Tag Archives: Inspirational

AWAKENING TO RELATIONSHIPS: COMMITMENT, Part 4

Posted on April 10, 2013 | Leave a comment

“‘I will always love you,’ means nothing unless the mind is fearlessly aligned with the heart.  It takes the courage of a warrior to make and to keep a vow of love.”    www.lovedovetarot.com

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Have you ever committed to a love relationship, friendship, or profession?  What is at the core of your choice not to commit to something you actually want?  Do you feel that if you commit to someone you will lose your freedom and you value that above all else?

For the last three weeks, I’ve been writing about what I feel are the most important elements in any relationship: empathy, intimacy, integrity, and commitment.  Today, I’m writing about commitment, and although it’s a major issue in love relationships, I believe it’s also very important in many areas of life.

Developing Any Skill Requires Commitment

In my late teens, I realized I wanted to be a modern dancer and knew that the sporadic classes I’d taken were not enough.  At that point, I had to commit to daily classes to develop my skills, and when I had to miss a class, I worked out by myself.

When I moved to Washington, DC, I had to travel into the city and committed to taking daily classes no matter what.  In fact, I even found a high school teaching job where I didn’t start teaching until 11:00 am so that I could take a class every morning.  It was this commitment that made it possible for me to develop the technique and skill to be good enough to eventually dance with a company.

In cases like this or in developing skills, commitment to training allows us to fulfill our goals and desires.  The problem is that this isn’t always easy, and when things get hard, many people give up so that they never feel a sense of accomplishment.  The discipline feels too confining.  However, if we want to feel good about ourselves, we have to be committed to being the persons we want to be and be willing to search for what we need and practice that skill in our lives.

Spiritual Practices Require Commitment to Learn

I grew up in a family that was very emotionally reactive, and so I modeled that behavior for many years.  At some point, though, I realized that behavior wasn’t working well for me, and I thought meditation might help me find a more peaceful way to be.  I was right, but it took some time and commitment to reach a point where I could center myself in the midst of an argument or difficult situation.  Just learning to feel peaceful when I was meditating wasn’t enough.

Meaningful Relationships Require Commitment

Perhaps the most complex situation where we make a commitment is in a relationship because it isn’t about just disciplining ourselves to do something we want to do.  There is another person whose well-being we must consider.  This is also true of friendships because to sustain a long term friendship, we need to practice empathy, integrity, and intimacy.  Parents also have to be committed to their children and help them develop as happy and whole individuals and not abandon them when they are most difficult.

In Loving Relationships We Can Grow and Expand

With a divorce rate at over 50% in this country, it appears commitment between adult partners is quite challenging.  I would venture to guess that all those relationships lack at least one of the elements I consider important.  They are all essential in creating a loving relationship that is healthy and meaningful, and a good relationship can be one of the best places to grow and expand who we are and our ability to love.  That takes time.  No matter how much we think we know someone, when we marry or move in together, the dynamic may change and require adjustments.  That is why being truly committed to make the relationship work is really important.  It takes time to grow together and deepen the love between two people.

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To Love Requires A Fearless Mind

It also takes more than love to create a successful relationship.  “‘I will always love you,’ means nothing unless the mind is fearlessly aligned with the heart.”  I love this quote because it points out that we have to make decisions that come from the heart and release the fears that arise and block our thinking.  When life becomes difficult, we can always find reasons to run away, but if we are committed and mature, we take responsibility for doing what we can to solve problems and move forward in a positive way. We find the courage of the warrior.

When we fear we will lose our freedom by being in a relationship, what we really fear is that we will lose our sense of self if we merge too much with another, and if we don’t love ourselves, we may fear we aren’t capable of being loved.  I was once with a man who loved me very much, but he seemed ashamed of his love because his concept of masculinity was that a man who needed a woman was weak.  In his need to be masculine, he made selfish choices and felt bad about them, but refused to change his behavior.

Good Relationships Grow With Time

But it is possible to be in a relationship where we become more of who we are with someone we love, for love opens and expands us.  I see the beauty of long term commitment in the relationships that some of my married friends have who have been together for 30 years.  They have not been diminished by commitment.  Their love has grown and expanded.  They have had the freedom to be who they are and follow their interests because they love each other for who they truly are.  They have all had to make adjustments and changes, but in the end, it has been worth it to have loving partners who are deeply committed to them to share the joys and sorrows of life.

You have To Know And Love Yourself First

But here’s what I think is the key.  If you know who you are and are confident, freedom isn’t such an issue because knowing who you are gives you great inner freedom and you won’t make choices that violate your integrity.  You have to first trust yourself before you can trust someone else.  Trusting and knowing yourself means you’ll make a better choice in choosing a partner and you won’t settle for less than what you need.  You’ll choose someone with whom you can grow and expand and have mutual respect.

I think Timothy Keller sums it up in this statement:  “To be loved, but not known is comforting but superficial.  To be known and not loved is our greatest fear.  But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, is a lot like being loved by God.  It is what we need more than anything.  It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”  And so it is.

