new age

Daily Inspiration

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(Computer generated) Dawn at the North Pole

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Today’s post is dedicated to the Desiderata.  This is one of my favorite pieces to read over and over.  The Desiderata was written around the 1920’s by Max Ehrman, a lawyer and poet from Indiana.  Here is a link to the entire poem – http://www.sfheart.com/desiderata.html

The history of this piece is quite interesting, so I will share this link if you want to know more about it – http://www.fleurdelis.com/desidera.htm

This is certainly one my favorite pieces for inspiration and one that I turn to when I need a bit of solitude and peace – it grounds me.  I urge you to read it, you will see why.  To me, it is very important to find daily inspiration and whether it is from poetry, a picture, a painting, a song, my pets, or a beautiful scenery, it is one thing that keeps me going and puts a smile on my face.

We live in a material world, and sometimes, besides spirituality, we also need something tangible to give our senses – the scent of a flower or perfume, of a favorite food, the sound of nature or a favorite melody, the colors and shapes in a painting or the ones found at a particular spot that brings you peace and delight … All those things help ground yourself and they can become a source for tuning your soul and finding a spiritual connection in a material driven world.

The point to all this is that you don’t have to sit for hours in a yoga position (unless you enjoy this) to find a bit of grounding on your daily living, and a bit of inspiration to fuel your day.  When you pay attention to these things – you are present in the moment, and that is all .  The millisecond that went by is gone, and the future has not arrive yet.

Not all Who Wander are Lost …

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The Wandering Jew, a protective figure of the ...

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“Sometimes we may think we are on the right path, but only to find that we have wandered without a purpose.” 

This was my reply to one of my posts that gave birth to this post.  Many of us may be familiar with this quote “Not all who wander are lost” (J.R.R. Tolkien – The Lord of the Rings).  I am a fan of it.  It may seem to contradict my earlier statement, however it does not.  Sometimes, wandering takes a purpose on its own – a purpose of exploring, of wonder, of self-love, self-help, of the lessons that one has to learn to be able to set foot on the right path.  I can surely say that I have wandered for most of my life.  At times I felt lost, sometimes I sworn I was in the right path, on the right direction, and at other times, I realized that the detour was necessary for my personal enrichment and enlightenment.  However, in all my wandering there was always a purpose, it was never aimlessly.  Wether that purpose was right for me at the time or not, is not important, because it made me wander the paths that made me who I am today.

Yes, there are many times that I look back and say, “If I wouldn’t have taken that turn, I will probably would have accomplished this and that, and save some time in the process.  However, I recognize that those lessons were necessary for my spirit and for my mind.  Today, the quote “Not all who wander are lost” resonates with me as true as ever.

Simplifying Your Life

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sun rise of margate and redcliffe sunrise with...

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Simplifying your life may sound easier than done.  That is because when we decide to (truly) simplify our lives, the process has percolated in the spiritual sense.  Something has happened on the inside that is starting to manifest on the outside.  The truth is that we do not recognize this; we just feel the desire of simplifying our material lives and this is where we usually start.  Suddenly, we start decluttering our home and environments in which we spend most of our time.  We declutter our desk, closets, attic … and the healing begins.  This is necessary to make space on our cluttered minds and hearts to welcome the things that are needed for our healing.  This is a personal process, for some people, it takes longer than for others, and you arrive at this cleansing stage on your own terms and in different circumstances.  The important issue is that you arrive and let the growth begin.

What started as material decluttering suddenly transforms into spiritual decluttering as well, and the path’s design is personal – unique to you.  Each one of us are here on a journey – whether a short or long journey.  Many times, people watching you from the outside do not understand this much-needed cleansing and may think that you are going nuts, even try to dissuade you to hold on to your stuff – “Get a storage space,” they will suggest, “You will be sorry you got rid of that one day,” and some other similar remarks.  However, it is up to you – it is always up to you to continue your journey.

