Choose Accordingly

Life is definitely a journey filled with hopes and fears, yet it remains true that you have never been alone. You are always surrounded, protected and loved. The truth is that you can choose to accept the love that is made available to you every day. You can accept it into your life and allow it to guide you through those dark paths when you feel doubt and alone. It is done through simple conscious choices of asking for help, listening to the help given and being willing to act on the guidance provided. All these things can be done instantaneously inside yourself.

How might guidance be provided?

Once when I was driving somewhere and about to make a right hand turn, a clear message I received felt like someone was shoving up against my right side which could be interpreted as don’t turn right here. I chose to make the turn anyways and drove into a speed trap and not listening cost me a ticket.
Maybe it is a thought that seems to have dropped out of nowhere and lands into an internal debate you’ve been having about decision you are trying to make. It is something that didn’t follow the pattern of thought you’d been having yet it is the perfect solution.
Then there is the perfect stranger that you meet and gives an answer to the very question you had been pondering and they do not even realize what they said or the effect it had on you. Or maybe they suggested a book they really liked that held a special jewel of insight it for you.

How do we become conscious enough that we are hearing guidance in order to act upon it?

Sometimes it is in retrospect that we learn much. In the not acting upon the guidance provided, suffering the consequences, reflecting upon those moments when insight had been given and our clear choice to do otherwise. The feeling of moving away from lightness like a bright flash light upon your path, the sensation of choosing fear or selfishness over love or community, the greed over the gain for all or serving one’s self verse being of service for a greater good. There really is a distinct feel between the two paths of choosing to follow enlightened guidance verse the same old one of selfishness.

During your day give yourself a minute each hour to pay attention to any guidance you may have been given, even take the time to write it down and you will discover over the next week or two that you will have become more conscious of the everyday help available and can therefore choose accordingly.

Be Here Now

Good morning, today is a new day and the first day of the rest of your life. Begin this day a fresh and this new moment free and clear of what was or what could be instead welcome what is here, now. Believing in all the things that are possible is what separates our lives into making these moments possible. How many times have you begun something anew with a fresh spirit allowing the present moment to be that which it truly is limitless and then something changes and you find yourself thinking about what was or what this event could be for the future; thereby, completely missing the present moment. You have to admit we have nothing else to lose except another moment where things are real as are the possibilities to meet them new and afresh. You are worth taking the time and allowing this awareness to grow roots firmly into this breath. Who are now, this day, this breath this moment? Who is the person that sits next to you? Who are they now? Remember that we all have a way and we all have the possibility to be more than the work we do or the roles we play; after all, we each have been born with unique and special gifts that separates us, and it is this gifts that we each need you to share with the world. For the day when everyone steps forward and openly becomes/shares there in born talent and gifts will truly be a frightening and amazing sight. Before it was shared that this possibility is similar to that of an orchestra and the multitude of instruments that join together to make beautiful music, so too are each and every one of us.

Lost in knowing what it is that is your gift that is needed in the orchestra of life? You need not look too far for in you is a place in which we may turn our attention, inward. Each of us may turn our focus upon that which has always been with us and shall always be a part of us, a still ever present knowing that always surrounds and protects us. There are many instructions on how to approach this but perhaps this day we can begin by simply taking the time to focus upon our breath. Just allow your attention to follow the air as you inhale riding along as it travels into your nose, down into your lungs feeling them expand along with your ribs. Now imagine if you will that your breath travels all the way through your legs down out the tips of your toes and down your arms out through the tips of your finger. A breath, clean and fresh full of all the things you need right now, in this moment. Stillness, focus and open awareness or pondering your unique gift(s) that maybe you already are sharing and maybe keep hidden. Sometimes much is gained in taking time to ponder a question and allowing the time need by simply keeping open the wonder of the question asked.

The greatest significance in all of this is to understand that we all need each other and that everyone has something that makes them unique as a person & as their gift to offer up to the world. This is why it matters for you if your neighbor is burdened with the stress of being a single parent or if a child across the world is without food, because we need them and their unique gifts too. That is why taking the time this day, this moment; this breath to be in the present moment is the first day for the rest of your life. Now you can remember that we are all connected and we can step into this day fresh and new with a clearer understanding of the importance of every person we come across every day. We are meant to be here now, are you willing to step into the fullness of the possibilities that your entire life could offer?

