The sun is making it’s final appearance for the day.  You walk out to your mailbox to pick up the day’s mail and barely notice the long shadows reaching across the ground you walk on.  You are tired from the day’s events and ready to settle in for the evening.  Nothing today has been particularly unusual or out of the ordinary.  Nothing that would foretell the next moment that held the possibility of changing everything.  Reaching into the mailbox your fingers instantly touch upon an envelope that is hand addressed to you.  The envelope appears weathered as if it’s traveled some distance.  There’s no return address and the postmark is blurred and illegible.  You walk inside and sit down in your favorite chair.  You open the letter, it addresses you with the familiarity of your first name and this is what you read:

“You’re on the cusp of experiencing welcome relief on a subject that’s been bothering you for some time.  This concern that has been troubling you, is being healed behind the scenes in surprising ways, even as you read this.  God wants you to know that you have reason to smile, as the fairies of the Universe are working on a solution that is so creative, so ingenious that you never would have guessed it would come in this manner.” *

You stare wide eyed at the letter.  You breathe a deep breath of relief.  Muscles you didn’t even realize you held so tightly, soften now.  You smile an inner smile that just lights you up from the inside out.  And from this day forward you live at that end point, knowing the solutions are speeding their way to you.  You have no way of knowing what it will look like or when it will come.  You’re content not knowing when or how or even why.  You are happily willing to rest here in this knowing.  Now you know beyond a shadow of a doubt you are heard, you are answered, you are known, you are cherished.

*concept adapted from Doreen Virtue’s oracle cards

Optimism is reflected in many areas of life.

Many birds in their fantastic migrations demonstrate an amazing optimism, traveling thousands of miles to distant shores, almost literally flying by faith, as it were, ignoring all dangers, unbesieged by doubts.

There is no hesitancy, but the sure flight. Birds do not question whether or not the weather will be favorable, the winds fair or foul. They simply fly towards their destination. Even if some birds do fall or die, this in no way impedes or undermines the faith of the others.

Monarch butterflies, in their remarkable migrations, often fly toward land that they have never seen themselves — and yet they reach their destination.

In all such cases there is an inbred biological faith, that courage and vitality, that biological optimism. It acts the same in people, triggering the necessary bodily responses. Only when the optimism is severely tampered with do the physical mechanisms falter. Even then, however, all creatures are sustained
by that innate gift, that inner sense of security that not only propels creatures toward life, but safely conducts them past physical life and past death’s doorway.

The way toward health is simplicity itself.

It is the natural, easiest way to behave, yet this natural mental behavior is often quite difficult for the intellect to understand, since the intellect is apt to enjoy playing with complications and solving problems. Therefore, to the intellect it often seems ludicrous to imagine that the answer to a question lies within the question itself.

All of nature demonstrates this almost miraculous seeming simplicity. Plants and animals and all of life’s aspects take it quite for granted that the sun will shine and the rains will fall in the way best conducive to all creatures.  Animals certainly do not worry about tomorrow’s weather conditions. It may be true that animals do not need to know tomorrow’s weather, since they do not plant seeds or collect the harvest. It is perfectly fine to make plans for the future, yet each individual should live day by day, without worrying about the outcome of those plans.

The physical body can only react in the present moment. Worrying about future events, or dwelling upon past unfavorable situations, only confuses the body’s mechanisms, and undermines their precise activity in the present moment.

I am not saying that anyone should pretend that unfavorable circumstances do not sometimes exist, or that they may not be encountered in the past, present, or future. It is also true, however, that advantageous events occur with a far greater frequency than do negative ones — otherwise the world that you know simply would not exist. It would have disappeared in the throes of destruction
or calamity.

In a basic way, it is against nature’s purposes to contemplate a dire future, for all of nature operates on the premise that the future is assured. Nature is everywhere filled with promise — not only the promise of mere survival, but the promise of beauty and fulfillment. Once again, the keen sense of promise is
innate within each portion of the body. It triggers the genes and chromosomes into their proper activity, and it promotes feelings of optimism, exuberance, and strength.

