Message from a Bald Eagle
I drove into town recently on a Sunday afternoon, enjoying the scenery when something caught my eye. On this rural road, perched high atop a tree was a magnificent bald eagle.
It was a true “WOW!” moment.
I’m one who believes God is always sending us signs, so I quickly realized this eagle sighting was a personal message for me!
Back at home, I searched for the spiritual meaning of bald eagles (of course I did) and found many interesting opinions. None resonated.
Then I happened upon a quote from the philosopher and author Matshona Dhliwayo:
“The eagle only knows how high it can fly when it spreads its wings.”
I got the message.
And I understood it.
I realize I’ve been hesitating on a few projects that I’m not only committed to, but am passionate about.
I’ve let other tasks get in the way of my progress. But why? Fear? Life distractions? Was I just lazy?
I’ve identified the culprit.
Not always, but often, I realize I’ve...
Say Yes to New Adventures!
qHow are you at saying “yes to new adventures?” I’ve always been lousy at it.
I was too busy, too tired, too stressed, too afraid…you get the idea.
What the heck qualifies as an “adventure” anyway? In my mind it was hanging off a cliff, jumping out of a plane, swimming in shark infested waters or some other equally terrifying and dangerous activity.
Imagine my surprise when I found out the truth.
An adventure can be all the scenarios listed above AND they can also be anything that challenges me to see from a fresh perspective, meet a new experience or face an old fear. And I can do all of that – when I remember to – with, and from, love.
Here are a few “adventures” I said yes to in the past two weeks:
- A long walk with a new friend in a local park to share life philosophies.
- Riding in cart as part of a small-town Christmas parade.
- Gathering with likeminded friends (old and new) on a frosty Sunday morning in our...
Choosing Love in Difficult Situations
I wish it was easy for me to choose love in every life situation. It’s not. Sometimes I want to avoid a difficult conversation or pretend I don’t get scared when I hear disturbing news. Even with a consistent spiritual practice, I can still get triggered by a harsh comment, chaotic world event or when faced with a difficult decision.
After practicing degrees of avoidance, dodging, pretending and the occasional “forgetting” for decades, I’ve remembered the truth. All these tactics are simply an ego dance that keep me feeling constrained, stressed, uncomfortable and in conflict.
The truth is equally simple.
Every time I go within and ask Love for guidance on a specific issue or ask for help to react from love instead of fear, something miraculous happens.
There’s a shift.
Sometimes subtle, sometimes more pronounced but a definite shift to a feeling of peace. The shift is physical, mental, and emotional. My shoulders relax, the knot in my stomach...
Do the Right Thing
I used to know exactly what the “right thing” was. In my younger years, and in most every situation, I had my opinion and felt strongly it was the “right” one.
Then I lived a few more decades and got a tad wiser. Not a Yoda by any means, but I gained the type of insight that comes from living life and through societal changes.
When I was a very young girl, the “right” thing was to send children to specific schools based on their race alone. As I grew into a teenager and young adult, I was led to believe the “right” thing was to pay women a lower wage than their male colleagues doing the same job. Well into my adulthood, the “right” thing was to only recognize legal marriage between heterosexual couples.
A lot has changed over the last sixty years and thankfully so. I’ve come to recognize that prevailing opinions shift based on societal norms, customs, spiritual practices and developments in science and technology.
So...
Life in Reflection...
“What you experience in your external world is a reflection of your internal world.”
I can’t remember when I came across the teaching above or who I first heard it from, but I do remember that I immediately resonated with the message.
As the years have progressed and I’ve studied the mystics, neuroscience, and many of the great thinkers of our time my understanding has only deepened. I believe that what I “see” in my external world is indeed a reflection of my conscious and unconscious beliefs. Oh, I believe it, but I still forget. Here’s a recent example.
I’ve been supporting a friend who is struggling with a specific challenge. She is the most organized person I’ve ever met and is prepared for anything.
Worldwide shut down due to a pandemic? Prepared. Emergency home repairs? She’s got that covered. Extra...
Freedom Through Inner Peace
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Viktor E. Frankl
This week my country celebrates July 4th as Independence Day. The holiday marks the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the 1776 Second Continental Congress when my forefathers declared our freedom from Great Britain.
While the last few years have been cited as the reason many in America feel oppressed, in truth, significant swaths of our population have never been free. At least not like it was described in the history books I studied as a kid.
I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom. And who, what or in what circumstances I truly feel free.
I realized something.
My freedom comes from an inner sense of peace. While laws, ordinances and Supreme Court rulings can restrict my actions, movements and outside choices, my freedom lies in my ability to choose my response. As...
The Only Safe Place Left to Go
I was on the phone yesterday with a dear friend. As we discussed recent world events, she wondered out loud, “Where can I move that would be safe, protected from this chaos?”
We both immediately knew the answer.
Within.
“Within where?” you might ask. One of the Scandinavian countries? Australia, New Zealand? Somewhere in the Caribbean?
The safest place for you, me, and everyone we love is much closer than that: within the wisdom of our own heart.
Your best guidance forward, the way to navigate the world events and help consciously evolve our communities, countries and the world will not be found within current government structures. Or in rhetoric created to induce fear. It is always available within the quiet space of your own heart, however.
How do you access it, the wisdom of your inner divine heart? Meditation and spending time in nature are excellent options and here are three more:
- A favorite tool of mine is the free app offered by the Brahma...