Seeing Yourself Through the Eyes of God

I haven’t written in a few weeks, and I have missed it.  After some suggestions from friends, I took a short break to begin the process of turning Daily Spiritual Tools into a book.  I’m excited by the prospect of having these tools in one physical place where a person can actually flip through the pages of something solid.  Wish me luck!

I discovered a new tool a few weeks ago, when I was feeling very cranky.  I think all of us go through times when nothing seems right, and it was my time.  I was feeling worn out in my job and out-of-sorts in my relationships.  I felt like I was struggling with the same old things that I’ve struggled with for years, and not getting anywhere.  It was a pretty depressing state of mind.

I know that what I think is not always the truth, and I’m learning to loosen my attachment to the thoughts going by in my mind.  Still, sometimes they take on a life of their own, grab me and take me down a very unhelpful road.

I sat down in my favorite spot to meditate, with the intention of settling myself and finding my way back to the truth.  At first, I just sat and let myself hear the pessimistic dialog that was taking place in my head.  In that moment, everything was a problem.  Nothing was right with my life, or with me.  So I sat there, reminding myself to just notice what I was thinking and feeling without trying to talk myself out of it.

As I focused my attention on the thoughts and feelings that were moving through me, I noticed how my grumpy thoughts were feeding the jangling emotions, and the emotions in turn were continuing the negative thinking.  What a vicious cycle.  Somebody, stop me!

Thank Goodness for awareness, for as I continued to focus my attention on where I was without trying to change anything, a thought came to me in the form of a question, which was “If my life is an expression of God, if this is really God in the middle of these thoughts and feelings, what does God think about living as Sherry?”

God laughed, a big belly-laugh of delight, and I experienced again the miracle that comes every time the light of truth finds a new way to shine on me, and to remind me of who I am, and who we all are.

I knew in that moment an all-encompassing love that I truly have no words for, and I felt God’s joy in every single thing that goes along with being me.  I was reminded of the unfathomable depth of love that created this existence, and guides and supports us throughout every breath we take.  We are perfection in every moment, in every thought we have and every emotion we feel, and in every single experience we have.  

 To remember this always (or at least as often as possible), and to help others remember it too. . .That is my quest!

May you see yourself through the eyes of God within you, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

What Would My Best Self Do?

It's a tongue-in-cheek name for a spiritual tool, but also a simple guidepost for living our days in as much harmony as possible.  Even though I know that God lives as me just as she did as Jesus, I find that asking what my best self would do seems more relevant.  It also feels much more attainable.

It's interesting to consider that we even need to ask the question, because we could assume that we are always doing our best.  But I've noticed lately in practicing this that it brings forth a better best, as I connect with the higher truth that is always there, waiting to be acknowledged.

I'm grateful for the powerful simplicity of this tool.  In the midst of my mind clamoring from one problem to the next, asking "what would my best self do?" brought immediate peace as I realized that my best self would not give so much importance to the worried side trips that my mind often takes.  What I had thought needed alot of my energy to solve actually needed none, so I had all of that energy to focus on experiencing joy in my day.

In my rising frustration with a patient at work, asking "what would my best self do?" helped me in an instant regain my compassion and my ability to allow that person to be without my judgment.  My agenda lost all importance as I realized how much more I could bring to the interaction by just being open to whatever the other person is bringing me in the moment.  I'm realizing that being present for someone out of judgment is the best thing we can give anyone.

I've noticed that asking "what would my best self do?" takes me out of the very automatic place where I am just reacting from old fears and beliefs.  As I focus on choosing my best I don't need to make anyone else less in my thinking, because my best self sees God in myself and in all things.

Considering what our best selves would do is a prayer, and always answered when asked.  I'm always surprised and grateful, delighted actually, by how easily these answers come when I do think to ask.  My highest lives right here within me, as me, always accessible.  All I need to do is say hello.

Asking, and then choosing to follow through with the answer that we get, allows us to live from our deepest integrity.  From that place of truth and wholeness, we do our best work in the world, and more fully express the glory of our own sacred lives.

What would your best self do?

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Releasing, Revisited

I was speaking with my husband this morning about how important and useful it is to have tools that help us to release. Being human is by its very nature a process of being surrounded by countless different variations of spiritual energy. Spiritual energy can be thought of in this context as the circumstances and vibrations that spirit creates to assist us in remembering our true divine nature.

Human beings are extremely sensitive, energy-processing machines. We process the energy that we encounter with varying degrees of conscious choice, depending on our level of awareness. With awareness we are able to affect, rather than become the effect of, the thoughts, moods and beliefs that we encounter on a moment-to-moment basis.

Knowing how to release is critical because as sensitive beings, we pick up a barrage of energetic “input” all the time. We are affected by what is going on around us, even though it may have nothing at all to do with us. When this happens our own life force can get “bogged down,” and we may feel less enthusiastic and clear about our path. It becomes harder to stay grounded in our own truth.

