The Shape of Vulnerability

The shape of vulnerability takes many forms. Though deeply entwined, each soul must traverse the blueprint of awakening alone. Rather than hide any perceived flaws or wounds, keep returning to the threshold of the disturbance until you discover something new. Yes, this can be frightening, and often creates discomfort and disorder in your experience; however, the soul longs to transform vulnerability into strength.

Flaws create beauty and give meaning to the masterpiece. Whether falling in love, facing your greatest fear, standing at the precipice of change or navigating your path, know that as you discover new things about yourself, you will become more deeply aligned with your true nature. This leads to freedom.

We are multi-faceted beings, yet we are often surprised to find light hidden in the most unexpected places. In humility, be nourished by the gifts of your soul and choose to accept them. You are undefinable, infinite, and ever-changing. As you integrate the varied aspects of the Self into your expression of life, any vulnerability will amplify what is truly important in your quest for awakening.

There are secret worlds hidden in the nuances of experience. How powerful it will be to view your journey with appreciation, acceptance and forgiveness.

Facing Challenges

“The spiritual practice of relationships is about working on ourselves only, freeing ourselves from the constricting grip of our own unhappiness. It is not the other person’s job to take our unhappiness away; our discomfort is our own responsibility. Attending to our own spiritual tasks – seeing our judgments, opinions, beliefs, demands, and staying present with the fears out of which they all arise – frees others to move toward us. Then, when they no longer feel the need to defend, they become more willing to take care of their job. Thus joy in relationships becomes possible.”   
~Ezra Bayda~   

When challenges arise, turn inward and pay attention. Whether found in health, relationships, finances or within your spiritual practice, you are ready for something transformative to enter your life. Facing challenges consciously accelerates your awakening. Your willingness to be an active participant in your growth guarantees expansive movement in your experience.

Be kind to yourself. You will have moments of brilliance as well as moments when you miss the mark. Empowerment calls upon each of us to take personal responsibility for our current state of consciousness so that we can engage life with an open heart.

Trust the processes of awakening and know that you have the fortitude to conquer fear… not only rising above it, but shattering the old beliefs and patterns that created it in the first place.

Creating Joy

“I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments, gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, inspiration, and faith.”
~Brené Brown~

Your thoughts create your reality. Plant seeds of kindness and gratitude and nurture them in ways that support your own peace, power, growth,  and transformation. Consider any limiting thoughts to be weeds which must be removed quickly before they multiply and take over the garden of your creation.

You can manifest joy in your experience Now. This moment is the gateway to transformation. No matter what your circumstance, remember that happiness comes from within. Choose to find it in the little things and observe how it expands outward.

Whatever is unfolding in the field of your life’s expression is exactly what your soul requires for awakening. Intensity, peacefulness, solitude or throngs of activity, frustration or flow – all are a manifestation of the Divine. Bring the best version of yourself to the present moment and the future will take care of itself.

Sometimes, deep in the uncertain cacophony of life, a skyward glance to appreciate the clouds or stars will remind you of the continuity that exists. You are one with this permanence. You are infinite. You are love.

Expansion

As we enter higher levels of consciousness, our energetic frequency changes. We respond differently to life and see the world around us through new filters. Growth always elicits a response. Sometimes it is met with resistance and fear by those who have not yet awakened, while others are inspired to join us in the delight of freedom, new perception and the joy of expansion.

When you encounter push back or ridicule, it is simply the arising of wounds that require healing in the other person. In that moment, you become a catalyst in their awakening and you can choose to see that as a gift. Allow your light to shine, see through the fear and honor the process of transformation.

Do not turn away from the challenges in your life. They provide opportunities to put your newfound knowledge, beliefs and talents to the test. When the soul is ready to expand, it goes through a deep cleansing and purification process which prepares it to receive new levels of wisdom. This is why profound change often follows moments of breakdown or confusion. The structures have been shaken and one will ultimately emerge with a greater sense of peace and inner strength.

The Soul of Love

“What does is matter if I am called a man?

In truth I am the very soul of love,

The entire earth is my home

And the universe my country.”

~Darshan, A tear and a star~

The human condition is to label, judge, desire and defend. As you learn to simply immerse yourself deeply within Presence, you’ll discover that under the layers of conditioning, within the quest for understanding, you are the soul of love.

 

Choose to honor everything in your experience as sacred and create space in which transformation can occur. See life as an opportunity to demonstrate what love looks like in action. Using silence, conscious observation and right action we become conduits for the love, light and laughter of the Universe.

 

As we proceed to higher levels of consciousness, it becomes easier to walk the line of neutrality within life’s paradoxes. We often experience a world of contrasts – simultaneously dealing with the loss of loved ones, falling in love, facing financial challenges, enjoying the fruits of success or appreciating the sunrise. While a variety of experiences may flow in and out of our lives, we are the soul of love, walking in the light of expanding consciousness.

