Celebrating the wonders of all things natural!

Archive for the ‘potential’ Category

Before & After

As we were cleaning up an area in our backyard for my daughter’s new bunny, I noticed there were several stepping stones buried in the grass. The area was overgrown, and I thought I might arrange the stepping stones in a mandala or something. I began to cut the long grass, and I was so surprised at what started to be revealed… at first I wasn’t sure, but as I worked more and more, clearing the area, I unearthed an amazingly awesome design.

 

This mandala had been here for more than a year, ever since we moved in, and we never noticed it because the grass was totally hiding it. And we never looked!!!

Just goes to show what wonderful surprises are right under our noses, if we just put in a little effort to notice and be aware of our surroundings and cut back the weeds (whatever form they are in), what a transformation can occur! I wonder what else I’ll unearth and discover in the next few weeks. I know I’ll be looking for those hidden treasures… Awe-some!!

 

 

Throwing Stones, or The Bird

Consider the middle finger. It’s essential and useful, typing the “i” and the “e” on the keyboard, for just 2 important uses, but we know it has even more power than that!

When the middle finger is held up, and the other fingers are down, adrenaline often surges.

I’m no exception; despite my “Live Aloha” bumper sticker (and attitude, I like to think), when I noticed a middle finger being held up at me by a smug, hiding his face arrogant young guy in the backseat of a passing Beamer with 2 other guys in the front seat, accompanied by a loud incoherent yell at me, I was immediately enraged.

“Gotta f–king problem?!” I shouted at the arrogant bastard as I sped past them holding up my own middle finger. WTF?! There I was just driving along, and boom, a middle finger flashed at me completely flared my emotions. I didn’t recognize the guys; nor do I know of many people who would be pissed at me and give me “the bird.”

It launched me into a contemplation of our reactions and emotions to other people; we can be so affected, or not. Maybe overcoming my natural instinct here to become angry and strike back and letting their stupid action have no affect on me was my lesson there.

Deep sigh. I ruminated over it the entire 16 mile drive to the beach. Sunset.

After the sun set, I attempted to throw the ball to my dog as we walked down the beach (seems my throwing arm could use some improvement)… when I saw this boy, who thankfully, also needed some improvement in his throwing skills.

“That’s mean!” I said to him, twice b/c he (acted like?) he didn’t hear me the first time. The boy, about 16 or so, was throwing stones at seagulls. He almost hit one as I was walking toward him. “Don’t throw rocks at the birds!” I admonished him and his friend, who looked astonished that some random girl with a dog on the beach would correct him. He looked at me and didn’t answer.

His parents, I’m assuming, were a few steps beyond him, and as I took a few more steps, the dad raised his eyebrows and lifted his head toward me. “Do you think it’s okay for him to be throwing rocks at the birds?” I asked him.

“He didn’t hit the birds,” he answered.

“Well he almost did, and he tried,” I insisted. “It’s not cool. I don’t understand why you guys would come to enjoy the beach and throw stones at the birds. It’s just not cool,” I said, tugging on my dog’s leash and grabbing her ball that she had dropped in front of the dad, oblivious to the exchange I guess.

I walked on, shaking my head. Well, at least nobody got hurt. The bird flew away, and I too will learn to rise above throwing stones…  Image

the lessons of a bird.

Tuning In

On a recent visit to the California Academy of Science, I was amazed by the animals, not only because they are exotic, rare and beautiful, but because they seemed to be watching us as much as we were gazing at them.

They seemed to be interested in us too, which is surprising to me as I’d never noticed how the animals interacted with the people staring at them through the glass before. Looking at us, they seemed to communicate and pay attention, maybe even feeling awe at the beautiful humans looking at them.

 

 

I first had the thought when this ancient-looking eel noticed me staring intently at it and started coming out of his hole in the rock to get a better look, or allow me to see him (her?) better. He (feels like a him) came all the way out of his hole, then went back in and stuck his head out again.

 

 

Then the  frogs made direct eye contact.                   

 

 

As did the fish:

 

The rattlesnake was more active than any I’ve ever encountered (thank God glass separated us!). As we approached its enclosure, he came toward the glass and waved his head around in front of us! Wow! Very exciting to see the way snakes move quickly and how they are able to sling their triangle-shaped heads around.

 

Just when I thought I might be imagining all of these animals communicating with me, I stepped between a man and a gila monster to dodge the crowd. “Excuse me,” I said to the man, wearing a hat and holding a cane. “I didn’t mean to step in front of you.”

He smiled at me. “He’s looking at you,” he told me, pointing toward the gila monster who had walked across his habitat and was moving his head back and forth in my direction.  Confirmation by the man with the white hair and sweet smile.

“I know! I’m like, ‘wow, scary!'” Smiling too, I walked on, eager to communicate with each one of the creatures, wanting to see them all (much to my teenage son’s chagrin!).

Tuning in reveals even more of nature’s awes!

Can

The other day my daughter requested tomato soup for dinner, making me so happy because I’ve been making a conscious effort to eat healthier and I see it’s influencing her too. We’ve been loving shopping the farmers’ markets and eating the delicious, locally grown, organic produce. Last trip we got blood oranges, turnips and beets … and we’ve been feeling so good and healthy eating this nutritious natural food.

