The Perfection Underlying All

In the midst of all of the joy and challenge of our world, may you know in the coming year the inevitable, inescapable truth of Divine Good in all things.  This post, from last year, remains my wish for you.

During this time of year, as many are honoring the growing light of God consciousness being born within each of us, I offer up my humble blessing.

May you find more of those moments where in the middle of whatever is happening your mind is content and your heart is full because you know that all is well.

May you trust more, and laugh more, as you turn over your expectations about how things are supposed to be and make more room to just enjoy the ride.

May you know the peace of being born of a perfection so absolute that all you need ever do in this life is rest in it.

May you move ever closer to that sacred but tricky balance of knowing your own eternal divinity within this precious, bumbling and often chaotic human life.

May you notice the blessing that you are and the blessings that you receive in the year to come.

And may you stand tall and be peace on earth as you remember who you are, and may the bright beacon of your remembering shine brightly over those around you.

You are the light of the world!

Being God in Otherwise Ordinary Moments

My feelings often turn to awe when I remember the precious gift that is this life. Along with those feelings, I end up wondering what is mine to do to best honor the gift I’ve been given. Like many others, I yearn to fully express the light of God that shines within me.

While at the same time realizing that all that happens is right and perfect and definitely enough, I am also aware of wanting to do more to share the greatness of my experience of being spirit in a body. And so today I am again left wondering, what is my spirit’s next step in expressing myself as God?

When I take the time to ask the question and then stop to hear the answer that wells up from deep within me, the answer always comes through different words but the essence is the same.

I am reminded that I have shared the many gifts I’ve been given not so much through the bigger, life-altering moments that I will probably remember for a lifetime, but in each and every small moment of my life.

I share the profound gift of divine wisdom living through me in every sacred moment that I live, when I consciously choose who I want to be, and then be that person.

It is through every small thought and action of each ordinary day that I choose to express the light that is always there shining brightly within me.

In any moment, I can choose the kindest possible interpretation of another’s actions, recognizing that I never have the complete story about someone else’s experience. I can speak clearly and truthfully, allowing the vibration of my truth to affect a situation.

In any moment I can consciously let go of fear by turning a situation over to God, allowing myself to be fully and joyfully present, knowing that all is unfolding for good. I can take an extra moment to smile at or hold a door for a stranger. Or I can stop often and acknowledge my deep gratitude, saying thank you for the light that lives in my heart.

All we need do is ask, as often as we’re aware enough to do it, “What would God within me do now? And now? What about now?” Our awareness of ourselves as God allows God full expression in the world. In every small moment that we are aware of this, we add ripples of ever-expanding light to our human experience. We make each moment extraordinary.

May you remember the God of your heart in your everyday experience, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Being Open

I am at a time in my life when my choices, both conscious and unconscious, are guiding me toward being more open. To do that I’ve had to see how fear keeps me closed down in resistance to what is. How automatic but unrealistic it is to assume that by resisting something we can keep it from happening, or control it somehow! Things unfold as they will, and I appreciate the opportunity I’m getting to see just how tiring and unproductive my struggling really is.

In this vast, amazing world we know that every combination of circumstances can, and does, occur to help us remember the truth. I know this, but it doesn’t stop me from digging my heels in when the situation is happening in my life, and causing me to worry over an outcome that might not go the way I want it to. Some things just feel like a problem when I’m looking at them from my human perspective.

I think I’m finally beginning to find the blessed happy medium, where I can step up in action toward a goal or outcome that I believe in, but not need to hold on so tightly to the outcome.  It is important to remember that my perspective is valuable, and that my efforts in pursuing them are good enough regardless of the outcome.

As worthy as I may feel a direction is, there is so much more in the mix in the form of all of the other people who I share my experience with, and what is helpful to them in their growth and remembering.

We all see things through our own unique lenses, and our opinions shift. Sometimes we’re clear, but at other times we’re afraid. People get sick. Finances change. Even with the best laid plans, stuff happens.

We never really know what’s coming around the bend because it’s dependent on what will serve our collective good, and that’s an awful lot of variables. But the one thing that we can trust is that it is all working for our good, and because of that we can learn to let go. We can do our active part to the best of our ability, and then let the outcome unfold as only divine wisdom can orchestrate.

