Inner wisdom comes from a peaceful place of silence where we can step into the gap in order to see more clearly.

Never accept appearances. Seek to look beyond the mechanisms of the mind, the roles that people play, projections and false personality. The truth lies veiled in light and an important aspect of the journey of the spiritual seeker is to retrain the mind. As each layer of resistance and distraction is cleared, we encounter perception shifting moments of awe, gratitude, joy and bliss. With practice, these beautiful frequencies become easier to access and incorporate into our daily experience.

The human condition creates mind-made traps that restrict our ability to see. The doorway to wisdom is in the Now. You can journey inward from where you are. Sit in stillness and focus on conscious breathing for several minutes. Just be. Listen. Feel. Without any commentary, simply bring your awareness to this moment and enter it fully. Beyond appearances, you may sense an energy that is infinite. You may feel your heart open. This is the beginning of enlightenment.

Those who market or seek power through fear do so not because they have nothing else to offer, but because their filters cannot see beyond their own inner fears and limitation.

“To live fearlessly is to actively practice peace and non-violence, even when it seems like we’re being threatened.”
~Alberto Villodo~

Our energy has a significant impact on those around us. When we embody peace in the face of challenging situations, our presence influences others and thus, we are able to collectively shift to a higher level of consciousness.

There are always productive, inclusive and loving ways to address imbalance in our experience. They key is to begin within. As we heal our own imbalances, they no longer create filters through which we interpret personal and world events. We are then able to build collaborative relationships based on common ground.

The awakened spirit cultivates the capacity to see beyond the roles and mechanisms of the ego to the infinite soul within (even if the other person cannot recognize it). There is no need to create an enemy or something to fight against. Instead, we see opportunities to teach, to awaken and to love. Make your practice one of bringing an unprotected heart to your meeting places.

Every moment is an opportunity to awaken.

“Life is an adventure. Invite constant adventures, and whenever a call comes from the unknown, listen to it. Risk all and go into the unknown, because this is the only way to live at the maximum.”
~Osho~

You can live life from the deeper sense of self rather than the conditioned self. The conditioned self is the surface level of existence where we observe all we see through the filters of our imprinting, our parents’ beliefs, societal expectations and the like. The deeper sense of self is the true “I am” of consciousness – the universe expressing itself through you.

No matter what arises, you can look deeper. See beyond the appearances and the roles we play to the truth of the soul. Ask yourself: “What is happening? What is real? What is illusion?”

Spirituality is formless, the unknown. It cannot be intellectualized nor grasped. It cannot be something that is achieved in the future. The moment of awakening is Now. Spirituality is something beyond concepts or words, though they can point to truths. Ultimately, you can measure the process of your awakening by observing how you respond to life. In the midst of a challenge, rather than being reactive, you’ll operate from a powerful foundation of peace and balance, and this energy will be transformative.

Live from the heart. Your path will make itself known.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
~Mahatma Gandhi~

Each of us brings something unique and beautiful to our collective experience. Many explore different paths searching for their destiny, only to discover that they have made significant contributions to the lives of others just by living authentically. If you were to examine your life path and the various challenges you’ve overcome, it’s likely that you’d see the threads of your destiny were being woven together all along. Each desire, challenge, circumstance, relationship or lesson led you exactly where you need to be.

Celebrate your journey, all the messy twists and turns, the laughter and love and heartache. You may have no idea how many lives you have touched or the impact that you’ve had; however, never doubt that you have played a valuable role in our collective awakening just by being yourself.

Take a step back from the intensity of life and pause to breathe. Quiet the mind and realize that there’s no one special you need to be. You are already a masterpiece.

Animals are spiritual companions who teach without words.

“When I look into the eyes of an animal I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul.”
~A.D. Williams~

Animals help us to connect to profound joy in a way that is beyond thought. They awaken our innate knowledge of the wonder of life and teach us the art of being present. Their language is love, companionship, snuggling and acceptance.

Words are irrelevant. Gaze into the eyes of an animal and lose yourself in stillness. Whether wild or tame, our animal experiences spark a sense of fascination. Accept the gifts and lessons that they have to share.

As we become more conscious, we develop a greater awareness of how to live in harmony with life. Everything is recognized as sacred and our choices become guided by compassion and kindness.

To live in harmony with life is to allow it to unfold without interference.

“Everything under heaven is a sacred vessel and cannot be controlled. Trying to control leads to ruin.
Trying to grasp, we lose. Allow your life to unfold naturally. Know that it too is a vessel of perfection.”
~Lao-tzu~

When we begin to view life in its sacred perfection, it changes the energy we bring to our experience. Rather than attempting to force events and people to accommodate our timetable and desires, we seek instead to nurture the seeds we have planted and give them the time they need to flourish.

The thoughts and actions of today are creating the reality of tomorrow. Give up needing to control with the knowledge that all will unfold in the perfect way at the perfect time. Tend your garden with love. Remove the weeds of fear and doubt as they arise so they don’t steal vital energy and nutrients from the seeds you have planted.

Surrender is a mental process. We must release the need to judge and become loving witnesses of our life experience. Practice this by choosing an area of your life where you typically feel the need to control. Purposely choose to surrender today and notice how strongly the ego reacts. Keep a healthy inner dialogue and bring yourself back to peace and balance as often as required.

Do your best to consciously turn toward the storms of your life with an open heart.

Sometimes we unconsciously cling to habitual ways of being and thinking. When we are ready to release patterns that no longer serve our evolutionary process, life will provide the means to bring it to the surface so that it can be recognized, healed and released. The challenges and disruptions that we face are gifts that serve us incredibly well in this respect.

There are many ways to allow this clearing to occur such as meditation, writing in your journal, art, speaking with someone conscious who can support you with neutrality, gratitude, physical movement or releasing rituals. Freedom is waiting to make itself known to you.

In the midst of emotional intensity, it can be difficult to see clearly; therefore, it’s important to allow yourself time to process and re-balance while allowing the storm to pass. Then, you can walk forward once more with an open heart and an untroubled mind. You are an awakening master on a journey of transformation.

Change brings us to the edge of limitless possibility.

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
~Eckhart Tolle~

In those precious moments when we stand on the threshold between the known and the unknown, we often consciously recognize that something has been completed in our lives. Whether the change comes through work, relationships, inner growth, the home or an aspect of ego-identity, it is time to let go. Whenever we choose to surrender and release, it creates the space in which something new can be experienced. Something greater awaits and new levels are ready to be explored. Sadness ensues only when we cling to those things that no longer serve our growth, thus blocking our advancement forward on the Path of Transformation.

See these changes as part of your liberation. All drama arises when we fight what is. In acceptance, we become one with the Divine and walk forward in faith. Part of the human experience is to fear the unknown – the ego may say, “I’m scared” or “What if I get hurt?” Remember that you have already successfully walked into the unknown many times while experiencing the rites of passage as your journeyed from infancy to adulthood. In spire of the ego’s story that change is hard or something to fear, you are a master in the process of awakening and already quite skilled in navigating through the new experiences of your life.