Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!

And it's all small stuff, or so the saying goes.  It was a favorite of my grandmother's, who used to tell me, "Don't sweat the small stuff, Sweetcheeks!"  Sometimes the simple, common sayings that we take for granted can be a source of great wisdom.

I'm not sure that it's all small stuff, but I think most of it is definitely small stuff.  It's human nature to project our what-ifs out into a future that hasn't even happened yet.  I do know that for me, most of the things I find myself concerned with on any given day I won't remember six months from now, let alone at the end of my days when I'm looking back at what made my life exceptional, worthwhile, and uniquely mine.

The small things can take a big amount of energy if we let them, so there's a balance to be found in attending to them.  Keeping my house clean, or at least clean enough, I consider small stuff, but the quality of my life would be greatly reduced if I didn't consider it at all.  And I'm really grateful that I have a house, and this particular small thing, to deal with.

I remember a message at Unity a few months ago in which Rev. Ken suggested that we ask ourselves, "What am I willing to do to create an exceptional outcome?"  It occurs to me that we can ask this of ourselves about a particular situation, the day in general, or about our lives as a whole.  Focusing our attention on how we can be our best selves in a moment or with our lives helps take the attention off of the frequent, nagging, and in-the-long-run less important issues that surface.

A common example that comes to mind is those drivers on the road who cut us off in their hurry to get where they're going.  Rude drivers don't get to me very often, but they drive my husband crazy.  (Honey, are you reading this?)  One response is to sweat it, and thereby give it more power than it deserves over the quality of my day.  Another response would be to ask what I'm willing to do to create an exceptional outcome in the situation.  I find this amusing to think about - a very lofty consideration for a very small event.   Maybe blow the driver a kiss?  Or perhaps just choose to bless and see the Christ within him (or her) and move on with the gift of what's ahead.

What am I willing to do to create an exceptional outcome in this day?  It's a bit hard to think about, because I'm accustomed to just doing what I do in the roles that I fill, and that takes up quite a bit of the creative energy that I put into my day.  But what if I took back just a little of the energy that it takes to fulfill my roles, and use it to decide what I will do that's new or different, something exceptional.  I don't think exceptional has to mean untoppable each and every day, but special in a way that will make the day more memorable.

What am I willing to do to create an exceptional outcome in my life?  I believe this is a work in progress, and is created each day, in every thought we have and each choice that we make.  The answer to this question certainly changes as we learn and grow, accomplish our goals and move on to new ones.  In each moment we can choose to create an exceptional outcome, for this very moment is the moment that we live.

My husband's aunt, who is beginning to be affected by Alzheimer's, is coming to dinner along with my father-in-law, my son and his girlfriend.  I think I'll make cupcakes for them, just because.

May your moments be every shade of exceptional, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

The Prayer Chest

When I went to bed last night and started to quiet my mind for sleep, I realized how sad I was feeling over a situation one of my loved ones, and her family, is facing.  It had been bothering me all day, but more on the edges of my awareness because my son has been home from college this week, and I’ve been happily involved in spending time with him.

Last night, I had a chance to think about how serious her situation is.  Most gratefully, there is always a tool in times of need, one that will redirect my attention to the truth that the light of God exists in all things.

I read a book some time ago with a Unity study group called “The Prayer Chest: A Novel About Receiving All of Life’s Riches” by August Gold and Joel Fotinos.  It’s a short book and an easy read, told as a story.  I enjoyed it on a number of levels.  First of all, the story provides some wonderful insights on when and why we perceive that our prayers are being answered, or not.  I plan to write about those insights in a later post.

Another very helpful thing in this story is the central idea of a prayer chest, which the main character finds in his attic.  It's a simple wooden box, filled with his ancestors’ prayers.  He and his children are changed as they begin to use the prayer chest through their hardships.  The important thing about the prayer chest is that once the prayer is written down and slipped into the box, it’s never taken out again.  Once it’s in there, it’s in God’s hands.

My husband made a wooden prayer box for me this past Christmas, which now contains quite a few of my prayers.  It's very simple and beautiful, maybe the size of half of a shoebox with a slot on top for inserting slips of paper.  I haven’t felt the need to use it in some time, but last night I realized that I, and the family in question, could be helped by it.

I turned on the light, got up, wrote out my prayer and put it in the chest, and got back into bed.  A few minutes later I realized that I had something to add, so I got up and added another slip of paper to the chest.  Then got back into bed and went to sleep.

This morning when I woke, I knew that the burden had been lifted.  I felt clearer and lighter, but more importantly I knew that the situation with my loved ones would resolve in a way that benefits all.  The prayer chest is a physical place where we can store our concerns, then let them go, knowing that God will find them.  It provides a way to turn our concerns over to the God within everything, creating space for the light of divine intelligence to shine onto the situation.

