Aligning with Grace

Recently, on a walk, I was almost oblivious to the beauty surrounding me, worrying about something that I can't even remember right now. And then, out of nowhere - I felt this message, very clearly, in the depths of my soul: What was, was. What is, is. What will be, will be. I sighed. What does this even mean, you might ask? I certainly did. I cannot change the past - or maybe even what is happening right now. Whatever happens will happen regardless of what I may or may not do. I could influence some outcomes and change my life and its direction - but I can't be assured of any of those things. What I can change is my attachment to whatever happened in the past - whatever cards I am dealt with now or in the future.  I can look at things with dispassion - and accept them as they are - without attachment. I can also consider things from a non-reactive place. I can change my perspective of what happened in the past or what is occurring right now. I know, it is easier said than done...

Do the work that you came here to do and let go of the rest. What do I mean by that? One can easily get overwhelmed by all that is going on in the world and consequently in our individual lives as well - overwhelmed by what we see going on in the the macrocosm as well as the microcosm. We may be especially overcome by not be able to control either one.  Or, can we? I am not implying that we should drop out of life or not work at all in the traditional sense. We all have our responsibilities and obligations to meet in this life. But, I believe that we can make a difference in both the larger world around us - and the smaller world of our immediate lives. We can have a profound impact on both. How? By being the best person we can be. By doing the work that we came here to do. And the best part is, that it's never too late to start. Each of us is a unique expression of Divine Love and by striving to become the best that we are, we can make a difference. Each of us has a unique role to...

I am moving... Not physically. At least not yet. But I AM moving and flowing - from doing to being... It is part of letting go on a bigger scale - of all the things I once thought defined me... Of all the things that once brought me joy, but no longer do... On my brisk fall walk this morning, I realized, that I am moving from doing to being... I am letting go of one - and becoming the other. I am moving and flowing from doing INTO being... I no longer want schedules, or appointments tying me down... I let go of "shoulds" and "having to" with great abandon, and supplant them instead, with "I want to." This presupposes living in the moment... I go through my house, and find new homes for articles that will still bring joy and be of use to friends who are educators and at the forefront of shaping a new generation... I give thoughtful consideration to what I have, and to whom it may still be of use... Yes, I let go... Of collections and w...

Happiness is, more often than not, elusive. But it really depends on how we define it - or what we think makes us happy. This morning, I read an interview with Oprah Winfrey. The interviewer had to wait for her to finish a photo shoot with the esteemed Annie Liebovitz, who was very apologetic for keeping Oprah longer than expected. Oprah's response caught me my surprise. She told Liebovitz not to worry. While she was with her, she was fully present to those moments and those experiences. Later she would be with the interviewer, and then she would be fully present in that moment with him, no longer thinking or concerned with the photo shoot.  This is the first key to happiness I thought, being fully in the moment. Not in the past - and not in the future. That is not to say that this is an easy task! Earlier this week, I listened to a webinar where the presenter said something very similar. She noted the past does not exist - it is only a memory we insist on bringing back t...

I walk in the rain feeling sadness, at impending changes and endings - all the while knowing they lead to new beginnings... I know intuitively, that the only constant in life is change... That does not mean this is easy... I give up opportunities that a decade ago, I would have done anything to have, but now they are not right for me - it is all a matter of timing... There are other responsibilities now, and flexibility of time is of utmost importance... I am well aware of the fact that I am not getting any younger, and am simply not up to speed in so many areas. Things that came easily would now require so much more work, and I no longer have the same energy I once did... I feel lost - having given up so much - relationships, opportunities, perhaps even my place in this world... So much has come and gone... And yet, it is all in the natural order of things... Today I walk in the rain - yesterday I walked in the intermittent sunshine - and yet the feelin...

On this first day of the Vernal Equinox, I go down to the river in the morning, and stay for a while to do Lovingkindness meditations, and to recite the Reiki Precepts... I also recite a "mantra" of sorts that has arisen for me, these last few days: Let it be. Let it go. Let go of holding on. Hold on to letting go. Let go, and let God... In the midst of so much negativity, anger, brusque, and sarcastic behavior and comments I have been silently witnessing on three Facebook pages dedicated to the Anusara yoga situation, I decide to step back... I decide to step back in many ways, and journey more deeply within, because it shows me where I need to do my own inner work... There is a much bigger world out there, and I am overwhelmed by the many I know who are in need, and removed from this situation. This is not to belittle the reality of things or the experiences of people, but I just cannot give it my energy any more... It is a good time to assess where I am in life - what need...

I've been thinking a lot about renunciation and detachment, and the process of letting go... Such things are never easy, and I wonder if they are ever fully learned, because they seem to arise as lessons we must re-visit over and over again... I attended a book club this weekend, and the selection chosen was Ram Dass' Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita. I realize now, I was meant to read this book, because of some very specific lessons... I'll start off by saying that I've never been particularly drawn to Ram Dass or his writings, and I only heard him speak once, about six years ago. And while some parts of this book are genuinely dated, and stem from a series of lectures he delivered on the Gita in the seventies, there were still some parts that spoke to me, and to a number of things that I have been reflecting on these last few weeks... So, I have chosen to note some of these passages here. I could write a dissertation on each one of these passages - and on the n...