Live in alignment with your innermost values.

“There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.”  ~Marianne Williamson~

The beauty of living in an infinite universe is that one can always find people, ideas and energies that support their joys and passions. When you choose to live from the heart, there will be ample opportunity to allow your light to shine. You make a difference when you live from the heart.

At the beginning of one’s awakening, it can be challenging to be consistent. We learn through experience and contrast, eventually releasing the things we have outgrown. After years of practice, we discover aspects of ourselves that are consistent, deep and meaningful, and recognize that nothing is more important than living that truth out loud.

So, begin by discovering your unique journey. Let your life be your message and become an agent of change. Each of us, by living our truth, plays an active role in the collective awakening of which we are all a part.

Observe the stillness that exists between thoughts.

“When you go in, you touch a new kind of silence – the presence of silence itself. It is not only an absence of noise, it is something absolutely positive, almost visible, tangible.”  ~Osho~

Throughout the day, pause before you choose to reach for your phone to pass the time. Instead of ‘checking in’ with the world around you, simply go within and be still. Observe the body, slow your breathing and listen. Enter Zen from where you are. 

The mind’s habitual pattern is to stay busy, jumping from one thought to the next, finding something that needs to be done or filling the gaps with mindless activity such as watching television. It’s healthy to periodically break the pattern and move into stillness. Find the gaps in your experience and utilize those moments of deep connection. 

Once you step into stillness, you’ll notice that time slows down. As you create a deeper sense of balance and presence, you’ll bring that positive energy into the activities in which you decide to participate. Part of our spiritual journey is to bring the beautiful connection with the Now into our human experience.

Honor the teachers that walk among us.

“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”  ~Albert Einstein~

As we awaken, we become more aligned with the world around us and therefore, will naturally learn to bring a higher consciousness to all of our decisions and interactions. When you recognize the sacredness in all things, it is simply a reflection of your own sacredness.

This wisdom will shine through your choices. When the mind, body and spirit are in harmony, mastery is assured. Rather than being a slave of old ideas and preconceptions, we choose to walk softly in the world.

Recognize the teachers around you. Our domestic animals have great wisdom to share about love, communication, kindness. Wild animals carry specific energy and messages from the Divine that can inspire compassion and empowerment. As agents of light, we are called upon to bring a humility and gentleness to the world.

Never underestimate the value of kindness.

“Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control. We can love and care for others but we cannot possess our children, lovers, family, or friends. We can assist them, pray for them, and wish them well, yet in the end their happiness and suffering depend on their thoughts and actions, not on our wishes.”  ~Jack Kornfield~

It is said that no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Choose to be one who brings this lovely energy to the planet. Whether you rescue a spider, listen to a stranger, hold space for your child or help another to see their own beauty, walk gently upon the earth.

We live in a time of ego-generated opinions. The contrasts of belief systems seem to be widening. Things appear chaotic. And yet… we are on the verge of tremendous growth and breakthrough. Great change is always proceeded by disruption. Most people expect (or even seek) push-back, thus allowing the ego to feed existing negative energy through debate. When others seem to want conflict, give kindness.

As spiritual students, we are learning to rise above ego. There is no need to be right. Our actions and insights should bring a new energy to our life situations. Rather than repeating old ideas and behaviors, seek instead to embrace a new way of being. Educate others by showing what authentic loving-kindness looks like.

We must learn to see beyond the illusions of this world.

“It takes a little effort to get our of illusions because we have invested in them very much. They are our hopes; It is through them that we go on living.”  ~Osho~

Notice when you use the word “I” when referring to how you see the world. Everything is a projection of our beliefs. We can get trapped by the “I” when chasing after particular goals. Remembering this can set the stage for awakening.

Meditation can help you to see through this illusory state of being. Once we strip away the goals, dreams, thoughts of past and future and simply be, the present moment comes alive. To be fully in the present means to be aware of the immense beauty and perfection that is already here. There is nothing for which to strive, nothing is missing.

A different kind of experience waits for you. Your joyousness, when complete, allows you to become fully aligned with the Now. Give up needing to understand the “whys” and “hows” and leave that to your spiritual guidance. Instead, focus on higher awareness, be fully present and allow a new consciousness to be born in you.

Life is a constant dance of energy in motion.

“The heart that seeks to awaken, to live genuinely, is more real than anything. That nameless drive calls you to be who you most truly are.”  ~Ezra Bayda~

We live in a paradox. Everything seems a mess, yet all is well. Experiencing hatred teaches us the value of love. Loss can teach us about true abundance. And challenge after challenge shows us how strong we can be.

