Inspired

Friday Fav’s–October, Week Four

I haven’t been on my computer much for the past three weeks…not blogging and not commenting much either.  The truth is, it’s been a hard month.  I’ve just returned from my Dad’s home again after an intense week and a half of arranging and holding a celebration of life gathering and then clearing out his house. 

Dad lived in the same home for almost 50 years and as a child of the depression, he didn’t throw much out. Going through his belonging was a huge physical and emotional task and felt a little intrusive. 

Before he died he asked my brother and I to be careful of what we threw out and ( I quote here) “it may look like junk to you but it’s my junk!  He kept a lot of historical memento's, so I’ve been going through boxes and drawers and very carefully weeding through papers, photographs, old documents, journals, letters and more...much, much more…all the while, talking to my father as I sort.  I apologized a lot (Dad, I can’t keep everything…I’m sorry, but this has to go).  As you might imagine or may know from personal experience, it’s a difficult task of balancing practicality with integrity.  These things were all important to my father.

And because it’s Friday and because I haven’t had the time or the energy to do anything creative and because my thoughts are scattered and swirling around in my head from all this emotional intensity, I thought I’d do another “Friday Fav’s” to help sort the past week out….

 

 

This week’s Friday Fav’s...

Favourite moment:  Listening to each of my three beautiful and all-grown-up children, speak at their grandfathers celebration of life gathering.  I’m proud, inspired and awe struck by the amazing love, wisdom and clarity that they each hold and emanate into the world.

What's making me happy: Listening to Eloheim's weekly online meeting. This week the question to ask (ourselves) was “What is it about being human that I love the most”? For me: shared laughter, deep connection with others, creativity and being in nature. We were asked to narrow it down to one (deep connection) and then ask ourselves to notice how we might be limiting this in our lives. (ie, worrying, or spending time watching TV rather than being with others or working through a lunch hour rather than going out for a walk in nature, etc). This work with Eloheim is literally making me a happier person as I shed the dross.

 

Quote of the week:

(don’t you think it’s easier to hear the truth when Johnny is the one telling it to you?)

 

Source of creative inspiration:  I love this little tutorial by Judy Wise on how to make a paper bag art journal.  It's not too involved and paper bags are easy to find!  I think I’ll save it for next spring/summer when my studio is finished and I have the space.

 

Great source of laughs this week:  In a moment of frustration, Mr. I grabbed my father’s “Dammit Doll” and wacked it against a chair, saying “dammit, dammit, dammit”!  It completely cracked us all up!  It was the end of a long week and we were physically and emotionally exhausted.  The perfect release valve! 

(if you’ve never heard of a Dammit Doll, it’s a stuffed doll, about 10” long (it has long legs which make it easier to hold on to it while you’re whacking).  They come with these instructions:

Whenever things don't go so well

and you want to hit the wall and yell,

here's a little Dammit Doll

that you can't do without.

Just grasp it firmly by the legs

and find a place to slam it,

and as you whack it’s stuffing out,

yell "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

...It felt so good, he brought the doll home!

 

Image of the week:

Freedom

acrylic painting on wood by Duy Huynh

 

I love the magic in this image and the sense of lightness and hope.

Surely a dress made of beautiful white doves is possible? Surely this dress will lift me and carry me into places and opportunities yet undreamed of, curiosities yet unimagined?

Well of course it’s possible…If you believe….and oh yes, I do believe!

 

Best blog post of the week:  In The Transition.  I’ve “known” Rox for several years now, via the internet, ever since her “Beach Walks with Rox” vlogging days.  I love this post. 

 

Have a beautiful weekend dear friends….sending huge hugs and blowing kisses to you where ever you are in this big, amazing world.

Focusing

This photo was taken at the Butchart Gardens yesterday, June 11, 2011

The lotus flower grows in muddy water and rises up and out of the mud

to bloom with remarkable beauty.

In Eastern philosophies, the lotus symbolizes purity of heart and mind, 

spiritual awakening and detachment, as drops of water slide easily off its petals.

 

I haven’t posted "a message from spirit" for some time now.  I’ve done many writings for myself but none that felt quite right to share here.  Many  people are going through some very major life shifts right now and it’s a time of great change for many. Perhaps some of you are finding yourself challenged to make changes, either within or out in your experience of the world.

 

Dearest ones, we would like to speak to you this day about focus. When we say focus, what we are speaking of is the importance of focusing your thoughts, your actions, your life really, on yourself. This is not to say that  you cannot focus on loving and caring for your family or that you cannot go about your daily life and focus on what that entails, rather what we are speaking of is that it is so important now for you to focus on what your own thoughts are, what your own feelings are and what your own actions will be, rather than about what others are thinking, feeling and doing. Make your focus about YOU.

When you focus on others, you skilfully divert yourself from your own “work” but to do this is simply a distraction. If you are thinking of...and judging...others, you aren’t able to focus on yourself, but dear ones you no longer have the luxury of this diversion. Every thought that runs through your head now is calling forth more of the same. Are these thoughts of love and joy?  Be constantly aware of what you are creating and call these wayward thoughts back to you. Use the alchemy of your mind to transform them.