In trusting that the outcome is never in question, we can be fully open to our path, knowing that however it unfolds, we can fearlessly express the divine within. We can also be open to others’ experience, acknowledging the divine expressing in them, also.  That is a precious gift, to live in open, joyful expression of ourselves, without concern about the outcome.

May you trust enough to stay open to what comes, and sing the song in your heart through it all. And may this tool be a blessing. . .

Trusting the Process

I saw this recently on the internet, source unknown, and it spoke to my heart.

What you seek is far greater than anything you have ever known.
There is nothing in the past that can possibly describe where you are going.
No past experience will explain the new person you will soon discover within yourself.
You are learning.
Keep that in mind as you stumble and fall; you are learning.
Keep in mind when you are tempted and become distracted from your truth that you are learning.
Give yourself the gift of compassion.
Give yourself a sense of grace.
Remind yourself that you have chosen this way and you have the power to accomplish it.

May you always trust the perfect process that you embody, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Surrendering, Again

And again, and again. We’ve probably all heard the term “sweet surrender,” and there are times when I am acutely aware of just how sweet it really is.

How easy it is for me to take on the weight of the universe, or at least the weight of the situations playing out in my little corner of the world. Sometimes it feels like I need to act, to help, to fix, or to contribute what I hope will turn out to be a bit of light in the darkness. And when the situation of the moment is a particularly challenging one, heavy with the conflicting agendas, perspectives and fears of other people, my energy gears up to try to manage all of it.

Although I am not fighting, it feels like a battle to my body and my spirit. My contribution to the situation becomes a huge burden, fraught with responsibility and the feeling that there is simply no way to win.

But most gratefully time and life experience are very effective teachers. I remembered this morning that I have been here before, more than once. I have faced times when I felt at a loss about how to bring about the best outcome, and when I felt that I lacked the resources I needed to keep going. In those times, the most important and effective thing that I did was very consciously choose to surrender.

I remembered difficult times in the past, when my frequent, simple prayer to God was, “May the best happen for all.” It was my mantra, an affirmation of what I wanted and what eventually came to pass.

Rather than get caught up in the “how” of a situation’s best resolution and struggle to make it happen, I can surrender. By turning the “how” over to God, I create so much more space for myself to just move forward as the best me I know how to be, without fighting against anyone else’s choices or expression. Not only do I bring peace to myself, but I open the door for a more profound wisdom to play out.

In letting go I experience the sweet truth that I really never walk alone, and that all I need do is my best. As long as I’m doing that, God within me guides the rest, and all is well.

May you know the peace and clarity that come with surrender, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Mothering Yourself

Regardless of our gender, our age, or our ability to take care of ourselves, we all need mother. Mother is a deep, archetypal force in our collective consciousness that begins in childhood with our birth mother’s role in fulfilling our need for unconditional acceptance, love and safety. As we mature and find our own way in the world, in order to be our best selves we must grow in our ability to mother ourselves.

I pass a small farm on my way to work in the morning, and lately I’ve been enjoying watching the young calves standing near their moms, sometimes feeding but mostly just standing close-by. They seem to be trying to maintain just a bit of physical contact. We know that human infants are healthier and less anxious with regular, close physical contact, and I’m sure it’s true with many other species as well.

We accept that mother is important for the young, but what about as we grow older? It’s not common for adults to be aware of or express a need for mother, but I believe it’s always there. Our mothers may no longer be present in our lives, or we may not look to them to provide the love and acceptance that we seek, but we need it nonetheless.

I’m finding that my adult self experiences a need for mothering in many different ways. Sometimes it’s that feeling of being alone or lonely in the middle of my busy, people-filled day. Other times I’ve come to recognize it when I’m frustrated or disappointed with someone who isn’t acting in accordance with how I think the world should operate. When I’m too focused on taking care of business and not enough on myself, and I start feeling resentful or overwhelmed, it’s a sure sign that I need mothering.

The first step in mothering ourselves is asking “What do I need?” Just stopping to ask the question is an act of mothering, because that’s what “mother energy" does; it seeks to nurture and protect. In the middle of the busiest day there is always something that I can do to take care of myself, even if it is only to stop and take three deep breaths, or smile and say thank you to the divine wisdom that breathes in me.

