Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?
You are God manifest. You are the physical embodiment of heaven, of the divine. All forms are the physical embodiment of the Divine.
You look at a flower and see its beauty. A landscape takes your breath away. A sunrise mesmerizes you with its perfection. How can you think yourelf any different? Are you not a creation of the Earth? Have you not equal composition? Were you not formed from the same source as a butterfly? What are your cells composed of?
The imperfection you see is a sickness of your mind. Beauty is all things. Find something that is not beautiful. What makes it so? Who determines this final evaluation? Do you decide who is speaking when imperfection threatens your peace? It is not you who sees imperfection. You are a messanger of love. You speak kindness. Love is all that you are. Ignorance (the perception of separateness, of disconnection from the divine) is what sees imperfection. For all is Divine. There is no thing you can sit with, no thing you can focus your attention on and not connect with its beauty. Its mere existence makes it beautiful. a rock. a cloud. a leaf. a stone. a child. hair. eyes. mountains. a table. a car. a seed. a plant. a plane. YOU. It cannot be otherwise and you know this is so.
Do not consider it. Feel it. Live it. Experience it.
The ignorance of your mind wants to remain separate from all that is, so it creates imperfection. This is the source of its control. It keeps you searching. Perfection is here, now. When you are open to it, when you allow yourself to experience it, all imperfections dissolve into truth, beauty, love. All is one.
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Art of Leaving
When I wrote this I had recently broken up with someone I knew but a short while, though still cared deeply about.
The Art of Leaving begins with intuition. It is not within my scope to move into this intimate and profound topic here, but luckily I don't need to. Some people wince or scoff at the idea of "intuition." When approached as a topic, they place it disdainfully within the mists of fictional lands, fearful to stay too long lest menacing dwarfs cast spells on them. To say these same people do not follow their intuition either consciously or unconsciously, however, would be a fat stack of baloney.
It has many names: Inner Wisdom, gut feeling, intuitive perception, Knowing, spirit, guiding truth, etc. Most people know it as "I have no idea why I did that, but I'm sure as hell glad I did." Or "what have I done? How did this happen?" when they didn't listen to the inner direction. This is where it all begins: with that voice, that feeling, that premonition. It gently speaks, opening a new path. "This is not it," it tells you. Then: terror, confusion, disbelief, denial, sadness. In essence, FEAR emerges. To the extent that we trust our intuition, our movement is swift and deliberate. We follow this voice and are at peace. When we are out of touch with it, our movement is heavy, awkward, cumbersome. So how do we move with the flow? Trust your intuition and explore your fears.
Relationships are beautiful expressions of the Union we seek as individuals. Relationship means Giving and Receiving. It is like your birthday everyday! or it is a battlefield if the relationship is imbalanced. When a relationship ends it is like experiencing a death. What will I receive now? To whom will I give? who will see me? What will happen to my supply? Fear. We are scared that the person we are with is the source of what we treasure in them. The unified part in us knows this not to be true. Love is infinite; it comes from infinite sources. Connection is ubiquitous. Intimacy is omnipresent.
The voice tells us to move on not to cut us off from these things, but to lead us to a greater supply - to open us to a deeper alignment. This really throws the ego off. We are either dumbfounded because we truly love and value the other person, or we are so in denial that we must demonize them in order to let go. Without trust, leaving becomes an impossible feat.
The art of leaving is not about measurements, it is not about deficiencies or imperfections in the other person. It is about expansion. The person I broke up with was a phenomenal human being. He was authentic, carried a deep respect for those around him, was mature, self-reflective and aware. The breakup had nothing to do with him and everything to do with how I fit into the equation of "us." there is nothing to be said of why I no longer wanted to pursue a deepening of our relationship except that the Inner Sense directed me towards a different path. The ego cannot comprehend this. "If the other is perfect, why is it over?" it asks. The question should be, "if it is over, what will come next?" The answer is: something more profound, more intimate, more beautiful. Trust this. It can only be but so. It is evolution.
So what does it take? Listening. Trusting. Affirming a higher good. Begone with the cynicism, fear and dispair! Rejoice in what is to come. Of course there is a process of mourning, but look into this deeper. I found that my mourning was rooted in a deep gratitude. Gratitude to have had this person in my life, to have shared, to have learned, to have loved. Often, the grief and sadness that we feel are partially rooted in cynicism, hopelessness and a distrust for the perfect unfolding of the future. It comes from a belief that there is not more beauty and love to come. It is your choice which to believe.
