tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17436349500892415772024-03-12T17:15:17.580-07:00Carol RichardsonCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-23563582266202780432013-09-30T15:03:00.001-07:002013-09-30T15:03:02.560-07:00Learning to Love Yourself, Part 4The essence of love is appreciation. It's important to ask ourselves, "What do I appreciate about myself?" If your answer is "nothing", you are stuck in an illusion of falsehood about your true nature. When we really can't find anything to appreciate about ourselves, or can only find a couple of things to appreciate about ourselves, it is usually because we have received extremely hurtful rejection by others. <br />
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Too often, we then turn this rejection into a fear that the rejection will continue, so we assume that there is nothing good about us, and no one will ever accept us. We end up feeling afraid to appreciate anything about ourselves, because our real fear is that no one else will ever appreciate us either.<br />
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This is a classic downward spiral into deep depression. If you find yourself here, you first need to identify why do you feel hurt and rejected, who are you afraid will reject you again, and of what or whom are you afraid? <br />
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If you are afraid that others will reject you, the first step is to let go of that fear. We have no control over what other people think and feel. <br />
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The only thing we can control is what we think, feel, believe, say, and do or don't do. This is the primary concept in mental and spiritual health and its correlate is: our true task in life is to accept responsibility for what we think, feel, believe, speak, and act. <br />
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That said, only we can truly appreciate ourselves the way we long to be appreciated, (aside from our Divine Source, who appreciates us much more than we will ever be able to imagine in this lifetime). So, we need to get busy appreciating ourselves. We need to appreciate that we have life, breath, and a body. We need to appreciate that we are able to think and feel. If we cannot do that, then we are seriously depressed, and we need to face ourselves in the mirror and realize that we are causing our own depression, and that only we can get ourselves out of it.<br />
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So, then we need to appreciate that we can feel and think, maybe even hear and see! We need to appreciate that we are able to use language and tools and all the basic things of life. When we can do that, we need to progress on to appreciating our abilities: everyone can smile! From there, we can move up to the great variety of abilities with which people are blessed: to sing, to play music, to create art, to problem-solve, to do math, to build things, to use computers, to play video games, to run or jump or swim or ski. And so on.<br />
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Only you can really appreciate your abilities, whether they are personal, inter-personal, or professional. Maybe you are a good listener - what an important inter-personal skill that is! <br />
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Whatever your abilities, please do not downplay them - they are gifts, and taking them for granted is a negative choice that does not respect the gift of life given to each one of us. As long as you can breathe, you have a purpose for being, and your gifts are part of what you have to offer to the world.<br />
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Maybe you believe the world isn't ready for your gifts. But if that's what you believe, give them and appreciate them anyway, and then also believe that <i>someone</i> will be ready for your gifts. You are an amazing creation! You have infinite potential! Why not appreciate yourself? And whatever you give for an answer there, please know that, if you do give an objection, it represents fear and negativity, and only you can choose to move past that fear and negativity. Only you can choose to like and appreciate yourself. If you don't, who will? If you do, many people will!<br />
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We always have a choice: either to minimize our gifts, or to do an honest self-inventory, shortcomings as well as abilities. If we are honest, we will find some of both. So, please let that be your starting point, and let go of the fear of appreciating yourself. You just might find yourself doing something that you are able to do, and having fun! <br />
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For those of us who haven't spent much or any time in depression, this all sounds basic, but please remember to practice appreciation for yourself and others at every opportunity. May we all learn to celebrate the gifts of who we are!<br />
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Love & Light,<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-56802290807630085522013-09-23T12:17:00.002-07:002013-09-23T12:17:57.336-07:00Learning to Love Yourself, Part 3Often, we have difficulty accepting our own needs and shortcomings, as well as the daily mistakes we make. (Yes, I believe we all make mistakes every day - or at least, fall short of an ideal standard in some area of thinking, believing, and acting.) Our needs may seem embarrassing to us, such as needing more sleep than the average individual, or needing glasses/contact lenses, or more deodorant than the average person. <br />
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We may feel a sense of shame over other needs. Sometimes, our families taught us that to feel sad or depressed or to cry is bad, wrong, or inferior (and worse, treat it as a feminine shortcoming - that's sexism at work). So, having strong feelings, especially negative ones, may cause us a sense of shame that leads to repressing them, often to the point that we don't even realize how we feel, or it may lead us to hiding our emotions, believing that we simply can't let anyone else know how we feel or they will reject us. We may also feel a sense of shame over our sexual needs - and yes, both affectionate touch as well as orgasmic release/relief can be considered needs from a holistic perspective. <br />
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Finally, we also may literally hate ourselves when we make mistakes, whether big ones, like committing an error at work or forgetting a child's ball game, performance, etc., or other mistakes like forgetting to pay bills, showing up late for an event that's important to a partner or friend. <br />
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When we reject ourselves like this, whether for our own neediness or for our own mistakes, it usually stems from experiences of rejection of our needs and desires when we were younger, and/or rejection of ourselves when we made mistakes while growing up in our families, or at school, or early in our work life. <br />