I asked, through my written prayer placed in my prayer chest, and was answered, as I always am when I ask in the many different ways that are available to me, knowing they will be done. 

I'm thankful that my husband made the prayer chest for me; I really enjoy having it.  I don’t always use it because I pray in many different ways.  But the prayer chest is a very gentle, physical reminder that we can always ask, and we will always be answered.  

May you find many ways to know the God of your heart, and may this tool be a blessing. . . 

Stopping

I believe that stopping is a simple but important skill to cultivate. We can learn alot from cats, who elevate the skill of stopping to an art form!  Pausing from our daily activities for any amount of time, whether it’s 30 seconds or a few hours, can provide a way to reconnect with the pure intelligence within us, so that we know how to go forward in a way that is the most grounded, creative, and healthy.

Stopping is important for me to remember because like a lot of people I am busy, sometimes too much so. While it’s all good stuff, it’s important to me to maintain my equilibrium. I strive to hear my own voice and priorities as I live my life, and when I get too caught up in “doing” that becomes increasingly difficult.

I use the tool of stopping in many different ways. I teach it in classes as a stress management strategy. I have found that I'm never so busy that I can’t stop for 30 seconds, sitting at my desk between patients at work, and appreciate what’s outside my window, the trees, hills and changing sky. Thirty short seconds is enough to lift my perspective from “gotta hurry” to “I am open to the good that the upcoming encounter will bring.” All is changed in those few seconds.

The essence of my day is enhanced when I spend my lunchtime stopping, meditating or sitting in my car with the windows down just listening to the wind in the trees. I nurture my time with my husband when we sit facing each other at the end of the work day, before getting on to cooking or whatever else is in store, to see each other, hear each other without distraction, and say hello.

Stopping can be quick, or we can enjoy even more extended amounts of time. For me backpacking for a weekend feels like a whole 48 hours of stopping, no phone or clock, and nothing whatsoever to do except exist in awe of the beauty of nature.  Moments of stopping allow me to connect with the infinite wisdom of my soul, where all that happens before me is an expression of perfection.

May you relish your moments of being in the middle of your doing, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Joy

At a meeting last week, some coworkers and I were talking about something one of them had read recently, which I thought was wonderful. It was, simply, “What are the 10 things that bring you the most joy? Why aren’t you doing them?” For me this is a very worthy question, and gets right to the heart of the matter of creating the life we're meant to live.

We are here to fulfill every dream for ourselves that we can conceive, and in this way honor God within us, as limitless creators in our own right. But what is commonly accepted is that we will move through our days mostly doing what is expected of us, and not give nearly enough thought to choosing to do what brings the most joy.

Watching my son, who is now in college and juggling work, school, rehearsals, and a growing number of responsibilities, it occurs to me how early in life this happens. I'm grateful that he loves what he does.  We work hard today for rewards to be had later, hopefully, when school is finished or we’ve found a good job, or it’s time for vacation from work or retirement. I like to think that in most cases those rewards do come to pass, but what about now? I believe that we can strive to accomplish those things that are important to us, but not get so lost in the striving that we miss knowing joy in today.

I tried it this morning, writing a list of 10 things that bring me the most joy. And what I found is that it contained simple things like dancing and backpacking, listening to God within me and nurturing my body, the beloved expression of my soul.

I’m finding that joy is a very moment-to-moment thing. There have been many big things that I’ve worked hard and planned for in my life, and they were unforgettable, but the conscious decisions that I’ve made to find joy in the small daily events are what have brought the most peace and happiness.

When the big things come up that I want to do, I find a way to do them with relish and remember them always - one noteworthy example is skydiving.  I've done it a few times and it's always amazing like nothing else I've experienced.  It's huge fun, but I can't say that having done it brings joy to my life.  As great as the big things are, they don’t add as much depth and meaning and love to my days as the simple things on my list.

Others will likely find a completely different focus in considering what 10 things bring the most joy, but the important question remains, if there are things on your list that you are not doing, what better time to begin than now?

May this tool be a blessing. . .

In Nothing Be Anxious

My mind lately has been tending toward worried thoughts, for reasons not fully known to me.  I believe I'm matching the energy of fear that is so pervasive in the world today.  It's also likely that some of it is hormone-driven. . . such is life.   It's amazing how quickly my thoughts can turn to concern if I let them race by unchecked.

As I began my meditation today, I was wondering about what tool I could use for the worry that creeps in for no apparent reason.  I decided to pick up my copy of The Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn, and flipped to the back of the book looking for a table of contents.  There wasn't one, but the very next thing I flipped to was the first page of a chapter called "In Nothing Be Anxious."  Perfect!  It caused a chortle, in my delight at yet another demonstration of the unfailing truth that we always find what we seek.