Once we’ve picked something up in our energy field, its vibration becomes active in our own awareness until we’re able to release it. And vibrations of energy can stay with us for a long time, especially if we’ve accepted them as true.

Thankfully, we can release them. A favorite tool of mine for releasing is a grounding cord, which I described in this blog in January, 2010. With a grounding cord we use our clairvoyant ability, or “seeing,” to visualize a line of energy between our first chakra and the center of the planet to let go of what we are holding on to that does not serve our highest. You can take a look at the January 18 post for more information.

Another favorite tool is simply turning an issue over to God. When I notice that I am worrying about something beyond my control, I consciously release it to be handled by divine consciousness. In these moments, I find peace reconnecting with the truth that there is a higher consciousness at work in the situation. And with that acknowledgement, I bring light to the situation, even as I step back from feeling the need to solve it myself.

Prayer and meditation are powerful tools for helping us release. Prayer is for many a way of letting go, and letting God. The act of focusing on our breathing in meditation allows us to surrender the worries of the world, and reset our own vibration to our deepest truth.

Many simple and fun things help us to release. Journaling, singing, playing music and even dancing allow us to shake off the energetic vibrations that can overshadow our truth.

Our Unity services often close with a very catchy song about releasing that goes, in part, like this. . .

I release with ease and grace,
What no longer serves me,
And open up to God’s abundant good!

May you release with ease and grace, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

The Healing Energy of Mary

There are countless beings, spirit guides, angels, or whatever name we want to give these points of divine consciousness that very greatly affect the vibrational quality of our human experience.  These beings of light, who from beyond the reality of form exert their benevolent influence for good, are available to each of us in raising our own vibration to align with the truth of who we are, and what we are capable of as physical expressions of the divine.

Mother Mary has been an important guiding light in my life for many years.  When I studied hands-on healing at the Aesclepion Healing Institute, Mary was one of the guides whose energy we called upon to bring forth spiritual healing.  The influence of spirit guides' energy is available to each of us, regardless of our religious or spiritual background.

These helpful spirit guides exist as pure energy, and they hold a very high and unshakeable vibration of truth.  All we have to do is place our awareness on it, and then allow ourselves to "match" it.  Just as we can hold our awareness on Jesus, or Buddha, or on any of our other wayshowers, we can hold our awareness on Mary, say hello to her very high vibration of truth, and then let it fill us.  That is all.

What I notice in saying hello to Mary is that hers is an immensely powerful vibration of healing.  I cannot acknowledge Mary's vibration without being filled with immediate peace, and the sense that I have her complete attention as I am held in light and love.  Fear subsides in that strong presence of mother/protector, and my human frailty and forgetting are blessed.  I find renewed joy in coming to my experience as a child, delighting in my toddler's steps as eternal spirit expressing as. . . me.

My son's girlfriend, Camille, an amazing young woman, beautiful and talented, sang for us recently a version of Ave Maria arranged by Noa.   It touched me deeply, both listening to Camille's angelic voice which brings tears, and to the lyrics which speak well to the vibration of Mother Mary.

Ave Maria, where have you been hiding?
Don't you know we need you!
Things are looking pretty bad down here.
I know that there is beauty, gentleness and laughter.
These are things you always stood for.
Help us find them too.

Ave Maria, where have you been hiding?
Don't you know we need you!
Things are looking pretty bad down here.
I know you hear the fighting, see the torch we're lighting,
On our quest for peace and freedom.
Help us see this through.

The energy of Mary is available to us at any time, to help us find peace, and to remember especially that we are never alone.  Mother Mary reminds us, by holding her eternal vibration of truth, that we are children of the divine, forever loved and safe.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Surrendering

I have said that I write to remember, and this morning I stopped everything I was doing to put words to paper, so that much like taking a photograph of some beautiful scene in the high mountains that I love so much, I could capture my awareness of the gift of surrendering.

Not that I can ever really capture spiritual awareness through my words, because spirit is a state of being. As soon as I begin trying to define my experience, labeling it in the mind's way, I am holding it static. Already I am out of present time, because spirit just continues being, and creating anew.

But I continue writing, because just like with a picture of a beautiful scene in nature that I can go back and look at anytime, I am reminded of the truth of what is always there, even if I am not seeing it in any particular moment.

In my meditation this morning, I decided to acknowledge some of the things that I am grateful for. As I saw things in my mind and said thank you for each of them, I realized how long that process took. And I was only focusing on things that are happening in my life now.  My gratitude list is long!

It led me to ponder how all of this could have come to pass. How, in the middle of living a very ordinary life, filled with forgetting and confusion, worries about money, misunderstandings, working and raising kids and being so busy I didn't have time to even think about tomorrow, let alone being an unlimited creator made in God's image, immensely good things came to me anyway. What is the source, and the purpose, of those gifts that seem to have come from somewhere beyond my conscious intention?

Much like the gift of the breath that keeps coming, unbidden, filling us with life even while we are completely unaware of it, unimaginably good opportunities and situations come unbidden, too.