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If we can remember and get in touch with our thoughts and feelings and what others said to us during those times, it can help us learn to choose happier, healthier, more self-accepting and affirming thoughts. For instance, if we grew up attending a school where a teacher shamed people who made mistakes with their multiplication tables by saying something like, "You never get these right. You are such a slow learner!" That belief, "I am a slow learner," may get stuck in our head, unless we manage to resist it and switch it with a positive affirmation such as, "If I study hard, sooner or later I will learn what I need to know." <br />
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Catching our current negative thoughts and beliefs is so important. Let's say you make a mistake at work, and you feel afraid that the boss will get really angry at you. So, you start telling yourself what an idiot you are, and you believe that about yourself, and you believe the boss will get angry as well. Now, you have yourself rejecting yourself, you feel angry and afraid, and so, if your boss does come, you will probably experience your boss expressing disappointment in you, perhaps also rejecting your work and possibly you. <br />
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Now, as soon as we notice that we are feeling bad, we know that we have had a negative thought or belief about ourselves. Or, perhaps we aren't really aware that we feel anxious or upset, but we notice that we've had a negative thought like "I'm so stupid." <br />
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Beating ourselves up like that is toxic to our feelings, our subconscious mind, our subtle energy system, and therefore also to our bodies, because it's all linked. But we can stop it. The reason we feel bad, anxious, or stressed, is that we are having negative thoughts in our heads. The reason that we have negative thoughts in our heads is that we learned, usually from someone else, to think negatively about ourselves, or to have negative beliefs about ourselves such as: "I always screw up." <br />
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We learned this way of thinking and feeling, so we can obviously learn to think and feel differently. Isn't that good news? Of course, it may not be easy, because we have to learn to notice and to change our negative thoughts and beliefs. Loving ourselves means committing ourselves to noticing our own negative thoughts, and changing them to positive, loving, affirming, accepting thoughts. <br />
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For example, if we hate it when we get somewhere late, we may hear the voice of a relative yelling at us that we are always so inconsiderate and self-centered and we can't plan ahead and get organized, and on and on. In effect, we internalize all those beliefs, which is what they are. Perhaps we have a form of attention deficit disorder, which can lead to distractability as well as difficulty getting organized, which in turn can lead to ending up being late. We may want to find out if we have some sort of inner challenge of this sort, so that we can learn ways to deal with it. <br />
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In the meantime, as soon as we notice that we are feeling bad because we're late, we need to ask ourselves what we're thinking and believing about ourselves. Then, we need to ask ourselves, "was I being considerate of that person?" If we become aware that we have difficulties getting organized and planning ahead, we need to love and accept ourselves for being that way, and commit ourselves to learning how to get better organized, and to begin to plan ahead when we have somewhere to go. Next, we need to think new, more positive thoughts such as, "I had other concerns that kept me from focusing on getting there on time, but I love and forgive myself, and I know I can and will do better." <br />
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Accepting ourselves the way we are is essential to loving ourselves. Committing to work on ourselves so that we will be the way we long to be is also imperative, or we will tend to remain in a state of feeling worthless and unacceptable. That is not a very positive way to live life. We literally need to learn to love and forgive ourselves, and to accept everything about ourselves just as we are. For many of us, that can take a lot of conscious work. Getting help through life coaching can definitely help. We can accomplish this if we commit to becoming a happier, more loving person. That kind of success is attainable by anyone and everyone. And you deserve to be happy, loving, and loved! <br />
Love & Light,<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-43762503125291919262013-09-14T09:01:00.000-07:002013-09-14T09:01:02.641-07:00Learning to Love Yourself, Part 2In many cultures, there have been expressions of both the sacred masculine as well as the sacred feminine. For instance, the well-known yin-yang symbol beautifully expresses the balance and harmony of masculine and feminine. Often, we in the West do not conceive of these qualities as sacred, yet we can heal and love ourselves more fully when we do conceive of these qualities, both feminine and masculine, as sacred, and as part of the sacredness of Creation, or the Universe.<br />
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Yet, in Native American traditions we hear references to Father Sky and Mother Earth. In Hindu traditions, there is reverence both for the Divine Father and for the Divine Mother. In a long-lost (or perhaps well-hidden) gospel, <i>The Essene Gospel of Peace</i>, Jesus Christ referred to "our Heavenly Father" and "our Earthly Mother." <br />
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Each of us has feminine and masculine qualities within us, both the sacred maternal aspects and the sacred paternal qualities. In Genesis, we are told that God created both male and female in God's image, and Biblical scholar Phyllis Trible points out in one of her books that the structure of the Hebrew phrases in this section form a chiastic structure, which literarily emphasizes that both male and female are required in order to image God fully. <br />
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Why do I bring this up when writing about learning to love ourselves? Because, in our essence, we are divinity, both sacred masculine and feminine, ideally balanced and harmonized within us. That's what this Genesis text refers to on a deeper, more mystical level, that being created in God's image means being balanced and harmonized with both the sacred feminine and masculine qualities and energies within us. In order to love ourselves, we need to know where we are headed, so we can become aware of where we fall short.<br />
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I believe that our true foundation for self-worth is believing that, as the Judeo-Christian tradition expresses it, we are created in the image of God. Or, as might be expressed in other religious traditions, we are incarnations of the Divine Father and/or Divine Mother. Or, we are souls who come from our Divine Source, and who ultimately return to, or become One with our Divine Source. <br />
