Wisdom

“Wisdom is knowing I am nothing,
Love is knowing I am everything,
and between the two my life moves.”
~Nisargadatta Maharaj~
Our human experience is one of paradox – everything is messed up, yet everything is ok. When we pull back from the stories of the mind and become loving observers, we discover the ability to live within the paradox.
We are One, yet each of us has a unique path of awakening and each of us must do our own work. Contrasts are required: there is no love without hate, no light without the darkness, no awakening without sleep.
Learn to see the value in everything. Move out of blame and desire and instead, see yourself as an infinite source of energy experiencing the illusion of separation. Seek only to awaken. Know that your journey is infinite and that you will never stop learning. But also, know that you are Divine, a master in the process of remembering. Human perception is small and limited… life and love are immense.

Little Miracles

“A miracle is often the willingness to see the common in an uncommon way.”
Noah Benshea

Many walk through life blind to the beauty and possibilities that surround them. Distracted by the mind, all they see are struggles that need to be overcome, money to be made or others to impress. These outward distractions are so all-encompassing that they often overwhelm.

As we begin to break free from conditioned thought, we can return to the realm of the love. Within it, we discover that there is enough time, that things are simple and life is filled with little miracles that remind us that we are here to expand rather than contract.

Take the time to appreciate the little things. When a hummingbird makes you stop and smile, a breathtaking sunset fills your heart with color, or a breeze gently rustles the leaves of trees nearby, simply notice. These sparks of energy are everywhere, waiting to inspire the movement of love within us.

Love and peacefulness combine and are expressed as kindness and compassion. Seeing life differently allows us to experience life differently. The purpose is to awaken.

One Love

“Love is the recognition of oneness in the world of duality.”
~Eckhart Tolle~
What would it take to drop all judgment and step into the realm of inclusive, loving experience?
As we walk together on the path of transformation, it’s important to remember that we all ultimately follow the same journey. Enlightenment is a process of awakening that spans many, many lifetimes, and what you see today is but a small 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, spiritual belief or no religion at all. 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.

So when you feel 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 or that you don’t consciously remember the lessons you carry from past lifetimes. Be patient with one another, no matter where they are in the process of awakening. Walk with a quiet stillness of understanding and compassion. Realize 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 own state of consciousness. We can absolutely change the world with our love while providing space in which transformation can occur.

Be Love

When you feel the brunt of someone’s anger, be compassionate instead of defensive.
When you are triggered and the ego wants to withhold, consciously move forward with kindness instead.
When you are judged… Be love.
Acceptance, unconditional love, honoring all life as sacred, being the peace you wish to see, Radical Forgiveness… all these concepts inspire us to be better; however, it’s important to remember that we require opposition in order for us to cultivate these amazing qualities.
Be grateful for those who challenge you. Personally or globally, each of us is playing the role that is best for the collective growth of all. When you choose to drop judgment, limiting beliefs or hatred, and purposely see beyond the physical, everything is love. Life provides the perfect experience needed for our awakening.
Happiness is your own responsibility. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted by the drama or unconscious behavior to which you might be subjected. The moment you view yourself as a victim, you lose sight of your power.
Cultivate the ability to live open-heartedly in spite of the shocks of life. Anything that shakes you up is an opportunity to awaken to the most beautiful and empowered aspects of your true nature.

 

Experiencing the Mystery

“Death has nothing to do with going away.
The sun sets.
The moon sets.
But they are not gone.”
~Rumi~
We are Consciousness currently having a human experience. The infinite power of the Divine seeks only to express itself through you and though this life will have a beginning and an end, your light continues to shine on in new forms. Tonight I stood bathed in moonlight, experiencing the mystery of existence. For aeons every being who has ever lived has looked up at the same moon and been impacted by its beauty.
Our dance of awakening is just beginning. Again and again we will come together to explore the contrasts of separation in order to discover the Oneness from whence we came. Be grateful for those who have come before – the artists, writers, philosophers, creators, designers and builders – for they are us. Each and every soul has played a unique role in our collective development and we will continue to do so.
This world is a playground of discovery. You are infinite. Let the moon inspire you to be a pure vessel for the love, light and laughter of the Universe. There is more to life than meets the eye.

Present Moment Practice

“When the faith is strong enough, it is sufficient just to be. It’s a journey towards simplicity, towards quietness, towards a kind of joy that is not in time. It’s a journey that has taken us from primary identification with our body and our psyche, on to an identification with [the Divine], and ultimately beyond identification.”
~Ram Dass~

Present Moment Practice is a conscious, mindful approach to life. Within the Now we become the witness – to our inner commentary, to the world around us and to the energy that we bring to our collective journey.

