grace
The Paradigm Shift Of An Awakening World
Most people respond more strongly to negative than they do to positive news or events. No matter how hard some of us may try to live with grace and gratitude by looking at the brighter side of life, a piece of bad news, malignant gossip, or fear-inducing information is a lot easier to run with than good news. We also react to someone else’s bad behavior much more strongly than their good conduct. We seldom praise or sincerely compliment, but we are quick to judge and criticize.
Case in point is my own experience working as the curator at fine art galleries some years ago. Ten clients would be nice and easy to please, but if the eleventh person was having a bad day they would be the one to get most of my attention. I’ve since gotten a lot better at being able to tune out the negativity and drama resulting from low vibrational frequencies, but it still remains impossible for me not to be affected by it from time to time.
Due to our innate survival instinct as humans beings we are simply incapable of ignoring negativity – or in a more enlightened scope, not give energy to it. This is understandable, as our first instinct is usually to protect ourselves by knowing if bad things may be happening.
But, so many people seem to absolutely thrive on every possible fragment of negativity, fear or drama they can find. From messy family quarrels, feuds with neighbors, and rude, unkind behavior in public places, to the brutal, senseless wars that continue to be fought since time immemorial. Every bit of it is and has been based on human reactions to slights, hurts and trespasses – some of it petty and even imagined.
Make It Happen Every Day
We have the ultimate ability to forge our own spiritual path in this lifetime, regardless of perceived limitations. As life is lived, important karmic lessons are learned and it is always your free will choice as to how fully you embrace your surroundings and opportunities.
Your experiences will depend on the lessons you choose to learn, the people with whom you interact and the ultimate goals you envision achieving.
To make the most of this incredible journey, spirit invites us to implement the following strategies:
Learn from all your experiences. Rejoice in the ability to create your reality and celebrate your successes, but do not judge your mistakes, nor your supposed failings. Reframe it instead into lessons.
Rejoice in all accomplishments. Even the smallest achievements lead to much greater opportunities. Never criticize your lack of visible success.
Lead by example. Be your best self today and encourage others to do the same for themselves.
Be kind to yourself. Aim for personal balance so that you can give more freely to others.
Be of service. Give so that your heart becomes truly free. Take giant strides in life and make your mark with love and integrity. Don’t let life pass you by.
Evaluate carefully. Think and make wise choices. Step back from the precipice of judgment long enough to gain solid insight before making a definitive move. You are much stronger than you realize. When confusion reigns, ask spirit for support and guidance.
Life Is In The Eyes Of The Beholder
What is the lens through which you view the world? When I close my eyes I see waterfalls, flowing streams, and flowers. This is the scenery surrounding me with my eyes open too. It tells me a story of life, of inner perception, and beauty.
The experience of life is what we make it, not because we are independently powerful controllers or causes of physical outcomes, but because we are eternally sentient beings with the gift of free will.
The spirit soul is a spark of consciousness, and we can express that consciousness through a variety of qualities. It is that inner flavor of our quality that then colors our experience and lens.
So, for example, when I see the water in the stream rolling around rocks and carving a curvy path through the land in front of me, I am reminded of a world that is gentle with feminine energy. She flows and nourishes and moves with consistent but soft determination.
I know that elsewhere there is also hard, jagged terrain and a state of mind that matches it. I can choose to match my mind to the beauty, diversity, and gentleness of spirit, or to the rigid harshness of a cold, hard, inert world of matter and might.
This choice presents itself at every step. Two people may suffer a similar loss in their lives, but process it completely differently. One might see it as an opportunity to grow and become more resilient, while the other might choose to feel angry and unfortunate. It depends on the lens through which we choose to view the world and our interactions with it.
Our circumstances also do not have to change for consciousness to change. When we change our inner consciousness and the lens through which we choose to view life, we change the experience.
The Goddess Energy Of The Sacred Feminine
Many people assume the sacred feminine is a concept relevant to women only. This is not true at all. The sacred feminine is a way of living for everyone, and a reorientation of how we move through life.
In his book Power vs. Force, author David R. Hawkins explores the intrinsic energy that is fundamental to all of life – an eternal power that is not driven by ego, will, or forceful means, but rather by a natural flow, like we see with the sacred feminine.
If you think of a goddess archetype, such as Kwan Yin, there is a gentle flow of energy that outpours from her, and yet there is an immense power in the dragon she rides! In Chinese Buddhism, Kwan Yin is an icon of compassion, kindness, mercy, and love.
Recognizing the gentle power of the divine feminine comes down to resistance. Is there a natural flow that is working in harmony for the greater good, or is there an extreme push with no regard to anyone else’s well-being with what is trying to come through the power in a given situation?
The latter of the two may bring about success for an individual or small group in the short-term, but what about the long-term impact? How will this show up karmically, or affect the greater good down the road?
When there is a strong desire to create something and it is met with resistance, those in touch with the sacred feminine tend to be more patient and will enter a state of receptive stillness and assess the situation from a viewpoint of loving kindness and wisdom.