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In the meantime, we need to understand that, if the love from our earthly parents fell short of empowering us to learn to love ourselves when we were young, we need to take on that parental role of loving ourselves. This is the divine task - what our Divine Source does, so we also need to love ourselves as our own inner father/self and mother/self. <br />
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That inner parent within us, (yes, I'm writing redundantly on purpose) is what we need to discover and to develop so that we will love ourselves with all the force of Divine Love - the kind of love which God, or our Divine Mother and Divine Father hold for us.<br />
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When we can love ourselves as we might wish our parents had loved us, we can heal. For some of us, this might be difficult. We might still feel uncomfortable loving ourselves, or we might not know how to love the way a loving father or mother loves - unconditionally, supportively, and affectionately.<br />
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For me, it was not until I had raised my own daughter and son for a few years, and was studying theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School, that I began to learn how to do this. First, I learned at Vanderbilt that because our parents represent "who God is" to us in our early years, how our parents treat us becomes subconsciously the way we learn to believe that God treats us (or, how the Universe treats us). Next, I realized, because of the emphasis on feminist theology at Vanderbilt, that a lot of us have issues with seeing God as a mother in part because of how we experience or experienced our own mothers. Finally, I realized that I loved my own two children so much, that I could not imagine anyone or anything more precious to me than they are. <br />
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When I realized that the love I have for my children is the kind of love that God feels and has for all of us, I realized that some of that love for myself was missing, and I needed to learn to feel loved, and to love myself, the way I love my own children. <br />
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If you do not have children, I invite you to start loving yourself the way you wish your parents (or whoever raised you) had loved you. Imagine yourself fully accepted, just as you are, warmly embraced, touched lovingly, adored for your delightful soul, delighted in for who you are, encouraged for who you can become, and supported in all you seek to accomplish. Unconditional, all-embracing, warm loving feelings filling your whole being - that's how the Divine Father and Divine Mother love you. <br />
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If nothing else, hug yourself - yes, literally! Feel the love that you can remember from anyone or any occasion, no matter how slight or lukewarm that feeling of love was, even if it was the comfort of hugging your own teddy bear! Take a deep breath, sigh out through your mouth, and feel loved! <br />
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Love from the Divine Mother and Divine Father feels serene, calming, and peaceful. It feels comforting. <br />
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If you still haven't gotten the feeling yet, there are some yoga-style exercises you can do to help get yourself there. Perhaps this calls for a youtube video to demonstrate...please feel free to request that! In the meantime, try cradling your own head, either in your arms, or by placing your hands on the sides of your head and cupping your ears. Feel loved and supported. Think positive affirmations such as: I love myself. I deserve to be loved. Or, the famous Louise Hay line: "I love and accept myself." (I believe that's from her book, "You Can Heal Your Life.")<br />
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You are lovable. You are loved - all the time. This great, big Universe is an expression of the love of the Divine Mother/Father, and you are a wonderful, yes, delightful part of this beloved Universe. So why not love yourself because you are just as wonderful as can be. If you could have been any better, you would have been. If you could be any better, you will be. Right now, you are lovable just as you are!<br />
May the love and light of our Divine Father/Mother grow within you,<br />
Carol<br />
<br />Carol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-756843285588855772013-09-11T08:13:00.001-07:002013-09-11T08:13:21.130-07:00Learning to Love Yourself - Step OneMany of us were blessed to grow up in families that were affectionate, with parents who told us they loved us, with complements and affirmations of our being handed out freely with a loving energy that warmed our little hearts and souls. In this nurturing environment, we grew up feeling loved, and learned to love ourselves and others, at least sometimes. In some cases, we grew up with such unconditional love, that we learned to love ourselves and others unconditionally.<div>
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The ideal human condition would be for everyone to grow up so surrounded by love that they naturally learned to love themselves and everyone else unconditionally. Obviously, that is not the case in the world. </div>
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Instead, many of us grew up either without enough love, or knowing that we were loved, but not feeling it. Some of us were perceived as obstacles to our parents' own happiness. Some of us were objectified so that we would bring happiness to our parents, by controlling what we did, what we wore, and so on, so that our parents would feel happy. That kind of love is objective love; being loved as someone who makes another person happy.</div>
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Many of us grew up knowing we were loved, but not feeling it. Affection was infrequent, or if lacked the open warmth of unconditional love. Compliments were few (if any), while criticisms were many. Our feelings either did not count when we most felt we needed our feelings to be counted, or our feelings did not count as much as the feelings of others. Our basic needs were supplied, but our sense of self was rarely affirmed through attention to what was important to us. Our parents may have been too busy to pay attention to our inner thoughts and feelings. Our parents may have been caught up in their own emotional needs and therefore unable to deal with our emotional needs. Our parents may have simply not known how to deal with emotional needs - theirs, ours, or anyone's. </div>
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So, how do we learn to love ourselves - fully, warmly, and forever, if we grew up in a home where loving us warmly for who we are was not quite a top priority? </div>
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There are several basic steps that I have found helpful with myself and with clients. </div>
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The first step is to get a photo of one's self as a small child - two or three years old. All small children are cute and lovable in their own way. Their precious innocence, hopefulness, and vulnerability all speak to their soul-self - that pure soul that came into this body, and this lifetime, with a purpose, with a little bit of divine being-ness within themselves. </div>
