love

There’s only Love

/ oneheart / 2 Comments

I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase before and have maybe even contemplated it. What does it mean to say there is only love? When you say something like this to others it can spark different emotions. I’ve noticed some get quiet and contemplative while others get angry, annoyed and even defensive. If seems to some that it is some airy fairy super idealistic and simplistic view of things that has no basis in reality. Others are certain that this is just a trite spiritual cliché.

I can only tell you what it means to me as I have given it some thought. At the moment of death or contemplating the moment of death it seems that all the extraneous stuff falls away. Beliefs, proclamations, judgements, grudges, our ideas about how life should be and even our bodies fall away. It is the biggest letting go of our lives. We are letting go of absolutely everything because as we know we can take nothing with us. If we are lucky when everything else falls away it leaves nothing but love and the focus on loved ones.

I can only tell you what it means to me as I have given it some thought. At the moment of death or contemplating the moment of death it seems that all the extraneous stuff falls away. Beliefs, proclamations, judgements, grudges, our ideas about how life should be and even our bodies fall away. It is the biggest letting go of our lives. We are letting go of absolutely everything because as we know we can take nothing with us. If we are lucky when everything else falls away it leaves nothing but love and the focus on loved ones.

Many master teachers and gurus point us to the moments before death as a powerful contemplation. My teacher Mooji would often say, “die before you die.” Meaning die to everything false, unimportant and temporary while you are still alive. What remains is only love. On your death bed you will most likely not be concerned with politics or the final score of the ball game. You will only want those that you love to be around you and you will want them to know you love them.

Western cultures tend to ignore the fact that death is actually a part of life, everyone’s life. In fact we die mini deaths throughout our lives. We shift, grow, change and transform in an ongoing process of letting go and surrendering. While still very much alive we die to old ways of being that have become outmoded or restrictive. We are vulnerable and stripped down to the core as we begin anew only to begin another cycle of birth and death and birth again in gradual dress rehearsal for the main event – our physical death and release of the body.

In the end there is only love because it is timeless and transcends even death as it is carried forward through our loved ones.  

A Nudge from the Universe

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We are timeless spiritual beings having a human experience and when we are born we are one with this.   As we grow up in our families and in the world we forget the truth of who we are.  It’s meant to be this way even though sometimes it can feel like a cruel joke.  We all always have the potential to recognize our true essence.   If you look at infants and babies it is easy to see and feel their purity and oneness with the truth. Nothing is yet obstructing it and it’s why everyone loves babies so much!

I know the word spiritual can even cause confusion.  Like spiritual people are the only ones who have access to this profound and powerful truth.  This is simply not true.  Simply put spiritual seekers often live consciously to embrace and know who they are but everyone is on the same road so to speak whether they know it or not.  It’s kind of funny like that. One thing is for sure, being conscious and open does amplify the power of your essence and your path forward.

In case you hadn’t noticed I use essence and truth interchangeably but there are many ways to refer to what I’m speaking about ~ divine essence, truth of who you are, your center, true self, source, God-self, life force and so on.  Words are inadequate when it comes to describing what I am sharing with you and words can only point you in the general direction. It’s similar to seeing a road sign with the name of a town on it. You can read the name but you can only know the town by going there and experiencing it. Life is full of pointers that our mind understands are sign posts indicating what direction to go in.  If you want ice cream don’t follow a sign that sends you to a liquor store.  Knowledge of something is helpful but when it’s discovered in an experiential way then it is transformational, life altering and unforgettable.  It’s why so many people can talk about something for a long time in therapy but suddenly the penny drops when they experience the changes in their life.  

So where am I going with this…it’s time to awaken!!  Maybe you’ve heard?  Why do I say this?  Because it’s part of human evolution.  Evolution continues not in terms of our outer appearance anymore but on the inner.  Our consciousness itself evolves and we have the potential to become more wise, compassionate and loving humans.  Not through trying harder to be a better person; these qualities arise naturally from being seated in the truth.  Evolution can’t be stopped we can only either grab ahold of it consciously or be knocked around until we wake up to the truth.  We’ve been getting  knocked pretty hard lately and a lot of people have begun looking inside, growing quickly and awakening as a result.  

If you feel intrigued by what I’m speaking of please feel free to reach out to me and I can point you in the right direction to the best of my ability.  These are definitely exciting times we are living in with tremendous opportunity to make this discovery for yourself. 

Are you being nudged by the universe?  You are now!!

Living from the Heart

/ oneheart / 2 Comments

Our hearts are certainly complex and capable of opening and embracing the most unexpected dualities and differences. The heart will feel what it feels even when it is not convenient and doesn’t look good on paper.  It can inspire us to become better human beings when we dig deep and have the capacity to forgive what is seen as unforgivable. It has the capacity to heal us by opening up even after it has been broken or start over when it seems that all has been lost.  It can find a path through adversity where our thinking mind would be rendered useless.  Love, compassion and empathy can flow freely through the heart where the mind would be calculating and planning to see what makes the most sense.  

The best way is to make use of both the mind and the heart.    Most of us are skewed and rely heavily on our rational, logical thinking and don’t balance it with the wisdom  and perspective that is available to us from our hearts. Bowing the head to the heart in a symbolic act of surrender to love and openness can feel like a leap of faith. It might even  feel scary and foreign in certain situations.  What do you have to loose?  You can put your boundary back in place if need be but how often do you consciously take the walls down and open up?  Try approaching something with kindness instead of judgement or criticism and see how it works.  I have witnessed kindness, openness and love completely disarm and transform the most difficult and complex situations.   

