter won't make problems go away. It won't fix what is broken. Yet laughter helps us deal. If we have to face difficulties, it is better to do it in a pleasant state of mind. Laughter gives us an edge over our negativity bias and helps us feel optimistic and positive about life. It also relaxes us, shifts our energy, brings our focus to something different, and softens our rough edges making us more approachable, welcoming, and warm.

We are in this movie together. Today is a good day to stay for the bloopers and have a good laugh. Let's spread some joy.

Image found at pinterest.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Potluck

Today is one of those days. The week weighs heavy, there's still so much to do, and all I want to do is lay in bed. It's a shared feeling. Many of us are complaining. The energy is slow and heavy. We are tired, we are bored, we are stressed. I hear it. I say it, too. This is what we are sharing. Yet, I am not coming out of this funk by complaining. The more I whine, the more I feel it. I am not helping others either. I feel the negativity and pessimism. But then I ask, what am I bringing?

Today is a good day to bring something else, something other than our feelings about what is wrong, what has us run-down, overworked, overtaxed, burned out, tense, anxious, sick, and worried. This is a potluck in which we share a bit of what we all bring. I'd like to have something uplifting, morale-boosting, inspiring, hopeful, fun, and encouraging.

I realize that once we are in a funk, it is not that easy to put on a smile and change our mood. But there is a way of changing our mood subtly, but surely. We do so by shifting our attention from what is wrong to what we are thankful for. Let us pick something we are grateful for, anything, and focus on that. Let us change our energy and bring that with us. Let us share something good.

Image found at daisyyellowart.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

It's a boy!

I have learned so much through my son. When I was 26 weeks pregnant, about 15 years ago, the doctor asked if I wanted to know, boy or girl? I said, sure. He then showed me two little legs on the image on the sonogram monitor's screen and this in between, he said, is a penis. It turns out that hospital policy didn't allow him to actually say boy or girl. He also couldn't point to a congenital halo of wisdom, an aura of patience, equanimity and understanding that my son would be born with.

I was overjoyed. It's a boy! It's a boy! It's a boy! To know he was a boy was to name him, to relate to him, to start to know him. When he was born, he was considerate, kind, and soft-spoken. He still is. He teaches without preaching. He just is. And it is in being who he is that I learn the biggest lessons.

In learning that he was a boy, I started thinking about everything I wanted to teach him, the ideas I wanted to pass on to him, what I wanted for his life. Yet, he is teaching me to see him, to really see him, without putting my interpretation of him on him, my aspirations, and my hopes. He is also teaching me to see others the same way, without judgment, preconceived notions, and expectations. My relationships are so much richer for it. In allowing others to be and not demanding that they fill my expectations, I am delighted by what I find in them and amazed by what I receive from them.

He's a boy. No, now he's a young man. As I think about this I think about how tempting it is to fill a list of presumptions, of a certain protocol to life that a boy, a young man, a girl, a young woman, a man, or a woman, must satisfy. This, however, creates pressure on people, the one expected from and the one with the expectations, and it can strain relationships. Seeing others as they are allows for deeper understanding and harmony in our interactions and relationships and yields a more rewarding exchange. Today is a good day to see others without our wants, needs and conditions before our eyes. Let us see others the way they are. Let us see others and not our thoughts about them. What gems, what light, what new insight might we discover by doing so. Let us be surprised, let us free ourselves of the heaviness of our thoughts about others and feel ease by seeing them as they really are.

Image found at colormedecals.com.

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.


Friday, May 20, 2016

Bad thoughts, bad luck?

We live in a time in which positive thinking and positive psychology are widespread, common and popular. Combined with ideas about how our thoughts create our reality, we may become troubled by automatic thoughts that are negative, worrisome, critical, and anxious, afraid that these thoughts may jinx us somehow, change our luck or doom us. This is not true, just as positive thoughts alone will not bring us out of an unlucky streak.

Fear not. Our negative, fearful, angry, and distressed thoughts do not suddenly turn into reality. For that to happen we need to involve our feelings, emotions, thoughts and behavior in a consistent way.

When we find ourselves in a funk and can't seem to break our negative or pessimistic thought patterns, we can help ourselves by performing an act of kindness or generosity. Anything we do that is contrary to those thoughts will short-circuit that energy and change its direction. Deep cleansing breaths can help us too by clearing the fog and allowing us to choose other thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviors.

We can also add journaling to our daily practices. Journaling is a great way to release what we are afraid of, worry about, makes us angry, disappoints us, hurts us, offends us and causes us mental pressure in a safe place in which we are not judged.

