Sensory Perceptions

by Marlene Buffa - 

Rich with sensory perception, our human experience allows us to take in and assimilate the world around us. Unlike the rainbow portraying the very basics of color schematics, the real world vibrates with a truly unlimited spectrum of possibilities.

Not limited to merely seven colors, we bless our eyes for bringing to us a full-color array that changes with alterations of light and perspective.

Similarly, we bless our Creator for showing us precious bits of digestible life, all the while we fully comprehend that more than we observe and understand exists in our grand gourmet of choices. 

“Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” --Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Le Petit Prince

Our relationships with one another bring far greater depth and complexity than the limitations of sensory observation allow.

Like the grand earth and all its vibrations, those around us –ourselves included – put forth a limited range of who we are, for others to see. 

Now, the two elements of the human equation – what truly exists compared to what our limitations allow us to perceive and what we put forth for others to see vs. their ability to see it – add a doubly variable basis for establishing, forming and maintaining relationships with one another. 

Who are you, really? 

Over the years, various psychological studies hypothesize we use about 10% of our total brain capacity.

That, alone, astounds us by demonstrating we rarely dare to exert the other 90% of our capability.

What comprises that inert 90%? Mystical, elusive and often fearful traits popularly bear the reputation of that unknown brain store. 

The notion of true genius rests in people demonstrating perhaps a larger percentage of brain usage.

What if genius had nothing to do with the filing cabinet of facts and figures, and more to do with connecting to spirit for intuition and understanding of that we do not see using merely the ten percent? 

Additionally, we must also understand that like the limitations of the spectrum of sensory perception and the 10% of human brain usage, who we truly are as a physical being reflects a mere fraction of our true selves as a spiritual being. 

When we consider the wide range of non-physical experiences our soul carries forth, these bodies - or vehicles – merely experience the possibilities limited on the earth plane.

As we ponder our spiritual existence, our mind stalls as the magnitude overwhelms us. Like gazing at billions of stars in countless galaxies, our limited awareness barely comprehends the full breadth of our spiritual truth. 

Understanding the human limits 

Like living within our means financially, we quickly learn that our human bodies constrain us in many ways.

Subject to the limitations of the law of gravity, for instance, mankind overcame his avian desires by building airplanes and other modes of aviation.

The myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus exemplifies failed attempts at human flight independently, at will. 

Similarly, we understand the restrictions of spirit as captured into the human experience. Like seeing birds in flight and knowing that mobility is impossible for us, we get loving glimpses of spirit at work in our life and believe that, too, eludes us.

Thus far, technology sidesteps or never considers the spiritual or invisible component to our earthly experience, and therefore fails to account for the spiritual component at work in human lives each day. 

Multiple ports of entry 

The news media proves effective by using several modes of sensory input to convey a story. For thousands of years, the spoken word prevailed as the primary source of information from person to person, and generation to generation.

Then, somewhere along the timeline, the written word emerged, lending a second component to communication. 

Ever since Gutenberg, the printed word reigned as the staple of information exchange. Five hundred years later (give or take), recorded audio began as Edison brought the phonograph to the general marketplace. 

From there, various regenerations of audio media integrated into our culture and now we enjoy personal systems, satellite television and more.
Researchers over the years learned that the impact of an intended message intensifies when the message is presented using more than one sensory receptor.

That means that if you get your news on television, for example, you see it and hear it. Therefore, the news’ ability to reach you is greater and your ability to receive and remember it, is greater, too. 

Add to the visual pictures, the scrolling bar along the bottom of major news channels, you engage in reading, watching pictures and colors and hearing.

A triple whammy to hit your brain! As of yet, the transmission of smell, taste and touch is not possible, but when that occurs, the retention ratio will skyrocket!

Think of the scratch-and-sniff ads in your favorite magazine. Why did they do that? It wasn’t effective enough to let you see and read about a perfume. Once you see, read and smell, presumably, you’re hooked! 

The illusion of what we perceive. 

In high school, a wise teacher once told our class, “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.”

Looking back, I realize her direction not only addressed the unreliability of gossip and hearsay, or even the media for that matter but also spoke to our interpretive abilities as limited by the human experience. 

Not meaning to second guess or inspire doubt in what we believe we know for certain, let us remember to keep a healthy perspective when taking in information of any sort. Spirit knows no limitation of any kind.

Our higher self recognizes things on more than a physical, human level – it sees what Antoine de Saint Exupéry, says

“is invisible to the eye.” 

The spiritual connection within us, when trusted, acknowledges what is essential – whether or not our ability to perceive it exists.

When our awareness of the illusions comes to light, our ability to thrive peacefully increases along with the connection to Spirit and the Infinite.

We are human beings struggling to move forward in a world with built-in perception restrictions. We are so much more than our human limitations! 

Remember what is essential to you, take a deep breath and trust that your higher self senses all and shows you the truth.

wordsofmind.com

 

Moving Beyond Struggle

 

by Marlene Buffa - 

Struggling. Our culture believes that emerging victorious from a struggle is commendable. The outcome seems irrelevant, yet many times focus is bestowed on the process, rather than the result. 

