Being The Light

by Marianne Williamson -

Be the Light that Gives Others the Permission to Shine:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?  

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. 

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.  

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

marianne.com

The Need to Give

by Caroline Myss -

For the first time in my life I had one of those experiences that I previously have only heard or read about: I went to pay for the two coffees I purchase every Monday morning as I head into my weekly Monday morning meeting. Blair, the man who owns Alchemy (the coffee shop), told me that my coffee had already been “taken care of by a benevolent stranger.”

Even Blair did not know this man who had paid for his own cup of coffee with a $50 bill and then told Blair to “use the rest to treat everyone who comes in here until the money runs out.” Obviously I was one of the people who happened to benefit from the grace of generosity that this man intended to ignite.

There are many expressions of extraordinary grace. 

Generosity does not just strut its stuff in the world of goods, clothing, and charity. These are the easiest expression of generosity because, in many ways, they are the most impersonal. I was very taken by the man who bought my coffee that morning.

I will never meet this man (more than likely), and even on the remote chance that I do meet him, the likelihood that a conversation would come up in which I would discover that he was the one who had left 50 dollars at the Alchemy Coffee Shop on that particular Monday morning.

That this gift was impersonal does not diminish the goodness of heart in the giving by any means.

The impersonal factor presents a very different challenge to us than when we are confronted with acts of personal generosity that actually cost us something (like our time or our patience) or cause us to challenge personal shadow patterns within us that provide us with the rationale we need not to be generous to someone.

We all know what it is like to not want to give to someone, after all. But let’s deal with the hardcore stuff, which comes down to not wanting to be generous to a specific someone. It’s especially a crisis when you think of yourself as a generous individual. Yet every now and again, a person or a situation comes along and something inside of you turns off your flow of this grace of generosity.

If you are really attuned to yourself, you are actually overwhelmed by the effect of blocking the flow of a grace that normally runs through your soul. You feel as if you have just swallowed a bag of stones in an effort to numb highly refined instincts that effortlessly resonate to the vulnerabilities of others.

To consciously withhold any grace generates an implosion in the soul – I am convinced of that. You are choosing to participate in prolonging the suffering of another person when you could have done something – no matter how slight – to have made a positive difference.

I think that is why a choice to withhold grace leaves us feeling so empty, though in the moment we often feel possessed by righteousness, rage, envy, or whatever.

This odd twist in the business of being generous is certainly a curious matter. It would appear that our soul is naturally inclined toward generosity and it falls into a type of anguish when we deny ourselves our inherent capacity to act on that grace.

Another way to say this, perhaps is that we are creatures who are meant to give to each other – and we are meant to receive. In fact, it might be more accurate to say we need to give – we actually need to express our generosity, if only to experience the impact this grace has upon its recipient and how it indeed comes back to us in some magnificent way.

What I’ve learned about the nature of grace is that its signature is one of transformation; that is, a visitation of grace always transforms or moves a person or a situation toward something better.

That visitation comes in more expressions than can ever be enumerated—from a thought that comes into your head that is “out of your usual parameter” of thinking to meeting someone new who happens to be just the right fit for the creative idea you have been working on, to a book falling off the shelf, to a dream that wakes you up, to a car breaking down which, unknown to you, protects you from a drunk driver who would have otherwise hit your car in an upcoming intersection.

I believe that among the many great big huge human fantasies is the fantasy to be cosmically generous. We have it in us to want to change the lives of others in miraculous ways – we really do. Among the many graces that make up the best in us is our inherent need – and I remind you that it truly is a need – to be generous to and with each other.

Think about what you have to give within you that could and really would change someone’s life – and not just now but continuously. 

Truly – list three practical gifts and skills that when shared would change a person’s life forever. Seeing yourself through that lens alone should make you appreciate what a powerful channel for grace you truly are.


myss.com   healyourlife.com

Finding Compassion

by Rev. Judi A. Lynch -

How many times have we found ourselves wondering "How did this happen?" after living through a certain event or witnessing a situation that has gone wrong. After all, we had the best of intentions when it started out. Maybe someone treated you with complete disrespect that was totally unwarranted or you see another soul having their heart broken by someone they love very much.

As enlightened beings it is hard for us to imagine how people can treat others with such disregard. Where is the compassion we are all supposed to have for each other?

There are many people who work in professions where having compassion would seem a requirement for the job. This is far from the case sometimes because of ego. If their ego has not reached the balance point, they can consider themselves far above those needing help. Irrationally thinking that the people they are helping deserve the situation they are in and need someone "better than they are" to save them from themselves.