What have been your experiences with commitment?  Please Comment.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                                      ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Heart to Heart: The Importance of Freedom and Commitment in Intimate Relationships, Relationship Problems: Commitment, Do You Have a Fear of Commitment

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AWAKENING TO NEW WAYS

Posted on March 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

 “The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.”  William Bragg, Sr.

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 How open are you to new ways of thinking?  When you discuss differences with another, are you sharing what you believe or debating to prove you are right?

There was a time when all thinking that was valued was rational.  Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am,” and the western world came to value rationality over all other ways of thinking.  Information became the basis for all decisions and anything not rational was considered rubbish.

Living By the Rational Or the Intuitive

As a woman with a few years of experience in life, I experienced many years when my “womanly opinions” were ridiculed and ignored.  In other words, if I responded to a situation with emotion or made a choice based on intuition, my idea wasn’t considered valid because it wasn’t arrived at through reason.  Even if my response proved to be accurate, it was discounted.

Dangers of Ignoring Intuition

In the last few years, I’ve had some pretty dramatic experiences that have led me to place great value on my intuition.  In one instance, all the evidence, the weather report and television reports and what I could see outside, indicated to me that it was safe to travel in the city after a snow storm.  I was looking for a new apartment, and I’d lost several good ones by not acting quickly enough. But my intuition told me very clearly not to go out.

At this point in time, the attention I paid to my intuition was inconsistent.  I usually listened to it, but in this case, I decided it must be my fear talking although it didn’t feel like fear.  I just decided to do what I wanted regardless of the warning.

Sure enough, the roads had been cleared and I arrived safely at the apartment.  The sidewalk in front had also been cleared so I stepped across it and peered in the window.  It looked good.  A neighbor came out of his apartment to warm up his truck and asked me if I’d like to look at his apartment.  I stepped back onto the sidewalk that appeared to be cleared.  For a moment I was in shock, suspended in the air, then I crashed onto the concrete.  I broke my left elbow, had two pelvic fractures, spent a month in the hospital and rehab, and nine months becoming fully mobile again.  There was a small sliver of ice on the sidewalk that I didn’t see—or I think there was.

Learning to Live More Deeply

After the accident I had a lot of time to think.  Why had I ignored my intuition when it had felt so strong?  I discovered that a part of me still didn’t trust that inner knowing so much.  So, I decided to test it out.  Part of the test was to practice becoming more mindful so that I could really hear that inner voice all the time.  I also made a commitment to follow my intuition unless I had concrete evidence that it was leading me astray.

With time, I discovered that my intuition didn’t mislead me and that, by following it, life went well.  Over the last four years, I have lived more in harmony with my inner self, and knowing I have that guidance to draw on has been very empowering.  I now not only have my rational mind to process concrete information, I have the inner resources of intuition which I consider part of spiritual guidance.  I have learned a whole new way of being.

Being Open to New Ideas

There are many experiences in life that offer us an opportunity to embrace a new way of thinking or acting.  Most are not as dramatic as my accident, but when we are set in our ways and stubbornly refuse to consider an alternative to what we think is right, we may be missing out on the opportunity to open our minds and change our lives in positive ways.

If we want to create peace in our lives and in the world, we have to be open to new ways of thinking.  We have to listen to others respectfully and not make every encounter with a different point of view a debate, for in a debate, there is a winner and a loser.  When we choose to share our thoughts and beliefs and listen respectfully to another, we create a bridge that may allow us to find some commonality.  But bridging these differences requires us to suspend our need to be right.

Learning to Respect Others Ideas

Last night I attended a very interesting discussion group where we discussed the aspects of quantifiable facts and intuition in making decisions and guiding our lives.  Some members of the group seemed to need to be right more than to understand.  It was, at times, very uncomfortable because some individuals began debating and discounting any ideas that were presented with what they considered insufficient data.  They presented their facts, insisting that only quantifiable information was useful and legitimate.

Not surprisingly, most of the women were pretty quiet.  Someone commented on this, and when they were called on to speak, most indicated that intuition was the main thing that guided their lives.  They all experienced an inner knowing.  They did not need data to support that guidance.  And I suspect the reason many were quiet was because they had had experiences similar to mine where their decisions were discounted.

In fact, during the discussion I commented that all things change, even facts.  Many of the ideas that quantum physics is proving to be true were once thought to be crazy.  A woman who is a biologist made a comment that supported my statement and added to it.  During the break, a man came up to me and pointed out that he’d read an article by a scientist that said there were no physicists who believe in quantum physics.  I’m sure he thought he was helping to correct my erroneous thinking, but the attitude that he needed to correct my thinking and that my beliefs couldn’t possibly be based on science was disrespectful.  He never bothered to even ask on what information I based that belief.

