Celebrating!

There is always something to celebrate. Celebration is a form of gratitude; it's a way of acknowledging our unlimited ability to create and opening ourselves up to our best and highest expression. To me, celebrating is a form of prayer, a way of saying “Thank you, God” for the gifts we’ve been given. It’s a validation of the goodness and God-ness that makes up our human experience.

I’m a fan of the happy dance. When my mom recently got good news after having trouble getting her car smogged, I did the happy dance. When my husband got a bonus check yesterday that was unexpected, we did a big, loud high-five in celebration. In my family we often toast each other over dinner, with our glasses of water or whatever we are drinking, just to celebrate sitting there eating, and being together. “Tuesday” is a wonderful reason to celebrate. Random acts of gratitude can be large or small in expression, and they reconnect us with the truth of all that we can do, be and have.

Today is my birthday, and that is something to celebrate. I don’t think grown-ups have nearly enough permission to celebrate their own birthdays. This morning driving to work I danced to the radio, sitting there behind the wheel looking very foolish, I’m sure, to others driving by, happy in the awareness that I have experienced another year being me. Happy, too, knowing that today begins another year growing in my awareness of the perfect good from which this existence is created.

As my family sang happy birthday to me last weekend over the lighted candles on the birthday cake, I felt tremendous gratitude, for all of them, and for my precious life. The happy birthday song was a celebration of all of us, for being here now, filling the world with our own unique voices.

May you celebrate all of the large and small things in your life (especially your birthday!), and may this tool be a blessing. . .

Finding the Life in Your Life Situation

I love the wisdom of Eckhart Tolle.  I am currently reading for the second time his book, "The Power of Now," and am discovering some wonderful insights that I somehow missed the first time through.

Tolle, and many others, teach that the ego-driven mind is the basis for all that separates us from knowing ourselves, and all others, as God.  It's an interesting and powerful idea.  The mind, which is the cause of all suffering, is also our most powerful vehicle for getting out of suffering.  It is through the fearful thoughts of forgetting that we are provided the grace of remembering who we are.

In the Now all is well, for in this very moment, what is lacking?  Lack exists only as a construct of time, in the future or from the past.

What delights me and puts it into great perspective is that regardless of life circumstances, regardless of what we've carried from the past or are concerned about in the future, underlying all is that we are here.  We live.

Situations exist in our thinking, and are subject to change from moment to moment depending on the random places our thoughts travel to.  In the middle of all of those engrossing thoughts we could spend an entire lifetime so focused on the details of living that we forget that we are life.

That mysterious, vibrant being is us, as we move through our days choosing our course and experiencing the effects of our decisions.  In every moment our unique voice adds its resonance to the harmony of ongoing creation.  The whole is forever changed because we are.

Underneath life's situations we breathe; we feel and learn and grow.  Time moves on and situations change, but through it all, God sings her song of infinite joy through our beating hearts.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Hearing God's Whisper

As we move through this blessed life, growing in love and wisdom and in truth, the situations we encounter to help us along on our path can be complicated, confusing, and sometimes painful. These challenges provide our perfect opportunities to remember the highest in ourselves.

In the middle of our biggest challenges it can be pretty tough to see that we are being given exactly what we need to choose our best selves. We work hard to find an answer so that we can be comfortable again.

We give the issue at hand a lot of energy by trying to reason our way through it, talk our way through it, or worry our way through it. We get stuck in what happened in the past, or what might happen in the future. Whatever the issue is, it grows stronger with all of the attention we place on it.

By grace, and through divine order, the profound answers we seek make their way through the clamor, often in the most gentle ways. Sometimes in the middle of chaos our answers come from unexpected places, a few sentences in a book, words from a friend, or the quiet voice of our own deep knowing.

I was reminded this morning of a song that I heard at Unity recently, sung by our very talented music director, David, whose music is always an inspiration and a healing.

The song is entitled “More Like a Whisper”, by Scott Krippayne and Steve Siler.

“Sometimes the mountain moves and is thrown into the sea,
Sometimes the lightning strikes and a vision comes to me,
Sometimes the waters part and the path ahead is clear,
Sometimes the angels sing and it’s music to my ears.

Sometimes it’s more like a whisper, quiet and gentle, peaceful and still,
When questions rain down like thunder, sometimes the answer is more like a whisper.

Sometimes one candle burns and a light glows in the dark,
Sometimes a flower blooms, bringing hope into my heart.

Lord, help me listen whenever You speak,
If the river runs wild or is silent and deep.

Sometimes it’s more like a whisper, quiet and gentle, peaceful and still,
When questions rain down like thunder, sometimes the answer is more like a whisper.”

May you know the ever-present grace that provides all of the answers you seek, and may this tool be a blessing. . .

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. . .