With so much natural abundance, I wonder why GMO foods are even in existence. Most of us know that GMO stands for genetically modified organisms. (Un)Certain people have decided to change the natural makeup of food because it extends the shelf life of the food and also makes it resistant to certain bugs that eat the food (thus allowing these people to mass produce food and make more money). This perversion of nature’s perfect creations distorts the perfect natural order, producing seeds that are sterile and causing our internal organs to shrink and we’ll see what else if we don’t stop it now.

When we realize that we are what we eat, we should know what we are eating. When people inject foreign substances into foods and change nature’s recipe for vegetables and fruits, they are messing with mother nature. They are robbing us of the life force and pure natural energy we are supposed to get from eating natural, healthy food.

And they don’t want us to know. 

“People wouldn’t understand,” is the stated reason for GMO manufacturers not telling us which foods they have genetically modified. The bulk of the food sold at grocery stores has been genetically modified in some way. Since the manufacturers won’t label their products they modify, I was so thrilled to read on the tomato soup cans, “No GMOS – No Bioengineered ingredients” and “Made with no genetically engineered ingredients.”

Foods labeled organic are also free of GMO ingredients. So, buying products that label proactively like this will encourage more companies to do this and sends a message that we want natural foods. Spending our money is one way we vote. It’s a natural choice. Buy local, organic and say no to GMO … and tell your family and friends too. We are powerful and our power multiplies as we unite.

We CAN do it! 

A Better Truth

As I beat myself up over falling into similar patterns that I’ve been shown over and over again don’t work, I’m reminded by one of my writing mentors, that “recklessly making mistakes — in writing or in life” helps us find our “true self.”

“And why find it?” Brenda Ueland asks, in her inspiring book, If You Want to Write. As she explains, your true self is “your immortal soul and the life of the Spirit, and if we can only free it and respect it and not run it down” (or let others run us down), “and let it move and work, it is the way to be happier and greater,” which we all want to be.

When we tap into our “creative power” in our life experiences and do what gives us that “spring of happy energy,” we discover a fountain of joy that feeds our souls. And life is a continuous journey to our true selves, as Ms. Ueland so eloquently put it: “the true self is always in motion like music, a river of life, changing, moving, failing, suffering, learning, shining. That is why you must freely and recklessly make new mistakes — and do not fret about them but pass on and write more.”

We live and learn, so “what is true to you today may not be true at all tomorrow, because you see a better truth.” Perfectly natural.Image We are all being led to our own better truths… live, make mistakes and keep moving toward your center.

The Power of Human Nature

On this Summer Solstice, I find myself pondering the oft-overlooked wonders of our human nature. The power of the human spirit is absolutely awe-inspiring. In the past weeks, a common theme has been threaded among our experiences. In some way, we are all being prompted to examine our beliefs and face our truths and fears. The death of a child, infidelity, religious programming and human abilities have been the vehicles driving our awareness in my circle these past few weeks. Through it all, we are learning, we are more powerful than most of us realize.

 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

~Marianne Williamson

 

It’s time to remember and reclaim the power in our human nature.

 

“It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.”

 

How else can you explain the ability to endure and accept, gracefully, what is certainly one of life’s ultimate horrors and trauma: the unexpected, accidental death of your 3-year-old son? To keep going through unimaginable grief and reach out to your friends and families, accepting unconditional love and compassion, is a tribute to the strength and power of the human spirit. Building a 40-foot altar of love in honor of a young life, a community came together connecting this life with the next and creating a peace and outpouring of eternal love and support. Nobody will deny that the deep love and spiritual sharing at a time such as this was a natural human instinct felt by every family member and friend who knew this little boy, and served as a source of healing for each one of us, here and beyond. Even in her grief, my friend acknowledged the power of our human interactions. “Please as you see us out and about living our lives in this town send us love and light and a SMILE…as opposed to feeling sorry or awkward…………..we are still feeling so blessed in our lives and place you in charge of reminding us of  joy……………”

 

“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

 

As we reach out to others, we learn truths, some of which we are subconsciously aware of already. Our subconscious houses information we sometimes don’t register consciously. But there is power there. It often comes across as an inner knowing. It can gnaw at us if we ignore it too. This ability to know something so strongly without physical proof is powerful, and is undeniably part of our human nature. Intuition is our natural ability. Learning to trust it will lead us to the truths we will live our lives by. Acting upon intuition, we’re often surprised at how quickly our hunches are confirmed. How does a woman know, despite accusations of being “crazy” that her boyfriend of a year has started seeing another woman? What unexplainable, uncanny urge to check his phone for the first time in the relationship spurs her into action, to find the number of a new contact? Women’s intuition is especially strong, when it comes to our love. This knowing is part of our power. Calling the contact proved her intuition was correct, and conversation restored her trust and faith in her own powerful nature (but not her relationship).