Today is a good day to let our negative thoughts be. Let us acknowledge them and let them go. Our thoughts our not our commands until we add intention, heart, passion, energy and action to them. Breathe. All is well.
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© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Cannonball

There is a Russian idiom that translates into "To shoot out of cannon into sparrows". I thought about this today as I angrily pondered whether to post on my son's school blog how frustrating it is to communicate with any of their personnel in the administrative offices. I have been waiting for over three weeks for a return call regarding a duplicate charge made on my credit card. I have left several messages. I thought that since they will not return my calls, a post on the school's blog would force their response. These public displays of frustration get reactions from school personnel, especially if they have to do with finances. I am glad I thought better, though, and didn't display my anger and dissatisfaction. My son has another four years in this school. If I cannonball my way to get a response, I may do more damage than good.

To shoot out of cannon into sparrows is to destroy, to do collateral damage that may ultimately ruin any solution or other possibility.

Knowing ourselves, understanding ourselves, opening up our perceptions, aligning our values and beliefs with our thoughts and actions helps us to respond congruently, lessening our angry and hurtful reactions to situations in our lives. We achieve this congruence through mindful practices and meditation. We reach clarity of thought. We reach congruence. We develop deeper intuition and understanding. Our reactions are minimized and our responses are equable, even-tempered.

When we shoot out of a cannon, such as when we scream at our children, bully or shame others into doing what we want, force issues to get a particular result, venomously manipulate or lie, coerce, physically break or throw things to make a point, and other rough and hostile reactions, we destroy relationships, our surroundings, and our bodies, and possibilities for solutions, creation and healing.

Today is a good day to take a few minutes to focus on our breath, in silence. Just a few minutes today. We can do it again tomorrow. And then the day after. Let us create a habit of quietly going within. Meditation will help us respond proportionately to perceived grievances, reach a level of equilibrium, and a healthier state for our bodies, minds and relationships.

Image found at creativeartstudio.com.

© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Good old times

We need to go back to a time when things were simpler, when values were different, when we did things a different way. I have heard many versions of this statement from different people in response to or as part of a conversation on today's version of the world. The focus is on crime, family values, diversity, social media, kids growing up too fast, rampant drug use and more of today's woes. I have surprised some people when they have asked me if I agree. I don't. I don't think going back fixes whatever it is we think is wrong with the world today.

Change is. (Read: Change is period.) It is. It's constant, inevitable and necessary. Our resistance to it stunts our growth and makes us miserable. Yearning for a good feeling we had in the past keeps us stuck and keeps us from doing something in the present. We have created our present world with every decision we have made in the past. Going back does not guarantee us peace and wellbeing. But making decisions that will transform us into the best versions of ourselves can transform our communities into better, more peaceful, open-minded, humane, generous, kind, empathetic, and compassionate, positive action-filled reflections of what we want the world to be. The decisions we make begin where we are now. Memories are good, but we are not there any longer. We can only begin where we are. We can only begin with what we have now.

Today is a good day acknowledge what is, what we have and where we are. The past we seek no longer exists. The good old times can be the good now present. Let us bring our minds and our spirits here, this moment, in gratitude, awareness and hope. Let us do good, here, now.


© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Zoom out

When I looked in the mirror and realized what I had done, it was too late. I had over-plucked my eyebrows. I now had eyebrows from the 1920's and looked like Mommy Dearest after filling them in with brow powder. This is what happens when you look at yourself in a 10x magnifying mirror. We see wrinkles, hair where it shouldn't be, freckles we hadn't noticed, spots on our skin, things that normally don't bother us because they are part of a bigger picture. We see all this hair to be plucked out, only to notice it wasn't that bad once we zoom out. We also see that that hair had a purpose.

And so it with situations in our life. We make decisions based on what we zoom into without considering other factors. We focus on what we are feeling at the moment, on an inconvenience, a let-down, a deal gone bad, a moment of bad luck, a missed opportunity, a mistake we've made, misunderstandings. We also focus on a good time, what seems to be a great opportunity, a bargain on an investment, feelings of infatuation, an exciting idea. We miss the forest for the trees. We make choices that clash with our dreams, goals, relationships, wellbeing, and our life's work.

Today is a good day to zoom out and see the interplay between what we consider good and bad, easy and difficult, hairy and barely-there. Let us not react emotionally to what is happening in the moment. Let us step back and see the whole picture. We can then see the purpose, meaning, and proportions of the elements in our life. This allows us to make choices that are congruent with our whole being and the totality of our experience. Let us zoom out and see that it all looks better that way.

Image found at capekaleidoscopes.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Summer is coming

Around here, we throw this phrase around often. At our home, summer is coming means we plan for tighter writing schedules, stash summer survival food, plan for movies we've wanted to watch, make plans with friends and family, and plan our vacation and summer travel, among other things.