Unfortunately, that experience wasn’t the only time during the discussion that words were used in a disrespectful manner.  One person’s comment referred to people turning to spiritual guidance as a regression.  Language is a powerful tool.  I was shocked by this, but then had to laugh inside.  My spiritual development has only led me to rich and expansive thinking.

Creating a Bridge of Peace

If we can’t compassionately bridge our differences in small groups with people of a similar culture, how can we possibly create that bridge of peace with people who are ethnically very different?  Yet, that’s what we have to do.  Debating won’t work.  We have to learn a new way to communicate and be and release our fear of change.  Next week I will write about how we can communicate more compassionately.

May you all listen gently to one another.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                     ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Women’s Inner Knowing: Intuition, The Intuitive Leader, Honoring Your Intuition Through the Teachings of Eckhart Tolle

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AWAKENING TO SPIRITUAL SURRENDER

Posted on February 27, 2013 | 4 comments

“When one approaches any effort with the energy of reluctance or half-heartedness, the result will not be satisfying.  When you choose a spiritual path because your mind tells you that you should, you can expect to be disappointed.  When you practice a spiritual discipline begrudgingly, enduring the repetitions, rather than savoring them, the method will prove fruitless.  For the vibrancy of any approach is based not on the mechanics of the practice but upon one’s total surrender to the direction in which the practice leads you.”  Oneness

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How do you deal with your frustration when your meditation or other spiritual practice does not give you the peace you seek?  What expectations do you have about the spiritual path you follow?

Has your spiritual practice always led you in the direction you expected?  Mine hasn’t.  In fact, I would describe my spiritual journey as a spiral dance, often changing direction and going where I least expected.  At times, my life has felt stuck in an uncomfortable and unpleasant place, and it has taken me many years to understand that, in most instances, my resistance was keeping me stuck because I wanted the experience to be what I wanted it to be, not what it actually was.

Living  With Traditional “Shoulds” and Should Nots”

Growing up, my family attended a traditional Protestant church and I learned many “shoulds” and “should nots.”  That, along with my perfectionist tendencies, made me a person who was comfortable with a situation only when it was the way I thought it should be.  But as time went by, it seemed that too many things happened that shouldn’t have.  My brother shouldn’t have had polio.  I shouldn’t have had rheumatic fever.  We were good kids and our parents were good people.  Why was this happening?

Eventually, as a young adult, I realized this spiritual path wasn’t working for me.  I knew I was supposed to be religious, but I gave up and allowed myself to find the inspiration I sought in the fine arts where each creation I experienced was a glimpse into the artist’s soul.

Perfectionism Limits Freedom

I was so conditioned with “shoulds” that they continued to haunt me.  Early in my modern dance training, I was so focused on not falling and doing every movement perfectly that I was always tense.  As I became more confident and skilled, I finally surrendered and let myself become one with the movement, choosing the exhilaration over the perfection.  I felt free for the first time. That’s when I really began to dance and dance began to feed me spiritually.

Learning to Savor the Moment

When I learned to meditate, I tried so hard to do it correctly.  I judged myself for not being able to be calmer more quickly until my teacher finally said, “You don’t have to do it perfectly, you just need to sit there.  Just notice your thoughts and let them go.”  Eventually, I learned to “savor” the stillness and quiet of sitting.  I saw it as a vacation from my busy life.  Like lying on the beach listening to the ocean waves brush the shore, I let my thoughts flow through my mind without judging them.

Exploring Spiritual Practices

Exploring Spiritual Practices (Photo credit: robinsan)

Surrender Opens Us To A Spiritual Connection

As Oneness points out, the only way we can move forward with our spiritual practice is to “surrender to the direction in which the practice leads you.”  As we practice, a feeling of peace may come over us with guidance that helps us take a step forward in our life process.  It may seem strange, but we have to learn not to pay attention in order to notice what really matters.

Having Courage To Follow The Path

When the direction the practice leads us is one we like, we look forward to practicing because we envision a positive and refreshing experience.  But if we truly practice, we do not control what appears and it may be darker rather than light.  It is human to want to avoid the unpleasant; yet we cannot grow and expand without acknowledging the negative aspects of our thoughts.  These are often the moments when our fears appear, flooding us with despair or anger, and we have to acknowledge them and then let them go.

Often, in being able to see and feel the fear, we are able to understand what to do about the problem that created it.  It’s not unusual for so much clutter to be cleared out during mediation or other practices that we can finally see a solution that comes from our spiritual self rather than the ego that is so busy trying to be right.  The solutions that include the deeper aspects of a problem are the most satisfying ones, for they don’t just gloss over the problem, they expose it so it can be solved.

Savoring each repetition and moment of silence in our practice centers us and raises our vibration, allowing Spirit to guide us to what we most need to experience.

What is your most meaningful spiritual practice?