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It is important to learn to be able to look at photos of your small child self, and see your own soul, and love yourself - your soul, your Self, very much. The goal is to be able to feel parental love - a sense of affection and protection - for your own vulnerable soul-self, and the little girl or boy inside you that can feel wounded instead of whole.</div>
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Learning to love ourselves means seeing ourselves from the perspective of our Higher Self - what some people might call 'A God's-Eye View' and loving ourselves subjectively for who we are. Seeing ourselves as whole beings who came into this life with potential and purpose, and desiring to protect our souls and fulfill that purpose is part of loving ourselves fully. Feeling affection towards our small child self is important as well, for the loving energy of affection can heal some of the inner wounds we have experienced against this precious Self. </div>
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No one else can do this for us. </div>
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Until we learn to love ourselves fully, we feel incomplete. Loving ourselves really is a pre-requisite to being able to love others as subjects rather than just as objects. We'll come back to that later, while for now, I would simply like to invite you to love yourself. If you don't choose to work at this project, your life will always feel incomplete, and your inner pains will remain and leak out in painful ways. </div>
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Why not begin today to love yourself more than you have before? Why not look for that divine spark within you that is evident in your small child self? Why not realize that through the power of unconditional love, you are whole and complete and lovable, and start feeling that love for yourself right now? </div>
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With Love & Light,</div>
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Carol</div>
Carol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-4547125902422522122013-07-24T12:53:00.001-07:002013-07-24T12:53:39.658-07:00Energy Therapy for Children and TeensRecently, some clients brought in their two young children for an energy healing session with me. The daughter was three, the son was four. Children can be highly receptive to energy healing, Reiki, or energy therapy (I use all three terms for the work I do). <br />
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Parents' attitudes make a big difference. If parents believe the energy session will help a child, the child is usually more open to receiving the benefits from the energy. In this case, the three-year-old had just had an injury to her hand and finger which was injurious enough to require a trip to the doctor and a splint on her little finger. She seemed worried that this might be like a visit to the doctor's, but her mom lay down on the healing table (massage table) with her, and all went well. <br />
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The four-year-old was independent enough to step on a stool and then to get on the table by himself. He had an issue with his legs. The healing energy can benefit any condition; although it may or may not end up resulting in a cure, starting at this young age can be really helpful for setting healthier patterns for life. Structural issues, cellular issues, glandular issues including the immune system response, along with emotional and spiritual issues can all be addressed effectively when starting so young. <br />
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Repeating sessions weekly for chronic conditions is recommended, and possibly even after just a few days for an acute situation. Ongoing energy therapy on a monthly basis is recommended for all ages.<br />
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For children of this young pre-school age, little talking is likely to be part of the session, so half an hour can suffice. For older children who will open up and dialogue with the practitioner, an hour is recommended. For Teenagers, either an hour or a 90 minute session might be required. <br />
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Energy healing brings in the energy of life to help the body heal at the cellular level, but also feeds and balances the chakras which is restorative for the entire glandular system. Additionally, energy therapy lifts the mood, facilitates connection with one's Higher Self, and overall boosts and restores one's energy. For children, this means that it helps them be their very best physically, mentally, and emotionally. <br />
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With repeated sessions, it can also help them stay centered and calm, especially as I have the opportunity to help them learn some self-management tools and skills.<br />
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Why not give your child the opportunity to fulfill their potential, no matter how they are currently doing in school, sports, music, or socially? For their sake, it is certainly worth a try! <br />
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Peace,<br />
Carol<br />
Carol Richardson, M. Div., M.P.H.<br />
Currently available Monday-through Friday and Sunday afternoons. Availability on Saturdays is limited to evenings for the next two weeks.Carol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-39612038713041171852013-07-24T12:22:00.000-07:002013-07-24T12:22:19.191-07:00The Way of Enlightened SpiritualityMany mystical variations of different religions around the world and throughout history have shared the concept of spirituality as a way of life. For instance, the Tao means the Way. Early Christians were called The Way (cf. Acts 9:2). Many people of different faith traditions consider themselves to be on a spiritual journey or spiritual path, valuing the journey as well as the destination.<br />
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How can we understand spirituality as the Way, or Tao? One way is simply by looking at the way we live life, whether we are focused on material well-being, or focused on virtues like kindness, generosity, and compassion. We can also look at how we spend our time. Do we pursue pleasure for ourselves, or also pay attention to the needs of others? Do we simply focus on making our own lives better and ignore the needs of a hungry and hurting world, or do we actively engage in making this world a better place for everyone? Do we raise our thoughts to higher thoughts such as appreciation, gratitude, reflection, honesty, and empathy? Do we choose language and communications that express respect, patience, reverence for life, love, and trust? <br />
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How do we go from one set of priorities and a lack of spiritual thoughts, beliefs, words, and actions to more loving and positive spiritual values, thoughts, and actions? Being aware of our own choices, even how we think, how we believe, what we value, how we speak and act is the first step. The second step is to become aware as we are thinking, believing, and making more overt choices. The third step is to desire to choose thoughts, beliefs, words, and actions that are positive and loving, not just for ourselves, but for life in general.<br />