Some people are taking out their past hurts on those who get in their way. They don"t always realize how their actions are the result of an unhealed trauma from their past. They may think it"s quite humorous or somehow elevates them above the other person in a game only they want to (and know how) to play. They seem to have a paranoia that everyone is against them and they have to strike first.

Every time we experience lack of compassion in another, we have to remember that several things can be at the root cause. 

First, that this person has most likely been hurt by someone else and feels the need to lash out. Secondly that this person has not yet found the balance point in their ego for true understanding of unconditional love. It is something they may not be able to learn in this lifetime and we have to learn not to let it harm our own soul"s growth.

A child comes into this world feeling compassion for other children, animals and even objects that get broken. Growing up they learn and experience many things that can chip away at those feelings of caring about others with the love and respect they deserve.

The hardest thing for us to feel sometimes is forgiveness for the person"s actions and to remember that there is always another soul out there who has been through something much more challenging to forgive.

Reaching out to others who need your unconditional love can help to heal and release the hurt you have experienced. 

When we find the compassion in our hearts to forgive those who lack it, we set our souls free from the hurt and help others to do the same.


esoteric.2hav.net

Let It Be

by Carrie Hart -

The perfection of all things lies not in your judgment of what should be; it lies in your acceptance of what is. And by acceptance, we do not mean apathy and resignation; we mean an active involvement in what is, a joining in but yet within the guidelines of what truly is.

Your goal is not hope, not a denial of things as they are and a wishing for things to be other.

Acceptance is an objective state, a deep and complete understanding that this is the way this moment is, this is how things are, but without judgment that they should have been otherwise.

Now is. You are. All is as it is. And that is the beginning and end to truth.

Life is not about what might be in the next moment; it is about what is right now. And now is the only truth, the only place of action, the only place you ever truly are. And it has a contour, it has its ways. It is as it is and no other.

And if you accept it as it is, without blame or judgment, without criticism and condemnation, without hope that it may change, then it will open to you. It will open in beauty and peace. It will open in wonder.

When this moment opens to you and you fully step in, you will understand its perfection. For at the heart of each moment is a deep beingness, a oneness with all that was, is and will be, for at the deepest heart of this moment, there is no time.

At the very heart of this heartbeat, there is only all. And all encompasses. And all simply is.

Give yourself permission to let things go and let things be. You do not need to fix everything you think needs fixing.

You can let things be, in their disarray, in their uncontrolled states, in their confusion and apparent lack of direction.

You can do things without having a purpose to your action, simply because it crosses your mind to do it. 

You can let other people be as they are, even with all of their so-called faults.

You can allow yourself to be a person who tries new things and inevitably makes mistakes, sometimes big mistakes, in the process of learning.

Life is much easier when you are not a critic and a judge, when you are not on a program of self-improvement with specific goals and deadlines. For what is the end goal, the ultimate purpose of all of your activities? Peace of mind and happiness.

That is what you think love, money and security will give you. And yet they lie before you, ignored and pushed aside, hidden deeply within the folds of this moment. And they ask only that you dip down and become one with the tick of life, to tock of being, the slow and subtle movement of one little moment pushing up against the next.

Yes, yes, let it be. Let it all be as it is. How easy this truly is.

Here is a little prayer for today

I stand quietly and breathe deeply, pulling myself down into this moment just as it is. 

I feel the peace enfolding me. 

I feel the love pouring into me as the moment opens to me, like the heart of a flower unfolding to the sun. 

I drink the sweet nectar of this moment just as it is. 

I feel myself becoming deeply one with all that is, just as I am. 

I am this moment. 

I am each moment that passes, deeply one and connected. 

I am love that transcends time. I am time itself. I am all that is. I am.

carriehart.com

Living Your Authentic Life

by Lynn Banis PhD -

We are hearing an awful lot these days about living an authentic life. It is bandied about like the word empowerment was several years ago. What does it mean anyway and how do you live an authentic life? This article will try to shed some light on both of these questions.

Authentic life - what is it? 

Does that mean my life is not real? Not at all. Everyone's life is real it just may not be reflective of the real you.

We were created to be calm, unstressed, happy, creative, loving, optimistic, open, responsible and flexible but something happens along the path of our lives that makes us put some of those things in a closet and act otherwise.

Just think of a little child. Children are authentic. They call it like they see it. They cry when they are hurt. They laugh when they are happy. They express their feelings readily.

