Surrender

It may be that when we no longer know which way to go we have begun our real journey. Wendell Berry

Sometimes you just have to let go; it's the sensible thing to do. It's not the easiest; it's just the thing that makes the most sense. I am thinking about this, this morning because I am going to go back into my manuscript and re-write some of it. And the truth is, letting go and surrendering to the process of re-writes is not exactly how I had planned spending my time. But, I know I can make it better and my goal all along has been to write about this subject in a way that will help the reader make the same kinds of phenomenal shifts and changes that those who take my Receive course experience.

Is there something in your life: a project, a person, or an idea that needs you to let go so that you can take the next step in your life?

Today I remind myself that life is not a race.

Attract

Just outside of Philadelphia, lovely plants known locally as butterfly bushes appear each summer. Their blossoms attract butterflies that arrive to pollinate them. Nature provides many such examples of giving and receiving. Who is the giver? Who is the receiver? It’s easy to see that both the butterflies and the butterfly bushes give and receive. Together, they are achieving their individual goals.

If these plants were to approach their goal the way we have been taught, this is what it might look like:
Each summer, the neighborhood would be filled with butterfly bushes running around waving their blossoms trying to convince butterflies that they are the best butterfly bush around and that the butterflies should follow them home and pollinate their flowers.

Essentially that is what we are doing when all or the bulk of our efforts are geared toward the active pursuit of our goals. Yet, there is another world largely untapped and wholly at our disposal. It’s the other 50 percent: the receptive world.

So, the question becomes not how can I go get it, but how can I attract it? In other words, why would your goal, your dream, or anything you desire want you?

Have you ever thought of something you later find out somebody has patented, taken to market, written a book about, or done something with and you say, “I thought of that, too. I should have done something!”

An idea whose time has come finds its way to many people. But a goal will only manifest for those whose fertile soil can nurture and grow it.

When we develop the capacity to receive in the same way one would exercise a muscle, a goal is given a chance to plant itself, to establish itself, and to develop long, sturdy roots.

Today, don't chase after what you want. Instead, ask yourself what would make you attractive to your goal. Attract your goal to you just the way a butterfly bush attracts butterflies.

Dream

Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country. Anais Nin

Blossom

Open your life like a flower opens its petals.

Accept

Whenever I remind myself to accept, I open up choices that I couldn't know about previously, because too much energy was expended in resistance. Whatever you would like to be different in your life, do yourself a great favor and accept where things are right here, right now. It is relaxing to receive yourself, the people in your life and life itself. And, it is easier to make changes from this vantage point because you have clarity about your circumstances.

Make a point today to relax, accept, and get a good aerial view.

Stillness

Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

Zen saying

Share

A smile, a gift, food, or insight.

What ever it is, today share what you have to give.

Content

I am just getting ready to write my five gratitudes for the day. I have so much to be grateful for. One of the things I treasure the most is a calm, beautiful, peaceful environment. And as I look around at the beautiful flowers in a vase on the table, as I listen to the ticking of the kitchen clock and drink my morning coffee (Kona blend: my favorite!), I am content.

Are you content? What is it that you have created for yourself that brings this to your being? It is easy to allow the critical mind to run around unfettered. Instead, why not spend the day enjoying the wonderful things you have brought into your life.

Choice

The universe holds its breath as we choose, instant by instant, which pathway to follow; for the universe, the very essence of life itself, is highly conscious. Every act, thought, and choice adds to a permanent mosaic; our decisions ripple through the universe of consciousness to affect the lives of all.

From Power vs. Force by David R. Hawkins

Embrace

Whether you look within or without or up or down, embrace what you discover. All parts of you and your world need your love and acceptance.

Laugh

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person, is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian.

Dennis Wholey

Awe

...an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration.

When is the last time you looked around at your surroundings and felt amazement or reverence. You don't have to be looking at the red rocks of Sedona to feel awe. You can have this experience where ever you are. Keep this idea in your consciousness and your eyes and other senses wide open today and find something to be absolutely amazed about.

Invite

A skilled Receiver receives everything. I am thinking about this poem this morning as I am getting ready to teach the third class of my five-week course on Receiving. It's one of my favorites. Enjoy!

The Guest House

Rumi

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

From The Essential Rumi, Translations by Coleman Barks (HarperCollins, 1995)

The Source

I was reading from the I-Ching last night and came across this beautifully worded thought in hexagram 48 titled The Source: This hexagram represents the deep, inexhaustible, divinely centered source of nourishment and meaning for mankind...It receives from the individual's experience and gives to the individual's nature.