We may be grown-ups, but the child we were lives in us and contributes her perspective to all of our experience. We may be better able to reason through things and navigate the world effectively, but the dear child within never stops seeking mother.

Ask yourself often what you need, and do your best to listen carefully and nurture that need. You may be needing more quiet time for reflection and introspection, or you may need more fun. Whatever it is, engage it fully. Get on the floor with crayons and paper. Roughhouse with the dog. Lie on your back in the grass and watch the clouds float by. Sing to yourself, and for yourself. Brush your hair. Take time to watch the geese as they fly honking overhead. Make faces at your dinner partner and giggle, or better yet, show up with some big, wax lips. Stop and let yourself do absolutely nothing for five minutes, and see how delicious it is. Set a timer if you have to. The possibilities are endless.

May you always mother the child within you, and may this tool be a blessing. . .
(Dedicated to my daughter, Mara, with love)

Letting God Do the Work

When the alarm woke me for work this morning, it interrupted an amazing dream. In the dream I faced a series of challenges, and in the middle of each challenge I noticed feeling pushed and unsure how to proceed, just as I do in real life when I’m not sure how to handle something.

What was different about this dream is that none of the trying circumstances continued to play out. Instead of engaging them, I chose to breathe into my heart, and then simply tell myself that God is at work here.

In my dream I moved through this series of obstacles quickly. They weren’t really big things, but I was aware of knowing exactly how to manage them. As I reminded myself that God was at work in the situation, the obstacle ended and a new one started. I didn’t get caught up in the stories, but just breathed into my heart, and remembered that it was all God at work.

I felt such peace when I awoke. I also felt empowered by being able to live my own truth in my dream, rather than become caught up in some story that took on a life of its own and left me feeling like I had no choice but to get dragged along.

I was reminded that by feeling buffeted by circumstances, we are provided with opportunities to choose to see a higher purpose in our experience, and with that choice the highest comes to pass.

It’s an act of faith to let go of every challenge we face and trust that in doing so we allow divine consciousness to do its best work. But that’s exactly what happens. It can be very scary to choose not to worry about things that are uncertain or seem wrong somehow, but the more often we take those leaps of faith and do manage to let go, the more able we are to get out of our own way and allow creation to work through us.

My dream reminded me beautifully of the divine purpose of this life, of its challenges and how to handle them, and of the truth of myself as an unlimited creator. I am so grateful for the infinite good that expresses in all things, even my dreams!

May you lay down your burdens large and small to God’s infinite good, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Laying Your Burden Down

I read this article in the "Daily Om" and knew that I wanted to re post it here.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

We all know the feeling of walking through life as if we are carrying the huge burden of our worries and stresses on our backs and shoulders, struggling to keep moving forward. There is no real way to move freely and fluidly in such a situation, and we are all longing to lay our burdens down. Just imagining that it would be possible to do such a thing can be enough to elicit a sigh of relief and a feeling of lightness. 

The human imagination is a powerful tool, and we can use it to take journeys to faraway places without ever leaving our home. Because of this, we too can lay our burdens down at the feet of a divine being such as the great Mother, Buddha or a mountain. Releasing ourselves from that which we can’t handle on our own. No matter how smart we are, how capable we are, or how hard we work, no one can single-handedly cope with all the worries that we tend to take on in the course of our lives. And, we aren’t designed to do so. Our wellbeing depends upon our ability to hand over that which we can no longer carry by ourselves.

Visualizing yourself carrying your burdens to the feet of someone or something much bigger than you can be a powerful daily practice. To begin, sit with your eyes closed and envision an all powerful, supremely comforting being in what ever form that takes for you, standing at the end of a road. See yourself carrying a large sack, box, or other container, imagining that all your worries are inside it. Watch as you make your way to the being of your choice, and lay your baggage down at their feet. Allow yourself to feel the lightness and relief of this action, express your gratitude, and surrender. You will be amazed by how this simple meditation can liberate you from a burden you were never meant to carry.


May you lay down your burdens at the feet of your God and may this tool be a blessing...

Being Centered and Safe in the "Home of Yourself"

There is a place I can go that is always peaceful, where I hear my truth without distraction and can rest in the knowledge of who I am. It is the "home of myself."