Adults have become reticent and bound by the rules and norms of adult living. Our lives are real but they may not be reflective of who are at in our heart of hearts.

Carl Jung, the famous psycho-therapist once said. "Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart." 

That is where you will find your real Truth - who and what you are. It is in your heart and in your soul. It is your Higher Self - that part of you that is love and light. It is that part of you that is guided by Divine Truth and Wisdom.

How in the world do you find out what your authenticity or Higher Self is? 

A quote from Rumi says it all,

"Let the beauty you love be what you do."

Finding your Higher Self or authenticity takes a lot of inner listening and connection to your heart's desire. It is finding your higher purpose in life. Many of us think that it is finding the career that is fulfilling and right for you but it is much deeper than that. It is finding out who you are.

A good way to start is to make a list of the things you do not want or embody.

Somehow it is easier than identifying what you want. Once you have your list made you can look to the positive of each of the things you have written to give yourself some insight into what you do want.

When you have done that create a statement of what your Higher Self is all about. 

Align that with your values and beliefs and you will have a guide to living authentically. You will find it is not always easy to do. You will also find that it s exhilarating and immensely satisfying.

discoverypointcoaching.com

Discovering the Beauty Within

by Michelle Starkey -

I was recently introduced as a keynote speaker at an event. They read my bio and I was amazed at all the things they said I was. Then I approached the podium and only half-jokingly asked, "Who was that person they were describing just now?"

Throughout life we play many roles as Shakespeare so eloquently describes in his play, As You Like It: "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts...."

When we view the world as a stage (play) or movie, we are able to step back and become the observer. With all this to consider, it's no wonder we become confused as to who we are. Are we all these things that we do? Maybe not, but they are a part of who we are.

YOU ARE POWERFUL!

We realize we have power to shape the world as we would like it through our self-expression. We are constantly expressing ourselves. Self-expression comes from our attitude, mood or state-of-mind and then shows in our external appearance.

Much of it is unconsciously portrayed through our actions. When we recognize and embrace our true power, our world changes. Everyone has access to wisdom and has the strength they need to express it. Who are you?

YOU ARE A SOUL WITH A DIVINE PURPOSE!

Eventually, people ask, What is my purpose on Earth? Why am I here? What's this life for? and so on.

Many times these questions may be answered with more questions: What makes your heart sing? What did you love to do when you were a child?

The answers, which only you can give, may be very simple. And may be the clue to the following statement:

YOU ARE A GIFT TO THE UNIVERSE!

We are all born with gifts inside us. Part of our purpose is to express and share our gifts with others. We receive gifts from the Universe (God, Spirit, Source...) and we give back by sharing with others.

 Sometimes, if we are not expressing ourselves from an early age (like the child prodigy?) or are stifled in childhood by various experiences, we may have many, many gifts lying dormant inside of us!

How many times have we heard about "late bloomers" who began writing, painting, etc. later in life? It's common now for people to change careers several times throughout their lives.

So, look inside yourself and discover the beauty within. You are so much more than you give yourselves credit for. We all are. We have so many gifts to give, so many blessings to share. So go forward and shine your light. Be the change you want to see and most important of all, be who you really are!

facebook.com/michelle.starkey

Reality Shifts From Your Past

by Cynthia Sue Larson -

The provocative statement, "History is written by the victors," draws attention to natural human bias that reframes events according to current views and perspectives.

We can feel strengthened by the way we mentally review our past and as simple an idea as reflecting upon how much better things are now than they might have turned out can tremendously improve our ability to prosper through a heightened sense of confidence and commitment, as one study reports this month how looking back is key to moving forward.

"Nothing changes more consistently than the past; ... the past that influences our lives is not what actually happened but what we believe happened."--Gerald W. Johnson

A book I read this month, The Imposter, is written from precisely this kind of counterfactual reflection, telling the story of how a young man who ran away from home as a youth mastered some important life lessons that helped him overcame drug addictions and a variety of other negative life situations.

Sometimes we can look back at reality shifts we have experienced in our lives and see how things turned out better because of the shift. 

While I was writing this newsletter, I took a break to make dinner while alone in the house. I had just put a macaroni and cheese casserole in the oven, when I noticed the front door was wide open, inviting sunshine and a fresh breeze but I had left it closed and locked.

I could hear voices of my daughter and her friend outside. I said, "Hello!" to them, and turned away from the front door to wash my hands. When I turned back around, I saw the front door was closed and locked... so I opened it and looked outside, but saw no sign of anyone.

