Aligning with Grace

"With the opening of the New Year, all the closed portals of limitation will be thrown open and I shall move through them to vaster fields where my worthwhile dreams of life will be fulfilled." ~ Paramahansa Yoganada With the ending of this year, and the beginning of the next - to concur with a New Moon - we plant the seeds for new beginnings, as in this coming year of 2014... The last couple of years have been very difficult for so many. There have been seemingly insurmountable challenges for many loved ones. But I am amazed at how so many souls have been able to traverse these experiences with love, and humility and grace. It has been a great gift to me and a lesson for my soul... Every year brings with it the invitation to grow, and to deepen our relationship with the Divine. It invites us to heal what must be healed, to take on - and let go - and to accept what we cannot change. I like to light votive candles at sundown that last for almost a week - ...

Those of you who have been following my posts in this blog over the years, know that I try to post mostly uplifting and inspirational things, and so I have something very special that I would like to share with all of you. There is a wonderful page on Facebook for those of you who spend time there, which is launching an inspirational thought every day, starting on January 1st. It is called  Every Day Spirit.  What a wonderful way to start your day, and New Year as you undertake your sacred tasks and goals for the coming year! Add this wonderful page to your "Feed" - and feed your soul by adding a little "sun" to it - each and every day! Visit regularly. A website and other surprises will follow soon! May the coming year be filled with blessings for all of you! Here is the link for that site and the first picture. Enjoy! https://www.facebook.com/everydayspirit1

This is a repost from 2008... I came across a plaque recently entitled "Alphabet for Life," with each letter of the alphabet consisting of both a kernel of wisdom and a dictum for living life fully. As we stand on the threshold of ending one year, and beginning another, there is much to ponder and which we can embrace in these simple maxims... A ccept differences B e kind C ount your blessings D ream E xpress thanks F orgive G ive freely H arm no one I magine more J ettison anger K eep confidence L ove truly M aster something N urture hope O pen your mind P ack lightly Q uell rumors R eciprocate S eek wisdom T ouch hearts U nderstand V alue truth W in graciously X eriscape Y earn for peace Z ealously support a worthy cause May the coming New Year be one where these jewels blossom in your awaiting heart!

Christmas Eve Blessings 2013 May this Christmas embrace you And swaddle you in Infinite Blessings. May your load be lightened. May you be granted love and joy And may peace reign without end. May angels accompany you And cushion your every step -  And grant you safe passage As you navigate life and its many tribulations. May your soul find comfort. May every cell and fiber of your being soften. And may Divine Love be born once again That it may dance eternally In the fullness of your heart! Wishes to you and yours for a joyous and peaceful Christmas! ~ Olga Rodriguez Rasmussen

Today we mark the Winter Solstice... It is when  the Earth offers her exhale into her inhale - pausing for a moment, in Stillness, before reversing and beginning her journey back to days increasingly filled with Light. I posted this prayer in 2009, after having borrowed it from a friend... Thanks again Bob! A Midwinter Prayer "From the rising of the midwinter sun to its setting, Scatter the darkness with the light of your love, O Shining One. Make me short on mean thoughts, long on offers of words of comfort. Make me short on being driven, long on paying attention. Make me short on focusing only on my own, long on looking beyond. Make me short on obsessive thoughts, long on spontaneous acts of kindness. Make me short on mindless activity, long on time to reflect. Make me short on tradition as a habit, long on rediscovery and re-owning. Make me short on rushing or tiring, long on walking and wondering. Make me short on false, festive jollity, long on stilling and rooted j...

I have posted this for several years. It is the saying on a Christmas card I have sent on several occasions, and will do so again. The origin of this saying, poem, or whatever it is, has been attributed to several sources. I suppose, in some ways, it doesn't matter where it comes from. The sentiments are endearing, timeless, and worth revisiting... It reminds me of what this season is all about, and what gets ignited in our hearts. It reminds me of what every season and every day should be about. Its wisdom is without question. It's value is without price. Its simplicity is stunning. It will take your breath away. And it will change your life - if you give it a chance... And so, I share it once again, this year... This Christmas Mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Think first of someone else...

