Discovering Our True Selves

Each of us is here to discover our true selves; that essentially we are spiritual beings who have taken manifestation in physical form; that we're not human beings that have occasional spiritual experiences, that we're spiritual beings that have occasional human experiences।"
- Deepak Chopra

We live in the mundane world, the material world, but the reason we are here is to spiritually grow and learn। We are here to experience. Light cannot appreciate its light unless it has experienced darkness.

I think it is so easy to get focused on the material world, on gathering "stuff" and I do not see anything wrong with wealth, in fact we are worthy of wealth। It is also important, however to not neglect how we are doing spiritually, to pay attention to voice of our own soul.

I do this by meditating and highly recommend this to get in touch with the inner self। There are so many benefits to meditating, one of which is finding answers. So many people look outside of themselves instead of quieting their minds and going inward to listen to the quiet voice within. It is not the chatter of our mind that knows. It is the quiet voice within the voice of nothingness. In that space where your mind is empty and quiet wisdom comes, our own inner wisdom. It can come as inspiration, an epiphany or a vision in your mind. It is here where we get in touch with how we are doing spiritually and can affect change more readily.

There are many avenues to connect spiritually such as drumming, singing, yoga, tai chi, journaling, being open हेअर्तेद

When you live spiritually everything you experience is seen as spiritual to you। Developing compassion and living a heart centered life are important factors in living spiritually. When you do these two things it connects with one another. You grow spiritually much quicker in connection with another than you do alone. We are mirrors of each other in ways we do not realize.

We see others as we are, not as they are. We usually do not see others clearly। We see them through the filter of who we are. Everyone will not see someone the same way you see someone.

This comes back to an earlier post of being the change you wish to see in the world and relates to this topic of spiritual growth। What you experience around you can be changed simply by changing you, by inner work. Inner work that starts by getting in touch with the inner you through meditation.

Life will cause spiritual growth whether we intend it to or not। We are granted periods of grace to reflect, regroup, reenergize, heal.

How are you experiencing yourself spiritually?

Where have you grown spiritually?

If you could picture your spiritual self would it be full of weeds, barren, a beautiful garden?

Start today nurturing your spiritual garden...

Grow spiritual flowers of beauty, love, light...

Be a light in this world...

The Matrix

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(my daughter drew this, you can see more of her drawings in my photo gallery)
I love the movie The Matrix with Keanu Reeves.
I tend to see the world through spiritual eyes. I believe that God speaks to us through movies, books, music,poetry, other people etc. So when I saw the movie The Matrix for the first time I loved it! The message I saw in it was....

When we remember who we are...
We don't have to dodge fear anymore.

To me the bullets were symbolic of fear. There are only two choices in life to choose.
Ask yourself is this decision based on love or is it based on fear.
In the Matrix you could see that he did not remember who he was for alot of the movie.
But(and this is important for us to remember)when he remembered who he was
when he stood IN THE LIGHT of remembrance of who he was fear(or bullets) could not affect him.
What a great analogy!

Pay attention in your life to messages coming to you...

Remember that when you stand in the light of who you are fear cannot affect you or other people's fear.

How do we get to that place of standing in the light?

That is another topic. But it comes down to knowing thyself which I have referred to in other posts.

Let the universe or God speak to you...

LISTEN.

PAY ATTENTION.

There is usually a message that will speak to your soul in some way.

Be The Change You Wish To See

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.

This is statement is true. Attitude is everything. It is the catalyst for change. I have seen this in my own life. When I shifted how I reacted to people, when I changed me, my life changed. At times it requires inner work that is causing the way we react to the world around us. I figured this out in my twenties when I realized that everywhere I went, the issues of my life repeated themselves until the last few years.
What changed for me?
I did alot of work on forgiveness. I meditate quite a bit and am very intuitive. I also prayed. I have found God to be a best friend to me in so many times- good and bad. As I worked on issues of forgiving others who I felt wronged me I had quite an epiphany after asking for God to help me to forgive. I was shown a vision(I get visions often) where I saw the people I needed to forgive and was shown them with the filter of mirrors being removed. I could see them clearly which brought me to the realization there was nothing to forgive. God let me see that they were doing the best they could as I have done my entire life and I realized in that scenario what is there to forgive. I was also shown why they made the choice they did that hurt me and I felt compassion in my heart towards this other person freeing me from feeling a need to forgive them. This all came about with rigerous and tenacious work on forgiving. For some reason I was having a difficult time releasing the anger I felt at that time.
Once I did this, my life began to shift. I began to react differently to people around me. I stopped enaging in drama slowly until eventually I felt quite detached from what used to cause me grief. I began to feel gratitude. Many blessings came to me as a result. I then discovered "the secret" to having a happier life. I realized that it was based on my attitude. I have known this since I was a teenager but somehow it never helped me to manifest less drama until I did the inner work that created the outer changes in my life.
If we wish change in our world around us, we have to be the change. If we want peace, we must be peace.

A great prayer I love that applies to this is:

The St. Francis of Assisi prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

CD I recommend: Grace and Gratitude by Olivia Newton John

She sings this prayer beautiflully on that CD
I have it and listen to it often on my ipod.

Be the change in your world!

You will be glad you did as your life shifts.

Book I recommend: The Four Agreements by Don Miquel Ruiz

Wings

Wings

Light
And its depth
Of endless treasures

Life
Blossoming
With its many layers
Of wings
That call to me

Take flight...
Take flight...







© Copyright 2007 Patricia Sanders. All rights reserved.

Jewels of Awe

Title poem from my book of poetry

Jewels of Awe

My book is available at Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/JEWELS-AWE-poetry-Patricia-Sanders/dp/1434821935/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197139077&sr=8-1

What is in your treasure chest?

The Starfish Story

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…” I made a difference for that one.”

Story by: Loren EisleyOne

What is in your treasure chest?

Along the way in life we all pick up little treasures, moments that delight us, make our heart sing, make us smile, surprise us, inspire us.

What are the treasures you have picked up along the way in your life? Life goes by so quickly as we go about our day.

Take the time to treasure the jewels that come along in your life.

© Copyright 2007 Patricia Sanders. All rights reserved.

Open the window to possibilities

Open the window to new

possibilities....

There are so many possibilites in this world for you to create your life.

An ocean of ideas exist out there.

Unleash your creativity.

Imagine your world.

Let the world experience you.

We are all unique and have our own beauty to share.

© Copyright 2007 Patricia Sanders. All rights reserved.