Caring for the Body

For a very long time, our awareness of God has been of a deity out there somewhere, exerting his influence based on criteria we don’t understand, leaving us always looking outside of ourselves for some philosophy that can help us know what we need to do to earn his favor.

At this point in human evolution many are being guided toward a much broader awareness of God, one that recognizes the very real presence of God right here in this physical realm, in the middle of every part of being human. We are just beginning to consider the magnitude and ramifications of the truth that wherever we are, God is, in every situation, every thought and every emotion we’ve ever had or ever will have.

Most importantly, we are realizing that for this to be possible, God must reside within every one of us. Regardless of how we choose to perceive that mind-boggling notion, the bottom line is that we are living God’s life. God is experiencing her God-self through our own experience.

Most of us have heard the much-known maxim that our bodies are temples of the soul, but I’m not sure we’ve caught up with the utter truth of that enough to care for them as sacred expressions of God’s life. Many of us find joy in following a spiritual path and finding a deeper meaning for our existence, but don’t fully consider the role of the body on that path. We seek spiritual truth “out there” without even realizing that what we’re seeking is right here. We live in it 24 hours a day. In body, mind and spirit there is no separation; it is all God.

I’ve realized that caring for the body is a spiritual practice unto itself. I can sit for an hour of meditation and prayer, and connect with divine intelligence within me. I can also choose to eat a meal of healthy food, and honor and validate that divine intelligence that created me. When I choose to exercise or move my body in some way that is fun and healthy, I celebrate God’s life within me.

When I love my body enough to consider what is best for it, and honor it by following through with its needs, I am the embodiment of the holy trinity; I am the lover, the loved, and love itself.

All acts of self-care are ultimately acts of love. They are our prayers of gratitude for our ability, through these precious temples, to be God’s life.

May you practice random and frequent acts of self-care, and may this tool be a blessing. .

Present Time

Lately I’ve been renewing my love affair with present time.  It’s always been a very one-sided relationship; present time being right here with me, always waiting to be savored, me gallivanting off to who-knows-where in my mind, unable to resist my two-timing obsession with the future or the past.

I’m always amazed by how tough it is to stay centered in the now.  No matter how aware I am of the added quality and depth of my moments when I focus on what’s happening in this moment, the pull to worry or reflect about future or past is often irresistible.  I know it’s all perfect, part of a plan that is divine beyond understanding in helping me remember my truth about being human.  I like to think of it as part of the total entertainment package, the perfectly-orchestrated challenges that allow us to choose our best selves.

Playing with being in present time as much as I can is a wonderfully satisfying and creative endeavor.  When my attention is pulled back from future or past, I can place my full attention on being; now I experience what it is like to be a teacher, as I choose to be fully present in that expression.  Now I delight in being female, as my attention rests in what that feels like and how I express it.  Fixing my hair and choosing jewelry is sure a lot more fun when I’m in present time, with my attention on enjoying my femaleness rather than what I I'll be doing at work later.

As I sit here, present in the now, I find joy in very simple things.  My feelings are a validation of myself, being me.  There is no judgment or resistance, only what is.  I am grateful to be able to experience, period.  

I have hands that type these words, and do countless other amazing things.  In present time having a body is a celebration, not always easy or painless but an unspeakable gift nonetheless.

May you be present in your moments, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Not I, But God Within Me

So many times I've despaired over things that I don’t do well enough, or despite my best intentions still manage to get stuck on!  Human experience being what it is, we all have challenges; some of them are pretty easily solved and some take years and years to navigate through. 

In the middle of our own particular challenges, we can feel unsure about our ability to find a solution.  Whether it’s something new or something we’ve been dealing with for awhile, challenges are challenging exactly because they require us to dig deeply within ourselves and change how we’ve been thinking.  Challenges are opportunities to let go of old patterns and open up to new ways of seeing our experience that better reflect the truth of who we really are.

Still, slogging through difficult and confusing situations is uncomfortable, especially if they’re those “core” beliefs that seem to take an act of God to finally see the truth about.  But I’ve learned, and keep remembering, that an act of God is exactly what’s needed.

In each act of remembering and in every moment of grace, it is not I, but God within me, who does the work.  In my most sad, confused or frustrated moments, when I feel like I’m going to feel this way forever because I just can’t seem to figure out how to do it differently, if I can place my awareness back to God within me, I no longer need to figure anything out, because there is nothing that I lack.  Any sense of lack or forgetting is swept aside by a much larger truth that perfect and divine consciousness guides my thoughts and actions, and I know just what to do. 

When I remember that God within me is doing the work, my burden is light and my path is clear.  I realize that in each moment everything I require is available to me, and I am whole and complete.  All I need do is claim it!

The change in thinking that I sought today was this:  I know what to do because there is no idea or answer that I lack.  It can be no other way. 

And as is the case when I get back to remembering, I was brought again to heaven, right here on Earth.   I love that we can do that!

May this tool be a blessing. . .