Choose Peace

Choose Peace

A friend confided in me that he was struggling to understand his responsibility in a world obsessed with war. I told him the answer is simple: choose peace.

While you cannot control the attitudes or actions of politicians or others, you have total control over the thoughts, feelings, and energy you are exuding. If you are steeped in fear, anger, or a sense of victimization, you are contributing to the darkness. If you hold a sense of peace, compassion, kindness, and the presence of love, you are contributing to healing. As Kipling nobly penned, "If you can hold your head when all about you are losing theirs...”

Mother Teresa was once asked to speak at an anti-war rally. She refused. "If it were a pro-peace rally, I would attend," she explained. "But fighting against war, like fighting against anything, is just another form of war."

A liberal spiritual teacher once recounted that on his altar he has pictures of Christ and many other spiritual masters. He recently added a photo of George W. Bush. Why? "Until I can find the same divinity in George W. Bush as I find in other holy beings, I am stuck. When I can see and honor his soul, then I am in a position to protest. Until then, I am ineffective."

The power of intention and prayer goes a long, long way. At any given moment the world situation is a precise expression of the consciousness of all the people who live here. As you shift your consciousness in the direction of peace, wholeness, and faith, you tip the balance in that direction. You literally become the tipping point for the world you would like to create.

Be less concerned with what you are doing and more concerned with how you are doing it. Actions that spring from fear or hatred, no matter how nobly clothed, create only more of the same. Actions that issue from faith and love, no matter how humbly clothed, create only more of the same.

A visionary thrives under all circumstances, for he or she sees beyond the obvious. At this time the world needs good visionaries. If you would save the world, begin with your own consciousness.


Author: Alan Cohen
Image: Unknown

Our Deepest Fear

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Author: Marianne Williamson
Image: Gilbert Williams

Look Well to This Day

Look Well to This Day

Look well to this day,
For it and it alone is life.
In its brief course
Lie all the essence of your existence:

The Glory of Growth
The Satisfaction of Achievement
The Splendor of Beauty

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is but a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Author: Anonymous, 50 B.C.
Image: Unknown

Hidden Mystery

Hidden Mystery

In the deepest depths of you and me
In the deepest depths of we
Lies the most beautiful jewel
Shining forth eternally

Within that precious jewel
Within that priceless piece of we
Lies a time beyond all time
Lies a place beyond all space

Within that sacred source of radiance
Lies a love beyond all love
Waiting
Waiting
Waiting
Ever so patiently

Waiting for you, waiting for me
Waiting patiently for all to see
The beauty that is you inside of me
The beauty that is me inside of thee

In the deepest depths of you and me
In the deepest depths of we
Lies the love and wisdom
Of all Eternity

Author: Fred Burks
Image: Unknown

Be Peace

"We can never obtain peace in the world if we neglect
the inner world and don't make peace with ourselves.
World Peace must develop out of inner peace."
—The Dalai Lama

Link: Let There Be Peace On Earth

Love is Life's Sweetest Flower

Love is Life's Sweetest Flower

Our love is like the blossoms sweet that open one-by-one.
Our love is like a pair of wings that lift us towards the sun.

Our love is like a precious jewel wih many facets to explore.
Our love is like the universe that forever shall endure.

Image: "Love is Life's Sweetest Flower" by Jody Bergsma

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

Who am I?

Link: The Call

Inspirational Videos

My collection of inspiring videos at YouTube:
                OpenHeartOpenMind







Image: crystalinks.com

This is the year! & Fresh Beginning

This is the year!
This is the year that my dreams come true!
These words from a beloved poem invite me to eagerly welcome the new year: “Wonderful, wonderful, fortunate you, this is the year that your dreams come true!”
This is the year that my dreams do come true as I am blessed with life-celebrating opportunities. Some at first may appear to be happenstance. Yet I know that they have come to me by divine appointment.
This is the year that expectations flow from my vision of good. I am an active participant in the joy-filled life of me!
This is the year that I move forward with zeal and enthusiasm, giving and receiving, committing to purposeful, rewarding goals.
This is the year that brings happiness, a year that I will live to bless. Wonderful, wonderful, fortunate me, for this is the year that my dreams come true!
Fresh Beginning
I am moving forward in fresh, new beginnings.
The new year brings fresh beginnings. Not just on calendar pages of new months and days, but from within me, new beginnings rise up. I have the attitude of mind and heart that I can begin anew.
I do not begin to do it over again, but begin with a freshness, an outlook and knowingness that propel me forward. Releasing any doubts, maybes, or I can’ts, I have moved from replaying discouraging messages in my mind to participating in a new beginning.
With attitudes and affirmations of overflowing faith, trust, and confidence, I reach new heights of spiritual expression. I do not circle repetitively. I spiral higher! With renewed attitude of mind and heart, I affirm: The radiant light of newness illumines my way, and I move forward in fresh, new beginnings.