The sacred feminine is quiet and gentle, but it does not mean one who lives like this is a ‘dishrag’ who acquiesces to everyone else’s needs and demands. Nor is it choosing to never go after a strong desire, or holding back full effort to win a tennis match!
Leave Some Space For Grace
When I read energy, it is shown to me in terms of the strength of that energy. In other words, the strength of the energy is directly tied to its manifestation here in the physical realm. As above, so below.
When we are angry or in conflict, we are often heavily invested in simply being right. And the more the argument evolves… the more virulent the energy becomes. This is never a hopeful, healthy precursor to manifesting better things in our life.
Fortunately, there is the powerful spiritual and emotional energy that love and forgiveness can also manifest in our lives, to counteract the impact of negative emotional energies.
A sister to the energies of love and forgiveness that is not always afforded equal honor, bit is equally powerful is the gift of grace. You may have heard of ‘grace under pressure?’ Essayist William Hazlitt defines grace as “the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul.”
So, what is grace? Webster’s Dictionary defines grace as both a noun and a verb. Noun: unmerited favor, kindness undeserved. Verb: to confer dignity or honor on, or to add beauty to.
Grace is the ‘breath’ we take between anger and forgiveness. It is a choice to be silent, hold our tongue, and open the door for peace to enter into a challenging situation.
Angels naturally possess infinite grace, and many times the angels I work with have to remind me to hold my tongue, think before I speak, and simply be silent and listen to the person I am angry with. Being heard even if we are not understood is very validating. It says to the other person, “you are important to me, what you are feeling and thinking matters to me”. What you give you will receive.
Your Future Is A Divine Garden
True psychic reading is descriptive, not predictive. It relays what is revealed in the energy. It is not a conclusive fortune-telling of what is definitely going to happen in the future. But what is in the energy can indeed offer information for the future. It is about destiny, not fate.
Gardening is a good analogy to describe this ‘predictive’ energy. Seeds planted in the earth are unseen, but truly there. They are not visible to the naked eye from the surface. Seeds are hidden beneath, teeming with life. They hold the parts and potentials of an entire existence to unfold. But their process takes time. There is a period that it appears inactive from the outside, yet there is something magical stirring and germinating within it. Within every seed there is life force; an encapsulated vitality undergoing a natural evolution toward its next stage…long before it can be seen.
Similarly, energy is present beneath the surface of our ordinary awareness. It is as a subtle substance, quality, or force to yet shaped into physical form. It is there, a reality, pulsating, before it makes its presence known. There is an organic movement and process that occurs within it. In its own time and way, it moves, morphs, and takes shape.
As different seeds hold different varieties of plants to be, so do energies hold their own distinctive qualities also. Each has unique attributes that could be compared to the distinguishing features of form, texture, color, fragrance, species, and so on. Therefore, the energy of loss is noticeably very different than the energy of joy, like an apple seed is very different from a sesame seed.
Planted seeds also do not all sprout at the same time, nor even precisely when anticipated. A lotus seed, for example, can remain viable for at least three thousand years, whereas a tulsi seed generally germinates within one to two weeks. Seeds in the cabbage family, such as broccoli, kale, and lettuce, can come up in just one to two days.
The Spiritual Tidings Of The Ladybug
If you enjoy gardening or spend a lot of time outdoors, you are probably well-acquainted with ladybugs. These brave little members of the beetle insect family come in thousands of varieties and colors and are found all over the world.
In medieval Europe, these little beetles were associated with the Virgin Mary, because they helped protect farmers’ crops from pests. The ladybug eats aphids and other garden pests, while keeping flowers and plants healthy.
In other cultures, including Scandinavia, Japan, and India, ladybugs are associated with divine feminine energy, as well as forgiving ourselves and others, spiritual grace, and empathy. The cycle of death and rebirth, along with the ability to heal, are also symbolic trademarks of the humble ladybug.
But they are not just useful as nature’s pest controllers. They are also spiritual messengers.
It is said good fortune isn’t far away when a ladybug lands on you, and for good reason: their hard outer shells and bright colors make them among the toughest survivors in the insect world. And they do not only bring tidings of good luck, they are also good omens of protection and healing.
Next time you encounter a ladybug, count the number of spots you see on its shell. If there are a total of seven spots, or another prime number, it is considered especially lucky. Likewise, note the color. Ladybugs are often depicted as red with black spots, but they also come in various shades of yellow (joy, optimism, the sun) and orange (health, prosperity). Just like our fingerprints, no two ladybugs are the same.
Unlike some other insects, the ladybug can live comparatively long, up to two to three years, and they also hibernate like mammals. For this reason, ladybugs often show up in our lives when it is time for us to engage in greater self-care, or recover our physical and spiritual strength when life becomes overwhelming. When they fly on a warm summer breeze, imagine them taking some of your cares away.