I wondered to myself, "Where did they go?" as my telephone rang and I received a call from a friend wondering if I had time to talk. I replied "Yes," marveling quietly that I had just finished making dinner, and was still alone in the house.

My friend and I talked for about twenty minutes, until my daughter arrived, which turned out to be just long enough for me to hear all about the wonderful book on angels my friend has just written.

I asked my daughter and her friend if they had arrived home about twenty minutes earlier and opened the front door, and they said they had not been anywhere near the house at that time.

The thought occurred to me that I had experienced a reality shift in which I caught a glimpse of another possible reality that showed itself to me like a truncated branch on a tree of possibilities.

I had heard my daughter arrive home twenty minutes earlier... but then it was clear she had not arrived yet and I had a chance to talk with my friend on the phone before my daughter actually appeared.

Observation of reality shifts is necessarily an exercise in noting changes in the past. 

If we didn't remember things being very different, we would not notice reality shifts at all. We would not be surprised, for example, if suddenly our keys were in a place they had not been before, because we wouldn't remember them being in any other place.

There is a possibility in some reality shift experiences that our ability to reframe our memory of what or where something was can greatly influence physical reality. The important question thus becomes: Do we literally change our past, simply by changing our memories?

When I encounter this kind of reality shift, I find myself wondering, What if all possibilities exist together simultaneously in many parallel worlds, all being tried at once by our consciousness which selects the one path which is agreed to have the most value?

I sense at such times that there seems to be an organizing force afoot!

Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud noted how suggestible people can be to envisioning entirely different pasts in psychotherapy sessions, and now, many decades later, psychologists observe that on average, about 25% of a randomly selected group of adults will readily change their view of the past without consciously being aware they are doing so after having been provided with prompts suggesting possible early childhood memories.

The field of advertising benefits from fond imagined memories when it attempts to remind us of happy moments in our past that we previously had never remembered, and such ads can occasionally be seen in TV and print ads.

There is a striking similarity between imagining something and remembering something, since similar parts of our brains operate in both cases.

Studies have shown that people who practice something only using mental visualization and imagination can improve as much as those who physically practice, as the connection between our imaginations and our physical bodies is very strong.

Asking yourself what part of your past could benefit from being reviewed more positively with a view to recognizing ways you grew into being a better person can greatly enhance your prosperity and well-being.

There is healing possible to you now, in the form of simply asking this question.

realityshifters.com

Conscious Stillness

by Peggy Black -

It is within the moments of stillness that balance is restored. In the future days as the energy flooding your earth increases, those who walk this timeframe will experience much chaos and the seeming out of balance of daily and global events.

It is most important to develop the skill of maintaining your personal balance in the midst of these difficult and changing times. We invite you to make a practice of stillness, be quiet for a few minutes several times a day.

As you practice and use this simple tool, it will become easier and quicker to reach your state of balance. Stillness allows your body/ mind/ emotions/ spirit to realign.

When you notice you are feeling the most stressed, the most harried, that is truly the time to pause, become quiet and reset. 

 Practicing conscious stillness

This practice keeps your circuits open for guidance. This will become as natural as your breath and you will carry a balanced energy field which will assist you in your personal interface with life experiences and it will assist the global matrix, the global energy field to resonate a state of balance.

Like all things in the hologame, this practice of stillness will shift the whole. 

 Small simple dedicated actions infused with joy, gratitude, and appreciation will ripple outward from your life, shifting and transforming all other energy it touches.

You and others who practice conscious stillness will offer an example, a safe harbor and a balanced frequency for others to entrain and resonate with. Your numbers will increase as you offer balance to the energy fields you interact with in your daily activities.

We encourage you to practice conscious stillness. This exercise will open many more doors of awareness for you and strengthen your connection with your guidance.


morningmessages.com

Purification of Heart and Actions

by Joseph Naft -

Every major religion and path addresses the requirement of purity of heart, purity of action. Impurities literally bar our entry to the higher realms. But what are these impurities? If they are in my heart and in my will, are they not a part of me?

How can I become purified in heart and will? 

A whole gallery of nasty thoughts and petty emotional reactions course through my mind and heart. Do I need to somehow stop all that? Is that even possible? If I am impure, how can I purify myself? Won’t there always be some taint? Isn’t impurity inherent in dealing with this imperfect world? Isn’t life full of tradeoffs, so that nothing is totally pure?

If we truly aspire to open to the depths, these and other questions about purification cannot be ignored. Yet confronting them presents such difficulties that we take every opportunity to avoid them.

The first thing to remember is that it is not all up to us to do the purifying. 