We look at adversity and challenge ourselves to overcome it. We look at adversity and generate respect and honor to those who rise above it, in spite of all odds. 

Struggle seems to have no limitations: if someone reaches a goal through struggle, we rally around him or her as a hero, a triumphant example of perseverance and persistence. 

When someone is enveloped by struggle and adversity consumes him, we see struggle as the victor and we rally around him or her as a victim. In either case, "struggle," not the individual, remains the radius around which we measure our personal growth.

Yet as we further examine the outcroppings of "success," we find the result of success lies in personal fortitude.

What is fortitude but a different face of faith?

True success and strength lie not in the constant struggle with life, but in the power of knowing that life supports us and the humility to accept the lessons put in our path. 

When I'm faced with a challenge, I take a deep breath and ask myself, "Do I trust God?" Yes. "Do I trust Life?" Yes. 

God didn't put me on earth to get beat up by life. I trust that God intends the best for me and the lessons along the way are just means to an end. 

Sure, I encounter hazards, heartbreaks, even hiccups along the way, but overall, I see these as challenges and choose not to "struggle" my way through them. 

By surrendering the struggle, the worry, the tension, the anxiety and turning the situation over to God for my greater good, my faith rewarded me. 

I found it a LOT harder to hold faith rather than concentrate on struggle. It's mental work. It's work on a soul-level– perhaps the most difficult work we perform. 

When everything I hold dear screams inside of me, "wait - think of what you must endure to achieve this," I turn to the most difficult teacher of all, the power of my faith.

I bought a Christmas ornament last year. Just one. A red sequined "ruby" slipper like Dorothy's in the Wizard of Oz.

This dazzling ornament, alone on my tree, sparkles in the light, reminding me I hold the power all along. 

Like Dorothy's, my slipper represents my ability to use my talents, my mind, my creativity and most of all, my faith to get me through. It's symbolic of faith and most people carry their own symbols with them all along and don’t know how to use it. 

True strength of your character comes not from struggling. Struggling indicates you do not deserve the good things life offers you. 

You feel you must do penance in advance for good to come into your life. If good things in your life constitute your desired results either through struggle or faith, then dare yourself to deserve the good without pre-payment!

Faith and trust. 

Two very difficult concepts for our guarded personas to accept. If you trust God and Life enough to provide for your needs, then struggle is unnecessary. 

Move beyond struggle. Give it up. Release "struggle's" hold on you. It doesn't serve you. Grow into your faith and the fruits of your desires blossom forth. After all, you deserve it! 

wordsofmind.com

Keeping in Tune with Life

by Marlene Buffa -

LIVING YOUR HARMONY:

When asked his favorite instrument, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart responded, "the human voice." Perhaps Mozart considered the voice as God’s authentic expression, while man made instruments, although artfully played, provided simply a conduit through which true music traveled.

When we think about the complexity of singing – either on the level of a Mozart opera or in the shower – we notice the elements involved. The proper pitch, the correct word, held for the exact amount of time in a certain tempo, the articulation of the vowels and consonants and of course, breathing and proper positioning of the tongue all contribute to what we call singing.

When we enjoy our melody almost involuntarily, we enjoy a life which demonstrates the synchronization of our efforts and produces the most pleasing outcomes.

SYNCHRONIZATION ELEMENTS:

Proper Pitch:  

When someone sings off-key, immediately we take note of the distortion. Our minds strive for the correction of the pitch, but the sound comes from another person, so our minds can only repeat what it hears and take note of the dissonance. 

In life, when what we say or how we act no longer resonates with our inner truth, we exhibit discordance. Others experience us as a bit off-key, yet cannot distinguish the vibrational patterns in conflict with our true selves.  

Knowing “something is not right” with our presentation on the stage of life, both the performer and the audience experience disharmony. When we honor our integrity and search within for authenticity, we find perfect alignment in physical and spiritual expression. 

Correct Word:  

Singing involves words and as one of my voice instructors once pointed out, "We sing vowels and transition through the consonants. Have you ever tried to sing a 't'?" One of the difficult things in performing from memory, is to sing the right word.  

Quite often, seasoned artists forget the words to songs they’ve written and performed thousands of times, almost as though in a trance at the time. Suddenly, when the right word escapes him, he fumbles and makes up something on the spot. Each member of the audience understands and may notice the error, yet secretly sends his or her empathy for the memory lapse. 

In life, our word is all we have. We choose the words we speak either carefully or carelessly and those words convey our intentions and our expression. When we attempt to use words that deny us opportunities to glide on the scale through life, we find ourselves stuck on the consonants of dead ends.  

People know us by our actions and the integrity of our word. Keep mindful of the mellifluous flow of consciousness in your words to give the song of who you are meaning and depth. 

Divine timing:  

When American Bandstand asked participants to review a performance, one of the most popular responses addressed the rhythm of the music. "It's got a good beat. I can dance to it."  

Appealing to the studio audience and consequently the viewing audience, the band’s success strummed forward in large part due to its timing – both in meter and cadence, and the appearance on the show. 