What a lovely and inclusive way to think of reciprocity and the givingness of life. Do you ever think of how your personal nature and your experience sends a message that invites a larger universal response, with that response being in sync with you? Hmmm.

Am I being too esoteric here? Simply, I can think about where I would like to be and what I would like to have happen, but life meets me where I am. When you think of it, it is very honoring to meet someone where they are, instead of where you would like them to be or wish they were not.

I'm going to sit with that thought today and see where it leads me.

Music

Recently I was reading Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by the neurologist and storyteller Oliver Sacks. In it, he writes about how people experience music, or more to the point, how the brain experiences music. The stories are fascinating. For example, he writes that some people who are deaf or partially deaf, hear music "in their heads. " It's like the brain "decides" on its own to produce this music!

I read this with interest since for much of my life I have heard music "in my head" periodically although I am not deaf. Nor had I ever thought to mention it to anybody since it was infrequent and unobtrusive.

I was a musician/songwriter throughout my teens, twenties and thirties and occasionally still pick up my guitar, but music doesn't have the same place in my life as it did previously. And when I think about it now, it's possible that the less I play or listen to music, the more my brain decided to "play a tune." Hmmmm. Not sure about that; I'll have to pay attention.

It's interesting to think about the importance of music in our lives. How often do you give your linear thinking brain a rest and turn on the music?

Today I am going to make sure that listening to music is a part of my day. I may even play my beautiful Taylor guitar. But first, since I especially love songs that are in a language I don't know (for some odd reason), I am going to start out this morning listening to my new favorite artist, the Iroquois singer Joanne Shenandoah. If you haven't heard her before, treat yourself and get Peace & Power: Best of Joanne Shenandoah.

Curiosity

Curiosity is a door opener to the unknown. Instead of doing the same thing, thinking the same thoughts, feeling the familiar -- what would it be like if you approached your day with a curious mind and a willingness to let in the unexpected, the uninvited, the un-thought of?

I have a saying: receive everything; decide later, which reminds me to be open to possibilities instead of closing the doors too quickly before I've had the opportunity to sit with something new.

Today I will remind myself to be curious about what crosses my path. I'll save my assessments for tomorrow.

Peace

I watched a film last night titled The U.S. vs. John Lennon which profiled Lennon's role as a peace activist. It also highlighted his relationship with Yoko Ono and I have to say my feelings about her changed by the time the film ended. Not only was the love between them touching, but she handled herself with such grace in situations that could have brought out the worst in so many people. Although this was a film about Lennon, Yoko's role as a catalyst for John and her own importance as an ambassador of peace were made crystal clear.

This morning as I think back to the sixties and seventies, the tumultuous time in the United States and the power of ordinary citizens to bring an end to a war, I am touched by the contributions to peace that come in so many and often quiet forms.

Gandhi said: We must be the change we wish to see in the world. So many of us want peace, yet in our day-to-day lives we may not act in a peaceful manner.

In my book Lucky Stars I call the sign Libra The Peacemaker. Both Lennon and Gandhi are Libras. Today I am going to be inspired by these two great people and Yoko as well and choose peace as my mantra for the day. I will be peaceful inside my thoughts, allow that peace to reflect in my speech and look for ways to make a concrete contribution to world peace.

Right here right now

Philosophers speak about being in the "now," in the present. Last night at the end of my yoga class as we were settling in for the ten minute shvasana, the pose where we lie on our backs, my yoga teacher spoke about allowing the mind to settle into a deeper place, to connect with or drink from a deeper source she called atma, which I think means soul.

Right now I am drinking my morning coffee and I am aware of my mind flitting from a replay of the last several days when a friend was visiting, to a phone conversation from last night, to a business plan that I will be fleshing out this week. My mind could write a dissertation about all three of these subjects! In fact it is attempting to do just that while I am writing this blog (!) and I find myself needing to turn away from the circular thoughts: how I hope something will turn out and what I wish was different.

So instead I am turning my mind to this: Right here right now, I am enjoying the warmth of the morning sun, the hypnotic hum of the refrigerator motor and the sound of the keys on my laptop as I type. And, for just right now, that's enough. There is nothing to solve, to change, write more coherently about (!), or make happen.

Rest

Take a rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. Ovid

Soften

I used to be so sensitive, edgy and prickly that I frequently thought of myself as needing to file down my porcupine quills from a sharp point to something a bit more rounded, manageable and attractive. I can still get over-sensitive and edgy, but the filing process doesn't take as much time and there are fewer quills to tend to.

I think a lot of people could benefit by examining their quills. Sometimes our words are sharp; sometimes it's just our thoughts or reactions.