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Fourth, we need to tune into divine guidance to become more aware of The Way as it is present in front of us at each moment. Tuning into divine wavelengths provides the guidance system for The Way, or the Tao. We will receive a greater sense of clarity and guidance when we will "be still and know that God is God," or calm down enough to connect with one's Higher Self, if you will. <br />
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Prayer is an important aspect of asking for guidance. Visualization can be one form of prayer. Meditation and meditative silence to listen for that guidance is extremely helpful as well. Prayer and meditation can form, for each of us, the GPS along The Way. I have heard this spiritual GPS referred to as "God's Positioning Service". <br />
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We also need to listen to and watch the world around us in order to be aware of what is needed in each given moment. That constant awareness of the needs of others as well as awareness of what is needed in each situation is essential to The Way. This is an important aspect of being present in the moment, and of being mindful, just taking these lovely practices one step further and also becoming aware of what is needed. It is possible simply to ask one's Higher Self, or God, "What is needed at this time by those who are present here." <br />
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When we are focused instead on simply what is important to us, that is, when we are focused on our own desires with attachment to the outcome, we actually can interfere with The Way. <br />
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Holding the intention to be tuned up as well as outward is the first step in attaining this awareness. Intention is everything when it comes to accomplishing things through spiritual energy. Good intentions never pave the road to hell; it is inactivity that gets us there. <br />
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May your path be filled with the light, the love, and the laughter that abundantly blesses yourself and others along The Way.<br />
Peace,<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-29763505032483454602012-10-17T12:53:00.003-07:002012-10-17T12:53:24.635-07:00HumilityHumility is one of those really popular personality traits, isn't it? That is, we all love the idea of everybody else being humble instead of parading around with an air of superiority. In the meantime, most of us have difficulty being humble ourselves. Please let me be clear: I'm talking about neither false modesty nor low self-esteem; I'm speaking of true humility.<br />
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I felt really struck by awe the other day, as I was taking my almost daily walk down into Rock Creek Park. I was looking up at the towering trees and all their beautiful leaves, just beginning to have a hint of fall color. I realized that there are billions or trillions or more leaves in the world, billions and trillions of stars, and billions and trillions of billions of other things in the universe.<br />
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It occurred to me that, with the infinite number of amazing events and species and stars in the universe, none of us can really, honestly, know very much. Well, maybe those who have attained God-Consciousness as taught in some Eastern spiritualities know, or are capable of knowing, so much more than those of us who merely count on the traditional rational consciousness of our relatively finite minds. Perhaps spiritual consciousness is unlimited, but rational consciousness is, generally speaking, pretty limited when compared to the vastness of the universe.<br />
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So, why do we take such pride in what we know? There are whole layers of the universe about which we are ignorant, or which we do not yet understand. The best astro-physicists can hardly also be incredibly knowledgable about biology and chemistry and electronics and medicine and psychology and neuroscience and parenting and economics and international diplomacy and relationship-building and forensics and hair-cutting and skiing and gymnastics and playing all the musical instruments in existence and painting and sculpting. You get my drift, I hope. <br />
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We do know things, by the grace of the Infinite Creator, the Divine Consciousness which is comprehensive enough to encompass knowledge of all reality, but what any single one of us knows is really just a drop in the bucket compared to all the information and knowledge and awareness and consciousness in all the different dimensions of the universe. <br />
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Why not allow ourselves to be humble, so that we can acknowledge our own ignorance, and then open ourselves up to a larger awareness, that is, a larger consciousness than we currently have? Humility opens the door to allowing in Divine qualities and Divine Presence. Humility allows us to listen to the voice of intuition and hear something beyond what we ourselves can ordinarily know.<br />
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Let's be humble, because only admitting that we do not know allows us to be open to learning. Learning is such a delightful gift. Expanded, enlightened, and ever-growing consciousness is even better! Since that kind of amazing God-Consciousness does not come from ourselves, but only through ourselves, we still need to be humble before the One who does know the whole universe, and who loves it very much. That kind of humility rewards us with ever-expanding awareness, which is a delightful gift! May we grow in our awareness every day. <br />
In Love & Light, <br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-55881053257024930212012-09-24T17:16:00.000-07:002012-09-24T17:16:03.504-07:00Wealth & SpiritualityThere has been talk about redistribution of wealth during the political campaign season this year in the U.S. Redistribution of wealth appears to be a very unpopular topic, considered by many to be un-American.<br />
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From a spiritual perspective, let's ask: from where did the concept of redistribution of wealth come? Many spiritual traditions address wealth in a variety of ways. For thousands of years, however, we can see in the tradition of the Jewish prophets that they conveyed God's intention for the wealthy to share their wealth with the poor, particularly with widows and orphans.<br />
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This Jewish prophetic tradition actually called for redistibution of wealth in a number of ways, perhaps most strikingly with the forgiveness of debts during the year of Jubilee, which was to occur every 49 years, I believe. Many of the Jewish prophets decried the mis-treatment of poor people in order to exploit them and their labor to gain wealth. <br />
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Islam has carried the spiritual prohibition against usury, or collecting interest, as a witness to a spiritual practice which enriches all rather impoverishing some and enriching a few. And so, from Islam, we have a concept of fairness and equity.<br />
