Are You Listening?

The Universe is always speaking to us using nature, intuition, and other means to get its message across. But are we listening? The sooner we pay attention to what the universe is telling us, the less we fight the river. - Science of Mind, 12.03.08

One way the Universe - or Spirit - sends me messages is through dreams. And, in the wee hours of this morning, I got some timely messages that I am prepared to take note of.

I had some powerful dreams about Santa Fe, NM. I had lived there for about 7 years until moving to AZ almost 6 years ago. While there, I was not a happy camper and found myself to not be the upbeat person I usually am; I felt my soul was dying.

Having grown up and lived in New York City for 41 years, a melting pot of 8 million people or so, New Mexico was a very different place to live than I was accustomed to – and I did not take well to it. I have not kept in touch with the vast majority of people I met there, and I’ve only been back once since “leaving Dodge” and that was solely to attend a conference. It’s a time of my life that I’ve simply not wanted to be reminded of.

But it seems that now that we are preparing to move to a smaller and more rural community, it is time for me to heal my New Mexico stint. There will be some similarities between where we relocate to in AZ and the places I lived in and people I met while living in NM. I want to build a joyful, full life in our new community, so it behooves me to heal my past and make peace with NM.

Thanks, Spirit, for the message. I’m listening, and I am open to Your guidance.

Blessings in Disguise

The following is the full reading for 12.27.08 from Science of Mind: A Guide for Spiritual Living. You may have already heard the story of the Chinese farmer and realized its message. I loved reading it again for I know that it is always a good reminder for me to not judge circumstances from my limited perspective.

Happy reading!
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“... man himself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
- Romans 8:21

“All things work for our good. Suffering should teach is a lesson which would cause us to refrain from making more mistakes; it carries a blessing with it when we learn how to garner knowledge from the experience.” - The Science of Mind, page 485

There is a Chinese story of a farmer who used an old horse to till his fields. One day, the horse escaped into the hills, and when the farmer’s neighbors sympathized with the old man over his bad luck, the farmer replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”

A week later, the horse returned with a herd of horses from the hills and this time the neighbors congratulated the farmer on his good luck. His reply was, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?” Then, when the farmer’s son was attempting to tame one of the wild horses, he fell off and broke his leg. Everyone thought this to be very bad luck. The farmer’s only reaction was, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?” Some weeks later, the army march into the village and enlisted every able-bodied youth they found there. When they saw the farmer’s son with his broken leg, they let him stay. Now, was that good luck or bad luck? Who knows?

Everything that seems to be a challenge may be a blessing in disguise. We are wise when we leave it to God to decide what good fortune is and what is a challenge, and thank the Divine for blessings.

Affirmation
I am blessed by the Infinite Power that creates every situation. I look for the pearl of wisdom in every situation and am blessed no matter what the appearance.