… Live each day as fully and joyfully as possible. Imagine the best possible results of any plans or projects. Above all, do not concentrate upon past unfavorable events, or imagined future ones.

~Seth – Jane Roberts – The Way Toward Health~

Just for a moment…

Be still

and know that I am God

Be still

and know that I am Peace
right along side any state of war

Be still

and know that I am Joy
even amidst your sorrow

Be still

and know that I am Faith
in between the spaces of your doubt

Be still

and know that I am Limitless Possibilities
right next to your fears

Be still

and know that I am Clarity
right beside your confusion

Just for a moment…

Be still
Breathe deep
And know that I am God.

©heartsdeesire

]]> http://simplyblessed.heartsdeesire.com/2009/11/25/be-still/feed/ 8 Beth/Bethie stillness http://simplyblessed.heartsdeesire.com/2009/11/24/letting-life-be/ http://simplyblessed.heartsdeesire.com/2009/11/24/letting-life-be/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:16:00 +0000 heartsdeesire http://simplyblessed.heartsdeesire.com/?p=2295 ]]> image location

It does not astonish or make us angry that it takes a
whole year to bring into the house three great white
peonies and two pale blue iris.  It seems altogether
right and appropriate that these glories are earned
with long patience and faith. . . . and also that it is
altogether right and appropriate that they cannot last.
Yet in our human relations we are outraged when
the supreme moments, the moments of flowering,
must be waited for. . . . and then cannot last.  We
reach a summit, and then have to go down again.

May Sarton

* * * * * *

There is so very much that we can learn from the natural world.  We are constantly surrounded by reminders of the cycles of life, the natural order of things, and if we can just recognize and appreciate the lessons of the natural world, our own lives could become so much easier and so much more comprehensible.  We live our lives in seasons much as the flowers and the trees and the animals do, and one of the reasons for which we tend to become unhappy or frustrated is because we sometimes expect to live in perpetual spring or summer, not allowing or wanting winters to be a normal, important part of our lives.

One of the reasons that spring is so beautiful in the colder areas of the world is because the flowers are coming after a long period without them–we’ve been deprived of their presence for a long time, so they mean much more to us.  We all know that for everything there is a season, but most of us would like to make those seasons longer, or to have some control over them.

But we have to let life be what it is.  Life is a beautiful experience, yet we tend to diminish its beauty by placing our false expectations on it.  One of my favorite art forms is that of ice sculpting, for the artists have a clear understanding of just how short-lived their works will be–yet they’re willing to put in hours of work to create beautiful works of art.  It’s possible that some of the most beautiful sculptures ever made have melted into puddles of water, only seen by a limited number of people for a very short time.

Enjoy the great parts of life, but enjoy them in the right here and right now, which is truly the only time that we can experience anything at all.  And when their time to leave comes, let them go with grace and dignity rather than trying to hold on to them in desperation or fear that you may never experience them again.  You will, if you simply let life be life, and accept the seasons of our lives with love and trust that they will return.

* * * * * *

For further thought:

A garden that never died eventually would weary.
Robbed of springtime, unacquainted with the
extraordinary perfume that rises from the soil after
it’s had its rest, the garden that winter doesn’t visit
is a dull place.  The return every spring of earth’s
first freshness would never be kept if not for the
frosts and rot and ripe deaths of fall.  So when I go
out from the garden for the last time in autumn,
I leave the gate open behind me.

Michael Pollan

Source: Living Life Fully

We can let our lives be directed
by the same force that makes
flowers grow.  {…}

To trust in the force
that moves the universe
is faith.

Faith isn’t blind it’s visionary.
Faith is believing that the universe
is on our side, and that the universe
knows what it’s doing.

Faith is a psychological awareness
of an unfolding force for good,
constantly at work in all dimensions.

Our attempts to direct this force only
interferes with it.
Our willingness to relax into it allows
it to work on our behalf.

Marianne Williamson
A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

Learn to be present.

Practice hearing the voices in your head
without becoming involved and without
judgment.

And take it on faith that any
voice, internal or external, that is
telling you that
SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU
is not the voice
of your
Heart,
God,
True Nature.

