life design
Kindness Begins With Greater Self-Care
In a world where you can be anything, be kind. And kindness starts with being kind to yourself. When we are not kind to ourselves, we cannot be kind to others, and others will also be unkind to us! When we are not kind to ourselves we allow that type of behavior, be it from a spouse, sibling, friend, or relative.
So, kindness really starts with us. When we are kind to ourselves, the domino effect is that we are happier, healthier and more energized. When we are not carving out time for self-care, we are not being kind to ourselves, and cannot truly be kind to others.
Sometimes people can be unkind not even realizing it. How is that? Well, by playing the part of the victim, or acting like others are responsible for their happiness or contentment. They make others feel guilty, because they are putting their problems upon others, without realizing that it is often their own self-made issues.
Everyone has free will. We are ultimately where we choose to put ourselves. In the end no one else is to blame. Period.
A vital aspect of self-kindness is to employ healthy boundaries when others make us feel bad, because they are sad and unhappy. When we take better care of ourselves and come in alignment with our soul, body and mind, we can recognize this. You are not put upon this Earth to energetically fill up the cups of others. Learn to say no, and learn to stand up for yourself when others try to take advantage of you. This is one important way of being kind to yourself.
Sheltering In Gentle Grace
The subject and substance of grace is near and dear to my heart. Its consistency is gentle and ethereal, but nonetheless a source of grounded strength. I appreciate it as a richly layered, soft, spiritually textured energy, flowing between Heaven and Earth – divine in its origin from God, yet accessible in unlimited ways within, and around us.
A few years ago, I wrote a book on grace, moving in divine alignment. The words channeled through me, as if being dictated by Grace herself, a feminine goddess personifying the compassionate energy emanating from God as the Supreme Source. Therein, the quality of grace on the hard paths of life revealed itself to me as follows.
When the dance stands still in the dark – outside my comfort zone, in the space of the unknown, in the history of pain, before the next step – I tend to feel neither peaceful, patient, nor poised.
I have grabbed for answers, change, relief, but found none independently within my clutch. So, I envision a fabric of grace, formed when the favor of God becomes interwoven with the sweetness of elegant movement and presence.
Unlike ordinary cloth, the fabric of grace dons a mystical twist. It is a lifeline of being, bearing inexhaustible strength to uplift and pull us forward through all experiences.
There is an artistry of the soul in reaching for this spiritual material of grace. It calls forth inner enlightenment and skill to clasp it in the heart, not in the hands.
How To Thrive In Challenging Times
The world can be a challenging place, especially nowadays. However, not only can we cope more easily with any personal, national, or global crisis, we can thrive at the same time. Yes, it can be done, and the following spiritual and conscious living suggestions may help you restore balance and personal bliss in these times.
Choose Your Company Carefully
It is essential that, while going through any type of life challenge, you wisely choose whom you interact with. If you were to allow it, certain people will only serve to increase your stress and anxiety, while others might be supportive in a positive way and make you feel uplifted and empowered. So be careful about who you spend your time with, and avoid the energy thieves on social media.
A great way of connecting with the right kind of folk would be to join a support group or like-minded ‘tribe’ consisting of people whose collective objective is to help one another remain positive and maintain a sense of sanity – no matter what might be going on in their personal lives, or in the rest of the world.
Make Time For Daily Meditation
Anyone can meditate, and that includes you! Therefore, if you would like to reduce the harmful effects that stress can bring to bear on your body and mind, particularly during a challenging time, a simple daily meditation practice can be immensely helpful.
The Spiritual Purpose Of Patience
Life has been teaching me that patience is indeed a virtue. I have been becoming much more patient than I used to be. It is one of the lessons that I will have to learn in this lifetime.
Patience is something that we are all told to have more of, but it can be difficult to be patient in trying circumstances or stressful times. Often we are wanting to advance in our life, and we have to get from one point to the next as quickly as possible, while patience is all about a spiritual ‘halt.’
