Sometimes we are so busy looking out at the world around us and trying to fix it or working to save others that we forget to look within ourselves. Sometimes we are so busy listening to the advice of others or the hearing the "wisdom" of others or following the guidance of others that we forget to look within ourselves. Sometimes we are so busy being lost in our own doubts and fears and worries that it's impossible to believe what we find within ourselves.
Let's face it, our world is a busy place. We busy ourselves with taking care of our physical needs and the needs of others. We busy ourselves with avoiding thinking and focusing on what lies within us by bombarding our brains with mind numbing activities. We busy ourselves by looking outside of ourselves to find all that is wrong with the world. We busy ourselves looking for explanations and answers. We busy ourselves looking for where to place blame and casting judgment on everything. We busy ourselves seeking, searching, worrying, longing, avoiding, denying, and fixing.
Perhaps it's time to let go of our doubts and fears and denial. Perhaps it's time to stop listening to all of the voices outside of us. Perhaps it's time to let go of blame and judgment and put an end to our need to fix. Perhaps it is time to stop seeking and searching and looking outside of ourselves.
Perhaps it is time to get busy quieting ourselves and focus on looking within and start working outward from there.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Gift of the Heart
The most important thing we can do in our lives is to simply open up our hearts and let love flow to everyone and everything around us. As love flows out of us love will also flow back into us creating the most wonderful energetic pattern of all.
Let go of your fear and love for the sake of loving expecting nothing back in return. When love is given with strings attached it's easy to become entangled. When given freely without strings it's simply a beautiful gift from the heart. Unwrap your heart and share the gift of your love with the world.
Let go of your fear and love for the sake of loving expecting nothing back in return. When love is given with strings attached it's easy to become entangled. When given freely without strings it's simply a beautiful gift from the heart. Unwrap your heart and share the gift of your love with the world.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Three Simple Words
There are three simple words that many of us struggle with. We look out at our world and everything around us and want to utter them out loud, but hold back. What are we so afraid of? What will happen if we push past our fear and simply say, "I don't know" when faced with all of the questions of our world. Does not knowing the answer to all of the questions of the world or admitting that we really have no answers or we may be a little confused about the answers make us less of a person? Does pretending or assuming we do have all of the answers make us more of a person? I wonder what would happen if we all embraced the three simple words, I DON'T KNOW.
One thing I've noticed as I've searched high and low for "answers" is that the minute I find what feels like an answer, the question changes. It's almost as if once I finally am able to fully wrap my brain around a new concept or "answer" everything shifts and I realized what I thought I knew no longer seems relevant and is now replaced with a new understanding, then the new question pops up causing me to look even deep until I realize that even the "new" concept isn't set in stone. As I open up to new questions, the answers seem to change. How can this be? Isn't the truth the truth? Aren't my beliefs engraved in stone and set in my heart and soul OR are my beliefs merely what I have learned along the path of my life? Are my beliefs perhaps simply understandings that I've picked up along the way from those who have molded me and directed me in my growth as a human? Perhaps they come from outside of me rather than within me. Maybe what I know and understand is an ever changing and growing process, something to be experienced rather than engraved in stone on my heart.
What if we looked at it this way. I happened to be born in the United States, to Christians in a middle class family. Who I appear to be, what I believe has been shaped by the life that I have experienced. Because my family was a potluck of religions, I learned to be opened to loving people of many religions, but because my family was Christian I became a Christian. Because one of my best friends was of Hispanic decent, my step family was full of Italian immigrants and and I was taught from childhood on that Jesus loves the little children, ALL the children of the world, I didn't form any strong prejudices against those who were not of my strong German/Scottish decent. My life experiences taught me to be who I am, they helped formed my beliefs.
What if I had been born in another country? What if I'd been born into a family of a very different religion? What if I'd been raised only with people of my own ethnic decent around me? What if I'd been taught to only hate and fear those of other religions or races? Who would I be then? What beliefs would I hold?
It's apparent that my "beliefs" would be different depending on who raised me, where I was raised and what I was exposed to. My beliefs would have been formed by my surroundings. My beliefs could possibly be completely opposite of what I hold now. I think though, what would have remained the same is my inner spark. Underneath all of those worldly experiences and beliefs would lie my inner spark, the divinity within.
Deep underneath all of those layers of what I believe and who I think I am lies who I really am, the "real" me. My beliefs are not who I am, they are what I've learned. Who I am goes so much deeper than just my beliefs. This is why it's important to not judge others for their beliefs. This is why it's important to stop when we are judging and hating others based on their beliefs and try to see the divinity that lives deep within them. It's when we realize that if it weren't for the good fortune of being born where we were born, we might have become who they appear to be, we might hold their exact beliefs. It's time to see we can't fight hate with hate.
