Tag Archives: Going Deeper

AWAKENING TO OUR YEARNING

Posted on September 29, 2021 | 1 comment

“When we begin to desire a thing, to yearn for it with all our hearts, we begin to establish relationship with it in proportion to the strength and persistency of our longing and intelligent effort to realize it.”   Orison Swett Marden

For what do you yearn?  Does it enliven or depress you?  How do you deal with it?

(Thanks to Joanne for our topic today.  She must have been reading my mind because, when I thought about “y” words, this was the first one that came to me.  Thanks to all of you who offered words.   Next week’s topic will start with a “Z” so please leave your ideas under comment.  Many thanks!)

Yearning is a very personal experience, but I suspect there is one thing for which we all yearn no matter how different our beliefs or politics.  We all want Covid in its various forms to disappear.

Yearning may lead us to take actual steps to get what we want or it may lead us to be depressed when what we yearn for is not in our reach. Yearning for what we want may not always take us directly to the place where we had imagined our desire would be met, but that “in between” place may be a valuable part of the journey.

 Doing What Is Necessary

When I had Chronic Fatique Syndrome years ago,  I certainly didn’t want to move to the dry west, but that’s where I needed to be in order to heal.

Within four years I returned to good health, but I also received gifts along the way that I had not expected.  I developed a deep, loving relationship with a man that was not romantic.  I had not known that to be possible.  I was exposed to new cultures and beautiful art that was different from any I had seen before.  Most of all, I was exposed to eastern religious practices like meditation that helped heal me and became a valuable part of my life.

As a result of taking this step, I was able to then move to the mountains where I had desired to live for a long time.  Now I currently live surrounded by the beauty of nature I most love with friends who share my spiritual and political values.

Negative Yearning Does Not Help Us

So often, though, we yearn for things we believe are impossible to attain.  If we believe it is impossible, we won’t make the effort to find out if it really is possible.If we have a strong desire, not acting on it may lead to depression, which will become another obstacle to overcome.

One of the greatest modern dancers of all times was Martha Graham.  She had a different approach to dance movement that did not always please people.  I’ve been reading her autobiography and did not realize how much difficulty she encountered.  But she was persistent because dance enlivened her.  It was her calling, so she was willing to struggle.  She would not stop dancing.  Along the way, she was often surprised by the people who offered her work or artistic help so that she was able to create the dances she wanted.  These people saw her brilliance.

Is Our Yearning Good For Us?

When we yearn for something we do not have, we need to seriously assess if it is something that is good for us.  Yearning for drugs to make us high is clearly not good for us.  Eating enormous amounts of carbs will put way too much weight on us.  Having an affair when we are married is certainly a bad choice.  Yearning for what will clearly harm us requires that we let go of that yearning or see a professional who can help us release that desire.

When we yearn for something, we always need to ask, “If I succeed in getting this, would it be good for me?”  If the answer is no, then we need to release that desire, and if necessary, find the help to do so.

But if getting what we yearn for would be good for us and improve our lives, then we should find the courage to explore making what we yearn for a reality.

May your yearning lead you to wonderful experiences!

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Blog Posts:

AWAKENING TO OUR WISHES

AWAKENING TO YOUR TRUE SELF

AWAKENING TO OUR REALITY

 

 

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AWAKENING TO YOUR OWN VALUE

Posted on September 8, 2021 | 1 comment

“The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred.” Soichiro Honda

How do you measure your life’s value? Has your soul been stirred recently?  In what way? 

(Many thanks to Eleanore and Christina for our topic today.  Again, so many of you gave me such good topic ideas.  No doubt I will use some of them in the future.  For next week, I will need a topic starting with “W” so please leave your ideas under comment.  Many thanks to all who read this blog!)

In an industrial country like ours, society puts great value on success that can be seen in terms of products, popularity, or rankings.  We are considered successful when we make lots of money, own a large house, live in the more expensive parts of town, or have a prestigious job.

What rarely if ever defines success is how kind a person we are or how well we care for ourselves internally.  Of course, we each have our own value system that determines what we like or don’t like about ourselves.

Don’t Rely On Others Opinions

Bernard Hopkins says, “If you don’t know your own value, somebody will tell you your value, and it’ll be less than you’re worth.”  Now, that’s pretty negative.  Yet many of us rely too much on what others think of us and we need to remember that their assessment of us may not always be accurate.

I remember the time when I had an injury to my ankle and could walk about, but only with difficulty.  A friend drove us to a lecture.  She chose to park away from the event instead of parking right in front of the hall where there were places available.

