evolution

What Makes You Dance?

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Eadweard Muybridge's phenakistoscope "A C...

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I have a sign that reads, “Sunshine makes the flowers dance.”  The sign is full of primary colors and has a busy bee attached to it. I have it located way above my visual line, on top of the frame of the door, in the room where I work.  It is at that height for a reason.   When my eyes get tired, I tend to look up and then to my right; the first thing I see is that sign, instinctively I read it.  It is a way to remind me to dance thru life, to enjoy the things that make me dance, and to push those buttons as often as I can.

When I push those buttons, I end up feeling refreshed, inspired, and renewed.  It makes me feel like dancing. 

Have you ever thought of the things that make you dance?

The Measure of Success

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Success sounds like a distant word for many, unattainable to others, as far as the stars, to most.  This is far from the truth.  Success is just a state of mind and appreciation.  It is what you think is happening in your life after you put effort and work into something. 

Maybe, when we think of success we think in terms of comparing ourselves to very successful people – millionaires, hollywood stars, best-selling authors, novel prize winners … and so on.  However, the true measure of success is very personal.  When we measure our success in terms of another person’s success, we are denying ourselves.  We are saying to ourselves that we don’t matter as much, that we must be like someone else to be happy, that our dreams can only be measured by the dreams of others – who have attained theirs.  We should see the success in others as fuel to propel our own, as mentors, as inspiration, not as a ruler or measure stick.

I have learned to celebrate my small successes and big ones all the same.  I have learned to appreciate every effort and its results, because learning to appreciate small and big success in our lives helps us attune ourselves to receive the fruits of our labor, the blessings, and all the great things to come.  When we learn to see and celebrate the good happenings in our lives, only growth can follow, and we are aligning ourselves for bigger and better things.

Slow Down to Synchronize

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Rose und Eis

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Maybe we have read about the importance of synchronicity in our lives, at some point.  There is much written on it, and many philosophies base some of their principles on it – the law of attraction …  However, sometimes we forget to realize that to be able to appreciate synchronicity in our lives, we must slow down the speed of our lives.  Simply put, when we are running through the path at high speeds, we fail to see the beautiful red rose hiding in the bushes, or the gorgeous butterfly atop the daisy.  We will miss the sweet aroma of the lavender field nearby … we can end up missing the best opportunities of our lives. 

I have been guilty of living at high speeds in the past, and I missed synchronicity at its best.  I had to crash, stop, look around, breathe, stand up, and start walking slow again; and I have to admit that I am happier now, and have been able to appreciate the blessings of learning to recognize synchronicity in my life.

I dare you to slow down and find those miracles working right now in your life.

For Better or for Worst … Love Needs to Be Shared

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Television icons

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For better or for worst, in sickness or in health, in good times and bad times … We are familiar with this sentence, at least if you are married or attended a wedding, saw one on TV, and do not live under a rock.  Love needs to be shared under all those conditions.  The divorce statistics may point to the contrary.

I don’t consider myself an eavesdropper, but I am amused by the conversations I get to listen to when I am waiting online, at a Dr.’s office, post office … Many times, you hear “the bashing of the love one,” – good title for a song.  Men or women, they all do it, they express their dissatisfaction with the love in their lives.  True or not, it is a matter of perspective for many – discounting abuse cases, of course.

The point is, we are sometimes quick to judge our loved ones.  Quick to request perfection, when what we are looking for is a companion who will take us seriously in good times and in bad times.  The following questions offer much insight.

  • Does he/she listens when you talk (when you truly talk)?
  • Does he/she cares, even when it doesn’t show?
  • Does he/she want to be with you forever?
  • Do you see the good in him/her?  Is is more than the flaws?
  • Did you once felt that the two of you could tackle everything, the world?
  • Do you feel tired?
  • Do you need to step back and look at the whole picture?
  • Do you believe?
  • Do you need to ask/answer these questions?

Sometimes, the answers can be found in the questions.

Blessing Your Surroundings with Your Soul’s Creation

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The title of this post may sound a bit dramatic; however, it is the opposite – it is more about simplicity in your daily routine.  On an earlier post, I talked about creation for and with love.  Blessing your surroundings with your soul’s creations is related to that love.  Doing things lovingly for you, your family, and everyone who will share your surroundings is part of that love.  However, there are many ways in which you can enrich your surroundings, and one of them is by being creative in what you do.

