Bloom

Stark and reaching for the longest time are winter’s branches barren of any leaves.  Just last week I noticed tiny buds springing anxiously forth but not yet in bloom.  Today, however, another walk and those same leafless branches were just beginning to bloom.  I seem to have lost track of the time and then I realized it is the day before Spring and in one more day, it will be here.  I love that part of the change in late Winter leaning towards Spring.  Warmer days and gently cool nights seem to set my mind at ease after colder days in doors with really big thoughts I’ve been struggling to make sense of.  No big thoughts today for me.  I just moved through the day with beingness rather than looking for points of reference to ponder.  They were all around me whether I noticed them or not and today was a day I chose not to specifically notice.  Rather than fix the things I seemed to find where ever I looked today, I decided just to let things be.  It’s okay to leave things as they are sometimes and just appreciate our presence of motion even if it seems we are merely standing still.

The impetus for motion has had my attention for a good many days from the micro to the macro and as pleasant as it is to let the mind meander and roam, I was more content just existing today inside of my own skin.  It was a challenging day in my work-a-day world and accomplishments seemed to swirl with some disappointments and I realized there was nothing I could do with any worries should I absentmindedly choose to entertain them.  So, I just didn’t.  Okay, well, not for more than the few seconds it took me to realize what a pointless endeavor it would be to worry about things.  I’m content to be still or flow with the day and into the evening I think I’ll find myself doing more of the same.  

I’ve decided to reserve judgments for a day and while you might think it’s impossible, it isn’t if you engage in an honest dialog with yourself...gentle nudges here and there to let go instead of holding on to what truly is of no real and lasting significance.  Everyone wants to CYA at the end of the day and actions will be taken and things will be said.  To me, assumptions are too easy to make and so, I do my best to try a little harder for things ultimately more meaningful and guide those I meet along my path in just the same vein.  It’s not often well received but that’s okay.  I’ll just go on planting seeds here and there just by living.  And while living, I'll encounter the seeds that those before me planted as they made their way through this space perhaps at some other time.  I’ll nurture and cultivate them one by one as I find them and then as each new concept begins to take root and bloom within the curious and fertile soil deep within my mind, I’ll smile and be just as grateful as watching the tiny little buds on branches bloom. I’m really enchanted by the beautiful chance to discover some of life’s mysteries on my own terms and then not on my terms at all.  I accept what is and what shall be.  Nothing more is really expected of me.  So be it.  I count my blessings as I go and smile with the arrival of Springtime and gently let go of any lingering chill. ~Blessing for your entertainment and enchantment as you  make your way through life beautiful dreamers. Dream on. :)

(c) 2013 Jaie Hart (photo, very fortunate internet find - google images)

Mistakes?

Another conversation with a friend this morning gave me inspiration to write this blog post for today, on this special day of peace on Earth and good will towards man.  To go along on this mini journey of today's mental meanderings, I will need for you to forget everything you've ever been taught about right or wrong and the judging of good and evil.  I need you to open your mind and your hearts to consider something you may not, before, have ever allowed yourselves to consider.  In my mental meanderings this morning I have paused to consider whether or not there truly is such a thing as a mistake.  I can almost feel the egos writhing with the mere thought of this.  So, on with my thought...

There is not really such a thing as a mistake.  Consider that the Source of this Omniverse sees all.  Not one thing, not one action or inaction, thought or emotion goes without notice.  We are here for a reason and every act of this dream we participate in occurs for a reason that while might be hard to grasp in a moment of emotion, is ultimately for the good of all involved even if we can't even begin to comprehend how.  Every soul commits themselves to this dream for a reason and all of the scenes and actors will play out their roles for seemingly good or ill.  At times judgment and blame will enter your consciousness when we get angry about the lack of control for something that ultimately seems bad or wrong.  The burden of blame is the heaviest for the holder of blame.  The burden of the need to issue forth shame, guilt and negative judgments is heaviest for those in this world who choose to create that and hold that.  If you knew that all of your encountered experiences in this dream occurred for a perfect reason, you would have no need to separate yourself from your own Source love by picking up the burden of negative judgment and blame or worse yet, vengeance and vindictive thoughts.


Although it will likely be a very huge leap to grasp this concept for most, when you know that everything happens for a reason as every soul's need for an experience dictates, you begin to understand there is no need to carry the burden of blame.  We all want our ideal of good and perfection to play out as we expect it to.  But what if even though things do not play out as you expect or desire, the happenings and lessons learned by all involved are still pristine and perfect?  It is hard to imagine, this I truly understand but although some things are just a terrible seeming struggle for us, we can still attempt to unburden our minds and hearts by setting down blame, judgment and angry thoughts towards others who do not behave as you would have given a specified set of circumstances.  Set your heart free in the knowing that everything in this world does not go unnoticed.  Not one thing is missed or forsaken.  We need not worry ourselves that good will not occur from any set of seemingly negative circumstances.