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Jesus stood in the tradition of the Jewish prophets when he told the rich young ruler: go, sell all you have and give the money to the poor. That instruction was given when the young man expressed a desire to love God more than just keeping the tenets of religious law. Thus, Jesus was saying that fully serving God means letting go of wealth and redistributing it to benefit those who suffer from poverty.<br />
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This command of Christ echoes a spiritual concept perhaps best expressed in Buddhism, but also found in Hinduism: the spiritual practice of non-attachment. <br />
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Non-attachment is a spiritual practice of letting go of material belongings and desires, so that one remains in a constant state of peace, rather than getting upset when one does not have or does not receive what one wants in life. <br />
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This is not to say that one has to give up what one needs; rather, non-attachment is focused on the inner event of demanding a particular event, object, outcome, relationship, and so on, rather than resting in an inner state of peace and acceptance, and choosing to act from that state of peace. <br />
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When one practices non-attachment, it is easier to share the wealth, and to spread one's wealth around to others, because one learns that one's happiness never depends on wealth, nor even on particular belongings or benefits of wealth. <br />
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Redistribution of wealth was a moral imperative in the Jewish tradition, because of God's compassion for the suffering of the poor. Redistribution with Christ became both an act of compassion, as well as an act of non-attachment.<br />
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From Hinduism, we gain a fourth spiritual concept: oneness with the divine as well as oneness with one another. This concept of spiritual oneness invites us to embody the Divine in how we live our lives, and surely the Divine Father/Mother would distribute wealth fairly among all those who are children of God. In addition, the concept of oneness with each other implies that I cannot be well spiritually if that part of me which is in you is suffering from hunger, illness, or deprivation, and I have the power to prevent that. We are one, and therefore we are responsible for the well-being of one another. We are not separate, as so many Westerners view us.<br />
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So, from the various faith traditions, we have four main spiritual concepts addressing the importance of redistribution of wealth: equity, compassion, non-attachment, and oneness. When we see ourselves as One in the Great Source of all the wealth of this earth, then we see that we must share that wealth, for we will never find true and lasting peace and joy until we do so. Carol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-35029425266176968682012-09-03T10:36:00.001-07:002012-09-03T10:36:36.350-07:00The GiftThe third and ongoing step in the Tao is to find your direction. The direction is not a path so much as it is a gift. Just as the "Wise Men" from long ago set out in a direction to find the Christ child, so also each of us sets ourselves a direction in life, and we begin this journey of new life in the direction of seeking the Divine.<br />
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We seek the gift of Divine Presence.<br />
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The Zen of this gift is that this gift does not come to us, until we offer, freely and fully, the gift of ourselves to the Divine. As soon as we dedicate our whole selves to Divine Love as a gift of self to Self, then we begin to receive, in the bits that we can handle, the Gift of Divine Presence.<br />
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The journey of life provides us an opportunity to seek the gift of Divine Presence, while offering the Gift of ourselves in each moment, so that as we give the gift of self in preference for receiving the Gift of Divine Self, or higher Self, we indeed do so. When we give our self to the Divine, we receive the gift of the Divine.<br />
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This is a moment by moment experience. So, whenever we are following other desires without focusing on the gift of self to Self, we lose the Gift of Presence. One way to maintain focus is to become more fully aware of our own desires, especially any and all desires to control. Influence is different than control. When controlling, we are demanding. When influencing, we are still offering the gift of self, along with a request. <br />
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In each moment then, we need to be aware of whether or not we are asking, or demanding what we desire, while offering ourself complete with desire, to the Divine Love, so that Love can show us if it is better to let go of the desire, postpone the desire, or pursue the desire.<br />
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Unlike the "Wise Men" of long ago, however, the Presence we seek becomes a gift within ourselves. Instead of offering gold, and frankincense and myrrh, we offer the gift of Self, and receive the gift of Divine Oneness, Divine Consciousness within our own being.<br />
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First, we offer our lower self, then we offer our higher Self, until All becomes One. What a gift is that One! May we seek, and may we find, that pure Oneness that is Divine Love.<br />
Carol Carol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-21899469933917227262012-06-14T20:16:00.001-07:002012-06-14T20:16:53.615-07:00Blessing!Step 2 in the Way/Tao/Path is to be willing, unconditionally, to be a blessing to others. This, my friends, can be delightfully surprising and wonderful, and it can be scary, if we allow ourselves to feel fear. <br />
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It's important not to feel fear, because fear is the opposite of love, and the Tao/Way/Path of Enlightenment is the Way of Love. We never know what might happen when we allow Love to operate, and to bless through us. <br />
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Last week, I was headed home on the DC metro one night, and arrived at the exit gate of the Takoma Station after dark, only to find myself going through the ticket gates with three young African-American guys. <br />
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All of a sudden, I heard one singing, and he had a nice voice. So, pausing only for a split-second to debate (in my head) the pros and cons of speaking to a complete stranger in this setting, I said to him, "You have a nice voice."<br />
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One of his friends immediately retorted, "Don't encourage him!"<br />
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So, I turned (they were behind me), and said to the one who sang, "Wait a minute, how old are you?"<br />