I'm not suggesting everyone has to let go of their beliefs, I'm suggesting that we stop using our own beliefs and the beliefs of others as a basis for judgment and hatred. I'm suggesting that we understand that we don't have all of the answers, that no one has all of the answer, that our way isn't the only way and that when we think we've got everything all figured out and have all of the answers, everything will change again. When this happens we have to be prepared to center ourselves, dig deep and see what new answers we find and explore those ideas and concepts with an opened heart and mind.
It would be useful in times of confusion and change to meditate or pray to connect with the source of divinity and ask them to help guide us safely on our path. We are never alone, the love of God lives within us and will always help see us through any questions, confusion, struggles and learning experiences that we must face. They will help us to know that it's OK to not know the answers, we can let go of our need to know it all and say, "I don't know." All we have to do is ask for their help and help will arrive. This I do know.
One thing I've noticed as I've searched high and low for "answers" is that the minute I find what feels like an answer, the question changes. It's almost as if once I finally am able to fully wrap my brain around a new concept or "answer" everything shifts and I realized what I thought I knew no longer seems relevant and is now replaced with a new understanding, then the new question pops up causing me to look even deep until I realize that even the "new" concept isn't set in stone. As I open up to new questions, the answers seem to change. How can this be? Isn't the truth the truth? Aren't my beliefs engraved in stone and set in my heart and soul OR are my beliefs merely what I have learned along the path of my life? Are my beliefs perhaps simply understandings that I've picked up along the way from those who have molded me and directed me in my growth as a human? Perhaps they come from outside of me rather than within me. Maybe what I know and understand is an ever changing and growing process, something to be experienced rather than engraved in stone on my heart.
What if we looked at it this way. I happened to be born in the United States, to Christians in a middle class family. Who I appear to be, what I believe has been shaped by the life that I have experienced. Because my family was a potluck of religions, I learned to be opened to loving people of many religions, but because my family was Christian I became a Christian. Because one of my best friends was of Hispanic decent, my step family was full of Italian immigrants and and I was taught from childhood on that Jesus loves the little children, ALL the children of the world, I didn't form any strong prejudices against those who were not of my strong German/Scottish decent. My life experiences taught me to be who I am, they helped formed my beliefs.
What if I had been born in another country? What if I'd been born into a family of a very different religion? What if I'd been raised only with people of my own ethnic decent around me? What if I'd been taught to only hate and fear those of other religions or races? Who would I be then? What beliefs would I hold?
It's apparent that my "beliefs" would be different depending on who raised me, where I was raised and what I was exposed to. My beliefs would have been formed by my surroundings. My beliefs could possibly be completely opposite of what I hold now. I think though, what would have remained the same is my inner spark. Underneath all of those worldly experiences and beliefs would lie my inner spark, the divinity within.
Deep underneath all of those layers of what I believe and who I think I am lies who I really am, the "real" me. My beliefs are not who I am, they are what I've learned. Who I am goes so much deeper than just my beliefs. This is why it's important to not judge others for their beliefs. This is why it's important to stop when we are judging and hating others based on their beliefs and try to see the divinity that lives deep within them. It's when we realize that if it weren't for the good fortune of being born where we were born, we might have become who they appear to be, we might hold their exact beliefs. It's time to see we can't fight hate with hate.
I'm not suggesting everyone has to let go of their beliefs, I'm suggesting that we stop using our own beliefs and the beliefs of others as a basis for judgment and hatred. I'm suggesting that we understand that we don't have all of the answers, that no one has all of the answer, that our way isn't the only way and that when we think we've got everything all figured out and have all of the answers, everything will change again. When this happens we have to be prepared to center ourselves, dig deep and see what new answers we find and explore those ideas and concepts with an opened heart and mind.
It would be useful in times of confusion and change to meditate or pray to connect with the source of divinity and ask them to help guide us safely on our path. We are never alone, the love of God lives within us and will always help see us through any questions, confusion, struggles and learning experiences that we must face. They will help us to know that it's OK to not know the answers, we can let go of our need to know it all and say, "I don't know." All we have to do is ask for their help and help will arrive. This I do know.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Compassion Is Key
Having compassion seems to be a very important key to our healing. But who exactly are we supposed to be compassionate with? It's easy to see we should have compassion for our family and friends, the ones we are closest to and love deeply and have a connection with, but what about the nosy neighbor up the road, or the guy who's only purpose seems to be to see what he can get for free from others because the world owes him. What about those who continually make choices that seem to make them miserable or those who are outright hostile towards us, certainly we shouldn't have to show compassion to them should we? Shouldn't we reserve our compassion for only those who are truly deserving of it and how do we determine who is truly deserving of it?