I was reminded that I just need to change my mind.  For as many years as I've been practicing meditation, and learning about the truth of myself as the creator of my experience, my mind still runs amok at times.  That is the nature of the mind, and I'm learning not to get too stuck on where it goes.  Rather than resisting the unbidden thoughts, or even trying to understand them, it's much easier to acknowledge them and then just let them go.  Holding on just gives them more control over my experience.

Scovel Shinn adds another important piece to this in her book when she says that "Infinite Intelligence will express through (us) as success, happiness, abundance, health and perfect self-expression, unless fear and anxiety make a short circuit."  She goes on to say that it is more than just a matter of visualizing, or making a mental picture of Infinite Intelligence expressing freely through us, but "it must be a spiritual realization, a feeling that you are already there; . . . in its vibration."

For me, this spiritual realization is faith, in life, in myself and the process, and in the God who made me.  Faith creates within us the vibration of being open to our good.  When we have our eyes open to the perfect creative intelligence that we're part of, we'll always find the right chapter, and exactly what we need on our own divine path.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Twenty Words to Change Your Life

I found this video when I visited a fellow blogger's site, Journey to Perfection, and I had to share it. It's a wonderful and  uplifting video that left me dancing!  Enjoy!



May this video be a blessing...

Seeking Out Your Blessings

I was inspired to write today by a piece of chocolate – specifically by one of the Dove dark chocolate promises that have the little messages on the inside of the wrapper. I’ve always wondered why they’re called “promises,” but to me it implies that I will be receiving some type of special gift, and dark chocolate is definitely that! I would buy it even without the inspirational messages, but the spiritual tool that came with today’s after-lunch bite was (chocolate) icing on the cake!

My chocolate promise reminded me today that “Blessings only come to those who notice.” Such profound words of wisdom from a snack food! It is very easy to allow our blessings to go by unnoticed, especially when we are distracted by what we need to accomplish in a day. If we are too busy to take heed of the little things, we miss out on that delicious feeling of receiving gifts for no reason other than just being here.

I’ve noticed many blessings already today, both large and small. The alarm was set an hour early for some reason this morning, so when it went off, I had an extra hour to sleep! A man I didn't know held the door for me after lunch with a big, bright smile. I also got a very clear answer today from the God of my heart about an issue I’ve been pondering, and that was an even bigger blessing.

I had originally thought to title this post “Receiving Your Blessings,” but I changed it because I think the real spiritual tool here is the “seeking out” part. It isn’t that our blessings are lacking; they are ours for the taking. Spiritual “law” tells us that what we seek, we shall find. What we expect, we will receive. And what we focus on, we will create more of in our lives. Actively searching for the blessing inherent in each moment allows us to live more fully in well-justified gratitude, and honors the glory of our being.

May you find all of the sweet blessings your heart can hold, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Saying Yes

Saying yes is that magical state where we accept what is happening in any given moment without resistance.  Saying yes to the present moment is an even more vitalizing tool than acceptance, which is a very powerful tool in and of itself.  But saying yes can elevate our experience from acceptance to enthusiasm.

It is inherent in the dualistic nature of our existence that in our minds we label our experiences as good or bad, or the people we encounter as right or wrong; our thinking tends to be very black and white.  This is part of divine intelligence at work, and serves us in our coming to know ourselves.  But we tend to oppose the "bad" things, and the "wrong" things, and that opposition shuts down the joy of just being here, alive in this moment and open to all that is good and right.

Work has been very busy lately.  Yesterday I counseled 15 patients, which is alot for one day.  By yesterday afternoon I was starting to feel like "enough, already."  When I get into that kind of resistance, I'm just trying to get through, and not doing my best for myself or the patients.  I'm definitely not enjoying my moments.

By God's grace I remembered to change my mind, and say yes.  Yes, I am here in this moment.  Yes, I'm doing my best, and that is good enough.  Yes, this job that I have loved for many years makes me crazy sometimes.  Yes, I am an ongoing contradiction of wants and fears and perfect knowing and peace.  And yes, it is all here for me to express myself within.

I felt my body take a deep breath, expressing its own perfect knowing.  And in that second I smiled, as I was filled with gratitude for all of it.  I am repeatedly impressed by how instantaneously and completely changing my mind changes my experience.  Changing my mind is a prayer answered.

The best part is that I finished my work day feeling alot of enthusiasm about having the opportunity to be doing what I love, interacting with interesting people, and making a difference in my own way.  It really is amazing what happens when I stop fighting what is.

I love how Eckhart Tolle puts it in his book, Stillness Speaks.  "How often each day, if you were to verbalize your inner reality at that moment, would you have to say, 'I don't want to be where I am'? What does it feel like when you don't want to be where you are -- the traffic jam, your place of work, the airport lounge, the people you are with? . . . Acceptance of the unacceptable is the greatest source of grace in this world."