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He replied, "Twenty-six."<br />
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I told him, "You're never too old to be told that you're good at something. I was 30 years old before I was told that I have the gift of writing."<br />
What followed was a conversation about writing books - the other young man has a dream of writing a sci-fi fantasy type of book, so I encouraged him to follow his dreams. I shared with them how I was moved to write, and self-publish, my first book when Michael Jackson died.<br />
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We had a very touching conversation, standing in the semi-darkness of a metro station at night - I and three young men with whom I would never have had a conversation if I had not sought to bless one with a compliment. I feel so grateful for this conversation. At least the young man who plans to write did too.<br />
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Sometimes this business of being a blessing seems easy like that. Sometiems it is a little more challenging. The very next morning, I was running late on my walk (sometimes I have to jog a little) to the metro, when I encountered a toothless man at a bus stop along the way.<br />
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This very large man was asking me something which at first I did not understand because of his lack of teeth. Then I realized he was asking (me!) for a cigarette.<br />
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I told him I did not have any as I kept walking. Then he asked me for a hug. By then, I was past him a good fifteen feet, but I turned, hesitated, and he did not help the situation by adding that he "just wanted to prove that I'm not a rapist." Hmmm....<br />
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So, I paused and asked him if he believes in God. He said he did. I asked him if he believed that if I hugged him, God was hugging him too. He said he did. So, I walked up to a strange, large, toothless man, and gave him a hug. He kissed me on the neck. <br />
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I told him I had to go, and he released me from the hug, and I said something about having a blessed day, and <em>really</em> hurried on my way. Okay, I confess, a small part of me was a little concerned about all this, but mostly, I truly hope that this man at the bus stop actually experienced a hug from God that day.<br />
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When's the last time that you received a hug from God from a total stranger? When's the time you gave a hug from God to a total stranger? I'm sure God was hugging me and kissing me, if only I could let it be just that. <br />
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Blessing. It's so often unexpected, both in the giving and receiving, but that is the Way/Tao/Path of Enlightenment.<br />
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May you also be blessed!<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-454611743037415312012-06-05T21:45:00.000-07:002012-06-05T21:45:00.718-07:00Rise Again!Good morning! This is your wake-up call. If you feel dissatisfied in any way with yourself or your life, then please listen to these words: the change you seek begins within.<br />
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Whether you need hope, peace, love, or less anxiety, or to let go of anger, you are the one in control of these processes inside you. <br />
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Whether you need to be treated differently, need a different income, need security in your life, you and your higher power need to cooperate together to accomplish these tasks, and your higher power is always cooperating, so the question becomes: are you cooperating too? <br />
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We often want the world to change around us. We often want people to treat us differently. We often want something to happen differently in our lives. <br />
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So, under the pressure of all that desire, too often we seek to control people and events outside of ourselves. This always leads to unhappiness, either in ourselves, or in others - usually in others. The law of karma will sooner or later give us a kick-back on this. So, if you've been receiving some karmic kick-backs, it might be time to ask why. <br />
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Sometimes we receive karmic challenges simply so that we can gain self-mastery. After all, we really have very little control over others, over life, and over the universe. What we do have control over is ourselves. So, the ultimate mastery is self-control.<br />
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When life sends us some negativity, therefore, we simply need to figure out how to rise above that negativity, and soar on a positive plane, free as an eagle from all earth-bound desires. <br />
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Not there yet? We will step-by-step explore how to get there. Soaring, free and clear of attachment/desire, is the Way or the Tao of True Spirituality, which has no religion, and which is the essence of all true religion. <br />
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Step 1: acknowledge with faith that there is a higher way, a higher path, a higher power, and that you and the Way/Path/Power are One. Therefore, cooperation is a necessity!<br />
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Love & Light,<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-59450712597273818572011-11-15T15:06:00.000-08:002011-11-15T15:06:17.631-08:00CollectionsI spent time recently with a lovely lady whose entire house is like a collector's gallery. I got to thinking about what we collect in life. We collect things, we collect experiences, we collect thoughts, we collect beliefs, we collect habits, and we collect intentional actions, or karmic influences on the world.<br />
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I personally have collected many different kinds of things and experiences in life, from African memorabilia to crochet patterns to travel experiences in many countries around the world. <br />
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I have also noticed that, in years past, I have collected negative thought patterns and a general lack of faith that I have worked very hard to change so that I think more positively and trust more fully in the goodness of the Universe.<br />
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Habits can be very personal, but we all have at least preferences for how we live our daily lives, if not downright habits and schedules and routines. We need to ask ourselves if our habits are life-giving and loving to ourselves as well as to others.<br />
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How about our intentional actions and karmic influences on the world around us? "As you sow, so shall you reap," is a very ancient expression of what we often say now: "What goes around, comes around." What kind of actions are we sharing with the world? Are we being generous, and collecting acts of generosity? Are we being kind, and collecting kindness? Are we being considerate, and collecting respect and consideration? Are we passionately dedicating our lives to making life better for others, and collecting better lives for many people around the world? <br />
