Enlightenment

Last night I experienced an awesome meditation experience at the Oneness Meditation event. The facilitator reminded us that when we are focused, quiet and still in this moment there is no emotional pain, worry or doubt.

As I was watching him, as we were instructed to look into his eyes, his energy and that of the people in front of me became almost a blur... One. It was fascinating to see the blend of energy, one with another and all things, that we really are.

If people, if I, could live from this place of true Oneness we wouldn't hurt each other because we would know that by doing so we are only hurting ourself. Easy to read these words, to write them, and oh so difficult at times to live them. But I know we can because we are each magnificent expressions of the Divine. We come into this life experience fully equipped with all the power we need to live a peaceful life.

Pic.. It can seem like quite the climb to get to where we want to be but it's worth the effort.

When You Need It.. Please Ask

How many times have you been in need of help but didn't ask for it? Even when someone asks if they can help you? I don't know what it is but it seems like we've grown up thinking we have to do it all ourselves or else we are weak. If we ask for help, it might mean we aren't independent enough.

I have a friend who, when you ask her if she can use some help, always says yes. She figures if you've asked, she'll find something for you to do. I think she realizes we all want to feel helpful. She is not going to deny the blessing we'll feel helping.

And it can be another of those times when my intuition may perceive you could use help but when you say no and really want to say yes, I doubt what I was knowing. When we are authentic with one another and accept the help in front of us we are all blessed.

Pic.. it will be generic because I can't seem to access my pics right now.

Hope Springs

Last night we saw the movie Hope Springs. It stars Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carrell.  A couple who've been married for 31 years have gotten into a routine that is sucking the life out of both  of them. The wife wants to re-energize the relationship. Her husband has accepted what is and settles.

I think many people in the audience could relate to a number of the scenarios. And the message over riding the movie was that hope springs but perhaps unlike the expression....maybe not eternally.

If you want to change something you have to be willing to change yourself. Don't settle for what is if what is makes you unhappy. Hope can spring eternal if you are willing to do the work to make the changes you desire. It may take others around you longer but if you can see a hint of willingness in them keep showing them there is another way. If you don't see that willingness that's when hope dies.

I pray that you be willing to create the life you want to live.

What Would You Like to Be Known For?

I was at a conference somewhere and the comment was made that ministers become known for something. "Music is her thing", "Prayer is his focus", you get the gist.

I think the same could be said for all of us. So let us know what you are known for or would like to be known for. As we bring it to our conscious mind we create it in our experience.

Here's me with regard to ministry:

Prayer-I want to forward the message that our God is within us and everywhere.

Diversity-my goal years ago was to see Unity of London grow its gay and lesbian population. I wanted them to know that all people are welcome at Unity. This is a place they can be themselves. That has happened and I am so thankful.

Music-it's so important in the role of our service. I continue to grow the music ministry with the resources and talent we have.

Personally I want to be known as loving.

Pic.. can't access them

Living Free?

Our presenters at Unity yesterday have a home on wheels. They pull a trailer behind their truck and travel the country. They have no place to "go back to" as Will put it.

I began imagining what a life without concrete roots would be like. Always on the road, seeing new places, meeting new people, getting to know the country. Maybe they follow the sun or maybe they enjoy the snow. I imagine it might be a less expensive way to live, their biggest cost being fuel perhaps. I wonder ... could I live that way?

Concrete roots ... a building, a home with a solid foundation. I have that and perhaps you do too. But then what do our real roots look like that sustain our real life? And don't we take those with us wherever we go? We are all rooted in Principles, values and morals.

Our "real" life is our spiritual life moving through a physical experience. How important then is the physical around us to our happiness? Could you be happy without the concrete roots? What would you have to let go of? Let us know what that would look like for you.

Pic.. The Israel country side. How many different country sides could you see?

Music.. a Universal Language

Last night I listened to Will Tuttle play the piano at Unity. He is extremely talented and inspiring to listen to. It strikes me that music is the one language that could reach across every country and open every person's heart. You wouldn't need interpreters, just ears to listen with.

