Day 304 - Lesson 303

The holy Christ is born in me today.

This is such a beautiful lesson and yet I just don't feel like anything I write today will do it any sort of justice at all.

My day has been one whirlwind after another and I'm feeling discombobulated. 

I keep asking myself if I'm really ready for my Primordial Sound Meditation certification course.  I don't feel particularly ready and yet I can't seem to conjure up the desire to cancel and re-book.  I keep thinking it will just come to me - that I shouldn't make it more difficult than it needs to be - that I've been awash in this ancient wisdom for quite some time now - it's there, I just need to be open to it.

I would really like to feel more like the holy Christ was born in me today....

Day 303 - Lesson 302

Where darkness was I look upon the light.

This finally felt like an illumined day for me.  I have been feeling buried and overwhelmed these past few weeks.  However, I felt a real sense of accomplishment today.

I completed figuring out and writing 15 radio spots for the next couple of weeks and I got them taped.  I completed one presentation for my next certification training - two to go.  I mostly have everything memorized that I'm supposed to have memorized.  I have no evening meetings this week (hooray!).  Aahhh, I have some breathing room....

The most beautifully illumined activity of my day was in spending time with a lovely group of souls - we acknowledged ancient wisdom, we meditated together, and we honored timeless vibrations deep within our souls.  Oh, and the sun shined upon us a few times today.

So much light, so much love!

Day 302 - Lesson 301

And God Himself shall wipe way all tears.

....God's world is happy.  Those who look on it can only add their joy to it, and bless it as a cause of further joy in them.  We wept because we did not understand.  But we have learned the world we saw was false, and we look upon God's world today.

If I have learned nothing else these past few years - it is that I can choose grievance or miracle; I can choose half-empty or half-full; I can choose to label and judge or I can choose uncertainty and limitless possibilities; I can choose to live in the past and the future or I can choose to be present in this moment - the only moment I have.  This isn't to say that I don't have tough days, stressful days, sad days....but it is to say that there is ever a beam of hopeful light within my heart and soul no matter what is occurring.  I know that I am more than this body and mind - these are only temporary and my spirit is everlasting.

I choose love over fear and my world is happy.

Day 301 - Lesson 300

Only an instant does this world endure.

Today it felt like things were piling up and I was just barely treading water.  I didn't complete my "To Do" list at work and I haven't completed it yet at home either.  I keep thinking about all I need to accomplish before I leave a week from tomorrow and it's hard not to feel overwhelmed.  Thank God I meditate or I'm sure I would be choosing a whole slew of bad habits to cope right now.  And certainly none of those things would make me feel better.  I know I was feeling some serious stress today because I had a rotten internal reaction to someone - my external reaction wasn't all that stellar either.  I even nearly bagged out on attending a going away gathering for someone I've grown to be quite fond of from work.  I decided that I would regret not attending and sharing my admiration for this person more than it would matter to me that I got a PowerPoint presentation completed or got my radio spots written.  It's just that I'm not entirely certain when I'm going to get those things done and that's frustrating. 

I know this all only lasts an instant - but I really do want to enjoy my time with each project.  I like to be busy, really busy - but I so appreciate moments to mull things over, to look at them and consider what's been done.  I don't seem to have that kind of time these last couple of weeks. 

I know the best thing I can do right this moment is to turn it over to the universe.  I have set my intentions, I continue to move in the direction of those intentions, and I just need to let go and allow the universe to work out the details....

Day 300 - Lesson 299

Eternal holiness abides in me.

This lesson begins with: My holiness is far beyond my own ability to understand or know.

While that line is so true, it is also and equally true that being open to all possibilities, releasing attachment to illusions, and establishing a regular meditation practice creates the path to higher states of consciousness.  When I listen with my heart to the ancient wisdom of spiritual texts and when I listen to the mystery of God I feel a sense of my own holiness.

