This Saturday I will be participating with other area authors in the Sixth Annual Asheville Bookfest at the Haywood Park Hotel in the Atrium from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. For the schedule see http://www.ashevillebookfest.com/bookfest-events.html.
Four other authors and I will be reading at 4:30 followed by Thomas Rain Crowe, the featured speaker.
Grateful Steps Book Signing
Have you ever been offered the opportunity to do something new but turned it down because you had your mind set on something else? Do you ever find it difficult to let go when it’s time to move on? How open are you to new experiences?
Often Difficult To Let Go of Grief
When a door closes in our lives, the death of a friend or loved one, the end of a job, or bad knees end our tennis games, our tendency may be to hang onto this lost reality. We can’t see that the end of one thing may be the beginning of something else that is equally or more meaningful because we are so submerged in the feelings of loss.
Recently, I lost a friend, a photographer, whose pictures of nature blended beautifully with my nature poetry. Because of that, we created slide and reading presentations for our spiritual community’s weekly celebration. I feel the loss of her as a friend, but I also am grieving the loss of our creative collaboration. It is hard to accept the idea that she and those experiences are gone.
Photo by Elliott Brown
When I first stopped teaching full-time, I started writing more seriously, but I still spent years looking for another teaching job, even when it became apparent that no one was hiring someone with as many years experience as I had. I was afraid not to have a full-time regular job, so I still didn’t commit myself totally to the writing or look for a writing job. The door stood open for years before I was willing to walk through it.
New Opportunities May Lay Behind Open Doors
When I finally committed myself to finishing my memoir, everything I needed magically fell into place. Once it was completed, other amazing things started happening. Years earlier, a medium had told me that when I finished my book, I would meet the man of my dreams. At the time, I thought that didn’t sound very realistic—what did those two things have in common?
I missed the point—following my passion allowed me to be who I truly was and attracted to me someone who could appreciate who I was because he was also a writer. By completing the book and developing a blog, I opened a door. I gained confidence in my abilities and felt I was finally doing what I was called to do. But my love’s side of the story is also about closed and open doors.
His wife died after a long illness and his grief was so deep, he wasn’t sure he could go on. Finally, he came to a point where he decided he could go on, knowing that was what she wanted for him. Eventually, he stepped away from his former life and walked through the open door, not knowing what he would find. Because he was willing to risk stepping into the unknown, we met each other and have created a lovely life together.
Photo by Skadi
There Is Always A Time To Move On
When we cling to the door that has closed, we stunt our own growth. Our lives, like the life of the earth, must move through many seasons just as spring always follows after winter. It is good that we spend time grieving when it is appropriate, but the time also must come when we are willing to look at that open door and walk through it to see what treasures lay on the other side.
We never know when the next good thing will come along, so it is wise to remain open to new experiences. When we choose not to, it is usually because we are afraid of the unknown or feel inadequate. If we learn to let go of those fears, we can better see if the opportunity truly has value for us.
Fear Blocks Us From Choosing New Experiences
Fear is the source of every block in our lives. If we make it a habit to avoid open doors, we strengthen the resistance caused by fear. When we feel fearful, we are reluctant to move forward because our minds focus on our former negative experiences instead of focusing on solving the current problem. Releasing this fear will free us to move through that open door.
Releasing Our Fears Gives Us Courage and Joy
Without fear, we can more easily discern if the new option being presented to us is, in fact, a wise choice. Without fear, we can discern what elements of the situation we need to explore more completely. Without fear, we will be more in touch with our intuition and inner guidance and be open to experience more joy in life.
Open doors are always an opportunity to look at something we may never have considered or that is available because our life or thinking have shifted in some way. It is the open door that lets the light through. But we’ll never be able to experience its healing unless we step through it.
If you would like to know more about how to release your fears and you live in the Asheville/Flat Rock, NC area, consider taking my “Release Your Fears” class at Blue Ridge Community College, Center for Life Long Learning. Mondays March 3 & 10, 1-3 pm, $30. Register ahead at the college or call 828-694-1740. For more information and my video, see Workshops.