If you could but see the fullness of any one person's life path and both the messages and lessons a soul brings to others, you would have no need for blame nor judgment.  In some things we must seek to find inspiration to do better and be better in accordance with the dictates of our souls and I do not suggest that folks stand idly by without lending assistance where a soul deems it absolutely necessary.  For even in that need and action, all is perfect.  The point is that living life can sometimes be burden enough without picking up the additional burdens that prevent our true growth and block the true light of love within us.  It is there burning brightly all the time.  It is only when the small voice of the small mind that has need to promote itself by degrading others that we cannot see.  It is, unfortunately, a very human behavior when the small voice from the small mind is so intensely in control.  But, the soul knows the truth and you can always feel the truth by what creates anxiety within or what creates the feeling of love within.  When you embody the feelings and actions of the judger or blamer persona, you are creating disharmony within and would often be better served by questioning why you would create anxiety, disharmony and fear within you rather than finding a more loving, understanding and compassionate approach to things you  may not be in full comprehension of such as the life paths and lesson plans of other souls on this planet.

Consider that at times you do not know the full picture and when you take one thing out of universal context and react to it, you are pulled off balance and you are creating disharmony in such actions for yourself.  You can create a different response to everything before you if you are willing to admit that you do not fully comprehend everything that is happening before you, that you cannot control one single thing in this universe but your actions, thoughts and emotions and that you and your judgments and blame are really just creating opportunities for your own soul to attempt to understand and transcend limiting thoughts.

So, there are no mistakes in this world.  When you begin to see that every soul does the only thing he or she knows how to do in a certain situation, the one thing that occurs is that you begin to include self in this knowing and from this you can allow forgiveness to enter your heart for your own judged mistakes.  Set yourself free of the burden of guilt, shame, remorse and blame for things you didn't know any better than to commit at one point or another in your life.  Stand in your own light today knowing that your every experience brings light and lessons not only to you but to all of those around you.  The construct and design of this dream is perfect, everything you do and see or experience is perfect in accord with your own soul's plan for development and learning here.  Strive, if ever you can, to take that leap from judgment to considering compassion and understanding in ways you are not used to.  In so doing, you set yourself free to love self more, to love and understand others more and to embrace this beautiful dream of your own design with greater understanding, faith, hope and even healing.

Merry Christmas beautiful dreamers.  I pray you find the light in every situation you face and when you sometimes face darkness - before you react, ask for understanding of the light to come to you.  It will come if you open your soul, mind and heart to it.  Blessings for a most beautiful day of peace and love to you all.

(c) 2012 Jaie Hart (photo, fortunate internet find)

The Ugly Christmas Sweater

Some thoughts to ponder...every single thing in life is a gift.  It may not always seem like a gift but it is, in fact, a gift.  The beautiful part about life is learning that you have a choice as to what you will do with the gifts that are given to you.  Take an ugly Christmas sweater for instance.  It may come to you as a gift from someone you love, someone you tolerate or someone you don't care for at all.  When the gift is presented, you may look at it and determine you do not like it and will never wear it, you may decide that you would like to return it or you may decide you do not wish to accept it at all.  You might even decide you'd like to have hurt feelings that the giver would give you something you think is ugly.  Some of the "gifts" in life we are presented with are like an ugly Christmas sweater, particularly where human relations come in.  You may accept the gifts that you are given and appreciate them, keep them if you desire or you may argue with the giver about their seeming lack of thoughtfulness in presenting you with such an ugly gift.  You  might even decide to give the gift back just like it was given to you or you may decide not to keep some gifts.  No matter what you choose, there are lessons both in the presentation and in what you ultimately decide to do with them.  Regardless, there is learning to be had in the gifts we are given.  Wisdom can be gained if we seek compassion and understanding while at the same time standing in our own light and honoring first and foremost, our authenticity.  You've all, no doubt, received the gift of the ugly Christmas sweater in some way, shape or form.  What did you decide to do with it?  Do you understand why you decided to do with it what you did with it?  Did you understand or seek to, the reason it was given?  Food for thought.  The objective is understanding and not the judgment of self for the disposition nor the giver of the gift.  Seek understanding and you will be given an even greater gift than what is presented to you.  That gift is the wisdom gained from the experience of giving, receiving or returning.  Always there is something to learn, to understand and to strive for.

