The Ripple Effect of a Virtuous Cycle

Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread as they move outward.

In a world of six billion people, it is easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward.

An Unwavering Connection to the Infinite

Your worth is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks

or how much you have accomplished.

Though much of who and what we are changes as we journey through life, our inherent worth remains constant. While the term self-worth is often used interchangeably with self-esteem, the two qualities are inherently different. Self-esteem is the measure of how you feel about yourself at a given moment in time. Your worth, however, is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks, your good works, or how much you have accomplished. Rather it is immeasurable and unchanging manifestation of your eternal and infinite oneness with the universe. It represents the cornerstone of the dual foundations of optimism and self-belief.

Conscious Decisions - Going Against What Is Popular

Because an idea or way of doing things is popular

does not mean it is right for everyone.

Just because an idea or way of doing things is popular does not mean it is right for everyone. However, part of the way that something becomes popular is that many of us do not take the time to determine what’s right for us; we simply do what most of the people we know are doing. In this way, our decisions about life are made by default, which means they are not what we call conscious decisions. There may be many other options available, but we do not always take the time to explore them.

This may be the result of feeling overwhelmed or pressured by family, peers, and humanity at large, to do things their way, the way things have always been done.

Regardless of the cause, it is important that, as often as we can, we decide for ourselves what to do with our lives rather than just drift along on the current of popular opinion.

Waves of Healing - Ocean Meditation

There is much we can learn from the ocean

as we have a similar inner landscape within us as well.

Delaware Beach, South Australia

Like us, the sea is ever-changing. And, like us, the earth’s vast oceans appear at a distance to be stable and homogenous. But beneath the mask of solidity that both we and the sea wear, there lies unpredictability, sensitivity, and power. There is much we can learn from the ocean, representative as it is of our inner landscapes.

The rough sounds of the sea’s waves are spiritually soothing, and its salt can purify our physical selves. Yet not everyone has the luxury of living by the shore or even visiting the coastlines where water and land meet. The ocean, however, exists in our conscious minds, put there by images we have seen and descriptions we have read. Wherever we are, we can access that mental image and use it as the starting point from which we can help to heal our emotions by meditating on the sea.

Keeping our Minds Supple - Questioning Everything

Being open-minded means that we are willing to question everything,

including those things we take for granted.

A lot of people feel threatened if they feel they are being asked to question their cherished beliefs or their perception of reality. Yet questioning is what keeps our minds supple and strong. Simply settling on one way of seeing things and refusing to be open to other possibilities makes the mind rigid and generally creates a restrictive and uncomfortable atmosphere. We all know someone who refuses to budge on one or more issues, and we may have our own sacred cows that could use a little prodding.

Being open-minded means that we are willing to question everything, including those things we take for granted.

Affirming an Abundant Future

Squirrel medicine reminds us to set aside a portion of our most precious resources

as an investment in the future.

Native Americans considered all living beings as brothers and sisters that had much to teach including squirrels. These small creatures taught them to work in harmony with the cycles of nature by conserving for the winter months during times when food was plentiful.

In Line with Spirit - Staying on Track

In a world where we have routines to get everything done,

we rarely have a routine for our spiritual self.

In a world where we have routines for nearly everything - our route to work, our physical fitness regimen, and our weekday schedule - it’s amazing how many people forget to create a routine for meeting their spiritual needs. We run around in an attempt to be at our many appointments on time and meet our many obligations. In our efforts to be as productive as possible, however, our spiritual needs tend to take a backseat. After all, taking care of our spiritual needs doesn’t directly pay the bills or tone our abdominal muscles.

Nine Ways to Help Awaken Consciousness

By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see a living example of consciousness.

1. Living by your values allows you to become a positive source of inspiration for others. Don’t hide – express yourself and embrace life without reservation. By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see how one person can make a difference by being a living example of consciousness.

Things we cannot Control

We develop grace as we learn with the guiding hand of the Universe,

life will unfold exactly the way it should.

      
The idea of trusting the Universe is a popular one these days, but many of us do not know what this really means and we often have a hard time doing it. This is partly because the story of humankind is most often presented as a story about struggle, control, and survival, instead of one of trust and collaboration with the Universe.

Yet, in truth, we need to adhere to both ideas in this life.

Your Perfect Teacher - Life

Many of us long to find a spiritual teacher or guru. We may feel unsure of how to practice our spirituality without one, or we may long for someone who has attained a higher level of insight to lead the way for us. Some of us have been looking for years to no avail and feel frustrated and even lost. The good news is that the greatest teacher you could ever want is always with you—that is your life.

The people and situations we encounter every day have much to teach us when we are open to receiving their wisdom. Often we don’t recognize our teachers because they may not look or act like our idea of a guru, yet they may embody great wisdom. In addition, some people teach us by showing us what we don’t want to do. All the situations in our lives, from the insignificant to the major, conspire to teach us exactly what we need to be learning at any given time. Patience, compassion, perseverance, honesty, letting go—all these are covered in the classroom of the teacher that is your life.

Let it Flow - Tears

The messages from Daily Om that appear in my email box never fail to amazed me as to how relevant the topic is.  They often appear after a thought has crossed my mind or news received, offering their words of wisdom and advice uncanningly when needed.  Other people have almost commented on the wise words received from Daily Om and how relevant they seem to be at the time of reading.

Tears are as natural to us as breathing

and there is beauty in allowing yourself to be open to the pain of tears.

