My Refuge and My Strength

“Letting go of what is no longer needed makes room for what is fresh and new.” - Today’s Daily Word, July 7, 2010

What do I no longer need in my life? Certain types of work projects? Clients? Friendships?

How about beliefs? After all, my thoughts and beliefs create my life.

These past several days have been a challenge for me, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Letting go of attachments in all forms simplifies my life and the clutter in my brain. And no matter the chaos, the confusion, or the no longer needed thing in my life still hanging out, I must remember always -

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” - Psalm 46:1 (KJV). When I really contemplate the meaning of this statement, I am in awe. I rest in faith and peace.

God IS. I must acknowledge the One Power and One Presence, and affirm it daily. Then I know that all is well despite appearances.

Dear God;
As I wake up to what is needed and what is not, I know You are my refuge, and my strength comes through You. Show me Your Will, show me Your Way. Today I make room for what is fresh and new, knowing You are ever present and all is well.

All is Well and All is Good

“Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.” - Unknown

... And blessed is my morning meditation practice to dissipate the fears that creep into my mind in the middle of the night!

Today I listened to the self-hypnosis CD Peace of Mind (Barrie Konicov) and it enabled me to let go of agitation. And, when I let go of worry, God can more easily get my attention - and I can get His help. The good ‘ol “Let go and let God.”

Today I live a faith-filled day. I know God is in charge, Divine Order IS and it does prevail: all is well. Ahhh.

“Today I claim my Truth. The presence and power of God work in, through and as my life, blessing others and blessing me. I recognize the interconnectedness of all human beings and trust that every situation and person has the potential to contribute to my life in a positive way. I create order in my life and seek only the good, assured that as I seek, so I shall find.” - Excerpt from Daily Word, July 1, 2010

Attitude

“What we say about a situation determines how we think about it and finally what we do about it. Attitude largely determines activity; so watch your attitude and make it one of faith. By practicing positive attitudes, you will experience a renewed trust in God and find creative solutions to your problems.” - Our Prayer.org

I’ve been paying greater and greater attention to the impact of the separated, limited, little Me on my joy, my life. Its thinking can easily push me into fear, not feeling capable enough, contracted.

And yesterday I started paying greater attention to the unlimited Me. It’s the Me that is formless - my spirit, my true essence. So when I caught my attitude starting to drift towards negativity, I paused, said hello to God, and consciously moved back into the energy field of Spirit. With a shift in attitude, my actions shifted as well, and I proceeded on with the day in a more positive manner.

We all know what the shift of attitude towards God, trust, and faith feels like: power, joy, love, mercy, grace, and peace. The little Me cannot bring me to that place. Only the whole Me, the Oneness, God.

Basketball and Spirit

John Wooden, college basketball’s most successful coach, died yesterday at age 99. Wooden retired in 1975 and ultimately became viewed as a kind of sage for both basketball and life, a symbol of both excellence and simpler times.

I became aware of him when I joined CHARACTER COUNTS! while living in Santa Fe 10+ years ago. I was impressed with this public personality when I read: Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Here’s John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, a message given to him by his father upon his graduation from grammar school, which he carried around with him and lived by:
• Be true to yourself.
• Make each day your masterpiece.
• Help others.
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
• Make friendship a fine art.
• Build a shelter against a rainy day.
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

[Compiled from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wooden and The New York Times.]

Here is a person who was living his faith to the best of his ability, a wonderful role model especially for the young adults he coached. It seems to me that he was a spiritual person who impacted many, not just due to his sports knowledge and talent, but by being an emissary for God.

Here’s a few more quotes attributed to John Wooden, which impart (to me) his spirituality:

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

“Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.”

Dear Spirit-
Thank You for the people who point to You by the way they live their life.

Blessings

Read in today’s Daily Word, “Today I look for blessings and find them around me,” got me thinking about the idea of blessings in general.

Everything is a blessing, put by God onto my path in life; they reflect the nature of God - good, loving, wise, caring, merciful, etc. However, at any given moment, without the ‘right’ frame of mind and attitude, I may not see the blessings at all. That’s a reflection of my feeling of connectedness - or lack of - to God.

“Blessings come in many forms. Some are welcomed and easy to distinguish, while others are recognized only through the lens of steadfast faith and overcoming. Throughout this day, I remember to rejoice and give thanks for blessings great and small so that I may realize the sublime joy in each moment of communion with God.” - Daily Word, June 4, 2010

I am grateful for recognizing blessings, and the state of my relationship with God that they reflect. Thank You, God!

Perfection

Today’s Daily Word is ‘healing” and the affirmation is “I bless my mind and body with thoughts of perfect health.”