I reminded her that it was hard for me to walk and asked her if she could move the car to a closer place.  It made her mad and she made a disparaging remark to me.  Although she did a lot of good work in the community, there was also a part of her that had always to be right and strong.

While she saw me as someone who was playing helpless, I didn’t buy into her projection.  I saw myself as making the wise decision, not putting unnecessary stress on my healing ankle.  I valued myself enough to speak up even when I knew it would not be appreciated.  In the end, she moved the car while grumbling.

Our True Self At Soul Level

 To find our real value, we must get in touch with our soul.  It is at our deepest and most valuable level.  We must allow ourselves to be touched at that level beyond emotion.  Recently, I experienced much pain as a result of a spinal procedure.  During this time, I often became so angry or upset that I had to stop and meditate and calm down because I knew I was not making the situation better.

When I did take those quiet moments, my soul was stirred.  I felt for a moment that I would be all right.  As the days with less pain arrived, I felt a little thrill, and thanked God.  My soul seemed to be telling me, “You will be okay.”  And now I am doing well.  I have only a few aches in the area around the surgery, but never any sharpness.

Others May Uplift Us

Recently, hearing about a woman who had gone through terrible experiences in a communist country and in an early marriage, I found myself in tears because of the beauty of the courage she had shown.  I was more than happy to discover the story had an uplifting ending.  My soul as well as my emotions were touched by this story.

When our soul is touched, a part of us opens, unhampered by what the people around us think or even by our own negative reflections.  The more we are touched at this level, the more we can see our true and beautiful value.

May your soul be stirred today.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Blog Posts:

AWAKENING TO THE VALUE OF CHANGE

AWAKENING TO OUR SOUL’S GARDEN

AWAKENING TO TRUST YOURSELF

 

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AWAKENING TO THE UNIVERSAL

Posted on September 1, 2021 | 1 comment

“There is a universal, intelligent life force that exists within everyone and everything.  It resides within each of us as a deep wisdom, an inner knowing.  We can access this wonderful source of knowledge and wisdom through our intuition, an inner sense that tells us what feels right and true for us at any given moment.”  Shakti Gawain

Are you in touch with the Universal?  How do you do that?  If you do, what value does it have for you?  If not, why not?

(Many thanks to Micah and Cathy for today’s topic.  Next week I’ll be writing about a topic that begins with a “V” so if there are words starting with “V” that interest you, please leave the ideas under Comment.  Thanks so much!)

Sometimes we are so involved with ourselves and local events that we forget there is something greater.  Lately, I’ve focused on taking care of myself after back surgery and dealing with the initial pain that took every moment.  It felt like I was living in a tunnel. Now that I’m feeling better and move around easily, I’ve walked out into the light.

Deep Breaths Release Pain

What finally made the difference was my choice to look beyond this body.  I prayed, “Please release this pain from me,” as I took deep breaths, letting the exhale flow down my leg while mentally experiencing a release.  When I felt fear arise, and I usually did, I envisioned light pushing it away.

The more often I did this, the more I felt some release of pain or at the least, my fear of not recovering went away.  In those moments I moved beyond my ego and body to a universal place.

Our World Generates Fear

Even if we aren’t experiencing physical distress, the world around us is filled with anxiety-producing events.  The crazy and sad situation in Afghanistan breaks our hearts for all of those who cannot escape such a dangerous situation.  We also worry about those in other countries controlled by dictatorial leaders, and if in their fight for freedom they will survive.

The world-wide pandemic, instead of declining as we had hoped, is becoming a worse threat to our daily lives.  Despite all the scientific evidence, there are still those who refuse to be vaccinated or wear masks.  As a consequence, many of us fear going out into public places, even as the restrictions are choking our lives.

God And Nature Connect Us To The Universal

While it is important that those who can protest and work in public help people with these problems, we need to keep in mind that there is something beyond what we are experiencing on this earth.  We are all connected to a greater life force that some may call God.  We are also surrounded by the energy of Nature which is one with the universal.

Living among the lush forest of the mountains, I feel that I am part of something greater than myself.  It isn’t surprising that we refer to nature as Mother Nature, for this life force does create that which keeps us alive with food, air, and water.  Being with nature illuminates the universal and teaches us to be better stewards of our lives as well as of the Earth.

The Universal Has No Boundaries

When we are disturbed by what is happening in our family, city, or country, we need to remember that this physical life is not all there is.  There is a spirit within us that exists beyond our time on Earth.  Feeding our spirit is just as important as feeding our body.