© 2014 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5
Related Articles: How to Become Open to Life, Seven Secrets of a Joyful Life, 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities
Posted in Inspirational Posts
Tagged Consciousness, Courage, Joy, Letting Go, Light, New Age, Release Fear, Spirituality
Creation Spirituality
Last week, I was privileged to hear Matthew Fox speak at a spiritual gathering. He is a powerful speaker and leader, and his philosophy of Creation Spirituality is the basis for the spiritual community to which I belong. Creation Spirituality is the belief that all creation is Original Blessing, and it integrates the wisdom of Eastern and Western spirituality with current scientific understanding and the passion of creativity.
Cover of Creativity
We Must Be Creative To Solve Problems
To those who do not see themselves as creative, Fox’s quote may seem abstract, but as one who has participated in all the fine arts and for a time was a professional modern dancer, I know exactly what he means. In fact, as surprising as it may seem, my studies of dance, theater, voice, and art have all taught me how to create a better life for myself because they taught me how to keep my mind open and how to create order from chaos.
In life as in art, we are continually faced with making decisions. Using our rational mind to make these decisions is one approach, but we also have a right brain, as well as a left brain, that can lead us down many paths to solve each problem. We are most likely to find a good, workable solution to the problems that confront us when we are willing to consider more than one possibility.
We Must Experiment to Create Order Out of Chaos
As a choreographer, I learned to experiment—try this movement and that. I would develop a theme and then create variations to make the dance more interesting while allowing the basic theme to give it unity. When this approach didn’t work, I threw out the movement that didn’t look good and explored how I could use another movement to express my idea. Once in a while, I would choreograph a large portion of a dance and have to face the fact that it just didn’t work. It didn’t communicate what I wanted, or it wasn’t interesting enough, or it just didn’t flow and I would have to throw out the whole thing.
And at times, I would just have to wait. I could feel the solution to the problem simmering in the back of my mind. Then, in a dream or while I was vacuuming or reading a book, suddenly the image would appear—a rhythmic pattern, a series of movements, a costume or concept—and reveal to me the missing piece I needed to complete the dance.
Life often feels like this to me. A problem arises and I don’t know how to solve it. I research, talk to people I know and hopefully what I need to do becomes clear. But at times, my daily life feels like chaos and no answers appear. When it begins to feel out of control, I have to stop. I remember that the answers to my questions cannot appear if I’m not listening with the “holy patience” that Fox refers to.
Answers May Be Found When We Are Quiet
So, I go within to meditate or step into the natural world and let the playful squirrels or singing birds remind me I am a part of something more than the chaos that wears me down. When I’m calm, I am better able to discern what I need to do. It may be nothing or I may need to deal with the chaos by setting up a schedule and prioritizing what I need to do. Using my creativity, I dance on that edge between chaos and order.
We are the artists of our own lives, and we have many choices about how to create order out of our chaos. But the most important thing is for us to believe that we can. We can only change the world if we believe we can change our own lives, and if we believe that, we will find the way to do it. Because each time we succeed in creating order out of chaos, we inspire ourselves and those who observe our actions, who perhaps will be inspired to change their lives.
Our Lives are Sacred
Perhaps this is what Fox meant in his talk when he said, “If we have a sense of the sacred, we can change things.” We do not have to do it alone. In those quiet moments, even in the midst of chaos, we are in touch with Spirit. We are reminded that we are sacred, our lives are sacred, and the earth is sacred. We live in a creative Universe, and as we create our lives, let us remember we are each artists who can create order out of the chaos of our world. No one else can do this for us.
How are you the artist of your life? Please comment.
© 2013 Georganne Spruce
Related Articles: Matthew Fox – Creation Spirituality (video), How to Create a Balanced Life: How to Feel Calm and Grounded, Everyone Is Invited to This Dance, Creativity
Posted in Inspirational Posts
Tagged Creation Spirituality, Creativity, Dance, Inspirational, Matthew Fox, Nature, New Age, Sacred
Do you ever teach yourself a new skill? Are you satisfied with your life and resist exploring new ideas? Or are you always open to new perspectives on your life?