Me, myself, I don't care for ugly Christmas sweaters and so will thank the giver of such gift (even if only within the privacy of my own mind).  What I decide to do next will depend on the frame that I choose to hold in a particular moment and whether or not I find myself courageous enough to stand in my own light.  Sometimes I might say thank you but no thanks.  You keep this gift but I appreciate your desire to share.

Blessings of higher love and understanding beautiful dreamers.

(c) Jaie Hart (photo, random internet find - and, to the owner of this sweater, please take no offense as I greatly appreciate the heart of creativity that went into this design - really).

Within You

I watched the clouds barely visible in the cool and dark of the morning.  The last view of the stars was a joy to watch as the night slowly faded into day and the Earth turned.  The brightest one in the sky caught my attention for some reason.  All the stars but that one seemed to go out in that moment.  I turned away a few moments and looked back and with a smile I noticed it too had gone out.  I can feel moisture on the wind as I realize those clouds are the beginnings of another gentle summer storm.  I'm grateful as the water brings with it a refreshing reprieve from the heat of summer.  I'm grateful as I stand here consciousness stretched far and wide and wondering what the day will hold.  The general feeling of the latest days gone by have been anxious and eager interchangeably.  It's almost as if I'm standing on the edge of something and the full view of what is to come will magically appear like the valley floor when approaching the top of a mountain ridge.  Yes, it has been a very long but rewarding climb to get to where I am now, standing near the edge of a precipice yet again.

Life is like that I suppose.  We go through our lives day in and day out, climbing mountains of lessons, viewing the terrain, more peaks and some valleys and we just take it all in, label it and register it somewhere within the farthest reaches of our reaching minds.  I seek greater depths and understanding of life and must admit there are some things I wish I had no understanding of.  It might make life much easier for me but, then again, I enjoy the effort of climbing, learning, taking in new views from ever higher vantage points.  Like everyone else does I have my emotions purposefully and also unwittingly attached to thoughts that race through my mind sometimes undetected until they collect en mass and I must think hard and feel my way through all that I have collected.  All is peaceful in my world in this moment and the beauty I see as the gray clouds appear suddenly painted pink along their edges, the darkness erased and soon to be replaced by pure pristine and opalescent white.  A tingling sensation rushes through my whole being as the golden rays of the sun appear adding a new mix of colors and sensations for my appreciation to take in.

I wonder about all the things that have come before and all the questions I've been left with from human interactions.  It would be easy to focus on walking the path of others pointing out their mistakes, behavioral misfires and lack of forethought.  But I realize the path of others is not mine to walk.  I cannot walk the path of the other from the starting point that is me.  My knowledge rests in the journey of my own path which differs from those I see around me.  Oh, some may seem similar but to judge them based on my thoughts and experience would be short sighted and I know me, I would do so only when there was some aspect of my own journey I'm refusing to face.  This knowledge within me always pulls me back to my own road I walk mostly with courage and conviction but its a steep uphill climb sometimes and sometimes, I'll be honest, I just get weary.  Such times are not long lived and I know all I need to do is pause, think, regroup, take a very deep breath, stand and just place one foot in front of the other.  Mechanically it isn't so very difficult but emotionally sometimes its a chore.  I've dreams yet to create and many things yet to learn and more fully comprehend and I will not achieve that goal without proper focus on just where it is I place each step on my path.  Whatever it will turn out to be, it will be and I realize its my job only to show up, fully present on my own journey and hold a measure of respect for the lessons that others are learning here too.  So, off I go then.  May your journey be blessed with peace, patience, accurate perceptions, courage and love dear souls.  This life is a beautiful journey, your own lives are blessed with twists and turns, climbing and resting.  Enjoy every aspect and count your blessings more than resenting what you think you lack.  Everything you truly need is already within you.

(c) 2012 Jaie Hart (photo is a random internet find)

Stop Participating in What Does Not Serve You

If ever there should come a time in your life where it does not feel good to be in your own skin, stop for a moment and consider what it is you are participating in.  You are most likely and simply conducting yourself in a manner inconsistent with your authentic nature.  Stop all action and find the place within you that made the decision to act out of alignment with your true nature.  Don't judge your behavior but understand where it stepped out of line with who you truly are.  The body and our emotions speak in subtle tones at times and in ways we are not routinely taught to understand.  But, you will feel it in depression, anxiety, fear or pain.  Your thoughts floating through your mind may not be yours at all but may have their origins in opinions that others have laid upon you that in a moment of fear you unwittingly believed.  You can stop the resulting madness by realizing just because a thought runs through your mind, it doesn't make that thought the truth.

