Opening

I am in a process of opening.  And what I really want to do is make things happen.  But that is efforting, not opening.  Opening is allowing.  If I can stay open, I can allow things to happen; I can let things happen.  Opening is freedom.  I will continue with this process of opening. 
So why do I sit with my arms folded?  Fear.  I'm holding onto fear.  But fear is not a part of Divine Presence.  It is not a part of the essence of Source or Great Mystery.  If I uncross my arms and stay open, then I let go of resistance.  I release what is unnecessary and in the way.  At the same time my opening becomes an invitation.  Staying open invites Creation in.  It invites something to come to me which is necessary, healing, important, vital.  New.

"We need to remember that where we are going is here, that any practice is simply a means to open our heart to what is in front of us.  Where we already are is the path and the goal."                                          --Jack Kornfield 

Releasing

This time is rich and full and challenging.  Large transformation is occurring.  In order to let in a new experience we must let go of old experience, old beliefs.  Often there are also parts of our lives and elements in our cells which just have to exit before regenerative energy can be brought in.  Emptying out; taking in.  Every day we breathe.  In, out...in, out.  Every piece of our life experience repeats this same process, in forms that are both microcosmic and macrocosmic.  The greater our awareness is of this life rhythm, the gentler, smoother, and easier is our interaction with all of life.  Releasing becomes a practice for the Soul.      

"Let go, and let God."                   --Unknown

This Moment

One day this week I started my day thinking of the "million" things  I needed to do.  I went to work continuing to think about the "million" things I could be doing if I was at home.  As the day went on, I began to notice that being at work was a sort of respite from the "million" things I needed to do at home.  By the end of the day I was reveling in the butterflies I saw, the cooler temperatures after such a long, hot summer, and generally exulting in the fact that it was a beautiful summer day.

Each day challenges us to meet it head on--face to face, moment by moment.  We're invited to fully inhabit these days.  There are superb gifts in each moment, if we take the time to be present.

"Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite.  It actually takes guts.  Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior's world.  We can do this even at the most difficult moments.  Everything we see, hear, taste, and smell has the power to strengthen and uplift us."                                                                                            --Pema Chodron        

Grace

Our lives are filled with joys and challenges.  Each day brings a plateful.  We have the power to experience our lives as gifts or as burdens.  I am grateful for the gift of grace.  On days when things have hung heavily around my neck, or events have startled me into fear, I have experienced grace unexpectedly.  That's the nature of grace.  It is a lovely surprise.  A gentle hand reaching out to bring me back to myself.  I am able, at some point, in some way, to reach out and request assistance, and my request is graciously answered.  

"Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of life.  This shy inner light is what enables us to recognize and receive our very presence here as a blessing.  We enter the world as heirs to a harvest of memory, spirit, and dream that has long preceded us and will now enfold, nourish, and sustain us.  The gift of the world is our first blessing."                                                                                          --John O'Donohue  

Love

Love is all around--everywhere.  It's in the essence of every creature, rock, and tree.  In every person we encounter.  The heart of the earth is exuding love all the time.  We're here to soak it up, and to use its positive, vibrant energy.  It comes through us as we live and share our unique passions and personal expressions with the world.  The more we do this, the more effortless our lives become.  Love comes in to guide us, shape us, and change us--and to bring us to our best selves.  Enjoy the life that is truly yours to live!

"Find some time alone outside.  If you are tempted to look out a window and let your view substitute for being outside, try this activity both ways.  I find that even a pane of glass disrupts the flow of nature's wordless message to me.  Even just stepping out your door and sitting in your yard or on a small balcony will enrich this [experience].  It is the difference between phone contact or holding hands with a loved one.  Which would you choose?  Nature chooses the hand-holding option."                                                                         --Susan Chernak McElroy                                                   

        

Flow

We are wrapped in the energy of All That Is.  Divine Presence infuses us.   Sometimes I myself get disconnected from this flow of energy.  I get stuck.  This being stuck is a stumbling block.  It is usually a knot that I need to untangle.  I think stuck places are good opportunities to gently attend to ourselves, to listen deeply, and to make space for the emergence of the unknown.  Often the block is a constriction caused by some fear that needs to come into consciousness.  It helps me when I step back, allow some time, and gently invite the stuckness to come forward to be released.  Often it needs some avenue of creative expression to become fully known.  The result of such caring attention is that beautiful flow is restored.  Life continues on in beauty.

"Beauty before me, I walk
Beauty above me, I walk
Beauty below  me, I walk
In beauty, I walk
To the direction of the rising sun, in beauty I walk
To the direction traveling with the sun, in beauty I walk
To the direction of the setting sun, in beauty I walk
To the direction of the dippers, in beauty I walk
All around me my land is beauty, in beauty I walk."
                                                         --Navajo Chant of the Night Way

    

Solidarity

The Universe is present and actively involved in the continual unfolding of All of Life.  Believing in ourselves and in our unique gifts is our task.  Tension sometimes arises when we move toward our best selves.  Many conflicting energies surround and infuse us.  This tension triggers the "old" but blesses the "new."  Our focus on our higher good continues to shape us and form us.  The Universe stands with us and guides our steps as we open ourselves to Larger Awareness.

"...we take an individual journey, as might a hero or heroine in an archetypal story, leaving what is familiar and embarking on a new quest.  And, as is true in any universal story, we are not alone.  We find many helping allies, as well as obstacles, unexpected gifts, and unforeseen circumstances that catalyze our growth and strip away what is unnecessary in our lives."
                                                                               -Angeles Arrien