The Art of Leaving is truly a celebration. A celebration of what was and of what is to be.
Let it flow, just let go.
Trust. Fall. Fly.
If you need more encouragement, just look to Toni Braxton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nWGDY_ND70
The Art of Leaving begins with intuition. It is not within my scope to move into this intimate and profound topic here, but luckily I don't need to. Some people wince or scoff at the idea of "intuition." When approached as a topic, they place it disdainfully within the mists of fictional lands, fearful to stay too long lest menacing dwarfs cast spells on them. To say these same people do not follow their intuition either consciously or unconsciously, however, would be a fat stack of baloney.
It has many names: Inner Wisdom, gut feeling, intuitive perception, Knowing, spirit, guiding truth, etc. Most people know it as "I have no idea why I did that, but I'm sure as hell glad I did." Or "what have I done? How did this happen?" when they didn't listen to the inner direction. This is where it all begins: with that voice, that feeling, that premonition. It gently speaks, opening a new path. "This is not it," it tells you. Then: terror, confusion, disbelief, denial, sadness. In essence, FEAR emerges. To the extent that we trust our intuition, our movement is swift and deliberate. We follow this voice and are at peace. When we are out of touch with it, our movement is heavy, awkward, cumbersome. So how do we move with the flow? Trust your intuition and explore your fears.
Relationships are beautiful expressions of the Union we seek as individuals. Relationship means Giving and Receiving. It is like your birthday everyday! or it is a battlefield if the relationship is imbalanced. When a relationship ends it is like experiencing a death. What will I receive now? To whom will I give? who will see me? What will happen to my supply? Fear. We are scared that the person we are with is the source of what we treasure in them. The unified part in us knows this not to be true. Love is infinite; it comes from infinite sources. Connection is ubiquitous. Intimacy is omnipresent.
The voice tells us to move on not to cut us off from these things, but to lead us to a greater supply - to open us to a deeper alignment. This really throws the ego off. We are either dumbfounded because we truly love and value the other person, or we are so in denial that we must demonize them in order to let go. Without trust, leaving becomes an impossible feat.
The art of leaving is not about measurements, it is not about deficiencies or imperfections in the other person. It is about expansion. The person I broke up with was a phenomenal human being. He was authentic, carried a deep respect for those around him, was mature, self-reflective and aware. The breakup had nothing to do with him and everything to do with how I fit into the equation of "us." there is nothing to be said of why I no longer wanted to pursue a deepening of our relationship except that the Inner Sense directed me towards a different path. The ego cannot comprehend this. "If the other is perfect, why is it over?" it asks. The question should be, "if it is over, what will come next?" The answer is: something more profound, more intimate, more beautiful. Trust this. It can only be but so. It is evolution.
So what does it take? Listening. Trusting. Affirming a higher good. Begone with the cynicism, fear and dispair! Rejoice in what is to come. Of course there is a process of mourning, but look into this deeper. I found that my mourning was rooted in a deep gratitude. Gratitude to have had this person in my life, to have shared, to have learned, to have loved. Often, the grief and sadness that we feel are partially rooted in cynicism, hopelessness and a distrust for the perfect unfolding of the future. It comes from a belief that there is not more beauty and love to come. It is your choice which to believe.
The Art of Leaving is truly a celebration. A celebration of what was and of what is to be.
Let it flow, just let go.
Trust. Fall. Fly.
If you need more encouragement, just look to Toni Braxton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nWGDY_ND70
All is Full of Love
I first directly associated Bjork's music with a spiritual worldview while studying Bhakti Yoga in India in 2010. Listening to "Hidden Place" from Vespertine created vivid imagery of the divine couple, Radha and Krishna, secretly meeting in the spring forest for an intimate rendezvous. It was then that I began to interpret almost all of her music through the lens of what I was learning and experiencing in the practice of Awareness.
Bjork's music inspires and uplifts me. It offers love, wisdom, encouragement. I would like to write spirited responses to various songs as a way to focus on what has been meaningful and helpful in my development. Huzzah!
I decided to start with a song that in some ways is the most difficult of all. "All is Full of Love" is the last song on Bjork's fourth studio album.
"All is full of love." This realization seems to encompass all other truths that lead to peace and fulfillment. All is Full of Love. Love permeates all things. Love is everywhere. There is no place that love is not. It is a pretty concept and our fear-based egos want it to remain just that: a concept.
