The un-shared ideas of quiet souls...

I've realized, over a recent period of self-directed disconnection from most of the stimulus happening in our world that so many people matter whose names we will never know and and so many solutions to problems in our world exist that will never be brought to light.  These inspired ideas and peaceful solutions won't even be brought to a level of consciousness other than that of the mind that thought it.

I've realized that our thinking, hurting, angry, over-communicative, over-stimulated and frustrated minds are so full that the quiet space needed for the gentle souls among us and peaceful solutions contained within them have nearly no place in our world right now... but it is precisely those souls and those ideas that are so needed.

The news bombards us.  The talking heads talk.  The angry politicians act without thought and fight without concern.  The egos are bigger than ever.  Acting on impulse, from anger and without thought - it's everywhere.  The injustice is ripe and rotting in our own front lawns but we can't seem to clean it up.  We can't seem to even call attention to it anymore because it is everywhere.  In fact, the stories that seem to capture and hold our attention are those rare stories of change and hope in the world - those are the ones that stand out from the rest.  Those are the stories we are truly seeking, but our pre-programmed and muddled minds always seek more and more stimulation and ultimately they forget the story of hope.  They turn back to the terror, the fear, the desolate reality of a world gone wrong.  We swim in it.  We are desperate for change and peace but we can't find it.  Too much gets in the way five minutes later.  The hope which seemed so palatable is once again gone and we are left seeking, knowing it is somewhere in the chaos of the rotten injustice.

The hope must be held on to.

Those of us with the hope, the ideas, the solutions, the programs, the generous hearts... we must dig deep and find all the courage we can possibly find to speak aloud those truths which we know can change the tides in our world.  It's hard, doing such a thing, because it requires strength and courage that come from a place which requires a loving fuel to keep us going... but such loving, hopeful energy is so hard to find right now.  Yet still we must try.

And keep trying because that's why we are here.

Just remember that when all of the noise and chaos around us becomes deafening, it is in that space that we can be heard.  We carry the story of hope so many are seeking - and the courage to do the work.  There will be times when we - when you - will need to be your own fuel.  When attentions wander and people forget that your ideas, your courage, your work of change are indeed valuable and are indeed changing the world, you must become your own fuel.  It was in the very same space of great pain and injustice in the world that the quiet and humble teachers throughout human history - Jesus, Gandhi, Buddha - walked quietly through the hells that surrounded them to tell their stories of Love, Peace and Hope.  Those teachers became leaders, those leaders became prophets and those prophets became spirits who guide us still today.  Call on them in your time of great need, but remember that you too contain the same courage they had.  You have the same kind of thoughts, the same space for hope, the same earthly body and the same calling to "be the change you wish to see in the world." (Gandhi)

You may be one of us, you may be that peaceful teacher and I tell you now that I  hear you... and you are not alone.  For it is in the time of great imbalance that true balance can be found.  It is in our destitution that we can so clearly see what hope looks like.  And it is in a world that appears devoid of love for our fellow human that we can recognize instantly what love looks like.  While many may become distracted and forget that they've seen the love, somewhere deep inside them their soul remembers what it looks like and they will keep seeking it.  Stand firm in the love and peace you bring to the world and those seeking it will find you.  God's plan is greater than any of ours and he has sent us to remind the world of that.

Be strong.  Be faithful.  Be courage itself.  Be what you were meant to be.

Eye of God

It takes Courage...

Courage is found deep within us, in a place we can't name or recognize - nor do we even believe it exists sometimes.  It can sometimes be seen by others but rarely do we see it in ourselves.  How do we find it then when we need it most?  How do we gather it up and put it to work lifting us up, moving us forward or getting us out?  Not a simple question to answer and not an easy thing to do.

Too often there are situations, adversaries or individuals who would like for us to stay precisely where we are, keeping us from growing or living our truth.  We've all experienced it.  All the "isms" in society, all the ways people are discouraged, all the moments we didn't stand up when we felt we should have - they are all part of a system of oppression that exists in so many shapes and forms around us all.  That these systems exist at all calls us all to stand up and overcome them as individuals and members of the greater human family.  So many people throughout history have lacked the courage and turned a blind eye or participated in the oppression themselves out of fear of becoming oppressed themselves.

Individuals throughout our human story have subscribed to the notion of "if you can't fight 'em, join 'em" and it has caused so much suffering in the world and delayed so much healing.  When an individual acts from a place of fear, he strengthens the oppressive systems that must be challenged and overcome.  When an individual acts from love, employing courage from his own heart, then the world can be changed and humanity can begin to heal.  Because these acts of courage are often taken by individuals, they can feel quite lonely and isolated but rest assured, so many are watching.  So many are aware and so many are looking for those who can lead the way.  This solitude in courage makes having it all the harder to muster but all the more important to find, employ and act from.