I've learned that softening my gaze so everything looks out of focus helps me relax and let go of what ever I am feeling wound-up about.

Today I am going to have my file handy just in case and I'll practice softening my gaze.

Love

Come out of the circle of time, and into the circle of love. Rumi

What do you love? Whom do you love? It can be easy to use up a day thinking about what we don't like, what is going wrong, or what could be better. What would your day be like if you turned your attention to finding something to love in everybody and everything that comes your way?! Hmmmm. I'm going to experiment with stepping into the love-pool today. I'm going to start right now with listening and dancing to James Taylor's Shower the People You Love with Love. Why don't you join me!

Giving

Namaste— I honor the God in you that is in me—is a Sanskrit greeting and blessing that beautifully illustrates the unity of life. Just like this greeting, both genuine giving and genuine receiving are an act of recognition, a song in the heart, a melody of One. It is the same when we accept the generosity of another; we vibrate to the same chord. Together, giving and receiving form a connection that is a complete energy circuit. Energy moves out in giving, and returns in receiving. It’s a beautiful image, isn’t it?

Have you ever given something and then blown off the gratitude of the recipient of your giving? Or, do you appreciate and strengthen the connection between you and the Receiver by expressing pleasure in the giving?

Today I am going to focus on giving, whether it is a smile to a stranger, a penny in a fountain, a check for a charity, or a treat for myself. And I will be sure to receive the appreciation in whatever form it arrives.

Dream

I was hiking up Lookout Mountain with my friend Bobbi recently. It is one of the many beautiful desert mountains that surround the Phoenix area. Passing a guy on the trail, I said, "Hi! How are you doing?" "Living the dream," he said, "living the dream." We all laughed.

Looking out over the valley and up at the afternoon jigsaw puzzle sky, I thought for the millionth time: I am so glad I followed my impulse, my heart, my what-ever-it-was that brought me here.

What are your dreams? Do you just want them or do you allow space and time in your life to live them?

Today I am going to receive my dreams in all of their forms. I don't have to do anything about them this minute. I just have to welcome them and give them a home.

Life is short. Today, create a space for your dreams that is as big as the Arizona sky.

Smile

Stop what you are doing and turn the corners of your mouth up in a smile. It's an amazing exercise. The physical act leads to a smiley feeling! Now, I don't believe that we should be in happy happy joy joy moods all day. But, sometimes we are so focused on what ever it is that we are doing, that we forget to enjoy ourselves.

Today, I am simply going to remind myself to smile.

Balance

In my yoga class last night we were practicing balancing poses. My teacher told us she was reading a book by Dr. Oz who said everybody should be able to hold their balance standing on one foot for at least 15 seconds.

I was thinking this morning about this concept of balancing. Do you know that it is impossible to hold a yoga balancing pose unless one's mind is quite, one's gaze is soft? Trying too hard to do the pose is actually counterproductive. Balancing turns out to be about relaxing.

Is your life in balance? Are you doing too much? Are you relaxing enough? I've come to think of the balance between the active and receptive, or giving and receiving with the phrase: The only possible match for someone who doesn't know how to receive, is someone who doesn't know how to give. In this way, we find our perfect match.

A great Receiver is one who excels in the ability to experience receptive states. If you are busy much of the time (an active state), you may not know how to allow (a receptive state) events to unfold when appropriate; you may not even notice (a receptive state) something that could be helpful to you. Or, if you are extremely talkative (an active state), you are less likely to excel at listening (a receptive state).

Think of your life. Do you see that when one person does all of the doing, the other stands back? If you are the one who is always busy, chances are you’ll feel exhausted and perhaps even resentful. We like it when we are in balance with others.

Today I am going to be attentive to this concept of living a balanced life. I'll make a point to notice if I am veering too much toward the active or receptive. I'll start right now by standing on one leg for 15 seconds!

Willingness

It's easy to want something to be different in your life and harder to do what is required to bring about that change. We can be so used to moving forward in the same or similar ways we have done for years. I like this quote by Robert Anthony: If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news?

Our beliefs about what is possible, our willingness to step out in a different way, to think differently, to color outside of the lines -- this is what is necessary to bring about change. It's nothing external to you, it's only you!

Today I will remind myself to be willing to see differently, to be open to something new that crosses my path, to be willing to listen, and I may even do a cartwheel! Join me!

Meditation

I heard a saying a long time ago: when you pray, you ask; when you meditate, you listen. I don't live in a culture that has taught me this helpful skill, so as an adult I have needed to learn how to quiet myself, how to slow down my often-busy mind. Like any skill, this one requires practice. And since my mind likes to be busy, this one requires a lot of practice!

