Living Through the Darkness

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You live through the darkness from what you learned in the light.”….Hope MacDonald

I, personally, think it is the opposite. Life is an experience, a learning experience. Experiences help us learn or teach the valuable lessons needed to enhance our development. When we experience difficult circumstances and situations, we develop a new perspective on life. Our priorities change and things that were once very important to us no longer hold the same level of importance and vice versa. At times, these experiences may seem as trials and put us in stressful situations. For some, that is the best learning environment.

During such times, we need to take a step back, survey what is happening, put things into perspective and look for that proverbial “silver lining in the dark cloud”. That is where you will find directions that will lead you in the future. While we should not live or dwell on the past, we should not forget it. To do so will increase the odds of us reliving such an experience until we chose a different direction, grasping what we have learned and putting it into practice. Otherwise, history will keep repeating itself. Remember Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day”?

Those types of experiences also allow us to identify with the sufferings of others. They lead us form camaraderie with others who have been through similar trials. A bond develops, allowing them to acknowledge to each other what they have been through without actually speaking of it. War vets, terrorism survivors, rape victims, transplant patients, cancer survivors, Holocaust survivors are all examples of this happening. They know how these trials and lessons affected others. These experiences also allow us to better perceive the life trials of others, regardless of their nature.

In the midst of these experiences, we seldom see the positives nor appreciate the opportunity to do so. Valleys are difficult to admire and appreciate while we are in them. However, once we climb out of the valley, we can look back and admire the terrain we passed through. We then are amazed that we prevailed and admire that those troubled times yielded more positives than ever thought possible. The experience, in hindsight, becomes a positive one and the pain and sorrow produced is put aside, replaced by the positive lessons learned.

These experiences also allow us to look at what others are going through with empathy, compassion and understanding, allowing us to comfort and aid them as fellow human beings, children of the same Universe. When you are in the valley of life, open your arms and accept assistance from those who have been there themselves. When you are atop the mountain, open your arms and reach down to help ease the trek of those making their way up. For every mountaintop, there is a valley and for every valley, there is a mountaintop. The journey over both is “Life” and all the children of the Universe, you and I, have traveled and continue to do so.

Blessed Be

Just the Everyday Miracles

Everyday Miracles

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Taking in the small joys of each day expands our feeling of being connected with this world and beyond. That simple act is often extremely difficult. We often grow indifferent to those “small” miracles since they continuously happen, second-to second, and are not limited to one small corner of our world. Look out your backyard, look in the mirror. Miracles abound! We come to expect then and take them for granted.

It is, or should be, these every day aspects that bring us the most joy. We are more apt to appreciate and full heartily grasp the experience of living if we take the time and effort to acknowledge them. It takes little time, little effort to acknowledge these wonders, but the rewards are immeasurable. Look for the beauty, small acts of kindness and laughter and what may, at first, seem like the ordinary daily happenings, become miraculous events….birds fly, the sun shines, human life is created and sustained….Look at the details. Ask yourself how, why, when did this all start?

When you awake, set the intention to notice more joy in the world. You will find it, small and big, and it will fill your life in multi-dimensions. The sound of laughter, birds singing, water falling, ocean surf crashing, and yes, even the dog barking, are all delightful miracles happening daily in our world.

You will find your day and your life filled with more joy when you make a practice of keeping your eyes, ears and all your senses open and cognizant of the wonders around you. It’s one of the best natural remedies around and definitely the least expensive. Start today and with each passing day you will find these miracles abound, bringing you a deeper appreciation for everything the Universe has given our lives.

Smile, for you, too, are a miracle!

Start a Ripple Today!

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All too frequently we hear on the news of a person acting out, often violently, because they felt the only way to initiate profound transformation in their world was to take extreme action. They failed to realize that each of us has the capacity to change the world in small ways, for better or worse.

The impact you have on the world is greater than you imagine and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences, Your words and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. You can use the ripple effect to make it a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.

The recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else while someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy.
One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, one positive thought can pass from individual to individual. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone else those people come into contact with.

Every ripple has a starting point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin. Go ahead, throw that stone into the water today. Start a ripple today!

Blessed Be!

Formula For Happiness

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 Time To Turn the Channel?

“The condition of our outer world is always the perfect out-picturing of our inner world. If we do not like the picture we see, we can change it.”……Margaret Ponders

Happiness = Reality Divided By Expectations

One’s perspective creates one’s reality

I find the two above axioms very enlightening and I use them often when counseling others. We do have control of our lives and these are two examples of that.

We can change our level of happiness by simple adjusting, re-stating, our expectations, or changing our perspective (“A Look From Perspective Mountain” at http://liomsaland.blogspot.com/2015/08/perspective-mountain.html), which alters one’s reality. Both are factors in determining our happiness. These can be applied in any situation. For example, starting a new job? Dreams of a mega-buck salary from it abound. You see it as a job that will last a lifetime. Both are high expectations. Are they likely to be realized? Maybe, but nothing is guaranteed. Having high aspirations is a great incentive to excel at what you are doing. But those expectations need to be realistic or frustration will quickly set in as you fall short of those lofty goals consistently.