As we begin to embrace our power, our abilities will increase. My friend told me about a magician who was levitating. “It had to be from Satan!” she proclaimed. Out of character, I didn’t agree with her. “Why is it a bad thing?” I asked her. She felt it was okay that Jesus levitated, because he did it with the power of God, but nobody else could possibly do it with the same power. Some discussion about supernatural not necessarily being a bad thing from “Satan” shifted her opinion, and caused her to question her immediate first thought. Fear can blind us to the truth. We don’t have to be afraid of our natural abilities and our human natures. Developing them will enable us to live more fully and lead to greater fulfillment, personally and collectively.

 

“As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

 

We already feel vibes, we know when something’s not feeling right, without any words being exchanged. Telepathy would eliminate lying, as the false nature would be evident in people evolved in their natural ability to discern truth. We are multidimensional beings, and we’re being moved to evolve and advance. Energy healing is a natural frontier of medicine, and is within all of our abilities. Doreen Virtue said today it’s time to “claim your divine, spiritual God-given power.” Connecting to spirit and tuning in to your own natural power is as easy as consciously choosing your thoughts.

Think good, happy thoughts consistently and you will attract that frequency in your life. Think about the thoughts that occupy your mind most of the time. You have the choice to choose what you think about. And thoughts are sooooooooo powerful. I recently witnessed 14 people being hypnotized and acting on what they thought was happening. You can only be hypnotized if you’re willing, which is the first demonstration of our mind’s power. Nobody can hypnotize you against your will. But if you want to be hypnotized, you can be, and you will believe what is suggested to you… the power of suggestion. Under hypnosis, the participants all saw a yellow egg “laid” by another participant.  As ridiculous as this sounds, as they all believed that person had laid a yellow egg, they all saw it.

All we have to do is believe in the power and wonder of our human nature to realize it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Consciously, Collectively Connect.

Bloom like a Rose

http://bonnielambert.artistwebsites.com/displayartworkartistwebsites.html?id=3010740&width=250&height=313 Today I made a new discovery about someone I know. I’ve worked with Bonnie, remotely, over the years, as she’s the designer for a publishing company I work with on occasion. Recently I’ve received some emails about her art shows and paintings, but I was always so busy, I never took the time to look at them. Today, I did, and am I glad I did. Her paintings are beautiful, moving and colorfully soulful. Rose Street is one that has a particular effect on me. Hidden talents are coming forward; I say Bloom!

We are all seemingly being prompted to explore and share our interests and talents, because that’s what makes us thrive. “The glory of God is humanity fully alive.” I heard that quote on Hay House radio the other day. We’ve got a lot of living to do, so let’s open up to our unique wonders. I wonder what wonderful surprises are in store for us… “Go boldly in the direction of your dreams…….” Thoreau said to humanity.

“Bloom like a rose,” I say.

And as I just read right after I posted this, that one of my favorite authors, Ray Bradbury, died today, I will add this wise, bestselling sage and author’s words about why we are called to live fully and share our talents with the world. Talking to Caltech’s graduating class of 2000, he urged them “to witness, to celebrate, and to be part of this universe…you’re here one time, you’re not coming back. And you owe, don’t you? You owe back for the gift of life.” I always wanted to hear him speak, and I missed several talks he did at the local library. I missed my chance to meet him and hear him speak. Let that be a lesson to me, to all of us:

Live. Now.

Eclipse-nicity, Easy Does It.

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Last week, one of my best friends gave me this beautiful stone bowl she had bought for me on a trip to Northern California. “I can’t wait to see what you’ll put in it,” she told me.

On Sunday, we were lucky enough to view the solar eclipse with a group of great friends at Sycamore Beach. We had Eclipse Shades from my daughter’s class, and we were sharing them with several people on the beach. The mood was amazingly friendly, with strangers talking to one another as if they were old friends and a general feeling of unity in the air.

As the eclipse was at its peak, almost resembling the “ring of fire” like the stone bowl, with one circle inside of another, I felt something brush against my leg, demanding my attention. I looked down and saw a feather had bumped into my thigh. “Wow,” I said to my friends, “this was obviously meant for me.”

My wise angelical friend, CC confirmed that. “Yes, this is your feather for ceremony. You need to find a stone bowl to put your sage in, and wave it with this feather.” Well, I didn’t need to find the stone bowl, because it was “coincidentally” just given to me a day before.

Sometimes things come easy………….. thank you Universe!

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Walking Beyond

Winners – Winners Gallery – Traveler Photo Contest 2011 – National Geographic.

And in a cold afternoon, one walks towards herself. We know the journey is long and sometimes arduous, but riding on the wings of imagination, mother nature opens her doors.

Location: San Pedro Atacama, Chile

Photo and caption by Fernanda Credidio

This is so beautiful, just had to share…

It’s Amazing

Realizing our potential will lead to unimaginable greatness and abundance. If we tap in to our innate wisdom and apply our talents, it is AMAZING what we can do.

So how do we do this? First, we must have a certain level of relaxation and peace in our spirit. Visit the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine to achieve this. Look up…

Ahhh…. Ohm…

Impressive.

Hear the flow…

“Take it Slow” the turtles remind us.

Peace… Step 1.