As Above So Below
I have been on quite a journey over the past few years.
Of course, we are ALL, ALWAYS and ALL WAYS, on a journey - each individual "Circle of Life" an adventure of discovery - of successes and seeming failures...and the learnings we glean from them.
One of the most profound lessons for me, has been in the clarity of understanding that there are teachers all around us. Some of our teachers recognize themselves as such. They consciously, deliberately, create the space and provide the tools for our growth.
Then there are the other teachers: our colleagues, friends, family...total strangers...and even the presumably impersonal situational dynamics wherein, without fanfare, preparation or forethought, the fertile ground is provided for the reflections and possibilities that can propel us beyond our own perceived maximums.
I have been blessed, throughout my life, to have been touched by all of these outlets into my soul's growth...I believe we all are. What is a true blessing, is developing the awareness of these miracles of growth so that we may make the most of them, as they are occurring in front of us.
It is a blessing to be aware of these gifts in such a way as to manifest our own greatest evolution and the growth and blossoming of those around us. To assist in the expansion of all that is Light and to raise the vibration of the World around us.
There are times these lessons fly at us as if from the angels...filled, from the first moment, with all of the Love and Truth and Kindness available to mere mortals. The connections pure, clean...free of deception or subterfuge.
Other times, the lessons come from a darker place...harsh words, petty thoughts, broken hearts and souls and disappointments can and do abound for us all. As in all things, it is not the disappointments, the stumbles that matter - but our reaction to them. How we choose to deal with the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" which define us, build us up, give us strength.
The Zen proverb, "Fall down seven times, stand up eight," shines a powerful truth upon the path of greatest growth and understanding. For me, it is a font of strength and power. Because it so cleary shows how we hold our own power in our own hands. We are, ultimately, the ones responsible to ourselves and how we shape and move through our "personal world."
So many of these personal epiphanies, for me, are due to the wonderful, open-hearted teachers whom I was blessed to begin studying with, shortly after making a huge change in my life, at the age of fifty-four. Before that time, I had operated under the misunderstanding that the things occuring in my life were happening TO me...I (unknowingly) saw myself as a victim of outside circumstance. Allowed myself to be used as a doormat - by family, by friends - because I could not see that it was a path of my own construction. I "believed" it to be true...and so it "was."
It took time and patience and constant practice of new tools and new ways of viewing myself and my life - of the world around me and how I interacted with everything in it - for me to begin to embrace new ways of BEING. And the impact it has had upon me has been life-changing. The power of being of service to others and how that ultimately impacts being of service to myself has been an eye-opening and heart-lifting experience. It has made my life richer in every way. My gratitude for these lessons, for these life changes, expands beyond any of my expectations.
I began this blog after both of my children had "flown the nest" and I found myself truly alone and on my own, again. I moved north to NYC to pursue dreams I had harbored all my life and had put aside to raise my family. In the course of this exploration, I have discovered so much more about myself - achieved dreams I'd never believed were possible and am excited about the new paths and roads ahead of me.
I am still actively pursuing my dreams as an actor and director - I have added to that the roles of filmmaker and producer and am in the process of growing my skills as a writer - not just of essays and blog scribbles - but also as a screenwriter. And best of all, I have grown my awareness of myself and my relationship with the world around me in such a way as to expand my own capacity for embracing the Joy and Light available in every day.
Strengthening my spirit and filling my heart.
With that in mind, I will be making some adjustments to the focus of this blog. I wish to share more of my experiences and how they have shaped me, the sources of my daily gratitude. Some of my blog entries will be pulled from gratitude posts I have written previously (I have, for the better part of three years, been maintaining a daily gratitude journal via my FB page) ...I shall share some of these entries here. I will also pull from some of my travel journals from my retreats in Bali and Paris to share observations and epiphanies gleaned from the road.
I was encouraged several months ago, by a friend from my past life and work in Florida, to become more active in this blog...and that is my mission.
I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you all...and would love it, if something clicks for you, that you will write and connect with me - with questions, observations, sharings of your own journey.
Let us find what unites us - and then, truly be there to walk each other home.
Welcome.