The Christian model says that through grace we are forgiven our sins. In Buddhism, final enlightenment comes as the ultimate letting go of attachment, and all the remaining fetters drop at once, revealing the spotless purity of being.

In both representations, a willingness to be purified, repentance and equanimity, enable the purification to come. The general principle is that, for each level, the higher purifies the lower.

This willingness to be purified grows gradually in us as a result of all our spiritual efforts. 

We become wary of succumbing to the temptations offered after we make an effort: temptations to rest on our laurels, to enjoy the self-aggrandizement of increased energy, to strut and brag about our practice, to compete with our fellow seekers and be jealous of their progress, to follow a fast with overindulgence, to fall into extremes and disregard the middle road of moderation in all things, to look only outward or only inward instead of both.

We stand ready to be purified — except for our own unique set of special attachments, such as certain resentments and grudges, a propensity to angry outbursts, self-pity, self-glorification or self-loathing, laziness or avarice, worry and hurry, a surfeit of doubting or a naïve readiness to believe, strongly held opinions or weak-kneed vacillation, arrogance or timidity, stubbornness or refusal of commitments and whatever else lurks in our personal psychological menagerie.

True willingness to be purified means the willingness to not be attached to any of our personality traits, the willingness to let them go, to not be ruled by them, to stop looking to our thoughts, emotions and the momentum of our life experience as who we are, to come from a deeper place instead, to see the stream of thoughts, emotions, assumptions and reactions without floating away in it.

Perhaps you have known someone who struck you as a simple person, simple in the sense of guileless with nothing to hide, harmless with no one to hate, content with nothing to grasp, happy with nowhere to go and childlike with maturity earned.

The spiritual path leads to simplicity:

The simplicity of presence here and now, of action directed by the intuitive and immediate wisdom of conscience, of a loving and joyful heart untroubled by the chains of time, ruminating thought or emotional reaction. Simplicity is purity.

Several stages delineate the path of purification. 

Early on, we may need to actively engage against our destructive habits of body, mind, and heart. As our contact with consciousness grows, clearly seeing our patterns of attachment weakens their sting, their sway over us. Drop by drop, the murky waters of our psychology are distilled and cleansed. The mud sinks and settles to where the winds and currents rarely disturb it.

As we open to higher energies, our mind, heart and will gradually grow transparent to motivations in accord with kindness and wisdom, supplanting the detritus of egoism and guiding us through the thickets of life's many dramas and dilemmas.

Laughter and tears still accompany the ebb and flow of life but leave fewer traces, as the tar of identification gives way to the air of freedom.

We may pray for purification and we struggle to see wasteful and disruptive patterns.

In the end we must choose whether to keep ourselves living in a narrow-hearted way or give ourselves over to enter our place in the Great Heart of the World.

innerfrontier.org

The Duality Dilemma

by Dr. Sheri Rosenthal - 

As an ex-physician and scientist, I find it exciting to see spirituality and quantum mechanics physics melding into one in recent years. Of course intellectually we can acknowledge they have always been one -- in the same way that we can all agree that duality is simply illusion.

However, as much as we can understand the concept of duality and discuss it at dinner parties and such, we still find it hard to not be attached to its existence in our daily lives.

Werner Heisenberg, one of the founding fathers of quantum mechanics (remember the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?) and Nobel Prize winner (for physics in 1932) once said:

"The common division of the world into subject and object, inner world and outer world, body and soul is no longer adequate."

As spiritual warriors, how do we see this powerful observation?

Today, more than ever, I feel we have a clear understanding that these divisions exist solely within the conceptual structure of our minds. 

Indeed, we possess the ultimate power and capability to eliminate those divisions and change our reality.

However, if we do not take the action to embrace our birthright of infinite awareness, we will live and die in an illusion feeling victimized by the “outer world” and life circumstances.

We can say that the pain we experience in life is the result of our attachment to duality and our lack of awareness of its non-truth.

The key to effectively dealing with duality is in engaging our awareness in both the way we think, and in the way we use the word to create our reality. 

It is extremely common for us to speak using judgmental words which create separation without awareness. We say things like:

• I had a terrible day today
• or That person was so irritating
• or The president is such an idiot! 

Not only are these statements common examples of our lack of awareness but they are not truth in any sense of the word. A great place to begin understanding how we engage in duality is to practice seeing the world as it is to the best of our abilities.

For example we can re-word those statements above to read as such:

• This day did not meet my mind’s expectations in any way, shape or form!  
• or Gosh, I took that person’s behavior personally today and allowed them to bother me 
• or I do not feel that the president is taking actions that are serving us and I would take a different action if I were in his place.

