Tag Archives: #rumi

Higher Love

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“Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent. You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment.”
~John O’Donohue~
Imagine a flame flickering in the darkness. The light that it casts creates shadows, warmth and mystery that draws others to share a moment of connection. You are this light. As you awaken to higher consciousness, your expression of love and kindness is transformed. Rather than seeking love, become love.
Life is a playground of exploration. To honor all that you see as sacred is to be immersed in love. The energy that you choose to focus upon becomes stronger in your experience. With that in mind, seek to feed the flames of higher love. Conscious awakening is a gift that you can share with the world.
I see life as a living conversation with the Divine. Moments of gratitude remind us to seek joy in the little things, and within that joy is a doorway to a realm where anything is possible.

Learning Through Loss

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“Though your days here were brief
Your spirit was alive, awake, complete.
Let us not look for you only in memory,
Where we would grow lonely without you.
You would want us to find you in presence,
Beside us when beauty brightens,
When kindness glows
And music echoes eternal tones.”
~John O’Donohue~
Loss is part of life. Where we once had the opportunity to discover who we are in the presence of another, at some point we must also discover who we are in their absence.
We unexpectedly lost our kitty Mr. Monster yesterday. And while never an experience one would consciously or purposely choose, I know that is it perfect and that he will come around again in another form.
Everything plays a role in our awakening. Challenges can bring unexpected kindnesses and compassion and even now, my heart is filled with gratitude for all the love and friendship in my life.
Any loss provides an opportunity to cultivate the art of acceptance. Whether the ending comes through death, divorce, life paths diverging, work or relationships reaching the end of shared experience, the process is the same. We can focus on the blessings or the loss – the choice is ours.

A Work in Progress…

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Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
~Thich Nhat Hanh~

We walk this amazing journey of love and discovery. The threads that connect us are innumerable, constantly weaving new patterns and bringing new perspectives to light. Ultimately, we learn incredible things from one another while fumbling our way toward ecstasy.

See your awakening as a work in progress and try to create as many spaces of Presence as you can throughout your day. The challenges that we face often bring us painful awareness of old wounds or beliefs that have created the illusion of separation; however, with mindful intent, those challenges can be transformed into empowerment and insight.

You’ll know that any self-karmas are healed when there is no emotional charge around them. You may find yourself recounting the tribulations of the past, seeing them only as stepping stones to your current state of consciousness, and indeed that is the truth of your sojourn here in time and space.

When in doubt, choose joy. Find something, no matter how small or insignificant, and let it bring a smile to your face. With that smile in place, close your eyes and breathe it in. This is the breath of awareness and it will help you to create a foundation of peace in your daily experience.

Expand Outward

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“As we grow in our consciousness, there will be more compassion and more love, and then the barriers between people, between religions, between nations will begin to fall.”
~Ram Dass~

Often it can be challenging to see through the illusions of this world to the love which connects us; however, that is the ultimate purpose of our sojourn through time and space. We must begin within and expand outward. When repeating patterns make you feel trapped, purposely try something different. Take yourself into the unknown and see what arises.

As we learn to overcome our fear, something new emerges. Each situation and life circumstance has something to teach; therefore, varied experiences will give an expanded understanding of your true self and potential.

Find your unique balance of work and play, of celebration and solitude, of giving and receiving and let your life be a dance of opposites and paradox. The most important aspect of spiritual work is how we choose to incorporate it into our physical experience.

Contrast

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“Put light against light – you have nothing. Put dark against dark – you have nothing. It’s the contrast of light and dark that each give the other one meaning.”
~Bob Ross~
Everything plays a unique role in our collective awakening. When we release judgment and look through the eyes of love, we discover the grand beauty of existence. Light cannot exist without the dark. All of life is a movement of contrast.

Loneliness gives a deeper understanding of the gifts to be discovered through relationships. Fear teaches us to be courageous. Judgment, and the illusion of separation it causes, allows us to discover the beauty of Oneness through acceptance. Play with opposites, consciously utilizing them as aspects of your spiritual growth.

Everything is part of the the dance of love and all situations have something valuable to teach. Honor your path as sacred. Seek the answers that bring peace to your heart, even in the midst of sorrow or frustration. There is no limit to the gifts you will discover throughout this journey of awakening. Layer by layer, you will release anything that no longer serves you. Embrace the contrasts of your life and the lessons they have to offer.

Be Willing to Receive

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“If you want the moon, do not hide from the night.
If you want a rose, do not run from the thorns.
If you want love, do not hide from yourself.”
~Rumi~

Know how to accept sustenance and fulfillment from life. Instead of striving, allow. Instead of stress and worry, receive. The Tao te Ching teaches that the less we do, the more we get done. Many people run hither and yon trying to squeeze in as much as they can. They multitask and let anxiety run their lives.

Everything is energy. See yourself as a magnet that draws in the people, circumstances and resources that you require. Let your actions be simple and mindful. Endless striving actually pushes away the object of your desire, much in the same way that magnets repel one another until the poles are reversed.

There is great power in this moment. Tap into it. Recognize the abundance and love that rains upon you from all dimensions. The reward is a strong sense of inner peace and contentment as you allow yourself to align with the perfection of the universe.

Waking from the Dream

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“You wake from dreams of doom and–for a moment–you know: beyond all the noise and the gestures, the only real thing, love’s calm unwavering flame in the half-light of an early dawn.”
~Dag Hammarskjöld~

Sometimes awakening can be a gentle drifting up through the layers of illusion and symbolism to a morning filled with wonder. Other times, we are jarred awake by an invasive sound, struggling through a nightmare or the movement of another person or animal. These experiences are metaphoric for our spiritual awakening.

The most intense awakenings are abrupt. An experience shifts our perception, a limiting pattern shatters leaving us seeking shelter from the unknown or we feel the insistent calling of our inner purpose. Don’t go back to sleep. There are many, many paths to explore and soul mates waiting to be discovered.

You are the dreamer and life is the dreamed. Quietly hold the illusion in your  mind, what is it trying to tell you? Ultimately you will discover that love resides at the core of everything. All of life supports you in this endeavor.