Taking the time to walk through the forest or desert, meditating or reading spiritually uplifting material, enriches our souls and strengthens our intuition.  It allows what we know at a deeper level to rise to the surface and assist us in making the best choices for ourselves and those around us at any given moment.  The Universal knows no boundaries and can open us to its inner riches.

May the Universal guide all you do today.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Blog posts:

AWAKENING TO BE QUIET

AWAKENING TO DEEPEN OURSELVES

AWAKENING TO THE ONENESS WITHIN

 

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AWAKENING TO OUR REFLECTIONS

Posted on August 4, 2021 | Leave a comment

“The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within.”  Gabrielle Bernstein

Do you take time to reflect on your life each day? Each week? Ever?  How does that help you?  If you don’t, why do you avoid it?  Does it make you uncomfortable?

(Special thanks to Jessie for today’s topic.  Thanks to you all for the many wonderful ideas you  gave me.  It wasn’t easy to choose, so I did some meditation and this topic came up first.  Next week I will need a topic starting with “S” so if you have some ideas, please put them in comment.)

Reflection is an inner activity and requires us to move away from the active part of our lives and look at what we are doing and thinking.  Some people are uncomfortable with this idea and value only activity, either mental or physical, but giving attention to our inner as well as outer selves creates a balance in our lives that is healthy and strengthens us in many ways.

Lack of Reflection May Be Detrimental

Being active all the time may be fun, but it may also be exhausting or confusing.  Our minds and bodies also need rest.  At times, that simply means sleep, but it may also mean reflecting on what is happening in our lives and determining if we are heading in the  right direction.

For years, most of my decisions were emotional.  That’s what guided my life and led me to be involved in two disastrous relationships.  I fell in love, and even when my rational mind tried to show me these were not good choices, I ignored it.  I also ignored the behavior of the men when their lack of devotion was obvious.  When reflection presented me with reality, I chose to think that the idea of breaking up with them was just negative thinking.

Our Inner Self Offers Wise Guidance

It is true that we have to learn to distinguish between fear and inner wisdom that warns us not to do what we may want to do.  When I learned to meditate and release my fear, I then more easily respected what my inner reflection showed me.  Even if its guidance was not what I wanted to hear, I respected it and took the time to reflect on its message.  As a result, I began to make wiser choices and felt stronger.

We are now living in an especially chaotic time.  Listening to the news invariably stirs up fear or anger and makes it difficult to even hear what is being reported.  It is almost impossible not to become disturbed, but if we connect with our inner peace, we can experience disbelief or disapproval without it throwing us off balance.

Taking the time to reflect on this news gives us the opportunity to decide what we want to do to help improve the situation, if that is possible, or to let go of the thought or anger that may harm us.  Not everyone can take action, but if we decide to do so, reflecting on the possible actions will help us make the best choice.  Just reacting to a situation is rarely a good solution.

Nature May Help Us Find Peace

The times when I feel the most reflective are during a walk in the forest or under the trees.  Being close to nature always beings me close to Spirit and opens my spiritual self to reflection.  One may also experience this fishing or floating on a lake or stream.  There is something about Nature that clears the dust and tar from our minds and offers a sweet breeze to cool our emotions and open us to positive reflection.

We have the power to enrich our inner lives and to feel love and peace, and we can reflect that out into the world, enriching the lives of all those who come in contact with us.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related blog Posts:

INSPIRATIONAL REFLECTION: DANCING DEEPER

AWAKENING THROUGH SPIRITUAL REFLECTION: WHAT DO YOU MIRROR?

AWAKENING TO COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION

 

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AWAKENING TO BE QUIET

Posted on July 28, 2021 | 2 comments

“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Do you enjoy the quiet in your life?  How do you use your quiet time or do you avoid it as much as possible?

(Thank you, Katherine and Mike for suggesting this topic.  Thank you to so many more of you who gave me other great ideas for today’s topic.  It wasn’t easy to decide which one to use, but this is the word that spoke to me. Next week the topic will start with an “R” so please leave me some words for topics in Comment.  Thanks so much)

We all experience two types of quiet: the outer and the inner.  Some people are uncomfortable with the outer quiet because it forces them inward and they prefer not to think too deeply about what they are feeling.  They have music or the TV on most of the time, are on the phone talking to friends, interacting on Facebook, or participating in groups online.  The pandemic has stifled what they consider a normal life with its restrictions on being face to face with groups.

Those of us who are introverts enjoy quiet time alone to think, reflect, rest, or read.  It isn’t that we don’t want a social life, it’s just that we need our time alone to deal with our inner selves.  This may include a spiritual quest that requires meditation, prayer, and reflecting on the path we are following.  While it is important to care for our physical body, it is equally important to take care of our emotional, mental, and spiritual selves.

