by Ginger | Sep 28, 2024 | Blog
I visited my local farmer’s market with friends recently. I meant to get some fresh veggies and maybe a little seasonal fruit. As we moseyed through the stalls, however, I ended up buying several hand-crafted items and refreshments at various booths. I genuinely enjoyed each item and felt a connection with each vendor. When I got home, I sat down on my deck to relax and found myself getting misty-eyed with emotion. I wondered, “Why am I crying? I had such a lovely morning!”
Then, I thought of the coffee I bought where their products are advertised as “good for the soul” and a portion of profits go to organizations that bring “more hope into the world”. I bought face serum from a woman who described how much thought she puts into each ingredient for her different potions and shared how much she loved being in her home kitchen/lab creating products that she uses herself. I got a pumpkin spice roll that tasted divine from a fresh-faced young baker who was charmingly enthusiastic about her pastries. My green beans and corn came from the produce stall where they proudly announced that everything was freshly picked that morning. I remembered my conversations with the other sellers I didn’t purchase from but appreciated nonetheless, like the ceramic crafter with the beautifully clever glazed designs which required playing with temperature variations in the kiln. His playfulness with his art created that beauty!
In that moment, I had a very clear revelation: They were each sharing their love with the world. I realized I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the power of that energy. Why would I ever buy something produced with anything less than that absolute love and commitment ever again? I realize this may not be fully practical in our modern world, but it brought home the importance of the energy we put into any of our creations, even if it’s as simple as a cup of coffee or handmade soap. What we bring home into our space or into our bodies or give as gifts carries the energy of the intentions with which they were made.
I invite you to ask your soul if there’s anywhere in your life where you are settling for less than absolute love and joy- not the satisfaction of the lower self/ego but the true divine love of your soul. If something comes along that isn’t a clear “yes”, then let it go with gratitude. Why would we allow anything less than pure love into our lives?
Image by NoName_13 from Pixabay
by Ginger | Sep 2, 2024 | Blog
Whether you jump into new experiences head-first or take a more measured path, moving forward with a spirit of adventure is an important ingredient for fully enjoying life and truly thriving. I was recently reminded why we came into this grand experiment to explore duality. We came for Love. To expand our Love. To deepen our experience of Love. Though we may have forgotten this along the way, everything we create has the seeds of this divine love within. When we create from this perspective, every experience is an adventure in Love.
We don’t have to commit to bungee jumping off bridges or climbing K2 in order to re-connect with the spice of life. It’s important to find your own perfect balance of stretching into the unknown without causing panic. For some, adventure might be introducing themselves to total strangers and striking up a new connection. For others, it might be trying a skill or activity that brings out a new aspect of themselves they may not have felt confident in sharing. When I was very young, my mother enrolled me in gymnastics class. I had the balance and coordination needed but I did not like the feeling of falling backwards into backbends. She switched me to dance classes, where I spent many years happily twirling and leaping through the air- just right side up! That was adventurous enough for me.
I am currently working on manifesting a potentially significant change in my outer world. As we teach in Standing in the Light®, I’m starting with receiving my vision for the divine plan from my soul. I was recently working on greater clarity with that vision when someone suggested that I expand my scope from that specific situation to a new life vision. This was an exciting “aha” moment for me. All aspects of our life experience are connected, so why would I focus on just one aspect? Any outer world change always reflects an inner shift in energy, so my whole life will include that shift even if the change is most noticeable in one specific area.
By working with a “blank canvas” of my entire life experience, I’ve opened myself up to being more adventurous with my vision. I’ve re-connected with the pure joy of creatorship. This is why we came here in the first place!
In the Star Trek franchise, the opening credits give us the famous line that space is the final frontier. From spirit’s perspective, exploring our expanded consciousness is the next frontier for humanity. Remembering who we are as Source and consciously creating from that awareness is our big adventure. Our adventure in Love.
