Closed doors
Sometimes as we are pursuing our path in life, we come across a series of obstacles. It can be frustrating as we turn a corner, thinking we’re about to make some forward progress just to find a closed door where we were expecting a welcome sign.
(C) 2016 Rebecca Harmon
As I wrote in an earlier blog featuring the flags erected at beaches when there are dangerous riptide currents; it’s a good idea to pay attention to the messages placed in front of us on our life journey.
The tricky part is that all good things require effort, hard work and good, old-fashioned elbow-grease. We don’t manifest our Good out of thin air – we are required to put forth an effort to realize our rewards. But as we place our energy and attention on our goals, we must be willing and able to read the signs, and recognize the messages.
In New Thought, an important aspect of affirmative prayer is the acceptance of our desired outcome happening “in harmony with the highest Good for all“. Sometimes this means that the plan we had in our heads may not unfold exactly as we had hoped.
Closed doors along the way can mean we’re not ready and need to work more on our project, but they may also indicate that this particular “route” is out of alignment with everyone’s highest Good. This doesn’t mean our dreams are done; it may mean that we need to take a different approach.
The next time you encounter a closed, locked door, ask for wisdom and guidance. Is this just a nudge to keep working (you’re not ready or the timing isn’t right), or is this an indication that you need to come into your Good through a different entrance?
Spend time in quiet meditation, know that you are divinely guided by the Universe and be grateful for the signs and messages along the way that point you in the direction of your Good.
(C) 2017 Practitioner’s Path
Learn from the past, then leave it
More wisdom from Florence Scovel Shinn:
Pay attention to the signs
(C) 2017 Practitioner’s Path
When dangerous riptides arise at the shore, officials erect flags to alert swimmers of the conditions and take appropriate precautions.
If we’re paying attention, the Universe also raises flags when conditions are not in alignment with our highest good.
When we find ourselves in a pickle, we can often look back and see that we walked right past the flag(s) and headlong into the misery at hand.
Sometimes these “flags” are subtle, like a feeling, or catching information that seems to fit into the conversation as it occurs but then a word, phrase or even the tone catches in the web of our consciousness and in a delayed response, we recognize it as being out of harmony or balance.
One of the hardest things about these signs are that unlike the “Dangerous Current” signs placed at the beach; the signs that a person or situation is not in alignment with our highest good can be subtle. Worse, they can often be clouded in circumstances that send the exact opposite message.
It’s hard not to question that nagging feeling we get about someone when everyone around us is singing their praises. It’s difficult to walk away from circumstances that friends and colleagues are touting as the best-thing-ever. And yet this is exactly what we need to do when the Universe is waving a flag that warns us that there are troubled waters ahead if we continue on and into the water.
At the beach, lifeguards might be able to pull us back to shore if we ignore the warning flags and go out too far; but there is also the chance that we can get into serious trouble that will end in injury or even drowning/death. The warning signs we ignore in life away from the beach may result in minor aggravation, real life drama and sometimes even serious trauma. But like the flags that told us before we put 1 toe into the water that the currents were dangerous; we had the opportunity to see and heed the Universe’s warning flags.
Practicing mindfulness; being present in the now-moment and learning to honor the quiet messages and nudges are all ways to ensure that we receive the information that is posted for us along the path of life. And like a day at the beach where Dangerous Current flags are posted: we can enjoy all the other activities and return home safe at the end of the day when we learn how to look for, and become willing to heed, the signs along the way.
(C) 2017 Practitioner's Path
Statement on Charlottesville
Many words have been spoken, and sentiments shared. Perhaps none as poignant as the following: this statement was issued by Rev. Kevin Kitrall Ross from Unity Sacramento and represents where many of us in the spiritual community stand.
“When love is in the lead, there is no gray geography concerning hate. Hate and those who march under its banner deserve no disguise, no vague glazing over, and no hiding place. Let the perpetrators of hate and its firstborn, White Supremacy, stand naked and vulnerable before a civilized society and have its immigration status revoked.
These are the true Enemies of the State and whether born on this soil or not, these are the “illegal immigrants” and “fake citizens” whose divisive attitudes bring no value to our great republic.
The incident in Charlottesville was an act of domestic terrorism that, albeit regrettable, is a reminder that hate and its only natural resource, violence, is always the weapon of the weak. Love is always the strongest branch to stand on. It may bend, but it never breaks. To our beloved friends in Charlottesville, rise to the occasion. Our prayers are with you. Come out on the skinny branch that cannot break. For truly, love will always have the final word.”
