A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

Old Words, New Meanings…

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During the 20th century, we had the opportunity to be made fully aware of ALL the different cultures in the world, all the different religions, all the different ways there are to be human. What a rich tapestry we as humans weave!  Because of that global exposure, we now see that each culture has its own definition of certain words…really big words, like GOD, LOVE, FAMILY, HONOR, JUSTICE. But beyond our current education/exposure, we each also carry deep inside our consciousness what those words meant to our specific ancestry.  Those beliefs are so ingrained it us that we most often aren’t even aware of them.

Fotolia_40307467_Subscription_Monthly_MFor some of us, what we believe certain words to mean may be holding us back from a chance to shift away from the beliefs of our ancestors, beliefs that were practical for a completely different time that but no longer serve the modern mind. They are so powerful that we may be avoiding using them or even thinking about them.  It can be frightening because on some level, we believe that if we go “against” those rules of order, we will suffer, we will be punished. So how do we feel “safe” in exploring other possibilities? Many of us don’t think about them at all.  We in the West live in a very materialist world for the most part these days…so it is just easier to avoid thinking about certain things and get on with our daily commute to work or dinner plans.

One of the words that has always befuddled me is LOVE.  We all understand what personal love is…even if we don’t have it at the moment. Parent to child, lover to lover, human to pet dog…you know what I mean.  But so many spiritual teachers use the word today with a broader meaning and I find it confusing.  They talk about it as a “thing” that exists, outside the personal.  That it is a power that connects us all, that it is “All there is.”  Huh?  How can that be the same thing as what I feel for my husband, my niece?  Well, short of coming up with a new and more descriptive word about that “energy that is all that is”, last year I found this description that really solved my quandary, and here it is:

“Love is not a feeling.  Love is a spiritual energy.

Love is pure creative energy at its highest level

Love expressed in human form actualizes your Divine Self.”

                                                 – Barbara King

I love “actualizes your Divine Self.” I hope you find this helpful the next time you hear someone talking about “love” in this context. Or if you can come up with a better word so the two aren’t confused, please let me know!

Another word I have always had trouble with is GOD.  Deep in my thinking, I believe that GOD is an all-powerful being outside myself that can pick and choose who has abundance and joy, and who starves and suffers.  Every culture for as long as we have recorded history believes that their GOD controls their lives and they must be honored or even worshiped in some way for personal self-protection.

Now, in this time, because I see how many different “Gods” are worshiped in how many different ways around the world, I needed a new description.  I needed a description that would bring control of my life back to me…at least a little bit!  So I came up with this:

G.O.D.  Gridwork Of Divinity

If you can imagine a network of energy around the planet…one that glows with life…one that is dynamic, moving, creating. Then imagine that you can “connect” with that grid and feed and receive energy from it. Also visualize that this grid can ONLY carry positive energy in it…nothing negative. Imagine that the energy there is Divine…omnipresent in its beauty and power to protect and manifest.  That is a vision or definition of G.O.D. that makes sense to me…that I can participate with, not be dominated by. I am part of it and it is part of me.

If you have a good relationship with your God, this doesn’t take anything away from that…because deep down it is all the same thing.

From in my twenties, I started using the word “Light” as a synonym for both Love AND God!  You will see it used more and more…and iN a way I believe that it does represent both Love and God. There is light, and there is darkness or absence of light. I believe in the places where there is an absence of light bad things can happen.  I try to flow “light” to every situation I can. Many people are able to “see” energy (light) in living things.  I can’t…wish I could, but I can’t…not yet anyway.  But I can “feel” it in certain people.  I can feel an abundance of light and life or an absence of it, in which case they feel “cold” to me. So is “shedding light” on a situation the same as praying for a good outcome?  I kind of think so.

I hope you find these thoughts about a couple of words that have vexed me for a long time helpful.  I am guessing that if these words bothered me, they might have bothered a few other people too, so I hope you find this useful.

I would love to hear from you.  I feel called to help people connect with their Divine selves so they can make the best decisions in their lives…so that they can be and feel love of the highest order…so they can be their own happiness generators and know that true happiness comes from within, not from an outside source.

Write to me at voiceofyoursoul@gmail.com

Hacker-Free?

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98312695When I was online recently I viewed a credit card statement and a bold message popped up.  It was an alert that my personal information may have been compromised due to hackers, and the credit card company was mailing a replacement card to me.  I discussed it with a few of my friends, who mentioned that they too had received the message.

We had a spirited conversation about the lack of privacy these days and how this age of information impacts our personal boundaries.  Our lives are now open to observation and scrutiny in ways that are unprecedented. Through the evolution of technology, our personal information, our purchasing habits and preferences are “caught on tape.” I wonder if there would ever be true deterrents to hackers or the restoration of privacy as we once knew.  For the time being, though, it sure feels like we will continue in the direction of a boundary-less existence.

As I think about it, it feels like our physical world and how we act in it is now an open book.  Does that make us powerless?  Out of control?  What can we consider sacred about our existence?  Well, I submit that what remains truly private and hacker-free about us is our inner world – our daydreams, private thoughts and personal wishes; our individuality and heartbeat; our inner landscape and playground.  It is the portion of us that is still hidden and private unless and until we ourselves wish to share it.  With it we are ever-powerful because we control it.