During my time with the Church of Divine Man, and its teaching arm, the Berkeley Psychic Institute, I became aware of the question of whether I was in, or out of, my body. Up to that point I had heard about “having an out-of-body experience” as something to strive for, with the expectation that being out of the body was how we connected with something greater than ourselves.

I soon learned that being out of the body was no big deal. I was out of my body most of the time, and if I’m honest with myself that's still true much of the time today. It goes along with being human, learning to become fully aware of ourselves as God.

Spirit is not “out there,” but within us. It doesn’t exist in our thinking, and so we can’t intellectualize it. We can try; I know I do. But in the end we know ourselves as eternal spirit, and see God in all things, when we are present with what is happening, noticing the body’s reactions, feeling the emotions that arise, and choosing consciously in that moment who we will be in the midst of all of it.

I’m finding that I’m much more true to myself when I feel my way through things, rather than think my way through. My thinking can lead me down the path of being reactive or defensive, and can limit my ability to see my highest truth about how I want to proceed in any situation.

But if I first choose to just sit within myself and fully notice the experience, my emotions are felt and honored and processed. Sitting with emotions can be uncomfortable, and that’s why we tend to think and react instead. But if I go within and allow myself to really experience how I feel about something, I can usually move forward from a place of peace, forgiveness and understanding that all is here for my good.

One simple technique for going home to yourself is “pulling the aura in.” When we attend to things out in the world, and are affected by them, our aura expands to encompass all that we are attending to. The aura is the energy field around the body that many believe contain our spiritual energy, and they can get very big!

You can try pulling your aura in like this:  Without effort, allow yourself to “see” or sense how large your aura is. Does it seem to envelop a much larger amount of space than just yourself? If so, begin to pull the edges closer to you, and allow everything that your aura had contained to be released to divine consciousness.

When you sense that your aura is about 12 to 18 inches out from your body and no more, take a moment and notice how that feels. You may be aware of your body quieting down, and feeling less anxious or responsible.

I do this sometimes at night when I’m having trouble falling asleep. I bring all of my “energy” back so that all I’m aware of is my body and about 12 inches beyond it. My thoughts quiet, I'm aware of my heart beating, and I exist fully in that space without distraction. In that moment, I am one with myself. I am.

As you move into the "home of yourself," you will likely find even greater amounts of peace and joy!

May you come home to yourself often, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Holding the High Watch

I heard someone say long ago that it doesn’t matter what we do; what matters is the energy we’re in when we do it. How very true. Our vibration in any given moment gives rise to our experience, and affects those close to us and ultimately the entire world.

We have a choice in every situation what energy vibration we will “own.” Thank Goodness we have a lifetime to remember this, because it’s very easy to forget when we get caught up in some dramatic human moment.

Someone came to me today angry at a person we both know, and as I listened I certainly understood his point of view. It probably shouldn’t have happened, but it did, and my colleague needed to talk about it and find a way to rectify the situation.

As he described the situation, what I heard behind the words was that he felt judged, and diminished. It’s a frustrating situation, and it would have been easy for me to “match” his vibration and move into anger myself. But it was a good opportunity for me to “hold the high watch.”

There are countless opportunities for us to do this. It simply means standing firm in truth no matter what is going on around us. In this situation, I listened, and told him that I understood how he felt. And then I gently suggested that the other person is doing the best she can, and that it really is not personal. I mentioned that perhaps she gives us an opportunity to find the best, most loving parts of ourselves.

We can also hold the high watch without saying a thing. It is an energetic “space” that we choose that actually speaks louder than words. By just standing quietly in our own highest truth about something, we allow others to recognize and match it.

It reminds me of what happens here at work sometimes, when gossip starts. I try really hard to stay out of it, and am mostly successful. I’ve noticed that when gossip does start, if I hold loving thoughts but don’t participate, the gossip stalls. As sensitive energetic beings, we are aware of the vibrations of others. When just one person holds the high watch, standing firmly in the truth of the divine in everyone and in all things, there is light in the darkness..

May your high watch shine divine light in the world, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Letting It Be Enough

I heard the notion of “enough” discussed in a way that caught my attention recently. As I thought about it, it made me realize what a gift it is to notice that we have, in all things, enough.