I moderated a domestic violence awareness panel today and read the famous words of Lao Tzu about peace (There will be peace in the world when there is peace in the nations, there will be peace in the nations when there is peace in the cities.....etc. until - when there is peace in the heart).  I closed the session with those words.  I believe in these words - we will only evolve, truly evolve when we learn to love.  When we can hold peace in our hearts, we will act with peace, and we will see a less violent world.

I am so very thankful for all of the peace workers....their holiness is a shining beacon of light for our evolution.

Day 299 - Lesson 298

I love You, Father, and I love Your Son.

There are two lines in this lesson that I especially appreciate and held onto today -

My gratitude permits my love to be accepted without fear....And I draw near the end of senseless journeys, mad careers and artificial values.

I was reading Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination tonight and thought of this lesson.  Shankara explains that the only reality is our soul which is one with Source - we have our environment and our bodies and our minds, but it is all illusion - the only reality is our soul connected to Source.  He says, "A man is other than his shadow.  No matter what touches his shadow - hot or cold, good or bad - he remains completely untouched."  He also says, "The sun is reflected upon water.  Water moves, and the fool thinks that the sun is moving."  And so it is true of our souls - the soul is the only reality.  All the other stuff gets in the way and blinds us to the bliss awaiting us.  However, we have opportunities every single day, every single moment, to experience our connection to source. 

Day 298 - Lesson 297

Forgiveness is the only gift I give.

Today I was reminded that I was once in a great deal of pain.  I felt lost and irritable.  I wanted to blame others for the way I felt - because it was someone else's fault and 'when it wasn't' then I was just plain mad at myself for the choices I'd made.  I was reminded of this because as I was having a conversation with someone - he reminded me so much of myself before I let all that go.  I just wanted to reach out, hug him close, and let him know that all of the pain is completely unnecessary.  Sometimes it is so hard not to be an 'evangalist.' 

Today I am so thankful for my meditation practice.  I am totally getting it that it is that foundation that creates peace in my heart.  I am no longer focused on benchmarking success and happiness in external ways.  I am way less concerned about what other people are or are not doing.  I am much more inclined to be loving and compassionate and empathetic.

Meditation, deep breathing, being in tune with my rhythmic nature, being present and aware of nature - the turbulent autumn sky, the chattering and squawking of ravens, the crisp morning air - these are the blessings of a more peaceful existence.  And, of course, forgiveness.

Day 297 - Lesson 296

The Holy Spirit speaks through me today.

I was involved in a situation today in which there was little communication about expectations and there were major assumptions about 'who is responsible for what.'  I had an initial reaction of fear and irritation - mostly because I was worried that I would disappoint a group of people who were expecting a productive experience.  I took responsibility for it and made sure the materials were prepared, but due to a shortened time frame and not much communication about how the process was going to be handled - I had some anxiety about what was actually going to happen.  Then it dawned on me - "let go, the Holy Spirit speaks through me today."  The session went fine, everyone worked well together, the materials weren't fancy - but apparently they didn't need to be.  We accomplished our goal and everyone seemed to walk away feeling satisfied.

Each time I remember to let go and allow my actions to be guided by Source - things work out with a whole lot more ease and a whole lot less anxiety.

Day 296 - Lesson 295

The Holy Spirit looks through me today.

....and thus allow the Holy Spirit's Love to bless all things which I may look upon....

I was feeling out-of-sorts today.  I wasn't angry or upset.  I wasn't frustrated or cranky.  I just felt a little blue; I felt like things were just off, like I was out of rhythm for some reason.  However, as I plugged way at my day - working, doing laundry, preparing for the Sunday gathering, attending and facilitating the Sunday gathering, taping my radio spots, and working some more....my day gradually improved. Each activity, each step forward felt better and better.

So, even though I started out with that out-of-sorts feeling, I think it was definitely the Holy Spirit that comforted my heart and massaged my outlook into something more positive.  I trusted in that belief and allowed it into my awareness.  That expansion created the space for a brighter outlook. 

Day 295 - Lesson 294

My body is a wholly neutral thing.

