Intentionally Loving Everything

Life is a journey.  I know it's something I keep repeating as I remind myself not to stress about the little things that happen.  And I continue to nurture my dreams just like I would tend a garden - weeding out the limiting beliefs, planting new thoughts and desires.

But, I also feel the need to balance dreaming with accepting and allowing what is in my world right now.  For me, that means loving everything in my life - the things I label good and the things I label not so good.

So, when I had the flu recently, I decided to try an experiment.  After the second bout of the stomach bug hit and I realized what this was, I started paying attention to my breathing and talking lovingly to myself.

I embraced the virus, gave it thanks for whatever its purpose was and released the need to have the virus in my body.  Repeating this exercise - breathing deeply and really feeling the feelings of love throughout my body - I noticed that my body started responding by calming the waves of nausea that had taken over.

As I noticed the effect this exercise was having,  I became more present to the headache that had been slowly throbbing.  Continuing to give myself loving feelings, I went back to my mantra of releasing the need for the pounding in my head and not long after, the pain started to soften.  It took some time, however, after about 30 minutes, my head also started to feel much better.

Pretty soon, I was able to drift off into sleep and get some much needed rest.  (Why does the flu always hit at 3am in the morning???)

Talk about a beautiful practice!  By simply giving my full, loving attention to my body and what it needed in that moment, I was able to move through my flu bug easier than I have ever moved through an illness before.

Now that I've seen how magical it can be to not only accept EVERYTHING that is in my life but to LOVE it, I am looking for other areas of my "garden" that I can tend in this way.

So, today I set the intention to love what is in my life right now, moving through it all with grace and with ease.

"Each aspect within us needs understanding and compassion.  If we are 

unwilling to give it to ourselves how can we expect the world to give it to us?  

As we are, so is the Universe."  

~Debbie Ford

"Compassion and love are not mere luxuries.  As a source of both inner and

 outer peace, they are fundamental to the continued survival of our species." 

 ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Affirmative Prayer:
In this moment, there is an all-powerful, all-knowing Presence that moves just as fire burns through a forest.  It is filled with brilliant flames of light and it makes the way for the new to grow and to thrive within a forest of brilliant sights and sounds and smells.

This Presence guides my steps with a passion that is unquenchable.  It surrounds and empowers each waking moment of my day until I am immersed in the knowing that Spirit is all there is and all there is exists within me. 

Taking step after step after step, I am uplifted with a confidence that I am Divinely guided as I move forward on my path.  I am loved beyond measure and see that reflected back in the everyday miracles that flow into my life.  Knowing that everything serves a purpose, I acknowledge the challenges and I move through them, lovingly releasing them when they are no longer needed.  The truth is that even in sickness, I am perfection.  Even with the appearance of lack, I am abundant.  I watch my thoughts and words, knowing that these are great tools for co-creating the life I desire.  And I embrace it all, praying without ceasing, and excited for what will be revealed in my life.  Right here and right now, I live like there is no tomorrow.

As I lean into this excitement, I give great thanks for the passion and desires that rise out of my soul.  And I am grateful for the embrace of Spirit as I accept and allow my dreams to rise to the surface and express in beautiful ways.  Breathing in courage, I am thankful for the wisdom of the Universe that always has my back.

Claiming the love of the Universe as my birthright, I release my Word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  It is done with grace and it is done with ease.  And I let it be so.  And so it is.

The Path To Our Greatest Joy

Could our deepest darkness be the path to our greatest joy?  I read this recently in Mastin Kipp's Daily Love and have been contemplating it for some time now.

Being in a New Thought community while facing challenges can seem less than authentic sometimes.  You start to hear repeated affirmations of "All is Well" or "Just remember that you and God are one."

I get that part, however, isn't everything God including our thoughts of fear or shame or embarrassment?  How can we really know peace and harmony and joy if we have not experienced their opposites?

I love listening to Iyanla Vanzant because she is a reminder that "all things are a lesson God would have us learn."  When we are going through challenges, if we feel the need to cry, it should be okay to honor that and let yourself cry - full out, snot flying, swollen red eyes and gut-wrenching sobbing.

Then - let it go.  Don't continue to stay in your story of how you were wronged, how it shouldn't have happened to you, how it's not your fault.

NOTICE your feelings.

LOVE yourself through them.

RELEASE them.

Even more remarkable, you might find that these feelings, when given the space to be heard, turn into blessings down the road.  I'm sure we've all heard stories:

- if I'd gotten that job, I would have been laid off within two months; instead I love the job I have now.
- if I'd bought the home I wanted last year, we'd have been in a financial mess; instead we have a beautiful home that we can easily afford.

In those stories, it is easy to se that there is something real around Divine Order.  While we may be creating our lives by using our thoughts, there is a Divine Energy that wants our highest and best.  I believe Divine Energy is using some of our darkest times to prepare us to receive that which is so grand and beautiful, we cannot even comprehend what it looks like.

But, through the pain and the loss and the grief, we will be ready - really ready - to accept it and allow it and be thankful for ALL of it.

So, my intention for today, is to experience all of my feelings, being compassionate with myself as I move toward a life of great joy.

"Each aspect within us needs understanding and compassion.  If we are 

unwilling to give it to ourselves how can we expect the world to give it to us?  

~Debbie Ford

"You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out 

or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?" 

~Robert Louis Stevenson

Affirmative Prayer:
As the day turns to evening and the stars start to fill the sky, with each twinkle from above there is a reminder that a Divine Intelligence, a Divine Wisdom also shines over and around and through all that is.  It is in the cry of a baby and the bark of a dog, It is in the caw of a bird and in the piano key as it strikes a chord.  It is a lyrical piece of music and in the words of a poet.

This Wisdom and Intelligence that is present in each moment also has It's being in me.  As I move and breathe, Spirit, Source, God, also moves and breathes, expanding as consciousness expands and glimmers in the realization that there is no separation, there is no where that God is not.

As my soul cries out in joy with that realization, I know there is greatness unfolding in my life.  And, though I may go through challenges and struggles, those challenges are there to lift me and show me that I can embrace all of it.  Without the darkness, how can I know light?  And as I see the light growing from within, I can release any appearance of negativity with a love for the clarity it has given me.  I can see now the limitless joy, the  courage, the strength, of who I really am. I let go of frustration and sorrow knowing it has served me as I move forward with a faith that the Universe has great plans for my life.   I am free to claim my prosperity and abundance, trusting that the Universe has my back.

I am so grateful for all of the good in my life.  I am grateful for the freedom to be who I am in each moment, knowing Spirit uplifts and up-levels my life for the better.  And I give thanks to a Universe of plenty, filled with grace and love.

Standing tall in this knowing, I release my Word in faith to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing that God's got this, knowing it is already done.  Joy surrounds me and I simply let it be so.   And so it is.  Amen.