The Layers of Now

Being present is what I yearn to be, although like many others, I teeter-totter in the realm of past rememberings or anticipating future fears of what’s to come.  It’s a fine line between the past, the present and the future.  One sharp word can trigger a memory and I’m conjuring up past wounds, beliefs and heartbreak.  One kind word and I’m breathing deeply in the present moment, finding my center of peace.  One anxious word and I’m fearing the uncharted territory of the future.

So where does one go?

Into The Layers of Now!

The Layers of Now is how I’ve found peace within me during chaotic times of trouble which seem to gather around me lately like thunderclouds sweeping in during a summer storm.  I don’t know if I can explain what I’m doing so that it will make sense to you, but I will try.

Simply put, I consciously try with all of my might,

to layer my present moment of presence.

If I need to cha cha into the past, I take a few steps back, rock forward to the present moment and repeat as necessary until the dance becomes obscured by the smile on my face as the music trills in my head, because I have changed my tune.  I drop what wounds I held onto as they don’t serve me anymore.  I allow the knowledge that we are all here together, doing the best we can to remind me that I am not without mistakes either.  I forgive the past, remember what I have endured and face the present with peace in my heart.

If I need to face the future, I step up, then rock back to the present and repeat as necessary.  Never actually staying in the future for it is certainly uncertain at this point, but also, never losing sight of the solidity of the present moment.  Thus I can grow my presents of presence.

Then, when I need to feel present in all the glory or chaos that is this very moment, I step to the side, into observer mode, facing my fears, my angst, euphoria and sadness with the magnitude of a maestro layering the chorus of past/present/future into a hit song that encompasses it all!  I stand by, not engaging, but simply looking with gratitude for all the facets of my life, no matter where they may be, past, present, future, happy, sad, uncertain and I just envelope them in my heart as the layers of now and rejoice, for I am here to experience and connect each and every emotion and feeling.

I am here,

to witness my life as it is right now with gratitude.

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I am here,

to remember how far I have come from my past with gratitude.

*

I am here,

to open my heart, mind and soul,

to welcome with arms outstretched,

the unseen experiences that may come my way on my future path.

All at the same time.

Connecting…The Layers of Now.

Shine On!

xo

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/layers/

 

 

Buddha says…

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe,

deserve your love and affection.”

– Buddha

I recently found this quote and found it a helpful reminder to myself, so I thought I’d share it with you.  In the hustle and bustle of life, we sometimes forget to love and nurture ourselves.  With all of the outside responsibilities, we soldier on, leaving ourselves behind.  We need to give ourselves, the same loving attention that we freely give to others.

So today, please do something nice for yourself ~ nurture yourself with a few moments of peace, wrap your arms around yourself and feel the comforting love of kindness.  Breathe in the sweet tranquility and feel yourself awaken to love and affection.

Shine On!

xo

Lucky You

Do you believe in luck?

Full Definition of luck by Merriam-Webster is:

1. 1 a :  a force that brings good fortune or adversity

2. b :  the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual

Curiously, I believe in luck and yet, I don’t, which is a conundrum on St. Patrick’s Day even though I have a smidgen of Irish in me.  I believe in fate.  I believe in free will.  I believe in karma.  I believe in the ability to change our ways of thinking in order to change our lives.  I believe in angelic help.

And I believe in you…and I believe in me.

What do you believe?  Have you ever sat for a moment to ponder your beliefs, to write them out and then peruse them?  Do they still stand stoically rooted in your childhood beliefs as they were downloaded to you from your past or have they changed over time, expanding the limits to an expanse of limitlessness?

Beliefs from childhood can be limiting or limitless depending on our circumstances and what is downloaded to us from our parental figures and from those whom we looked up to as children.  As we grow, we learn and expand our thinking or we can stay stuck in those beliefs that were given to us from the start.  It’s a choice to see ourselves as limited or limitless.  It’s a work in progress as we develop our mindset to raise our personal vibration in the world at large.

Perhaps it’s that old adage of seeing the glass 1/2 empty or 1/2 full or with gratitude for even having a glass.  Today in honor of feeling lucky, I’d love to hear from you.  Are you lucky?  Do you believe in luck?  What do you believe?

Lucky you, you can choose your thinking!

