Wise Advice From Sadhguru

You cannot suffer

the past or future because

they do not exist.

What you are suffering

is your memory

and your imagination.

~ Sadhguru

Being at home during this pandemic can be difficult for some people since life has slowed down (partly to a screaming halt), so there’s not a lot to do to keep our minds off of what we’d been avoiding.  It’s not as easy to bypass those memories or future worries that we can’t seem to process to completion.  So they perseverate and continue to loop and repeat if we let them.

I like this quote from Sadhguru because it’s simple to understand and breaks down the thoughts in an easy way for me.

Am I going to let memory or my imagination run my life in negative ways?

No, I do not choose that anymore.  What I choose is The Presents of Presence!  Being in the moment with my family.  Staying centered in my thoughts and staying prepared for what we need.

I hope that you and yours are staying healthy and safe during these uncertain times.  May you stay blessed and at home.  Keep shining your heartlights because we need to stay connected.

Shine On!

xo

 

Christmas Is About Presence, Not Presents

As we get older, our Christmas list becomes less about store bought gifts and more about those priceless feelings of togetherness.  I’ve found it’s the simplicity of spending quality time with family and friends that means more to me than anything else.  As the title above reads, it’s about PRESENCE and not PRESENTS.

Being present during the holidays helps to encourage and grow feelings of joy, peace and good cheer.  It’s sharing time and connecting with people.  It’s the simple joys of goodwill that we foster when we get out of the commercialism of Christmas and into the basic feeling of love to all.

Enjoy the simplicity of Christmas presence this year.  Open your hearts with gratitude for this moment in time.  Be thankful for each and every blessing and share your heartlights with all whom you encounter.  Life is good, even when it’s difficult and a loving presence is all we truly have.

Much love and Christmas Blessings to All!

Shine On!

xo

The Gifts In Surrendering

Sounds like a strange title for a blog post, huh?  Well, I guess it is, but a comment from this post made me feel like I wanted to write more about surrendering.

To surrender is to allow the Universe to have a hand in life.  Surrender isn’t a negative as many of us deem it when we hear the word.  Surrender is simply presence during whatever chaos surrounds us.  It’s not picking up the karma of chaos, but simply allowing it to swirl around us while we stay peaceful, centered and present.

Surrender isn’t allowing the past to whip our emotions up into a frenzy of negativity, of hurt, or of resentment.  It isn’t allowing the good of the past to be lost, but instead to hold it tenderly in a place of peace.  It isn’t allowing the loss of the good to overshadow the present good with bereftness or grief.  It is being in the present moment, truly being in the present moment with peace – no past – no future – just now.

And if that sounds hard to do, well, by golly, you’re right!  (Sorry, I needed a giggle to break the seriousness.)  Because many times it’s not easy, otherwise we’d all be doing it and be like Eckhart Tolle or the Dalai Lama without straining to stay present.

Surrender isn’t giving up or giving in or allowing others to control you.  It isn’t being a doormat or losing the battle.

Surrender is breathing in the gratitude for what we currently have at this very moment and acknowledging it.  Surrender is faith in integrity.  Faith in ourselves.  Faith in the Universe that all arrives with Divine Timing.  Surrender is letting go and letting God.  Surrender is putting the desired outcome out there and taking the baby steps that we can in order to accomplish whatever it is we want without putting restrictions, nor past or future limitations on ourselves and our situation.  It’s stillness and prayer.  It’s a loosely built plan of what we’d like ultimately, but with the caveat that somewhere close in that vicinity would be fine as well.  It’s allowing the Law of Attraction, the angels that are friends and strangers or maybe, actually angels, to help us.  It’s continuing to do our best daily, with integrity and lay our worries on the bedpost as we sleep in peaceful slumber, knowing we have done our best today and have earned a restful sleep.  Surrender is  allowing the freedom of peace to envelope our souls.  To find the peace in the current situation, no matter how bleak it seems and to remember that tomorrow is another day with a new dawn and the possibilities of miracles abound.  It’s reaching out to others when times get tough, for more often than not, they are waiting in the wings to comfort, to help and to encourage.