We expend a great deal of energy working on accumulating enough – enough money, enough connection and intimacy, enough success, enough leisure and play and health. The list is endless. The quest seems to take on a life of its own, and the seeking to have becomes the focus rather than simply enjoying what we have. What we think and believe manifests in our experience, and so seeking reinforces the reality of lack.

I believe that what people feel most lacking in is love. The yearning may be unconscious and the sense of lack can manifest through many different thoughts, but what we really seek is enough love. The part of us that is disconnected from our true selves cannot imagine ourselves worthy of the amount of love that we want and need.

This can cause such conflict in relationships, when we get caught up in expectation about how someone should treat us, then we can feel that we were not loved enough. It can happen in the important relationships in our lives, or with perfect strangers. If I get ticked off at the driver who cuts me off on the freeway, it could be argued that the core belief behind all of it is that the stranger didn’t love me enough to treat me differently.

As with all things, I’ve noticed what a really small shift of awareness it is to move my thoughts from darkness to light, and from a lie to the truth. The ego lives to preserve our identity as individuals, and is in constant battle with anyone or anything that might seem to threaten us. But I can thank my ego for its concern and then pull my energy back from its worry, and say “it is enough.”

The love I have is enough, even when hurrying people act without thinking, or when others don’t put me at the top of their priority list. The connection I have with family and friends is enough, even when we are all busy and moving through life’s demands and challenges as gracefully as we can. The resources of money and time that I have are enough, and have always been enough, to provide me with the security and opportunity that I need to navigate this glorious life.

It brings to mind the words to one of Unity’s prayers:

The inexhaustible resource of spirit
is equal to every demand.
There is no reality in lack.
Abundance is here and now manifest

It’s all in how we choose to see it.

Thank you, God, that I can be worried over a perception that something important is missing, but then affirm that “it is enough,” and I realize that it is so.

May you know "enough" as the essence of who you are, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Sacred Longing

I attended a wonderful Unity workshop last weekend on peacemaking. One of the facilitators introduced the idea of sacred longing, which was new to me and intriguing. I love the idea of it, because it describes a very holy gift in our human experience.

Sacred longing is that deep, persistent need to know the presence of God within us and in all things. It is the profound wisdom that leads us to seek to better understand ourselves, even when we are so busy with life’s details that without that intrinsic longing we would never even realize that there was more to our experience than we can see.

My spiritual path has most definitely been one of sacred longing. Throughout all of the circumstances of my life, relationships that came and went, ones that stayed, job changes, things that were important to me for their time and then faded as new interests emerged, the longing has remained constant. At times its voice was loud and insistent, and I took very definite and intentional actions to learn more about my spiritual nature. I actively sought out philosophies and teachers that felt right. Big jumps in my understanding happened during those times.

At other times, the voice of sacred longing was quieter, not urging me toward big changes but to gentle shifts in my awareness. In those times I felt the need to slow down and listen more, both to my own thoughts and feelings, and to the subtleties of others’ expression.

To me, sacred longing reflects that part of us that is always on our perfect path, no matter what chaos our personal growth may be creating in the moment. It is the beacon within that guides us to the light, even as our human experience feels disconnected from the light. Once we become aware of the unquenchable thirst of longing to know the divine, we must open ourselves to its gentle but insistent pull.

Sacred longing always knows the right next step, and its urgings are infinitely trustworthy. Even though it is not a roadmap indicating the exact twists and turns that we will make, it keeps us moving ever forward in the right direction, and we are never lost.

May you recognize and heed the pull that is your sacred longing, the voice of God leading you unerringly home, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Healing the World as We Heal Ourselves

I have recently discovered the writings of Pema Chodron, an American Buddhist nun who teaches in Nova Scotia, at the first Tibetan monastery in North America established for westerners. Her books have provided me with some very practical and appreciated insight from the Buddhist perspective.

In the book I’m reading now, called Taking the Leap, Chodron addresses in her gentle but powerful manner how we often use our spiritual practice as a way to feel better, but could broaden our perspective to allow our practice to teach us the tools we need to help uplift others.

More specifically, she states that “for many, spiritual practice represents a way to relax and a way to access peace of mind. We want to feel more calm, more focused; and with our frantic and stressful lives, who can blame us? Nevertheless, we have a responsibility to think bigger than that these days. If spiritual practice is relaxing, if it gives us some peace of mind, that’s great – but is this personal satisfaction helping us to address what’s happening in the world? The main question is, are we living in a way that adds further aggression and self-centeredness to the mix, or are we adding some much-needed sanity?”