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                            ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Yoga, A Spiritual Path, Enlightened Beings: Secrets to Walking A Spiritual Path, Wayne Dyer – There Is a Solution, What Is the Meaning of Surrender in Spiritual Practice

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AWAKENING TO OUR RESPONSIBILITY

Posted on February 6, 2013 | 3 comments

“Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.  Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama.”  Miquel Ruiz

Cover of "The Four Agreements: A Practica...

Are you a responsible person?  How do you define responsibility?  Do you communicate compassionately and take responsibility for what you express?

Responsibility Comes From Within

The theme of responsibility seems to be surfacing in my life this week.  We often think of responsibility in terms of the exterior life: supporting ourselves financially, not telling lies, or doing what we say we will do.  That’s all very important because what we do externally is a sign of who we are at a deeper level.

I attend a couple of discussion groups and the topic for the one I attended recently was the second of Don Miquel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom.  This book is a wonderful guide to living our lives and I highly recommend it.  The second agreement is “Don’t take anything personally.”  Needless to say, this aroused a lively discussion.

The Emotional Source of Our Conflicts

It also reminded me of so many experiences in my life when, at the time an event was occurring, I could not see how I was part of creating a conflict.  For example, a friend and I, who are members of group, had a very unpleasant disagreement over whether a particular meeting with a guest speaker would take place at his house or mine.  The event had been scheduled weeks in advance for my house.

Then my friend informed me that he was changing the location to his house because he had invited the speaker and felt his place would work better.  I was upset because I love having this group in my home and I knew it would be months before I could host the meeting again.  I explained this to him, but he remained firm in his decision and I felt he was saying my house was inadequate for this event.  I’ve hosted many of these events and I was rather offended by his attitude.  Finally he said, “This isn’t personal.”

Communication

Communication (Photo credit: P Shanks)

When It Really Isn’t Personal

Well, it sure felt personal to me!  I was looking forward to that warm, fuzzy feeling I get when people I like are in my house, and I didn’t want to put off this opportunity until spring when I would have time to host again.  On the other hand, my friend is a very conscientious person who also likes to have things set up a certain way.  He was the one who invited the guest speaker and he wanted to be able to control the environment in which she did her demonstration and talk.  So, his decision really wasn’t about me.  It was about his needs.

He and I are good friends and we talked about our feelings later and found peace about the issue.  It was a learning experience for us both.  But these situations often arise in life, and I’ve come to realize that when someone does something that hurts me, it’s an opportunity for me to look at why I’m upset.  Is this person being unkind or am I reading something into their words or actions because they have touched on my deep wounds?  Either way, I have a choice about my response.

Acting Out Of Love Is Acting Impeccably

By nature, we are all spiritual beings and capable of being loving.  However, if we have been abused or unloved, we may not know how to be loving.  Because I know this, when someone is mean or unkind to me, I know that it is about them, and I have a choice.  I can walk away or I can try to discuss what has caused this response to understand if I have been insensitive in some way.  Of course, my response will be different depending on whether this negative response is a one-time thing or on-going attitude.

Communicate With Compassion

If we accept Ruiz’s statement to not take anything personally as a guide for our behavior, we can most effectively use it to monitor our own communication with others.  His first agreement is to speak and act impeccably, to be concerned about the effects of our words and actions on others.  These first two agreements work well together.  I think he is telling us to be responsible, think before we act, and care about the consequences of our actions, but to be aware that other’s actions are more about their feelings and ideas than ours.   When we do this, I think we usually make better choices because we become aware of the whole communication circle. We can show them compassion, but we don’t have to become entangled with the drama.

This week I also attended a group that is practicing compassionate communication.  We did an exercise where we listened to one person’s story and tried to hear the facts, feelings, needs, and values expressed in it, then we reflected back to the person what we heard.  It seems to me that this practice fits beautifully with what Ruiz is suggesting.  If we learn to listen and speak with compassion, we are acting impeccably and we are also honoring the third agreement—don’t make assumptions.  We listen to what the other person is truly saying, and we try to become more conscious of how our own inner story may distort our perception of another’s story.

What Do You Put Into the Energy Around You?

Regardless of our spiritual beliefs, we are responsible for what we put out into the world, and if we accept the Law of Attraction as part of our belief systems, as I do, we know the energy of our words and actions affects the energy of those around us.  How we approach a touchy subject with another can make a huge difference.  If we connect with empathy and love, we can often create an understanding out of chaos.  When we learn not to take everything personally, it doesn’t mean we don’t care.

How do you handle difficult communication?  How does your attitude make a difference?    Please Comment.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                               ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Responsible Communication,  Living the Four Agreements: A Life changing Journey,  Law of Attraction, Receiving Love

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AWAKENING TO OUR DREAMS

Posted on January 30, 2013 | 1 comment

“There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why…I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”  Robert Kennedy

Ciudad de Malaga al atardecer con los Montes d...

Ciudad de Malaga al atardecer con los Montes de Africa (Photo credit: carloscASTROweb)

Have many of your dreams come true?  Is there a connection between the dreams you dream at night and the desires you have when you wake?  How can you use those dreams to become more conscious?