Just Be

/ inkspeare
LIVES training

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What would happen if we allowed ourselves to just be?  To do as we genuinely felt and not as we tought we would look better in front of others?  What would happen if we acted by true care as opposed to having to care?  I think we would be happier, and only give the best of us to others by just being. 

Being genuine to yourself entails being true to others as well as your own self.  It is applying the golden rule.  Many times, we covet the ideal lives of others – the successes that we view as perfect lives – without realizing that the only way that we can meet a fullness of life is if we just be. 

When we embrace ourselves, our creativity, our spirituality, and our physical state of being, along with our lives, we are in the path of becoming what we are to become – of being as real as we can be – of fulfilling our purpose as human and spiritual beings.

When we write, many times we worry about rules, about sounding like our favorite best-selling author, or about setting writing goals according to somebody else’s standards.  However, we forget one important thing, that life, goals, writings, and anything else that goes with it, will not mean anything if they are not centered and meant for the true self and its true purpose. 

 Just be and the rest will follow is a good way of approaching life, but in our way to letting the true self shine, we can strive to better each day by asking ourselves – Am I letting myself be?

Giving Through Creation

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B103 pondi700

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Have you ever read something and felt alive, inspired?  Have you listen to music that has captured your soul, and touch every fiber of your heart?  Read a poem or looked at a painting that transported you to unexplained heights?  All these are examples of creations.  We are human, but also spiritual, and the need to create is embedded in us; it is our spiritual nature.  We give to others thru our creativity, we create to inspire, to please, to entertain, to love …

My spiritual path has been one of investigation and of finding the divine thru a non traditional approach.  In order to find true spirituality, I had to put aside everything that I have learned about it, and start fresh, with the intention of finding my true spiritual path.  It has not been easy, it still is not; I keep learning every day.

We all have a purpose, it is up to us to find it.  However, there is creativity on each one of us.  Divinely inspired I have learned that creation is like water, it gives life; it is the fountain of the spirit – the myrrh of the soul, the soul’s path to spiritual closeness.  It is contentment and happiness for our souls, and we can find it by being happy where we are, by listening, and be perceptive to our spiritual awareness.  When we feel happy where we are and we make happiness an internal issue, separate from outside circumstances, we are receptive to the divine and we fuel the creative forces within our soul.  This is how we give to others and we bless our surroundings with our soul’s creations.  By giving back we thank the Great Creator.

And how would a Creator see its creation?  How do we feel when we create something that we are so proud of?  In the eyes of God all his children are good, in the eyes of the man, the children are limited by the limits they establish themselves.  To God, there are no limits, and his children are precious – more precious than the treasures of the Universe.  When we give back through creation, we are acting thru the same love that made us.

No Guilt, Just Happiness

/ inkspeare
A smiley by Pumbaa, drawn using a text editor.

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Have you ever felt so happy that your heart overflows?  Have you ever felt guilty for feeling happy?  Sounds like a contradiction, but it happens.  Many times we don’t know how to accept the happiness in our lives and give thanks for it.  Sometimes, we think that it is temporary or that we might put a jinx to it if we enjoy it for long.  What is wrong with this picture?  Everything.

Many times we think of the old adage that said – “After much laughter, there comes the tears.”  I thought of this adage and how sick it is to think that happiness is something that we have to grab fast because it will disappear and be replaced by some sad moment and suffering. 

This adage is an example of the power of words in our feelings, and in entire cultures.  Words are passed from generation to generation.  They build stories, they become tools for educating entire families, cities, countries … civilizations.  They become sacred or heresy; they become anointed with the same feelings they have provoked in people.  But they are just words, and we choose to give life and meaning to them.

The truth is that there are happy moments and sad moments – and we should embrace both to grow as humans and spiritual beings.  Our Creator made us to enjoy our lives and be happy.  (This is a personal belief).  However, even when you do not believe in a Creator, a God, or whatever you choose to call it – him – her …. one thing remains true – It is silly not to enjoy a happy moment or a happy life.  It is silly to feel guilty about pure happiness, and moreover, to let a silly adage cloud a perfect day!

Be happy!