We Are Healthiest When Inner and Outer Meet

The healthiest and perhaps the most satisfying way to live is for all these parts of ourselves to be integrated.  That requires us to take time to work with our inner being, to explore the parts of ourselves that prefer to hide or the parts of ourselves we don’t really like.

When I reflect on my life, I have to admit there have been many times, especially in the past, when I just blurted out what I thought or felt in a tense situation.  That was definitely an unwise choice in a work place and is probably why I was asked to leave or chose to leave in a couple of situations.  I was not going to squash my feelings!

Looking back on those incidents and even some current ones and while working with my inner self, I realize I acted that way for several reasons.  As a woman growing up when I did, I resented being treated as if my opinion had no value.  I also grew up with an extroverted mother who had been a prom queen and who made me feel there was something wrong with my quietness and my not being popular.

Reading self-help books and going to therapy led me to become more aware of expressing myself in a more appropriate way.  It also taught me that being quiet in some confrontational situations was more powerful than arguing.  Allowing some silence in the moment could shift the conversation to a more reasonable place.  Action was not always the best solution.

Learn How To Be Quiet

Valuing our inner quiet and making time to feed it will enrich us.  Physical strength alone is not enough to help us lead a good life.  When misfortune occurs, it requires us to adjust to the new situation.  When I was divorced years ago, I was used to living with another person.  At first, I felt very lonely and heart-broken, but as a child I had often been alone and learned how to make that time feel good.  When my mind wanted to stay attached to negative ideas, I learned to direct it to let go, take a deep breath, and release the thought.  At times, it took many deep breaths to let it go, but with time I became friends with the quietness again.

Being Quiet With An Activity

People experience quietness in many ways.  When I walk around a lake nearby, I feel inner and outer quiet.  There are always people fishing and they remind me of times during my childhood when  I watched my father fish.  We had to be quiet if we were nearby, so Mother helped us play in quiet ways or took us to another area to romp around.  What I didn’t realize until later in life is that, for many, fishing is a form of meditation, a time to go within and be at peace.

We Must Care For Ourselves

We live in such a busy world and are taught it’s a bad thing to “waste time.”  But cleaning out our inner mental garbage also helps keep our body healthy as well.  We have to take the time to care for ourselves, our minds and bodies, and it requires that we take the time to be quiet and to listen.

As our country and the world faces frightening challenges, perhaps the worst in our lifetime, we must learn to take care of ourselves and make wise choices.  In order to do that, we must listen to our inner selves.  Finding that inner quiet may provide us with the strength we need in order to wisely meet the challenges that face us.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Blog Posts:

BEING THE RIGHT ONE, Part 3, Meditation

AWAKENING TO OUR LONELINESS

AWAKENING TO SILENCE CHAOS

AWAKENING TO STILLNESS

 

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AWAKENING TO PATIENCE

Posted on July 21, 2021 | 1 comment

“Sometimes things aren’t clear right away.  That’s where you need to be patient and persevere and see where things lead.”  Mary Pierce.

Are you a patient person or is patience a challenge for you?  How do you stay patient when it is difficult for you?  What is the advantage of being patient?

(Thanks to Joanne for today’s topic.  Next week will be a topic starting with “Q” so please leave some words that I can use for the next blog topic.  Thanks for all your help!)

We are certainly living in a time that requires patience, but even without the pandemic and its restrictions, life always challenges us.  Unlike most of life, when we have those moments when we are physically threatened, we have to act quickly without thinking in order to protect ourselves or others.  We may not even have time to take a deep breath.

But most of life is not like that.  Being patient doesn’t mean waiting forever to see what will happen or tolerating what is harmful or unacceptable.  But it does mean taking the time to truly examine a situation in order to make the best decision about the action we should take.

As a young child I had to be patient for years.  In a way it really wasn’t an issue because my illnesses kept me in bed or limited my ability to be physically active.  By the time I reached junior high school,  I was able to do some physical activity.  I played tennis, danced, and went swimming at the local pool.  It was such a joy!

Needing to Control Makes Us Impatient

Throughout high school and college I was involved with many activities and became more impatient with life when things didn’t move along as I desired.  But at times I was forced to be patient.  I majored in drama and it’s impossible to perform in a play without considerable preparation.  You have to memorize your lines, attend many rehearsals, and learn specifically how to act and move.

Despite learning the value of patience in school, I found being patient in a work environment more challenging.  I worked in schools as a teacher and in offices in various positions.  Every situation required a period of learning what was acceptable behavior, what was quality work, and how to adjust to difficult co-workers or managers.