Maybe instead of wars where we try to beat people into submission and many are killed ......music. Instead of countries flexing their muscles and demanding things go their way, music could be the median to open hearts to a revelation of our Oneness. From that place, I believe, we would have a chance for world peace. In the meantime we can find peace in our own hearts by listening to the universal language of love. ... music.

Pic.. A mural from a church in Jerusalem.. Jesus.. the way shower to love.

It's The Law

Like you, I've come across many emergency vehicles with their sirens blaring. The law is that you pull your vehicle over to the side of the road making a clear passage for the firetruck, ambulance or police vehicle. Even when they are travelling south and you are travelling north you do this. All vehicles stopped give them a clear sight line as they speed along.

In our lives we encounter many emergencies. I think it behooves us to stop what we are doing so we can let the flurry pass. Being still when there is a lot of anxiety all around us helps us to see what is really occuring. Often it's just a lot of flashing lights.... sparking personalities perhaps ..that have been triggered.

I recently attended a workshop with the focus on learning to become a "non anxious presence". Become aware of your anxiety, own it as yours rather than being caused by someone else, and breathe. Then you can more easily step aside and let the storm, that is your reaction, blow through. You'll return to your calm more easily than making it all mean more than it is....another racing thought... you can pull over and stop.

Pic...A racing car.

When Names Change...

When I was growing up my cousin changed her name. It was so very odd at the time. After referring to her by one name for years all of a sudden the request was to use another name for her... Aeron.

Do you know, I can't even remember now what her birth name was. She is Aeron. That seems right now. I guess there can be many reasons why people change their given name. Perhaps they just don't like it. Maybe they want to create a new image for themselves and a name change makes sense to help facilitate that.

I've known a few adults who've changed their names. Again it is very odd for me to start calling them by a different name. However it eventually feels normal. I get to the place where I don't have to question which name to use. It just roles off my tongue.

Have you ever wanted to change your name? If so, what would you change it to and why?

Pic.. My daughter Jennifer.. who goes by "Jenn" suits her name. She is holding baby Adelaide. I imagine Adelaide will grow into her name like most of us seem to.

I Just Want to Hold You

I just want to hold you.....
           When you hurt yourself.... my mom fell yesterday and required 5 stitches near her eyebrow
           When you get frustrated....Bob couldn't figure out how to attach a document and was angry
           When you feel confused...I am confused about my food choices
           When you are stubborn....People get stubborn when they are afraid of change

I wonder if we all received more hugs if we would feel better about ourselves and life?
If you see someone in your life that is having any kind of difficulty.. give them a hug like you really mean it! And it's okay to say to them, "I just want to hold you."

Suits

Whale watching in Victoria waters was an exhilerating experience. But before we could get in the boat we had to put on our suits. They were whole body suits and weighed quite a bit. Inside them was a life jacket. Once in the suit and walking to the boat we felt heavy and hot. That didn't last long however once we got out into the open wavy waters. The suits protected us from the cold and sprayed water.

As we walk throughout our day we would be wise to wear a "suit" of another kind. A kindness suite perhaps. It would help us walk gently amongst each other. Judge less, love more sort of thing. We wouldn't feel it's weight, the lighter we are with each other. Try it for today. Be gentle with others no matter how high the waves are.

Pic... Ric Jones from Lindsay, Pat Moauro and myself, and Julie Armor Board chair of Unity Worldwide.

Covenant of Right Relations

A ministerial candidate in the Unitarian Universalist church commented that their churches each have a Covenant of Right Relations. It basically states what we expect from each other in a church family.

I wonder.... couldn't we all use one of those? Couldn't every relationship, personal, friendly or work use it?
With a spouse it could read.... I expect you to pick up your socks and put them in the hamper every day. What do you expect from me? And the dialogue would begin.

With friends it might read... I expect that when we make dates to meet for lunch, I expect you to keep them. What do you expect from me?

Can you see how it would help to lay down, right from the start, our mutual expectations that will be the foundation for a successful relationship?