Source: Daily Word ~ Tuesday, January 1, 2008 and Monday, January 7, 2008
Image: "Angel Wings Celestial Harmony" by Ki Fujinaka

Looking Deeply

The Good In All

Sometimes we find it difficult to see the good in people, places, or situations that aren't to our liking. We focus on the things we don't like in our lives as a way of fueling our efforts to create change. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, and it is one way we make progress. However, if we get too caught up in this way of looking at the world, we lose touch with our ability to sit back and simply say yes to everything on our plates, which is the true starting point for all successful activity. Sometimes what we really need is to encourage ourselves to look deeply into all things in our lives to see the inherent goodness at the heart of everything.
At the core of this inquiry is the practice of unconditional acceptance, which can be scary because we feel as if we are being asked not to change the things we don't like. But when we think this way, we are still operating on the surface of our lives. In order to feel the beauty and warmth of full acceptance, we have to be willing to sink deeper into the stratum underlying the external manifestation of our lives. This deeper place of being is the origin of all lasting change, yet its paradox is that when we are in it, we often don't feel the need to change anything. From this place, we experience the pure beauty of the process of being alive, and we see that all things change in their own time. We don't need to force anything. If there are things that we do need to change, from this place of serenity we create the shift easily, our hands guided by an energy that resides at the very center of our hearts.
In our active, goal-oriented culture, we learn to distrust stillness and to engage in busywork on the surface of life. This tendency can blind us to the good that lies at the heart of all things. But all we have to do to see again is stop for a moment, let go of our preconceptions and our agendas, and settle into the very center of our hearts, remembering that it is only from here that we can truly see.

Source: DailyOM - Nuturing Mind Body & Spirit
Image: myspace.com

The Sacred Light

The Sacred Light surrounded me, held me, bought me down the Lightening flash; pausing at the Ancient Standing Stones of Wisdom, and then on to the Sea of Sorrows, where the tears rolled in understanding.
And from the Sapphire Temple of Vision came the Masters in their sand-sun hazed robes, greeting and surrounding me, before urging me across to the Karmic Fire where the Queen of Love held, softened, and understood the frustrations.
To the Hermit then, the Teacher with his light in the innermost central cave of my heart, and the crystals flashing the sunlight off their path. And from there I walked into the arms of Victory, which I knew so well - and moved on, past the crooked tower of misperception, to the clear blue sharpness and ice cold clarity of truth.
And I stood before the Foundations of Life, glimpsing into the underground, down those up and down steps - and then into The Kingdom, my feet descending down and down in their Light robes, and I felt the strength of it, as I rose again to reach for The Crown, through this vast Light body, linked to everyone - to Humanity.
In the Ultimate Light, more tears as I built the grey stone Temple of the Gates, cemented with the salt from the tears - vast pillars with no roof - the sun, the moon and all the stars of the night translated into the Light, the Bliss at the peak of the mountain.
And I curled up in the Breath of God and was raised in His hands - could see/know of all worlds, cosmos, universes - looking from outside in, now in the vastness of the levels that hold links and lattices in the Breath of God.
And I am held in Light and in Trust - put back down off the peak from the gold vastness, where I am kneeling amongst the stones and the pillars in the huge ruins of Ephesus, Carthage and the ancient places.
Then back into the Temple of Creation - not holding or binding, but where I can wander - where the Masters congregate as they hold their great courts, and look up through the skies to the Breath - through the Breath. They were, and are The Love - the Breath of God which comes back down the lightening flash with me.
I am clothed - I am the gold, the Being, a part of the lattice web - I know from the depths to the heights and back. The salt tears hold the stones clear and firm as they are built through and through on the Breath of God - this Light Being - this Being - The Ancient of Days.
And I drew the Sword of my Will, and I rang the wee bell - it calls across the hills and the mountains and it laughs through its cracked body - it knows!
And I quietly closed the gates as I returned earthwards.