We can't change what comes to us; people will do what they do and situations will come up as they must.  That really doesn't have anything to do with us.  But we can bring ourselves fully to where we are, and know that within everything is a seed of grace.

Here's to being here, and all that comes with it:  yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Setting the Body's Energy

Everything we experience in this world is vibration.  Our thoughts and words, our interactions with others, and the interactions between groups of people all produce a certain vibration.  Our bodies, too, experience vibrations of energy, and are very sensitive to the energy happening around us.

An example would be answering the phone, and after hanging up noticing that you feel very different than you did before the conversation.  You may feel down and tired, or you may feel energized and uplifted, depending on the energy of the conversation, and of the person you were speaking with.

There are many tools we can use to influence the energy we experience within our bodies.  All begin with first choosing what you want to create, in your present experience.  It's not difficult to do in practice; probably the hardest part is remembering that we can choose how we want to experience our moments.

The other day I wanted to change the energy I was experiencing, to a higher level.  I wanted my body to match the vibration of my highest good.  At the Berkeley Psychic Institute, they sometimes use a technique called "bringing yourself up to gold."  Gold is often seen as the color, or vibration, of God, or truth, or our highest.  It is the color of clarity.  So I decided to use that tool to set the energy in my body.

A great thing about BPI is that they really focus on keeping spiritual growth like being in kindergarten, so many of the techniques are simple, and profoundly powerful in their simplicity.

The other day I practiced it in this silly way, in the energy of kindergarten:
1. Get comfortable and close your eyes
2. Breathe deeply and focus on yourself
3. Affirm to yourself that the color gold embodies the vibration of your highest good
4. In your imagination, see the color of one cell in your body (I used the tip of my nose) change to gold
5. Watch as the adjacent cells in your body match the gold one, and the gold vibration of your highest good spreads from cell to cell down and through your entire body
6. Feel yourself as gold, and expressing the truth of your highest good

You can use this technique to bring into your body any specific energy you'd like, such as peace, or enthusiasm or self-acceptance.

If you choose to try this, remember that it works best when we don't try too hard, so just have fun with it.  Our intention to have it be so is enough.  As we watch this manifest in our mind's eye, we enhance the strength of bringing it forward as our truth.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Embracing This Life

We embrace this amazing existence not by doing more, but by focusing on what is truly important.  We are probably more similar than dissimilar in the things that are most dear to us.  We all want to be happy, and to have loving relationships that are mutually supportive and nurturing.  We want to have strong, healthy bodies that can waltz (or boogie) us through our life's dance.  And we all want to be seen, and known, openly and honestly, for all that it has meant to be our unique selves.  I believe this is true for most of us. 

Thank Goodness for the challenges, for they help us find those rather elusive answers about what has the greatest value to us.  It's pretty easy to get caught up in the demands of the day, and end up spending long amounts of time separate from what is meaningful.  At times, I remember to ask myself, "At the end of my life, is this what I will remember?"  There are things that fall quickly down the priority list when I view them in this way.  Ultimately, a life spent involved in what provides meaning infuses our lives with joy.

It is said that happiness is not in having what we want, but in wanting what we have.  It's tempting to focus on what is still lacking.  But the life of our dreams comes from finding the good that is always present, standing right there next to the distractions and concerns.  We embrace our lives, and our good, when we recognize the gifts we've been given.  How sweet life is when we cultivate a joyous dance of unfettered gratitude, not only in our thoughts, but in our prayers and in our hearts as well.

So today, I embrace my life with an amount of gratitude that has no limits.  I am here, in this healthy, strong body that is infinitely capable of walking me though all of the adventures of my making; in the middle of a glorious day filled with unlimited possibilities for me to experience wonders of all sizes, shapes and colors; and for as long as I am here this is my daily legacy, as a child of God.  Today is the day that my heart beats, and I choose how I want to show up. Today I am.

May you embrace the gift of living another precious day as your unique and perfect self, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Spirituality and Health

I was asked by Catherine at Continuum Wellness to do a guest post on spirituality and health for her site, which covers many great topics on natural and alternative healing methods. Catherine is a homeopath and holistic coach with alot of very useful information to share.  You can read the post, and check out the Continuum Wellness website, at the following link:   guest post on Continuum Wellness.

I've wondered a few times if and when I'll run out of tools to share.  I have many rolling around in my head, and jotted down in my notebook, and life presents more ideas on an almost daily basis.  So it's not going to happen for awhile.  Thank you all for reading, and for your uplifting comments, and for sharing yourselves.  We are all a part of creating heaven on earth.

Blessings,
Sherry

Why Not Now?