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What are you collecting today? What are you collecting in this moment? What are you collecting with your life? May you be blessed by all the collections with which you fill your mind, your home, and your life.Carol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-39857855711140254522011-11-05T14:30:00.000-07:002011-11-05T14:30:00.245-07:00Love Is All There IsSometimes we get caught up in the negativity of life. Either we catch ourselves thinking negative thoughts, or we hear ourselves expressing negative opinions, or we find ourselves worrying about certain situations in life, or we just plain feel anxious about the future.<br />
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If we choose to trust that, ultimately, the Source of the universe is goodness & Love, then we can choose love over fear. In every moment, we either choose and trust love, or we feel fear, doubt, and uncertainty. <br />
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Occasional doubt and uncertainty can be just part of a process of discovering how to move closer to love, but we can also get stuck there, and let fear creep in. Instead, we need to choose love, because, ultimately, love is all there is.<br />
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The universe is created from, out of, by, and through Love. Everything else is merely a temporary illusion created by fear - either our own fears, or the fears of others. <br />
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When we choose love, we find ourselves in alignment with the forces that create beauty, peace, compassion, and understanding. When we open ourselves up to love, all these positive processes can not only exist within us as good thoughts and feelings, but also they can be translated into actions of loving kindness, bringing about greater beauty, compassion, kindness, and understanding upon the earth. <br />
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When we are in fear, we are merely asking for more love. Our words and actions may not directly show it. It would be so much healthier if, rather than lashing out at someone else with unkind words or actions, we could just say, "I feel hurt or afraid, and I need more love." <br />
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Actually, we can do this inwardly, asking our Divine Source to fill us with the love we seek. When we all learn to draw unconditional love into ourselves directly, and then into our lives, this world will begin more closely to resemble the lasting love which exists as its very foundation for being.<br />
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Love is all there is; everything else is merely illusion created by fear. So, in this moment, and in each moment, why not choose love?<br />
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Light & love to you,<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-64347181151366099562011-10-28T10:31:00.000-07:002011-10-28T10:31:07.363-07:00Seasonal LightsAs fall colors beautify the landscape at this time of year, we are reminded to perceive past the material beauty to the breathtaking reflection of light in its many, varied colors. We also reflect light in our own unique hues.<br />
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Just like the fall leaves, we are here to reflect light, to beautify the earth, and to become part of something greater than ourselves that, as a whole, is so much more inspiring than we ourselves can become by ourselves.<br />
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As you see fall colors, what color do you find yourself reflecting to others in your life? What is the source of light in you? What beauty do you bring to the world? What beauty do you see and join into around you? <br />
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You are part of the symphony of the landscape of this world. When we allow light and love to flow through us, we become one with the beauty all around us. May your day be filled with both inner and outer beauty. <br />
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Light & love to you, <br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-49442959182178970082011-09-17T16:42:00.000-07:002011-09-17T16:42:02.012-07:00Tuning InIt recently occurred to me that we tune into different levels of reality at different times. There is the eternal reality of unconditional love and Source Wisdom to which we can tune ourselves, but it takes intention and attention to do this in the middle of everyday life.<br />
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So often, we are tuned into our own thoughts, perceptions, and feelings. We may be "watching the world go by," listening to someone else's priorities at work, or tuning ourselves into entertainment in order to "take a break from it all." <br />
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When we focus on tuning in to Source Love and Source Wisdom, we will feel peace and love, and even joy, a secret layer of reality in which we can live while all the world passes by like a surreal play on someone else's stage. We can also, by intention, channel that peace, love, and joy to others, although they have to be open to receive it. <br />
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Of course, as many masters have already pointed out, it helps if we focus ourselves in present awareness, the NOW as it happens to us, because our Source will keep us protected as we stay tuned in during the current moment of what's happening now. <br />
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Why feel anything else but peace & love & joy? Does anything really feel better? Laughter comes easily when we live at this level. And we also find it easy to laugh at ourselves. What are you tuning into at any given moment? To what would you like to tune in? <br />
In love & light,<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743634950089241577.post-1880121690863822542011-09-03T11:44:00.000-07:002011-09-03T11:44:50.218-07:00Welcome to Carol's Blog About Spiritual Self-Mastery for True WellnessWelcome. We are on a journey. As others have wisely said, every human being is a spiritual being experiencing a human journey. On this journey, we have ups and downs in both our inner and outer wellness. True wellness begins with peace - peace in the mind, peace in the heart, peace in the soul, all of which leads to peace and wellness in the body.<br />
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I invite you to come with me on this spiritual journey, uniquely yours, but commonly pursuing love, truth, and greater wellness inside and out. We are responsible for the journey. No one else can make this journey for us. If you are ready to begin, and ready to take charge of your journey, then come on and join us on the journey of love and light! <br />
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Peace & love,<br />
CarolCarol Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11951109529407404483noreply@blogger.com0