Without being open and loving to ourselves first it is not possible to offer this to others. We can only be open and loving to others to the extent that we have offered this to ourselves.

Collectively we are being called to go deeper into our hearts and learn how to live from its center.  It is our only hope if we are to overcome the division that is currently so common place in the world.  Meeting life with the mind connected to the heart begins as an inner journey and extends beyond our personal lives touching all who we come into contact with.  

Signs of the times

/ oneheart / 2 Comments

I’m driving and suddenly I notice lots of lawn signs popping up everywhere lining the streets in front of Mc Donald’s and by office buildings.  Empathy, compassion, love, healing , thank you.  Do we need to be reminded?  Have we forgotten or lost touch with our true nature because life has just been too chaotic?  Have worries, Amazon, smart phones, work and the political environment numbed us out?  Has it overshadowed the essential truth that all human beings want and need the same things?  We must need reminding.    

These are qualities that should flow freely in a person that isn’t stressed out, fearful or feeling compromised in some way.  We are so caught up that we are not able to focus on what connects us all.  

It seems that compassion and a loving presence don’t just emanate from us effortlessly especially right now.  We can, however, consciously decide  the kind of presence we wish to be in the world and choose it over and over again. It will become hardwired into our very psyche and nervous system as we  unplug from what we have grown accustomed to.  Remembering the true qualities that we all share can awaken their power as we consciously lean into them over and over again.  It is the brave heart, the warrior heart that will choose this path.   

Remembering that there is power in right action and fall in love with this state without expectations and conditions because life doesn’t work that way.  The universe works in mysterious ways that we will never fully comprehend.  It’s  a letting go, a surrender, a falling into the abyss and trusting a power greater than ourselves brought all this into existence.  Letting go of the need to arm ourselves against life and instead trust life.   The source of life has your back and will be there with the power of the universe behind it.  It’s time to be the change we wish to see in the world.  It’s time to remember who we really are.

Is lasting change possible?

/ oneheart / 3 Comments

Will lasting change happen as a result of this pandemic?

Several people have asked me this question over the last few weeks.  

Everyone at every stage in life is effected and everyone is experiencing some degree of loss and sufferring.  It is this kind of challenge that spurs the deepest spiritual growth.  It is not something that we would willingly choose because we are pushed outside of our comfort zone.  

We can’t wiggle out of this one.  In other words, there is no way we can change it. It is out of our control.  The situation has to run its course and until it does we will have to find inner resources so that we can get through this.    

If you are in a lot of fear I recommend taking all the  practical steps that you can to help yourself.  Use all the tools at your disposal like unemployment, mortgage assistance and any other program that might be available to you now.  Make sure you have food in your house and other essential supplies and don’t go out if you are vulnerable or dealing with health challenges.  Most importantly ask for help if you need it.  We are all going through this and we are in this together. 

After you have done these things the best thing you can do is take it step by step and day by day.  Don’t get ahead of yourself.  Your mind will always conjure up the worst case scenario.  The hard part about this is that there is no way to fight a projection of your mind.  It isn’t happening now so there is no way to effectively deal with it.  When you are faced with a situation in the moment you will know how to act.  Think about it for a minute.  Have you ever faced an emergency like someone you love getting hurt or a having an accident?  In the moment you jumped into action and many people report that they didn’t think it through they just intuitively knew what to do. 

Eckhart Tolle’ talks a lot about this in his work.  Stay in the now because there is no way to deal with a thought about a possible future problem.  You can only deal with it now.  Then he recommends once you become aware that your thoughts are causing you suffering come into your body and sense your inner energy field.   This brings you quickly and easily into the present moment.  First close your eyes and feel the energy in your hands it might be subtle but with practice you will be able to feel it.  When your eyes are closed you know that you still have hands and you know that you still have a body.  I know it sounds simple but it is an excellent way to take your mind out of troubled thinking and into the present.  It is also a very healing and restorative practice because you powerfully interrupt a negative and draining habit.  

Closing your eyes and feel the energy inside your body.  Practice makes it easy, enjoyable and restorative.

The other thing I want to mention is a concept Pema Chodron talks about a lot in her work called Maitri.  It is a Buddhist term that that means unconditional friendliness towards yourself.   If for some reason you can’t focus on your inner body or it just doesn’t resonate for you try meeting your feelings differently.  We don’t know why you are having theses strong fearful or anxiety provoking thoughts and feelings but meet them with love as if it were a young child coming to you for comfort.  It’s amazing how quickly this can quiet the internal storm.   No matter what you are thinking or feeling imagine you are hearing this story from someone that you dearly love and show that same love, understanding and acceptance to yourself.  This is a practice that reaps immediate rewards because you let go of the internal fight. You can’t have a tug of war if no one is on the other side tugging back.  

I love the idea of unconditional friendliness towards ourselves.  We rarely treat ourselves with such compassion and yet we require ourselves to meet others this way.  This becomes truly possible and less effortful when we practice Maitri.  When we can bear our own suffering we are more able to bear the suffering of others and the world and this is how change takes root.