Why not try it today?

Beauty

Last night we were treated to the beauty of flowers. We visited Butchart Gardens. I don't know how many acres of gardens they have but love is evident everywhere in their care.

There were hundreds, probably thousands, of people walking through the gardens, listening to the concert by an excellent band playing mostly Beatles music and preparing for the evening fireworks.

We sat on the "Fireworks Lawn" and at 9:15 we were treated to an amazing show. Music enticed the fireworks to dance and shoot and twirl. The display was both in the air and on the ground. It was a feast for the eyes.

It was a lovely way to end five days of studying. Today we are off to Unity Victoria for the church service. Afterwards a few of us are going whale watching!!  We'll be in a small Zodiac boat...like a big rubber dingy with two outboard motors. You can get closer to the whales in it. I'll let you know how that was.

So, just for today see the beauty! It is everywhere. It is in the people you walk with and the places you live. We just have to have the eyes to see it.

Pic...Nature's beauty.

Bill Cosby

No, I didn't see him. He came into the conversation during our program yesterday. He was quoted as saying, "I wear a sweater because my mother is cold."

Think about that. I had to. What do you do because of someone else's discomfort? We often rush in to "help" when no help was asked for. We try to "fix" when no fix was looked for. Even simple little examples like you are sitting at a table with a group of people. Handouts have gone around. The person sitting to your side did not get any. In your mind imagine this scenario. Do you have some anxiety around that? Do you try to get the facilitator's attention to "help" correct the situation?

We are learning about being a non anxious presence. Notice the anxiety when it comes up. Managing our own anxiety helps us to be better people. The person beside you didn't ask for you to take care of them. We might see it as being a "good" person to help. That is us living from our B.S. Our Belief System. It's also our projecting that the person beside us must be feeling left out and we better help them feel better. Can you hear the presumption and a bit of craziness in that?

Just for today notice your own anxiety. Sit with it and root out its cause and work at healing that. And laugh at yourself... we all, I think, take life so very seriously.

Pic.. Beautiful condos next to our hotel. Notice the seagulls in the water between them.. they bath and squawk there a lot during the day. What does our squawking sound like when we are feeling anxious?

Yes!

Our instructor the other day said that she says YES! as best as she can. I got to thinking about that. She was saying that whatever comes along.... "Would you like to go there?" YES!  "Would you like to stay with ...?" YES!

I know someone else who told me that one day a month she says YES! to anything she is asked. I wanted to know what day that was! 

It's really about being open and while you might not see the gift in what you are being asked to do, trusting it is there. For instance today I may be invited to have lunch with someone at the conference. Instead of weighing that out and maybe wondering what that conversation would be like etc.. I could just say YES! right away. I could be eager for what that YES! had to gift me.


Just for today I am going to say YES! How about you? Want to join me?

Pic.. View outside my window.

A Non Anxious Presence

In the training I am taking we are being reminded of being a non anxious presence wherever we are. In the pool this morning I saw the similarities of that and floating. To float you have to totally relax every muscle and joint in your body, to float with ease. If you are anxious, tight, concerned with the waves others are making, you can't float.

There are waves being made all around us most of the time. We can, and often do, try to help or "fix" others so that they stop making waves. We can easily get drawn into that kind of energy and what does it end up doing? We end up being as anxious as them.

As leaders, and we all are, we have to become that non anxious presence. We need to be attentive to the waves, don't avoid them but be present to them. We need to be neutral.. knowing we don't have to stop or fix them but try to understand them. We need to not call one wave better than another. Lastly we need to listen so that others know we care about their anxiety, that we are there for them.

We are most effective when we are non anxious. Just for today try to be a non anxious presence wherever you are. Notice if you begin to get anxious and where you feel it in your body. The work then is to explore the root of your anxiety. What are you believing that is causing the anxiety?

Pic.. A water taxi we took last night to the downtown area.

Healthy Relationships...