Author: Rowena Nott
Source: Order of the White Lion
Image: "We Never Left Eden" by Montserrat

The Gal in the Glass

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you queen for a day
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself,
And see what THAT gal has to say.

For it isn’t your husband or family or friend
Whose judgment upon you must pass;
That gal whose verdict counts most in the end
Is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people may think you are a straight shootin' chum
And call you a person of place
But the gal in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look her straight in the face.

She’s the gal to please, never mind all the rest
For she’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the gal in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the gal in the glass.

Source: Hazelden Foundation
Image: myspace.com

Quotes

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
-Carl Jung

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.
-Aldous Huxley

Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.
-Tao Te Ching


Image:

May You...

These Are My Wishes For You

May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand.
May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength
to walk through life facing each new situation with optimism and courage.
Always know that there are those whose love and understanding
will always be there even when you feel most alone.
May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace.
May a kind word, a reassuring touch, a warm smile, be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts as well as receive them.
Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.
Teach love to those who know hate, and let that love embrace you as you go into the world.
May the teaching of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them.
Remember, those whose lives you have touched and who have touched yours are always
a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished.
May you not become too concerned with material matters,
but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart.
Find time in each day to see the beauty and love in the world around you.
Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way.
What you may feel you lack in one regard may be more than compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future.
May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility.
Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience.
May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent on another's judgements of your accomplishments.

May you always feel loved.

Author: Sandra Sturtz Hauss, 1987
Image: "Healing Presence" by Bruce Harman - This painting was created in a collaboration for a book cover and was later included in the Healing with Angels card deck by Doreen Virtue. Some of my most popular images have been visioned in cooperation with another person.

In all the universe...

In all the universe, in all time, you are the only you.
Never have molecules come together exactly like you,
never again will your footsteps be repeated upon this earth.
Your strength is the strength someone can count on,
your life is the life that can make a difference.

Author: Unknown
Image: myspace.com

More blogs

Lucy's Tips For a Healthier and Happier You!
This is a health blog on wonderful tips towards a healthier and happier you. Health should be achieved in all 4 dimensions, that include body, mind, emotion and spirit. Achieving total health and happiness is possible for all those who earns and wills it. When we have health, we have hope, when we have hope, we have everything. Prevention is much better than cure. Be aware that this is the only race where all of us should be winners!

Spiritual Wealth and Health for All..
We have a life span, we too have a spiritual span. We are mortal, yet we are also immortal, our soul, our spirit. Who are you? Where are you going? Can you understand our immortal spirit that is encased inside a mortal body? Can you accept the fact that you are me and I am you? No matter what name you call yourselves, we all call ourselves 'I' ... That 'I' refers to all human beings... That "I" is the gift of the Divine, we are all a spark of the Divine!

Image: lucystips.blogspot.com
[Think this image is: "The Guardian" by Richard Fields]

The Journey

Life's Journey

Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless. Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past nor for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all of the days of your life. Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave. Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love. The fastest way to lose love is too hold it too tightly. In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Do not dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope. To be without hope is to be without purpose.
Do not run through life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Author: Unknown
Image: "Jeweled Path" by Gilbert Williams

Our Beliefs

The universe supports the reality of your beliefs absolutely.

When you believe you must struggle for abundance, then it will bring about situations that are conducive to struggle; when you believe you cannot experience love without pain, the universe will give you exactly that—love with pain; when you believe it takes time for an illness to heal—then so it will.
There is not a single force opposing you, there is only ONE force supporting you absolutely.
It is called LOVE, the force that birthed you, that created you in its own image.
This love is so magnanimous it will give you exactly and absolutely whatever it is that your reality entails.

Change your beliefs and you change your reality.

Author: Unknown
Image: "The Crown Jewel" by William Schimmel

We are One

Namasté
I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells,
I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Truth, of Light, and of Peace.
When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me,
We are One.

Author: Unknown
Image: "Here and now" by Mario Duguay