Saturday, December 19, 2009
A good laugh
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
River. Sea. Past. Future.
I stand at the confluence of my past and present and welcome the next moment, and the next….
I am grateful.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Hold On. Let Go.
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.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Faith in what?
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.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Put Down Your Burdens
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.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
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.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Your Doubt on Stage
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.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
I am the gentle reminder
You were born with a unique and perfect set of qualities and gifts. They are in a constellation designed and delivered specifically to you. As you develop you are changed and morphed by your circumstances into yet another unique constellation. Your task now is to allow the stars that make up the constellation to shine.
All too often you produce clouds and rain to obscure their magnificence. You come to me for help to uncover them, pull back the curtain and allow them to be seen in all their brilliance. If and when you allow your greatness to be seen the viewer will light up as well. That’s how this thing called life and relationships works. Others want to see you shine because it means they can too. Some will feel diminished and judgmental but you need not, and should not, focus on them. Surround yourself with others who are polishing their light for grander performances. They will appreciate and feed off your willingness.
The simple truth is that you have everything you need already. There is nothing missing. You will learn more as you progress but you have everything you need right now to take the next step. So proceed. Take the next step. The carpet awaits your ready feet. Open your mouth and let the pearls of who you are spill forth. You needn’t worry because everything you do, say and perform will be perfect. Even those instances that you will interpret as shameful are for you or someone else's good. I waste nothing. You are the only ones who are wasteful.
As I have been saying for month’s—just proceed. One foot in front of the other. Trust that the goodness of who you are and your greater calling are being supported by me. Remember that I am your greatest resource, I am your bank, I am the strength to which you turn.
And who am I, you ask? I am the limitless reservoir and repository of the best of you. I am that which you call your greater yet to be. I am the word you call your potential. I am the you you know you’re capable of being. I am the gentle reminder.
Friday, October 16, 2009
50!
I only want one thing for my birthday — to have a good time. That is most definitely assured as we have rented a beautiful house in Point Reyes and are having nine amazing friends for the weekend. As one of my colleagues said, ”Sounds very Big Chill”. Yes, indeed.
I have been anxious about the event. The butterflies have not been about crossing the demarcation into the second half of a century, but about performance anxiety. It’s been about the discomfort that comes when people pay attention to me. I worry about everyone having a good time, their sleeping arrangements and food choices, bla, bla, bla.
But this morning, as the bags of food lay ready at the front door and Judit is off buying my cake, I feel calm, grateful, centered, eager. This morning and this weekend, I claim myself to be open to all that unfolds; willing to see and absorb the truth as it presents itself to me; grounded and strengthen by what I know; and a fully expressed embodiment of who I am.
Yes, indeed. I’m 50 and I like it.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Light Awaits
Cathy, the lights can be hot. They can reveal your imperfections but it is the place you are meant to be for now. The dark and dank corners of darkness are not your destination. There is a time and place for hiding but now is not one of them.
Come out from behind the curtain. The spotlight awaits your arrival.
Today's Affirmation
Exposure is good.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Take the Fork
The question I most want to pose is: what will be the fuel that carries you forward? What nourishment will you require to keep moving forward? What reward will be waiting for you across the finish line? Think on this because you will need to maintain your vision and passion when the warmth of the sun has faded and the cupboard appears bare. Hold fast to that which you know to be true, regardless of the physical evidence . Hold fast to your grand vision. It may seem too vast and impossible but that is only because you don’t believe it possible. Believe it possible and you will be rewarded with the pleasure of seeing it some to pass.
Cathy, what is most true is that if you hold fast that which is true it will become True. What I know to be true is that you are a bundle of life and love. I need say no more.
Today’s Affirmation
I am alive and capable of magic.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Interpretation
How you interpret what you perceive will determine how you feel about your life.
Today's Affirmation
My pathways have been and always will be unencumbered and paved in gold.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Serving Yourself is Service
Today’s Affirmation
My wants are rooted in service.
My gifts are a gift to all.
I have the courage to share.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Act Upon Your Urgings
You can, of course, sit and wait until the perfectly straight, unobstructed road appears before you. You may wait in the hopes that your journey will be uneventful but you will be waiting a long time. The world and life does not unfold uninterrupted. Life is not simple and linear and neither are you. Life is a pothole-ridden road with unexpected curves that you won’t see until you get there.
So, take a step. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do something. Act upon your urgings. Take a step and watch the scenery change. Know that the horizon will always be the same distant away but each step forward will bring new vistas. Know that you must first trust to move forward. You must have enough faith in yourself to take a deep breath and jump into the abyss. Your fall will be caught.
Just proceed. Unhinge the shackles of your fear and know that the force that is calling you forth is benevolent and for the benefit of all, including you.