For me, though, summer is coming is less defined, more subtle, and very certain. The light comes in through the windows a bit sooner each day, a bit brighter. It stays longer, too. The light is coming in earlier each morning making everything vivid, joyful, worthwhile. But the light has come, I remind myself. Regardless of what the sun is doing this time of the year, I want to remember that the light has come. It is here throughout the year, throughout time. As summer approaches and days get complicated, we get complicated, down even. Remembering that the light has come means that this too shall pass – the early mornings, the long hours, the overwhelming schedules, the constant mending of misunderstandings, the deadlines, the endless to-do list, the short tempers. The light has come means that all is well, in spite of what our senses and our moods tell us. The light reminds me: all of our blessings come with responsibilities, it is all good, Love is here, Bounty is here, we are on purpose. The light has come means we are loved, guided and protected, always.

Summer is coming. But the light has already come.


"The light has come." ~ A Course in Miracles, Lesson 75

Image found at bethsawickie.com. 
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, April 29, 2016

FOBI

Road rage. Why does he drive that way?  My son asked about a man who was driving with no sense of logic and obvious anger. The man was a bully on the road. He used his vehicle as an instrument of aggression and intimidation. Mom? He was waiting for my answer. FOBI, I said. Fear of being insignificant.

FOBI is a very existential fear. We fear dying. More to the point, we fear dying having been insignificant. I think of what Irvin Yalom has written about the myth of specialness, about the defenses we build to protect ourselves from that fear. In response to that fear, we build defenses to give ourselves meaning, self-worth, and a sense of power. We don't know ourselves well enough and so we look for validation outside of ourselves. We force that validation in many unhealthy and maladaptive ways. Yet if we become aware and remember who we are, we realize that nothing others do can take away from us. Nothing. If we become aware and remember who we are, we find our meaning, worth and power. We find our significance. We minimize our fear.

Road rage is not the only way in which we manifest our FOBI. We act out of FOBI, knowingly and unknowingly, when we terrorize others for their different beliefs, when we try to subdue others through violence, when we punish others or seek revenge, when we are dishonest in order to gain an advantage, when we censure, discredit, defame or do not give due credit to others, and many other ways in which we we act out of pride and ego.

Let us take a few moments today to go within. Let's be still. Let's be quiet. Let us listen. We will die, someday, eventually. But, when we do, we will not die insignificantly. We have meaning and significance. We have a purpose and we are important. Let us be aware of that. Let us act from that place of knowing.
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© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Alchemy, the art of change

I cannot do wheel pose. That is a fact. For a long time it frustrated me. I became disappointed with yoga. I grew tired of trying and what could have been something good for my body and my spirit, became a difficulty, a hindrance, a limitation. That was so until I let it go. Then everything changed.

I still am not able to do wheel pose. It turns out the structure of my shoulders does not allow for it. But it does allow for so many other poses. My yoga practice became something else, something wonderful,  when I released my insistence on what should be, my resistance to what is. Everything changed, even if nothing didn't. That is alchemy. It begins with willingness. It begins with releasing resistance.

Alchemy, psychological and mystic, abides in an absence of resistance, allowing knowledge, guidance, inspiration and synchronicity in. It changes everything, even if nothing changes. Yet, everything does. We change. Our perception changes and expands allowing for deeper wisdom and understanding.

Resistance is a wall we hit ourselves against. We feel awful when we do. Yet our tendency is to keep hitting the wall. Nothing changes while we do. We don't change. We don't grow. We become stuck behind that wall. Nothing flows. Our energy, our frames of mind, our creativity, and our productivity become stagnant. There's a physical, psychic and emotional blockage. When we resist, we don't progress, we don't learn, we don't grow, we don't enjoy.

Resistance creates anxiety and anxiety creates inflammation in our bodies and in our emotional systems. Willingness, though, releases the anxiety. It allows us to flow. We move. We regenerate and enliven. We change. Everything changes.

Today is a good day to alchemize an issue we have been resisting. Let us be willing for it to be, whatever it is. In doing so, we allow it to change. Let us release our resistance to the state of the economy, the course of the industry we work in, that our children have minds and beliefs of their own, that there are certain things we cannot do, a loved one's homosexuality, the death of someone we love, the changes we have to make to be healthier, to forgive someone who has hurt us, to apologize for something we have done, to make amends, the next step to meet a goal, learning something new, forging al alliance, doing something awkward, to make a commitment, letting go of a bad habit, starting a new exercise program, meditation, change. From resistance, to willingness, to alchemy – our perceptions change, our thoughts change, our circumstance change, we change, everything changes.