The reason acceptance isn’t more popular
is that in acceptance
there is nothing to do.

In acceptance there is nothing “wrong”
that needs to be changed, fixed, worked
on or otherwise improved.

And the simple,
astounding
mind boggling amazing
FACT
is that as soon as you accept yourself
EXACTLY
AS
YOU
ARE…

…all those “character flaws”
ANGRY
SELFISH
STRESSFUL
SHY
AGGRESSIVE
DEPENDENT
SNOBBISH
RECLUSIVE

BEGIN TO FALL AWAY

BECAUSE

those “flaws” have their
only existence
in nonacceptance,
in self-hate…

Once I catch on to how this
self-hate process works,
I see that it goes on all the time,
everywhere…

When I see this to be true,
self-hate ceases to be a private,
secret thing I do
that proves I’m a bad person.

I can begin to take it less personally.

At some point,
now or later,
you’re going to have to risk
Being You
in order to find out
who that really is.

Not the conditioned you,
not the you you’ve been taught
to believe you are,
who you really are.

And this perhaps will be
the scariest,
the most loving,
the most rewarding
thing you have ever done.

excerpted from There is Nothing Wrong With You:
Going Beyond Self-Hate
Author: Cheri Huber

My favorite line is: there is a moment when fear and dreams must collide. We have all had those moments though perhaps only in hindsight can we get a sense of the pivotal moment when fear and dreams intersected. When courage and the unknown awaited us and so did the familiarity and safety of what is known and comfortable. Which would prevail? Sometimes the choice looms big and as yet unreachable. Sometimes it takes a huge leap of faith. Yet, it’s only ever a choice that we make for something.

So the next time you take that leap of faith and fall into the unknown, may you know that the one you will become, will be there to catch you.

Let me fall
Let me climb
There’s a moment when fear
And dreams must collide

Someone I am
Is waiting for courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me

So let me fall
If I must fall
I won’t heed your warnings
I won’t hear them

Let me fall
If I fall
Though the phoenix may
Or may not rise

I will dance so freely
Holding on to no one
You can hold me only
If you too will fall
Away from all these
Useless fears and chains

Someone I am
Is waiting for my courage
The one I want
The one I will become
Will catch me

So let me fall
If I must fall
I won’t heed your warnings
I won’t hear

Let me fall
If I fall
There’s no reason
To miss this one chance
This perfect moment
Just let me fall

Cirque du Soleil lyrics
Album: Quidam

This is one of my favorite current channelers, Carrie Hart as Quado.  There is something about her teachings that is so soothing, so gentle, so open and allowing.  I feel as if she looks on each of us as a whole person and speaks to us from that end point.  We are not someone who hasn’t got it down yet, is still in resistance or hasn’t lined up with it quite yet.  There is nothing to change, nothing wrong with us and nothing to fix, only wholeness to remember.  We are perfection and she has a way of writing so that I actually remember – that is Who I Am.  I do love her for that.

“When the winds of change blow across the land, dust may blow up before
your eyes, making it difficult to find your way. Old ways may disappear
and new ways need to be found.

This is the time to move into faith, into a complete belief that
guidance is there for you and that love still flows endlessly. The
shelter from the winds of change is found only within each moment. It
is not found in the old ways and the old plans. It is certainly not
found by clinging to what was and shedding tears over your dashed
plans and hopes. It is found in embracing what is by going completely
into this moment and this moment only and seeking guidance here.

Every morning, do this. Set aside time to be alone for at least 15
minutes, alone and peaceful, undisturbed, with pen and paper nearby.

Breathe down into a quiet place. If you have fear and doubt clinging
to you, invite an angel to come and pour the waters of love over you,
washing you clean of all fears over the future and all blame and
regrets over the past. Ask her to wash away your doubts and bring you
completely into belief, a deep belief that you are capable of
accessing the answers you need, the guidance that will lead you into
peace and yes, even joy. Feel the angel’s love washing you clean.

