tolerance
Thorns Are Only There To Protect The Rose
Each time we turn to unnecessary conflict, things turn into chaos. It stirs up the aura around each person involved. The ripples of anger and hurt affects everyone involved.
This doesn’t mean we can’t ever stand up for ourselves, or disagree. In fact, statistics prove that couples who never argue most often don’t last in their relationships.
A good storm now and then can clear up things and allow us opportunity to express the things we have been suppressing.
But often we hold it in for too long, and then it blows up. When this happens, the drama is often worse than it needed to be. We say things we later regret. We are even surprised by some of the things we say when we get this upset! Where did that come from?
Then, as time goes on, we want to make amends. Yet, those words caused a hurt that never really leaves. Sometimes an apology is no longer enough.
I know that it is hard to do, but it is mostly for the best not to stir the pot when it is already too late. The wisest way to handle issues is to bring them up early on. Talk and work them out before they blow up.
Love is like a rose. Roses are so beautiful, with their sweet smell, the velvet petals, brilliant colors, and heady scent. It overwhelms the senses.
Ask Spirit For Patience This Holiday Season
The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, togetherness, and celebration. But for some of us, it can also be a time of tension, distress, and intense emotions.
Instead of being a time of gratitude, love, and connection, for some of us the holidays mark the resurfacing of old family conflicts, unresolved tensions, and the weight of others’ overwhelming expectations or criticisms.
These challenges often lead to frustration, sadness, anger, or feelings of being overwhelmed, turning what should be a time of love and belonging into one that underscores where our relationships with loved ones are most strained.
At this point, asking spirit or your higher power to help you cultivate the virtue of patience becomes a powerful way to stay grounded and centered.
Patience isn’t just about enduring difficult moments; it’s about being aware of those moments and choosing to respond with grace and dignity rather than impulsively. When tensions rise — perhaps during a family dinner where conversations may become heated or awkward — it is easy to fall back on old patterns and habitual responses. Asking for spiritual support and protection in these moments, however, can provide a higher perspective and an empowered response.
Whether it’s through a silent prayer, a few deep breaths, whispering your favorite mantra, or simply making a conscious call for help in your mind, spiritual presence can help you pause, step back, ground and center, and approach the situation calmly and with more compassion — for yourself and others.
Maybe This Is How We Mend Our World
I have certainly been trespassed against over the years, as I suspect you may have too: maligned, misunderstood, abused, betrayed. Many of us have been hurt and wounded.
For many of us lifetimes of pain also seem to rise to the surface now, as if this era has come to collect on both the debts and the blessings.
Some of my wounds in this lifetime occurred at a young and tender age, when there seemed to be no healing granted; when the best I could do then was retreat and lick my wounds alone. There was no wise elder at my side, no sacred ceremony to mark the grief, no balm from the spirit realms. Just the aching silence of pain, and the quiet hope that one day, perhaps, I would understand why.
Since that time so long ago, I have also seen much vindication. This ability to witness what I have called “the coming around of the going around,” hasn’t been only in seeing karmic issues resolved for little slights, but for big wounds as well.
I’ve watched as Spirit, with its own perfect timing, allowed clarity and closure to emerge…sometimes years later, sometimes through unexpected channels. There is a strange and sacred justice to the Universe that rarely moves on our schedule, but always, always moves.
Justice. Yes, always in the end. But what of forgiveness?
It all shifted for me when I came to know the ‘big picture’ in the powerful prayer, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us.” These words are not just religious rote, but an energetic key to spiritual evolution. Continue reading
What Makes A Spiritual Group Truly Work
We are all different. Each person is a piece of the puzzle that creates a group. All people are raised different. People may have different spiritual beliefs, different educational backgrounds, jobs, nationalities.
Yet, if the common goal is the same, there is no reason why we cannot achieve much more in our world. Some of us simply need to find a way to respect diversity.
Spiritual groups tend to be the especially challenging when it comes to diversity. Too often spiritually-minded people are expected to always agree with everyone about everything, in order to promote goodwill among group members and keep the peace.
But in any group people have to learn how to agree to disagree. It’s always okay to have your own opinion and express how you feel. One must just remember that not all of the group may agree with your thoughts.
