Heed 3 messages from Nature

Tranquility exists in the wilderness.  This differs from the noise and hustle bustle of a busy city.  Feel the difference and feel what is the same. To be in the countryside is to connect with inner nature.  Be aware you slow your pace, calm your breathing, and connect with centre of being more easily.  And yet, the quiet countryside can also seem full of unexpected disturbances.  Notice three messages you receive more clearly while immersed in nature, even a backyard;

1)  The peace often sought does not arise only in the countryside.  It is not imported from outside.  It does not mean to be away from trouble, noise or interaction. It is to be calm in the heart, come what may.  You allow or resist the peace and contentment forever accessible inside.

2) In order to cultivate flexibility and stability, simply stop looking for these qualities in what you view as the outside world. Feel life through the heart. Notice calmness and stability within.

3) Live your life whole-heartedly and you are aware of how you think and feel regardless of where you may roam.  Live life deliberately and whatever you do is fully expressed or not at all.

4 questions to live more fully

Take each moment as it comes.  Live openly and honestly with wisdom and compassion. Being fully human is being open to recognizing and realizing innate potential.  Be open to exploring what the external world reveals to you right now. Ponder five questions to live more fully;

1) How can you see the world as it is, rather than through the filters of the mind?

2) How can you base your actions on Reality rather than on desire or fear?

3) How can you live such that you are in-tune with Reality rather than tuned out (& imbalanced)?

4) How can you see Reality for yourself (be awake)  rather than exist in muddy water?

5 Reasons to lose your mind

It is a common misconception that losing the mind is to be feared or avoided at all costs.  Ever wonder why this is? Notice the ego mind holds your captivated attention unless something triggers and you snap out of it to shift focus.  What if unforeseen benefits exist in doing so?

Consider five reasons to lose your mind:

1) Adapt better to change: every moment, experiences are unfolding.  The ego mind tells you to hold on, hang in there.  From the moment you realize it is futile to hold onto aspects of your life or your thoughts that are in constant flux, you realize you choose to allow or resist.  You decide how to respond to the unfolding.  Choosing to lose or see through the mind is like being open, easy going and flexible.  You know that worry begins and ends in your thought patterns.

2) Come into your own- from childhood, you learn basic values, beliefs and thought patterns from your role models and care givers.  You adopt and hold onto others' views unless challenged to find or create your own.  A lightbulb goes off when you realize you outgrow or no longer resonate with beliefs or values based in someone else's fear, bias or prejudice.  You discover unworthiness and insecurity are figments of the imagination, and truth is something else.

3) Gain insight into the truth-who you are is quite different from who the ego mind thinks you are.  Notice all your feelings and thoughts alter in character, along with your physical appearance.  Be aware when you are self-absorbed or engrossed in your reactions to things.  Notice what happens as you shift attention away from reactions to the coming and going itself. 

4) Live more authentically-  when thoughts and emotions no longer control your attention and moods, you see things as they are.  You no longer ignore your difficulties, rationalize your problems and blame others for what is wrong.  You see you are the creator of your conditions and you take responsibility to honour what truly matters most and makre choices accordingly.

5) Rediscover inner peace- the peace you think you crave is always accessible just beyond the filters of the mind.  Anything you think you want is not actually what you are seeking.  It is what you embody at the core.  Imagine feeling contentment, come what may.  This is bliss.

10 Ways to Love Yourself More

Every moment is worth appreciating.  Whether you are reaching for new kinds of balance, success or guidance for something else, know everything in life is speaking to you.  Loving yourself and the world more consciously involves raising awareness of how you think and feel now and how this is reflected in and by the external world.  Notice what you are overlooking.

Notice what you overlook.  Be empowered.  Reflect on ten ways you can love yourself more:

1) Nurture the Physical Body- notice what you feed your body and how you care for it.  Raise awareness of how ingestion, digestion and elimination are really going. Be aware this is a feedback system.  The state of the physical body is a pointer to the state of your energy body.