She quotes a story about a Native American grandfather who was speaking to his grandson about violence and cruelty in the world and how it comes about. The grandfather said that it was as if two wolves were fighting in his heart. One wolf was vengeful and angry, and the other wolf was kind and understanding. The young man asked his grandfather which wolf would win the fight in his heart. And the grandfather answered, “The one that wins will be the one I choose to feed.”

The challenge, says Chodron, for our spiritual practice and for the world, is how can we train right now, not later, in feeding the right wolf?

One practice that she suggests in our “training” is something she simply calls “a pause.” Throughout the day, as we are able, she recommends that we just pause from what we are doing, and step back from the mind’s activity for a count of three breaths.  That is all.

I’m finding that when I do this I step back into that space of being the watcher, the I who watches me, the divine within me that is able to notice where my mind has been, but remains forever loving and peaceful regardless of its travels.

Chodron’s belief, as I’m coming to understand it, is that as we step back from the unconscious activity of mind we are able to access our natural intelligence, openness and warmth, and carry that forward into our interactions with others. These are words to heal a world by!

May you pause often to connect with our collective, perfect good, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Having Compassion For Yourself

In the years I've been writing I haven't yet gotten to this topic, which isn't surprising given how much easier it is for most of us to offer compassion to others than it is to have deep compassion for ourselves.  It seems that the very definition of being a good person must include trying to understand that others have different perspectives than we do, seeking to forgive when others have somehow wronged us, and just generally taking the high road and cutting other people some slack.  I think we would do well to remember to include ourselves in this gentle approach.

Many of us tend to be harder on ourselves than on others.  I see other people facing challenges and sometimes acting in negative ways, and compassion comes easily.  My deep intention in those times is to find a way to understand, and to forgive.  I send my prayers out into the universe for the best to happen for them, and I know that it is done.  I try to remember to allow my best and highest to express in the situation, too, and know that it is also done.

I'm finding that compassion for myself needs to go deeper than that.  I'm seeing now that it's not wrong or selfish to focus more on compassion for myself than for others. That's a different approach for me, but I see the importance of it.

The more intentional we are about listening to ourselves, taking the time to hear what we need to do to take care of ourselves, feeling and honoring our emotions, and holding ourselves in compassion and love, we are a light in the world, allowing others to do the same.

When I step out of trying to fix a situation for someone else and focus instead on my own wholeness, I find myself again in truth where everything around me is already perfect, and there is nothing that I or anyone else need to do better or differently.

When I seek first to understand myself, and forgive myself, and then cut myself the same slack I would for another, I am holding a space for divine love.  When I shift my awareness to seeing myself, and the situation, as God does, there is limitless compassion.

May you find compassion first for yourself, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Asking for Help

It can be hard sometimes to ask for help. We feel the need to manage things on our own because we don’t want to appear incapable or weak, or because we don’t want to burden others. Or maybe we just get so caught up in pushing our way through something that the thought of seeking help doesn’t even occur to us.

There have been countless, everyday situations in my life when my load was made lighter because I decided to ask for help. There have been times when I probably should have asked for help but didn’t, and other times when I felt uncomfortable asking but did it anyway, and was later gratefully aware of what a gift it was to be unexpectedly held by another in my time of need. I’ve also been able to move forward from major, life-altering events in my life because I reached out and someone was there on the other side to grab my hand.

We all experience these times in life when maybe we could go it alone but it’s difficult, or when we just can’t manage something by ourselves. When it’s hard to ask for help, I’ve found that just choosing to be willing to seek help with something opens the door for Divine Consciousness to present the help I need in the most perfect way.

As the song says, “We get by with a little help from our friends,” or from our family, a stranger we encounter, a caring professional, or from that perfect passage that jumps out at us from a book we’re reading. The key for me seems to be the willingness part - being willing to acknowledge that I am confused and stuck, and that God in her infinite expression will provide the answer I need. I just need to ask so that I can be answered.

I’ve learned what a gift asking for help can be to the person providing the help. There is a state of grace inherent in caring for, and being cared for by another. In helping another we know ourselves as strong, and loving, and compassionate. And in being helped by another we are able to experience the truth of how precious we are.