Clear your mind of old expectations and intentions, for they contain
the energy of what was. Wash it all away in the angel’s pouring love,
so that you may open to new ways of thinking and being that you have
never dreamt of.

And now, ask a question that is completely open-ended, that can invite
even an answer you have never contemplated. Ask simply, “How shall I
focus my time today?”

And then write down the very first things that come to you in
response, whatever pops into your mind. Write down what you see and
feel as well as what you hear.

If it is unclear or doesn’t make sense at the moment, just write it
down and set it aside. When you come back to it later, it will make
more sense. Do not push and probe. Just let it be.

If you do understand what you received, then your task is simple:
follow the advice you have been given. If you cannot focus all of
your time in this way, then just do what you can. But do it. Follow
it. Every day, without fail, spend at least some portion of your day
focused in the direction you are given.

This is where the answers lie, right here in this moment, in your
intuition and your spirit.

Who you are is known. Your talents and skills are known. The deepest
desires of your heart are known. And all of this is taken into
account, along with information about everything else that is going on
around you, in coming up with the simple guidance you receive when you
ask your question: “How shall I focus my time today?”

If the guidance requires great courage of you, be glad. This is an
excellent sign that you are on the right path, that you have heard and
understood truly. For our paths are meant to challenge us, to allow
us to show who we are, what we are made of and what truly matters to
us.

Allow yourself to be led. You are deeply loved, right now, exactly as
you are. You are cared for. You are guided. Just ask and you will
receive all the guidance you require to deal with the world as it is.”

You feel as you feel because you
believe in a certain fashion.
Your feelings follow your conscious
beliefs…

Seth – Jane Roberts
ESP Class – July 30, 1974

So often in the past I have felt that my emotions, my feelings were the potential problem.  It’s as if they existed as some separate entity.  If I felt happy, I felt good, if I felt really sad, I felt bad.  The connection that I wasn’t making and this is something the Field Center also talks about, as Seth does in the above quote — feelings follow intention or what we take to be real.  The first time I heard that, it was like stepping out of the hypnotic trance of my emotions.  My feelings are just information.  They tell me what I am believing.  Understanding what I’m believing gives me choice to question it, to believe it or not.  But to look at it from the standpoint of emotion alone was to miss the whole picture.

I care about what I believe, what I take to be real -  what I identify with is what I breathe life into.  I am in this moment creating my present, my future and interestingly, also my past.  Today is tomorrow’s past.  Funny how that works.

Well, I don’t have all the answers, even though I like to pretend I do on some days.  Some days I try way too hard.  Some days I am willing to let this loving, benevolent Universe work through me.  Some days I’m willing to trust that whatever unfolds is doing so for my greater Good.  Some days I get by on the skin of my teeth and Grace.  I think I love more than anything living in a Universe that I absolutely know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, bends in our favor with so much Grace and Love.  And some days, that’s my resting place and it’s enough.

I adore this quote below from Seth.  This is so beautiful to think in terms of an
inbred optimism and a biological faith that is the underpinning of it all.  I love
that.  This *is* our natural state – that just feels so right on the mark to me!

Optimism is reflected in many areas of life.

Many birds in their fantastic migrations demonstrate an amazing
optimism, traveling thousands of miles to distant shores, almost
literally flying by faith, as it were, ignoring all dangers,
unbeseiged by doubts.

There is no hesitancy, but the sure flight. Birds do not question
whether or not the weather will be favorable, the winds fair or foul.
They simply fly towards their destination. Even if some birds do
fall or die, this in no way impedes or undermines the faith of the
others.

Monarch butterflies, in their remarkable migrations, often fly toward
land that they have never seen themselves — and yet they reach their
destination.

In all such cases there is an inbred biological faith, that courage
and vitality, that biological optimism. It acts the same in people,
triggering the necessary bodily responses. Only when the optimism is
severely tampered with do the physical mechanism falter. Even then,
however, all creatures are sustained by that innate gift, that inner
sense of security that not only propels creatures toward life, but
safely conducts them past physical life and past death’s doorway.

The way toward health is simplicity itself.

~Excerpted from The Way Towards Health~