What I realized this morning was that during all of those early years, when I was doing so much and just trying to get through my days with a little bit of grace, I somehow knew to surrender. Somehow I knew, even before I embarked on a more conscious spiritual journey, that when I bumped into something I didn’t understand or couldn’t change, I had to let it go and move on. And along with that came the awareness that things would happen in their own perfect way and time. The wonderful realization is that I can look back and see that somehow they always did!

Even when I wasn’t completely clear about what I wanted, I knew to surrender what I didn’t want, and that made room for infinite intelligence to work through me to create many things in my life that exceeded any expectations I would have had if I had held on and continued struggling.

I realized that choosing to pull my energy out of a situation when I felt stuck has served me well countless times. It gave me time to rest and regroup, while unlimited good was at work behind the scenes.  I was reminded yet again that my good will always come to me no matter how stuck I get. I just have to surrender to the infinite wisdom within me.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Owning Your Abundance

I am struck sometimes when I consider the magnitude of the abundance that upholds this human experience.  Abundance is an inherent part of the divine consciousness that conceived of and maintains all of existence.

We could never be less than wholly abundant beings.  Life in its infinitely perfect way provides the challenges and the forgetting that support us in choosing to claim the abundance that is our birthright.  Our abundance expresses in our unlimited ability to create our experience.  What we envision, and hold as truth, we will manifest.  It is very hard for the human part of us to grasp the creative power of that.

That we are unlimited creators made in God's image, and can bring into being anything that we can imagine, is a miracle and a great joy.  It is also the guidepost for my own life's journey, as it is for many.

In my fledgling steps toward realizing the absolute truth of our human divinity, I think the most grace-ful thing that I have learned is that, paradoxically, creating is best done out of effort.  In fact, the less effort there is, the better it works.  I am very good at pushing, forcing, exerting my will, and worrying and fussing until I make something happen.  It is the habit that I fall back to when fear takes over and I begin reacting.  It's my default position, and also a very big waste of energy.  And it gets in the way of creating.

We are meant to envision our dreams, and then allow them to manifest; that is all.  That means trusting and letting go.  The things that I've most doubted I could create, but did, are the ones that I had to release to God within me, over and over and over again.  From many great teachers I have learned that it is not I, but God within me, that does the work.

In the end, abundance is having complete faith in the truth that as we ask we will be answered.  We likely won't be able to predict exactly each step of how it's going to happen.  But our intention is a knock on the door of infinite creative consciousness, and it is always opened unto us.

Abundance in this life comes from believing that we already possess that we desire.  There is nothing that separates us from our dreams.  Once we decide what it is that we really want, all we need do is step back and let it come.

This truth sits squarely in the middle of my most fundamental beliefs, but that doesn't mean I remember it always.  But I remember it often, and every time is a gift.  Every time I fear that maybe this is the time it won't work, maybe this is the time when I've come to the end of what I can do, or be or have in this life, but it does come to pass because I've released the limiting beliefs to the light of creation within me, my trust grows stronger for the next time.

So tonight I am, as always, grateful for the forgetting that allows me to remember.

May you own the limitless creative consciousness within you, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Taking Risks

I am grateful to spirit's infinite wisdom for guiding me, repeatedly, off the path of least resistance.  I am not by nature a risk-taker.  It seems that I would be perfectly happy settling in to what I know and what I do, and enjoying my peaceful and relatively stress-free life.  That would all be fine and good, if not for the small voice within me that keeps pushing me out of my comfort zone.  Darn that voice!

The voice within has a habit of insisting on change, and growth, and pushing me forward when I really just want to coast for a bit.  I can ignore the voice for awhile, but while the voice is small, it is also very insistent.  For only so long can I disregard the urgings of that voice, which is the best and highest within me, the voice of God's expression.  After a time thoughts of "I can't," "I'm not ready," and "I don't know how" seem to give way, despite my repeated protests, to a new direction.

I've learned by now that I wouldn't actually be happier just settling in and maintaining the status quo.  The biggest gifts in my life have come when I've felt most uncertain that I had the ability to actually live up to what my heart was so strongly prompting me to jump into.  There have been wonderful dreams that seemed out of reach, but then some as-yet-untapped well of faith kept the dream alive while my personality caught up with what my spirit knew was right for me.

Follow your heart seems like trite advice, but there is profound wisdom in it.  From our hearts God speaks.  Oftentimes our hearts lead us into uncharted and seemingly-dangerous territory.  And our minds, always on guard to keep us safe, try to talk us out of going there.  But divine wisdom always knows which risks are worth taking.

I know the voice of my spirit's urging because it is, like all truth, steadfast.  It speaks over and over again until I"m ready to listen.  For as many times as I discount its gentle guidance in an attempt to stay secure in what I think I know, divine wisdom answers with another knock on my heart's door, reminding me of who I really am.

May you hear the gentle urgings of your spirit to risk all you thought you were, and may this tool be a blessing.