Courage is living according to your own truth, standing up for what you know is right and staying true to your unique path.  Since we all have different paths in life, only the Self can recognize the need for courage and then have the strength to make the move that must be made.  Others may tell us what needs to be done and their motives can range from pure love and concern to manipulation and power but only the Self can employ true courage and make the change, take the step or leave the situation.

No one else will ever tell you to become who you are.  No one else can help you become who you are meant to be.  Most people won't even bother to help another grow into who she is meant to be.  It's because of all of this that courage is one of those traits we most admire in one another.  We revel in the stories of those who overcame the greatest odds.  The stories that show us examples of humans living to their fullest human potential.  We need these stories so much that they become the lore that propels us to find our own truths and to fight for justice.  If courage weren't hard to gather within ourselves, we wouldn't retell stories of Joan of Arc and Jesus and Ghandi.  We wouldn't read books about heroes and we wouldn't define our history by a series of wrongs that have been righted and individuals who have done the impossible.

What is quite possibly the greatest thing in the story of Courage in our world is that once one person has found the courage to do what is best, right, good and honorable, we realize that we all benefit from that one individual's inner strength.  The story of human courage is as permeating as stories of long-lost loves found and deserving people who win in the end.  The difference is that while we all may not have long-lost loves to find or babies to save, we all have a truth to live and doing so takes courage - courage that is within us at all times.

Getting to that courage is something only some people do, but I believe we can all find it.  It's just a matter of believing in ourselves, digging deep and then standing up for something true in ourselves.  That truth, as long as it is based in love, is greatly needed in the world.

Stand - and act - from your courage.  Become who you are truly meant to be.  We all need each others' greatest Selves in order to heal so much in the world.  It's why we are here.  And we're all here for each other.

Look for what is yours....

Boy, was I right when I last wrote about moving at the speed of life.  Moments for me to sit down and write my inspirations here for you to read have been hard to find - but they fill me with love and they are a gift I have to give so I know the opportunities and inspiration will continue to find time, even as life moves faster and faster.

Everything is speeding up.  Everything is happening so fast.  Whether it feels like things are falling together or falling apart, life is moving so fast - for all of us.  Things are coming into your life that are uniquely yours - be open to them, accept them and most importantly, use them, and use them for Good.

Even the most beautiful things in the world require maintenance, cleaning, airing out, protection and repair.  You are among those most beautiful things in the world and right now, you, too, are experiencing a cleaning out and a rebuilding of old parts that were broken or new parts that have yet to be built.  This will happen in very unexpected ways in unexpected places - or sometimes your growth will happen in the simplest and most mundane of ways - ways you won't even notice until you realize you've grown and released something you used to hold onto so tightly.

Whether you can see your healing, your gift, your challenge or the maintenance you are currently undergoing or not is up to you.  Take a step back.  Breathe.  Meditate.  Pay attention.  What do you feel?  What are you resisting?  What are you ignoring?  What are you fighting doing?  What has God given you that is precisely yours?  Step into it, face it, own it, embrace it, love it.  The journey will carry you along but it will continue to present you with those things of yours that are designed to raise you into your higher and greater self.  Think of this time in life as an opportunity to raise your own inner child into the person he or she is capable of being - into who she is destined and divined to be.  I encourage you to look for the signposts along the way and step fully into your own divine path.  Allow yourself to transform, heal what causes you pain and release the things (and people) that keep you stuck where you no longer belong.

The path is yours, go ahead, embark on it.  It may not be paved, it may be dark and scary at times but it is your path and yours alone.  It is said that a leader walks a narrow path.  No one else will pave your way, save for you.  Go ahead, look for it and then take it where you are meant to go.

Moving at the Speed of Life...

Everything is changing.  Everything is moving quickly.  Everything is lining up, turning around, and light is being shone in dark corners.  Our purpose, our challenges, our to-dos are becoming clearer and more central in our daily lives.  We can't ignore things anymore.  We can't pretend things away.  We can't stick our heads in the sand.  We must - and we will - start to create great shifts in our own lives and in the world around us.

The journey has already begun.  You're on the bridge.

Be open.  Whatever shows up is showing up for you.  Yes, things are moving quickly and that's because we are all changing so quickly.  The world is changing at a very rapid pace and while we need to be careful to take care of ourselves and stay grounded, we must also be aware of the shifting, changing nature of life so we can allow ourselves to move into the correct flow of life - and onward to the other end of the bridge.

The speed of life is hastening.  You don't try to fight it because the battle will be too consuming.  Be open to it and to what it is calling you to do.  You have an important job to do.  You have an important job that the world needs you to do.

If ever there was an important time to be busy during the times in which you are meant to be busy, now is that time.  This does, of course, mean that it is more important than ever to slow down when you are supposed to rest.  The increasing speed of life will call you to become grounded and honor your body.  After all, it is this one precious body of yours - and mine - that will carry us stealthily through the shifting changes happening in the world and on to the new world we are creating - on in which peace and love carry us all through.