mindful living
The Easter Angel And The Golden Ticket
It was around Easter, one year in the early 1970s, when I had a profound angel encounter. I was playing outdoors with many other children my age. We were eagerly running through a large open field looking for Easter eggs.
Well, they were not exactly real eggs. If you are from my generation, you might remember those plastic eggs that would break open to reveal inside them candy, colorful stickers and small, cheap bracelets. Some also contained little pieces of paper with trivia or inspirational messages. I remember thinking the words on the paper were more valuable to me than the tiny Tootsie Rolls or Hershey Bars.
On this occasion, I soon had a full basket and was sitting on the ground opening up my eggs and stuffing my goodies in the plastic bag we were all given. We were to return the eggs, so they could be recycled.
There was a very angelic looking women at the Easter egg hunt. She was helping some of the children find their eggs. Whenever they seemed to be having a difficult time, she would go to them and say something encouraging, or would help to cheer them up in some way. I kept my eye on her since we arrived, as she stood out from everyone else.
Later, while standing in line to return my empty eggs, she knelt down in front of me and asked, “What did you get?” I opened my bag and showed her all the candy and goodies. Then I lifted my hand and said, “This piece of paper is my favorite.” It was a golden slip of paper which read: It is wise to not put all your time, energy and love in one basket.”
Inspiration – A Message From My Guides
In times of division and mistrust, it is often easy to see the negative side of any given issue. Rather than letting everything pile up around you and affect your own positive mood, though, it is more helpful to try and find a little sunshine as you go about your day-to-day business.
Whenever possible, search for inspiration in even the simplest of things. If you can put your negative thoughts to one side and look elsewhere for inspiration, it can make it much easier to see the positive side of life.
Look for some good in people, even if they do not share your views. Focus on interesting and creative news stories of the day and look for inspiration in the most unexpected or mundane places.
Find joy in little everyday things and don’t take anything for granted. Imagine the myriad of components that had to fall into place in order for you to be where you are in this time and place. Be grateful for the lessons you have learned and your ability to mentor others by example.
The more you search for things that inspire and make you smile, the more examples you will find and the easier it will be to recognize that your world has many points of inspiration.
The Power Of Observation
In this busy world we rarely take the time to observe things around us. Most people see and feel things only through their own personal lens. Of course, it is only normal to identify with your own feelings and the things you have seen, heard or experienced. But sometimes so much of what we believe as reality is the only way we will accept it. It is necessary in some situations to take a step back and observe a situation, look at all sides of it and try to remain neutral.
I have worked with some clients in my hypnosis practice who just can’t seem to look at a situation from a different perspective. It is much easier for people to observe someone that looks much like them on a television screen playing out a scenario. They may see, feel even hear things that could not be recalled at the time of the event. Another way is to view the scene in a different way in order to rewrite the script to achieve a different outcome by observing. The incident with a different outcome may show the possibility of different realities.
For example, when there is a car accident and four or five people witness and observe it. When questioned, the people usually all have a very different account of what happened. Through their own personal lenses they believe it as gospel. But is it really?
Spiritual Power And Spiritual Practice
We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. This is important to remember when considering the nature of spiritual things. The root word for spirit is ‘breath.’ This means that every person that is breathing is equally spiritual.
Too often people think that there is a hierarchical system within spirituality; that some people are ‘more spiritual’ than others. This is simply not true. There may be individuals that have a more intentional spiritual practice, with more understanding, knowledge, or wisdom. However, this does not make them ‘more spiritual.’
The nature and purpose of spiritual practice is also something that can be misunderstood. Whether it be prayer, meditation, invocations, or other sacraments, these practices are not just to get what we want. It can be a byproduct of authentic spiritual seeking and practice, but in nearly every tradition, true spiritual power is often summed up with three principles: Love, Joy, and Peace.
All spiritual practices are intended to lead us to tap into these three qualities. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, Love, Joy, and Peace are the first of many “fruits of the spirit.” Authentic spiritual practice is meant to lead us to the experience of these three things.
How To Have A More Peaceful, Contented Life
Wouldn’t it be nice if life was always easy and we didn’t have to deal with any stress and arguments between loved ones. Imagine a world where everyone got along really well, where everybody was happy and content, and there was no struggle, so that the short while we all were on this planet could just be enjoyable!
I decided to ask my spirit guide what we could all be more aware of in order to have greater peace, contentment and joy in our lives. The response somewhat surprised me.
“Sleep,” said Spirit. Adequate sleep is one vital thing most humans on this planet are no longer getting enough of. If everyone had proper sleep habits, everybody would get along much better. I then asked how could we get better sleep, as most people work, have families to take care of, and many other responsibilities. And spirit said it has to be a conscious choice and a habitual routine. To improve our sleep our priorities have to change.
Staying Connected To Your Soul Self
Every day, when I wake up, I tell myself, today I will remain positive! I will strive to stay in the light. I will be kind and understanding, and I will endeavor to be non-judgmental and compassionate. Great attitude, good system, excellent way to begin each day. Wouldn’t you agree?
Well, here’s the rub. This ‘system’ might be ideal for us if we did not experience so many negative outside influences! Newspapers, television shows, noisy neighbors, constant traffic, and even loved ones that we share our daily existence, all contribute to challenging our godly cause of keeping our soul connection intact.
I am not an avid TV fan, however, there are some shows that I do enjoy watching. My firm belief is that inspiration can arrive from any imaginable source. For example, I recently happened to catch an episode of a talent show featuring a young man in his early thirties, who is a violin virtuoso. His playing is absolute magic and even if one does not particularly enjoy classical music, you would still have to agree he is simply a genius in his own realm.
A Sense of Calm – A Message From My Guides
Sometimes the emotional charge of something as simple as a misunderstood comment, or a statement taken out of context, can throw even the most level-headed person into a tailspin. Developing a general demeanor of good humor can assist you in dealing with some of these most difficult, embarrassing or awkward situations encountered in life.
Everyone handles things differently, doing the best they can with the information they have at the time. Although, generally, the goal is to come to a better understanding and reach common ground, sometimes this takes much more time, effort and compromise than expected.
Although it is important to resolve an issue and clear the air, if possible, it is equally important to put each issue into context. Years from the date of the affront, will the issue be remembered at all and, if so, will it have anywhere near the importance that it did at the time? Certain issues will never be forgotten, however, they can often be forgiven for the sake of all parties involved.