Patience often ties into our soul contract, and why we have come here. We have to learn certain lessons before we can get to the next level. We can try to bypass patience, and force things to happen our way, but remember each of us have come here with a soul contract that guides us along our path. The higher self always knows which way is the best and easiest, but we try to rush things, and we jump into things and get ahead of ourselves, in ways that we should not.
We don’t always listen to our inner voice, and for this there are usually repercussions. Being impatient only serves to slow us down, or complicate our progress. Spirit is telling us that we can get to where we need to go, but it may take our time to get there. Our guides try to intervene and keep us paused. If only we would pay attention and listen.
Patience is all about understanding ourselves. When you send a wish or desire out into the Universe, you can’t dictate when it is going to come back to you, but you must trust that the Universe is going bring you to the place that you want to be.
A New Breed Of Lightworker
What an extraordinary time in history this present day is! We have the entire world sitting up and taking notice of the many strange, disturbing events that are unfolding before our very eyes. One cannot berate anyone who is currently experiencing extreme stress and anxiety, with all that is happening around us. Instead we must offer our compassion and understanding.
However, there is also an inspirational side to these highly provocative circumstances. We have in our own homes, neighborhood and communities those blessed by the Divine. They are the everyday caretakers who are making these events a part of their own soul’s journey.
They are a new breed of lightworkers, seizing it as a unique opportunity to reach out to others, with little fanfare, and no trepidation or significant thought given to how they could possibly be jeopardizing themselves, or those close to them.
This is a time when exceptional people are stepping outside their own small nucleus of existence, and braving their own fears, in order to serve a higher purpose. How can such a complete selfless act go unappreciated and unrewarded? Maybe the answer is not so simple.
Lightworkers on this plane come in all shapes and sizes. We do not easily recognize them. They do not carry a sign attached to them saying, “Hey, look at me. I am a lightworker.” These are souls who come from every walk of life. And these days some of them are paramedics, doctors, nurses and caregivers.
The Spiritual Significance Of A Global Pandemic
Remember that defining moment recently, when the novel coronavirus finally made its way into your everyday reality? Your spiritual well-being and metaphysical beliefs were probably the last things on your mind. In fact, the spiritual meaning of this pandemic will not be a major consideration for most at this time. But in the dark, difficult days that still lie ahead, the Covid-19 pandemic will increasingly reveal its profound spiritual truths. And in its devastating aftermath, we will have no choice but to acknowledge and embrace its spiritual significance in our post-pandemic reality.
When Covid-19 was officially declared a global pandemic, and made its unwelcome way into international news headlines, many people reverted to the ‘first law of nature.’ They responded instinctively with their best personal strategies for self-preservation.
Some hysterically stockpiled a lifetime supply of hand sanitizer and toilet paper, while others stubbornly gathered en masse at street festivals, religious gatherings, and even at their nearest beach, despite medical experts and authorities advising against it. Many simply carried on with life ‘as normal’, until they could no longer ignore the writing on the wall.
Meanwhile, the least anchored among us, tried to alleviate their overwhelming anxiety and confusion by seeking certainty in fake news, superstition, and the outlandish fearmongering of conspiracy theorists. Some went into hardcore survival mode, compelled by their lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality, while other still continue to choose the path of least resistance: denial. And in-between these polar opposite responses, the best, and worst examples of human behavior continue to surface all over the world.
Finding Hope In A Scary World
The recent events worldwide are terrifying and daunting for most of us. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic our world is not well, and we are all in need of courage, hope and healing.
We cannot control the entire world, or every aspect of our future, but we surely can choose how we react to what is happening to us, and to the world.
Although the world is scary right now, know that there are opportunities for personal and spiritual growth for all of us during this time. Consider the following to make the most of the current circumstances.
Mindfulness
Take a deep breath. Hold it. The release, and repeat. Cultivating a calm, hopeful approach to the challenges we will encounter over the next several months, will bring you peace as you navigate through this time.
Take some time every day to find your calm place within, where you can focus on hope and inner peace. Meditate and calm your fears. Spend some time in your ‘happy place.’