May you trust that the help you seek awaits you, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Letting the Best Happen

The world shows up to us in the way that we expect.  We have no idea of the extreme power that our expectation has in taking what we are given, and turning it into reality.  It's the difficult times that allow us to bring this power forward most dramatically, when we can turn a distressing circumstance into a miracle, all by what we choose to expect.

I've learned to be grateful, or at least be willing to try to be grateful, when a situation arises that makes me feel hopeless or out of control.  In these moments I am given the opportunity to own who I really am, a child of God able to spin the rough straw of an unpleasant situation into the bright, precious gold that is the truth I wish to create.

There is no painful reality that can persist when I hold it next to Divine Consciousness.  Sometimes I picture the problem out in front of me, looking very dark and sharp-edged, and then watch as Divine Consciousness surrounds it in a gold light that opens and softens, and all good things are again possible.  For me this is an example of heaven on Earth, our ability to create as God in human form.

In those moments when we are most challenged, all we need do is offer the prayer to "Let the very best happen," and it is done.  In this way we are like alchemists, using the laboratory of our human experience to transmute what is the most base in us to our highest, most noble expression.  We can repeat this prayer as often as needed, expecting that it will happen, and then stand back and watch as our unlimited power manifests and we express ourselves as God.

When we are confused or angry or scared, turning it over to Divine Consciousness to simply let the best happen relieves us of the burden of staying that way, and of needing to have solutions when we're feeling the most stuck.  It creates space for the vast creative power that lives within us and in all things to work its magic.  As we expect the best and highest outcome, it is done unto us.

May you invoke many miracles by letting the best happen, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Standing in Grace and Gratitude

I heard a song at Unity last weekend, and woke up with it in my head this morning.  It happens fairly often, and I always appreciate the voice of God, speaking to me as I dream, helping me remember.
The song is "Grace And Gratitude" by Olivia Newton-John.

All I have and all I feel
Is all because of you
All I reap is all I sow
And love is our living proof

Thank you for life
Thank you for everything
I stand here in Grace and Gratitude
And I thank you

Seasons come and seasons go
No matter what we choose
A thousand names
A thousand roads
All lead to one simple truth

Thank you for life
Thank you for everything
I stand here in grace and gratitude
And I thank you

Being God, in the Middle of an Otherwise Ordinary Life

Another door has opened on my personal spiritual path, and so the direction of this blog is getting ready to take an exciting new turn.

Daily Spiritual Tools has always been about remembering the deep, abiding truth within us that we are God. I've delighted in sharing many of the tools I've learned and used, and in celebrating the spiritual teachers who have affected me so profoundly, both in person and through the books they've written.

The spiritual tools in this blog have literally saved my life, as they have helped me remember that I am its sole creator. Knowing that with ever-growing certainty has taken me from seeming hopelessness to truth, and has been a deep joy.

My heart is urging me now to put more "feet" to the truth that the tools so consistently help me remember. And so I move into a new phase of turning my remembering truth into practicing it much more consciously. Jesus said, "Ye are Gods," and I believe that to be true. As God, I'm ready to try my hand at creating some miracles!

I've been aware of creating miracles before, at least I thought they were miracles, except when my head was telling me they were coincidences. Creating the job I now have was the most conscious act of creating the seeming impossible that I'd ever done, and it's still hard to own it as the miracle that it was 13 years later. One thing's for sure, if I'm God, then I want to take all I've been given and run with it!!

Right now, thinking about it, there are quite a few miracles in the hopper. As God, I can heal my back of the herniated disc that's been keeping me in pain at night and thinking of the troubling stories I've heard from others with progressing back troubles. Mostly I forget that I can create this miracle and so I worry instead.

In the middle of having a son in college, an aging mom who needs financial help, investments that sunk, housing values that went in the wrong direction, and approaching retirement, I forget, too, all the time that I can create the miracle of abundant money. This is just the beginning of the many small and large miracles I want to create!

I plan to focus on creating the miracles that are important to me, especially the ones that seem unattainable. If all goes well, I'll move on to even bigger ones as this becomes clearer to me. The highest and best part of me knows that I can create any and all miracles that I choose, but that part is also very quiet, getting lost in the noise of why I can't. 