It’s finding The Presents of Presence, unwrapping the peace and being grateful for what is in this very moment.  It’s finding the good now.

Have you every surrendered?  What was the outcome?

Shine On!

xo

Progress

 

“Progress, of the best kind,

is comparatively slow.

Great results cannot be achieved at once;

and we must be satisfied

to advance in life as we walk,

step by step.”

-Samuel Smiles

I know why Samuel Smiles…because he’s learned that progress takes time, patience and baby steps (well maybe just small steps).  For those of us who want to make progress, but yearn to achieve it in leaps and bounds, this is a great reminder.

Slow and steady wins the race as in the story of the turtle and the hare (turtle wins the race) comes to mind when I think of the above quote.  I guess in this day and age, we are all tethered to instant gratification and the quick and easy way to success.  Gone is patience and accepting the time it takes to make something happen.  Instead of being in the step by step progression and enjoying the trip, many people abandon the task if it ‘takes too long’ in their minds.

We are all victims of this in different ways.  Media has shown us those quick fixes which make laborious steps fewer or even obsolete.  Ads to lose weight faster,  to clean your home quicker, to do your banking easier, to get the answers now and so on come at us everyday in all different ways.  Not that I’m looking to do more work or have my work take more time, but really?  What ever happened to the feeling of accomplishment, of presence in chopping vegetables or growing your own anymore?  Or in any task?

I’m just saying that there’s an awareness in being present and a centered feeling in accomplishing something all while remaining present.  Does this make sense to you?

Shine On!

xo

 

The Last Time

We never know when the last time will be.  There.  I said it or better, I wrote it.  It’s a fact that most of the time, we never know that this may be the last time for fill in the blank.

Look back on your life and you may find endings and beginnings that at precise time, you might have been unaware were endings and beginnings in the making.

For example, the last time you fed your baby a bottle or changed the diaper (because they started using a sippy cup or going ‘potty’ like a big kid).  Did you know that it would be last time for sure?  Perhaps you are relieved at this point, but maybe in the future, you will look longingly back at their childhood wondering where the time has flittered away?

We can say the same for all types of situations, circumstances and people.  There are a myriad of events that in hindsight we can deem ‘the last time’ which at the time, we didn’t know.

My point is simple:  be present in all of your experiences.  Enjoy this special moment even if it doesn’t feel special, but instead feels routine.  Not to fear ‘the last time’ but to know in your heart, peacefully in your soul, that if this distinct last time were really the last time, you have peace.

So kiss your loved ones hello and goodbye.  Make the extra effort to connect with people, places and animals.  Find that quiet loving presence in your heart and allow it to expand throughout your day.  Don’t allow an opportunity for kindness and connection to pass you by.  Sure, it takes effort to be present, but The Presents of Presence is most definitely worth it!

I’m a living example…and I know you are too!

Feel free to share your experiences with the last time.

Shine On!

xo

 

 

When You’re Feeling Like the Only One

There are times in life when you just feel like you’re the only one who is enduring (insert whatever it is that you are experiencing).  You may feel as if nobody understands your situation.  You may even feel alone, untethered and grieving.  It happens to all of us.  It is a normal part of the ebb and flow in life.

But to reach beyond and out of the moment is where your lessons in life school challenge you to search within and to look up and all around you to connect with yourself, God, the Divine Universe and with others of like-mindedness.  To find the positivity in any situation, to allow yourself to be present with the pain/hurt/disappointment and to find a sense of peace even while chaos swirls in one of life’s lessons is the key.  It is in human eagerness the need to smooth the rough edges, to bypass the grief at all costs, to hide away the disconnect from ourselves and others and to make everything okay as soon as possible.  Sure, wallowing in sadness cannot be limitless, but to experience what we are feeling, as we are feeling it and to connect with whatever we are feeling is beneficial.  The choice to move beyond that to a place of peace no matter the circumstances is the lesson here.  And as you know, for we have all had our trials and tribulations, it is not an easy task at times.