Authentic Expression

On black Friday we ventured out at 8 am to pickup something my son had saved up his money to purchase from target. We conveniently got a parking spot right up front in the crowded lot. Our smooth movements through the store made easy without a cart or many things to carry. What struck me made me nauseous. It was bearing witness to all the stuff that people had piled into their carts, some people with more carts than just one overflowing with things. It was the sense that our holiday celebration has become more a celebration of gifts verse the heartfelt connection it once may have been. This made me ponder at what kind of meaning we wanted to bring into our celebrations. One decision we had made earlier was that our gifts would be something from our hearts and that our hands worked at creating. Most of the people in our direct family are cared for and could get for themselves the small items we could have purchased, but what was it that we could create that expressed our love and connection with them. That brought about many hours of contemplating what we might make and for whom we might create gifts. As the process unfolded, it is very interesting how much time we put into creating something ourselves verse when we just purchased something off the shelf. While family may or may not appreciate the wool felted coasters, hand created plates, homemade cookies, knitted dish towels, originally painted works of art, or embroidered towels, the truth was that we had put into the creations a piece of love, light and true expression. In this we discovered the ultimate truth that we wanted to hold highest in this season that can be a whirl wind of stress and chaos, that we choose authentic expression and trust that love is the highest gift to offer and share with those we cherish most dear.

Living an Authentic Life: Starting by Making a Connection

Believe it or not, we are destined for greatness. This leap of expression is something that takes us beyond ourselves and the limitations we have placed there. When we can step out of our limitations driven by ego like competition keeping us separated from the world and its' inhabitants, then we can step onto the path we are asked to walk. When we choose to step into the role we are asked to play in life, things begin to unfold around us in a different kind of way. Surely you must see that we all are unique creatures, each of us have different talents and gifts. It is as a great orchestral requires many of the same and different instruments blending together working toward a common goal for the benefit of all, those that are playing and those that are listening.
There is a balancing act to self discovery or practicing the instrument keeping with the previous analogy, and expression of it while taking into account others. While playing in a group if one instrument plays much louder that another, the fine balance is lost. The player no longer listening to the others may get out of tempo losing the rhythm and the group magic is lost. This happens too if an instrument plays too softly lost beneath the others, or if one has not been taking the time to practice their gifts (instrument) this affects the quality of the entire group. This idea can be taken into our lives where we appropriately share and leave sacred space allowing for the expression of others accepting them in spite of their instrument/gifts, nationality, religion, gender or appearance after all we are all family. All of us down here are brothers and sisters with the same divine parents. Surely you have been able to recognize that this is not a solo journey while sometimes we may feel alone, we truly are relatives with similarities and differences.
The time has come for us to allow space for the differences and those things that define us as unique and individual. While leaving room for what make us individual, it is also important that we then gather those around us in the same city, state, nation, and world together as family. Each of us is special and has a specific role to play in this world wide dance of life, what is it that you can do to break down the bounds that keep you separated from others? How about today, start by simply making it a priority to make eye contact with everyone that crosses your path. It could be the clerk at the store you are shopping, the other person standing in line, the people you pass on the street or standing with in the elevator. Each of these people is living a life time down here with burdens, joys and pains, and is a son or daughter, uncle or aunt, co-worker and maybe even a mother or father. What keeps us separated from befriending them is the illusion of our own lives, the stresses of the future and past. How about taking the opportunity and stepping into the present moment, allowing the veil to fall from your view.
What does it take to connect with another? Perhaps a good place to begin is with interest, a genuine interest in who they are, maybe even how they got there. Things could develop further when we can hold this relation in a sacred space without judgment or expectation, allowed to unfold and reveal to us the connection we were meant to see. Sure, there are those that may not be available for this attention without resorting into the shell of fear but allow them this response, for you would have made a positive impact on them and an investment into their future. It is a form of paying it forward because once you have passed a little of the light, sacred loving attention, they too will be In-spired to pass it on. Sparked from within and receive the spontaneous need to express such a gift towards another and before you know it is love knows no limits. When speaking of love, it is that of the Highest Source of Light for all that is good, beautiful and true.