The 4 Winds of Success
When life gets complicated and our plans and dreams begin to look as though they may have been flights of fancy, it is tempting to contemplate giving up. Thankfully, many have come before us who have faced similar obstacles and we can learn from their successes and failures.
The common nature of these challenges is well-documented in the writings of Florence Scovel Shinn. In her book, Your Word is Your Wand she shares affirmations that she gave to clients and others who came to see her when things in their lives were perplexing or complex.
This quote, “The four winds of success now blow to me my own. From North, South, East and West comes my endless good” comes from that book and it is a relevant in the 21st century as it was in Florence Scovel Shinn’s time.
If you’re struggling to succeed in any area of your life; write down this affirmation and carry it with you. Read it, speak it often & expect your good.
(C) 2017 Practitioner's Path
The wisdom of patience
Originally published in June 2016
In his 1997 book, “Manifest Your Destiny”, Wayne Dyer shared principles of manifesting he studied and used throughout his life. His go- to processes for manifesting focused on meditation. Throughout his career he spoke often about the content in this book specifically, and in one presentation he shared this wisdom:
“Infinite patience produces immediate results.”
At face value, this phrase is counterintuitive. From a Western perspective, and an American viewpoint, impatience is king. We’ve ramped this urgency for everything to previously-unknown heights, and it seems that everyone wants everything – and they want it right NOW!
The explosion of personal debt and the decimation of personal savings are just 2 examples of this impulse toward instant gratification, but there are implications beyond growing credit card debt. This insistence on having everything now and the impatience that fuels it are actually blocking our Good in ways most of us never consider. In addition, we often seek very material representations of our Good instead of looking past it for what we are truly seeking, and setting our intention and focus on that. Here’s an example.
Many people report wanting financial independence and believe that winning the lottery is the only path to it. If you are someone who wants money at these levels, think about WHY you want that money.”Well, I’d like a new house, and a nice car and to be able to go on vacation once in a while,” some might say.
While these are reasonable desires on the physical plane, I encourage going deeper to find out what emotions, or feelings you are seeking to achieve through these acquisitions.
Do you want to prove your worth to someone, perhaps yourself? Do you want to provide a loving central environment so to bring your extended family together and see a new house as the vehicle to achieving this? Maybe you want these things for different reasons. It doesn’t matter WHY you want them, but we need to understand that WHY if we want to move forward into a consciousness that can move us toward them.
Meditation as Wayne Dyer taught in this (and other) books can absolutely bring us what we are seeking,… if we are willing to look past the material list (car, house, money, job, relationship, etc.) and focus on the FEELING we believe these physical items will help to inspire.
Then, along the way toward achieving these personal goals we will find that there are opportunities to practice this infinite patience by seeing, in small moments, the very thing we are seeking in our larger vision.
For example, if we want to be independently wealthy because we could be free from the Monday-through-Friday, boss-controlled work week, we’re not really seeking MONEY; we’re seeking what that money can buy.
For many, this is freedom: freedom to come and go as we please; not having to ASK for a day off, or consider the opportunity cost (what we might need to give up if we want to make a certain purchase or take a job with fewer hours).
Most of us are not yet living at a point where we can put our attention on independent wealth and move from working the 9-to-5 and into a life of leisure at the beach in short order; but all of us have the opportunity to recognize moments of FREEDOM in our daily life.
Do you recognize and celebrate the 3-day weekends that come along every few months? Do you take your vacation days and enjoy the FREEDOM of a day outside your regular routine?
Too often we place our focus on big material goals and entirely miss the many manifestations that show up in our lives every day. I believe this is what Wayne Dyer was teaching when he taught that “infinite patience produces immediate results”.
When we focus on the Good we desire in our lives, and avoid measuring it by the square feet of our house, or the horsepower under our hood; we open ourselves to experiencing it on a small scale. Each time that we recognize, embrace and are grateful to experience freedom, for example, when it shows up in a little way we are being infinitely patient (“this is perfect – thank you!”) and reaping immediate results!
As we acknowledge, affirm and give thanks for these seemingly small wins, the Universe conspires to bring more of the same to us because we live in a responsive Universe. When we get clear on what we want at the most fundamental levels (freedom, security, peace, happiness); spend time in silence (meditation) and then recognize when they show up – the Universe recognizes our vibration of YES! and immediately goes to work to bring more of the same into our experience.
Is it really that simple?
It’s not easy – especially from the typical American mindset – but it is, most definitely, that simple.
(C) 2016 Practitioner’s Path