I still struggle with this concept on an every day sort of level.  I get, intellectually, that my body is temporary and maybe even just be an illusion.  That it will go away one day and it is not me.  Releasing attachment to it is the hard part - menopause, weight gain, flabby arms, lines, and aches and pains....So, this lesson is a good and helpful reminder that it is neutral....I especially appreciate this part:

And yet a neutral thing does not see death, for thoughts of fear are not invested there, nor is a mockery of love bestowed upon it.  Its neutrality protects it while it has a use.

I had the extreme pleasure of attending a local coffee house event tonight.  The talented bodies there raised the roof on Source - original music by a beautiful mix of folks, youthful talent on horns of all sorts, poets of the highest caliber, piano, and dance, and communion with Spirit through voice.  I so appreciate that God gave us the ability to express holiness through our bodies - it is an expression that touches my heart and my soul.

Day 294 - Lesson 293

All fear is past and only love is here.

This lesson includes this lovely prayer:

Father, let not Your holy world escape my sight today.  Nor let my ears be deaf to all the hymns of gratitude the world is singing underneath the sounds of fear.  There is a real world which the present holds safe from all past mistakes.  And I would see only this world before my eyes today.

This is such a terrific reminder that life is all about choice.  We can identify with all that's negative and that's what we see or we can identify with all that's positive and that's what we see.  When we identify with the positive, it's not that we are blind to things that aren't right - it's that we are able to experience all of the good without being attached to the stuff that's wrong.  Each step we take towards living in the present moment and living more consciously the healthier the world becomes.

Embrace love and replace fear.

Day 293 - Lesson 292

A happy outcome to all things is sure.

This lesson focuses on how we perceive problems and make our lives complicated - and yet our happiness is secure - we need only allow it.

I attended a poetry workshop tonight.  I haven't written anything in a long while, I have all this philosophy roaming around inside my head, my life is amazing and wonderful and busier than it's ever been....I feel some lost or maybe it's just that I am truly embracing uncertainty?  Anyway, at the workshop we were assigned a powerful exercise.  We were asked to write down all the many names we've been called throughout our lives and then develop that further - where the names originated, what they mean to us - that sort of thing.  I really enjoyed this exercise.  I liked the process and it took me to a different place.  It took me out of my studies and opened up new thoughts and new awareness.

The bonus to all this is I came across a poem (thanks to attending the workshop) that sums up (for me) so much of the philosophy I've been studying -

Little Cosmic Dust Poem (1983) John Haines

Out of the debris of dying stars, this rain of particles that waters the waste with brightness... The sea-wave of atoms hurrying home, collapse of the giant, unstable guest who cannot stay... The sun's heart reddens and expands, his mighty aspiration is lasting, as the shell of his substance one day will be white with frost.  In the radiant field of Orion great hordes of stars are forming, just as we see every night, fiery and faithful to the end.  Out of the cold and fleeing dust that is never and always, the silence and waste to come... This arm, this hand, my voice, your face, this love.

So, speaking of powerful...and a happy outcome to all things is sure.

Day 292 - Lesson 291

This is a day of stillness and of peace.

This lesson includes two celebratory exclamations:

1. What loveliness we look upon today!
2. What holiness we see surrounding us!

These kinds of daily reminders are so healthy for me.  They provide a positive 'wake-up' perspective and remind me to start my day off on the 'right foot.'  It's good for me to wake up and read these lessons, meditate, and conduct the rest of my morning routine, and then revisit the lessons a few times each day.  I get something new from the lessons each time I read them.

Today I dealt with a couple of 'head-scratchers' and this lesson really helped me to let go of any personal attachment to them.  It's also the day I honor the Law of Least Effort - so it was a combined reinforcement not to take things personally and to allow solutions to emerge without force.  I so appreciate this perspective because my automatic response can be harsh and impatient.  However, these lessons remind me to pause and breathe - and that helps me to be less reactive.