Dreams Help Us Envision New Possibilities

Wouldn’t it be great if life progressed in a straight line so that we could always see where we’re going?  Then we’d know ahead what dreams would come true and which wouldn’t, and we wouldn’t waste our time struggling to make things happen that never happen.  But then of course, we wouldn’t experience the joy of rich surprises and miracles that open possibilities we never envisioned.

One day after a job interview, I stood beside the fireplace in a restaurant, watching the snow fall lightly outside.  I turned and he was there, stepping forward to offer me a seat. The dream had suddenly changed shape, wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a mischievous smile, and we both knew life would never be the same.  Although the relationship was not the dream that lasted for a lifetime, it was one that taught me I could be respected for my intelligence and could share a deeply spiritual relationship.

Manifesting A Dream May Be A Mysterious Path

Life is a spiral dance, weaving steps we know and steps we don’t know—a journey that takes us through shadows and sunlight.  There are the dreams we dream and the dreams we don’t dream—the ones we bury along the way because our parents tell us they can’t come true.  Then one day, we are standing on a stage as the lights come up and our hands begin to strum a guitar or the words of Shakespeare pour from our lips, and we cannot even remember where this moment began.  But somewhere, sometime, it was a dream, an image in our souls that was caught on the wind and carried forward through time, materializing despite all obstacles.

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As a child, I wanted to be a doctor and help Albert Schweitzer heal the lepers in Africa, but after struggling with high school chemistry, I gave up the dream of being a doctor and going to Africa.   Forty years later, in the early morning of a July day, I stepped off an airplane onto African soil.  In that moment, my life changed.  I became a citizen of the world.  I could never have dreamed of the path that led me there.

Each Dream, Even The Dark One, Is A Gift From Spirit

Each dream is a gift from Spirit, whether it is a conscious dream or an unconscious one.  It leads us to places we never dreamed of going or never thought we could reach.  Other dreams may serve a different purpose and may create the illusions where we hide from what we cannot bear to see.  Other times dreams are demonic and rip the illusions away, spiraling us into the darkness of our own depth to find the real answers.

For years, I read New Mexico Magazine, feeling drawn by some powerful force to go there.  When I was almost healed from chronic fatigue, it became clear that I needed to live in a dry environment in order to complete the healing.  A friend invited me to house sit with her that summer in Albuquerque.  Once I was there, I could not leave.  The Native-American culture and art fed my soul.  Then, I found the perfect teaching job right away although it was almost time for school to start.  It all seemed like a dream come true.

But this was the land of enchantment, and what appeared to be magical, within five years, fell apart.  I lost my job, my friends, my spiritual community, my security and all my illusions.  Stripped to the core by following a dream based on illusion, who I really was continued to emerge.  I began to write and discovered a strength and spiritual balance I had never known.

Dreams May Be Profound Spiritual Guides

Those dreams that come in the night, wrapped round with symbols and mystery, may very well hold the answers to the problems in our lives and lead us to the light.  Carl Jung, the famous psychoanalyst, said in his book Man and His Symbols, “The general function of dreams is to restore our psychological balance by producing dream material that re-established, in a subtle way, the total psychic equilibrium.”

Deutsch: Carl Gustav Jung

Deutsch: Carl Gustav Jung (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After my divorce in 1976, I felt unhinged without a job or money.  The grief and anger I felt overwhelmed me.  Then one night, I dreamed I was standing in a plaza with a pool in the center.  A green ladder rose upward and across the pool and into the upper floor of a several story building on the far side.  At the base of the ladder I stood with a young man and a blond-haired woman in a red dress, a version of me that had appeared in other dreams. We performed a ritual, breaking the bread the woman had baked.  Then the man left, and the woman began to climb the ladder, beckoning to me.  Despite my fear, I followed her.

When I awoke, I realized the dream was telling me exactly what I needed to do.  My choice to climb the green ladder was a sacred act. I needed to follow a spiritual path that would lead me to a higher consciousness.  Because the arch led over water, which symbolized emotion, it was also telling me to move beyond just reacting emotionally.  The dream told me how to heal.

There are the dreams we choose to dream and the ones that come to us unexpectedly.  Weaving through our lives with joy and mystery, they are one of Spirit’s greatest transformative gifts.  May you dream well tonight.

What dreams have provided you with important insights? Please comment.

For a more in depth understanding of the value of understanding dreams and how they provide guidance in your life, read my book Awakening to the Dance: A Journey to Wholeness.

©2013 Georganne Spruce                                            ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles: Nightmares, Dreams, and the Ego: a New Earth Video, Spiritual Dream Interpretation: Understanding Your Dreams, Jung Dream Interpretation

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AWAKENING TO OUR JOY WITHIN

Posted on January 23, 2013 | 1 comment

“Find the place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.”  Joseph Campbell

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How do you create joy in your life? Do you feel it because something good happens to you or does it well up inside because of something you do?

