photo from istockphoto

These hot  days of summer, have me thinking about swimming in the ocean.  Splashing about and riding the waves is a thrilling experience!

Riding the waves made me think of how often we resist what we are feeling and swim against the current.

I have been there, believe me.  I understand how it seems overwhelming to feel, you are too busy, there are so many other things you would rather do then work on yourself….right? – I get it.

What you resist – persists.  Feelings just don’t go away.  They will show up somewhere, somehow.

You have to feel to heal.  The only way out is through. 

It takes so much energy to bury or ignore our feelings.  Have you every paddled upstream, or been swimming against the current?

It takes  a lot out of you! Wastes time and energy and makes it harder to get where you want to go.

Take the easier route and go with the current, reach land and then walk.

Dip into what you are feeling and move with it.  People often think if they go there, it will be so much worse or bigger then they are.  This is not the case. 

What is the cost to you?  Living a life using energy to bury or ignore what you are feeling, versus taking a few minutes to see what you are not at peace with.  

If you learn to swim with the current, you will enjoy the ride so much more. 

Take a moment right now, and check in to see what are you feeling, what are you not at peace with?  What’s going on?

If you have trouble getting to shore, contact me, I will be glad to throw you a line.

Flickr photo by slgckgc

Seeing the Divine in our lives…

This is a short personal story of witnessing the Divine in our everyday lives.  I pray that it fills you with what you need and at the very least offers you HOPE and INSPIRATION for your healing and your life.

It was the summer of 2004 in Baltimore, MD.  I was going through a very difficult time.  My health was headed downhill again, emotionally and spiritually I was bankrupt. 

I was ripe for taking the next step in my journey.  Often it is when we feel we can’t do it anymore that the space opens up for transformation. 

I live in a small condominium with a shared courtyard in the center of our building.  In the center of the courtyard is a  pear tree.  The root system of the tree is in a container and not in the ground.

This pear tree blooms beautiful white blossoms in the spring, carries on with green leaves through the fall and then sheds its leaves for winter.
 
I noticed our pear tree was not doing well in the summer of 2004.   I don’t recall any blossoms in the spring, then came the summer and the leaves were turning brown and falling off.  The tree was sick.

Tried as I might to continue to care for the tree; I couldn’t do it anymore. 

Summer turned into fall and I was headed to  my first session at a healing school called the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism.   My experience that week at the healing school is hard to put into words.  There was so much love, so much beauty and light.  I knew I was home, only it was a different kind of home, one that I had never  known before.

The school session was over and I came home to Baltimore on a cold October morning.  It was dark, I was tired, and on California time.  Couldn’t go to sleep, so I did a spiritual practice we were taught at school called the Remembrance.  It is an ancient spiritual practice of opening your heart to God and repeating His name.
 
When I was finished I was drawn to go look out my sliding glass door in my dining room.

I looked out and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  I rubbed my eyes and thought I was dreaming.  I thought it was snow!  I took another look and then opened the door to go outside on my 2nd floor deck.  

And then I saw it, the most magnificent, beautiful, white blossoms I had ever seen.  The whites of the flowers were bursting forth in the cold crisp air of the dark night.  They were glistening and twinkling as if they were speaking to me.  The branches were extending themselves as if they were trying to reach me.

It was then that I knew, I knew what this was all about.  The tree was dead and now it was alive.  This witnessing touched me so deeply, I bent over weeping and received something special in my heart, almost like a whispering to the deepest place in your heart from the Divine.  The message is complete and is so much more than what you ever could have imagined  for yourself.

This tree was sick, was empty of leaves, and in a container that could not adequately support it.  Now it was living. 

This is from God. 

Open your heart to the Divine, call upon his Name and be expectant of a response. 
It is said when you walk to God , God runs to you.   

On a final note, our pear tree was replaced this summer with a new tree.  Our pear tree gave us all she had, but it was time for her to move on, she grew too big for the small container she was in.

photo from istockphoto

Whether you are facing physical disease, emotional illness or a difficult challenge in your life, there are some simple things you can do to help yourself heal.

1. Want it.
You have to want to get well, change or transform your life.  Even the smallest amount of desire will help move you.  Setting your intention is key.

2. Have hope.
Never give up hope, always hold it out there.  Even when you feel you don’t have any hope, I firmly believe it is inside of you, you just have to uncover it.

3. Keep going.
Say, Yes!  When you feel like you don’t want to ‘go there’, say ‘yes’ and open.  Please understand, I don’t mean force yourself unnecessarily.   Just the power of saying ‘yes’ will do wonders and help you to open and move in ways you could not have imagined.  Seek until you find your answers.

4. Learn to just ‘BE’.
Being present with what is happening for you is important.  This is something that may take some practice, but once you get this you will really take off.  Feel your feelings and let them flow. 

5. Inner and Outer Actions.
Healing happens on the inner and the outer, one will influence and transform the other.  Both are needed.  To completely heal and change your life, you have to do the work on the inside and the outside.

6. Spiritual/Emotional/Mental/Physical.
I believe in the approach of multi-dimensional healing.  If you want to change your life, I recommend doing work that hits all the levels of the mind, body, heart and spirit.  Do what is necessary to support and care for yourself.

If you have any questions about this or anything else, please let me know.  I would love to hear from you.