For many years, I taught in high schools and universities, and what I liked most about teaching were those moments when a student suddenly “got it.” A new idea or perspective suddenly entered their life and shifted their attention to that moment when it all came together. That’s what I saw as my purpose as a teacher—to awaken the students to think and explore their view of life and expand their thinking.
Learning Awakens Us
Hopefully, we’ve all had at least one teacher who helped us untangle the confusion of our lives or urged us to step into the unknown and discover talents we never realized we had. Those moments when something shifted were significant because we had to make a decision. Were we willing to explore this new idea or did its newness frighten us into retreating? When we chose to explore the unknown, we chose to let life and our participation in it become our teacher.
Our Choices Determine Who We Are
Every teacher must first learn the material that is to be taught, assimilate it, and decide on what is important to present to others. These steps are also useful in living life. They help us decide who we want to be, and the choices we make determine how we develop spiritually, emotionally, or intellectually.
Reflection Connects Us With Our Spiritual Core
If we want to truly understand ourselves, others, and our world, we must be willing to reflect. At our core is a spiritual essence that is unique. When we talk about finding ourselves, we usually are referring to being in touch with that depth in ourselves, but how we connect this to our external selves is how we create the whole of who we are.
So, how much are we willing to expand? Becoming our own most important teacher means that we accept full responsibility for our lives. We choose a set of values to guide us, and we see each challenge as an opportunity for learning. We make the best decisions we can, and then we reflect on our behavior. Did we accomplish what we hoped? Did we do it without harming anyone? Are we comfortable with the consequences of our choices?
Spiritual Solutions to Problems Are More Lasting
When things don’t work out the way we wish, it is often difficult to admit our mistakes and get help solving our problems. Our egos don’t like to admit our choices weren’t good, so we may choose to resist any suggestion we made poor choices. The more we resist, the greater the problem becomes, and the more we block valuable intuitive and inner guidance.
When we’re willing to reflect honestly and look at the situation from our hearts, we then open ourselves to the spiritual guidance that is always there for us, through prayer or meditation, from Spirit. Developing our relationship to Spirit will offer a new dimension to our decision-making abilities. Solving problems at this level can give us more substantial and lasting solutions to problems.
Being Our Own Best Teacher Requires Self-discipline
Teaching ourselves is a life-long process, and like the classroom teacher, hopefully we share what we learn on this journey. Over the years, dealing with fears of inadequacy and rejections was a major challenge for me. I explored many techniques for releasing it. In each case, I had to teach myself to use the technique. I had to choose to work with it every day, month after month, until I could see if it was beneficial or not.
Others can teach us about a technique we can use, but we have to teach ourselves to use it, and that requires self-discipline. While I often heard that it was natural to experience fear, I saw too many examples of the way psychological fears controlled people’s lives in negative ways. I decided to teach myself how to live without those fears. From my modern dance career, I had learned that I had to practice if I wanted to achieve a skill level that would allow me to perform. So, I applied that same persistence to learn the technique to release my fear. As a result, those old fears no longer dominate my life. I decided to become who I wanted to be.
Because learning to release my fear has been so valuable to me, I teach workshops on this technique several times a year and share with others what I have learned. Since I live in a community of conscious people, I am grateful for the things they have learned and share with me. I am particularly grateful for the way people have shared their technical knowledge with me, many of whom, like me have chosen to be their own teachers.
Teaching Ourselves Expands Us
Today, especially with the internet, there is an endless opportunity to learn. As our minds expand, our lives expand, our spirit expands and we become so much more than we ever dreamed we could be. What will you teach yourself tomorrow?
© 2013 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5 Related Articles: 10 Tips for Becoming Your Own Teacher, You Are Your Own Spiritual Teacher, Teaching as A Spiritual Practice
Posted in Inspirational Posts
Tagged #WPLongform, Consciousness, Education, Fear, New Age, Responsibility, Self-Growth, Spirituality
A few months ago, my life was so full I felt I was in constant motion. I was promoting my memoir Awakening to the Dance: A Journey to Wholenesswith book signings, and I met a wonderful man and began a relationship with him. Combined with the usual things one has to take care of in life, I was fairly overwhelmed. As a result, I stopped going to the spiritual celebration I often attend on Sundays because I needed time for myself.
