Desiring Gratitude for What is True

The desire to thank truth
Invites slowing down.
       No; requires slowing down.
Takes time.
       No; it gives us time.

Self Reflection: Do I desire gratitude for the truth of my life?

Try this: Spend one day expressing gratitude (just say it in your mind and heart, not out-loud) for every experience, every thought, every action.  yes, this experiment will take time.  The gift is: the presence we have for each moment -gives more time.

Personal Work for the Waxing Moon Phase

During the waxing moon we have a chance to embrace those parts of our selves that we tend to hide from others, from the world, and from our own consciousness. 

Marianne Williamson wrote: It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.   

And yes, most of us are more likely to 'hide our light under  the bushel', then to put it out in the open for all to see. (Is the idea of being in the limelight a little scary?)  This tendency to stay small also prevents us from having gratitude for our gifts. In fact, many of us have shame and doubt about the most powerful and effective parts of our being.  

A daily practice of gratitude toward ourselfwill, over time, turn the bushel covering our light, transparent. This covering will gradually disappear, and we WILL be able to share who we are in the world! With a commitment to find and express gratitude in our life on a daily basis, our understanding of life will expand. Our awareness of options and choices also increases, as does wisdom, and also our ability to discern what is truth from what is false.

Self Reflection:  Am I ready for my life to expand? Am I truthfully aware of my options and choices? Am I willing to discern what is truth from what is false?

Strengthening and Aligning Our Internal Flame, Part 4: Discipline as Grace

Carolyn writes:
I'm writing about myself today, in first person, not assuming others experience life as I do. When I am irritable and frustrated by the limitations I see in myself,  my personal world, or other people's actions, I find my intentions and my integrity can fall to the way-side.  To continue with the metaphor of the 'wick in the lamp' (see Part 1), it is as if my wick is separated from the fuel source, or has become so fouled it can no longer maintain a flame.   

There are also times when  I am so angry or upset that I consciously shut off any experience of Grace and Divine support. I 'yank my wick out of my lamp'! And, I usually shut out human support as well, which, in my metaphor, is the 'fouled-up-wick' part.

Yet, tbecause I have a commitment to daily contemplation, even when I am pissed off, through the grace of this daily practice, I sit my bottom down on my prayer cushion. I make an attempt to name some things I am grateful for. Sometimes, I can only say I am grateful for the gift of discipline to sit when I don't want to. Sometimes I'm not even able to do that. I set my timer for five minutes, and I sit. This commitment to sit, even when I don't want to, is a movement toward alignment. It is a profound, disciplined act of loving myself.

Self Reflection: Where am I disciplined in loving myself?  Where would I like more discipline? 

Strengthening and Aligning Our Internal Flame, Part 3

From Sara’s waxing moon inspiration: “To be born again is to accept the gifts of life consciously and with humility.”

Humility and Alignment: It is unfortunate humiliation and humility sound so similar.  Humiliation is an invitation to crawl back into our hiding places; to fight for our emotional life- to struggle against being under others’ control.

To be humiliated is one of the worst feelings and experiences we can have as human beings.  It is a truly a violation of our being to our deepest core sense of self.  Most of us will do whatever we can to avoid humiliation-and a big part of that avoidance is hiding our light and our life from others.

Humility is the ability to carry, with grace, our gifts, making space for those around us to feel safe, supported, seen.  True humility allows us to be visible in our gifts and abilities, and vulnerable to others response to these gifts.  

Self Reflection:  Embracing humlilty, I carry my gifts with grace; making space for those around me to feel safe, supported, seen. Embracing humility, I, too, am safe and supported.

Strengthening and Aligning Our Internal Flame, Part 2

From Sara’s waxing moon inspiration: “To be born again is to accept the gifts of life consciously and with humility.”

To serve implies a commitment followed closely by action!  Every time I consciously commit to accepting and living/expressing/making visible/using the gifts I have, I am born again, and again and again.  New birthing of myself happens over and over.  Every time I take action, I become an updated version of ME (My Essence), closer and closer, more and more in alignment with Creator’s Vision of me. 

Humility is the vessel which has the capacity to hold the magnificence of Creator’s vision for our unique expression of life.  Doubt and mistrust limit our humility, and constrict the space available in our life to birth our vision.  

Self Reflection:  I consciously accept my gifts. I commit to live an ongoing updated version of my possibility!

Waning Moon and My Personal Self; Part 2

For Inspiration and Pondering: Do I feel called to set goals to heal or grow certain Elements of my Personal well being or to make significant changes, started any new endeavors—such as yoga, meditation, exercise, weight loss, doing mind strengthening activities, started a spiritual practice made a commitment to break habit or deal with an addiction?

If I am willing to look, I will see patterns within the elements of my Personal Self which have been most impacted over these past months.  In response to any challenges in one element of my Personal Self, another element has been more likely to either take the impact, pick up the slack, or come to rescue the other element.  For example, if  emotionally triggered, the physical body may take the heat, by misusing food, drugs, alcohol. Or, fear and lack of trust or faith rise up, shaking up my Spirit.

Waning Moon and The Four Aspects; Personal Self Part 1

 Over the course of the days between the full moon and the closing of this moon cycle, we will reflect on the different Aspects of our Self as they have been revealed  to us on our journey through the cycles leading up to this Blue Moon.  For those who have worked with the Circle of Self Whole Person Transformation materials, this will be a review. For those new to this process, I hope this is a refreshing support to your life journey.  

The Four Aspects and Their Elements of Our Self 

Take a day or two in this cycle to reflect on any significant events you may have had since the beginning of this year which have impacted your life in any way.   Note whether you experienced these as positive, challenging, a gift, or detrimental.  We begin with the Aspect of our Personal Self. What parts of your Personal Self were most effected?  You physical body, your mind, your emotions, your spirit? 

Circle of Self