When we allow life's timekeeper to keep the beat for our life experiences, we remain in sync with the Infinite. Opportunities surface for us and we choose to either ignore them or recognize the synchronistic happenstance as divine timing.  

Most likely we don't integrate the overall gift in the timing or the circumstance, but when we let go of our scrutiny and simply dance to the music, we find our lives enriched in the most enchanting ways. 

Breathing:  

My voice teachers taught me to breathe. Silly as that sounds, the voice cannot project and make music without the very basic fuel – our breath. One teacher had me lie down on the floor in a fetal position and sing. I protested, insisting that I couldn’t possibly get the sound out - I needed to stand tall. After he demonstrated the proper breathing technique, I learned to release the sound no matter how contorted my body. 

We hold misconceptions of our abilities to express ourselves every day. Thinking we should wait until life's components give us perfection in love, health, money, job, etc., we delay our greatest fulfillment – that of self-expression.  

When we learn that no matter how distorted our external world may be or our perceived role in that world, the true fuel of our being lies deep within us. Dare to learn a different method of taking in and releasing your life force and free yourself from limitation. 

Project your essence to the world and live your harmony!

If all of life is a stage, our performance depends on our ability to read the music of our hearts. To keep in tune with ourselves and with others, it's important we hear and hit the right notes at the proper time so we are interpreted and understood by others.

In addition, when we speak our truth accurately, we glide through life honestly and authentically. Coinciding with life's major and minor experiences, we note harmony achieved through the rhythmic cadence of purpose.

In taking in and letting go of life with our essence, we realize the basic sounds of our soul resides within us, and the composition of our Spirit is indeed life’s most beautiful instrument.

wordsofmind.com

Impacting Your Spirit in the New Year

by Marlene Buffa -

Thinning Your Life:

A new calendar year urges us to set new intentions for the coming twelve months. Often playful, sometimes serious, these resolutions allow us to focus on what we hope to accomplish and also allow us an opportunity to ponder the possibilities we map out for ourselves. Faced with a pencil and blank sheet of paper, we look up towards the ceiling as we strive to articulate our dreams, aspirations adventures for the coming year.

One popular goal, appearing for many of us year to year, is to lose weight. We try one diet after another, struggle with exercise programs that get boring after a few weeks, and deny ourselves even infrequent simple indulgences, to lower that number on the ever truth-revealing scale.

We believe achieving a lower body weight in our earthly vehicle, raises our value on life's scale. Our spiritual weight hopefully increases, thereby improving our chances of satisfaction and contentment in all of life. In the divine balance of our consciousness, we learn that by releasing one unit of measurement, we gain in other, more powerful aspects of who we truly are.

Thinly Veiled

Very often, the essence of our humanity hides behind a thin veil we generate to separate us from the world around us. Holding up a translucent shield, just thin enough for us to view life from the inside out, projects the illusion of mystery or secrecy. Somehow, we believe that others can't see through the armor of a thinly shielded persona, so we allow it to float around us like the dance of scarves as a coy partner with life.

When we examine what we are hiding by holding up a veil, we realize the answers reveal more than the veil disguises. The parts of ourselves we reluctantly divulge to outsiders, hide from clear view, yet cannot muster the courage to openly appear as components of our true self. When we realize that others seem intrigued by the illusions we set forth, we later know we cannot hide from the Infinite, or, more authentically, ourselves.

Thinning Out

Beginnings, as with endings, find us making choices of things we choose to keep in our lives and that which we freely release. From people who no longer empower us, to bad habits, to possessions which will better serve others, we consciously make decisions for our new year by thinning out the herd of our life.

Forgiving, removing and releasing the old worn out patterns of thought and beliefs, taking a stand for yourself in a new beginning speaks loudly your resolution for change. No matter what you choose to discard in your life, it all points to your spiritual center - what you allow - or don't allow - to exist and affect you in your world.

With the cacophony of society rising every year, our culture demands more and more of our attention to both the subtle nuances of life as well as the clanging cymbals (symbols) of reality. While we cannot control what and how much life puts in our path, yet we hold the power to determine how much affects us. By thinning out that which negates our highest and best life experience, we declare to life our focus and intention to live fully within what matters.

Thin Skinned

We're human. We take things personally. We allow the microscopic disturbances of life to permeate our spirit and burrow into our very being. Absorbing the positive and negative components swimming around us, we lack the filters necessary to differentiate between that which empowers us and that which may harm us. Thin skinned may present as gullibility, vulnerability or instability, resulting in an unfortunate adaptation and consumption of energy separate from ourselves.

Differentiating between toughening and thickening the barrier of our spirit to prevent the invasion of foreign negativity, offers a vital challenge throughout our life experience. While our perceptions may bring us a wide range of understanding and acknowledgement about what we choose to admit into our consciousness, thickness (or depth) still provides for an interaction between the world around us and our inner selves.

If we toughen our essence, we no longer observe the impact of potential good - or bad - on our lives; we simply construct a defensive barrier to all new ideas, thereby possibly denying the gift of growth in the process. Most importantly, remember that which happens outside of us, need not be incorporated into our spirit.