When We Feel Anger, We Need To Take A Breath
Then one day, I did attend the Sunday celebration, and as I entered the building, I ran into a young man I hardly knew who greeted me. “Good to see you. We haven’t seen you in a long time. You did your presentation and sold your books; then you disappeared.”
Wow! I’m sure my face was red with the anger I felt. How dare he suggest I just used my community in this way! I’d been there nearly every Sunday for eight years! I hardly knew this person and he knew nothing about my personal life. A dozen angry responses flashed through my mind—but I took a deep breath, decided to be direct, and said, “Well, I was really exhausted after I finished the book. Then I had to do all the promotional stuff, and I’m now in a relationship. I just needed time to take care of myself.”
Another person walked up to us and I was able to slip away, thankful that I’d been able to respond with an explanation that would perhaps make him realize his assumption had been wrong. I was also pleased with the restraint I’d shown. When I calmed down and thought about what he had said, I realized it reflected some issue he was struggling with.
Two people in a heated argument about religion when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at Columbia University. Click the audio button found above and to the left to listen to them. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Our Issues Are About The Ego
We all have our issues and when those buttons get punched, it is so easy to act in a way we will regret later. Inevitably, if we just react emotionally, without taking a deep breath first, we create more of a problem, making the problem “bigger, more complex, and more violent” as Schumacher suggests. Pausing to take that breath before responding reminds us we are in the moment and need to respond in the moment from the heart, not in response to our injured ego that wants revenge, attention or is responding to our past negative experiences.
In taking that breath, we are also affirming we want peace, and it may allow us to see the source of the discomfort for the other person. Taking a breath allows us to notice the tone of his voice or the expression on his face and that may guide us to respond in a positive way. I realized instantly that the young man who spoke to me knew nothing about my personal life, and that being open to him might create a bridge of understanding.
It Takes Courage To Be Peaceful When Others Are Not
I don’t agree with Schumacher that choosing the more peaceful path requires genius. I think it’s just common sense, but in a world where we’re still fighting wars and most television shows are about violence, it does sometimes take courage to take a different path. It takes courage in order to go against what those around us believe, especially if they are friends or family.
I taught high school English for years and was often appalled by the hateful things teens said to each other, even to their friends. When students chose not to engage in that disrespectful behavior, they were often ostracized, so the penalty for nonconformity was huge.
I once had a student ask me if I thought most people were good. I answered that, yes, I thought most people were basically good. She responded that she didn’t agree—she thought most people were mean. With that as the basis of her thinking, it is not surprising that she often responded hatefully to others. She wanted to hurt them before they hurt her.
Our Responses Reflect Who We Are
In the end, though, it doesn’t matter whether others are good or hateful. How we respond in every situation is our choice and we have to live with it. We have to decide who we want to be. Do we want to be the one who comes back with a more hateful remark or do we want to be the one who creates a bridge or lets the emotional charge from our opponent die because we choose not to feed their negativity with ours?
Courage Comes From The Heart
When we are in doubt about how to respond to a negative situation, it is always wise to take a breath and consult the heart. Responding out of love and peace is never a bad choice, and it doesn’t mean that we are weak by not confronting the anger or hatefulness in another. We can still hold to our point of view, but when we do that from a peaceful base, it is more likely to be heard by others. It may then be possible to turn an argument into a conversation or a misunderstanding into friendship. Courage is most powerful when it comes from the heart.
© 2013 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5
Related Articles: Don’t Run From Anger – Use It to Heal and Evolve, Video: S.T.O.P. – A Conversation with Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra, What’s Your Reaction to Conflict
Posted in Inspirational Posts
Tagged #WPLongform, Awakening, Courage, Inner Peace, Inspirational, New Age, Peaceful Heart, Wholeness
Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama, is the leader of the exiled Tibetan government in India. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Do you consider yourself a kind person? Are you surrounded by kind people? What has created your ideas about what kindness is?
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? Peace, love, and joy are now my priorities.
Kindness Is Based On Loving Ourselves
I recently 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 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 we experience an event. Negative thinking can be a powerful block that supports our egos’ worst choices and keeps us from acting kindly from the heart.
Recently, 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.