Determining When to Be Patience

Too much patience could be interpreted as laziness.  Too little patience could create conflicts that would lead to being fired or demoted.  But sufficient patience, at times, allowed me to eventually determine that a position or company was clearly not where I should be or that it was best to stay where I was and adjust my behavior to what was required.

When I first started teaching at a Catholic girl’s high school, I loved the disciplined atmosphere because I could really concentrate on the teaching.  However, an assistant principal observed me every week.  It made me very nervous and I was afraid she came so often because she didn’t think I was teaching very well.

With time, I realized that she was helping me become a better teacher.  She was gently teaching me more effective techniques like using group discussions and projects rather than relying on lecturing.  Her perseverance as well as mine made me a much more effective teacher in her school, but also give me the tools I would need when I went to work in inner city New Orleans.

Patience Is of Value Personally and At Work

Most of us feel unsettled when we are in a new situation, but being exposed to new situations offers us an opportunity to learn.  When I look back on my life, I can see how my lack of patience in social and work situations often hindered me in being successful.  There were times when I knew that what I wanted to say would create a problem, but I said it anyway.  No one was going to control me.

As I matured, I came to realize that at times I would say or do something that did not work for people who were close to me.  I had to take the time to evaluate the situation and perhaps discuss it with others.  While it may take time and patience to work out what I want to achieve, but having the patience to consider others is a requirement for healthy relationships.

Besides, exercising the patience to see where things will lead may lead us to unexpected joys.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Blog Posts:

AWAKENING TO BALANCE THE MIND

AWAKENING TO THE BEAUTY OF BALANCE

DANCING TO CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE

 

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AWAKENING TO YOUR ODYSSEY

Posted on July 14, 2021 | Leave a comment

“The odyssey is not going out and seeing the world:  it’s about trying to get home.”  Pete Hamill

Does your life feel like an odyssey?  What makes it such a journey?  Does it work well for you or are there aspects that you need to change? What have you learned form it?

(Thanks to so many of you for such great “O” suggestions.  Especially thanks to Marguerite for this topic.  As a former English teacher, I couldn’t resist it.  In the Comment area please leave me some topic suggestions for next week starting with “P.”  Thanks!)

Most of us read “The Odyssey” in high school or college.  Written by Homer, it was an epic poem about Odysseus wandering for ten years after the Trojan War, trying to get home.  While most of us are not warriors, although some are, we all are traveling on the adventure of life.

An odyssey is defined as an intellectual or spiritual quest or an extended adventurous voyage or trip marked by many changes of fortune.  Do any of these describe your path through life?

I found Pete Hamill’s quote very interesting because we often have to wander from the path we intended to live in order to discover our true selves.

Changes Offer Positive and Negative Experiences

In the 1970’s I was living in the Washington, D.C. area teaching dance part-time when a friend of mine told me that a college in the middle of Nebraska was hiring a dance teacher to set up a dance program.  I knew nothing about Nebraska, but I needed a better income due to my divorce and was excited by the idea of creating a modern dance minor.

I accepted the position when they offered it to me.  After the interview, an art teacher on the dance committee took me out to a bar in town where I discovered he was charming, funny, and a great dancer.  I looked forward to getting to know him.

When I moved to Nebraska, I shared a house with community arts organizer and made two other wonderful women friends very quickly.  I expected everyone to be as friendly as the few people I had originally met, but I soon discovered that people generally were very distant and rarely shared their feelings.  No matter what I did I couldn’t break through those barriers.

The art teacher and I had become very close. I fell in love with him.  Although he said he loved me, he said he needed to get out of the small town and move to Oregon.  He needed to be alone to find himself.  I continued to teach at the college, but I felt stifled in such a small place.  I missed the diversity of a city.  I knew Nebraska was not my true home.

New Experiences Help Us Grow

I moved to Denver because I could easily teach my own dance classes there and it appeared I might be able to get a part-time job at a college.  Besides, the man I loved had to fly through Denver in order to see his parents in a small town near the state line, not far from Denver.  It would be easy for him to stop and visit with me.

To some it may seem I wandered too much in the west, but the wandering was beneficial. As it turned out, making it convenient for my lover to see me never led to a commitment. However, Denver became a true home where I grew in many ways.

During my odyssey in Nebraska and Denver, places I would previously not have considered living, I grew enormously as a teacher and person.  Especially in Denver, I felt I became more of who I truly was.  Because of a Buddhist friend’s influence and a quarter  of a semester teaching dance at the Naropa Institute, I decided to learn to meditate, a practice that expanded my spiritual life and benefitted my health.