Whether who you are hiding behind a superficial veil of illusion or your make conscious choices to simplify your pool of options or you strive to allow life to impact your spirit, remember a new calendar year presents opportunities for growth and for thinning out your life.

Return to the basics of your nature - acknowledge who you are and proudly display your unique qualities! Keep those people, things and attitudes in your life which empower and bolster your journey, and finally, know what to absorb and to repel when the energies around you appear as a challenging opportunity for growth!

wordsofmind.com

Uncovering Hidden Treasures

by Marlene Buffa -

My mother-in-law sat on the beach in Aruba and reached for her cold beverage nestled in the sand by her chair. She miscalculated her grasp and instead, her hand dove into the sand and she pulled out a glorious 14K solid gold rope necklace.

Teams of salvage hunters spend millions of dollars, countless years and untold hours searching for lost treasure, more often finding it elusive.

How is it then, some people find treasure when not seeking it and others hunt and never find anything even when using elaborate calculations?

The dichotomy of old sayings, "It'll show up when you least expect it," versus "Persistence pays," provides Spirit an opportunity to intrigue us in our journey and increase the value of things we desire but cannot yet manifest.

Hidden vs. Missing 

When something is missing, it means it once existed in our life and its no longer there.

When something is hidden, that means its still there, but we can no longer see it. In life, how do we distinguish between the two qualities of perceived lack?

In both instances, we experience a void - we can't touch or feel what we want. From misplaced car keys to hidden clues, we struggle with filling the void with what we already know - that which once existed - instead of moving towards something better.

The qualities of things hidden range from stifled emotions to disguised authenticity and integrity, to secrets about ourselves we don't want the world to see. Missing things usually represent what we need to learn.

If life repeats the lesson over and over for us, then we clearly missed the point of the lesson. Missing means a gap, a space, an emptiness for something which once served as a part of us, or for something we need to learn to complete the circle.

Hidden Meanings 

Buried deep between the lines of written or spoken words, we get a glimpse of interpretation that our life experiences brought to our present moments. We attach many translations to subtle nuances that stem from our belief about who we are and what we need to discover.

Forgetting to surrender to the Infinite and let go of judgment, we ascribe a meaning often all-too familiar with our repeated patterns instead of allowing new ideas and opportunities for growth to emerge.

The true meaning of any dusky perceptions lies not within our immediate accumulation of experience to shine the light on the unknown.

Instead, our piercing beam of insight and willingness to progress forward emerges as authentic understanding in all of life's foggy depths of confusion.

No mystical forces at work, simply accepting situations and circumstances at face value, without prejudice brings about the highest interpretations possible.

Hidden Blessings 

The saying, "Be careful what you ask for, for you shall surely get it," cautions loudly in our minds when we dare to ask for something others deem as greedy or ill-guided. While Spirit focuses equally on our declarations of what we do and do not want in our lives, it also understands that a lesson presents more profound if the prayer goes unanswered.

Many times we look back at our requests of God and wonder why they never materialized. Later, after life unfolds, we realize if our exact petitions appeared, things would turn out much differently than we intended and we rationalize that the unanswered prayer represented a hidden blessing.

In situations which on the surface appear negative, we find precious rewards in the little blessings carefully protecting us from what we believed we wanted.

What are you hiding? 

Inside each of us, burn the embers of understanding and coals of smoldering wisdom. With humility, many of us deny the truth about these gifts from life and bury our talents beneath our smoky exterior.

We mistakenly think that if we disguise our true selves, we hide our strengths and weaknesses from the world thereby protecting ourselves from the harm of exposure. Additionally, we grow to expect the worst from the revelation of who we are, instead of allowing the possibility that more good enter our lives if we simply take the risk.

Spirit invites us to reveal the treasure of our authentic selves and uncover greatness! 

Day by day, we are shown scenarios that portray greater abundance and prosperity if we only took the risk of digging up and displaying the hidden treasures of our glorious self to the world.

When we clutch tightly to a gold coin, it never transforms. It's stuck as a gold coin. If we open our hand and use it to bring more good into our lives, then all are enhanced by the transaction.

Today, take a moment to consider the elements hidden or missing in your life. Fill in the gaps with whatever you need to feel complete with Life and search for those parts of yourself that you scurried away out of your present awareness.

When you look for hidden meanings, be prepared for answered and unanswered prayers to equally educate you in that lesson and others. 

Frequently lessons overlap and the jewels we glean from one learning experience blend perfectly with others. Remember the most precious treasure of all already lives within you.

If you willingly identify and acknowledge your self-worth, the treasure chest of life awaits you!

wordsofmind.com

Our Earthly Academy - Living and Learning

by Marlene Buffa -

In the romanticism of this nation’s early years, the one-room schoolhouse represents ingenuity at its finest. Depicted in the movies as the epicenter of the small, rural communities, this learning environment united the spirits of cooperation, patience, initiative and flexibility.

When we step back and look at life in general as a one-room schoolhouse, we see that living and learning together brings out the challenges as well as the possibilities of growing through relationships from the smallest neighborhood to the largest campus in our earthly Academy.

Ringing the bell 

The archetypical red schoolhouse of the history books, sports a short and stout bell tower on the roof, clanging for assembly of all students.