External events Create Joy

For years, I experienced joy as a mysterious feeling that burst forth from within me because of an event in the outer world.  When I was in a play in college, I was given a role where I was the center of attention for a few minutes delivering a very funny monologue.  I was ecstatic when I discovered I could make an audience laugh.  Generally, I wasn’t a very funny person in my real life.

When I was chosen to dance with a modern dance company, I was filled with joy.  My dream had come true.  It’s true that my hard work took me to the place where I was good enough to be accepted, but it was someone else’s decision that stimulated my feeling of joy.

A man and a woman performing a modern dance.

A man and a woman performing a modern dance. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What if we could feel joy whenever we wanted to?  What would that feel like?

Internal Joy

It’s wonderful that we can feel joy about the good things that happen in life.  But there is a deeper practice and a deeper joy to be found within.  There are some days when I have no idea why I feel joy.  I just do.  Some mornings it just wells up from within the moment I rise to consciousness.  I don’t remember having a particularly good dream, and I don’t have any exciting plans for the day.  In fact, it may happen on days when I have to clean house and that isn’t a task I particularly enjoy.

Following Our Passion Creates Inner Joy

So, what causes the joy to appear?  I think there are two answers.  For some time now, I have been following my passion for writing.  When we are doing what we love to do on a regular basis, it raises our vibration and energy level.  We have something to look forward to.  We are doing something that is satisfying at the soul level and it connects our deeper self with our outer life.  We feel whole, we feel complete.  We feel confident we are on the right path.  Even ego feels peaceful.

If, despite the fact that we are following our passion, we are consumed with worry about whether we will succeed at this venture or doubt whether we deserve such good fortune, we need to understand that our negative thoughts will, no doubt, sabotage our success.  They will lower our energetic vibration.

Passion flower

Passion flower (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

Creating Temporary Joy

We can temporarily lift our vibration by doing things that make us feel better.  A little dark chocolate will usually give me a lift or going outside and listening to the birds sing.  Reading some inspirational quotes may help or reading from Oneness by Rasha.  Sometimes cooking a nice meal will do it because I’ve reached the point where eating healthy is an expression of self love.  But when we become mired in these negative feelings despite the good that is present in our lives, there is something missing at our core that we need to repair.

Creating Joy At Our Core

There is a deeper joy we can experience.  The joy that seems to well up from nowhere or for no reason comes from our connection with Spirit.  Only in the last few years have I come to understand this.  There were many steps on my journey to this place of comfort and wholeness.  First, I learned to release my psychological fears.  Through learning to meditate, I started to learn about mindfulness.  After I learned that our thoughts create our emotions, I learned I could decide what I wanted to feel about my experiences.

The Joy of Acceptance

But the greatest lesson was learning acceptance—to accept what is, to accept not knowing the answer, to accept that Spirit will guide me to my highest good.  I had to learn to surrender to Spirit what I could not solve, knowing that I would be guided to what was best.  And out of releasing my need to control everything, joy emerged.  It often wasn’t the joy of exuberance I felt at twenty-five or even at fifty-five.  But it was a soft, sweet, calm joy and it felt like love, and I realized that, in surrendering, I was stepping into a level of trust with Spirit and my deepest self that I had never known before.  This time, the joy I felt originated within me.  I could choose to feel joy regardless of the external events of my life.

It is this deeper joy that can heal all pain and create security when we feel uncertain.  It is part of the core of our spiritual selves.  May you find the path that will lead you to this place of joy.  It is within you.

What is the source of your joy today?

© 2013 Georganne Spruce

RELATED ARTICLES:  You Were Born for Joy – Wayne Dyer, 9 Tips For Finding Joy Within, Power of Positive Thinking: How to Find Joy Within

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AWAKENING TO OUR WORLD COMMUNITY

Posted on January 16, 2013 | 4 comments

“If you want to make peace, don’t talk to your friends.  You talk to your enemies.”  Desmond Tutu

English: Sunday morning sermon delivered by Gr...

English: Sunday morning sermon delivered by Greg Barrett, author of The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions & Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What have you done this week to create peace in your heart, your family, or your community?

Spiritually Inspiring Talk

Last night I was mesmerized by Greg Barrett, a Pulitzer-nominated author who spoke about his latest book, The Gospel of Rutba: War, Peace, and the Good Samaritan Story in Iraq.  This is the story of how Rutba, a rural desert town in western Iraq, rescued three American peacemakers during the Shock and Awe bombings of 2003.  Not far from the Jordanian border, the peacemakers’ taxi careened off the road and crashed.  One of the occupants was very seriously injured.  A truckload of Iraqis found them and took them to a small clinic in Rutba where the hospital had recently been destroyed by American Bombs.  Despite the destruction and lack of supplies, the Iraqi doctors saved the men’s lives and refused their money.  The Iraqi’s only request was, “Tell the world.”