In addition, I get to look upon the mountains, the ocean, hear the sea lions barking, giggle with two of the most delightful little snuggle buddies on the planet....every single day....and what loveliness!  What holiness!  It is these simple pleasures that put life in real perspective - the true perspective of love.

Day 291 - Lesson 290

My present happiness is all I see.

I appreciate this lesson because it reinforces the fact that once I became aware of truth, of right action, of pure potentiality, I could no longer continue the illusion of running from myself.  I could no longer mask my feelings, my fleeing responses, without seeing their negative impacts; in that, you can run and you can try to hide, but eventually it is laid bare.  I can make that experience whatever I want to make it.

Even though I have a pile (several piles, actually) of work, a pile of study, a pile of prep to do....my present happiness is all I see.  Everything is getting done and life is good.  My old response would have been to worry and fret and become aggravated because I was interrupted and couldn't get things done in the time frame I had established.  I more fully recognize now that life happens and I can't predict the myriad ways things will unfold.  My acceptance of that and my release of rigid expectations makes feeling happiness that much more readily available.

Today's lesson's prayer ends with this:

What I ask have You already given me.  And I am sure that I will see my happiness today.

And, indeed, I have.

Day 290 - Lesson 289

The past is over.  It can touch me not.

I love this particular line - Unless the past is over in my mind, the real world must escape my sight.

I used to spend a lot of time in the past.  Mulling it over in my mind, replaying it over and over.  I used to torture myself with coulda, shoulda, woulda...

I also, frankly, spent a fair amount of time in the future.  Not that I have ever been particularly good at visualizing that, but I would daydream about all sorts of future events without doing much by way of planning.

There is nothing easy about staying in present moment awareness - not at first anyway.  However, like most things, the more I actively practice it the better I get at it.  It is truly rewarding, too!  I pay better attention and I am much more appreciative of the gifts of the time I get to spend with people - really listening to them, really looking at them, really making them aware that I love them.

There is nothing I can do about the past.  There is nothing I can do about the mistakes I've made.  In each moment, in this very moment, I can be a better version of me than I was before this moment and I'd like to be the best version of me possible.

Day 289 - Lesson 288

Let me forget my brother's past today.

My past, my brother's past - this lesson says, in part:

Forgive me, then, today.  And you will know you have forgiven me if you behold your brother in the light of holiness.  He cannot be less holy than I, and you can not be holier than he.

This lesson resonated with me in such a beautiful way today.  I led a Sunday gathering of incredible souls in honoring the Law of Pure Potentiality (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, by Deepak Chopra) and in an active meditation.  This gathering reinforces this lesson and is, for me, a cherished representation of a group of like-minded individuals folding into the divine energy-field and embracing love.

To top it off, we were gifted with an autumn day filled with sparkly sunshine, calm sweet air, a herd of barking sea lions, and the waves and smiles and well-wishes of all those crossing our path.

Yes, this lesson resonated beautifully today....

Day 288 - Lesson 287

You are my goal, my Father.  Only You.

Today I focus a lot on asking what is my dharma?  What is my purpose in life?  I do this every Saturday (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra).  I took a long and wonderful hike with the beagle and one of the most beautiful souls on the planet.  We talked a lot about how best to incorporate all of the best life has to offer in our lives and shared ideas about how we can collaborate to invite that into our lives. 

Whatever happens....however we collaborate, however we recognize and acknowledge and invite into our lives all the best that life has to offer....it all comes back to God, Spirit, Love....A life of focus towards that is what brings peace and happiness - and that is my goal.

Day 287 - Lesson 286

The hush of Heaven holds my heart today.

The stillness of today will give us hope that we have found the way, and travelled far along it to a wholly certain goal.

Every day I think about my goal - to know God.  This thought is never very far from my mind and my heart.  Sometimes I don't want to do anything but sit and ponder, think, mull, pray, meditate, embrace the God energy surrounding me. 

Tonight I was watching the waves crash upon the shore and the seagulls and loons and ducks all so still upon and around the unsettled water.  The miracle of our existence.  In that moment, I felt the hush of heaven.