We are complex creatures with varying levels of consciousness complicated further by existence in multiple dimensions.  We are not taught to understand how the mechanics of us works.  We are not taught to look for and identify our vulnerabilities and then to protect ourselves from those things in the outside world that can slip into our minds deranging it from its true source of love.  The antidote, the remedy and the cure is to stop participating in those things that bring you pain.  You have the right to exercise your free will and disengage from those who hurt you or prevent your growth.  Don't stand in the arms reach of those who flail and seek to land a punch on the mark - to hurt others to cure their own pain.  Step back and disengage, protect yourself in a loving way by simply refusing to participate in those things that do not truly serve your soul.  Never mind the ego and it's little I, Me and Mine focus.  That is unreal and will never bring you anything satisfactory.  Release the I, Me and Mine and step back into your soul and feel the love there burning.  Listen to the still, small and subtle voice of the soul and let it lead you back to actions, thoughts and words of love, peace, compassion and understanding.  Be gentle with yourselves and let no one treat you unkindly and un-gently.  Step back from participation, disengage from the ego and it's superficial defenses - just stop the madness by refusing to engage.

Not one of us what put here to needlessly suffer.  We choose our suffering by unwitting participation in things that are not in alignment with our goals in life.  Find the truth of who and what you really are by growing still and silent from time to time to listen to the true voice of love deep within your core.  Ignoring thoughts that did not originate with the authentic you and refocusing instead on the loving and gentle thoughts to hold for yourself.  Cleanse yourselves of judgement from others and the lingering self-judgment the mind grabs hold of following judgment from the outside world.  Stop participating and the things and people who try to pull you down out of their own misery and pain will tire and then soon, dissipate into another dream.  Trust in the beauty and the love of you.  Shine your light and there will be no more darkness.  Free the love inside of you to roam life unhindered by the outside world. Move in tune with the dictates of your own souls and seek the deeper meanings in your lives.  There is nothing superficial in your existence so dig deeper than the surface to understand the truth.  Allow yourselves to live and love.  ~Blessings

Change Your Focus

We get so lost sometimes focusing on the world of people around us that we forget the world inside of us.   There are treasures unimaginably great within if one would simply find the courage to stop all the analyzing, criticizing and judging and just go within.  I catch myself in judgment sometimes and I don’t like it when that happens so I realize whenever judgment lurks in my thoughts, I am actually being too fearful of my own soul to go deep within and find the wound I am protecting with my judgment of others.  It is no easy shift dear souls but if you can find some measure of strength, will or stamina to endure the quest, you will find it a most worthy endeavor.

You see, when you get to the truth, the heart of the matter and you find what is really at your core, no string of events in the past can tear you apart by someone come to assist with the exorcism of wounds within.  It’s a stretch and a difficult one at that but as I said, give it a try.  You won’t waste as much energy as you do when engaged in egotistical battles intended only to divert you from the truth.  I mean, think about it – do you really want to remain victim forever reacting to the labels and guilt trips people lay upon you or would you rather uncover the truth enough about you so that you could stand in your own light when the exorcists come.  Oh, and believe me, they will come.  Each will have a new face but they will attempt to expose your wounds for one reason and one reason only…to get you to find the core, the true source (you) and begin to heal when you find also within, your own love and light.

Never give up and never let the outside world or even those who love you paint a picture of you that you swallow as wholehearted truth.  They don’t know who you really are – they only know their experience of you.  No one truly defines you or your actions but you and your thoughts.  Your thoughts decide whether you will give labels born of fear credence or brush them off as a simple opinion based on one perspective of an aspect of you.  Be fearless and be strong.  You can find what makes you weak and in so doing, you’ll find your strength.  Blessings of highest love and light dear ones! 

(c) Jaie Hart (photo, random internet find)

Thought for the Day...

Seek not to propagate judgement, hatred, enmity nor adversity. Our words are very powerful and when used in the negative, we create a very negative stream of energy that serves as a magnet for more of the same. We can judge others and things around us but how can we know the truth when half truths are spoken by those repeating what they do not understand? Seek knowledge from reputable sources - see it before you believe it and then understand what you are seeing before you speak and when you speak, speak in positive words towards positive solutions. We can distrust and decry government, politicians, companies and blame everyone else in existence for all of the problems of this world or we can focus on our own hands in our undoing. Consider focus on self and righting self actions and self thoughts. Live and breathe an example of morality, kindness, compassion, wisdom, love and understanding and let that be the energy you spread out into this world. If nothing else, you will sleep easier each night when you retire knowing you seek to contribute to long-lasting and meaningful solutions instead of spreading the problem.  Remember, we create what we experience in this world. ~Blessings of infinite love and light!