I read an Advent devotional on the importance and role of stillness, and then came across this entry I made on December 14th 2009, which I reprise here once again for a different audience. Once more, enjoy! Last night, I went to the site, "Following the Star," which I religiously visited during Advent last year. But here I am, a year later, finding myself very busy and frazzled as I consider all the activities on my dance card, and the entry I read is very appropriately titled, "Be Still and Know..." This is one of my most favorite scripture verses - from Psalm 46:10 to be more precise - "Be still and know that I am God." I have written about this verse before in many ways. And now it comes to me, as a gentle reminder of the season, calling me to stillness, to silence, and to being more centered amidst so many activities that are pulling me in so many directions. Here is an excerpt from the passage that I read last night, authored by Tracy Hartman, a t...

Looking back to previous posts, every now and then I find something worth reposting, so here is a poem from my entry for December 13, 2010: Advent 2010 In this Sacred Season Of Stillness and Silence, May you walk with the Divine-- Scattering the true Gifts Of this Blessed Season: Joy, Compassion, and Love, With every breath you take. Be the Light You want to see, Shining brightly everywhere. Embody the Change You hope will take root In every soul and nation. Give the Love You wish to receive, Have, and always treasure. Spread the Joy You hope will soothe, The yearning in every heart. Be the Silence Deeply desired and absent In the busyness of everyday Life. Be a Harbor and Safe Haven For all who are lost, Or entrusted into your care. Reflect the Divine's Presence In every word and deed, And encounter that you have. Be the Light! Give the Love! Spread the Joy! Be the True Gift of this Season-- The Incarnation of the Divine In our Hea...

I wrote this meditation for an Advent Quiet Day for St. David's Episcopal Church in Ashburn, Va, last week. And while it is long, I wish to share it here, for those who would like to embark on a little journey of going inward to experience the quiet and the true gifts of this season. Enjoy! Introduction: Advent is a time for waiting, for preparing, for embodying joy, faith, peace, and love… Advent is a journey, which invites us to sojourn more deeply within ourselves. Advent is a time to slow down, to open our hearts to receive the Gift of the Divine in our lives, and to share our own lives with one another, for there is no greater gift that we can give… Let us take a few moments to settle ourselves – our minds and hearts and body into stillness, that we may open, prepare, and receive the gifts of the season… Centering: Begin by making yourself as comfortable as possible, sitting in whatever way will enable you settle most deeply… If you have to make...

I made this entry a couple of years ago, and was reminded of it recently when someone left a comment on this blog. So, here it is once again, for those of you who might have missed it then, and for those who might want to revisit it once more! Last year, I wrote this poem. These were my wishes then, and they are my wishes once again this year, and every year - for you - for me - for all of us! And so, here it is, one more time... This Christmas… Love. Love totally and completely. Love without restraint. Love with total abandon. Forgive. Forgive everything. Forgive every ancient grudge. Forgive the Unforgivable. Hope. Hope for a better world. Hope for Peace, and an end to strife. Give Hope to all in despair. Dream. Dream the Impossible Dream. Feed your Dream and Give it Life. Make it real. Believe. Believe in the Seen. Believe in the Unseen. Believe in the Power of Miracles. Live. Live fully and Live deeply. Live with Gr...

Advent unfolds...  Quietly, deeply... Advent is a time for waiting and preparing... It is a time for the cultivation of peace, and faith, and joy, and love... It is a time for healing... And a time for renewal... It is a time to set aside grievances and hurts, and to extend a welcoming hand... It is a time to embrace, and to let go of all that does not serve... Advent unfolds... Surely, and mindfully... Advent is a time for journeying and contemplating... It is a time for deepening spiritual practices... And a time for forgiving... It is a time for inviting others into the space within our hearts... And a time to take in and to listen... Advent unfolds... Inevitably, and silently... Advent invites us to take stock of where we are, and where we've been, so -  That we may chart a new course, for where we are going...  It is a time for starting over... And for giving birth to all that could be... And can be... Advent u...

Two weeks ago today, I celebrated my birthday in the land of of Israel - the Promised Land to a people that had lived long in exile... Two weeks ago today, in the company of friends, I celebrated my birthday in a way I could never have imagined, even just a year ago, even though I was so filled and overwhelmed with the places visited, that I could not even dwell on the significance of the day for me. We had hired a driver for the day to take us to various sites, and he also suggested some others that were nearby that we had not considered or did not know about. Originally, we had hoped to take two day trips, but in the end there was enough to see and experience in Jerusalem - so much so - that I can envision returning there some day to do the city and environs more justice. Though we had planned to go to Jericho and could not fit it in, we were able to survey the city from a kibbutz and it was especially memorable to situate the city and its terrain within the context of bi...