The pre-conference workshop I am taking is about Healthy Congregations. The material can be used by anyone who wants to understand what it takes to live spiritually. ;Last night we discussed the "tenents" of a good leader which can be said to be the "tenents" of an awakened person. One of those is:

Person takes responsibility for self... They are aware of their own feelings, and neither blame others nor require others to share those feelings. They ask themselves regularly, "What can I learn from this situation?"

That's a big one.. we take responsibility for ourself... for our feelings, disappointments, anger, frustrations. We stop telling others, "YOU make me feel..."  Your feelings are IN you. Therefore we are the ones who need to address those feelings, work through them, understand them.

Just for today be aware of whether you blame others, the news, the government, your neighbor or co-worker, for your life experience. The Truth is they are not to blame. Feelings are there for us to better understand ourselves and to heal what needs to be healed.

Pic...?? where oh where did my add picture icon go?? 

I've Arrived

I feel like I am in heaven. I have arrived in Victoria BC. The hotel is on the harbour and we can watch water taxis, water planes, yachts, ferries and kayaks all in front of us here. The buildings beside us look like condominiums and there is water there too and a constant flock of seagulls bathing in their water.

I've always thought if I could live anywhere I'd like to live on the water and or where I can see the mountains... oh.. and the sunset!

Tonight our pre-conference training begins and continues until Thursday at 1pm. Right out our door on the harbour is a whale watching company! A few of us have talked about going out. We only have a few windows of opportunity to do so, so we'll see.

Where have you been that feels like heaven? A place that opens your heart?

Pic... My plane and a picture of us flying over mountains.

I Pray I Know...

I pray I know when to stay quiet.
I pray I know when to tell someone "I love you."
I pray I know what to eat and when.
I pray I know what to say and how to say it.
I pray I know when to ignore a comment made in haste.
I pray I know when to apologize for a comment made in anger.
I pray I know when to say I need help.
I pray I know how to say thank you for that help.
I pray I know how to stay gentle in the midst of my frustration.
I pray I know ... to pray first before I do or say anything.
Pic.. I pray I always see the beauty.

Happy Sunday!

For some church has become passe. They have memories of the church they grew up in and don't want to go back there. They think "God" has the same meaning at every church everywhere.

Unity is not every church everywhere. Unity recognizes the Divine in every person. We celebrate who you are. There is no shaming. We don't call people sinners. You weren't born with original sin. You were born as an original blessing.

I pray if you are looking for a spiritual family and home you'll come home to Unity one Sunday very soon. Today we have Emilio Zarris singing and music after the service and an inspiring message. I love Sundays!

Pic... Why not reach out and give us a chance?

Questioning...

I stood on the scale this morning and got one number. As usual I give it a second chance but this time I got another number. My third attempt agreed with the second and I heard myself ask, "Is that your final answer?" I laughed because the show, Do You Want to Be A Millionaire came to mind.

I wonder, would I feel just as rich if I out pictured my ideal body weight and stayed there for the rest of my life? That WOULD be worth a million I think. I say that because I've been very pre-occupied with my body weight for years. I lose, I gain, I get mad at myself, I'm happy... a roller coaster of emotions and experiences.

Wayne Dyer, in his book Wishes Fulfilled, writes that illnesses start at an energetic level before they become physical. So, "All you need to do is align your subconscious mind with the conscious suggestion that you have an energy body, and if you can heal the energy that presupposed your illness, then you can quickly and permanently heal your physical body."

Therefore the work is to heal the energy, the thoughts and beliefs, that feel the need to take on the extra weight for protection for whatever reason. Get to that and your wish can be fulfilled and your body healed.

Pic... a peaceful setting

Caregivers

Caregivers... and we all are caregivers... deserve our love and gratitude. Whether you are caring for others professionally or at home it requires compassion, patience and love. Have you ever watched a nurse, a paramedic or doctor and commented, "I couldn't do that"? When that thought comes to me as I watch someone else perform their job, I am grateful there are people who can do it.