In groups people all choose different roles, and the roles may change over time. Most groups have that one person that assumes the role of leader. The leader of the group is often selected by the majority. The leadership role usually fits the personality and consciousness of that individual, as do the other roles in the group.
The leader is usually a person that is able to communicate well with team members and good at listening to people. The ‘worker bees’ are usually good at taking direction and accomplishing the task at hand. Somewhere in the middle are the people that come up with ideas and can present them to the group, and help the suggestions come to fruition.
Why Our Souls Cannot Afford A Lack Of Empathy
Life has a way of weaving unexpected lessons into even the most ordinary or practical situations. Sometimes what begins as a business transaction or a casual encounter becomes a doorway into something far more meaningful, a reminder of the deep human connection we are all longing for and the healing power of simple empathy.
I recently found myself in a situation that reminded me of this truth in the most unexpected way.
I am in the process of selling two homes in different states, which has been quite challenging. Anyone who has sold property knows how stressful and complicated it can be…much less two properties at the same time!
Over the past couple of months I had spoken to quite a few realtors and interested buyers. One agent initially showed strong interest in one of my homes. He seemed genuinely eager, but then he suddenly disappeared without explanation. My calls and messages went unanswered. While I did not sense that he had completely lost interest, I could not wait indefinitely and had to continue moving forward with my plans.
Still, I could not shake a quiet concern for him, as though something more was happening behind the scenes, and the feeling carried a weight of unease.
Several months later, he reached out unexpectedly, asking if I had sold my property yet. He apologized for vanishing and then explained the reason for his absence. He had been in a serious car accident and had spent time in the hospital. His injuries required surgery, and bolts had been placed in his foot. Now he was in physical therapy, learning to walk again.
Awakening To A New Age Of Higher Dimensions
Many of us have been gradually becoming aware of a different kind of reality in recent years. Things that were once hidden, both good and bad, are now exposed for many of us to see.
Since the new millennium began, and especially in the last ten years, more and more of us have started to feel a deeper connection to a higher power and a growing desire to align with God, Spirit, and the Divine. At the same time, we are also becoming more aware of negative and dark energies that were always present, but are now obvious and undeniable.
This worldwide change is known as the Ascension, the Shift, or the New Earth paradigm. It is a significant shift in energy and awareness. It is also known as 5D consciousness, the Age of Aquarius, or the Great Awakening.
It is a deeply personal change of moving towards unity, love, and a higher level of awareness, and away from negative, fear-based energies of a lower level of awareness.
I’ve seen enough of the negative effects of these lower vibrations in my work to know how draining and soul-destroying it can be. I plan to keep moving with the tides of this new, higher vibrational frequency, which includes not buying into the fear, drama and negativity. It also means keeping an open heart and mind.
We are living in a time of conscious evolution. We are slowly moving from the third-dimensional existence, where duality, time, and materialism remain the focus, to a fifth-dimensional reality, where love, unity, and higher consciousness.
The Soul Legacy Of A Life Well-Lived
It is natural for spiritually aware people to reflect on the lives we live and the impact we have on the world. We often ask ourselves, are we making a difference? Is our contribution meaningful? How well are we serving our family, community, nation, environment, spirit, the divine?
Some people’s legacies are marked by awards, innovations, or public achievements. Some live their lives as great inventors, artists, scientists, philosophers, activists, spiritual leaders, leaving a measurable trail of impact to make the world a better place.
The names of those with such remarkable legacies are etched in history books, and their contributions change the course of societies and industries. We witness their contributions in news headlines and biopics, and learn about them in books and classrooms.
But these remarkable individuals represent only a small minority of humanity. What about the rest of us?
What about those of us who get up every day, not to chase fame or fortune, but to fulfill the humble, yet noble responsibilities of everyday life — raising children, maintaining a home, showing up for work with integrity, running a small business with courage, caring for neighbors, rescuing animals in need?
For most spiritual seekers, our life’s legacy is not about accolades or recognition. It is simply a reflection of the heart, a matter of daily presence, generosity, kindness and compassion, and the quiet ripples of goodness we send out into the world.