I can think of one phrase or guideline that tells us who deserves our compassion, Love Thy neighbor as Thy self. In my eyes that pretty much covers everybody. Notice, it doesn't say, love those neighbors who love you back or love those neighbors who share your point of view, beliefs, religion, skin color or any other outer factor that can separate us. It simply tell us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Couldn't we go further and say this also means, love our neighbors, ALL of our neighbors as if they are ourselves, seeing us all as one. It seems, like most things in life, it's left us to us to interpret the phrase and see what feels "right" with our own soul.
I've often hear people speaking of compassion verses pity, saying that we should show others compassion, rather than pity. I've found myself wondering what exactly is the difference between the two. What do people mean by this statement, this point of view that we should show compassion, rather than pity?
Let's look at the definition of the words. Compassion is sympathetic consciousness of the distress of others together with a desire to alleviate it. Pity is sympathetic sorrow for one who is suffering, distressed or unhappy. AHA do you notice the difference? Compassion contains consciousness, pity contains sorrow.
Consciousness is a state of being aware, especially of something within oneself and sorrow is deep distress, sadness or regret, resultant in an unhappy or unpleasant state. Which one of these would best serve us and be most beneficial to all involved?
If we are showing compassion we are being aware of the distress of others and desiring to alleviate it. If we are showing pity we are finding ourselves in a state of deep distress or sadness and feeling regret for others who are distressed. Basically we are now putting ourselves into a state of distress...Holy Cow!
After looking deeply into all of this it would seem to me that if we truly want to be helpful and transform distressful situations we will put our emotions aside to the best of our ability and look within our self to find compassion instead of pity for all of the people in every situation. Doing this keeps us from getting sucked into being distressed ourselves and adding negative energy to situations that are already negative and stressful. Showing compassion to ALL keeps us from causing division, it holds us all as one, worthy of love and understanding, even when outwardly we may not seem to deserve this.
With love and compassion to ALL, Mary Beth
I can think of one phrase or guideline that tells us who deserves our compassion, Love Thy neighbor as Thy self. In my eyes that pretty much covers everybody. Notice, it doesn't say, love those neighbors who love you back or love those neighbors who share your point of view, beliefs, religion, skin color or any other outer factor that can separate us. It simply tell us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Couldn't we go further and say this also means, love our neighbors, ALL of our neighbors as if they are ourselves, seeing us all as one. It seems, like most things in life, it's left us to us to interpret the phrase and see what feels "right" with our own soul.
I've often hear people speaking of compassion verses pity, saying that we should show others compassion, rather than pity. I've found myself wondering what exactly is the difference between the two. What do people mean by this statement, this point of view that we should show compassion, rather than pity?
Let's look at the definition of the words. Compassion is sympathetic consciousness of the distress of others together with a desire to alleviate it. Pity is sympathetic sorrow for one who is suffering, distressed or unhappy. AHA do you notice the difference? Compassion contains consciousness, pity contains sorrow.
Consciousness is a state of being aware, especially of something within oneself and sorrow is deep distress, sadness or regret, resultant in an unhappy or unpleasant state. Which one of these would best serve us and be most beneficial to all involved?
If we are showing compassion we are being aware of the distress of others and desiring to alleviate it. If we are showing pity we are finding ourselves in a state of deep distress or sadness and feeling regret for others who are distressed. Basically we are now putting ourselves into a state of distress...Holy Cow!
After looking deeply into all of this it would seem to me that if we truly want to be helpful and transform distressful situations we will put our emotions aside to the best of our ability and look within our self to find compassion instead of pity for all of the people in every situation. Doing this keeps us from getting sucked into being distressed ourselves and adding negative energy to situations that are already negative and stressful. Showing compassion to ALL keeps us from causing division, it holds us all as one, worthy of love and understanding, even when outwardly we may not seem to deserve this.
With love and compassion to ALL, Mary Beth
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Simple Words
Sometimes a few simple words can touch us more deeply than the most profound statements we've ever heard. Simple heart felt words such as Thank You, I hear you, I see you, I'm here for you, You are not alone, I miss you, I understand and I love you, can have more impact on a persons life than the most brilliant of speeches. Many times my whole outlook has been changed in an instant by these words. May our hearts and the hearts of those around us be touched and transformed by such simple words.
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