Life rings out to us in many nuances and for many opportunities, inviting us to heed the call to grow and learn. So many times we hear the clanging of life’s lessons, yet we choose to arrive to the experience late or not at all.

Neglecting these very strong signals of chances for growth, we mire ourselves in the muck of mediocrity and the sludge of status quo.

When we raise our hand to the questions life poses, both subtly and overtly, we choose to accept the challenge to move beyond our current station in life and engage in the gentle teachings life puts forth.

Once our own lessons are received and learned, we move forward by promoting common interests and goals, and gather together to solve problems, brainstorm ideas and create a sense of common humanity in which we all share similar aspirations in graduating to the next level of consciousness.

Concurrent learning 

As the one room schoolhouse formulated a space for multiple levels of learning by multiple age groups of students, life also challenges us to grow at our own pace amidst the diversity of kindred sojourners.

We bask in cooperation of helping those in lesser levels of awareness, while the wiser among us lend a hand, as well.

Our focus and attention endure challenges as we continue to interact with others in our lives on the same path, yet at different crossroads.

In addition, learning how to learn complements the many facets of brilliance we reflect onto our experiences.

When we juggle and coordinate our lessons to compact as much growth as possible into our lesson-absorbing spirits, we honor our companions in their life education, too. If the earth if one big schoolhouse for ethereal education, our blessings and opportunities beam infinitely on the light of our willingness to learn.

Recess 

Remembering to take time to relax, plays an important role in the learning and comprehension process. Each day we allot time for work, play and rest, and our worldly one-room schoolhouse reflects these very human necessities rather handsomely.

The daily tasks of learning and stretching our limits of knowledge and rattling our constraints of comprehension, enjoy a breath of fresh air during the recesses of our studies.

Some of us withdraw to spend quiet time alone and others engage in playful interaction with other life-students, yet all of us, as individuals, gain a new perspective when the stimulated mind enjoys a respite from the rigors of the 3 Rs – reflection, reformation and renewal!

Wipe the slate clean 

Just exactly how does one learn in a one-room schoolhouse filled with distraction, repetition and little personal attention?

On the earth plane, our spiritual school deftly coordinates rituals, relationships and experiences, too. We rarely notice the interaction as our learning takes place on the subconscious as well as awakened state of awareness.

Seamlessly, we weave the multiple threads of life’s intricacies into one big lesson and assemble the pieces into what some describe as a meaningful life. With so much going on at once and so much to learn, we need to filter out what lessons brought us value and which we prepare to release.

The Universe continues to present us with variations on a theme of the lesson we need to learn, until we of course, learn it and move forward. Sometimes, we even notice “our” lesson repeated in someone else’s life, as a gentle reminder and coaxing from Spirit to ensure the solidity of our understanding.

When the chalkboard of our life is wiped clean of lessons learned and memories best forgotten, we make room for more advanced insights and breakthroughs.

Forgiving and letting go of that which no longer serves us, erases our spiritual slates, too.

At the end of the day, when receptive minds, hearts and souls, walk away from the bevy of activity of programs and experiences dedicated to our highest and best learning, we enjoy an appreciation for our new information and the ability to integrate the many components of life to form relationships with ourselves, others and our Creator.

When life rings the bell harkening you to learn, notice those around you with whom you share your interaction. Working as an individual as well as together, expands the impact of life’s lessons.

Taking a break from the static of conscious learning, we gain perspective to rise above the current lesson and recognize the greater picture only a state of separation can offer.

Wiping the slate clean of all completed tasks and forgiven elements in life, we move forward, to the next level of our spiritual existence and give thanks for the divine opportunity for wisdom.


wordsofmind.com

Sensory Perception

by Marlene Buffa -

Rich with sensory perception, our human experience allows us to take in and assimilate the world around us. Unlike the rainbow portraying the very basics of color schematics, the real world vibrates with a truly unlimited spectrum of possibilities.

Not limited to merely seven colors, we bless our eyes for bringing to us a full-color array that changes with alterations of light and perspective. Similarly, we bless our Creator for showing us precious bits of digestible life, all the while we fully comprehend that more than we observe and understand exists in our grand gourmet of choices.

Our relationships with one another bring far greater depth and complexity than the limitations of sensory observation allow. Like the grand earth and all its vibrations, those around us –ourselves included – put forth a limited range of who we are, for others to see.

Now, the two elements of the human equation – what truly exists compared to what our limitations allow us to perceive and what we put forth for others to see, vs. their ability to see it – add a double variable basis for establishing, forming and maintaining relationships with one another.

Who are you, really?

Over the years, various psychological studies hypothesize we use about 10% of our total brain capacity. That, alone, astounds us by demonstrating we rarely dare to exert the other 90% of our capability.

What comprises that inert 90%? Mystical, elusive and often fearful traits popularly bear the reputation of that unknown brain store. The notion of true genius rests in people demonstrating perhaps a larger percentage of brain usage.

But what if genius had nothing to do with the filing cabinet of facts and figures and more to do with connecting to spirit for intuition and understanding of that we do not see using merely the ten percent?