Every moment that we are alive is a brand new opportunity to create our reality.  I've known that, and I've practiced it as much as I'm able at my present level of awareness.  But I think I'm just beginning to gain the barest understanding of what that really means.  The truth that we are unlimited creators seeking to express the God within is my foundation, giving meaning to all that I see and do in my life.  It provides for me the answer to my most heartfelt what-is-the-meaning-of-life questions.  And while I believe that humanity is on a course of not only discovering this truth, but owning it in the deepest parts of ourselves, it's surreal when I attempt to envision what that truly means.

If I am limited only by my beliefs about what is real or possible, then every single fear that I have is groundless.  Consider that.  If I claim dominion over what I hold to be the truth, then every seeming fault in my personality, all of the things I'm trying to figure out or get right, or the limiting thoughts that keep me from pursuing my wildest dreams, are of my own making and never have to restrict me again.

I'm not sure how a human being releases all of that fear, but why not start now?  I believe that we could change not only our own lives but the whole world, if we all agreed to stop being in fear.  We could even change our health and our longevity with different thinking, because our bodies react at a cellular level to the thoughts that we hold.

I know this is a big step in our evolution, and it likely won't happen tomorrow, but it could, and it is.  As with everything, the growth I see within myself I witness outside of myself as well.  When I notice myself in old, fearful thinking and take just a moment to deny it using any of the tools mentioned in this blog or elsewhere, it's a very simple process, but profound in its results.  When I choose to affirm that all is for good, the sky doesn't fall and life goes on as normal.  But it is nothing less than a miracle moment.  Usually a quiet miracle moment, known consciously only to me, when I am simultaneously my normal self moving on to the next thing, but also reborn.  I'm finding it to be a very gentle space, one that doesn't seem earth-shaking but feels right.  I'm finding that joy is how life is supposed to feel.

All we have is now, to do the things we've always wanted to do, and to know how great we really are.  The universe was created to support us in this process.  Heaven on Earth is there, in remembering that we can pursue our wildest dreams.  Why not now?

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Self-Acceptance

The divine purpose of having our wondrous physical bodies is to know ourselves as unique expressions of God.  In order to expand into our awareness of the truth of our God nature, we must first experience ourselves as less.  Being human is rife with opportunities to forget who we really are.

Throughout life we face situations that challenge our ability to see ourselves as whole and perfect.  We are always striving to "get it right."  The trick is to remember that it's always right, even when it's all messed up.  In all of our struggling and striving, it helps to remember that it is meant to be this way.  Without knowing doubt we would never have the certainty to grow into our best selves.

I was reminded of this today talking with my son, Eric, who is a very talented 20 year-old musician.  He has been feeling alot of joy in expanding his musical abilities, and feeling confident about his path.  About a month ago, he hit a wall.  A few things happened that shook his confidence.  Instead of  feeling joy in his music, he began to doubt his decision to pursue that course of study.  He couldn't stop the voice in his head that kept telling him he wasn't good enough, and actually found himself playing worse than he had in a long time.

He spoke to my husband and me about it, and I like to think that our gentle reminder that the voice is not the truth, and to just acknowledge it and let it go, helped a little.  I know that he didn't really need any advice.  But in the middle of things like that, it's hard to keep our heads up, let alone know ourselves as anything even close to God-like!

My son told us that everyone hits times in their lives when they don't feel good enough.  He wasn't sure exactly how to restore his shaken confidence, but he knew that he would.  He said he was glad it happened early in his life so that he can get past it, and then next time he'll know that he can.  What wisdom from a very capable young man, recognizing the gift in a very unwelcome situation.

I recently bumped into a prayer on self-acceptance, written by Robert and Janet Ellsworth, which spoke to my heart:
"Help me to admit mistakes without feeling shame, and to recognize that they come to teach me.
Help me to find my own voice, to say what I mean and mean what I say.
Help me to see the good and laugh at myself and my life more.
Help me to discover my gifts and honor the uniqueness of others.
Help me to accept who I am, a beloved and special being in Your eyes.
And above all, help me to remain patient and gentle with myself."

I think Eric did a good job of that!

May we all be gentle with ourselves as we compose our life's melodies, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Forgiving

I woke up from an interesting dream this morning.  I dreamed that I was with a group of people and we were writing a story together.  It was being recorded on paper, for some reason 14 lines per page.  Someone suggested that the next thing in the story be to forgive.  I didn't feel that forgiving should be written into the story at that point, without any context explaining it being there.  People were talking amongst themselves, and I said something like, "In order to forgive, we need to have had someone do something that was not in our best interest, and then we need to remember that they are worthy of a place in our heart, and then we can create a space to forgive."  Everyone stopped talking and started taking notes, and I woke up.  