Today’s Affirmation
Action is my calling card today.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
You Built It, Now Enjoy It
Slow down and allow its texture to come into focus. Examine the details embedded in what you perceive to be your barrier. Bask in your walls reflected light. Feel its warmth. Lean against it for shelter and stability. Sit with your back against your self-construction limitations. Take refuge in its strength but know that your fears and anxiety will take no rest—nor will your dreams and aspirations.
The wall you see as your impediment has two sides. You can’t yet see the other side. But one day you will. I promise.
Today’s Affirmation
The view from where I sit right now is perfect.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Build a Bridge
On the left is a ready blanket and warm cup of sweet tea. On the right is a bullhorn and whip. On the left is the feminine—the nurturer, the internal dweller, the emotionally mature, giving mother. On the right is the masculine –the manifester, the instigator, the unabashed master of ceremonies, the flame that burns regardless of thunder and rain.
Trust both. Use both. Live both aspects of who you are. You need both elements to dream and manifest. Only when you externalize your internal will you be truly fulfilled.
Your mind is the bridge. Your life is the stage on which your feminine and masculine meet, make love and create a new world.
Today’s affirmation
I am connected, internally and externally.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Unconditional Love
Now, imagine someone loving you anyway. Imagine having someone stand by your side with an arm around your shoulder, standing vigil over you, despite all of that.
That is unconditional love. That is what I do. That is who I am. And, that is who you are. Remember, we are one and the same. The question is—can you do that for yourself?
Today’s affirmation
I am a giver and receiver of unconditional love.
Love is healing me.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Alone But Not
You sit quietly in solitary confinement with only breath and the unbroken chain of your private thoughts. In the safety and familiarity of your psychic isolation you attempt to feel and experience your connection to the world. Utterly alone, without a voice or the courage to give yourself over to something larger than yourself, you sit on your couch and try to tap into the channels of water hidden below the surface that link you to others. You hear from the pulpit (and believe) that you are not alone yet your experience tells you otherwise.
There is no remedy for this paradox. You are alone and you are not alone. You have you own individual experience and that experience is shared by everyone. This may be confusing but it true.
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As a baby you were utterly dependent on others to take care of you, nurture you, love you. As an adult you have learned to take care of yourself, isolate, be distrustful and cynical. In your spiritual practice you must be the vulnerable baby utterly dependent on faith—faith that you are being taken care of, being nurtured, being loved.
Sit by me, day after day. Sit with me and see that I will not fail you. I will not abandon you. I will not judge you. I will love you in your weakness and frailties. I will love you when you take your first step. My heart is big enough to hold you. I will not ever leave you. In your solitude, you are never alone.
Today’s Affirmation
I proceed knowing that my faith proceeds me.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Keeping It Real
I can not seem to feel that effervescence of life and love and joy that I know is right there, on the other side of my mind's chatter. There is a heavy cloud obscuring my view. I am weighed down by an opaque blanket of doubt. I can not see, remember, feel or believe in what I know I have experienced in the past. My mind and memory tell me what's possible but I viscerally don't feel it. I feel sad and lost.
SPIRIT VOICE:
Cathy, to be human is to doubt and to lapse and to experience disconnection. All I ask is that you be present to your experience. Being spiritual does not mean being happy all the time. How can you be happy in the face of yesterday's supreme court decision and the world's ills. It is not natural to be elated and ethereal all the time. What I want for you is to embrace how you feel, honor it, learn from it, then share it by being real. You will be alleviated of your human pain only when you face it, examine it's remnants and move on.
I do not want you happy. I want you real. If a cloud hovers over you, thank it for blocking the sun. If a blanket covers you, thank it for its protection. Everything, everything, everything, in every minute, is perfect.
Awareness and acceptance. That is what I want for you and from you.
Today's Affirmation
My strength comes from my willingness to be real.
I embrace the reality of my feelings today.
I believe in and welcome the understanding that is soon to come.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Why Do I Avoid and Procrastinate?
Your actions are a reflection of what’s happening inside. You are not taking action because your ego doesn’t want you to. The frustration and self-recrimination you are experiencing is simply a reflection of the conflict between your ego and your true expression of self. You feel uncomfortable and disconnected because you are. You are allowing your ego to drive the bus to Destination A when you know you really want to go to Destination B. It’s natural that you would feel annoyed and disappointed.
Let me drive the bus and you will soar.
There is nothing wrong with caring and nothing wrong with failing. Come to my garden and you will discover that there is nothing in it that is not wanted. Nothing. Even the weeds and dying bulbs are in their perfect state.
I have said it now a hundred times… just proceed. I will not disappoint.