Shine On!

xo

 

We Are All Souls in Human Form

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience;

we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

 

We nourish our physical bodies with exercise, nutrition and fashionable clothing.  Amidst the social etiquette of the day, we slather on moisturizers to appear ageless, we cover up what we deem physical flaws and many of us intend to show our best physical selves to the world at large.

We nourish our minds by learning and by exploring knowledge that many of us voraciously seek in order to keep our brains functioning at higher levels.  We read self-help books, we watch motivational videos, we subscribe to uplifting blogs, we communicate with others who are searching for ‘enlightenment’ and we expand our thinking.

But what do we do about our souls, the oft forgotten center of our beings?

Do we attend the church of our choice?  Do we pray?  Do we believe in God, a higher power and Divine Power?  Are we religious?  Or spiritual?  Or both?  Do we carry faith within?  Do we connect with others through our heartlights?  Do we lean outside the conventional box of spiritual thinking?  Do we nourish the soul’s desire for love and forgiveness?  Or do we step aside, turn a blind eye/heart/mind to the Divinity that resides in each of us?

Nourishing our souls is mandatory, but it seems that many do not take the necessary time to explore and to listen to the quiet voice of the soul which is the heart of our experience here on Earth.  We blindly follow the herd of humanity at times, caught up in the woulda, coulda, shoulda’s of life school, not daring to take the time to be present and to feel the presence and connection with our collective souls.

It’s sad for me to watch so many people rushing after the future or repeating the past and forgetting about the present moment which gathers so much love in its presence.  The if only’s haunt our lives, tearing people apart and deepening the ruts of ‘when blank happens, I’ll be happy’, thus forgoing that precious presence of blessing that is in the here and now, for an intangible desire that when we look with loving eyes at the present moment, was here all along and truly was enough.

The soul innately knows that we are enough (perfect, whole and complete) in this present moment, but our Earthly fears drown out the quiet voice which whispers the soul’s desire and message.  Take a few minutes a day to be aware of your soul.  Breathe in the precious present moment, taking in all the love that abounds and exhaling all of the negativity that sometimes feels like it’s beating down your front door.  Nourish your own soul with loving acceptance and send forth love and forgiveness from your own heartlight to shine and to connect with others.  You will notice a difference when you you do this.  Trust me.  Healing is here for you.  Love and light surround you and are within you always.

Be who you are meant to be in this life.  You are worthy.

Shine On!

xo

Sunday Rose

That which God said to the rose,

and caused it to laugh

in full-blown beauty,

He said to my heart,

and made it a

hundred times more beautiful.

~ Rumi

Just a little inspiration on a Sunday evening.  Blessings to all of you!

I see your heartlight from here!

Shine On!

xo

Ringing in 2016

May 2016 be the year all of our wishes are fulfilled.

May love, health, wealth and joy be ours.

May we make memories to hold close to our hearts.

May we be healthy in mind, heart, body and soul.

May we heal in miraculous ways.

May we reach out in kindness and be greeted in kind everyday.

May we know love and trust in the Universe.

May we travel safely.

May we keep our faith strong.

May our heartlights shine brightly.

May hope spring eternal.

May love conquer all.

May we continue to be grateful and appreciate every gift.

May we remember to look up and to search within when times are hard.

May we count blessings and not troubles.

 May we make connections through caring.

May we hold dearly the Presents of Presence.

May peace be ours to share with the world.

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 May we never forget we are perfect, whole, complete and loved.

May 2016 be your best year yet!

Shine On!

xo

Tips to Help You Cope With Holiday Estrangements

There may be times in our lives when we feel separated from others and it seems that the holidays are the hardest to bear when we are in this position.  There are no words to balm the feeling of grief and loss, not even succinct platitudes which are uttered that bear witness to the heaving sadness in our hearts.  Whether your estrangement is with the living or deceased, it is sometimes hard to put on a happy face during this otherwise joyous season.

Feeling alone doesn’t help, so I am here to walk this holiday season with you.  Take my hand.  Let’s get a plan in place to make the best holiday season that can be!  I want to say that it doesn’t matter what the cause of the estrangement is or with whom, but then I’d be lying, for each of us in this position feels the pain of estrangement in our own ways and in our own situations and my goodness, it does truly matter.

But in a general way, here are some tips that may help us all.

