Can you spare a little change?

Working from the core to balance change 

The theme of the month at the Center for Spiritual Living, Capistrano Valley is Balance: Working from the core.  In deep, Spiritual unfoldment, we may work to keep our bearings straight, to recalibrate & to get to a place of balance. 

What I find interesting is how some of us make a choice to embark on a Spiritual journey and sometimes don't look back to reflect on what we have accomplished.  Some of us start on this journey with a deep sense of regret, a distrust of belief or a skepticism that is accompanied with a chip on our shoulder.  We have a sense of, "I'll believe it when I see it" mentality.  And then, we start to lighten our load, we start to see things in a different manner.  We start to even out the scale by dumping some of our old beliefs & thoughts. When we come to this part of our journey, it is good to look back at where we began.

I remember a time where de-cluttering was necessary, I happened upon some old journals and old recommended reading books.  What I noticed in my journal was interesting.  I read passages in the journal that I didn't recognize.  I really didn't remember writing the words on the page.  What was really interesting about the words were that they were very profound.  I was surprised on the depth that was contained in the pages.  What I realized is that, even if you are sometimes wearing a mask, Truth is still lighting your Soul. Circumstances may have led to me to a place when I piled heart-hardening layers on top, but deep-down, the knowing and trusting of Truth was still inside.  So I honored the me that was on the journey at that space in time.  I recognized the work that was necessary to bring to a place of balance in Mind, Body and Spirit.

In regards to the old recommended reading books, another interesting discovery.  I noticed sentences highlighted on many of the pages.  I read those passages and couldn't figure out why I found that particular sentence of importance.  In fact, I found other non-highlighted sentences even more worthy of my attention.  Again, on my journey at that time, this was most important during my Spiritual growth and now it's changed.  To this day, I've given up highlighting books.

So in our time of Spiritual growth, remember each step is a little change.  When you take the move to the next stepping stone a recalibration to balance occurs.  Once steady you can move on to the next stepping stone.  This continues over the course of growth until one day you look back and don't even recognize the image of the person on the first stone.  This person that was so certain to be right in their thinking has shifted.  Honor the person who you were at that time and the one who has evolved to this time.  Allow yourself to move at the pace that was meant for you.  Remember not to criticize your own growth, just spare yourself a little change.

Finding Beauty in Messy Family Life

In our busy family lives, how often do we take a moment to honor the beauty around us.

Last night, snuggled in bed, I flipped through my copy of Simple Abundance and was drawn to the essay from January 18 titled Beauty: Opening Our Eyes to the Beauty That Surrounds Us.

Sarah Ban Breathnach writes:

"Gaze into the faces of those you love, set the table with care, and relish the preparations you make for dinner, delighting in the presentation of your meal. Light candles, pour wine or sparking water into your prettiest goblets and celebrate this new awareness. It is in the details of life that beauty is revealed, sustained and nurtured."

Don't you just breathe a little deeper reading this? Doesn't it sound so lovely and peaceful?

It doesn't say:

"Grab what you can out of the fridge. Throw together something they will eat, regardless of its nutrition. Yell at everyone to come to the table. Fight with preschooler to eat. Remind teens to put their knees down and receive an eye roll in return. Gobble down what's on your plate. Then clean up as fast as possible to get homework finished, dishes done, and kids bathed. And, to maintain your sanity and patience, drink an extra glass of wine."

Hmmm...I see room for improvement. I do have to say, that occasionally we stop before eating and do the blessing Rev. Pattie teaches the kids in the Center's Kids Day Out Program. In case you don't know it, it goes like this:

Hand up.
Hands down.
Breathe (take a long satisfying deep breath)
Breathe again (that felt so good we do it again)
Thank you for our food (said together) 

Every time we do that before our meal, it slows us down just enough and usually invites more conversation.

So for today, I intend to slow down, light some candles, set the table, drink out of my beautiful crystal and pray. And when I can't find the beauty or even the peace, God grant me the ability to see the humor and laugh.

What do you do to honor the beauty in your busy life? How do you slow down? Share it with me. As you can see, I could use inspiration.

Depression and the God connection

Seeing the Light in darkness.

This past Sunday's talk: "With God as your carrier, you're never dropped" lead me to reflect on depressive thought.  Because, even in the midst of a depressive thought, I'm never dropped.  No matter when, why, how, what, or why, God is always within me.

Looking back at my youth, I remember spending a lot of time alone with my huge imagination, my thoughts were my company.  Even in college, spending time alone at the beach was heaven.  I loved being alone and never thought anything of it.  Then in my mid-20's I started to notice an unhealthiness about it.  Though never clinically diagnosed, it appeared to take a form of depression.  I started to rely on my huge imagination to convince myself to get out of the house.  It seemed to work, however, I thought of depression as something inside myself that was not welcome, it was a bad thing.

After many years of cultivating Spiritual awareness, a revelation came.  The same power in my mind that has the ability to create thoughts of depression is the same power in my mind that has the power to create thoughts not to be depressed.  I took all the teachings I've had and looked at depression in a new light.  Depressive thoughts may be something inside of me.  What if I honor that part of me?  What if I greet it, acknowledge it, and let it know that whatever it is, it has no power over me?  The reason is my connection in God.  I know God and I are One, I know prayer & meditation work, I know all that I need is within me.  With this knowledge I am comfortable with personality traits within myself.  Depressive thoughts can come and go; I acknowledge them, bless them and send them on their way or use them in a creative purpose. 

In a conversation with ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ author Matthew Quick , by Patrick Ryan.
Quick states, "If I didn’t have depressive episodes, I wouldn’t be a novelist. When I wrote this book, I had been living in my in-laws’ basement for two years. I was unemployed and felt very alone. I hope this book helps people feel less alone, too.”