...what is within you that you do not want to look at and beckons you to continually distract yourself from doing so?

...what is within you that you judge yourself for, but instead find it is easier to look at others and judge?

Reel your thoughts back in now and make them work for you. Your work is within. You are all travellers on the same road but travelling on a different schedule...some of you are walking steadily forward while others are taking side paths and stopping here and there to “experience” life through the filter of drama. Do not judge someone else’s journey, for it’s all simply experience. When each of you decides to end drama in your life, that means dropping not only your own, but everyone else’s as well.

Dearest ones, it comes back to focus...focus on yourself. Pointing fingers outwardly is simply a temporary escape from focusing within. The ego is very clever in it’s distractions, but always...again and again...bring it back, bring it back. This focus requires the discipline and strength of the warrior energy...that of the spiritual warrior.

And we ask you to remember dear ones that you are not alone, you are never alone. We walk this journey with you. We are always with you and your own guided ones long to assist you...you need but ask.

Shera

Thank you all for stopping by…I’m so glad you do.  I hope this weekend was one of rest and renewal…but if it wasn’t, I hope you had fun!

The Artist of the Dream

You are an artist of the Spirit.

Find yourself and express yourself in your own particular way. Express your love openly.

Life is nothing but a dream, and if you create your life with love, your dream becomes a masterpiece of art.

The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz

I’ve recently been re-reading The Four Agreements: a Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz.  It’s clear, concise, uncomplicated and to-the-point, spiritual advice.

The Four Agreements are:

Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. (if we could get this one under our belts, our lives would change instantly!)

Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. (another one that will completely transform our lives!).

Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

And in Don Miguels Ruiz's Book, The Fifth Agreement he outlines the last agreement:

Don’t believe me, don’t believe yourself, and don’t believe anyone else.  We must become clear, free from old knowledge and beliefs that bind us. Your reality is often not about what is actually happening but instead what you have decided it means. Closely examine the stories you tell about yourself and everyone else and you just may discover a few things that are simply not true.

Now…to put this all into practice!  Have you ever noticed how we can read something like this, completely agree with it and then turn around and act like it has nothing to do with our own lives??  Our habits and behaviours are just so ingrained that we often don't recognize them for what they are.

psst…I’d like to add a sixth agreement…Find humour everywhere and laugh often!

Putting Into Words: Good...Bad..or Just Interesting?

This post is one of a series that are chanelled through me by a non-physical source of wisdom, a spirit guide called Shera, and it came in answer to a question I had recently about a situation where I was judging and doubting myself.  Sound familiar?

 

 

Dearest one,  Do not judge the experience as good or bad. It simply is. And this is what we will speak of today.

It is wise for all of you to begin questioning your beliefs and your judgements. You do not truly understand how much your beliefs are limiting your experience of the world. You have been taught your belief system by the world around you, you were not born with it. When you were growing up it was your parents, teachers, friends and perhaps religious organizations, who moulded your beliefs about what is true in the world and today, your media is contributing to that process.  There are as many truths as there are people, for each individual has their own truth.

The question to ask yourself then, is if your “truths” are truly your own or do they belong to your family of origin or your culture? If you moved to another area of your world you would find yourself absorbing new truths from a new perspective and indeed this is why travel is so broadening to the human experience.

During the day, pay attention to where you are labelling things as good or bad. It is a constant and often subconscious inner mind chatter...the rain is bad today, the sunshine is good. The dirty person at the bus stop is bad, the cake is good, the cranky store clerk is bad and the song playing on the radio is good. I don’t like this but I do like that. All day, every day, your mind is running judgements on even the smallest details. We are not saying that you cannot have preferences but in truth, all is not bad or good, it just is. This is important to understand dear ones, so we will say it again...it simply is.

We ask you to notice these thoughts as they come into your mind and become aware of them. You may be surprised at just how much judgement goes on within yourself, daily. Judgement is an impediment to your peace and dear ones; peace is what you truly desire.

When you notice a judgement come up, it would be wise to say to yourself, “I’m tempted to feel judgement right now. I’m tempted to think that judging this as good or bad will keep me safe and reinforce who I am when really, it actually defines me in a way that limits my experience.” By releasing these judgments as they come to you, you will begin to expand your perception, your belief system and eventually, your life.

What is it you are you limiting yourself from right now based on old, out dated beliefs that were never yours to begin with? There is another way of perceiving and processing the information you take in; be interested, be curious, observe and be open. The world you experience will take on a new hue, a new depth and a new sense of wonder but most of all, a longed for feeling of peace.

We leave you now dearest ones with the knowledge that you are deeply loved and you are never alone. Your own guided ones long to assist you, you have but to ask.

Shera

I found this advice to be extremely helpful to me by making me aware of just how many times a day I put judgements on even the simplest thing.  I realize we make our lives so much more difficult than they need to be because everything labelled as “not good” brings a certain amount of dissatisfaction and stress into our lives and really, who needs that!

Wishing you all an interesting day!