I've writtten about forgiveness before.  One of the things this dream reminded me of was to take note of  the quiet truth of my heart, rather than the much louder promptings of my thinking.  Another thing that the dream caused me to remember is that I call people into my life in order to experience forgiving, or anything else.  As with everything, even those situations where people don't have my best interest at heart, are called forth by me, to create the opportunity for me to choose how I want to show up. I could never know myself as forgiving if I'd never had a reason to forgive.  I could never really know peace if I'd never known chaos.  And so it goes.

I also realized that there are layers of forgiving.  I can decide to forgive, and feel like I have, but then suddenly feel hurt or angry over what I thought I'd forgiven.  In order to really release something, I must first look directly at it, be honest with myself about why I am being so affected by it, and feel my feelings about it.  It doesn't help to avoid the very situations I've called to myself in order to grow.

I am struck often by the grace that allows us the ability to choose what expressing ourselves as God actually looks like.  Over and over throughout time, we decide.  Every situation is an opportunity to choose who we are, and who we want to be.  We are gifts to each other in our awakening.

I came away from that dream renewed by the peace that comes from knowing that the best interest of my soul could never be thwarted.  And I am again grateful for the gifts I have been given, in their many and varied packages.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Fear Not

I asked God what I should write about today, and She said, "Fear Not."  I thought that a fitting topic, because while finding ourselves in fear has always been a necessary part of remembering who we are, there sure does seem to be alot more of it banging around lately.  It's not always easy in the middle of some fear-based reaction to stay calmly centered and tell ourselves that we're much bigger than it is.  In the moment, all we see is the monster's big teeth and we know we're just seconds from being lost for good.

I remember, way back in my early 20's, reading a book that changed my life.  It's called Emmanuel's Book, A Manual for Living Comfortably in the Cosmos, by Pat Rodegast and Judith Stanton.  Pat Rodegast channels a being named Emmanuel, and his teachings cover many topics.  At that time in my life, before I had begun my search for truth, and before I had any tools for understanding the events of my childhood, Emmanuel's words were, quite literally, a balm for my soul.  The words gave me hope where, looking back, hope was so lost that I didn't even know it was gone. 

Emmanuel's Book sparked in me a sometimes difficult, but mostly joyous quest for truth that has lasted since.  And the words that hooked me are, "You are safe, you are safe, you are safe."  I read that and even though it took me many years to finally own that truth for myself, the words opened a possibility in me that grew stronger and stronger, gradually opening me to a truth that gets sweeter every year I live.

We are safe.  If we could but remember that, God within would dance alot more.  When I remember that I am the creator of my experience, and that I have chosen fear as part of my path to knowing my own greatness, it is transformed to a gift I give myself.  Fear is created by me, and through me, and for me. 

Fear is a choice, and that is a powerful perspective.  In any moment we can choose fear, or faith.  Fear is just being temporarily stuck in a lie.  Faith, and love, are truth.  We say in Unity that fear has no power over me, and I know that is true because even though I get temporarily stuck, I created all of it as part of my divine path of forgetting and remembering.  I can get unstuck!  Even in the middle of the most trying circumstances that life can dish out, we are safe, we are safe, we are safe.

I am, as always, profoundly grateful to the many teachers I've been blessed to encounter in my life.  If in writing my truth I can give back even a bit of what I've been given, I am happy.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

All Is Well!

My husband and I had a sailboat for a few years; we didn't take it out much and never got very good at sailing, but we enjoyed having a little cabin on the water.  I wanted to rename it All Is Well.  He thought we should rename it All is Swell.  He's clever like that!

I believe that some of the best spiritual tools are the simplest ones.  Reminding ourselves that all is well, in the middle of whatever temporary setback is occurring, can help put things back into proper perspective.  Circumstances affect us to the degree that we accept them as truth.  We are infinitely powerful in creating any outcome we choose, by what we believe.  If we remembered that, what a different world it would be!  I think our dear Reverend Ken at Unity illustrates this beautifully when he says that yes, there is a recession, but I choose not to participate!  He is affirming that all is well in his world, specifically with his financial resources.  I love the affirmation, "The light of God surrounds us, the love of God enfolds us, the power of God protects us, and the presence of God watches over us.  Wherever we are, God is, and all is well."

I had a conversation with my daughter recently and we were talking about the health of the planet, global warming, and issues with availability and safety of the food supply.  At first glance, these and so many other topics in our world seem almost insurmountable.  At times we can believe it is too late to turn things around.  It is never too late.  We can turn things around in an inkling, with a conscious intention that all is well.  Fear has no real power over us, except to the degree that we decide it is warranted.  My part in our conversation was to remind myself, and her, that things do appear in many ways to be heading in a direction we can't turn back from, but as limitless creators made in God's image, we have within us every answer we need.

