A good laugh

Laughter is good for the soul and my recent run-in with the medical establishment means I am in need of a healthy dose of it. This does it for me every time:

River. Sea. Past. Future.

In my mind’s eye I stand at the confluence of the Hanalei River and the Pacific Ocean. I have come down the river and am now standing at the mouth of the river awaiting directions. The particulars of my past and all that I have passed through flow between my legs as I gaze off into my future. The vastness of the unknown and the familiarity of my past merge in a swirl of confusion at my feet but a smile alights my face and my eyes are soft and safe in the warmth of my faith.

I stand at the confluence of my past and present and welcome the next moment, and the next….

I am grateful.

Hold On. Let Go.

Life is the balance between your deepest intent and the natural unfolding of the universe. It is similar to the dance between long- and short-term planning. You must clarify where you are going in the long term then let go of the short term…

Cathy, I can feel you grasping and anxious about where this offering is going. I invite you to use this morning as a practice session for what we are talking about. You know and you proclaim that you are a courageous writer who is committed to sharing your insight and wisdom with the world. That is your long-term intent. That is who you are.

This individual offering, on this particular morning is your short-term activity. This is the opportunity I am offering you in this moment to let go and allow the universe to unfold. A few sentences ago, you relinquished control and you felt the energy in your hands and body shift. You felt the unleashing of me. You released your control. More importantly, you released your fear that what would reveal itself would not be worthy of your potential. As soon as you let go your fingers starting flying and these last few sentences have emerged effortlessly.

Therein lies the paradox. You must be strong and clear and determined about your intent while releasing and letting the rest of everything else go. Focus on who you are then trust that the universe will come up to meet you.

I know there is nothing new here. You have heard this all before but it bears repeating. Stay focused on the long term and the short term will take care of itself.

Faith in what?

You say you want to be a woman of faith. My question is what do you have faith in? I ask because it is not helpful to have faith solely in me. Have faith in yourself as me. So many of you make the mistake of believing solely in me and leaving yourself out of the equation. Yes, you can have faith that I am ever present and infinite but I am nothing without you. Having faith in me without having faith in yourself is like breathing in a vacuum.

Faith is an empty well without your participation. I am made manifest through physical action. You can sit on your couch and pray like your life depends on it, beseeching me to come to your rescue, but nothing will happen until something physically happens on your plain.

Do not have faith in me. Have faith in yourself as me. I am not interested in you sitting on your couch and throwing your faith up into the sky where I sit waiting to fulfill your dreams. I am interested in you believing, without a shadow of a doubt, in your own magnificence. Have faith in yourself.

I am not going to save you. I am not going to knock on your door and deliver you your redemption like the Publisher’s Clearinghouse van, festooned with balloons. When you pray you are setting a system in motion and, yes, it makes a difference but that is not what will change your life right now. I need your direct and impassioned participation. YOU must act. You must have faith in me in you. The faith you profess to possess is a faith not in divine intervention but in your own capacity for transformation and greatness. Yes, I am a miracle worker but only through you. Without form, there are no miracles. I do my work through you.

Step up and out. Proclaim your faith in me by honoring yourself.

Put Down Your Burdens

The point of coming here and communing with me each morning in this quiet intentional way is so that you can get to know me better. I am a habit that can be hard to acquire. Most habits are hard to break; I am one that’s hard to keep. Your brain is active and engaged in opportunities that present themselves in three dimensions. The world comes at you. It is in your face, poking and prodding you into submission. But I come with you. I am within you. I thrive and operate beyond the obvious and am, therefore, easy to forget.

The point of a morning or evening time of contemplation is to remember. When you light your candle or ring your singing bowl or close your eyes in prayer…you are connecting to your own divinity. When you release the sense of your self as limited and small and shackled to your limiting beliefs about yourself, you feel liberated, you feel powerful, you feel relieved. The walls you’ve constructed that make you feel trapped dissipate in the face of the realization that you are more than your circumstances.

By coming to me in contemplation, you put down your burdens so that your hands are free to receive the next gift.

Coming to me is a gift you give yourself. Now it is time to give it away.

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

You are exactly where you need to be. The scene before you may appear, at first glance, to not be changing but it is – in subtle ways. So it is with all things that are worth waiting for. The transitions will appear to be invisible but they are unfolding regardless of appearances. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not happening.

You come here to me to recommit to your far away vision. You know what is beyond the horizon. You know what awaits you but the pathways between here and there are obscured.

All I ask is that you don’t give up before the victory. Trust that the uninterrupted expanse that lays out before is not as empty as it appears. The rains will soon come and the dry fields will become lush. Don’t allow that which presents itself to you today dissuade you from your mission. Transformation is upon us.

Your Doubt on Stage

When the time comes for you to step forth, the carpet and the tent will be waiting. When it comes time to step out onto the stage, the audience, the lights and the script will be prepared.

Cathy, there is a stage prepared for everyone. All the cast and all the crew will be assembled. All the crowds waits for is the star attraction—you.

[Now, when I say “you” don’t think that there is anything particularly special about you. Everyone is equally special. I know you have a propensity for judging and ranking but put that aside. This is not about you being a star—more gifted or spectacular than the next person. This is not about you in the particular. There is a stage that awaits everyone. Everyone is the star of their own show, their own extravaganza.]

You, in particular, want a bigger stage and so you shall have one. I understand that your big stage is not about you serving your ego. I understand that you resist this inclination. But. your vision is big, and so shall the manifestation be.

What you need to do to get where you want to go is to continue to honor the voice that speaks to you so quietly. You sit here with me each morning to amplify that voice. And that, Cathy, is what you want for others. You want them to develop the tools and the capacity so they can hear their own inner voice. You know this voice wants to be heard. You understand that the messages embedded in this voice—my voice—will be the force that heals the world.

My desire, my intent is simple. I want each and everyone of you to be who you are, who you were born to be. You are each imbued with all the gifts and talents and circumstances you need to get exactly what you want. You are missing nothing. You have everything you need to have everything you want. This is my message to you.

You, Cathy, understand that and have taken it upon yourself to do all in your power to live from that stance. I congratulate you and invite you to trust even more. I will not desert you. I will not. I will continue providing you the tools and strength and courage you need to take the next step. And yes, I know you are grateful and you are scared and you have moments, almost every other moment, in which you doubt my existence and my sincerity. It is that doubt that will be your liberation. It will be your calling card. It is who you are and, therefore, your salvation.

Nothing is wasted. Your doubt, your floundering faith is such an integral part of who you are. Allow it to come center stage. That is the voice with which you can, and maybe should, speak. It is who are and, therefore, perfect. I created all the circumstances for you and your perpetual questioning is one of the most influential. Your doubt is not an albatross but a gift.

Share yourself, share your process. Be vulnerable. Be real, Be authentic. You will be rewarded. I will reward you.