by John McCaughey•The other day it was a bright sunny day at the ranch, and I was washing off a piece of equipment near some pine trees. I’ve been particularly fond of these trees and knew I could take the time to give them a bath and a drink at the same time. I aimed the water high into each pine. Every branch moved with the force of the water.
When you give a bath to a little baby who can’t even sit up, you can tell how much it appreciates the touching and caring. It giggles with joy, and then smiles as you hold it in a towel next to you. That was the feeling one of those trees conveyed to me; it appreciated the attention. How beautiful the pine branches were while wearing water droplets sparkling in the sunlight!
In an instant, a number of feelings passed through me. I pondered the creation, and a point before time, when all that existed was the slumbering I Am That I Am in the smallest of all places. What incredible power had to be so focused at that point. When I try to understand, I’m brought to my knees. It’s so amazing…and I seem so insignificant.
But Jesus said, “These things that I do, you can do also, and far greater things.” This has stayed with me and encourages me.
Now the trees I had sprayedwere shaking in the breeze. I realized that the way our eyes see the world is one thing, but the way it really exists is another. All the cells of my body were mingling with the atoms in the air, and the air was touching the cells of the trees. My feet on the ground were mingling with the atomic structure and magnetism of the Earth in one huge collage of energy, atoms, cells, vortexes of magnetism and light. Truly, we can just reach out and touch anything, because we’re all connected to everything.
Looking back, it always seemed to me that the path home to Spirit was uphill—sometimes really steep, sometimes more gradual, but always uphill. Recently, however, it came to me that each one of us crosses a threshold of knowing that there’s no turning back on the spiritual path. Once we are truly rooted in our spirituality, the path is not uphill, and we know that when everything is right we’ll collide head on with our Creator and experience the joy of knowing who we truly are.
Each one of us has a personal relationship with Spirit, completely unique, completely dependable, totally real. We should all be encouraged…should allow our hearts to be light and open. We are all children of God, and I Am That I Am is alive in every place…in every point in the universe. Each one of us has been blessed with the desire to be one with that energy and given the tools to attain that goal.
• by Valerie King • When the year 2000 came around, and I wrote “000” so many times, it made me stop and reflect. The zeroes felt like a new beginning, a fresh start, a time to plant good seeds, a time when humanity has entered undiscovered country.
About that same time, I read an article that said time was going to start speeding up. I wondered what that meant. How can time speed up? Soon I began to understand that it meant our planetary karma was speeding up. Humanity as a whole is going through a tremendous growth spurt, which can be painful at times.
The intense pressure for change is upon us all, pushing us into new adventures. We are all experiencing the necessity of reviewing our lives, our choices, and making changes. Now more than ever, we must make the time daily to connect with the Divine, to listen to that quiet inner voice speaking of love, kindness, and virtue. Following is a timely message for us from a Hopi Elder:
“You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour. Now you must go back and tell the people that THIS IS THE HOUR. And there are things to be considered…Where are you living? What are you doing? What are your relationships? Are you in the right relationship? Where is your water [coming from]? Know your garden. It is time to speak your Truth. Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for the leader.”
Then he clasped his hands together, smiled and said, “This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold onto the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
“And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do our spiritual power and journey comes to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
by Dawn King•The most important part of being human is learning to love, and letting unconditional love be the driving intention of our lives. Why is this? It’s because the driving intention of the Universe is Love. The more we can emulate this Source of all that exists, the closer we are to being one with that Source. Why do we want to be one with that Source? Because it is the greatest advancement we can make as humans, and produces our greatest joy and fulfillment.
Humans are born with the ability to develop the ego to illumination. What does that mean? The ego is a tool we have that can help us. However it’s highest state is its recognition of the Source of all, and its identification with this Source while surrendering to the wellspring of unconditional love.
How can I learn to love to this ultimate point? And why isn’t it an automatic part of life? To answer the second question: We are born into this life with a challenge—“See what you can do with this set of circumstances, and with this personality.” Each of us is given the task of bringing our own personal journey to its greatest achievement. There are conscious steps we can take each day in order to fulfill our “love and life mission.”
1.Set your intention on growing to feel and extend to others more unconditional love. Just as the Sun shines on all unconditionally each day, we can love without discrimination or judgement. Each soul is valued equally in the heart and view of Source.
2.Respect all living things; respect everything you encounter during your day; respect the Earth which is sustaining us all.