No matter how unsettled things seem to be around us, and even through our connection to our unsettled environment, we can still feel the hush of heaven and recognize the miracle of our existence....and we can be thankful and joyful for it all.

Day 286 - Lesson 285

My holiness shines bright and clear today.

Today I wake with joy, expecting but the happy things of God to come to me.

I love this lesson.  There is a CD of daily affirmations by Deepak Chopra that I often listen to, in the mornings while I'm getting ready for work.  One of them includes this: "God, please shower unknown blessings upon me."  Like the theme of this lesson, that line always puts a smile on my face and ups the feelings of joy in my heart.

We are so trained to suffer - we are made to believe that we can't be happy and feel satisfied without sacrifice.  In fact, we should feel guilty for being joyful.  How crazy is that?  Life is so much more manageable with a smile on your face and joy in your heart.  I haven't read anything from the great spiritual masters that indicates God wants anything less than for me to feel happy.  Much of what I've read indicates that, according to God, my purpose in life is to be happy. 

So, I'm sticking with that.  And, when things get tough or confusing or frustrating or sad, I'm going to take a few extra moments to invite God into my heart and heal me.  I am going to trust that everything is exactly as it is meant to be - I may not always (and quite often I don't) understand it, but whatever is happening, I am not prevented from loving and experiencing miracles.

Day 285 - Lesson 284

I can elect to change all thoughts that hurt.

This lesson also says:

Father, what You have given cannot hurt, so grief and pain must be impossible.  Let me not fail to trust in You today, accepting but the joyous as Your gifts; accepting but the joyous as the truth.

This was definitely a good lesson to reflect upon - along with The Law of Least Effort.  It also reminded me of Marianne Williamson talking about how we aren't truly fearful of what we can't do - we are much more fearful of realizing what we can do and what we are capable of....

We are going to feel some pain and sadness in our lives, but if we place our trust in Love and make our decisions based on what Love would do - we are much better situated for releasing illusions.  When we embrace pure potentiality and operate on the God energy of the universe, we live life on a plane beyond attachment, expectation, and loss.  We become open to all that is possible.

Who would have thought a couple of years ago that I would be completely good with talking about and supporting God - that I would be pursuing a life as a vessel of Spirit - that I would be a Perfect Health / Ayurveda instructor, that I would be working towards certification as Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor - that I would be leading a spiritual based gathering once per week - that I would be starting a radio gig....I couldn't have predicted these wonderful turn of events.

May my heart continue to grow more open to all that is possible.

Day 284 - Lesson 283

My true identity abides in You.

And so we offer blessing to all things, uniting lovingly with all the world, which our forgiveness has made one with us.

The back and forth of self-referral and object-referral seems to be an ongoing process.  I would like to be in a place where I am able to completely trust this wisdom (of self-referral) and not revert back to ego-fears; but I find that I do occasionally revert in moments when certain old fears pop up - when I am unsure of myself or afraid of making the wrong decision.  These situations occur with less frequency now, but they do tap my shoulder every now and then.  I find that when I feel inner-constriction and I try to hurry through something - my breathing gets faster and more shallow - I don't make decisions well.  However, when I recognize that and I stop, take a few deep breaths, ask myself, "what would love do in this moment?" and I slow down - then I make decisions from a healthier point of reference.  Then I recognize that it doesn't really matter what's going on around me and I have nothing to fear. 

My true identity is that of love (and laughter)....

Day 283 - Lesson 282

I will not be afraid of love today.

I was still riding the bliss wave of the first - First Spiritual Law - the Law of Pure Potentiality / Kundalini Dance Meditation meeting from yesterday all day today.  There is such beautiful power in the collective of group connection to Spirit.  Love rays were emanating from me and the smile on my face was like a sign post welcoming all hearts - no matter their condition.

This is my dharma....

Welcome....

Day 282 - Lesson 281

I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts.