I also made hiking friends and climbed to the top of huge mountains to be awed by God’s magnificent creations.  I attended a Science of Mind church and studied its teachings.  They helped me to pay more attention to the negative thoughts I allowed to control my thinking, and I learned how to release them.

These years were a time when my odyssey led me through trials and tribulations, taught me what I needed to let go of and what must become a part of me.  This journey brought me home to who I truly am.

Unexpected Gifts Help Us Grow

 Isn’t that what happens to so many of us?  On our odyssey through life we come upon the unexpected many times.  The world around us continues to change regardless of our choices and that often affects how we live and may force us to change.  Each experience is an opportunity to learn a better way to live or to define clearly what we don’t want. We may have to change the path or destination we had planned, or the experience may reassure us that we are on the right path.

I’ve often moved to take a new job, be close to a friend or family, or be in a healthier location.  There are negative and positive aspects to that, but there is one constant.  Every situation is an opportunity to learn, to experience new people and cultures, and I am grateful because it has helped me understand my journey and other people’s life quests.

Now as I move into the last decades of my life, I feel at home, living as my true self in a place that is my soul’s home, with a man who is the partner for whom I always searched.  My life isn’t perfect but it’s been a fascinating journey that has allowed me to become who I want to be.

May your odyssey guide you home.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Blogs:

WHERE THE JOURNEY LEAD

AWAKENING TO JOURNEY WITH GRATITUDE

AWAKENING TO THE JOURNEY THAT IS

 

 

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AWAKENING TO LIFE’S MOVEMENT

Posted on June 30, 2021 | 4 comments

“Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement.”  Aldous Huxley

How do you feel about movement in your life?  Do you enjoy new experiences or do they make you nervous?

(Thank you, Mike, for today’s “M” word.  It definitely moved my thinking!  For next week, I need a topic that begins with “N” so please share your ideas with me in the comment box.  Thanks so much!)

At this time of year the movement of nature is almost overwhelming.  The trees are lush and full, gardens are abundant with flowers and vegetables, and where I live, the rains frequently replenish the earth.  Then, when fall and winter come, these gifts disappear.  Under the colorful leaves of autumn, acorns grow and fall to feed the bears and the arriving cold weather pushes us to get out our sweaters and coats.

Our Lives Change Like The Seasons

Aside from our need to adapt to nature’s changing seasons, the seasons of our personal lives may change too.  Couples are married, babies are born, friends and relatives pass away.  We experience accidents or illness that force us to live differently by resting more often, spending less time with friends, or helping care for those who are ill while we’re still trying to work.

How we deal with the movement in our lives may determine how much we grow.  Every change presents us with an opportunity to make new choices.  If we are afraid of change, we may miss the chance to try something new that could be a true gift.  Fear of change may also prevent us from healing wounds that have given us pain for years.

Chance Movement May Bring Gifts

A number of years ago, I felt very frustrated with my dating experiences with men.  I had been in a few relationships over the years but seemed always to be drawn to men who wouldn’t or couldn’t make a commitment to me.  Since trying to meet guys in person wasn’t working, I considered going online, but I didn’t think that was a wise approach.  How could I know if the guy was telling me the truth when I couldn’t see him in person?

Because I couldn’t think of other options, I decided to try it.  Most of the men didn’t live anywhere near me and the last thing I wanted was another long-distance relationship.  Then, one day I got an email from a man who had seen me online, was interested, but said I had disappeared from the website where he found my profile.

As it turns out, I had accidently gotten on that site and when I discovered it, I deleted my account.  But this guy didn’t give up.  He searched and found my blog and an email address.  He seemed rather interesting and we began emailing.  He was planning soon to move to a town near me.  When he did, we started dating.

This week we joyously celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary.  My true soul mate had found me accidently!  Life can be beautifully surprising!

Movement Helps Understand Others

It’s also true that some ideas we have may lead us in the wrong direction, so we have to look at the possible consequences and weed out what is dangerous or unwise.  But when the change could lead us to a better job or a better life or friendship, it is good to explore the possibilities further. The key is to keep moving instead of remaining stagnant.

Unlike many people, I don’t have a life-long connection to one place and the people living there.  Even my family has lived in different cities.  But making my home in a variety of locations has increased my consciousness of different cultures.

When I taught Native American high school students in New Mexico, some students attended school but didn’t do the work.  I learned that they had decided to follow their native culture as opposed to the “white man’s way” and attended school only until they could legally quit. While this made them more acceptable to their culture, it was difficult for them to find work and earn money to feed their families.