I acknowledged that day that my perspective probably sounds like I am a pollyanna.  I choose very consciously to be just that!  To change this world, we have to believe that there are answers and resources available to us that we haven't even considered yet, and that all we need is provided to us by simply asking, and believing that it will come to pass.  We hear this, and want to believe it, but often can't.  Ask, and we are answered.  Knock, and all is opened to us.

In the face of our current challenging circumstances, I can imagine perfection unfolding and it is done.  The destination is never in question, but how we arrive is our playground.  Maybe today I'll sail, on a boat named All Is Well.

Letting the Day Come to You

I am sure there are people in the world who live in constant awareness of divine order.  I am not one of them!  As I'm sure you've noticed in my writing, I often forget.  I get caught up in worrying about people, or anxious about how things will turn out.  Thankfully I get back to remembering that I have a choice about the reality I create through my thinking.   I write and teach to reaffirm this for myself.

This morning, I found myself swept up into my most common fear du jour, that I don't have enough time to do it all.  Oh, how enticing this false belief is!  When I'm not aware of myself beginning to slide down that slippery slope, before I realize what's hit me I am caught up in all kinds of negative thinking.  I get very focused on all that needs to get done, instead of just enjoying my moments.

One real benefit of life experience is that we are able to notice when we end up in places that we've been before.  Our stuck places are more familiar, and we gain more ability to navigate them.  We can acknowledge that the thoughts we are having are habitual, but not reality.  

I noticed this morning that the to-do list in my head was taking way too much energy.  I had the whole beautiful Sunday in front of me, and I was spinning about things like grocery shopping and laundry and writing bills.  The funny thing was, the list in my head wasn't just of chores; I was also worrying about how to fit in my get-to-do things like working on my stained glass, meditating, walking, writing, all of the things I do to nurture my spirit.  The programming to get it all done can cause even the nurturing things I do for myself to start to feel like too much to accomplish.

Thankfully, I remembered to let the day come to me, instead of the other way around.  I decided to stop grasping the possibilities for this day and controlling them, and stand still, and see what happens.  I decided to just stop.  Stopping is a great spiritual tool, and I'll write more about it in another blog.  It is a small leap of faith to turn my attention away from the voice that warns that the sky will fall if everything doesn't get done.  It did try to advise me about the dire consequences of starting my week with piles of folded laundry on the living room sofa!  The voices of fear and lack always seem so much bigger in the moment.  But I persevered.  My commitment for today was to just see what the day brought.

What my day brought to me was peace, and alot of color.  I immediately noticed the vibrant spring green in my backyard, and the joy that comes from remembering that all I ever have to do is be.  That happens often; when I get back into present time the world is much more brightly colored.  It is not the world, but I who has changed.  When I affirm that things will happen in divine order, it is so.  My day was not really different from what it would have been had I struggled with the to-do list in my head, but it was much more gentle.  I really enjoyed the message at Unity this morning.  The grocery shopping got done, and that was colorful, too, not only the people I watched, but also the whole isle full of hokey pinatas that I don't think I've ever noticed before.  My day was blessed with so many delightful details and experiences that I miss when my thoughts are out in the future, or back in the past.

How the rest of today unfolds is left to be seen.  Tomorrow at work I plan to keep myself squarely in the present moment, by letting the day come to me, and I will sit back and enjoy the show.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

The Spiritual Law of Attraction

The spiritual law of attraction states that we attract into our lives that which we put our energy and attention on. I believe this is the most important of the explanations of how spirit creates through a physical body. Consider the ramifications of this! If we remembered this truth a little more often, how much more deliberate we would be in what we focus on. This law manifests minute-to-minute, in everything we do. It is in effect when we are being conscious about our thoughts, in prayer or meditation, or when we are sitting at a stoplight worrying, when our thoughts stream by without our even noticing them.

When "Monkey Mind" is active in our thoughts, we attract those thoughts. Monkey Mind is a term used for automatic, negative thinking, or the frequent amount of time we spend with our thoughts spinning off in some direction that may have no connection to our best or serve the highest good in that moment.

Monkey Mind often contains the messages we received as children, or lies that we have accepted as truth. It is the voice of fear. The voice of Monkey Mind is the perfect vehicle for our forgetting who we are, because the things we fear we usually find, and the lie is then reinforced until we can find a way to stop the cycle.

We quiet Monkey Mind through practice. Many people practice mindfulness and meditation techniques to help quiet the racing quality of the mind and cultivate more dominion over deciding which thoughts are worthy of our attention, and which we want to release. Simple deep breathing techniques also help with this. Many use affirmations to reprogram automatic negative thinking to more productive thoughts. What we hold in mind manifests in kind. The really magical part of all of this is, we can always change our mind!