Additionally, we must also understand that like the limitations of the spectrum of sensory perception and the 10% of human brain usage, who we truly are as a physical being reflects a mere fraction of our true selves as a spiritual being.

When we consider the wide range of non-physical experiences our soul carries forth, these bodies - or vehicles – merely experience the possibilities limited on the earth plane.

As we ponder our spiritual existence, our mind stalls as the magnitude overwhelms us. Like gazing at billions of stars in countless galaxies our limited awareness barely comprehends the full breadth of our spiritual truth.

Understanding the human limits 

Like living within our means financially, we quickly learn that our human bodies constrain us in many ways. Subject to the limitations of the law of gravity, for instance, mankind overcame his avian desires by building airplanes and other modes of aviation. The myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus exemplifies failed attempts at human flight independently, at will.

Similarly, we understand the restrictions of spirit as captured into the human experience. Like seeing birds in flight and knowing that mobility is impossible for us, we get loving glimpses of spirit at work in our life and believe that, too, eludes us.

Thus far, technology sidesteps or never considers the spiritual or invisible component to our earthly experience and therefore fails to account for the spiritual component at work in human lives each day.

Multiple ports of entry 

The news media proves effective by using several modes of sensory input to convey a story. For thousands of years, the spoken word prevailed as the primary source of information from person to person and generation to generation.

Then, somewhere along the timeline, the written word emerged, lending a second component to communication. Ever since Gutenberg, the printed word reigned as the staple of information exchange.

Five hundred years later (give or take), recorded audio began as Edison brought the phonograph to the general marketplace.

From there, various regenerations of audio media integrated into our culture and now we enjoy personal systems, satellite television and more.

Researchers over the years learned that the impact of an intended message intensifies when the message is presented using more than one sensory receptor. That means that if you get your news on television, for example, you see it and hear it.

Therefore, the news’ ability to reach you is greater, and your ability to receive and remember it, is greater, too. Add to the visual pictures, the scrolling bar along the bottom of major news channels, you engage in reading, watching pictures and colors and hearing. A triple whammy to hit your brain!

As of yet, the transmission of smell, taste and touch is not possible but when that occurs, the retention ratio will skyrocket! Think of the scratch-and-sniff ads in your favorite magazine. Why did they do that? It wasn’t effective enough to let you see and read about a perfume. Once you see, read and smell, presumably, you’re hooked!

The illusion of what we perceive. 

In high school, a wise teacher once told our class, "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see." Looking back, I realize her direction not only addressed the unreliability of gossip and hearsay or even the media for that matter but also spoke to our interpretive abilities as limited by the human experience.

Not meaning to second guess or inspire doubt in what we believe we know for certain, let us remember to keep a healthy perspective when taking in information of any sort.

Spirit knows no limitation of any kind. 

Our higher self recognizes things on more than a physical, human level – it sees what Antoine de Saint Exupéry, says "is invisible to the eye."

The spiritual connection within us, when trusted, acknowledges what is essential – whether or not our ability to perceive it exists.

When our awareness of the illusions comes to light, our ability to thrive peacefully increases along with the connection to Spirit and the Infinite.

We are human beings struggling to move forward in a world with built-in perception restrictions. We are so much more than our human limitations! Remember what is essential to you, take a deep breath and trust that your higher self senses all and shows you the truth.

"Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."

--Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Le Petit Prince

wordsofmind.com

Empowering Exercises for the Spirit

by Marlene Buffa - 

Puzzles exercise our mind. We all know that keeping our minds stimulated increases our knowledge of the world we live in and contributes to our sense of well-being and fun.

 An active, healthy mind, hungry to learn more and explore new ideas enhances not only ourselves but those around us.

Physical workouts improve our bodies. The ancient Greeks developed the Olympic Games to demonstrate their physical prowess.

Some 2500 years later, we still move in perfect form to create the physique we desire and sweat to the satisfaction of a job well done. 

We clearly understand the need for practice and reaching beyond our current state of well-being when it comes to mental and physical inertia.

SPIRIT: When our spiritual life – that less tangible, invisible, subjective and mystical part of ourselves - suffers from stagnation or neglect, we consider a self-imposed regimen of psyche gut-wrenching as unsophisticated or garish.

Equally as important as our earthly experience benefiting from focused exercise, our spiritual journey blossoms under the tutelage of our attention and action.

FOCUSED EXERCISES 

Stretch your form 

Nothing gets you going in the morning like a good stretch. Just take a look at your pets.

When they arise from a nap, they take a moment to stretch and enjoy the feeling of their muscles reawakening to the world.

A reaching leg or arched back motion momentarily changes our pet’s appearance, yet the body remains self-contained.

 Our spiritual stretch ignites within us the quality of staying within the comfort zone of our spiritual form while extending the reach of our beliefs. 

 Take a quiet moment in the morning or evening or even during the day, to stretch your spirit. 

Reach beyond what you believe to consider the status quo of dare to formulate new ways to relate to your creator. Spirit lives inside of you. You – the magnificent, unique creation of God!

Allow yourself the elasticity of your connection to the Infinite and tickle the boundaries of your beliefs with the flexibility of possibilities.