Can you see the difference between both sets of statements?

The first set makes it seem that we are the victims of life and contains judgments perpetuating duality. The second set of statements shows responsibility for ones perception and is simply stating what is from one's personal point of view.

To be even clearer -- there is no right or wrong and there is no such thing as them and me -- as Werner Heisenberg is sharing in his famous statement above.

I hope you also notice that the second set of statements are not emotional in any way, whereas the first set of statements are very emotional.

Remember, if you speak with judgment you will always be creating emotional reactions in both yourself and the person to whom you are speaking to. 

In the end you will not be supporting the oneness of life; instead you will be contributing to further separation and pain.

So are you ready to end your attachment to engaging in duality and meld quantum mechanics and spirituality together in your own heart and mind? 

I encourage you to start doing so right now by practicing re-writing your communications. See for yourself how wonderful the results can be! As always, I wish you the best on your path.

sherirosenthal.com

Timeless True Joy

by Joseph Naft -

 Joy transcends all boundaries. 

Clouds cannot hide the sun forever; joy eventually breaks through. We discover joy in our friendships, in nature, in loving our family, in spontaneous humor, in delicious food, in meaningful and interesting work. In coming to know joy, we find the important distinction between pleasure and joy by examining their relationship with time.

Pleasures always remain time-bound and fleeting, whereas joy transcends all boundaries. 

Pleasure often contains its opposite, as we dread losing the moment or the object of pleasure or we desire more -- a grasping laden with suffering. Standing as its own timeless quality, joy has no opposite.

In the spiritual path, we may enter true joy that can suffuse our entire life, creating a continuing background of natural and buoyant happiness. Such joy develops gradually over the years of inner work, although we may experience intense flashes of it.

As our contact with the eternal source of joy grows, we relinquish our fears of the inevitable end of every time-bound moment of pleasure, appreciating pleasures as they come, eschewing the endless quest for pleasure and transforming pleasure into joy.

The source of joy works both through and beyond our material pleasures. Even in the midst of pain, joy remains itself.

The simplest, most ordinary moments can reveal the spirited glow of a joyous world unbound. As our presence deepens, the veils of our perception grow translucent even before they dissolve altogether in our maturing soul.

The consuming fire of total-hearted prayer and the hidden worlds of meditation bear unimaginable joy, surpassing all material pleasures. 

From those points of entry, joy works its way into the fabric of our life.

Though sometimes considered a joyless enterprise, the spiritual path affords true joy where there was little or none. A few moments ecstasy in a lifetime of labor do not approach the ever-growing joy nurtured through persistent spiritual practice.

Even a small portion of transformation, a slight loosening of the bonds of egoism, widens our context of spontaneous joy in life, in work, in family, in friends, in nature and in the Source of all joy.

innerfrontier.org

Clearing the Path

by Gabriel G. Gibson -

The power of forgiveness is by far one of the most powerful laws within this universe. It has the power to heal relationships, bodies, minds and souls. It has the power to heal your family, your friendships, your love life, and the planet as a whole.

Holding a grudge or resentment towards someone (consciously or unconsciously), and harboring it within yourself will only cause you pain and block the Law of Attraction from bringing you types of things that you want in life.

Any sense of ill will or bitterness held towards someone or something is simply taking useful energy away from your own power to create and manifest your dreams.

Even when you have a tremendous vision and you focus much of your attention and passion on attracting a certain circumstance in your life, it is often a secret or hidden grievance towards someone or something that will act as a roadblock between you and your creations.

It is no joke. Not only can a lack of forgiveness block you from your desired manifestations, it can harm your life experience in other ways as well, not just in quality of life, but in your physical & mental health as well.

So what is the key for washing away bitter resentments and clearing the path of energy so that all your manifestations will show up for you as you intend? 

Forgiveness. Forgive and let go. Forgive and let go. Forgive and let go.

Benefits of Forgiveness

Forgiveness clears a way within your body, mind and consciousness and frees up blocked energy along the way. This energy, once freed, translates into more creative power and vitality with which to manifest your dreams.

Through forgiveness, you actually become a more powerful creator because you free yourself and your focus from the past so that you can apply your power to creation in the now. You become a being with more energy to use in your manifestations and applying the Law of Attraction.

Beyond the practical benefits of forgiveness as it serves you in deliberate creation, or making conscious use of the Law of Attraction, you will be a happier and more joyful person in every area of your life.