All is full of love is not just a concept. It is a lived reality. It is an experience that is always available to us whenever we open ourselves to it. Love is all there is. In a field of flowers: love. In your warm bed: love. In a delicious breakfast: love. Spending time with friends: love. Watching a sunset: love. In the middle of war: love. The beginning of a breakup: love. The loss of a loved one: love.
Our minds think they have a handle on all things. Without our conscious awareness they label and judge everything around us. They like us to believe that there are some places where there is not love. This act creates separation, isolation, fragmentation. We think we get to decide what is good and what is bad. In this model, we're not even really concerned about love. We still think it exists, but only in places we determine to be good. Everything else is seen as bad, evil. Love does not exist in those places.
All is Full of Love is the ultimate surrender. Surrender to everything. All is love. You do not decide. All is love.
"You'll be given love." There is nothing you can do to break the constant flow of love to you. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from love. Love is an unconditional presence, not dependent on any external condition. You'll be given love - always, despite anything. You don't have to do anything, you don't have to stop doing anything, you don't have to have anything, you don't have to give up anything. You'll be given love. At all times, you are given love.
You'll be taken care of." When you surrender yourself to love, to the place beyond good & bad, beyond effort & control, you reside in a place of care. You don't have to try and protect yourself; you don't have to save yourself; you don't have to fight for security. All is full of love; you'll be taken care of - always, without condition.
"You'll be given love. YOU HAVE TO TRUST IT." I've realized that trust can be a vague word. How do you trust? what does that mean? what does it look like? To trust means to say "yes," to have Faith. It starts with a risk - Faith. You are unsure of the outcome. You must trust and have courage. You say Yes. You trust and say yes. Then what you once had faith in becomes an experience. It is no longer faith. You said yes and experienced the truth. This is essential. You can spend your whole life doubting and mentally calculating where you have seen love and where you haven't. You are not allowing yourself openness to what is always there. When you trust and say yes, only then do you live the experience of all being full of love.
.....to be continued.....
Bjork's music inspires and uplifts me. It offers love, wisdom, encouragement. I would like to write spirited responses to various songs as a way to focus on what has been meaningful and helpful in my development. Huzzah!
I decided to start with a song that in some ways is the most difficult of all. "All is Full of Love" is the last song on Bjork's fourth studio album.
"All is full of love." This realization seems to encompass all other truths that lead to peace and fulfillment. All is Full of Love. Love permeates all things. Love is everywhere. There is no place that love is not. It is a pretty concept and our fear-based egos want it to remain just that: a concept.
All is full of love is not just a concept. It is a lived reality. It is an experience that is always available to us whenever we open ourselves to it. Love is all there is. In a field of flowers: love. In your warm bed: love. In a delicious breakfast: love. Spending time with friends: love. Watching a sunset: love. In the middle of war: love. The beginning of a breakup: love. The loss of a loved one: love.
Our minds think they have a handle on all things. Without our conscious awareness they label and judge everything around us. They like us to believe that there are some places where there is not love. This act creates separation, isolation, fragmentation. We think we get to decide what is good and what is bad. In this model, we're not even really concerned about love. We still think it exists, but only in places we determine to be good. Everything else is seen as bad, evil. Love does not exist in those places.
All is Full of Love is the ultimate surrender. Surrender to everything. All is love. You do not decide. All is love.
"You'll be given love." There is nothing you can do to break the constant flow of love to you. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from love. Love is an unconditional presence, not dependent on any external condition. You'll be given love - always, despite anything. You don't have to do anything, you don't have to stop doing anything, you don't have to have anything, you don't have to give up anything. You'll be given love. At all times, you are given love.
You'll be taken care of." When you surrender yourself to love, to the place beyond good & bad, beyond effort & control, you reside in a place of care. You don't have to try and protect yourself; you don't have to save yourself; you don't have to fight for security. All is full of love; you'll be taken care of - always, without condition.
"You'll be given love. YOU HAVE TO TRUST IT." I've realized that trust can be a vague word. How do you trust? what does that mean? what does it look like? To trust means to say "yes," to have Faith. It starts with a risk - Faith. You are unsure of the outcome. You must trust and have courage. You say Yes. You trust and say yes. Then what you once had faith in becomes an experience. It is no longer faith. You said yes and experienced the truth. This is essential. You can spend your whole life doubting and mentally calculating where you have seen love and where you haven't. You are not allowing yourself openness to what is always there. When you trust and say yes, only then do you live the experience of all being full of love.
.....to be continued.....
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