As I embarked on my quiet time of meditation, I silently repeated the affirmation like a chant...

I bless my mind and body with thoughts of perfect health.
At some point I realized I was chanting I bless my mind and body with thoughts of perfect peace.

Ah - I like that.

So what about...

I bless my mind and body with thoughts of perfect love.
I bless my mind and body with thoughts of perfect joy.
I bless my mind and body with thoughts of perfect grace.
I bless my mind and body with thoughts of perfect faith.

The list could go on and on and on.

Perfect health, perfect peace, perfect love, perfect joy, perfect grace, perfect faith: blessing my mind and body with such uplifting, affirming thoughts certainly promotes healing.

What a fun gift this affirmation exercise was, and I’m sure I will carry its wonderful energy with me throughout the day. As I affirm these states of perfection, I affirm my oneness with God.

God is perfect and so is my true state.

Endurance or Trust?

“When a man has quietly made up his mind that there is nothing he cannot endure, his fears leave him.” - Grove Patterson

My fears leave me when I remember God - God within, God in all and around all.

My fears leave me when I step into faith. All is as it should be and God is here, now, ever-present to guide me and accompany me on this journey called Life, loving and gracing me along the way.

My attitude makes all the difference. I can look from the standpoint of enduring or I can look from the perspective of everything is a blessing and has a purpose. There is no need for fear or feeling like I’m enduring - that's my ego taunting me. God has a plan and my role is to trust and have faith.

God Provides

Today’s Daily Word begins with “I trust in the presence and power of God to provide whatever I need today.” Further along it continues with ”I anticipate the fulfillment of my needs with eagerness and joy.”

For the 20+ years I’ve been on a conscious spiritual path I have often read and been told by others that Spirit will always provide for my needs. And also, I will receive what I need even though it may not always be what I want.

So I had an epiphany with the aforementioned reading this morning: of course God will provide for my needs, but not necessarily my wants. I surmise this is because wants are of the ego, and Spirit is not looking to strengthen the ego. Spirit and ego don’t mesh - ever hear that ego is an acronym for Easing God Out?

This epiphany strengthens my faith that I am in God’s care. And I may not always like what I get, but I rest assured that I will get what I need - lovingly and with grace and mercy.

The Two "F's"

I have been offered a large work project which will stretch my knowledge a bit. It is a wonderful opportunity in many ways, yet I find myself in fear. One part of my mind knows I can accomplish it - that I have the skill, the talent, and access to learning resources if they are needed. But the other part of my mind is chattering away saying the opposite, being negative.

You know that other part of the mind - the ego, the ‘little me.’ It will always try to shoot me in the left foot, tell me I’m not good enough, and take me out of the Now, down the road to the future.

Fear lies in the future. Faith is here, now. Faith brings my consciousness back to the One Source from which all parts of me flow.

Today I will remember to stay in the Now, to stay in faith. God is with me always, blessing me in every situation. All is for my highest good.

Dear Spirit-
Bless me with staying in the moment and not projecting into the future. Replace any fear I may have with faith and keep me focused on Thee.

Holy Day - Continued

Here’s another piece of the story of the magical wedding in which Rog and I officiated at April 30th (see blog of May 1st ). It’s a particularly “wow” one.

Rog came across the website of a fellow named John who also is into gardening and sacred space like Rog. It turned out he lives here in Sedona. They corresponded for a while and then made plans to meet for coffee. They did so on Wednesday, April 28th - and hung out for 3 hours! They resonated so well that then and there they made plans to meet the following week.

On Friday, April 30th John decided to bicycle over to the Stupa to videotape sacred space. He remembered from their conversation that Rog lived not that far from the Stupa and thought maybe they’d meet up. John couldn’t find Rog’s contact info but remembered his website address, so went there. He read the blog Rog had posted that morning saying we’d be marrying a couple that day; Rog didn’t say where the ceremony was being held or give the time. So John figured Rog wasn’t going to be available to meet and went about his day.

Lo and behold he bicycles to the Stupa at the very time we are there waiting for the delayed bride and groom (they were traveling from Flagstaff) – and Rog was standing alone in a different area, right where John landed up entering the Stupa. They spoke briefly and Rog mentioned why he was at the Stupa, then Rog invited him to the ceremony. With a “yes,” John became not only a ‘guest’ but the wedding videographer, and another wonderful participant in God’s plan that was slowly being revealed.

Yes, magical... synchronistic. I just love God showing Its Presence. It’s how I came to believe and it’s a way my faith gets strengthens.