Seven years later, despite warnings from the American military and the Iraqis that they would probably be killed, the peacemakers returned to help the town heal.  Greg Barrett accompanied them.  They refused to carry weapons and when the Iraqis discovered their intention for returning, they welcomed them as brothers and sisters.

English: US Marines cook kabobs for Iraqi patr...

English: US Marines cook kabobs for Iraqi patrons on the streets of Al Qaim (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Love Heals All

This story is just another example of how, when we choose to act out of love and peace, we can heal the divide between us.  Seeing the love of humanity that Greg Barrett exudes reminds me how important it is for us to have the courage to reach out in whatever way we can to those who are different.  We must learn to see “the enemy” as humanity.

Respect Cultural Differences

In the discussion after the talk, my favorite story was the one Greg told about the dinner the peacemakers and Iraqis had together on the return trip. Knowing that the Iraqis ate their food with their hands, scooping it up with pita bread, the Americans followed that custom out of respect for their hosts.  There was no interpreter and they did not speak each other’s language.  After they began eating, the Americans looked across the table at the Iraqis to make contact.  What they saw were the Iraqis eating their meal with utensils.  Both sides smiled at each other and burst into laughter.

What more can I say?  Well, I can only say I hope you will visit the book website and Greg’s blog—he’s a wonderful writer and a thinking, caring human being.  He’s on a book tour, sharing this story to open minds and connect us all, and he’s trying to raise money to do a documentary on the story.  Maybe you can help.

Hearing Greg’s story has inspired me and I hope it will inspire you too.  Namaste.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                     ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Gospel of Rutba (on Amazon.com), Muslim Peacemaker Teams, After Nine Years in Iraq: Reflections on Peace, Nonviolence, and Reconciliation

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AWAKENING TO AN OPEN MIND

Posted on January 10, 2013 | 5 comments

“Let yourself be open and life will be easier.  A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable.  A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.”  Buddha Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni

English: Henry_Ossawa_Tanner_-_The_Annunciation

English: Henry_Ossawa_Tanner_-_The_Annunciation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How do you feel about new ideas that appear in your life?  Do they frighten you?  Do they offer you a new perspective that broadens your thinking?

Re-evaluating Your Life

As I mentioned last week, I don’t make resolutions any more, but I do think about the New Year and what I hope will happen during it.  I try to notice what I may be hanging onto that I really need to release.  As I evaluated all of this last week, I realized that I mainly want to continue on the track I’m on now—writing and promoting my book and speaking.  I feel a real passion for it, but I also realize each year offers its own challenges, and I want to be open-minded about what comes my way so I can learn the lessons and expand.

New Information Opens the Mind

I had an experience during Christmas week that really brought home the need to be open.  My brother showed me a painting by Henry Ossawa Tanner called “The Annunciation.”  I was drawn to it because Mary was depicted in a way that grabbed my attention.  As the angel Gabriel appears to her, she looks like an ordinary young woman, sitting on her bed, pondering an important decision.  Virtually all the pictures of Mary I’ve seen depict her looking angelic and other worldly.  Perhaps this is why I never felt drawn to her when I was growing up and attending a traditional Christian church.

When I commented on how different this Mary looked, my brother pointed out that this was the moment when she had to decide if she were willing to become the mother of Christ.  I was surprised.  “You mean she had a choice?” I asked.  “I never knew that.”  Perhaps I’d just forgotten after all these years or maybe I had never been presented with this version of the story, but it made a huge difference to me.

Spiritual Awareness Inspires and Expands Us

As I stared at this painting, for the first time, I sensed Mary’s humanity.  She was no longer a mythical character to me, but a vital, intelligent being who had to make an unprecedented choice, one that would take her on a very challenging journey.  “There’s a story there,” I thought, feeling chills run up my spine.  I don’t know what the story is that I will write, but this experience opened a new door for me.

I immediately thought of a friend of mine who is a devout follower of Mary although she isn’t Catholic.  Perhaps I had glimpsed part of what has always drawn her to Mary.  But most importantly, I have a new perspective on this subject that has opened my mind in a way it was never open before.

Art Offers A New Perspective

That’s the beauty of art too.  As Edgar Degas said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”  When I look at a painting or experience any of the fine arts, I am taken out of my own mind for awhile and into the heart and mind of another, and that allows me to see in ways I never have before.  At a deep level, it changes my perspective if I give myself totally to the experience.

The Class of Dance by Edgar Degas (1874)

The Class of Dance by Edgar Degas (1874) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Frankly, I was very surprised by my reaction to the painting of Mary.  I don’t usually feel moved by religious art.  I often admire the artist’s technique, but again the subjects are often so ethereal that my mind, not my heart, is moved.  Maybe I’ve been missing something and my lack of interest in organized religion has created a block I don’t know is there.  But I think one of my intentions for the New Year will definitely be paying more attention when I catch myself quickly dismissing something or someone.  A second look never hurts.