But it is possible…and it is your choice for you have free will.

Cloistered in self-pity, does not serve you, nor the world.  It isolates people, disconnects them from reality and from those who want to help.  But it takes courage to connect with others and to connect with our own hearts.  It takes trust in the soul’s knowing that we can open up and be with whatever is happening.  That’s the tough part which many of us find distasteful as we lack the trust within ourselves and therefore, lack trust in the Universal Truths of Life.

I have been there dear friends.  I understand how you feel no matter if our circumstances are not the same.  The bare fact is that the similar feelings join us in ways unbeknownst to most of us.  Universal Healing happens when we connect through hearts and souls on this life path.  The simple act of connecting with another soul, hearing and feeling that someone else understands, makes all the difference in the world.

So today, no matter what you are enduring, please know that I have my hand here for you hold.   My heart is here to connect with yours and my understanding is available to help you to continue on this life path of healing.  I have learned that in reaching out, we also benefit in our own healing and through connecting, we raise our vibrations, enthusiastically joining and reverberating peace throughout the world.

Shine your heartlights.  Join together in peaceful presence.  I see you shining!

Shine On!

xo

Saying Goodbye To A House

Saying goodbye has always been hard for me.  It’s always been that way my whole life.  To let go is a right of passage and even though I’m letting go of a home which was never mine, it’s just making me sad.  I guess it’s the final part of an era in my Aunts’ lives and it’s breaking my heart.

I can’t figure out why I am so sad for honestly I am so very happy that the closing is scheduled and we have successfully gotten it into selling condition after all that we had to do.  But there’s a small part of me which can’t stop crying for the bereft feeling inside that I can’t label.

I wrote this a few weeks ago and simply couldn’t post it.  I was intensely sad to let go of an era ~ not so much for me, but for my family.  But now it’s a few weeks later and I’ve got some clarity.  Isn’t that always the way ~ get into the observer mode in your life, let a little time pass and voila, you understand all the tears, you can deal with the grief in a better way and you can let go of whatever it was you were holding onto back then.

Time heals by lessening hurts.  Although I don’t think some hurts ever truly heal or for that matter, some emptinesses never can be fully filled.  But we can move on, we can take baby steps towards healing and we can fill the emptiness with healing love.

Shockingly, I think it helps when people have Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia in some cases like this one.  They simply don’t remember the life they had a few months ago.  There doesn’t seem to be any hurt or sadness in the present moment, there is only presence, love and happiness.  Sure we’ve had times whereby my family members get confused with the past and present, but a gentle change in direction of conversations or a redirect in a kind way, helps immensely.

Shine On!

xo

Infinite Sky Poem

To see the world from above

is to touch a piece of Heaven,

Peace, unity, love.

United in sunlit clouds

and moonbeamed sky.

Wonderment reigns

with a quiet smile

of knowing

that in this present moment

all is well in our world.

Shine On!

xo

 *Photo and poem by The Presents of Presence

The Trouble With Spherical Thinking

 

Spherical Thinking is less easily defined than Linear Thinking.   I think that in order to process what I’m trying to explain we need to look at the photo above which represents a time line of your life, your linear thinking life, punctuated with spheres representing spherical thinking.  As you step forward on your life’s journey, you continue to encompass being a part of timeless presence in which you connect most fully with yourself and others.  I am not an expert on Spherical Thinking and I probably use the term loosely to indicate the way I think, so please take this into account.  To me, spherical thinking is defined as being aware of the life connections between myself and others with each step on my own life’s journey.  It is to ‘see’ without consciously stopping to look around and to innately ‘feel’ how my actions, inactions and words can and do affect others and to modify if needed in order to hold peace in my heart.  It’s a oneness, a connective spiritual alliance which grasps the concept of presence (past, present, future) and the basic concept of love (loving ourselves and others).  It’s a conscious choice and effort to engage spherically all the time.