How wonderful it feels to give in and let tears flow when we are overwhelmed with emotions, whether we are happy or sad. Tears come from the soul, from our well of feelings rising from deep down. When we give in to the prickling behind our eyes and the lump in our throat to let teardrops fall from our eyes, we allow our feelings to surface so they can be set free.

Reserved Perceptions - Being Projected Upon

When we take ownership of our thoughts

we are less likely to project our issues or disowned qualities onto others.

 

We all have issues, as well as undesirable qualities or traits that we don’t like about ourselves. Most of us realize that we are not perfect and that it is natural to have unpleasant thoughts, motivations, desires, or feelings.

However, when a person does not acknowledge these, they may ascribe those characteristics to someone else, deeming other people instead as angry, jealous, or insecure. In psychological terms, such blaming and fault finding is called projection.

As Good As Your Word - Promises

Be careful with the promises you make

as they are energetic vows taken seriously by our souls and the Universe.



Heart and Soul by Josephine Wall



Ever since human beings could speak to one another, they have been making promises and keeping them or not keeping them. Those who keep their promises are regarded as people of integrity, while those who do not keep their promises are regarded as people who at best cannot be taken seriously and at worst, cannot be trusted.

Sometimes we forget how powerful our words are, and we use them haphazardly or unconsciously, creating expectations that are never fulfilled, leaving disappointment and distrust in our wake.

Evolution of the Soul - Lessons through Reincarnation

Often we reincarnate on earth with our soul family

and often our most intense relationships are with our soul family.

You meet someone for the first time and feel as if you know them already. You’re in a town that you’ve never been to before, yet you recognize streets and buildings. You start playing a new sport and amaze everyone, including yourself, at your natural abilities and intuitive knowing of the rules.

We often describe such experiences as déjà vu: the experience or feeling that a new situation has happened to us before. Then again, the possibility does exist that we have actually lived these experiences in the past or, rather, in another lifetime.

Avoiding Negative Vibrations - Taking on the Energy of Others

In order to protect ourselves from taking on any negative energy from other people or situations;

we can learn to shield.

There are times when you may find that being around certain individuals or groups of people leaves you with feelings of discomfort. It may be that spending time with a particular friend feels draining or that dealing with a specific coworker exhausts you. Being around toxic or angry people is also draining. And you may even find that being surrounded by a crowd of people lowers your energy levels rather than perks you up. This is not that unusual.

Each of us radiates energy and is capable of being influenced by the energy of other people. It is important to learn how to shield yourself, so you don’t unknowingly take on someone else’s energy.

While some people know how to instinctively protect themselves from being adversely affected by energy, most of us need to discover and practice the technique that works best.

Awakening the Inner Warrior

Often when we think about 'warrior' status, we only focus in on the war image - however, as the posting starts, to be a true warrior is to find the inner strength ... that inner ability we find when we are faced with seemingly unbeatable odds or life changing situations ... and for some of us, this can simply be getting through the day.

Each of us has this inner warrior ... and to access it, we don't need any special passwords, secret handshakes and the lke ... we just need to breathe and visualise achieving the end result - for deep down, we know we can achieve anything we want to if we truly believe ...

So believe in your self and your own ability to succeed.

Other People's Agendas - Appreciating Suggestions

Other people may have their own agenda for our life;

we can value their input but we do not have to take it to heart.

As children, our parents had dreams for us. They wanted us to do well in school, and to do whatever was necessary to reach our highest potential. Later in life, friends may try to set us up with their idea of the perfect partner or the perfect job. Spouses may have agendas for us, too. People close to us may have ideas about how we should live our lives, ideas that usually come from love and the desire for us to be happy.

Other times, they come from a place of need within them, whether it is the parent who wants us to live out his or her dreams or the friend or spouse who wants us to play an already-defined role. Whatever the case, we can appreciate and consider those people's input, but ultimately we must follow our own inner guidance.

Underneath the noise - hear the whisper

Sometimes it is the softness of a whisper that is needed the most.

You may have noticed that if you want to speak to someone in a noisy, crowded room, the best thing to do is lean close and whisper. Yelling in an attempt to be louder than the room’s noise generally only hurts your throat and adds to the chaos. Similarly, that still, small voice within each of us does not try to compete with the mental chatter on the surface of our minds, nor does it attempt to overpower the volume of the raucous world outside.

If we want to hear it, no matter what is going on around us or even inside us, we can always tune in to that soft voice underneath the surrounding noise.

Stepping Stones - One Day at a Time

Our lives are made of stepping stones,

one experience after another in perfect and divine order.

The years of our life do not arrive all at once; they greet us day by day. With the descent of each setting sun, we are able to rest our heads and let the world take care of itself for a while. We may rest assured throughout the night, knowing that the dawn will bring with it a chance to meet our lives anew, donning fresh perspectives and dream-inspired hopes.

The hours that follow, before we return to sleep once more, are for us to decide how we want to live and learn, laugh and grow. Our lives are sweeter and more manageable because we must experience them this way: one day at a time.

Seeing the Illusion - the Secret of Surrender

True lasting success comes only with surrender,
which is the opposite of control.

Most of us were raised and live in a culture that emphasizes the ideals of independence and control. The general idea is that we are on our own and we do not need any help from anyone else, and if we are really successful it’s because we are in complete control. However, true lasting success comes only with surrender, which is the opposite of control.

We cannot accomplish anything truly great on our own, without any help, and the idea that we can is an illusion that causes most of us a great deal of suffering. Surrender comes when we see that illusion and let go of trying to attain the impossible. Surrender can then be seen as a great strength rather than a weakness.