Today’s Affirmation
I will not be sidetracked by me ego’s desire for mediocrity and the status quo.
I am 'in the flow' when my actions are in alignment with my true desire.
Today, my actions are driven by my soul’s deepest desire.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Why Meditate?
To connect to me is to connect to the greater, bigger, more compassionate, more creative aspect of yourself. You know that you are so much more than you think you are and that by setting aside your personality you are able to feel and know the full extent of your potential. THAT is the carving that dwells in your heart.
So, come here to this spot each morning and turn your attention to that which is beyond your circumstances and conditions. Turn your attention inward and you feel the container that you think of as ‘you’ melt away. Through meditation you know that even the confines of your body are an illusion. Your individuality unifies with the whole.
You needn’t have an agenda to come here. There need not be an end result. You need only a willing heart and an intent to learn and grow. You need only the courage to proceed with the job of being. Cliché I know, but true just the same.
Today’s Affirmation
I do not need to know where I am going.
If my heart is heading in the right direction I will get there.
My commitment is all I need.
Monday, May 18, 2009
You Are Not an Island
What flows through them flows through you. You have far more in common than you think.
This tie that binds you to everyone else is my gift to you. Your family is bigger than you think.
Today’s Affirmation
I am not an island.
Interconnectedness is my nature.
My daily activities reflect my understanding of our connection.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Your Purpose = Service
To understand your purpose is to identify what contribution you will make, not to yourself, but to the world. As you go in search of your 'passion' don’t seek personal gratification (although you will find it along the way) but service.
Vanity and ego gratification are short lived. Real satisfaction is a community event. When your calling is revealed you will discover that it’s dividends are enjoyed by everyone. And, I mean everyone.
The world wants you to be you, with all your eccentricities and foibles. The world wants you to be you.
Today’s Affirmation
I am on purpose because I am sharing myself.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Liberating Secrets
The truth is, we are not as opaque as we think and our privacy does not serve us or others. By denying yourself and the world your truth, you are holding yourself captive. There is liberation in the letting go. Open your clenched fist and feel the ease of the open palm.
Today's Affirmation
I am set free to fly when I reveal my secrets.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Hold Fast to the Invisible
The aspect of life upon which we hang our hopes and dreams often feels just out of our reach. We grasp for things we can’t see or sometimes can’t even imagine. That craving is our spirit calling us up.
We must look beyond the limiting beliefs (war, poverty, homelessness, injustice is inevitable) that plague our current world view. They feel intractable. They feel true. To deny their truth is to be labeled, at best, naive, at worst, a fool.
Stop. Stop claiming your past as evidence for your future. Your past will repeat itself only because you make it so. Make new choices. Proclaim a different future. See the future flowing in a new, more loving, more sustainable, more equitable direction. See the possibility. See the invisible and claim it so. Feel the infinite and embrace the permission it offers for creativity and vision.
Today's Affirmation
I am not defined by my past.
My past reveals only where I have been, not who I want to be.
Vision and possibility are the qualities on which I hitch my wagon.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Bright Shadows
When push comes to shove, your good comes from your darkest corners. As you become willing to swim in the ugliness, you dare to get dirty and it’s the dirty who get things done.
Fear not. Don’t shy away from the ugly underbelly. The ugly underbelly is hidden by the beautiful but is no less worthy of your gaze.
Death is as momentous as birth and no less worthy of our attention. There is balance in life and you must tend to its seesaw nature. Think of light and shadow. Yes, the shadow is created and defined by the light but it is a necessary byproduct of the light. You can not have light without shadows. The shadow can not exist without the light but the light can not exist without the shadow. You must embrace both. Explore your shadows, their subtly, their humanity. Constellations of life lurk in the shade of the tree. As in photography, you must expose for detail in the shadows.
Look deeply at the thing you cover yourself with. Examine it’s finer details, smell it, touch it, then thank it. It has, and no doubt will continue to, serve you well but you are more than your shadow. There is far more light then there is shadow.
Today's Affirmation
Light shines on me to reveal my shadow.
Constellations of life lurk in the shade of the tree.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Stage is Yours
Your life is an opportunity, an opening, an invitation. As the sun rises this morning and the birds greet the day, your curtain is going up. The stage is set. The lights are coming up. The music is cued. It’s your turn to speak. Who will you be today?
Always remember, the critic you fear most is imagined. In reality, the audience (life) is on your side. They come to see you to applaud you, not to find fault. They want you to succeed. They cry out for your biggest, boldest, most heart-felt expression. So, step up. Raise your head to the light that illuminates you and speak up. Laugh and cry and celebrate.
Today's Affirmation
I am worthy of the light and attention