Sacred Space
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Blesséd Summer…are you enjoying it? Now is the only time there is so if not, best start today, perhaps right now – appreciate the dark green beauty of summer leaves; feel the wondrous heat of the sun feeding you with the Vitamin D that keeps your immune system working; revel in the rain as it cools the day and nourishes all life.
Why wait to enjoy living? There is no other time than now and whatever you are doing/being/feeling right this very instant is creating your next experience. Think about that fully, then consider making the commitment to accept what is, right now, and when you do accept it, perhaps you will also find enjoyment in it, or even be inspired by it.
Accepting what IS doesn’t necessarily mean that you like it, but it does means you stop spending fruitless energy complaining or wishing for something different. What is, IS, so why argue with reality? As Byron Katie says, when you argue with reality, you will lose, but only 100% of the time. Through acceptance of what is, however, our very Presence can shift reality, and also guide us to the best action for us, right now.
Inspiration often arises from within the peace that acceptance brings. Most of us are well aware of the difference between enthusiasm and/or responding to inspiration versus how we feel when reacting out of frustration, impatience or anger. Acceptance allows the Presence that we truly are, our Divine Essence that is both within and beyond thought and emotion, to shine forth in our awareness and thus in our actions.
So go ahead and dare to accept your life, your self, your situations – it’s much more enjoyable as well as practical. Summer is an easy time to love the moment – we can look to the abundance of nature for reminders of how life continues to grow, moving forward in spite of, or perhaps because of, apparent obstacles.
Drought, for example, causes roots to grow deeper, better anchoring the trees; a recent locust invasion served to “top” many limbs, causing the trees to grow new branches; grass doesn’t grow so fast when it’s dry, saving me and the environment from frequent mowing!
And when it is hard to love the moment, to appreciate a challenge you are facing, know that loving it isn’t necessary to move forward, only acceptance. To accept also means to stay present, aware, and conscious. When we are present with whatever is going on, especially inside of us, we discover that we are not really at the mercy of anything, including our emotions. They live in us, and are reflected outside of us, yet aren’t nearly the whole truth of who we are.
By staying present with so-called negative emotion, instead of becoming it, we bring forth a larger Presence, which automatically transmutes emotion. We only stay stuck when we don’t face, don’t get present with, what’s already living inside of us. Bringing our awareness to a feeling, instead of thinking it is who we are, allows our Presence to shift it, with no force required.
Just looking at naturally beautiful things, like trees, flowers, babies, or great works of art, can bring us into a state that easily allows an experience of Presence – especially if we don’t name them, or think about them, and just appreciate the beauty or life vitality within them. Presence lives in everything, including humans, and summer is a fabulous time to notice. Doing so connects us with the vitality of life itself. Enjoy August!
You may contact Louisa Dyer through www.louisadyer.com or www.louisadyer.net, by email, louisadyer@charter.net, or at 828-658-1280.
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