Tag Archives: #laotzu

Stillness

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“Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and just listen. No more is needed. Being still, looking, and listening activates the non-conceptual intelligence within you. Let stillness direct your words and actions.”
~Eckhart Tolle~
Silence is more than the absence of noise. It is an inner communion with peace and awareness. In the stillness we become open to receive and it is within that gap of ‘no mind’ that we can touch the infinite.
Our current experience of the world is one of bombardment – a blend of sound, marketing, opinions, expectations and ego-driven thought. Our senses are often overwhelmed. Many spend each day running to accomplish various self-imposed tasks while neglecting the one thing that truly matters – grace.
Create pauses throughout the day to appreciate the beauty around you. Stop and breathe. Find something for which you can be grateful. Imagine joy flooding every aspect of your being. Touch the realm of limitless possibility and you will discover inner sacredness and beauty.
In the midst of cacophony, stillness can be accessed by dropping your resistance to noise. Your acceptance is another gateway into stillness. As you practice being at peace with what is, you’ll discover new depths of perception and serenity. This is where inner wisdom resides.

The Beauty of Acceptance

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There’s something inherently beautiful about living in a state of acceptance. When experienced as an authentic state of being, all drama is removed and we can flow through any situation with empowerment and peace.

Last night, my mother and I moved into a new phase of our relationship. I realized that much of my natural Presence was something that I learned from her along with my love of reading, creating a sacred space and the ability to be comfortable in solitude.

For the last few years she’s lived in a cottage in my backyard. After a tumultuous childhood and the weaving of karmic experiences that firmly set me on this path of healing, it was interesting to discover that many of the old wounds would be healed by helping my parents with their end of life work. Having them so close on a daily basis allowed for healthy shifts in our relationship.

During my last session yesterday, I received a simple, calm voice message. “I’m not doing so well and I need help.” I went to her cottage thinking that I could lift something or perform some small task. Immediately, I could see that she was off, and simply sitting in the darkening living room. It turned out that she had had a minor stroke which doubled her vision enough to impact her sense of balance and ability to walk safely.

So we did what many parents and children do – worked with medical care, a lengthy emergency room visit and ultimately appreciating the competence of the workers at a nearby hospital. While not fatal or insurmountable, this moment ushered us into a place of transition where we can both learn new things. I awoke this morning feeling only gratitude for my journey, the people in it, and the ways that we can explore love.

Humility Silences the Ego

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“Spiritual practice is about increasingly entering into love – not personal love, but the love that is the nature of our being.”
~Ezra Bayda~

The souls only desire is to awaken. Once you have mastered a particular attribute, be willing to expand into unknown territory. As a lifetime student of love, you can interact with others knowing that they have entered your experience for a specific purpose. Life becomes layered with nuance when we discover that every aspect of it is simply a loving conversation with the Divine.

There is always something new to discover. As you expand into higher levels of consciousness, your perception changes. Old challenges or situations are experienced through a new filter that provides an opportunity to explore the lesson in a different way.

Humility silences the ego. When we recognize everyone and everything as a teacher, we become willing, open and aware. Drop your judgment, move into love and honor your own path as sacred. You are surrounded by miracles… you are a miracle.

When you live in celebration of life and love, you scatter the seeds of possibility. Everything around you expresses the harmony of that love and sparkles of energy dance in your light.

The Soul of Love

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“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.

 

Fulfillment

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Look beyond your challenges to the beauty that fills your life experience. The present moment provides an opportunity to live in a way that allows you to contribute rather than being propelled by desire. The awakened heart sees through the eyes of love and gratitude with the realization that fulfillment is a state of mind.
Spiritual abundance and contentment have greater depth than simple prosperity or having a particular financial goal. Things, by their very nature, bring limitation and the worry of “what ifs?” that can destroy one’s well-being. One who is truly abundant is already complete. Outer expressions of prosperity can ebb and flow; however, the heart that is fulfilled is untroubled and lives in a sacred state of grace.

Take the time today to slow down and observe the miracles that surround you. Watch the bee as it pollinates, drink the nectar of life with hummingbird, experience patience with your favorite tree while sensing Oneness with everything you see. Together we weave the tapestry of existence, each of us playing a unique and vital role.