For me, reclaiming a wonderful sense of power and control availed itself once I became intimate with my private thoughts, ideas and the ability to maneuver physical existence from the inside out.  This intimacy – befriending and honoring ALL aspects of ourselves within our inner world – can actually be considered the next frontier.

Getting familiar with that next frontier may have road blocks, because we are much more familiar with the wonderful and glorious distractions of the physical world.  I do remember the days when I would avoid paying attention to my inner world at all cost because it was way too unfamiliar, and I would be afraid.  Any time I slowed down and meaningful stuff would pop up that could have used my attention, I’d cover my ears, like, “La, la, la, I can’t hear you!”  I remember being so paranoid about my thoughts, like one insidious piece of thinking was going to derail all of the hope and optimism contained in the good thoughts that I had meticulously engineered.  Again, I’d be covering my ears, like, “La, la, la, bad thoughts, I can’t hear you!”

When I surrendered to my own authenticity and simply told the truth to myself about how I felt, my self-judgment lifted and my thoughts returned to optimism easily and effortlessly.  I came to realize that my thoughts are things that I have, they aren’t who I am.  I also began to envision that my thoughts are like clouds in the sky that are always moving and shifting.  It is now automatic to embrace everything that I think and feel without a compelling need to censor, judge or disown.

I discovered that I began to truly honor myself after I learned how to dialogue with, acknowledge and appreciate the aspects of myself I had previously feared and judged.  Now that the fear and judgment are gone, I have a pretty good time just hanging out with my thoughts.  I keep myself very entertained, actually; it’s even more fun than browsing the internet.

In the spirit of true self-regard, are there portions of yourself that you DON’T want to honor?  Shine your light on them.  Let your mantras be, “I hear you,” and “I got it.”  Remember that aspects of you long for the same acknowledgment and understanding that you seek from others, so consider giving yourself that acknowledgment and understanding first.  When you do, you will unveil your innate passion, your hidden power, immense love and unbridled joy.   So here’s to honoring yourself in ALL ways, and enjoying a true hacker-free existence!

Living A Life Of Health & Wellness

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95096361-2What does it mean to live a life of health and wellness? To live each and everyday making the best choices you can?

Health and wellness is a lifestyle. It’s how you feel about yourself. It’s about who you know yourself to be. It is loving yourself enough to take care of yourself spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Most of the time we just move through our days without much intention of taking care of ourselves. It is as if we were taught there is no need to pay attention to our bodies, no need to concern ourselves with our thoughts, no need to develop a deep relationship with our higher self.

Yet this is exactly what we should be taught. We are born with an innate knowing of the grandeur of life. The possibilities before us are endless when we are young. We believe we can be, do, and have anything we desire in life. This is what many have let go of due to a lack of faith in themselves.

I want you to rekindle this faith in yourself. I want you to remember how amazing you are.

I want you to treat yourself as you would your own child. You would protect and watch out for your child. You would shield your child from negative situations and thoughts that would diminish their self-belief. You would feed your child nourishing food. You would encourage your child to be brave even in moments of fear and sadness. You would encourage your child to reach beyond what they feel is possible.

You would do this because you see in your child the potential that lies within, even though they do not. You see how amazing and special they are. You know that if they just apply themselves to creating what they desire the will succeed. You see this all laid out before them as if it were already complete.

Now I want you to see this in yourself, because it is true. You must look upon yourself as this amazing being who if only applies themself to creating what they desire with bravery even in the moments of fear, will manifest their desires. Your path of happiness, health and wellness is already laid out before you. All that is required is the bravery, and boldness to know you will create it.

You are meant to be full of life, full of happiness, full of health and full of wellness. It is our birthright.

So as we progress through this and every year ahead, let us remember this birthright, and begin to bring health and wellness back into our lives.

It is my pleasure to share with you all that is needed to create health, happiness and wellness on a day-to-day basis.

I will give you clear understandable and simple steps that you can apply in your life, and in doing so you will begin to change your life for the better.

I wish for all of you Vibrant Health!

Want to work with David?  Want to know more about David’s lifestyle?

 

Soulcial Living – 56 acts of Loving Kindness

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Fotolia_54607324_Subscription_XXLAnd so the time has come to share my last 14 suggestions for “Soulcial Living”. Since January 9, 2014 I have offered you over 56 ways to practice, including the suggestions below.  That equals at least one kind gesture a week every day of the year.

In ‘Loving kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness’ Sharon Salzberg says:

“The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.” 

This is the secret to Soulcial Living – what we focus on multiples; simple yet true.

Begin this practice by bringing more loving kindness into your life.  Incorporate gestures of love, kindness and simplicity into your everyday existence.  Here are 14 additional tips to guide you:

  1. Let someone into traffic who looks like they are in a rush
  2. Start a campaign to help an individual or a group.
  3. Plant a tree or flowers in a neglected area in your neighborhood
  4. Let a debt go that someone owes you, whether monetarily or otherwise
  5. Give up your seat on a train or bus
  6. Tell a service providers manager what a great job they did
  7. Donate your long hair to Locks of Love
  8. Write a referral for someone
  9. Send thoughts of compassion to someone you dislike or feel uncomfortable
  10. Make homemade treats for your co-workers
  11. Send your favorite inspirational book to someone who is down
  12. Use less energy in your home and office (kindness for the planet)
  13. Stick up for someone who has been treated wrongly or unjustly
  14. Radiate loving kindness to the planet

 And ONE MORE

 15.Be gentle with yourself

Everything begins with YOU!

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