My yoga teacher ends each class with a ten minute shvasana, also called the 'corpse pose,' a pose that requires me to lie on my back with eyes closed. She says that this is one of the hardest poses for many of her students -- to commit to stillness.

Every time I meditate, I am present with where I am right here, right now. And, it is in the present that manifestation occurs. Skilled Receivers know how to be present and therefore know how to manifest their dreams and desires. I am starting a new Receive course this morning for the first time in close to a year. I am excited to return to this work because I strengthen my Receive-muscles each time I teach this course!

Today, I will find time to commit to stillness and meditate so I can strengthen this helpful skill.

Smell

I love this photograph. It's posted on my travel blog with other pictures of cows from my trip up to the Toronto area last October. More people have talked to me about this photograph than any other from my blog!

I thought of this photo this morning because I wanted to write about the sense of smell. All five senses are such effective conduits into the present. In previous blogs this month, I've written about hearing and seeing.

The saying: stop and smell the roses, is about slowing down and enjoying life. Have you ever spent a day with focused awareness on what you are smelling? I don't know about you, but I am more aware on a day-to-day basis of seeing and hearing. For me, smelling is a neglected sense and -- go figure -- my sense of smell is my weakest of the five senses.

It's easy to notice a delicious, special smell like wood burning in fireplace, the scent of flowers, or the the aroma of baking bread. Today I want to receive the every-day smells in my environment. Like any other, I know this sense will bring me into the present and that is exactly where I want to be today!

Letting Go

I knew when I woke up this morning I wanted to write about letting go. I've let go of a lot recently. And I have so many feelings about that: liberation, happiness, grief, wonder, anxiety, excitement...I feel full. Life seems pregnant with possibilities.

Perhaps you have let go of something recently: a job, a person, a pet, or even an idea about yourself. Such a mixed bag this letting go thing. Yet, letting go is inevitable and organic and can even be helpful.

My project for today is to let go -- of the past and of the future. I have no idea where this road on which I am traveling leads. And today I don't need to know.

Wanting

It was well into teaching the Receive courses and working on my book that I really got the importance of wanting and how conditioned people are to think of wanting as being a bit unseemly when it comes to their own desires. For example: can you make a wish for yourself without adding all of the footnotes about wanting world peace, that no child go hungry, if it is in the universal will (who is the universe except us?!), etc., etc, etc.

I love how Cinderella transformed her life from days filled with sweeping up after her stepmother and step sisters (perhaps your life has an equivalent) and finally expressed a wish, a want, a desire.

What I love the most about this story is that her wish was to go to a dance! She wanted to go to the Ball and she wanted a great dress. Now that I can relate to! She didn't say she wanted to go to the Ball as long as all of the children in the kingdom were happy.

As soon as she asked, her fairy godmother appeared. You know the rest of the story.

Sometimes we are so busy excluding ourselves that we don't realize we have lost the ability that many of us had when we were very young, to have a great BIG wish.

This may sound weird to you, but I believe that wanting is spiritual and that we can't be effective wishers for world peace for example, if we cannot want something for ourselves. So, it is good to practice wanting. You'll be more helpful to the world by developing this skill.

You already know you want all children to be fed. What do you want for you?

Today I am going to practice wanting. I invite you to join me!

Inclusion

Have you ever been to a party where you knew few, if any, people? Have you stood awkwardly by yourself watching people who knew each other chatting and having a good time? How about having the experience of someone mercifully coming over to you, talking with you and introducing you to others, helping you to feel comfortable?

Perhaps you’ve played this role yourself, helping someone to feel included. It’s a relief, isn’t it? You’re grateful when someone reaches out to you, and it’s a great feeling to be that person for someone else. We all like to be welcomed and to know that our company is desired.

Sometimes a smile from a stranger comes at just the right time. When I was at the DMV yesterday getting my new Arizona driver's license, the woman assisting me was so friendly and helpful that it felt in those moments like we were two women who were part of the same human race -- more similar than different. I felt welcomed to Arizona! It was really a lovely experience. And, the icing on the cake -- I got to leave behind my old license that had a photo I didn't like. My new one is much better!

I think of spirituality as the concept of Unity, which means nothing is separate—we’re all in this together. It doesn’t mean you go off to one side while everybody else is part of some unified whole. It means you are an important, integral part of the whole shebang—the universe, the world, your community, your family, your relationship.

Today I am going to be inclusive and remember that we are all in this strange, mysterious journey of life together. I want my behavior to reflect that belief.