Often, when we have difficulty understanding the choices people make, it is because we are stuck in our own beliefs and judge the differences we see in others.  To understand the differences, we must move beyond the surface.  We must allow our minds and emotions to travel to new places.

Seeing a situation from another point of view may reveal the solution to a problem that we thought had no solution.  At the very least it will move our consciousness to a better understanding of the human condition and increase our empathy for others.

The movement of the mind is unlimited, so enjoy the universe through which it travels.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related blog Posts:

AWAKENING TO THE VALUE OF CHANGE

TRANSFORMING THE FEAR OF CHANGE

AWAKENING TO EFFECT CHANGE

 

 

 

 

 

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AWAKENING TO OUR LONELINESS

Posted on June 23, 2021 | 2 comments

“At the innermost core of all loneliness is a deep and powerful yearning for union with one’s lost self.”  Brendan Behan

Do you often experience loneliness?  How do you react to it?  Is it always a negative experience or is it sometimes positive?

(Next week my topic will start with “M” so please give me some suggestions for a word beginning with that letter.  I want to know what interests you.  Leave your idea in comment)

The fear of loneliness and the actual experience of loneliness have been a huge part of many people’s lives during the pandemic.  This is often because many are not comfortable being alone and need frequent face-to-face companionship.

Fortunately we have had Zoom which has allowed us to see others’ faces.  Although it isn’t a substitute for face-to-face communication, it is better than an email, text, or just a voice over the phone.

Loneliness Can Support Creativity

However, there are those who experience loneliness often, although they might prefer to call it solitude.  Writers and artists require alone time to do their work, to concentrate and create, using their inner skills of thinking, feeling, and imagining to create a work of art that reflects personal feelings, thoughts, or experiences.  In these situations, being alone is not loneliness.  It is a connection with a deeper part of one’s self.

When we feel alone how can we make that sense of loneliness a positive thing?  I know one person who likes to experiment making bread.  Another experiments with cooking creative dinners.  Others plant extensive gardens in their back yards.  Doing these things fills a need to express oneself and reach out to others.

Loneliness May Depress Us

Beneath the desire to abate loneliness is the need to be in touch with our deepest self or as Behan states, “one’s lost self.”  When aloneness feels depressive or frightening, it is because we are not in touch with that deeper self.  There is some part of ourselves we do not know that feels lost to us.

For most of my life, I lived alone.  Loneliness was a frequent companion, a good friend when I wanted to write.  However, most of my meals were eaten alone, except perhaps accompanied by a book or television program.  When I had an occasional dinner with friends, it was always a pleasure and filled part of that lonely spot within.

During much of my alone time as a younger person, I felt something was missing within me.  There was an unfilled space expressed as loneliness and depression.  It was a dark space that could pull me down if I let it.  Like so many, those were the times I felt sorry for myself,  curled up in a ball on the bed and cried or went to sleep.

Finding Our Lost Soul In Spirituality

I had always been a person who thought deeply and was very emotional.  I needed to find a way to bring light to that inner darkness.  I felt in touch with God but not in the deepest way until I learned to meditate.  In those deep quiet moments I found my “lost self” and I opened to the mystical warmth and love of my new relationship with God who was both masculine and feminine.

Alone time became healing time, loving-myself-time, learning time.  I no longer felt oneness with all of life just when I walked in the woods or was with friends. I learned I had become one with my “lost self” and could love myself even when no one else did.  As a result, life became rich in ways I could not have imagined before I found that missing part of myself.

May you each find your “lost self” and become best friends.  Namaste.

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Posts

AWAKENING TO THE ONENESS WITHIN

AWAKENING TO YOUR TRUE SELF

AWAKENING TO BEFRIEND OURSELVES

 

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AWAKENING TO EXPRESS KINDNESS

Posted on June 16, 2021 | 2 comments

“This is my simple religion.  There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy.  Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”  Dalai Lama

Do you consider yourself a kind person?  Are you surrounded by kind people?  How do you express your kindness?

(Thank you Charlie for our topic this week.  Next week, the topic will start with “L,” so please leave your suggestions for a topic in the comment section.  I always appreciate your suggestions.)

Qualities of Kind People

I am always deeply touched by kind people, and there are several things that I notice about them.  They are people who are at peace with themselves.  They look for what is positive in others and in situations.  They are empathetic and compassionate.

These are the kind of people I want in my life, the people I can trust, who when there is conflict will talk respectfully about our differences and work things out.  I can look back on my life and see the many times when I tolerated behavior in relationships and friendships that was less than respectful of who I was and my needs.  Now I find that I am less willing to ignore such disrespect and that more of the people I draw into my life are kind.