Just a reminder:  I’ll be reading and signing Awakening to the Dance: A Journey to Wholeness at Malaprops Bookstore, Asheville, NC on Thursday, January 17 at 7:00.

Have you gained any new perspective lately?  Please comment.

Notes on comments:  I’m getting huge numbers of spam and don’t have time to check through them all to look for  legitimate comments.  But if you comment from a business site that sells a product (other than books or service related to my blog post), you are automatically put in the spam folder.  I have to approve people who comment for the first time, and I only approve comments that relate specifically to a post. It may take me as much as a day to approve a comment.  I welcome all genuine comments.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                    ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  Own Your Spirituality:  Your Own Mind is a Beautiful Thing, What Do You Believe: The Power of an Open Mind (Deepak Chopra), Spirituality and the Power of Being Open-minded

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AWAKENING TO NEW INTENTIONS

Posted on January 2, 2013 | 5 comments

“A good intention clothes itself with sudden power.”     Ralph Waldo Emerson

2011 004 (3)

Do you make New Year’s resolutions or set intentions for the following year?  Is there a difference in them and how does that affect your life?  Do you usually follow through with what you set or intend?

Resolutions or Intentions

I used to make New Year’s resolutions and I saw them as goals for the year.  Often I worked very hard to achieve them, but encountered many blocks along the way that delayed the achievement or made it impossible.  Then, when I was unable to meet the goal, I felt bad about myself.

A few years ago, I gave up making resolutions and started setting intentions.  For example, my intention was to publish my book by the end of 2011, but that didn’t happen.  Because I’d never published a book before, it took much longer to edit and prepare it than I anticipated.  I could have published it and met my goal, but the book wouldn’t have been as professional as I wanted it to be, and part of my intention was to make it as professional as possible.

Do You focus On An Aim Or Course Of Action?

The definitions of resolution and intention are interesting.  Resolution means a course of action decided upon or firm determination.  Intention means an aim that guides action or a course of action one intends to follow.  The difference is subtle.  A course of action sounds like a plan.  We know what we want to achieve and how to achieve it, but an aim that guides our action indicates an underlying reason for whatever we are going to do.

While it is true that intentions alone don’t lead us to accomplish what we wish, they are an important guide when combined with action.  My experience has been that the steps I need to take to a goal may change as I travel the path, so if I’m stuck on doing it a certain way, I may overlook a much better choice.  What keeps me on the path, though, is the intention.

Our Word Has Spiritual Power

Ernest Holmes, the author of Science of Mind and the founder of that philosophy, says, “Just what is meant by ‘your word?’ It means your conscious intention, your conscious direction, your conscious faith and acceptance that, because of what you’re doing, the Power of Spirit will flow through your word in the direction you give.”  So in creating an intention, we are setting “our word” in motion in the universal flow of energy.   Once we put it out there, it can draw to us what we need to accomplish our goal.

Intention

Intention (Photo credit: turahbird)

Combine Intention and Action For Results

This doesn’t mean we don’t take action.  It means we start taking the steps we know to take and stay open to what shows up. We stay focused on the intention.  For example, my intention in writing a blog post every week is to share what I know so that it may help others.  So that people know when to expect the post, I write it every Wednesday, but writing it on another day doesn’t affect the intention.  So there may be variations in the path to fulfill one intention.

One of the most typical New Year’s resolutions is to get in shape; yet, most people stop exercising in two months and gym memberships plummet by March.  I suspect many people set goals in this area expecting unrealistic progress.  Maybe focusing on an intention would work better.

After I stopped dancing, I walked regularly to stay healthy, but I was living in New Orleans where it rained often and I couldn’t walk outside.  Sometimes it was too hot.  Finally, I got sick of my own excuses about why I wasn’t walking, and I bought a treadmill so I would never have an excuse not to exercise.  This worked.  I also realized I need variety and get bored doing the same thing every day.  Some days I hike or walk outside.  Some days I walk on the treadmill and read while I exercise.  Some days I just walk rapidly in the house.  I have also taken yoga and tai chi and dance classes.  So my intention is to stay healthy and that requires that I get some kind of exercise at least 5 days a week.  Being open about it helps me to do it regularly.

Keep Good Energy Flowing

So if you’ve made resolutions or intentions, I wish you well with them.  Be devoted to what aim guides your action: better health, relating in a more loving way with others, developing new job skills.  Keep moving forward, but stay open to new possibilities, and know that staying positive about even the setbacks will keep the good energy flowing to assist you.

Happy New Year!  What are your intentions or resolutions for the year?  Please comment.

© 2013 Georganne Spruce                                                                     ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  I highly recommend that you set aside time to view this video: Wayne Dyer – The Power of Intention (video), Like Clouds Without Rain, Life Has A Crush on You, Spiritual Reading, Ernest Holmes (audio)

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WE ARE ALL ONE

Posted on December 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Daisy's first days 032

May your holiday be filled with peace, love, and joy!

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