Image found at radiovalencia.fm.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

The notch

There's a little notch on a wall in my dressing room that serves me just fine when I want to hang up my small towels or any small fabric item. However, many times as I walk by it, I catch my elbow on it...and there goes my mood. Scraping myself on something I know is there feels so clumsy and foolish. I get mad. I know it's not that big a deal, but, in the moment, I react with such harshness. I then get mad at my reaction. I get hung up on such a minor incident.

We do. We get hung up on things that scrape us – our image, our ego, our self-esteem. We get hung up on things that happened this morning, yesterday, a week ago, year's ago. We get hung up on things that really do not matter. And we stay hung up. Hung up, we do not move forward. We stay. We become stagnant.

Today is a good day to release ourselves from the notches that we have hung ourselves on. Let us be mindful of the present moment. Let's keep moving. Let us be productive and creative. If we scrape ourselves along the way, let us heed the lesson and let it go, let ourselves go.
Image found at mandalaoftantricsymbols.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Shadow forms

When I was a little girl, my parents used to take us on weekend trips to the beach on the westside of this island. They would rent a cabin or we would stay at a hotel. These were fun trips. Except at night. Though I have never had problems falling and staying asleep, on some of these trips I would wake up in the middle of the night and stay up for a while, motionless on the bed with my big eyes open in the pitch–dark. On one particular trip we took when I was around six years old, I woke up while we all slept. I stayed on my bed. With the little light that was coming from under the door, I saw a shape on the floor. It was pudgy, arched, with four legs, and a tail. It was a giant rat. I was terrified. I was frozen in place by fear. I kept staring. Hoping, wishing, praying that it wouldn't jump up to my bed and eat me. And then I heard I sound. My heart stopped. It was my dad. He woke up, got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, guided by the same little light coming from underneath the front door to the room. He walked right by the rat. It was all too much for me.

He closed the door. There stood the rat. Time ticked. And then the door to the bathroom opened. The light was on. It shined on the rat. But it wasn't a rat. It wasn't even alive.

There are so many unpleasant and fearful things we imagine, and there are so many unpleasant and fearful things we ignore from our own personalities. These unpleasant and fearful aspects of ourselves can be monstrous or not so much. But we will not know until we shine a light on them.

Today is a good day to illumine that which we fear so much. By shining a light on those shadow forms, we disempower the shadow and empower ourselves. You may find that the giant, evil, hairy, scary rat is nothing but a bundle of dirty beach clothes.

Image found at robertwcorkery.wordpress.com.
© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Leaky sounds

I am sitting by myself in this apartment. This apartment subdivides us from other families in the building. And though I am by myself in this space, I am certainly not alone. As I sit here writing, while everything is seemingly calm and quiet, I can still hear the faint sounds of other living spaces in this building. I hear the trickle of water through pipes, the drop of some object on someone's floor, a distant radio. Sounds permeate through the walls. I can't help but think that whatever we do, seeps in some unintended direction.

Whatever we do in one area of our life bears in other areas, whether we intend it or not. Any imbalance will reflect in other areas. Too much of anything is not necessarily good. It lopsides us. We can pretend to keep it together, but at some point we will hear the trickles into other areas of our lives. W
e will feel the thumps. This is so true of workaholism, shopping, religious fanaticism, recreation or any other behavior we take to excess.

The other side of this is that any healing we do in one are or our life will also flow into other areas of our lives bringing us closer to wellbeing. Today is a good day to start bringing balance into our lives. Let us begin by asking ourselves: What areas of my life are impacting the other areas strongly? Is it a healthy impact? Is there a change I would like to make?
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© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Mute

I lost my voice. Don't worry. It's not permanent. I got one of those colds that makes your whole body quake and tremble when you cough. After the third day, my throat became very soar and, at some point, I lost my voice. I have now been without full use of my voice for ten days.

This is very difficult for me. I have classes, speaking engagements, work commitments and a family life. I need my voice. Yet I had no choice but to be quiet for a while. My life was on mute.

After the first few times I tried to speak and made it worse, I heeded. I became quiet. I can be quiet. That is not a problem. But outside of my meditation room, being quite is weird. It feels unnatural. It also feels powerless. Yet after a few days, it wasn't so bad. Being silent gave me bigger eyes, more sensitive ears, a wider heart. I laughed more too.

Today is a good day to be quiet on purpose. Let's look around. Let's see something new. Without our interjection, somehow our senses are heightened for us to perceive more fully. Let's listen more intently without planning a response. Let us listen to more than our own voice. What will we hear? What will we discover? What will we enjoy?

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© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.