My Bob is recovering from minor (he's calling it major) surgery. He had a lesion removed from his upper leg and they made quite a long incision. Today he is sore and hobbling around and milking it for all he can get. That's okay, we all need a little extra TLC once in awhile. So I made him a beautiful omlet this morning, toast and tea. Now I'm off to work.

He can get around so he'll be okay. I'm thinking that people can never get too much love. I believe we wouldn't be reading and hearing about all the stories of violence if the perpretrators had been loved more.

So for today be mindful to love up the people in your life like you've never done before!

Pic...Nature's beauty beheld in flowers and people.

This Is Who I Came Here To Be

If you wonder who you came here to be.. try this:

1. List 7 people you admire on the left side of a page, one below the other.

2. Beside each name write 3 qualities you admire in the person.

3. Once done, circle all qualities that show up more than once or ones that are really strong for you.
   The goal is to end up up with 7 qualities.

On a piece of paper or note card write.. THIS IS WHO I CAME HERE TO BE
write the 7 qualities beneath that. Now, you have your answer. It can be called, "living on your card". When you find you are behaving out of alignment with these qualities come back into alignment.

You see, we cannot recognize what is in others unless it is in us. The degree it shows up may be different, but it is there! Give this a try. I came here to be: Giving, Loving, Present, Fun, Compassionate, Wise and Joyful!

Pic.. Me on the platform at a recent International Convention.

Mother Earth Is NOT a Garbage Receptacle...

Or is it? Help me to understand:
1. people who drop garbage out of their car while driving
2. people who are walking, drinking and eating and drop their garbage on the ground when done

In a time when we've greatly reduced the number of people who smoke; trained people to carry cloth bags to the grocery store with them; maybe this is the next frontier. Of course the issue of not littering has come a long way but on our daily walk Bob and I pick up a lot of garbage. This morning in particular our bag overflowed.

I heard us grumbling a bit about trying to understand points 1 & 2 above. However I thought to myself I want to switch my energy to one of love. Not blaming others but loving our neighbourhood and Mother Earth. Love is always the harmonizer and when we do anything with love it blesses us.

Pic... Hannah as a kitten. Can't you feel love in a huge way when you look at a kitten? I want to take that love and share it everywhere.

Disappointments....

We went walking at Springbank Park yesterday. It was so lovely. We saw ducks, a Heron, a Loon like bird, a huge brown raccoon foraging and yellow finches. We sat in the shade on a bench at the water's edge and enjoyed looking at the river and the golfers across the way.

As we were walking I wondered if it is this feeling of aliveness and oneness with nature and beauty that we might miss when we let go of our body and move into an energy only experience of living. Do we miss food, and touch and loving?

I commented to Bob that my dad, his mom and dad could all answer that question for me (they've all made their transition) but unfortunately haven't been able to communicate anything.

There are so many things I wonder. One is, I wonder how I let myself get attached to outcomes and end up feeling disappointed. To be in the world but not of it. To not be moved by whichever way the wind blows is a goal of mine. To stay calm and happy and know there is a divine order unfolding.

Pic.. She is in my yard... makes me think of two worlds coliding.. the angelic and the human.

Brave

Last night I saw the movie Brave. It was created by Disney Pixar. It's an entertaining movie with a sweet story of a young girl who wants control of her own life. As a princess there are lots of expectations of what she should do, and not do ie "a princess doesn't have weapons" even though her father gave her a cross and bow at a young age. In the end it was that very talent she'd developed that saved the day.

The princess thought that for her to have control of her life, someone else had to lose control of theirs. How often have you felt that someone else was responsible for the way your life is unfolding? Yet, the truth is that we all have power to stand strong, speak up and find our own way. If you are feeling like you are imprisoned in some way, and can't see the way out, speak to a friend, call a crisis center, find a way to be heard. Even reaching out for help takes inner strength. You've got it!

Pic. The longest covered bridge can be found in New Brunswick. It shows that no matter how far you have to go through the darkness there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

The Power of Wind

Bob does not like the wind. So often it is blowing away, blowing under, blowing on something that he wishes it wouldn't. Last night was and this morning is very windy. I pray for those in the park down town with booths set up for Ribfest, that they are safe.

