Vision Quest

“What is my purpose in the world? There is still a great journey ahead. My vision quest may reveal the answers, or perhaps I will only learn how to ask the right questions.”
~Dianne Bishop Carey~
It’s time to awaken to the inner mystery of who you are. The quest inward may take you through the hidden recesses of your soul, only to find the light, uniqueness and beauty you may have glimpsed within yourself as a child. If you can remember the stories that first inspired you, go back and revisit them. Enter into the land of imagination and seek that which once instilled excitement within you.
Our souls resonate with certain ideas and stories for a reason. That recognition and inspiration often sets the stage for how we choose to move through the world. Dancing within the joys of your true nature nurtures the inner child and allows your creativity free expression. As a seeker awakening to wisdom, you’ll add an element of magic into your daily experience.
Each journey is unique and you will come to find doorways that may lead you to new ways of being. See your life as a journey of adventure and discovery.

Friendship

“Your heart and my heart are very, very old friends.”
~Hafiz~

Sometimes we meet others and feel an instant connection. From the moment of ‘hello’ there is a feeling of safety and warmth and this person brings something special to your life experience. These are typically reunions of two souls who have played together in many lifetimes. The ease you feel is the natural result of the many interactions and karmic agreements you two have shared.

Often it seems there are an amazing number of synchronistic occurrences that have to fall into place in order for two souls to cross paths. Then, recognizing a kindred spirit – or perhaps a karmic contract – they choose to embark upon a segment of the journey together.
As an older soul, you may have this feeling often. Your long history on the planet has likely included many members of your soul group. This is why we must be accepting and grateful for those who grace our lives. Whether you share the journey for a moment or for a lifetime, the feeling is always one of coming home.
The extent to which you are willing to be supported is an indication of the love you have for yourself. The supporting characters of your life provide a springboard for the discovery of new experiences, thoughts, opportunities and perceptions. Friendship is the highest form of love.

Live Higher

“Spirituality is not the practicing of any virtue; spirituality is the gaining of a new vision. Virtue follows that vision; it comes on its own accord. It is a natural by-product. When you start seeing, things start changing.”
~Osho~

Consciousness is the journey of expansion into all dimensions, the discovery of broader perspectives and the integration of all that we have learned. It seeks to express itself through our interactions and provides an opportunity to see life differently.

The human condition is one of forgetfulness – separation, drama, ego, desire. The spiritual seeker begins to drop the veils of illusion and opens to the infinite, only to experience the bliss of discovering that the truth lies within. This is transcendence.

Life is a tapestry of dark and light, a blending of dimensions from the depths of lower consciousness to the heights of love and communion. They exist together and when we cultivate the understanding that all levels of consciousness are required in this dance of awakening, we begin to have a very different perspective of the world.

One With Everything

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
~Albert Einstein~

We are on a collective journey of awakening. There are many roads to explore throughout the process of enlightenment; however, the one most worthy of your attention is compassion.

Judgment, no matter how it is expressed, simply shows where your own thinking is limited. Practice setting aside your opinions and simply have your own present moment experience. Look deeply into the Now with your heart rather than with the mind.

Let nature show you the secrets of the universe. When we learn to slow down and pay attention, life becomes a teacher. We must expand our vision to encompass the whole world. When you honor all things as sacred, are you not transformed?

Illumination

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
~Plato~

Like the sun, you shine ever more brightly as you become more spiritually aware. Whether you’re conscious of it or not, this energy does have an impact on those around you. For this reason, it’s important to cultivate compassion with the understanding that others may not yet be ready to see their own shadows… shadows created by the light you cast.

Often we have to stand by and witness as people create additional challenges in their own experience. The ego’s reactivity creates excessive drama causing them to make choices that keep them stuck or they simply make things much harder than they need to be. These patterns come to the surface because they haven’t yet reached the necessary level of understanding or integrated the lesson they are working on.

Compassion comes from remembering how it felt to be asleep yourself. There was likely a time when you fumbled toward ecstasy, lost in the dark, frustrated and looking for answers… until something within you awoke. Shamans call this illumination. The process of awakening is different for everyone – a chance meeting, the perfect teacher comes at the right time – a burst of inspiration shatters limited perception and suddenly, growth is possible. As loving beings, it is our job to offer support without judgment and be there to act as guides when someone is ready to ask for direction.

