WHAT BRILLIANCE IS TRYING TO EXPLODE THROUGH YOU?

“Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul — and you answer.”   ~Terri Guillemets


There It is...knocking at the door of your heart, tapping at the thresh hold of your mind, silently screaming from the depths of your soul, pestering you to let It in...What is this?

This thing is simply your own splendor urging to express itself through you.  It is your divine nature attempting to make its contribution to the world, and when it is blocked or disregarded, it can show up in life as discontentment, anger, depression, etc...


The beautiful artwork you see above was created by artist, poet and graphic designer, Eric Hart Samuelson.  I met Eric for the first time in 2009 when we took an extensive 2+ year long class together.  In that class of 12 students, we all spent numerous hours together learning, growing, and really getting to know each other (a life-long bond we will all forever share and cherish).  But most importantly, we began to learn and unleash things about ourselves that were  buried beneath old beliefs and shaded by the expectations of others.  During one of our class projects, I got to see, first-hand and for the first time, the brilliance that was Eric's artwork.  Not that we were competing with each other, but his project totally blew everyone out of the water!

Why am I writing about this?  As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  We all have a brilliance that is urging to express through us.  It may be deeply hidden away within ourselves or simply waiting to surface by means of our own receptivity to it.  Eric's calling laid dormant for a while and finally surfaced while doing some inner work.  Thank goodness he listened to his divine urges or we wouldn't be experiencing his exquisite artwork.  If you hear that knocking from your soul, open the door and see what's waiting to come through you.  The world deserves to see your gift!

Please check out the rest of Eric's artwork and let him know how much you appreciate his gifts:

http://www.onemindcommunications.com/paintings

http://www.onemindcommunications.com/mixed-media

http://www.onemindcommunications.com/photography

Love Letters from Heaven

Right now, do you feel loved? 

Do you feel confident and  secure knowing that you are enough?
I watched the following Ted Talk today; it touched me deeply. It stimulated an idea in me.

What I hear the speaker saying is that writing love letters to strangers transformed her life, moving her out of depression into transformation. It lifted her spirits and gave her a sense of connection and belonging. She wrote them and left them places. 

It reminds me about the joy of receiving a letter from a loved one; the importance of letting people know that they are loved. I believe that it is a universal longing to connect, to be cherished and loved. Of course, spiritually we are loved by the Divine Presence and for many of us we want more.

A spiritual practice is to write a letter to yourself from God. It might go something like this: 
"Beloved One,
You are my best creation. I am so proud of you. I cherish everything about you. I cherish your successes and I cherish your so-called failures. You reflect my light so beautifully. You express all my best qualities -- love, grace, beauty, joy, compassion, intelligence and creativity. I love your physical body but more than that I love your noble spirit. Your life is my life in expression. Truly I am with you always. Life is at your feet. Your embodied desire is my command. Joyously I obey because I adore you. Save time for me every day.
With great love,
God"

Doesn't it sound like fun?
Let's do an experiment. If you would like to play, write a hand-written love letter, and send it to the Center, to my attention. Then on June 23rd, when my theme for the day is "Happily Even After" we can distribute them to anyone who wants one. let's see how much love we can generate. I will keep you posted.

Write to me:
Heather Clark
C/o Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley
1201 Puerta del Sol
San Clemente, CA  92673

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.”