Kindness (Photo credit: -RejiK)
Positive Thinking Supports Kindness
An experience with a sales person last week 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 he is feeling. We may make this connection because we’ve experience a similar situation or because we use our imagination to envision what he is 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?
© 2013 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5
Related Articles: Appropriate Compassion, Soul to Soul with Don Miguel Ruiz (video interview with Oprah), Are You Empathetic – 3 Types of Empathy and What they Mean, How to Fix the Broken Record in Your Head
Posted in Inspirational Posts
Tagged #WPLongform, Compassion, Empathy, Kindness, Love, New Age, Peace, Spirituality
Do you enjoy having new experiences? Have you had any unpleasant experiences lately that taught you something you needed to learn? Can you see any experience as a door to deeper understanding?
Last week I traveled to Denver where I had lived in the 1980’s. Needless to say, it is huge compared to the Denver I knew, the one with only three skyscrapers, the one without a huge botanic garden, the one where trees did not completely overshadow my apartment building.
What I remember the most about the time I lived in Denver was that I found a spiritual path that has served me well, one that does not keep me attached to one set of ideas, but one which has taught me to trust all possibilities and be open to new experiences.
Enjoying New Experiences
I had several new experiences on this trip: deep meaningful conversations with new friends, a wonderful day in the Denver Botanic Gardens, the exposure to “Soundsuits” created by Nick Cave in an exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, a trip to Vail through the magnificent and enormous Rocky Mountains, and four dry days of beautiful sunshine—something we haven’t seen in Asheville in months. I felt I was dancing with delight all week.
Despite this philosophy at the core of my life of being open to new experiences, I like the comfort of routine: regular meals with healthy, organic food, a similar bedtime each night and a good eight hours of sleep, and some meditation time. For the most part, these comforts were easily integrated within the vacation time because my friend and I were staying with very accommodating friends.
Events Are Spiritually Challenging When Unexpected
However, our actual trips to and from Denver were the most irritating experiences I’ve had in years like the early days of learning to dance when every step was stumbling and awkward and rarely flowed with grace. These red-eye flights left very late in the evening around 12:00 or 1:00 am and took me way beyond my comfort zone. They totally disrupted my eating and sleeping routines. The trip to Denver included the flight to our major airport being cancelled close to the time we planned to leave for the local airport, so we had to drive for two hours to get the flight which was then delayed for an hour. We had been unable to choose our own seats and the ones assigned to us were the last seats which do not tip back. The last time I had been forced to sit in such seats, I deplaned with serious back pain. In this case, there were no pillows available to support my back and no extra seat to which I could move. In addition, when we tried to relax and sleep as most people around us were trying to do, a stewardess behind us chattered loudly and incessantly.
So, what was I to do with this? It was impossible to relax physically. This was a three hour flight. I was accepting of the need to drive rather than fly to our major connective city. I was relatively patient when the flight was delayed. But by the time we boarded the plane, I was feeling that this was too much, and my patience had run out. I felt frustrated and angry at everyone who had contributed to this problem. All I wanted was to go to sleep, but this was impossible because of the discomfort. I hate to admit it, but I think I snapped and glared a lot.
Frustration Is the Result of Not Letting Go of Expectations
But what upset me the most about this experience was that I was unable to reach a place of peace that would have allowed me to accept the situation, go within and let go of my attachment to the discomfort. I have done this in other situations. Why not this one? Probably because of my expectations.
My expectations were that I would have a comfortable seat where I could lean back and sleep. I thought I would have a pillow available. I didn’t realize they were no longer available except in first class. If I couldn’t sleep, I thought I would just read, but I was so upset, I couldn’t focus on reading. Most of all, I hated being in an environment where I had no control over my personal physical comfort, and I was unable to adjust my mind to accommodate the reality. I was stuck mentally, unable to take the next step.
Fortunately, I was able to let go of my frustration about the trip as soon as I arrived in Denver. I was so grateful to be able to sleep on a comfortable bed and immediately plunged into the joy of being there. By the time we left for home at the end of our visit, my friend and I knew what to expect. Although the trip home was also in the middle of the night, our plane left on time. This time I had no expectations and was able to be in the moment each step of the way.
