5 Things You Should Know About The Eclipse / NEW Moon (December 3 & 4, 2021)

Beauty is all around us, and it is there in abundance. We could be forgiven, however, for not seeing what is patently there, before our eyes, every single moment of our existence. And just because we may at times not see it doesn’t mean it is not there.

This is an article about the intrinsic, spiritual value in mastering the art of self reflection. As we grow beyond our five-sensory view of the world and begin, in earnest, a multi-sensory journey toward wholeness, we must become more introspective and resilient. Each of us has an internal guidance system that functions similar to the global positioning system in our vehicles. As we seek and find clarity of purpose, our mental maps will recalibrate accordingly, allowing us to trust in and rely on our internal guidance system to pave the way toward spiritual maturity, authenticity, and integrity. Our path to spiritual maturity begins with a willingness to continuously and objectively evaluate our thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds. We must accept responsibility for the inner work required to self correct. By paying careful attention to our emotions, we gain much needed insight into who we really are.

If it’s meant to be, it will be. That is the premise behind destiny. Many people either believe, or would like to believe in destiny, but it usually turns out to be an excuse for your mistakes or to avoid making decisions and taking action. What is destiny? The idea that your whole life is planned or controlled in some way, and that those things in the big plan for your life are going to happen. We are taught that we should let things happen, that if it is our destiny it will work out.

It happened in the central business district of my home city. About as secular an environment as you could imagine. Hustle and bustle, traffic signals, tall structures, lots of noise, people everywhere, busy going their own ways.

We think we live life, but in truth as we become one with life, life is lived through us. Our job is to allow ‘It’ to flow freely through this body. What if real life is the total expression of our soul’s desires, and our challenge is the over-coming of the man-made beliefs which interrupt the flowering of such desires? If there are no opposing beliefs then life would be expressed as our unique self, as our soul prescribes.

I once met a man who, despite appearances that differed, was an incredible person of peace. He wasn’t just laid back and calm. He actually sought to live in harmony in the moments he had with everyone, much to the extent that he would serve someone like me in the integrity of love, and yet he owed me absolutely nothing. He owed nobody anything. He seemed unafraid, and to be without agenda. He never had a grievance. The man was a mystery.

This true event happened about thirty years ago. Although I have only shared it on a couple of occasions the strange experience remains very clear in my mind. The only thing missing was a logical explanation.

Practicing meditation is what helped me become more aware of that Power within me, and through it, how I am connected to all life. Before meditation, my mind was filled with the usual chatter of everyday living, with barely a moment of quiet to notice what is really going on. I had little awareness of anything more than the conversations of my mind dealing with my reactions to life’s events. Meditation has changed my life by introducing space in the form of quiet time. That has given me access the awareness that we are more than what we appear to be. Now I have an ongoing sense that life is more than busyness. That’s the power of meditation.

Brokenness is a state. It’s the ability to bear an insult because humility for the pleasing of God is more important than a petty retort. Brokenness is happy to endure the insult. It trusts beyond the nonsensical nature of the injustices besmirched toward it.

When growth seemed to elude me, in a second’s madness of exasperation, I threw my hands in the air and asked God, “What’s the use… ? I can’t do it, Lord. I have not grown! I cannot please You with my growth.”

Labels limit us from achieving our God given potential. How should we overcome the tendency to label ourselves? Read on to find out!

Have you ever contemplated the wonder of the tapestry that is your life? Have you ever marvelled at how all the threads of your experiences have woven together to create your own unique and beautiful expression of life? We often get so caught up in the day-to-day demands and stresses of living that we forget to step back and observe the wonder of what is being created through our lives.