Decide what makes you happy, festive and in the mood to celebrate and plan it.

Be kind to everyone, (especially you) during the holidays.

Remember Ram Dass’ quote, we are all just walking each other home and as you may be finding it hard to walk home at this time, others may be as well.

Change is difficult, but it opens our lives up to fruitful empowerment.

Take some quiet time for yourself.  Meditate.  Take a bubble bath.  Nourish your soul by feeding yourself loving, peaceful moments of stillness.  Smile.  Pray.

Be the observer in your own life.  See how each and every person you meet is struggling and feel the compassion in being kind to everyone, no matter the circumstances.

Do your best to shine your heartlight.  Do what makes you happy and not for approval of the masses.  They may judge anyway.  Just continuej to be your sweet, loving self.

Get enough rest.  Drink extra water.  Do not overindulge in food or alcohol for it will not help you.

Silence is a gift you give yourself.  If you have nothing nice to say, then please don’t say it.  If someone says something nice to you, allow yourself space to walk away and not engage.

Listen with a loving heart for you may hear tidbits which explain the estrangement (if you don’t already know).  When you speak, do it with kindness and not with negativity nor anger.

If you must leave, then do so quietly without rancor.  Best to err on solitude than to have your actions gossiped over by others.

Remember the reason for the holiday season ~ to show kindness, generosity of spirit and love.

Make good memories for yourself and others by coming from a place of patience and peace.

Look up.  Ask for help from God.  Imagine yourself surrounded by white, loving light which protects you all the time, especially during trying times.

Bless the festivities.  Ask your Angels and God to be there with you as you pass through the holiday season.

Be grateful that you are here and do your best to make a difference with each and every encounter.  Let no one leave you without feeling the genuine warmth of your smile.

Remember that you have a friend in me.  Take my hand and know that you are loved.

Shine On!

xo

 

Do You Have A Case of Holiday Hiraeth?

I saw this on Facebook this morning and it struck a chord in me that I felt needed to be shared with all of you.  For at the holidays especially, there are those of us may be feeling hiraeth, but never had a word for it.  For the English language, to my knowledge, does not have a word which encompasses these feelings as hiraeth does.

So what do you do about it when you are feeling this way?  How do you go on with this feeling through holiday festivities?  My own solution is to allow the feeling, to engage in it, to acknowledge the hiraeth as it comes.  To turn ourselves into jolly merrimakers is to falsely and ineptly disengage with our souls.  To be in stillness with the feeling is to be true to ourselves and to allow hiraeth to process in our lives in order for us to heal.

I’m not saying to throw a pity party for ourselves during the festivities at all.  I’m not recommending that we pout or make others uncomfortable with our sadness.  No, not at all.  I’m suggesting that we allow ourselves the gift of hiraeth in our quiet alone time so that we can find the joy when we are celebrating the holidays.  To feel hiraeth and maybe even to share it with those willing to listen in a compassionate manner is to find the peace within us when we allow our feelings space to heal.

For there is healing in allowing hiraeth.  There is much joy to be had in life especially during the holiday season.  Allow your heartlights to shine, spread the love and understanding that you innately carry within you and reach out to others with your kind heart.  Know that I am here with you.  I understand.  I acknowledge our feelings of hiraeth and I hold them tenderly in my heart.

Bless you all this holiday season.

Shine On!

xo

 

*Gratitude to MAngel for sharing on FB so that I could see this post.

Come Fly With Me!

This is a sunrise shot from my recent flight.  I love the colors of the sky as well as the gentle, yet beautiful reminder that there is always a dawn.  Perhaps you will find some inspiration as I did from the photo.

For every day, we can count on the dawn and dusk.  Do you ever think about all we take for granted?  The air we breathe, the Earth we live on, the homes and food we have?  The fact that we are here on this earthly plane to shine our loving heartlights for all to see and to connect with kindness to others?

Come fly with me ~ our heartlights can shine together!

Sing along with Frank and me below!

Shine On!

xo

See the Light In Others

and treat them as if that is all you see.

~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

I love this quote by Dr. Wayne Dyer and it goes with the theme of my past few posts.  When we see with our heartlights, our hearts are filled with warmth, love and peace.

May you see everyone’s heartlight shining today and everyday!

Shine On!

xo