Worry about not having enough money or resources is common, for example. The chatter would be "there is never enough money (or time, or love, or . . .) to meet my needs (or make me happy, or keep me safe)." When we catch ourselves creating this reality in our lives, we can affirm, in the present tense, "I have an abundant supply of all I need," or "God is my source." In doing this, especially over time, we reprogram the subconscious.

Many wonderful resources exist about learning to use the law of attraction more fully in our lives. There are entire websites dedicated to this idea. Life coaches teach it. One author whose books focus on the idea is Florence Scovel Shinn. I just purchased another copy of her book "The Game of Life and How to Play It" on amazon.com for $5.49.

The spiritual law of attraction is what makes the world our playground. It is what we use to design the masterpieces of our lives. In any moment we can choose to remember that there is no reality in lack of any kind. In all things, we can affirm that abundance is here and now manifesting.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Creating and Destroying

We very often forget that destroying is a crucial part of the creative process. Sometimes when we have an intention to create something, there are other things in place in our lives that get in the way of it. It would be hard to manifest a healthy and happy relationship if in our thinking we still label relationships based on past, unhealthy ones. It would be difficult to create a new, more creative job if we worry that we are too unskilled to get one anyway. It's always hard to create new things in our lives when we are stuck in old thinking.

The most powerful tool I've learned about creating and destroying I learned at BPI. It's effectiveness comes from consciously destroying as part of the process. BPI uses the symbol of a rose in this tool, but any symbol will work. I like the idea of always using the same symbol when you practice this, because the subconscious makes a strong connection with the symbol and the creating/destroying process. The rose is useful because you can notice how open it is to indicate how far along in manifestation your goal is.

What we think, we create. What we "see," we create even more powerfully. Throughout our lives, we are not normally taught to trust what we see, but seeing is part of our birthright as creators made in God's image.

It's easy to "forget" that I have countless tools at my disposal for creating. It had been awhile since I'd created and destroyed roses, but I did today, and cleared my ability to manifest in my life the things I desire. There are different ways to go about this, so you can play with it and do what feels comfortable to you.

Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. In your mind's eye, visualize a rose representing what it is that you want to manifest. Don't work too hard at it, just see what you see. That rose, its color, how open it is and what shape it's in all represent the energy around your idea in present time. You may see a very definite rose, or you may get a more vague idea of a rose. Either way is fine. It is our intention here that is important. See it, don't judge what you see, then blow it up! Destroy it. You can use any visual you choose. I often set a firecracker into it, in my mind's eye, and watch as it blows up. This part of the process can be uncomfortable if you are not used to destroying. We are not usually taught that it is OK to destroy things. It's very powerful but also fun, because we are releasing limits and clearing our creative ability.

Create another rose in your mind's eye, representing the same idea. It may be a different color or look different. Blow it up, too. With this process we are destroying anything in the creating of our idea that is not part of our truth. After creating and destroying a few roses, you will sense that the one you are now "looking" at is clear and containing your truth. At this point I show the rose to God, and know that it is done; it will come to pass in the right and perfect way.

You can use this process in many ways. You can create and destroy roses to clear communication in relationships. You can create and destroy roses to clear your path to a goal you have. You can even create and destroy roses to help you release old programming and fear. I created and destroyed roses around a number of ideas today!

May you know yourself as the limitless creator that you are, and may this tool be a blessing!

Trust or Faith

Trust can be thought of as a feeling of confidence that things will unfold in a dependable way that embodies order and integrity. Trust is very much tied to creating, because our level of confidence in how things will turn out affects how they eventually do. Believing ourselves to be capable of living the life we envision requires that we trust ourselves, our ability to reflect on our experiences, to grow and learn from our observations, and to continue to adapt new perspectives as we develop into the people we hope to be.

In this sense trust is something earned; as we gain life experience and make increasingly complex choices, we become more confident in our ability to navigate through this life smoothly. There's a place in creation, though, where we have no previous success to draw from, when we're crossing a bridge we've never crossed before, or when we're still struggling to figure out the graceful way through something, knowing that we can; it's within us, but we haven't found the answer yet. How can we trust, in those times, that we are capable of accomplishing that which we haven't yet succeeded at?

Belief that is not based on proof is the very definition of faith. We all encounter in this life challenges that seem insurmountable; we struggle with issues that we don't feel adequate to resolve. In those moments we have to let the mind quiet, and rest in the knowledge that we are not alone in the business of creating this life. The ego wants to believe it controls everything, but there is a much bigger part of us waiting to create more good than our ego could ever imagine. Not I, but the God within, does the work.

When things feel like more than we can handle, when we have tried repeatedly and our effort seems to be leading nowhere, it is a signal that we are stuck in limited perception. Grace allows that our best will come to pass; we need only remind the ego that there is a higher power at work, and step aside. Have faith!

"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us, even in our soundest sleep." - Henry David Thoreau

May this tool be a blessing. . .