Push Out 

Fitness trainers tell us weight exercise consists of pushing and pulling motions.

When we push things away, we strengthen and lengthen the muscle fibers associated with that movement.

By pushing out the heavy ideas of our tired, old beliefs, we strengthen the core of our spiritual structure.

For every push, there exists a return motion, in keeping with the laws of physics. 

We steadily and smoothly move out ingrained notions of dogma and doctrine which no longer serve us, while these beliefs return to us in a transformed state. 

We build up our ability to not only more easily push away these ideas in the future, we gain the ability to control how this thinking affects us from now on. 

In pushing away, we distance ourselves from ideas which no longer serve us and in the reactive process, the ideas return to us and more likely to conform to our newly found spiritual strength.

Push out limitation, lack and unworthiness. Welcome back the energy of those concepts as possibility, abundance and deserving.

Pull In 

In keeping with the laws of motion (and of physics), when we pull in new ideas, we keep the balance by cycling out old notions, as well. 

During your day, your mind notices and records thousands of things. Probably 90% of what exists goes unrecorded in your conscious mind.

Your perception, glorious and unique, takes in just about everything but your mind can’t possibly process it all. 

We can only take in and assimilate a small amount of “what is.” When we pull into our spirituality the blessings we see, we replace the cloudy day with feelings of gratitude. 

The cloudy day still exists, we merely shift the negative focus to a benign “given” in our world.

The very exercise of inviting – or pulling in - positive things in our world allows for a strengthening of our awareness and recognition of the beautiful world around us.

Our earthly minds handle only a small percentage of what we pull in, why not make it good?

Push Up 

Gravity. Thank you Sir Isaac Newton. Our human bodies are pretty much weighted down to the earth.

Sure, pole vaulters, daredevils and others scratched the edges of dear old gravity but the truth of its retraction ultimately wins out.

Our heavy, tired beliefs weigh us down while we drag our feet to the beat of their somber hymns.

We realize by pushing ourselves up, we acknowledge and use our spiritual power to rise above our old thought patterns. 

Soaring with our earthly tethers, we rise above the smog of polluted thoughts which cloud our happiness, all the while remaining grounded in our very human form. 

Life invites you to view loftier opportunities you can’t see while held down by your gravity-burdened vantage point of anxiety and blame and negativity.

The Universe unreels the kite strings and allows you to explore further beyond what you ever dreamed possible to see your glorious life in a new perspective – that of possibility and opportunity. 

The irony is that everything on earth stays the same –the act of pushing yourself away from the gravity of the life you resigned yourself to live – frees your spirit to see things you couldn’t possibly notice while on the floor.

Breathe 

Push, pull, soar, expand - all these spiritual calisthenics!

When life comes at us (sometimes with a vengeance), we move with adrenaline-like speed through our spiritual growth, leaving us panting and gasping for understanding.

Just as our bodies require oxygen to process our systems and sustain and promote growth, our spirit needs the air of life to facilitate our souls. 

Inhaling and exhaling – we need both – whether deliberate or unaware, provide the movement of invisible fuel for the constant furnace of our existence.

Take time to pant – and be grateful that life provides you with so much to learn, so many opportunities for growth, that you grow exhausted from all the possibilities. Remember to breathe, too. 

Controlled, steady breaths of God-like nourishment reach every cell in your body and touch every nuance of your soul. 

When you lovingly accept the air of life, you discard vapors of expended notions you no longer require. Breathe – take in the invisible elements of life, allow your breath to feed and transform you – and exhale what you no longer need.

Rest 

Our bodies sleep. Our minds never rest. Even in sleep, the mind delivers dreams to us, solves problems, answers questions, rejuvenates our perspective.

We’ve heard truisms from “just sleep on it,” to help in decision making, to “things will look better in the morning,” to readjust our attitude. 

Rest provides an unequaled blessing of resetting ourselves. 

Just like in a restless night when we fail to will ourselves to sleep, our spiritual selves often suffer from our forced attempts at transformation.

My wise doctor once explained her reasoning for not prescribing sleeping pills. “When it’s time to sleep, your body will rest. Trust your body to take care of itself.” 

Similarly, we feed ourselves with a feast of “shoulds” for our spiritual growth. Fitness trainers again, tell us that through exercise we break down tissue. 

In our rest, muscle tissue rebuilds itself to even greater strength. Resting from our labor creates the change we desire. 

We gladly perform gentle exercises to empower our souls for greater absorption of the good around and within us. 

All the stretching, pushing and pulling serve to prepare us for the inevitable soul transformation that occurs as we trust God and Life with our spiritual evolution - when we finally rest.

wordsofmind.com

Teetering on the Brink of Hope

by Marlene Buffa -

Standing on the Edge is about teetering on the brink of hope, on leaping into faith of the unknown, of trusting the Universe to provide the next move.

When life pushes us to the precipice of what we understand, only then do we assess our insight and confront our spirituality. 

Faced with knowing our fortune resides behind us in our experience, all that exists is the canyon of possibility whose floor we cannot see and whose outer limits extend beyond our reach. In our moment of complete vulnerability, we find our strength.