Seeing

“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” - John Lubbock

I have a client with whom I work with 20 hours per week, so I’m familiar with the look of her office. One day she asked for my interior decorating advice regarding an oval area rug she planned to buy for a main walk-through section of the office. Armed with samples, we discussed which color scheme would best work with the current carpet, and I also brought up my concern about how the thickness of the rug might be a tripping hazard. Then she proceeded to order her choice online, and that’s the last I thought of it.

The following week I was in my client’s office and it wasn’t until I’d walked through the main area three times that I realized the area rug had been delivered and placed on the carpet! I simply hadn’t seen it and I certainly hadn’t tripped over it.

It’s pretty phenomenal to me that something can be right in my face and I don’t see it. Have you ever looked all over the house for your keys (substitute anything else), only to find them on the kitchen counter next to the coffee mug you’d just been drinking out of?

It sure makes me wonder what else I’m not seeing, minor things and the not-so-minor. And then there’s the idea that this world is an illusion and I’m making it up anyway... so why can’t I ‘make up’ the keys, the cash, the love, the faith, etc.?

If I can’t see what is theoretically on the physical plane and I believe should be easy to see, then how can I ‘see’ what is in the other realms? And, if I’m making it all up anyway, why aren’t I making up and communicating with the unseen spiritual beings whom I’ve been yearning to communicate with?

Intention. Yes, again, I go about setting intentions and being awake. With faithful expectancy and joy, I see what I am looking for, I live the life and experience the abundance that is mine by Divine Right. I stay alert to my good and to God’s Grace.

The Privileged Child

Charles Fillmore, in his essay entitled Overcoming the Poverty Idea writes “Thoughts are not all of the same importance.” There are some that frighten us into submission to their reign.

It is suggested that to rid one’s mind of fearing results should we dare to meet these domineering thoughts of error and openly oppose their reign, one needs to get a clear perception of what one’s rights are as a child of God.

Hmmm.... “rights .. as a child of God.” That’s ‘interesting.’ And, powerful and uplifting!

As a child of God, I “...should not be under the dominion of anything in the heavens above or in the earth below. You are given dominion over all.”

Mr. Fillmore continues on about the story of David and Goliath. “The name David means “the beloved of the Lord” and David represents your righteous perception of your privileges as a child of the living God. You are not a slave to anything or anybody. You cannot be alarmed by the threat of this god of mammon. You have the perception of Truth and you sling it at the center of his carnal thinking, which is the forehead.”

There is this idea is my mind that can slay all the frightening Goliaths in my life, and it is to perceive my proper place in Divine Mind. When I do so, fear cannot overpower me. I operate from a place of strength, wholeness, faith. I am imbued with peace, joy, and love. I am free.

All is well in my kingdom within for I know my heritage and exercise my privileges as a holy child of God. I am grateful for my Father.

Into Action

“The life of the spirit is centrally and essentially a life of action. Spirituality is something done, not merely something believed or known or experienced.” - Mary McDermott Shideler

Living as a monk in a monastery in isolation I would venture is a relatively easy experience compared to being involved in the outside, crazy world. In the outer world however, is where I think the lessons for waking up often come more readily as I interact with a myriad of situations and people.

When I go beyond myself and am of service is often when I feel closest to Spirit. And, that means I am practicing spiritual principles more readily: faith, love, compassion, empathy... I am putting spirituality into action. As the expressions go, “I am putting my money where my mouth is” and I am “practicing what I preach.” For as the Big Book says (page 88), “Faith without works is dead.”

God is with me in all circumstances and with all whom I meet on my path. In the quiet times of silence I connect and refuel; then I venture out into the outer world, putting my spirituality into action. I let God express Its love and light through me; I am a power of example.

Patience and Faith

“Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choice less as a beach – waiting for a gift from the sea." - A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Patience” is the word that Spirit whispered in my ear as I came towards the end of a conversation with Rog last night. Patience for what? Patience with him and for the spiritual journey he is on, patience with my own spiritual path, and patience with my ego.

There’s that part of me that wants answers and solutions immediately. And, that part would gladly dive into a quick-fix without weighing future repercussions.

Being patient with my ego, treating it kindly like a little kid, gives me a chance to breathe, slow down, and be in the now. I am able to open up what was a closing heart and enjoy some peace.

Inherent in this patience is the faith, the knowing, that Spirit sits with me while I wait and seek a solution that flows with ease and grace and is for the highest good of all.

Faith

Today’s Daily Word - Monday, March 1, 2010
Faith
I walk by faith, not by sight.

Today I stand firmly in my faith. I meet life courageously and confidently, seeing beyond appearances to the underlying good. Through faith I overcome every limitation. I know that God's power in me is greater than any situation I may have to meet or overcome; God is greater than any condition or circumstance.