Your light will have opportunity to shine forth from the well within you.

Happier people tend to attract happier circumstances and relationships. Joyful hearts serve as a magnet for joyful experiences. If there is anyone or anything in your life that has been causing you to hold a grudge or resentment, I urge you to do some soul searching within yourself to determine exactly who/what is causing in you.

Commit to Allow

Make a conscious decision that you will be forgiving your creations (what you have attracted into your life.) Forgive the people, forgive the circumstances, and even forgive yourself. It may take some practice, it may take some quiet time, it may take some prayer...or it may only take one instant.

Sometimes a single moment in the active side of eternity is all it takes to bless your entire life.

Regardless of what it takes, commit yourself to this goal of deeply and completely with all your heart and allow the energy of forgiveness to bless you within and all of your creations without.

Facing Your Truth

by Jennifer Hoffman -

As your awareness of yourselves as spiritual beings grows, you see the human side in a different way and your awareness of your truth is expanded.

This can often include the things you do not like about yourselves because you now see the areas where you lacked faith or did not use your power.

Sometimes resolving your humanity in the face of your spirituality can seem like an impossible challenge. How can you change what you don't like and become more of what you want when there seems to be so much of what you don't like?

How do you face your own truth and use that information to your benefit?


The truth you see may be a lack of love, abundance, great fear or confusion. It may be a lifetime of powerless choices, a lack of joy and harmony or of not receiving what you want or need from others. You may see where you made the same choice again and again, despite your spiritual knowledge and understanding. You may see the difficulties you experienced and how you created them. 

The truth that Creator sees is your perfection, the choices you made on a soul level to learn lessons of compassion, power and unconditional love for yourselves and for others.


The truth is revealed to you when you are ready to see and transform it. 

It comes to you as a reminder of where you were not standing in your power, were in fear or doubt or forgot your own divinity. It is not there to remind you of your imperfections, although that is what you might see. 

This is where you can find the perfection in the perceived imperfections, the rose among what may appear to be a pile of thorns.

It is a very powerful realization that can free you from lifetimes of experiences in which you wanted to learn the lesson of truth. When you can see the truth you are ready for the awareness of your power. 

The truth of your past is not the truth of your present moment. The truth is revealed when you are ready to resolve your lessons and create new realities.


When the truth is revealed be gentle with yourselves. 

It is not your conscious choice to be powerless; it is your lesson to accept your power. It is not your conscious choice to be in fear; it is your lesson to reconnect to Source and unconditional love. That is the Truth of who you are and when you see it you are ready for the knowledge that truth brings. 

This is the moment that sets you free from the past, from fear, from doubt and into the peace that passes all understanding. 

The truth is there for you to see and to acknowledge so you can learn from it. 

Then you are able to use your power in a new way to create a new reality. This how the truth sets you free and when you do this for yourselves you create a vibration of truth for all of humanity to experience and learn from!

urielheals.com

Experiencing the Extraordinary

by Gina Lake -

Some things matter too much to the ego, and this is a source of unhappiness, things like performing perfectly, looking a certain way, having certain things and so on.

The flip side of this is that many of the little things that actually turn out to matter, especially to true happiness, are overlooked and underrated by the ego.

Most of the turning points in our life came about as a result of something that didn't seem to matter at the time:

• a phone call from a friend who happened to tell us about a spiritual teacher coming to town; 
• an invitation to a party where we met our true love; 
• a summer job that got us started in our career direction; 
• a friend inviting us on a trip, which changed us in some way; 
• reading a book that put us on a particular path.

Life-changing experiences come out of what seem to be small and insignificant occurrences.

Most of the things that bring us the greatest satisfaction happen as a result of something small: a phone call, a meeting, finding out about something, seeing something. Life happens—it comes out of the flow—and the seemingly insignificant and ordinary moments are part of that.

If we aren't paying attention to these small things and following our intuition about them—going to that party, pursuing that interest that was sparked, finding out more about something—we might miss out on experiences that we would consider important and meaningful.

Small things matter for another reason. 

Often the only thing that is going on is something "small," and if we take our mind's word for it and see the ordinary moments of life as unimportant, extraneous, boring, or even wrong, we'll miss out on the opportunity for joy that they offer.

When we give our attention fully to the ordinary things in life—drying our hair, walking the dog, going to the store, driving somewhere—we discover the extraordinary in them.

We discover that ordinary moments have the same potential for happiness as extraordinary moments.

The extraordinary moments—when our child is born, when we land our dream job, when we fall in love, our wedding day—are rare and quickly fade. The elation of those moments can't be sustained.