I was so excited for this day.  Today I opened the doors to a local building and welcomed people in who were interested in learning about the Law of Pure Potentiality (from Deepak Chopra's The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success) and shared a Kundalini Dancing Meditation. I had no real idea whether or  not there would be much by way of participation. I was pleasantly surprised that 13 people came and participated.  It was beautiful.  I felt the warmth of the energy of pure potential and marveled at the energy in the room.

As I was driving home and reflecting on the experience, I had quite a bit of dialogue with myself about how I could have done this and that better and began this critique of what I should have done differently.  And then I realized that everything happened exactly as it was meant to and it was good.

It was a great day to embrace uncertainty and to allow life to unfold with the gracious hearts of 13 beautiful souls.

Day 281 - Lesson 280

What limits can I lay upon God's Son?

Father I lay no limits on the Son You love and You created limitless.

This has been one of those difficult lessons for me.  I'd like to say that, "tadaa, I no longer place limits upon myself, upon my thoughts, upon my abilities."  However, it just doesn't work like that.  I am, very thankfully, uncovering the layers of illusions that are cast upon most of us and reinforced by society, bureaucracy, family units, and such.  That reprogramming takes time, ritual, practice, because letting go isn't as easy as opening the palm of your hand and uncurling your fingers.

Exposure to a world of literature that takes me deep into Vedic philosophy - ancient wisdom 5,000 years old.  A daily practice of meditation.  Asking the soul questions and always, always asking, "what would love do?"  Moving beyond the instant reaction of taking things personally.  Allowing people to be who they are - without assigning labels.  These are the practical steps in uncovering those layers - in releasing those self-imposed limits.

God wants me to feel my soul melding into Spirit.

Day 280 - Lesson 279

Creation's freedom promises my own.

And it also says, "I will accept Your promises today, and give my faith to them."

I have definitely been engaged in the tug and pull of 'this world, or that world' this last week.  This week has offered a prime opportunity to put all of these lessons and all of these studies into practice.  What I learned is: it's a whole lot easier to offer all of this sage advice and warm love to anyone else experiencing challenges and difficulties; when it's me, well....that's just a whole different story.  I switch on auto-pilot and then wrestle for the controls, completely forgetting that when I try to force solutions I veer off course and lose sight of the path.

I didn't breathe enough this week.  I didn't honor nature in all of its abundance (actually being in it).  I didn't trust that the mystery we call God would set in motion a universe that would support me.  I didn't trust that what was happening was exactly as it was meant to be. 

I have acknowledged all that and set it free from being a burden on my heart.  I have observed the resulting emotions of this struggle.  I have embraced uncertainty (almost, I'm really trying to).  I am appreciating this very moment.  I am making progress on this path....and getting side-tracked every now and then are important parts of the journey. 

Day 279 - Lesson 278

If I am bound, my Father is not free.

A portion of the prayer in this lesson says this, "Father, I ask for nothing but the truth.  I have had many foolish thoughts about myself and my creation, and have brought a dream of fear into my mind. Today, I would not dream.  I choose the way to You instead of madness and instead of fear."

This was a comforting lesson to me.  I have been beating myself up pretty hard this week - and wading in a pool of fear.  Even though logically I recognize how self-defeating that is and how I wouldn't treat anyone else that way....making the changes aren't always particularly easy. 

These lessons, combined with all of the other studies I've been involved in, have been eye and heart opening in the most beautiful and fulfilling ways.  I am happy to be working towards loosening and untying the knots and layers of binding that have constricted my life.  Each snip, each tug, each unraveling exposes greater depths of abundance in hope, in wonder, and in love.

Day 278 - Lesson 277

Let me not bind Your Son with laws I made.

The lesson in this for me is mostly about releasing the bonds that I choose for constriction.  I did this very effectively last night when I beat myself over missing a goal I had set.  What happened today?  Love entered my heart and there was grace.  A little love, a little faith, and a few deep breaths....this is a sure recipe for releasing bonds and constrictions.

Day 277 - Lesson 276

The Word of God is given me to speak.