In this moment, you have all that you require. Begin by going deeper into the Now. Notice the physical world, the chair in which you are sitting or the solidness of the earth under your feet. Feel the warmth or coolness of your surroundings. Then pay attention to your thoughts. Are you worried? Do you find yourself constantly reading or watching information about world affairs? How attached are you to your phone? How does your body feel? Are you tense or relaxed, hungry or satisfied? Just observe.

Remind yourself that all you see and experience is a profound illusion that is measured by your physical senses. Close your eyes and take three deep, slow breaths. As you open your eyes, choose to see things differently. Instead of looking at the lamp, notice the light that it casts and the shadows it creates. Observe the unique designs of all that you see. How does your heart respond to a flower or your favorite scent? What pictures do you see in the clouds? This is your practice for today. Be, observe, appreciate.

 

The Practice of Compassion

“Rage — whether in reaction to social injustice, or to our leaders’ insanity, or to those who threaten or harm us — is a powerful energy that, with diligent practice, can be transformed into fierce compassion.”
~Bonnie Myotai Treac~

It can be challenging to watch others who choose to be in great pain. Each of us has a role to play in this life and ours may be to foster a sense of compassion for those who are lost in the lower levels of consciousness, delusion and dysfunction. At times, their struggle feels like someone who is drowning who inadvertently clings to another in their panic, overwhelming the would-be rescuer.

The practice of compassion is linked to a deep sense of peace, wisdom and detachment. When we learn to be in the world but not of it, we cultivate a soothing response to the challenges of life. Rather than judging those lost in distress we act from empathy and compassion, teaching by example.

You are a blessing. It’s natural to feel misunderstood – and, in fact, that is a powerful aspect of being an old soul. If you can stand alone in your truth and comfortable with your own journey, you are awakening.

 

Acceptance and Friendship

“A friend is one to whom one may pour out the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that gentle hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”
~Dinah Maria Craik~
Over many lifetimes we cultivate intimate relationships that have seen all the highs and lows that life has to offer. Those with whom we have the most history seem to bring out the greatest compassion within us. No matter what time or distance separates us, the love remains. The ancient term for these soul friends is Anam Cara.
Our sense of worthiness determines our willingness to receive the gifts that these friendships have to offer. Cultivate healthy soul connections by first being comfortable in your own solitude. Take the time to create balance and peace in  your experience until you are at ease within the mystery of awakening. Then your friendships will be playgrounds of enlightenment, discovery and adventure.
Each of us walks the journey of transformation, sometimes in solitary splendor, sometimes with companions… but always homeward bound.  Faust once said, “Linger awhile, for you are so beautiful.” Celebrate life by being fully present with those you love.

Guardians of Light

Aaron Rose “Love is a deep empathy with the other’s “Beingness.”
You recognize yourself, your essence, in the other.
And so you can no longer inflict suffering on the other”
~Eckhart Tolle~

Love rains down upon you from all dimensions. From the first conscious breath of a day filled with limitless possibility, to the embrace of twilight and everything in between, if you seek to find love you will find it. That’s the power of being awakened. We discover the joy of choosing how we wish to approach each moment and understand that life reflects it back to us.

No matter where you are on the journey, recognize that you are a master in the process of awakening. When it seems like challenge after challenge is being presented, walk courageously forward knowing that it is merely a pattern making itself known because it’s ready to be released.

You can create the life of your dreams and it begins now. Live it this moment. Forgive those who challenge you and make the choice to see them instead as healing angels who are helping you cultivate your most precious qualities.

Take some time today to listen and observe. Open yourself to the energy which is beyond the sound and you’ll discover the sacredness in which all things manifest. See the beauty, the transition, the stillness or the lesson which is being presented.

Enlightenment

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
~Cynthia Occelli~

Enlightenment is a slow, transformative process. The journey inward hesitantly begins with many starts and stops. The heart feels pulled to engage the mystery and we begin the fumbling movement towards ecstasy.

The ego equates enlightenment with death – and indeed, enlightenment is the death of the ego. As we evolve, it must become more subtle and so we visit the same type of circumstances repeatedly until we have gleaned insight from many differing levels of consciousness.

Ultimately, the soul heeds the call of awakening and we are able to break free from the ravages of karma. While life still unfolds as it will, we no longer feel victimized by circumstance; instead, awareness transforms even the most challenging situations through love.

Each of us will forge a unique pathway to higher dimensions. The most beautiful thing that you can do is share your insights and wisdom and act in a way that exemplifies them in the world of form. This is the process of transformation.