I was was going to say wish me luck, but God doesn't need luck, right? I have a feeling I'm about to find out. . .

Living in Prosperity

Sometimes when I need inspiration I open one of my favorite books and let a chapter speak to me, knowing that the right words will appear. Recently I opened Florence Scovel Shinn’s The Game of Life and How to Play It, and was again awed by her vast understanding of the unbounded creative power that we all have. What an amazing teacher she was!

My husband and I have had more than the usual amount of money going out lately, and I’ve been feeling limited in our finances, so I wasn’t surprised when the chapter on The Law of Prosperity caught my eye. I appreciate Shinn’s perspective on creating abundance in finances, and in all things.

Reading that short chapter reminded me that I choose what truth I will serve. Holding on to worry about the possibility of not having enough money for everything we want to do is not me expressing the highest I’m capable of. I know this (on some days, at least!), but thank Goodness that life provides me with as many opportunities as I need to keep remembering the truth.

Shinn puts it well when she says that, “getting into the spiritual swing of things is no easy matter for the average person. The adverse thoughts of doubt and fear surge from the subconscious. They are the ‘army of aliens’ that must be put to flight. This explains why it is so often ‘darkest before the dawn.’

A big demonstration is usually preceded by tormenting thoughts.

Having made a statement of high spiritual truth one challenges the old beliefs of the subconscious, and the error is exposed to be put out.

This is the time when one must make his affirmations of truth repeatedly, and rejoice and give thanks that he has already received. ‘Before ye call I shall answer.’ This means that every good and perfect gift is already man’s, awaiting his recognition.”

The simple truth is that God is my supply, and there is a supply for every demand.

Financial prosperity is a vibration, a reality that I consciously choose to call to myself. What is mine to do is acknowledge what I need, and then give thanks for it, knowing that it is mine and will come to me at the perfect time, and in the perfect way.

I can do that! Thank you, Florence Scovel Shinn!

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Allowing the Noise

A friend of mine from Unity told me recently that he is never able to quiet his mind. One of the problems that this is creating for him is that he feels completely unable to meditate.  I felt a lot of empathy for him because it seemed that he felt like he should be able to quiet his mind, and wanted to, but for reasons unknown to him just didn’t have the ability to.

His feeling that he lacks something that is intrinsic to all of us as part of our spiritual nature moved me to jump in and suggest another possibility.  And his comments prompted me to think more about the idea of the importance of quieting the mind.

I agree that it can be difficult to hear the quiet voice of spirit within when our minds are busy with life’s many details.  And I do believe that we are better able to live from our highest and most conscious intentions when we take the time to slow down and detach from the world on a regular basis so that we can access our own deep truth.

But the reality is that minds like to be busy.  Our busy minds are the things that create our individual experience and expression, and that provide our humanness.  And through our humanness we uniquely express God within.  Our minds are a powerful and sacred tool in God’s expression.

I know there are those very special people who have practiced long enough that they can spend long amounts of time with a completely empty mind.  But what about the rest of us seekers who are doing our best to find the divinity in all of our experience, including the noisy mind that defies taming?

I have found in my own meditation practice that it’s not the level of emptiness of mind that matters but just that I’m paying attention to what’s moving through.  At times my mind has been so busy that successful meditation was setting a timer so that I could make myself just sit quietly for a prescribed amount of time.  That doesn’t happen much anymore, though, because I’ve learned a little better to not fight what’s happening when I meditate.

Just stopping to notice the mind’s activity is a meditation.  When we can notice and acknowledge a thought it loses its hold and we can let it go.  In unconsciousness our thoughts spin unchecked and we feel unable to quiet the mind’s din.  And what we resist we give energy to, so fighting the mind’s noise just makes it noisier. 

But when we allow our meditation to be an opportunity to just sit with ourselves and be with ourselves, in awareness of what is real for us in that moment, the mind will often quiet on its own, without any effort needed.  (Or not, depending on the day, but even that is a meditation as we learn to watch the noise and see it for what it is, thoughts passing by that we can choose to attend to or not.)  We gain mastery by watching the mind’s pandemonium, and seeing our thoughts for the fleeting things that they are.

So take regular time to be the watcher of your own divine mind, and honor its role in helping you define what you will hold as true, and what you will allow to move past you.

May this tool be a blessing. . .