Releasing Expectations Creates Inner Peace
There were still no pillows available, but the seat back tilted a little. I took a lot of deep breaths, reminded myself to be patient, read a little, did something close to meditation, and reflected on how grateful I was to be traveling with a dear friend, to have had a few days of sunshine, and enjoy the wonderful uplifting energy of a city where my life had been transformed. Although I was still physically uncomfortable, I was able to be in the moment more.
Would I choose to take another red-eye flight? Probably not, but if I did, I’d emulate some of the smart teenagers I saw traveling. They brought their own pillows and sometimes a blanket, curled up in their window seats, and slept like babies.
Choose the Dance of Peace
It’s all about how we deal with the challenges because they won’t stop appearing in our lives, but we can use them to grow and expand our practice of our spiritual principles. We can always choose the dance of peace.
How do you deal with uncomfortable situations you can’t change? Please comment.
© 2013 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5
Related Articles: Nick Cave’s Art (scroll down and watch the first video), Why You Aren’t At Peace Right Now – Eckhart Tolle, Eckhart Tolle – From Beng Upset to Being Peace (video)
How often are you in the moment? What does that feel like? Can you see the ways not being in the moment creates blocks for you to move forward?
Enlightenment As A Goal?
I once knew a man whose goal was to become enlightened. I was puzzled by that because it seemed to me that enlightenment was something that came to us or didn’t. Of course there are many spiritual practices that can take us to a consciousness level where enlightenment is more likely, but it seemed to me that making it a goal was self-defeating because enlightenment then became a destination.
George_Harrison_Chanting_Hare_Krishna in Vrindavan, India (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Time Is An Illusion
We earthly beings have created the concept of time. It doesn’t actually exist. Perhaps we created it so that we would know where we were in some sense because we have not yet developed the consciousness to just live in beingness. In this physical body and physical plane we need concepts that ground us. Time is one of those.
The older I get the more I am able to live in the moment. I think it’s part of letting go of the need to control so much of life or perhaps it’s the result of having had so many experiences when I couldn’t control the situation. As an adult, I reached a point where I was very depressed because it seemed I couldn’t get anything I really wanted.
Trying To Control Everything Creates Resistance
My parents wouldn’t send me to the school I wanted to attend, then my husband proved to be uncommitted to our marriage the way I was and he left, then I tried to get a full time teaching position after I left the one I had in Nebraska and couldn’t. It seemed that there was nothing that was really important to me that I was able to create despite my determination. I had been taught that if I worked really hard, I could get what I wanted in life, but it didn’t turn out that way.
What I didn’t understand then, that I do now, is how my determination created resistance and how resistance blocks the manifestation of what we want. I was always so busy doing what I thought I needed to do to make things happen that there was no space for what I wanted to enter my life. I was unaware of how my energetic vibration affected all of this.
A Positive Energetic Vibration Creates What We Need
While I was applying for a job or looking for a new friend or lover, my focus was out there on some destination, not in the moment, because in the moment I was unhappy with what I didn’t have and so that energy was the most influential. Now I’ve learned to focus on the present. If I’m filling out a job application, I do it with excitement and pleasure, relishing this first step. I need to stop worrying about getting the job, and make this step and each following step pleasurable.
Our energy in the moment is what creates the future, but when we get to the future we are again in the present, and we were in the present as we journeyed to the future, so….how we experience the moment is the only thing that matters. The more we visit the stillness within us where the moment resides, the more clarity we will experience. It also allows thoughts and feelings from our deepest selves to emerge.
Answers Come To Us In the Spiritual Silence Of the Moment
Recently, I was sitting with much anxiety about why I was feeling anxious. I knew there was no rational explanation, so I sat until I felt calmer and let go of my need to understand. In the quiet I created a space for the answer to emerge, and when I calmed down, it did emerge. I saw that the child within me was responding to how my mother’s overprotection used to make me feel smothered. I reminded myself that this had nothing to do with this current situation, that I was projecting the past into the present. When I saw what was going on, I let go of the anxiety that no longer served me.
