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...
How to Expand Love Today (and Every Day)
Each February we see a heightened focus on Valentines Day and romantic love. While I’m all for beautiful romantic relationships, I’d love to see the Love Month concentrate on ways to expand love within ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world.
Might sound like a tall order, but not really. Very doable.
How could we “expand love” within ourselves? Here’s a few ideas:
- Spend quiet time in nature. Take a silent walk and use all your senses to truly be in the experience.
- Listen to music that touches your soul.
- Cuddle with your pet or volunteer at the local animal shelter (everyone benefits)
- Take a few minutes to shut your eyes, put your hand on your heart and imagine breathing in, and out of your heart space.
- Write in your journal using a prompt such as: “I feel loved and loving when_____” then act on what you wrote.
- Write a love letter to yourself. Mail it.
- BONUS: OK, here’s the big one I learned from the incredible Louise...
Happy LOVE Month
This month we're looking at LOVE. Not the Hallmark Valentine’s Day card or sappy romantic movie kind of love. The real Love. Divine Love. The intelligent, creative, expansive energy that creates galaxies and beats your heart and mine.
The BIG Love.
Miracles happen when you consciously tap into your own inner divine wisdom. Most people use a type of contemplative practice such as meditation, prayer, or silent time in nature. I have received some of my most profound guidance through daily journaling.
My beloved mentor, Dr. Robert Holden, often shares a profound exercise using a writing prompt. He invites his students to settle into a quiet space, connect to their heart and write this prompt to begin a journal entry, “Love, what do you most want me to know today?”
I’ve written that question hundreds, if not over a thousand, times in the last years. Sometimes I get short sentences addressing a general life issue,...