2) Strengthen the Energy Body- notice the essence of being is energy and energy surrounds the physical body.  Whole, natural, raw and organic foods are rich in electromagnetic energy. Exercise, deep breathing, Qigong, Tai Chi, gardening, walking barefoot on earth, being outside in the sun and fresh air and near vegetation, prayer and meditation all invigorate the energy body. 

3) Read the Emotional Body- notice emotions are a gauge for how well you are listening to the heart. The more positive emotions you experience, the truer you are being to yourself.  The more negative emotions arising within you, the more you resist what the heart knows is right for you at this stage of life.   Emotions offer insight into your organs, systems and energy and how near or far you are to peace. The more you understand, identify and release emotions, the more you get messages your bodies are sending you and the more you show love to your true self.   

4) Address Imbalances- notice loving yourself implies being interested in why you do the things you do, why you think and feel as you do.  make connections  Notice the power of awareness to help identify what ails you and different approaches you can take to alleviate the suffering.  Nobody knows you better than you can know yourself.  Acupuncture, homeopathy, flower essences, aromatherapy, deep muscle massage like Rolfing, Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, sound therapy, other forms of energy medicine, intuitive counselling, and meditation all help reveal and address imbalances or mis-alignments. 

5) Do Yoga- notice yoga is a mind, body and spirit practice which stems from ancient India.  Its aim is to connect with the divine and raise awareness of the feeling state of permanent peace. Various styles of yoga combine physical poses, breathing and meditation techniques.  Classes exist for all levels from beginner to advanced. Do yoga to be aware of muscles and abilities you did not know you have.  Discover where you hold tension or blocks to balance and well-being.

6) Be aware of Etheric Bodies- notice "etheric" generally means not visible to the naked eye. Recognize you are like an iceberg with the physical, 'visible' part of you like the part of the iceberg that is above water and the larger part of you like the much bigger part of the iceberg hidden to the eye under water. Loving yourself fully implies being open to exploring those things about yourself do not see or understand with the familiar senses. That which you resist persists.

7) Appreciate Spontaneity- notice that impulsive, spontaneous behaviour enables you to take an invisible load off, de-stress and somehow breathe easier.  No need to explain it, simply attune to impulses and explore them.  The urge to drop what you are doing and be light-hearted has a place. Dance in the rain, blow bubbles, have a pillow fight or do what comes naturally.  This is orienting you to what the heart knows.  Love only knows love.  Relish the signs and signals.

8) Listen Differently- notice that true listening is not limited to the physical ears and related organs.  Listening deeply involves detecting feelings, intuition, exploring dreams, dream symbols or dream therapy, unexplainable reasons you are drawn to particular people, conditions or experiences. Listen without the ears.  See everything is communicating.  How accurately you listen to others,  reveals how well you are actually listening to yourself.

9) Expand your Horizons- notice excitement and energy you generate when you undertake something new.  Doing something new makes you feel more awake and alive. Its healthy and uplifting to challenge yourself when you feel inspired and joyful.  Never take sparks of curiosity or positive feelings for granted.  They direct you in ways that are true to the heart.

10) Enjoy Nature more- notice that being in nature is not about where you go, it is about being in the now moment and observing how nature does this. Surround yourself with the harmony of nature and see this as a mirror for what is going on inside yourself.  This has nothing to do with what you may have done in the past or could be in future.  See what nature does without thinking.  be like the water.  Go with the flow.  Be like a tree.  Bend in the wind.

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Beyond the land of expectations

Expectations is the place you go before you get to where you are going.  Some people get lost on route to the land of expectations.  Other people arrive there but never leave or get beyond it. When you are not paying attention, notice you develop attachments and focus on where you could be going, what you are becoming. If you focus on this, you forget rare and seldom heard noises and awareness of what is missed.  If attachment did not exist, there would be no becoming and you would never be in the land of expectations.  See where you get by not thinking. Discover you only think your way out.  Explore all that nature is providing.  Without it, nothing happens. 

"It is simple. We are where we should be, doing what we should be doing. Otherwise we would be somewhere else, doing something else."  -Richard Stine