Today has been a long day and filled with challenges.  There are days when, and I know I've written about this in previous posts, I feel like I'm straddling two worlds.  Today was one of those days.  My life has been filled with a whirlwind of activity....I have a full time career that consumes a great deal of time, I serve on the board of directors of our community health center and just last night I was elected as the board chair, I have just recently passed the certification course as a Perfect Health instructor, I have also been studying for the Primordial Sound Meditation instructor certification course, I am beginning a Kundalini Dancing Meditation course, planning perfect health classes, developing a radio program, and providing community education when asked - and this study too.

Tonight I didn't achieve a goal that I had set.  For the first few minutes of that realization I felt the all-consuming and self-defeating emotions of failure.  I became pretty emotional.  Then I heard Deepak Chopra's voice in my head, "Observing our emotions without judgment is the highest form of human intelligence."  So then I tried that.  I also listened to all of the other messages about the universe being exactly as it is intended to be - in every given moment; to embrace uncertainty; somehow, even though I set the intention and did the work to achieve the goal, I didn't.  Was that a choice?  I think it must have been.  I knew early on that the goal may be too aggressive, that it may need to wait.  I told myself I was looking for a sign that would tell me definitively what to do.  As I reflect upon the past few weeks, I think I mostly overlooked all the signs that would have given me that answer - I just didn't pay attention to the signs until one became personal.  As in really, knock me upside the head and slap me in the face and stab my heart personal.

There is an important lesson in all of this for me.  Is it about acknowledging the abundance I already experience in my life?  Is it about honoring my intellect without comparing it to something external?  Is it about recognizing my value without attaching it something outside of me?  Is it about releasing expectation and gaining clarity by less being more?

I don't have the answers, but I do have the questions, and I'm finding that the more I get in touch with the questions, I don't have to struggle to force the answers (I think I'm getting that anyway). Oh, and crying is just another form of cleansing.

Day 276 - Lesson 275

God's healing Voice protects all things today.

Yes, this lesson does tell us that this ancient voice is no different today than any other day, but we now choose to seek, hear, learn, and understand.  It is an invitation to do these things.

I had yet another day in which there was too much going on and I felt overwhelmed by it all.  However, I thought of this lesson and I listened.  I adjusted my tasks and prioritized things by need.  I let the rest go.  Because as this lesson also says....

Your healing Voice protects all things today, and so I leave all things to You.  I need be anxious over nothing.  For Your Voice will tell me what to do and where to go; to whom to speak and what to say to him, what thoughts to think, what words to give world.

And so it was and it is true.

Day 275 - Lesson 274

Today belongs to love.  Let me not fear.

I must remember that this lesson, this advice, is as true for me as it is for anyone else.  If someone would have come to me today and said, "I feel stressed to the point of crying and giving up on _______."  I would have counseled them in this lesson.  I would have reassured them that they are safe in the universe, they are loved, and there is really nothing to fear.  I would have worked with them on some strategies to feel less overwhelmed, to lighten up, and to laugh.

Instead of giving this advice to myself, I sank into the depths of stress and fear and allowed those old feelings of failure to arise in me.  I cried, I felt overwhelmed, I told myself I should be more this and more that.  I told myself I wasn't a very good example of all of the lessons, studying, practicing, and training I have so diligently pursued.

It wasn't until just a short time ago that I remembered this lesson, that I gave myself some room to breathe, and this also helped:

The ideal of the Upanishads is to live in the world in full awareness of life's unity, giving and enjoying, participating in others' sorrow and joys, but never unaware even for a moment that the world comes from God and returns to God.

I don't feel great, but I do feel better....

Day 274 - Lesson 273

The stillness of the peace of God is mine.

This lesson suggests that it's possible 'we aren't there yet.'  It does happen more often than ever before though.  I had a lovely day: I went to breakfast with my loves and friends, I went to the chiropractor, I went to work, I went on a beautiful fall hike, I went to bunco, and then I went out dancing.  It was a perfectly lovely day and, during much of it, I did indeed feel the stillness of the peace of God.