You can bring creativity and Presence to all that you do by approaching each task with an attitude of joy, enthusiasm or acceptance.

Conscious Living

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“What happens when we slow down and pay attention? Everything! Innumerable delights are right at hand.”
~Ezra Bayda~
We are masters in the process of awakening – all of us. The only difference is where one resides on that journey. It can be hard for some to imagine the spiritual awakening of someone who still resides at a lower level of consciousness; however, it will happen. Lifetime after lifetime we seek enlightenment through experience.
Everything that seems to be an obstruction to your happiness is actually facilitating your spiritual growth. Choose to bring a different point of view to challenging situations. See them as something that your soul has agreed to experience with a specific purpose in mind. Know that you have reached a point in your soul’s development where you can absolutely handle whatever comes your way, and most importantly, consistently ask yourself “What am I trying to learn?” Your primary purpose is to live consciously, to awaken.
As you change, the world around you is transformed. Set yourself free by choosing empowerment and acceptance, and let that wisdom inform how you present yourself to the world. The greatest gift that you have to give is that of your own awakening.

Seeds of Kindness

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

The Four Virtues

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When you change your thoughts, you change your life experience.

Lao tzu taught four virtues that, when practiced consistently, provide a lasting foundation of inner peace and purpose:

1) Reverence for All Life – When you live from the heart, expressing unconditional love for yourself and others, the light of consciousness will automatically flow into all that you do.

2) Natural Sincerity – When you act with integrity, you can allow life to unfold as it will without doubt, regret or worry. Act with integrity, do your best, accept what is.

3) Gentleness – Living a life of non-violence and giving up the ego’s desire to be right paves the way for authentic interactions. What would your life be like if you never argued or had inner conflict again?

4) Supportiveness – Support yourself and others with kind and uplifting words, thoughts and actions. This beautiful nurturing energy brings the most empowered and peaceful aspects of yourself into your daily interactions.

The idea is to consistently work toward higher levels of consciousness such as Willingness, Acceptance, Reason, Love, Joy, Peace and Enlightenment. Expanded frequencies have a greater impact and, utilizing them, we can hold space for others – and that is the space in which a transformation can occur.

The Sacred Quest

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“When you enter a place of stillness, you awaken the divinity within you.”

~Peggy Sealfon~

To walk a conscious path is to live with greater purpose. Most people take the leap toward the unknown when life presents a challenge that forces them to grow; however, as an awakening soul, you can do this intentionally without waiting for life circumstances to force it upon you.

It’s time to rediscover your grace. In stillness, you can ask your angels, spirit guides, healing masters and helpers how to live in alignment with that sacred contract.

This world can be overwhelming. Our relationships, work, dramas and commitments often take center stage, distracting us from our calling. And there it resides, the calling – a pull toward something greater – waiting for us to recognize our purpose.

Explore the mystery. There is no end to what you will discover.

Look beyond the role you play. Look beyond the physical appearance you have chosen. See beyond the stories of the mind. Breathe in the breath of life… slowly, mindfully, sacredly… and just be. Bask in the radiance of present moment. In stillness, you can begin to tap into the infinite potential of the Divine.

Surrender

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“When we bring a gentle awareness to the layers of our conditioning, and to the struggles that arise out of our conditioning, the power of that conditioning slowly dissolves. Life then moves toward the unconditioned – where the vastness, or love, just flows through.”    

~Ezra Bayda~

The ego often seeks to fight, prove oneself right, defend beliefs or struggle against life. Whenever you observe this happening, consciously move into surrender. Allow the energy around you to flow unimpeded. You’ll access the strength and peace that reside underneath the mechanisms of the mind.

When we choose to surrender to what is, we demonstrate faith in the process of awakening. Things often flow better when we get ourselves out of the way. The enlightened understand that surrender is a sign of empowerment.

Trust the wisdom of your higher self. Place your focus upon how you are responding to life, rather than trying to control how it unfolds. Are you operating from a space of joy, enthusiasm or acceptance? Are you seeing your experiences as opportunities to awaken?

The present moment is your point of power. How are you choosing to experience it? Life’s wonder and mystery can only be discovered where you are.