What has changed and why is kindness so important to me now?

Kindness Is Based On Loving Ourselves

I read an article “The Magic of Unconditional Love:  An Interview with Don Miguel Ruiz” by Diane Marie Bishop in Science of Mind Magazine.  In the article, Ruiz talks about how we cannot love others unconditionally unless we unconditionally love ourselves.  Over the years, my ability to love myself has grown.  I have let go of my need to be perfect or to fit someone else’s standard.  This acceptance has given me more peace, and I have learned to be kinder to myself and others.

It is all connected.  When we love ourselves, peace and joy automatically become part of our lives and the expression of kindness becomes a natural thing.  We are less reactive and more aware of how our words and actions affect others.  We are also more flexible and able to adapt to the needs of others when it is appropriate.  But we also are at peace with who we are and can say “no” when we must and do it in a way that is kind.

Negative Thinking Blocks Kindness

It was a challenging week last week with many every day difficulties arising.  It was a week of important teachings, a reminder that, instead of getting caught up in another’s negativity, I need to tap into my inner peace and stay there.  I wasn’t always able to do that, but I will continue to pursue that path.  Experiencing peace and love is my priority and that is what I want to share with others.

When we love ourselves, we are more likely to see life as positive.  When we are feeling positive, we are more likely to respond to life in a positive manner and act kindly.  But seeing the same situation from a negative point of view may completely change how one experiences an event.  Negative thinking can be a powerful block that supports our egos worst choices and keeps us from acting kindly from the heart.

Once, I offered to loan a friend a library book I’d finished so she could also read it before it was due.  With a long waiting list, it was hard to get.  She emailed me to leave it in her mailbox, but I wasn’t comfortable with that due to the torrential rains we were having, and it belonged to the library so I didn’t want to risk its getting damaged.  Since we lived close to each other, I asked her to give me a call when she was home, and I would bring it to her or she could pick it up.  She thought my concern was foolish, and she became angry that I wouldn’t do this the way she wanted, rejected my offer, and refused to return my phone call so we could work it out.

I was rather shocked by the whole situation.  Her response to the situation seemed harsh and out of proportion to the reality although, in the past, she had been disturbed about situations she viewed as negative when I didn’t see them that way.  Still, what created this problem?  Had I been unkind without realizing it?  Was she stressed about something or angry at me for another reason?  I didn’t know.  By focusing on the negative rather than the positive aspect of the situation and refusing to communicate, my friend created a problem that didn’t need to exist and eroded the trust I felt for her.

Positive Thinking Supports Kindness

An experience with a sales person when I had a problem with a new cell phone also illustrated the consequences of positive and negative approaches to situations.  This man made it clear that he only had time for people who were there to buy something although I had been required to trade out my phone for a new one due to network changes.

Because of his lack of customer service, I decided not to do business there again.  Instead I went to another store where a kind young man showed concern for my problems and took the time to show me how to use the new phone.  Perhaps he was just a kind person or perhaps he understood making a customer happy might mean more sales in the long run.  Either way he took the higher road.

Kindness May Be Expressed With Empathy and Compassion

Two other ways we can express kindness are through empathy and compassion.  They are beautiful expressions of our love and peace.  With empathy we are able to put ourselves in the other person’s place and feel what they are feeling.  We may make this connection because we’ve experienced a similar situation or because we use our imagination to envision what they are feeling.  Compassion takes us one step further emotionally to a place where we want to help.

To share our feelings of concern through either of these expressions is an act of kindness.  We care if another person is in pain or difficulty and want life to be better for him/her.  I have another friend who frequently expresses these qualities.  The trust I feel toward him because of this is huge.  Whether he thinks my feelings are foolish or not is irrelevant.  What he offers me is concern and empathy first.  If we argue, it becomes a respectful conversation that allows us to understand each other and helps our relationship grow deeper.  As a result, I feel loved and at peace with him.   I can always trust that he cares about what is best for me.

Allowing kindness to become an important part of our lives can truly change them for the better, for kindness is part of the holy within us.  It’s just another aspect of treating others as we wish to be treated.  Perhaps it is also another way of changing our own little worlds and contributing positively to the larger one.

What kindness have you expressed or experienced lately?

© 2021 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles:

AWAKENING TO WHERE KINDNESS HAS GONE

AWAKENING TO A PEACEFUL HEART

AWAKENING TO COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION

AWAKENING TO RELEASE OUR PERFECTIONISM

 

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