Intensity

“For most people, their spiritual teacher is their suffering. Because eventually the suffering brings about awakening.”
~Eckhart Tolle~ 

Suffering, whether self-inflicted or the result of outside events, brings hidden aspects of our shadow self to the surface of our consciousness. Often these are things that have been repressed or ignored in the past and their appearance now has great import on your path of transformation.

When you are faced with intense internal challenges consider viewing them as teachers rather than something that needs to be eradicated or hidden. Look deeply within to the source of your conflict and then purposely surround it with love and compassion. Know that you are on the verge of an awakening.

These inner paradoxes lead us down roads we would never consciously choose to travel. They call upon us to shatter the ego-self and strip away things and ideas that no longer serve us. Intensity accelerates your spiritual growth in ways that simple study and desire cannot. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you are ready for this. Your spirit has requested movement and the fact that something new is arising indicates that you are ready to navigate your way to higher levels of consciousness.

You Are the Universe

“When the world feels overwhelming, I want to love bigger, I want to love louder, I want to be connected to my community.”
~Mona Tavakoli~

You are changing the world. Every life you touch shifts in response to your unique energy. Each of us has an opportunity to love, to be expansive, inclusive, joyful and compassionate. Standing strong and confident in the light of your true nature allows the Divine to work through you in miraculous ways. Even a smile, heartfelt and genuine, can awaken the light in those around us.Everything is energy. Love more. Participate more. Share your light and passions. Surround yourself with uplifting books, music, people, ideas and art. Be inspired by those who live awakened lives and purposely choose to be inspirational to others. This is the moment of transformation and you are indeed a blessing.

The spiritual quest is to experience the highest source of love – love with the Divine. Part of that practice is learning to love in a way that is pure and free from ego-driven desire. As we open to one another in a way that is completely present, vulnerable and authentic, we remove the barriers that divide us. To see the sacredness in another is the greatest gift that you can give.

Seeds of Potential

“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”
~James Allen~
Never doubt the powerful transformation that is put in motion through intention and conscious action. Before any growth can occur, the energy contained within the seed must be willing to take action and become vulnerable with no guarantees of success. Within that movement lies infinite potential.

There is great value in doing new things. When you are willing to take a risk it enhances your senses – you become more aware and conscious in the present moment. Fear is not the enemy. See it as an indicator that you are leaving the perceived safety of conditioned tendencies. Welcome it as a teacher that provides the opportunity to move toward freedom.

Life is a series of changes that allow one to discover new aspects of strength, cultivate inner wisdom and expand consciousness. Every situation provides an opportunity to awaken; therefore, consider utilizing stillness, silence, gratitude and appreciation in order to receive the insight and energy that await you.

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.

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.

 

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.

Empathy

“We have been to the moon, we have charted the depths of the ocean and the heart of the atom, but we have a fear of looking inward to ourselves because we sense that is where all the contradictions flow together.”
~Terrence McKenna~

When we are attached to an idea of how life should be and it differs from what we are experiencing, pain ensues. The awakened soul has the ability to turn and face whatever fears arise, thus, addressing the imbalance while it is smaller and more manageable. If we allow the mind to create and repeat stories that reinforce the original attachment, energy is fed into the problem increasing it’s presence in our lives. Choose instead to bring peace and balance into your experience. Become a channel for light to enter your life.

The more you see any challenges you encounter as vehicles of awakening, the more empathy you’ll cultivate for others who struggle with their own challenges. Compassion teaches us the value of creating space in relationships, allowing each person to thrive and grow as the winds of heaven dance in between.

Everyone has something beautiful to offer – a moment of kindness can be life-changing for those who are touched by your energy. Sharing new insights, artistic vision, passion or laughter can open new avenues of experience. Never doubt the power of your positive choices and interactions.

Understanding

“I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.”
~Hermann Hesse~
Experience creates understanding. Those who walk through challenges emerge transformed. They have a compassion and depth of knowledge unknown to those who have played it safe. Think of the difference between someone who has studied honey extensively – it’s molecular compounds, how it’s made, uses for it – and someone who has simply paused to taste and enjoy its sweetness. While one may have more time invested and learned complex words to describe it, the second has personal experience and greater clarity.
The mind, pretending to be important, will often ask questions that delay (how? why? when?) as a form of procrastination. The heart will prompt you to conscious action based upon your newfound wisdom.
Understanding will ultimately set you free. With each experience your perception of life broadens. Immerse yourself in possibility and choose to see beyond good and bad to the love that resides at the core of everything. Armed with depth and nuance, you can trust the whispers of your heart. Taste life. Allow its sweetness to inform you. No matter what arises, your compassion will continue to expand until it encompasses all that you see.

Gentle Strength

“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.”
~Kahlil Gibran~
True strength is measured by authenticity, consistency and compassion. The higher your energetic frequency, the more power you can access. Those who vibrate at lower levels such as anger, pride, apathy or shame must use force in order to feel heard. No matter what change you wish to create in your experience, it must be cultivated within you before you can bring it into the world of form.
When those for whom you care become lost in the illusions of this world, do your best to remain at the highest level of consciousness that you can in your various interactions. We must remain engaged in unconditional love in order to teach: situation by situation, moment by moment. This takes conscious and consistent practice. You are a conduit through which the Divine manifests; therefore, it’s important to clear anything that blocks your ability to love.  View the challenges you face as realms of infinite possibility that deepen your wisdom, cultivate your strength and bring aspects that require attention or healing into the light of awareness. This is the moment of transformation.

The Fog of Illusion

“When you complain, you make yourself into a victim. When you speak out, you are in your power. So change the situation by taking action or by speaking out if necessary or possible; leave the situation or accept it. All else is madness.”

~Eckhart Tolle~

The mind loves to have issues to fix. It keeps life complicated and thus reinforces the fog of illusion in which many reside. There are many paths to wholeness, but the simplest truths are the answer to life’s most challenging questions.

All problems of humankind are created by a lack of consciousness. Resist nothing – what you fight, you strengthen. Rather than criticize, accept. Embrace what is and create inner balance prior to taking action. Begin your day with gratitude and let your actions be led by love.
Humans are paradoxical by nature, a blend of light and dark. Rather than denying one side verses the other, we must integrate all the facets of our humanness and bring them into the light of consciousness. Seeing oneself clearly is an important aspect of enlightenment.
You’ll feel more empowered when you are spiritually healthy and balanced. The world around you will act as a reflection, showing you your grace and progress on the path of transformation.