Through faith I am fearless and free. Faith dispels fear, for faith knows the nothingness of fear. Faith reminds me that God is the only presence and power in my life.

Through faith I am steady and strong. I am assured that with God there is always a way, with God there are always right answers.

Through faith I walk in the light. I am shown the way of my highest good. I am healed. I am blessed.

We walk by faith, not by sight. - 2 Corinthians 5:7

Of course after this past weekend of spiritual nourishment and enlightenment, it’s synchronistic that Today’s Daily Word and Daily Guideposts Devotional both had faith as their topic. And, my other usual morning reading from In God’s Care was about the three words “Came to believe” referring to coming to believe in a power greater than ourselves that could restore us to sanity.

For it was in coming to believe and developing faith that I now find my joy in life. Being in community with other spiritual beings having a human experience, I easily have faith in God’s existence – and more.

I have faith in God’s love, compassion, mercy, and wondrous power. I have faith that this power greater than myself that I came to believe in is always with me. “And when we experience that insanity, it isn’t that God has moved, but that our faith has wandered and shaken hands with the craziness of self-sufficiency.” (from In God’s Care).

These past few days my soul has been fueled with faith in part via psycho-spiritual inner work. The other part has been through being with others who are also doing their inner work to awaken. We come together as One in loving, compassionate, faith-filled community.

Laughter

Daily Thoughts, From Daily Guideposts, February 24, 2010

A Time to Think
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. - E. E. Cummings

To Act
Find an opportunity for laughter whenever you can.

To Pray
Lord, when I'm weary and need refreshment, renew me with friendship and laughter.

Laughter is healing, laughter is upliftment, and laughter is surely fun. And, I clearly do not have enough of it in my life.

Last night I got the unexpected news that a dear friend of ours (and Bill W.’s) from Tucson, will be coming up to Sedona to visit today. I’m excited. For although a major part of his multi-day trip is to be in the Silence to contemplate and meditate about a recent disturbing event in his life, I know that we will laugh. For laughter and joy, along with spiritual and business conversation, has always been a part of our coming together. I suspect that shall be the case this time as well.

And, this time laughter will help bring healing, love, and faith to our friend who is in need of an extra dose of feeling God’s Presence. It will do the same for me as well.

Just For One Day

“God just for one day let me see only the good. Give me the eyes of faith, the heart of hope.” – Daily Guideposts, February 7, 2010

God just for one day let me be free of judgment. Let me see through Your eyes with love and understanding of my fellows, practicing compassion and mercy.

God just for one day let me be full of faith every second. Give me the courage and the strength to trust in You and Your Will.

God just for one day may I honor You and praise You first, and then ask for Your Help. Let me feel Your Love, Your Joy, Your Peace.

And, God, just for one day let me live in the Now, not the future nor the past. Let me truly live one day at a time.

Gratitude Circle

I have found my home at the weekly Gratitude Circle at Unity of Sedona I just recently started attending. I’ve been trying to figure out what makes it feel like home because the only other venue I feel this is close to is a 12 Step meeting.

Here’s the bottom line: sharing honestly, from the heart, about Spirit working in our lives as we strive to wake up, in a sacred space of openness and respectfulness of each one’s path.

I’m quite often surrounded by intellectualism and not much expression of experiencing and feeling God’s Grace. Although the vast majority of people in my life are spiritual and on a conscious path, it seems to me we don’t often talk from the heart about our experience. Missing are the tales of synchronicity, miracles, "oh shits" turned into blessings. I could sit around 24/7 listening to people share about this stuff. This was what I was hungering for before I joined 12 Step program almost 20 years ago, and it is what I hunger for still. Connection. To people, to Spirit.

This kind of meaningful, heartfelt talk and sharing of the journey opens me up to God and to the connection between us spiritual beings having this human experience. There’s this heart bond. In 12 Step program our bond is that we share a common malady that is solved by coming to believe in a Power greater than ourselves and then we put our faith and gratitude into service, into action; we are graced even more.

Sitting in a sacred circle of gratitude hearing experience, strength, and hope makes me feel like one heart, like One.

Within

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith. - Henry Ward Beecher

I’ll take hold of tomorrow with faith.

Better still, I will remain in the present, and feel God within me now.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Flexibility

Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. - Anonymous

In this fast changing world, with way too much stimuli for my brain, being flexible is a valuable trait. Like a tree swaying in the wind in order not to snap, it behooves me to stay light and breezy in this heavily-burden world of physicality.

Still, there are areas in which being flexible is not an asset. I must be steadfast and unwavering in my faith and trust in God, my Source.