When you allow movement of energy throughout your life experience – honoring its natural ebb and flow – you’ll come to discover the freedom of journeying. Detaching from outcomes and being fully present allows us to consciously take part in the tapestry of existence.

The higher your state of awareness, the easier things become. Even if you’ve been toiling to go upriver for years, the moment you go with the flow, it immediately moves you gracefully along. As you realize your potential, you’ll come to realize that you are whole. Nothing is missing, you are fulfilled.

Challenging situations are rarely as bad as our thoughts make them out to be.

“Whenever you’re stuck in distress, penetrate your confusion with this question: What is my most believed thought right now?”  ~Ezra Bayda~

When we operate from the premise that all things work toward our highest good, we come to discover that inconsolable sadness or frustration is a waste of energy. The mind creates stories which seem to enslave us, and though it takes conscious effort, shifting your thoughts will always shift your perception, and thus, your experience.

The ego loves to feel special. But this life experience is not meant to be one of sadness, frustration or loss; rather, you are meant to break free from self-imposed prisons and find your joy. Eckhart Tolle teaches that in every situation we have three choices: change it, leave it or accept it – all else is madness.

Seek to cultivate a greater awareness of your own strength and abilities. Empowerment calls upon us to take personal responsibility for our state of consciousness today. That’s it. Live today fully present, enthusiastic, optimistic and with compassion for your self and others. Everything else will fall into place as it should. 

As we awaken, we learn to see beyond “good” and “bad”.

“Spiritual practice includes learning how to open-heartedly receive the shocks of life – the things you don’t like, the people who criticize you, the job that goes wrong, the partner that leaves, the health that fails you – whatever shakes you up.”  ~Ezra Bayda~

As we awaken, the mechanisms of the ego become more subtle by design. One that is most encountered is an inner dialog that says you shouldn’t be facing these challenges because you’re evolved, that you should know better, or perhaps you’re not applying your tools in the right way.

Challenges show us where we are stuck or provide a space to put new ideas into practice. That’s it. There is no commentary from the universe about how we’re getting it wrong or should be doing better. See everything in your experience as an opportunity to awaken or to teach by example.

The twists and turns we experience are part of life. The awakening soul does not seek to avoid problems, but may no longer see them as such. Instead, the foundation of peace and compassion provides stability through the upheaval, and the enlightened soul walks forward, untroubled.

Our struggles transform us.

“When life presents difficulties we can crumble or we can learn. Aspiring to be free tips the scale toward learning.”  ~Ezra Bayda~

Our natural inclination is to avoid pain. Eventually that creates a core belief that we should never need to experience pain. When we resist it (out of the belief that it shouldn’t be happening) or make it an enemy, we strengthen it’s hold over our us and suffering begins.

Pain is part of the human experience. Whether we experience it through the loss of a loved one, death, illness, taxes, aging or dropping  a brick on ones foot, it simply is. It does not come because we are flawed. It just is. However, pain does not need to become a constant form of suffering in our experience. When discomfort arises don’t resist it. Instead, see it as a teacher and know that it will push you into new areas of growth.

This fundamental shift in awareness changes how we respond to pain. Instead of “Why me?” we begin to ask, “What am I trying to learn through this experience?” One thought creates a prison. The other is a doorway to enlightenment.

Anger disrupts your ability to be at peace in the present moment.

“What holds us back from living open-heartedly? What shuts life out? What cuts off our natural ability to truly love? As must as anything, the answer is this: our anger. Though out anger hurts both ourselves and others, we still cling to it. When our expectations or desires aren’t met, anger insists, ‘No, I won’t accept this!’ Yet even as we feel the pain that comes from rejecting things that can’t be changed, we continue to indulge in anger’s aversion with a stubbornness that defies all sense.”  ~Ezra Bayda~

Anger can be a transformational tool of enlightenment. It shows us where we have attached to an outcome and is the exact opposite of ego-driven happiness. Suppressing anger is unhealthy because it will often manifest later as physical illness, depression, passive/aggression or uncontrollable rage. Justifying anger is the ego’s way of getting you to believe the thoughts about a situation, with the attachment to being right. 

So when anger arises, feel it. Sit with it and be still. Know that by focusing your attention to the energy while becoming aware of the feelings and the thoughts which drive it, you can free yourself from its constricting embrace.

In every moment we have a choice – to accept what is or to reject what is. Enlightenment calls upon us to view each situation as if we had consciously created it for our souls growth, for indeed on a higher level, we have. Everything offers an opportunity to awaken.