3.Put on the attitude of being helpful and giving. Even offering a smile is an act of giving, and one that can make the day of a total stranger. “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Theresa
4.Share yourself; your time, efforts, and caring without consideration of what you will get out of it. Be there for another, for your community, and take time to appreciate the many blessings filling your life.
5.Forgive! As you open yourself to unconditional love, revelations will come to you giving you understanding of other’s motives and compassion for them.
6.Ask Source to open your heart and mind to experience love; this can be done during sincere prayer or as the focus of meditation. Our prayers never go unanswered. An old adage from India says “Delay is not denial.”
7.Know that you are never alone. Love surrounds you and is ever offering guidance to you. The more we embrace and accept this ever present offering of love from Source, the more we become aware of it. It protects us and leads us, if we let it. Follow the instructions of Intuition!
8.“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi This lifetime is for our spirit’s education and healing. We are not guaranteed any more time than is absolutely necessary. Make the most of every day.
9.Make positive choices to the best of your ability. We are given choices to help us grow. Know that you will be quickly shown if your choice was not a correct one, and you will have the ability to change direction. Be humble, but love boldly. “For magic to happen in your life, you must believe in magic” – Lynn Andrews
by Barbara McCaughey • An idea from Helen Keller’s autobiography popped into my head as I pumped gas into my car. She said that if we made it a habit to notice what we’re grateful for, there wouldn’t be enough moments in a day to acknowledge each blessing. This was a memorable statement coming from someone who could not see or hear.
I was on my way home from work and had about a half hour’s drive ahead of me. Looking up into the beautifully clouded sky, there was a small, but bright patch of blue peeking through. It had been raining off and on all day and the hillsides and air seemed so fresh and clean. I decided to use my entire drive home to notice the magnificent and varied palette of scenery.
The cares of the day melted away with these uplifting thoughts. I reached the front gate of my home refreshed and ready to enjoy the remaining daylight. Sitting in the living room talking to my husband I looked over his shoulder out the front window.
“Oh my goodness!” came tumbling out of my mouth when I spotted the most brilliant, shimmering double rainbow I had ever seen! It arced across the entire valley where we live and remained for us to stare at in wonder for about twenty minutes.
It seemed that Mother Nature was smiling back at me, loving me as I had been loving her, rewarding me with one of her most awesome images. There before us, divine Spirit’s life was represented in all the dimensions of creation in scintillating, jewel-like colors.
In moments such as these, when we choose to be part of the joy of life and turn our gaze away from less inspiring images, it seems that angels lift us on their wings and commune with us. There is a feeling that we are not alone, but an intimate part of an eternal cosmic dream.
by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•Someone once asked me, “Why is God so hard on me? I never hear his voice or see his light.”
Responding, I said, “Do you hear that creek running? Do you hear those waters rushing down the mountain on their way to the sea? Listen to them! Meditate upon nature. You didn’t create it; God did. It is the visible body of Spirit, the voice crying in the wilderness.
The wind in the trees! What a sound—the elements of air pressing against the elements of the earth. Listen and hear God’s voice in nature, and in the creatures of the earth.” Once understanding this communion, God speaks to you in a voice from all space, calling you by name and giving you love and direction in your life.
Recreate with God’s creative life force. Read words or watch movies of inspiration. Write and play music expressing mankind’s glories. Play games that encourage one another to be strong and live virtue. Develop spiritual willpower through the discipline of physical exercise. This is recreation and regeneration for body, mind and spirit.
Allow your heart to commune with God in nature. Find a pristine environment that makes your heart swell with joy and love. Embrace the solitude. The pure Self within you will come forward through your senses to commune with you in nature.
The word recreation means to co-create with God; this is the purpose of the divine creation. Yes, knowing one’s own pure Self within is real re-creation. Living upon the earth as Spirit intended humankind to live, God fully conscious in human beings, brings heaven on earth again!
Anonymous•A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of corn chips and a some root beers and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at the pigeons gathered there.
The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted and smiled at him. Her smile was so intriguing that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, enjoying the moment, but they never said a word.
As late afternoon approached, the boy realized how tired he was and got up to leave. But before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?”
I had lunch with God.” But before his surprised mother could respond, he added. “You know what? She’s got the most wonderful smile!”
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of delight on her face and asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?”
She replied, “I ate corn chips in the park with God.” And before her startled son could respond, she added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have thepotential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally! Have lunch with God!