Patience 

Perhaps the most obvious and common example of reaching our limits expresses itself in our patience. We've heard others bemoan the end-of-the-rope, the last-straw, and trying-our-patience.

What really happens when we can no longer muster the quiet strength that patience demands - an explosion or an implosion? 

Standing on the edge of patience we seek immediate results and gratification. Faced with the possibility of no resolution whatsoever, our patience runs out and we give up. In this act of surrender we find peace.

It's only when we quit waiting that we empower ourselves with the glory of the moment and acceptance of living life as it gloriously unfolds.

Thought 

We bury ourselves in a barrage of thoughts and analysis.

Quick to scrutinize every spoken word and behavior our thoughts capture us in a never-ending battle of curiosity versus peace of mind. 

While true, our thoughts elevate us from our current situation and great ideas spring from our imagination, but the mental cacophony of over-thinking wears thin on our psyche and we never get to peace.

We reserve the power to control our thoughts and our mental self-talk determines our future. 

Standing on the edge of thought, we engage in either the freedom of innovation or repetitious, conflagrating self-talk that keeps us stuck in the heat of our own destruction.

Your choice. You get to choose your thoughts. Pick some good ones.

Aptitude 

Doing what we're good at never challenges us or encourages new growth. The world rejoices in the beauty of artwork aptly done and music deftly orchestrated.

God bestows His gifts on us and we call it "talent," or aptitude. We attempt to explain in common sense terminology that we inherited certain qualities from our ascendants, all the while setting aside the notion that our abilities are gifts from the Infinite. Jesus once said "If you love those who love you, what reward have you?"

Taking this concept further, let's ponder, if you do only what you're already good at, what have you accomplished? 

What you're good at comes easy, it's yesterday's news. Stand on the edge of your aptitude and dare to try something you've never done before. The echo of your new voice may sing back to you if you shout out your willingness to attempt the unknown.

Passion 

Life moves us. We feel life from the wind in our hair, the sand between our toes and the sun on our face. Passion for life, for another, for the Spirit makes life worthwhile.

A life devoid of passion stagnates and produces little fulfillment. A zeal for living each day to the fullest propelled by passion and fascination makes for not only a colorful obituary, but a well-lived life. 

Standing on the edge of passion we dare to admit that certain things or people move us, compel us, or inspire us. What is it about a person, a hobby, or belief that shifts us from passing interest to a stimulating gotta-have-it necessity?

Certainly something more than hormonal urgency comes to play. Passion cannot be willed upon you, it rises up from your soul and cannot be contained.

The object of your passion cannot be mere preference or a casual notion, your passion originates from a leap into the arms of life which quenches your soul.

Time 

The eternal democratic governor, time effects each of us.

We cannot escape the inevitable passage of our lives, yet we choose to live each day in ways that can either elevate us or destroy us. 

Faced with our own mortality, time offers each of us the blessing to revel in our earthly experience without knowing when it ends.

A hundred years ago, modern medical diagnostics did not exist and most people lived full lives unaware of terminal illness or impending transition.

Are we truly better off now, with the prognosticating efforts of medical professionals analyzing our DNA and predicting our life spans? 

Standing on the edge of our longevity we may peer into our genetic futures with some degree of success but we disregard accident or chance in our equation.

Some of us defy the perceived inevitable and outlive the prognosis of the medical journals and others leave this life all too early by accident or undefined happenstance. 

No matter the duration or the manner, the precious gift is time itself and the leap you must take requires you to overlook the constraints of the calendar and live a full live, every day you're alive.

Love 

More than a feeling, love inspired more music and both written and spoken word throughout recorded history than any other emotion.

So powerful in its presence and expression, love works through us to bring joy and clearer insight in how we fit in the world around us. Cautiously, we attempt to spare ourselves sorrow by avoiding love, yet, taking the leap into the ocean of love fulfills us the most. 

Standing on the edge of love, we see the vast expanse of possibilities, the ecstasy, the sorrows, yet life is empty without it.

What if all your love could enfold you and comfort you - as well as the entire planet? The possibilities for love are endless, the possibilities WITH love are priceless.

Right there, on the edge, your toes curling over the rough rocky crags of love, dare yourself to leap into the loving spirit that embraces your oneness with life and brings meaning to your world.

Life 

What are you waiting for? We postpone, we settle. We confuse, we excuse, we explain. Life waits for no one and is for the living. Life ties its shoes with the laces of your insights and allows you to walk through time.

From the moment of your birth until your last breath, the life force within you responds to every thought you think, every act of patience you practice, every ability you express, every passion you enjoy, every moment of aliveness and everyone you love. 

The life within you is timeless, endless and always you. 

Standing on the edge of life, life waits for you to say "yes" to it, begging you to come home to the understanding of experiencing all manner of relationship to progress though eternity.

Life, with its ups and downs, happiness and sorrow, success and failure and spiritual success and abstentions, is all we have. You were born for a reason and it's up to you to figure it out.

It's your life - live it well and every now and then, when you can't see the bottom, jump in anyway.

wordsofmind.com