Truthfully, I have yet to be able to live this way 24/7 but I continue to strive to on this life journey.  For me spherical thinking also requires that we live ‘outside the (nothing) box’ and allow feelings to surface in order to clear out wounds from long ago.  We live in the present time, (with knowledge that time is limitless, so our past, present and future can connect swiftly and easily, all at the same time to give us a bigger picture).  We are also aware of what’s going on around us for the ones with whom we are familiar.  We can ‘see’ their heartlight even behind the closed doors that they present to the world.  We ‘know’ the hurting that they are experiencing and we adjust our own perceptions in order to not ‘push buttons.’  This makes the connections easier for them (and us) without sacrificing our own integrity.  By monitoring our own actions, inactions and words, we connect more easily with others and find a common ground which allows for healing.

Oh my, does any of this make sense to you?  I feel like I’ve dropped us all down the rabbit hole and that I’m not explaining myself properly!  Bottom line is this:  I imagine spherical thinking to be a way in which we live presently as much as we can, taking into account our connections to ourselves and to others with whom we come into contact.  We allow the feeling of oneness without ego to intrude into our thinking and we live a lifetime with bliss, gratitude and love.

The Trouble with Spherical Thinking is that we can get caught up in the vortex of our own spherical tornado and get lost in the shuffle without focus.  Linear thinking is supercharged focused living, whereas spherical thinking albeit focused, also deals with emotion, life and connections which are blurry.  The trick here is to keep the focus of moving forward all the while with a spherical mind-set.

Society for the most part is linear driven and so to stand out spherically is to be looked upon as different.  There’s a bit of fearlessness in spherical thinking.  To voluntarily move outside the limits of your life and the self-imposed boundaries that we have set, is to be unconventional in some others’ minds and that difference, that divergence can be misunderstood.

It’s like the linear thinkers are the hunters and the spherical thinkers are the gatherers of life ~ each type is important to our world.  That’s not to say that it’s gender typical.  It’s simply how the brains work.  It can even be that there are combinations of linear and spherical thinking in your life, times when you change from one type of thinking to another depending on the circumstances.  It isn’t that one way of thinking is right or wrong.  It simply is and we are all different in the way we function and tolerate thinking out of our comfort zones.  That’s part of what makes us so unique and interesting when we connect with each other.  Each person shares a bit with the other person’s heartlight to enrich our own being and to enrich theirs in a communal way.  Sometimes what we get is less/more than we give which allows energy to flow more precisely.  We receive what we need at that moment, with the full knowledge and understanding that when we ebb, more flows to us and vice versa.  It is trusting in the oneness that makes the energy of spherical thinking continue to expand.

Filling life with kindness and compassion is a habit which I intend to keep.  This is not to say that I don’t get frustrated, angry or resentful, but the more I learn about myself, the increased awareness allows me to let go and release the commonality of anger and to represent a more loving, forgiving, happier life.  I am finding that this serves me well with relationships, business and life in general.

So, tell me…Are you a Linear Thinker?  A Spherical Thinker?  Or a Combination?

Shine On!

xo

 

Escape!

Sunlight dancing on the water

Today’s Daily Prompt asks for our escape plan and from what we’re escaping ~ well for me, that’s easy ~ put me on the water, let the sunshine glisten on the surface of the water like diamonds, allow the sun’s rays above to caress and warm my skin and allow the breeze to lift all my worries from my brain.  Being on the water gives me freedom from everything ~ I can only concentrate on the beauty of the moment, escape to the Presents of the Presence ~ relishing the NOW as only this moment allows.

It is my very favorite escape ~ I dig deeply into my soul and rejoice in the beauty which surrounds me ~ the call of nature ~ the serenity which envelopes me, the peacefulness which soothes me and lifts my spirits.  Guess it must be the Pisces in me?

Take a moment and breathe in the peace, the serenity and the glow of life!

Shine On!

xo

Where’s your favorite escape?

Daily Prompt: Escape!

Describe your ultimate escape plan (and tell us what you’re escaping from).

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/daily-prompt-escape/