 

Openness

Enlightenment is a process of awakening that spans many, many lifetimes. Your current life experience is a fraction of the overall tapestry of existence that we weave.

Consider this: You will have the opportunity to be every race that this world has to offer. You will have the opportunity to embrace every religion (or no religion). You will have the opportunity to be rich, poor, healthy, diseased, understood, misunderstood, desired or shunned. The process of awakening embraces every experience as important. Each plays as integral role in the cultivation of compassion.

When you don’t understand the thought processes or actions of another, it may simply mean that you have yet to experience that type of life situation. Be patient with one another, no matter where one is in the process of awakening. Walk with a quiet stillness of understanding and compassion, realizing that we all do the best we can from where we are with what we have.

The most important thing to focus upon is your state of consciousness in the present moment. We can change the world with our love and openness while providing one another the space in which transformation can occur.

Being

“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

~Paulo Coelho~
Love calls to us… the earth seeks to embrace us with her beauty, her light and nuance. Allow this divine love to inform every decision by lifting yourself up to greet it. When we slow down and pay attention, everything has something to teach. We learn patience by walking through an ancient wood. We discover joyful appreciation when witnessing the fleeting nature of wildflowers opening to receive the sun. The soaring path of a hawk can remind us to rise above in order to get a new perspective.
The mind will often attempt to distract; therefore, it’s helpful to align yourself with Presence by filling your days with tiny sparkles of peace, gratitude or meditation. Find beauty wherever you are and periodically take a moment to just be. Awareness is transformative. Each of us has an opportunity to consciously participate in our collective awakening.
Rather than seeking love or peace or enlightenment, be love. Be peace. Your unique way of being in the world will demonstrate what enlightenment looks like.

Trust Your Inner Wisdom

It’s likely that you are closer to divine wisdom than you realize. On those occasions the Universe tends to send confirmation – the perfect book falls into your hands, you hear the same message repeatedly, knowledge makes itself known to you – it can be a delight to watch the synchronicities unfold.

Our conditioning often leads us to place more faith in others than in ourselves. Loving messages are meant to strengthen your knowledge of your unique path so that you can follow the inner prompting of your heart.

Your journey will lead you forward in the way which is most appropriate for you. Learn to trust yourself. All that is required is one conscious step forward, one conscious choice, one break from old ways of being… and then another. Your Presence ensures that you will have the necessary strength to rise up to meet whatever life offers, and, more quickly than you think, changes will come.

Transformation is a process. As we bring the light of awareness to outmoded beliefs, our walls of protection or defense mechanisms, the blockages begin to dissolve. No matter how far you have come along the path of awakening, there are infinite levels yet to explore.

Change Comes From Within

“Strong emotional reactions always signal the need to look more deeply at your beliefs.”
~Ezra Bayda~
No matter what challenges you may face, you hold the key to transformation. As you embrace new ways of being and thinking, your experiences change. The higher your consciousness, the greater your perspective.
Remember this: when your ego tries to tell you that you’ve tried everything and nothing works, you haven’t. There is always something new to learn and freedom awaits. Persistence on the spiritual path will eventually lead you to discover the ease and grace that comes from living consciously.
So, if you’d like to transform your work (or relationship or living condition), begin by changing the thoughts that create anxiety or displeasure. Choose to create joy in your experience and love where you are. The result? You’ll experience peace and clarity, perhaps realizing the situation is more pleasant than previously thought, or your positive attitude and energy will be powerfully focused on creating a new situation.
The greatest human error is to complain without positive action, thus creating a prison. When you recognize prisons you have created, it’s empowering to discover that you hold the key… and the door was never locked.

Mindful Silence

“Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything.”

~Gorden Hempton~

Silence is more than the absence of noise. A living presence, it allows us to enter the temple of the Divine by journeying deep within ourselves. Very few people are comfortable in the space of infinite possibility. They seek diversion and distraction and become lost within the echos and mechanisms of the mind.

 

Mindful silence will connect you to all of existence. This moment is beautiful, fulfilling and poignant. When you immerse yourself within it, it becomes apparent that all you need is already here. Cease striving for a particular end result. Instead, find the completeness in the Now. Whatever you choose to do, however you choose to feel, do it completely and patiently. This immersion will bring about transcendence. Live every moment as if there is no other moment to come.

It is the space between the notes which creates beauty in music. Without the space and intent, there is only noise. Learn to be the space in the symphony of your life. Embody compassion and stillness and purposely align yourself with love. In the stillness you’ll discover that everything is possible, yet nothing is required.