If we are waiting for life to feel like that all the time, we'll be waiting a very long time. But right here and now in this moment, it's possible to be content with whatever is happening simply by giving it your full attention.

When you become lost in whatever you are doing, you feel content, at peace and whatever you are doing becomes a source of beauty and gratitude.

The real miracle of life is that every moment is just as precious and has just as much potential for happiness as every other moment. 

Experiencing this happiness is largely a matter of recognizing this great truth. The mind discounts most moments, and that discounting prevents us from discovering the potential happiness in some small act or experience.

The belief that something doesn't matter and can't make us happy is a self-fulfilling prophecy: when we believe that only some moments are good and valuable, then that becomes our experience.

If we know the truth, however, that ordinary moments are equally valuable, then the preciousness of life and gratitude become our experience.

The truth is that life—every moment—is precious, sacred and when we are aligned with that truth, we are happy and at peace with life. 

When we are not, we are at war with life, which is the state of ego-identification, identification with voice in our head. The difference between being happy and at peace with life and not being happy and not at peace is often just a matter of how we view this moment.

Does this moment seem unimportant and like something you're just getting through to get to some other moment? Or is this moment something to savor, like the most wonderful chocolate, like a sunny Sunday morning, like sitting by a sparkling seaside?

What if you brought that same attention to the more ordinary moments of life and were willing to experience those moments as you do the more extraordinary ones?

The difference between being happy and not being happy is not in what you are experiencing but in the amount of attention and the attitude of preciousness you bring to any moment.

It only seems like what you are experiencing is the cause of happiness. Happiness is our natural state and not caused by anything; it is only obscured by the belief that something isn't worthy of our attention or gratitude. When we give anything our attention and gratitude, we experience happiness in that moment.

Try this out yourself: 

The next time you are feeding your dog, watering your plants, putting the clothes in the washing machine, going to the mailbox, or doing any of the many things we do regularly, get really involved in it, consider it a sacred act, notice anything of beauty about it, recognize the miracle of life that is capable of doing these things and acknowledge your gratitude for being able to have the experience you are having.


radicalhappiness.com

What Is True Love?

by Candace Talmadge -

Want True Love? Define It First:

Most of us search high and low for true love in that one ideal relationship. We struggle over it and with it, yearn for it, craft books, music, and poems about it--all without a clear understanding of what we seek or why we want it so desperately.

We're not even sure what love is. How do we define it?

The definition of love is as unique and as varied as every individual who experiences it. That's a big part of the problem. Love feels different for each person. So how do we tell if the one we love actually returns the favor? After all, our loved one may offer us love that does not quite feel like what we know as love.

To clear up at least some of the confusion, let us establish a basic definition for true love. 

The truest, purest love is unconditional. 

Such love is also the simplest form of love because it has no hooks, no standards, no expectations, no conditions attached to it whatsoever. No complications, no hidden clauses or agendas, no restraints or exceptions.

Unconditional love is true love, and unconditional love is healing and uplifting--the ultimate source of all life. True/unconditional love sustains and nurtures life, joy, peace, and freedom. That is why we look so hard for true love. Deep in our souls, we long to be free, loved and secure.

The very simplicity of unconditional/true love is also the source of its power. 

Lacking all limitations, unconditional love is limitless and endless. 

Unconditional love is simply another way of saying God, the infinite, the divine, the source, known by many names. Every major religion, in fact, asserts that God is love.

Unconditional love--God in other words--is so simple that most of us find it very suspicious if not downright impossible to understand or accept.

We're certain there has to be a catch somewhere, just as we're convinced that some people, somehow and in some way, have done something so horrible or unforgiveable that they no longer merit God's or anyone else's love. Do we damn child abusers? What about terrorists who cause death on a mass scale? Do we condemn corporate polluters? Illegal drug users? Homosexuals? Those of differing faiths or races?

Our personal litany of the unlovable/unforgiveable says far more about the limitations of our love than about anyone else. 

It also shows us that the love we give and receive is constricted and diminished by judgments, standards or expectations. Once we impose even one tiny judgment, standard or expectation on love, it devolves away from being true/unconditional.

Trapped in the painful web of conditional love, we devote our time and energy to looking for love in all the wrong places.

We keep hoping to find true love somewhere--out there--outside of ourselves, in someone else' eyes. But that is not the place to find true love.

Only when we look within will we find what we truly seek--love that heals and sustains us and can even help heal our world!

greenstoneofhealing.com