Cultivating the Art of Patience

“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.”
~David G. Allen~

Patience is more than just being willing to wait. It is choosing to remain conscious and peaceful while waiting.

Often, the spiritual approach to life is the exact opposite of what we witness as physical beings. Our society tends to rush, to place great value on how quickly things are achieved… and then we rush on to the next thing. When we slow down and really pay attention, the entire construct of time begins to change. It slows down with us.

Make patience a focused aspect of your practice today. Observe when you feel you must “kill time” with your cell phone, talking or reading or playing a game while waiting and choose instead to be extra alert and aware. When someone is moving too slowly (figuratively or literally) for the pace you have set, consciously adjust to their pace. Become a receptive listener. When others speak, do not plan ahead what you will say when there is an opening. Listen with your whole being, pause, and then speak.

Because it goes against the grain of our human tendencies, cultivating the art of patience will not only provide valuable insight, but you will witness the varied miracles and synchronicities of life that are often missed in the rush.

Possibility

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”
~James Allen~

Your thoughts create your reality. Where do you choose to allow your mind to dwell? It’s time to break free from any self-imposed prisons and explore infinite possibilities that await your discovery.

Shifting consciousness is a practice. Within it new ways of being are revealed and our interpretations of the world are transformed. As our perception broadens we begin to recognize more opportunities, different outcomes, and bear loving witness to the subtle shifts that shape our lives.

We are evolving beings; therefore, it’s healthy to allow yourself expand into new areas of growth. Throughout the process you may just discover aspects of your being that have long called out for expression. These transformative seeds of light exist within you, and are ready to unfold in your experience.

Be Here Now

“Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness.”
~Eckhart Tolle~

It’s important to create spaces within your experience to be fully present, peaceful and quiet. In a world filled with distractions and demands, it’s easy to lose the Now. Many people constantly rush from one place to another, one belief to another, one goal to another, one lover to another in order to find perceived fulfillment… never realizing that grace and fulfillment are already here.

Slow down and breathe. Take a break from the flow of thought and movement and find the sacredness that resides within and all around you. You’ll discover that this moment is the space of pure potential. In the silence, all things are possible, yet none are required.

Spend this day as a conscious observer. See how much you can engage with life while saying very little. This will allow you to actively participate; however, you may come away with a greater understanding of your own level of consciousness as well as greater clarity regarding those with whom you interact.

The art of stillness is one that consistently needs to be cultivated in the midst of our busy and ever-changing world. You have access to a great wellspring of peace and power that will provide balance and replenish your soul.

Power From Within

“Love is misunderstood to be an emotion; actually, it is a state of awareness, a way of being in the world, a way of seeing oneself and others.”
~David R. Hawkins~

The time has come to honor your innate power and allow yourself to be transformed by love. When you choose to recognize all that you see and experience as sacred, your choices will consistently demonstrate a higher awareness and you will bring a new energy to your interactions.

As we release the need to control, we expand the parameters of possibility. Awareness, acceptance, compassion and empowerment blend to create a new reality. Higher consciousness changes how we relate to one another and ignites an inherent ability to see life differently.

Our world has always been a chaotic place filled with people operating from varying levels of consciousness. This blend of energies has a dual impact, one can either get pulled into limited perception – feeling trapped or powerless – or evolve to an entirely different type of encounter. Both are vital aspects of the human experience. The contrasts of dark and light combine to teach us the hidden mysteries of love.

Initiation

“Every positive change – every jump to a higher level of energy and awareness – involves a rite of passage. Each time to ascend to a higher rung on the ladder of personal evolution, we must go through a period of discomfort, of initiation. I have never found an exception.”
~Dan Millman~

Resisting the dark passage of initiation will create imbalance and crisis in your life experience.

Each of us must walk our own path of initiation. The loss of a loved one, relationship, health, identity or dream forces us to enter a dark night of the soul. The challenges we face often prompt us to explore lessons we would never purposely choose on our own. They provide the opportunity to discover new facets of our strength while teaching how to access our inner wisdom. Eventually, we emerge blinking into the sunlight, changed, the dark passage now a pivotal piece of our history.
Those of who have been tempered by challenging experiences have a sense of empowerment. You can recognize your ability to face the shocks of life with a quiet sense of acceptance and no longer see any losses that occur as wrong or punishment. Know that your transformation and courageousness is an inspiration to those who grace your life.