At the same time, how you view yourself and the new job affects your level of happiness. It may be the most mundane, lowest paying job in the company, but, if you view it as a job that holds a mega corporation together, that one bedroom apartment you can afford on your minimum wage salary is furnished by your treasures, things that are important to you, that you feel comfortable and happy with in your castle.

While watching television, if we do not like the show that is on we turn the channel, often “surfing” until we find something to our liking or catches our interest. While living our daily life we encounter many things we do not like or that are not of interest. We can either redirect our attention or take a different look at it.

You don’t have to be a math geek to utilize the two equations. You don’t have to be master of the remote control to change the picture, Your picture, Your life. Change the picture to one rated “HAPPY”!

Blessings!

We Are All One

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One of my core beliefs is that we are all one. We are all here as the result of Deity, call Him/Her what you may. Deity lives within us all. I always use the visualization of auras to help explain this. Auras are energy that an object gives off. We all have them, even though most of us cannot see them. These auras, appearing in various colors depending on the energy, strength and nature, can emit from us a couple of inches to a couple of feet. What happens to these auras , these energies, when you encounter somebody within that space? Do you bounce off each other like negative-positive magnets? No, they overlap, they become one. One by one, they overlap, uniting us all. As such, every thought we think and every action we take has an effect on the world around us. To be aware of this is to be conscious of our impact on the people in our lives.

Considering the full ramifications of our actions can be an important part of our spiritual growth and awareness. At first, being more conscious requires much effort, but once we have made it a habit, it becomes second nature and the more we practice this awareness, the more we find ourselves in alignment with our integrity, giving us a soundness of character.

Our thoughts are the seeds of our actions. Try to choose one thought or action per day and notice if you are in alignment with this experience of integrity. One day, you may find ourselves replaying a negative encounter with someone in our minds. You may think this doesn't affect the person about whom you are thinking, but the laws of energy and physics tell us it does (see earlier article "Laws of Physics" at http://liomsaland.blogspot.com/2015/08/law-of-physics.html). Let go of the negative thoughts and replace them with positives, perhaps a healing wish on their behalf.

To nurture these seeds once they become actions, take time to consider how you would feel if you were in the other person's shoes. Remember, while we are all one, we are also unique individuals. That will enable you to communicate sensitively rather than selfishly from your own perspective. By doing so, you will bring benefit to that person as well as yourself. This reaffirms your integrity and the integrity of your relationship to the world.

Blessed Be!

Hey! Who are You?

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Who are you? No, really, who are you? In a one word answer, who are you? I’m not asking what your name is. If you changed your name you would still be the same person. So, who are you? How do you define, describe yourself? Are you (fill in your occupation)? If so, what happens if you would leave that job? Would you stop being? Are you (fill in political affiliation)? If you switched parties do you cease to be?
The most common answers given to the “who are you?” query are labels. While unfortunately necessary to expedite conversations, labels are stereotypes that often do harm in causing misunderstandings. Not much can be put under one label properly. People are multi-faceted. The question asked is what is at the top of those facets? What are the priorities? Labels are others’ perception of you. A reply of a famous individual when asked if he was so-and-so was  “I am what you say I am”. A person’s perception is their reality. So, how they see you is what you are to them. That may be completely different to the person standing next to them. Who is right? They both are for it is their perception and thus their reality in their world.

Why is it important to identify who you are? To do so gives purpose, aim, direction to life and peace to your soul. It sets a standard for one to live by in times of trouble, turmoil, decision-making and guidance –seeking.

Are we today what we were yesterday? Unlikely as life’s path exposes us to many experiences and environments in order for us to achieve our life’s goal. These individual events combine to form us into who and what we are today and will be tomorrow.  As one is added, we learn from it and are changed (hopefully for the better). We are not stagnant in our personal growth and development at any age.

You are who you are. You cannot force yourself to be someone or something you are not. Yes, often times we must compromise to play the “survival” game, but through it all our soul stays constant. Be who you are. Live your life. Study for the test. The most important question in the test of life is “Who are you?”

Sit down with a pen and paper. Number the paper 1 to 10. Without repeating an answer and using 1 or 2 word answers at most, answer the question “Who am I?” Don’t over analyze or agonize the process, write down what comes to mind.

When done, do not discuss with anyone and hand a paper and pen to a friend. Give them the same instructions, answering who you are. When finished, compare the 2 lists. I bet there is an eye-opener or two on the lists along with some confirmations as you see the common answers. See some of their answers you do not like? Don’t automatically ignore them. Maybe you are giving off unintended images that lead to unwanted receptions. If so, make a mental note and try to make some little changes so that that your perceived image matches closer to your intended image and the real you.

Remember, nobody’s list is wrong. The list reflects the list writer’s perception, their reality. Now, be ready to answer someone when they ask you “Who are you?”