When Oneness reminds us that in the moment, we are nowhere in relation to time, it also reminds us that being in the moment means we are also Everywhere. In this state, there is no sense of “not having.” “All That Is—is present.” (Oneness, p. 343) When we can slow down enough to experience this present moment, it allows us to experience peace, love, and joy—not because of what we have, but because we simply are. In this spiritual state, we are all that we need to be.
Is practicing being in the moment a part of your life? Please comment.
© 2013 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5
Related Articles: Awakening to New Life, Oneness Speaks (video), The art of Now: Six Steps to Living in the Moment, Learn to Live in the Now With Eckhart Tolle
Posted in Inspirational Posts
Tagged #WPLongform, Consciousness, Enlightenment, Good Vibrations, Inspirational, New Age, Oneness, Spiritual Journey
Is home a place or a person for you? Is it within or without? Is your spiritual home different from your literal home? Are you at home with yourself?
What is Home?
I live in the mountains of North Carolina where most people who live here are from someplace else. Their stories of why they decided to move here are very similar. They were drawn here. They visited here and for the first time, they felt they were home. Very rarely do I hear a story with any rational explanation. Moving here was motivated by something deeper, something unexplainable and very spiritual. It isn’t just that they feel at home in a place; the home they feel is a community of like-minded people, the spiritual energy of these mountains, and the artistic and diverse people who live here. It is a place that touches their hearts in many ways.
Home Is Not A Place
In 1999 when I moved to the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, everything I needed to stay there fell into place. There were many signs that it was where I belonged, and I was sure that it was my soul’s home. But just as easily as things fell into place, things fell apart, and the five years I was there were extremely challenging. On the other hand, I began writing seriously and found Southwest Writers, a wonderfully supportive organization where I met many successful writers. The more I wrote, the more I felt at home in my own skin.
Make Your Home in Your Mind
Tad Williams has said, “Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You’ll find what you need to furnish it—memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey.” 
I spent much of my life looking for the place where I would feel at home. I always seemed to have different ideas and values than the people around me. I equated feeling at home to feeling I belonged. The problem with all that was that I was looking outside for something I could only find within.
Edsel Ford, an Arkansas poet who was a family friend when I was growing up, once wrote: “Love is to come home dying from the world and find life there.” I often felt I was dying in New Mexico, but I learned to let go of my attachment to the outer and follow my inner guidance. I learned to stand more firmly on my own two feet, and all that led me to understand, home was wherever I was and the life and light I sought was within me.
Our True Home Is Our Spiritual Core
What we feel inside at our spiritual core affects everything in our lives. If we are at home in our own bodies and minds, we will experience peace. If we love ourselves, we will love others and they will love us. The physical place where we are won’t matter. It will be just another experience in our spiritual journey. We can be in Alaska, Africa, or Spain and feel at home because at the deepest level we are at home with ourselves and that connects us with all humanity on a deeper level. We are all One.
Love Is the Center of Our Home
The physical place where we are may not give us the life we need, but the friends, the memories, the desires, the energy of love we find with others can make wherever we are home. Growing up, my family lived in several places, but what made each house home was the presence of my family’s love for me. Love is the place we feel safe and accepted. It’s where we can be who we really are. It’s the spiritual center within us that we allow to open and gather in all that is good and nourishing, and it’s the place where we connect with Spirit and experience the greatest love that is possible.
Even now that my dear poet friend and most of my family have passed on, their love still lives within me. The love of friends far away and nearby feed the home within me, and I carry them with me wherever I go.
How do you experience home? Please comment.
© 2013 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5 Related Links: What Does It Mean to Live Spiritual, Eckhart Tolle On Being Yourself, Accepting and Loving Ourselves in Ten Easy Steps, One Path, Many Mountains
Posted in Inspirational Posts
Tagged #WPLongform, Going Deeper, Home, Inspirational, Love, New Age, Oneness, Spiritual Journey
Available at Create Space, Amazon or Barnes and Noble as ebook and paperback and in Asheville, NC - Grateful Steps Bookshop, See "The Book" for more information and video & Review by Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Contest judge
Visit Barbara Franken's website to read this free book, a collection of blogs and essays on compassion.
Contains my poem "Soul Mate"
Awakening to the Dance 