Mother Nature has wisdom and I trust the wind has a Divine purpose. If we could internalize the wind and open our minds for it to swish through, I think it could blow away self concepts that actually injure our experience of living. Self concepts that deny us our wishes fulfilled.

Today I am talking about the power of putting feelings to our wishes. Feelings activate our wishes. Your wish begins with a thought. Clothe that thought with your imagination, put color, action, a present tense reality to it and then activate it with your feelings. Your subconscious mind will set in motion the outer expression of your wish..

Just for today, take a few moments or many, and imagine your wish fulfilled, right now, here, it is present reality. How would you feel? Feel the feeling vividly. You are activating your wish!

Pic.. Bob and I used this technique to manifest a ride on this historic boat in Newfoundland. It relied on the wind to move. Bob enjoyed the wind that day.

Feel Good

It amazes me how I can turn my mood from irritable to happy when I make the decision to do so. Try smiling.. right now. Can you feel what happens? As soon as you smile, not only the sides of your mouth lift up, so does your spirit.

When I listen to or read Esther Hicks she has one answer to almost everything.... BE HAPPY!
She believes it is that simple. Be happy, smile, choose a good feeling to replace any sad, frustrating, angry or irritable ones.

When we choose to feel happy we are choosing to feel our God self. From that place we are unstoppable. From that place we are vibrating at a high frequency and can create our wishes fulfilled.

Pic... One happy smile!

When There Seems to be No Hope

Reading the paper this morning is like riding a roller coaster.
The Canadians won silver...yeah!.......
          Annan quits as international peace envoy for Syria.... booo.....
                  less mosquitoes because it is dry...... yeah!
                           RIM is laying off 5,000 employees.....booo....
There are stories I don't understand because I haven't been following them. Like, what's happening at our jail? The front page of the Free Press reads, "Lid stays on jail probe".

When there seems to be no hope you read stories about the man who was caught in BC . He had fled Arizona in 2009 while on trial for molesting his son. Our river is being cleaned up by volunteers on Aug. 9th. There is good news if you look for it. There is also good news in what appears to be the bad news.

Maybe Annan's replacement will be THE one who can stop the madness in Syria. Maybe those who are being laid off from RIM will move to their greater good. What I know is we have to trust good is unfolding because God is in it all.

Pic.. Universal energy created everything we see. Let's trust there is nothing it cannot turn into good. There is hope where there is faith.

Living the Tao

Visiting my brother, we read bits of the Tao ti Ching. This writing in particular we discussed. I'd like to share it with you. Many translations have been made of Lao Tzu's writings. What meaning do YOU make of this?

-48-
In the pursuit of learning, every day something is added.
In the pursuit of the Tao, every day something is dropped.
Less and less is done until you come to action without striving. When you follow this practice, nothing remains undone.
All under heaven is won by letting things take their course.
Nothing can be gained by interfering.

Pic... There is a natural flow of life.

Be Your Own Self

Michael sells Tilley Hats in his two leather shops. www.rowlandleather.com I tried on a number of them and it seemed that no matter which I had on, Bob would comment, "You look like an old lady'.

Now, I don't really want to be with Bob, wearing a hat that reminds him of an old lady. However I couldn't see it and neither could others with me. My brother commented that everyone seems to have a hat opinion formed from a movie ie Annie Hall and her hat... or some other associaton. The associations and formed opinions don't often make sense. So it is hard for people to be objective.

Michael and I were reading the Tao Te Ching last night. One teaching was we think the journey is to add on to our knowledge however it is really about dropping something we know each day. To drop our judgments, perceptions, opinions is freeing. It leaves us empty so we can be filled. Filled with what? And I don't even think it's "filled" as much as an opening to allow the flow of spirit as us. To give spirit its space to be in us.

So next time you see me I may be wearing my new Tilley hat. The one that gives me a young and gorgeous look.  :)

Pic...This is who I've been with the past couple of days. My brother Michael and Annie.