We live hurried lives, and many times we function on the auto mode.  By minding the moment and giving it your own touch (creativity) you will enhance the mood, the moment, the task …  When you do this you operate from simplicity, and you bless your surroundings thru your creative spirit.  A simple task of washing dishes (or loading the dishwasher) can become significant, as opposed to being a menial task.  Creativity comes in many forms, visual and non-visual, as a colorful arrangement of fresh-cut flowers at the dinning table or as a gentle breeze flowing thru an open window.

As you continue to bless your surroundings with your creativity, inspiration will continue to flow.

The Blessing of Each Day

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human skull

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We are by instinct, a species that will do anything to survive.  We survive the Ice age, and the human race continues to evolve, learn, invent, create, destroy, love, hate …. and survive.  In tragedy or hardship, we seem to bring the best and the worst of us; we help others, injure others … and we keep on going – surviving.  The survival instinct is ingrained in us very deeply; however, one thing puzzles me – we fail to live every day.

We live daily, sometimes in a daze.  We go thru the motions, like zombies in a hurry.  We wake up each day, sometimes in a frenzy.  We fail to acknowledge the blessing of each day (me included).  Why (as species who will fight for survival) we seem to forget of everyday living?  Do we take living for granted?  How can we be sure that when we go to sleep, we will wake up the next day?  There is no guarantee to that, we know it, we ignore it.  Each day is a huge blessing – no matter what it will bring.  If you opened your eyes today, you were given life.

Listen, Watch, Wait

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Method for learning and education.

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Yesterday’s post was about the need of every artist or creative person to Trust, Be Still, and Listen.  Today’s post is about the importance of continuing with the process – Listen, Watch, Wait.

For many, this might seem stagnant – lack of action – and not too goal oriented.  However, it is just the opposite.  As we listen to Spirit, we learn to see opportunities in a different light, we train ourselves to Watch, to be vigilant for the many blessings that await us as creative beings. 

When we watch, we know that we are watching with positive eyes, and learning to wait – learning to receive.  Many times, waiting is the hardest part, especially for artists and writers who want to see their work in print, published, or on exhibit.  This waiting becomes worry, and worry takes us far away from receiving – receiving all that is already ours, what we have asked for in the beginning.

When we are capable of listening, watching, and waiting, we attune ourselves to our goals.

Trust, Be Still, Listen

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Now Listen

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We live hurried lives, and at times, we think that multitasking and 24/7 doing is the answer to moving on, moving up, or getting it right.  Doing is good; goals without a plan and a purpose stay stagnant.  However, there are times when we must trust, be still, and listen to what Spirit – God – or what you want to call it – has to say to us.  All we have to do is ask, trust, be still, and listen.  Many times, the simple things are the hardest to do.

Monks have mastered the art of meditation and listening.  We think that it is impossible for us to master such high art; maybe, because we are approaching it from the hardest point of view.  When we slow down and learned to trust the divine voice inside us, learn to quiet ourselves down, and listen to it, there are new insights to our situation, question, or concern.

Maybe the hardest part is for us to trust.  To trust that what we have asked, pondered, or dreamed is just around the corner if only we would be still and listen to Spirit.

Focusing Effort

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G26wHXST normal target focus

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I have found thru my experience that effort without focus is just hard work without results.  We are raised thinking that hard work is all it takes, coupled with effort and dedication.  Although those are very important ingredients, those have to be focused, directed, and sometimes redirected to accomplish what we want. 

It is easy to get distracted into a ton of effort – I am guilty of it – and forget our focus or take our eye from the target.  It can happen while we are pursuing the target or it can happen without even noticing.  One day, the target gets blurry, and the vision needs to become clear again.  If we are lucky, or in tune with Spirit, we recognize that we need to clean our lenses and re-focus.  This time it becomes a bit easier, because you know how easy it is to lose focus while working hard.  In the end, you emerge a bit wiser, more alert, and thank God for waking you up.

Move! Motion Gives Life

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Earth's motion caused by the moon around their...

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Motion

Bodies were made to be in motion.  Motion is creation, so if you move, you start the chain of creation.  To move is like mechanics, but more as in the spiritual level.  Spirit is not quiet and stuck in a place – Spirit moves around and while moving around it creates.

A body in motion invites Spirit because blood flows; blood is life – life is energy – energy is the fuel for Spirit.  Got it?