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
by Ginger | Jul 30, 2024 | Blog
Have you been feeling resistance to some of your mirrors and experiences in the outer world? I’ve been working on blocks to assimilating my experiences, free of the need to filter them in any way. My soul reminded me of “The Guest House” by Rumi to help hold the energy of joyfully accepting and allowing all experiences. The desire to block out anything comes from the judgment that some things are better than others. Judgment is separation. Our belief in separation from each other and from Source has been a necessary part of The Experiment in Duality. It has taught us much. Now, it is time to heal and let go so we can make our way back Home.
Our path to Oneness is through surrender and allowing. What we resist, persists. Our spiritual practice must include surrendering to divine will and unconditionally welcoming all of our experiences as our teachers and healers. The Sufi poet Rumi is a master of love songs to Source. His poem “The Guest House” reminds us that our natural state of being is to walk through life with our arms open wide.
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.
Image by Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay
by Ginger | Jun 26, 2024 | Blog
True, lasting change can only ever come through love. Love from within. We sometimes forget this when we are triggered by something in the outer world we perceive as wrong or unfair. In our anger or fear, we may have the impulse to try to fix it or get what we believe to be justice, either for ourselves or those we see as victims. We do still need mechanisms in society to hold people accountable for their actions. But we can’t legislate people into expanding their consciousness. Those changes must ultimately come from within.
There are many who are stepping forward to protest injustice or inequity and are making their voices heard on many issues. It is wonderful when people want to participate in creating positive change. But how we go about creating that change is as important as the actual results themselves. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luter King, Jr. made this point eloquently:
You have very little morally persuasive power with people who can feel your underlying contempt.
When we use our power to create change by coming from anger and blame, the very people we want to enlist in that change often become defensive and angry themselves. It is like throwing gasoline on the flames of conflict. When we approach issues on the attack, we are coming from divisiveness and separation which just fuels more divisiveness and separation.
When we focus on common ground and hold the intention for change to benefit all in the long run, we see far more movement. This is why the truly great visionaries for societal change preached peaceful, non-violent action. Their intention was to take effective action using education and understanding, not to seek punishment or revenge. This takes courage, patience and love. It may not create instant results in the outer world (and the lower self does crave instant results), but once the tidal wave of change gains momentum, that change is powerful and lasting because a tipping point has been reached in the collective consciousness, not just in the minds of a few.
These leaders in change understood that we must hold a vision of love for all involved, including ourselves, in order to create true change. To do that, the change must start within. We must be willing to make the changes we’re asking others to make by modeling that vision in the outer world. Another visionary of change, Mahatma Ghandi, put it this way:
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.*
This should be our starting point for any issue we see mirrored in the outer world. We must first look within to understand what the matching vibration within ourselves is trying to teach us. Then, in humility and surrender, we can follow guidance whether to continue working on the issue within, share our insights with others, or take action steps in the outer world. Once we’ve started healing the issue within ourselves, we are now holding that higher frequency for the benefit of everyone. This is what creates true, lasting change and that divine power lies within each of us.
*This quote has been repeated many times, and I’ve since come to learn that it is actually not a direct quote but a powerful paraphrasing of Ghandi’s meaning. I share it here in its paraphrased form because it is true to his original intent and is in alignment with divine truth.
For further exploration of these concepts, I recommend Divine Justice: Healing through Love, Compassion, and Forgiveness by Marsha Hankins
Image by PopcornSusanN from Pixabay
by Ginger | May 19, 2024 | Blog
In Zen Buddhism, there is a wise saying:
Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.
After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.
My soul recently reminded me of this quote to bring to my attention that I had been focusing a little too much on the results of my spiritual practices. Or rather, what my lower self ego perceived as the lack of results! Oops. Time to adjust my inner pendulum back into balance and re-align with my soul’s vision for my focus and intention.
This saying, like many spiritual truths, has many layers of understanding for students and masters alike. But one of the key pieces for me is the reminder that our spiritual evolution is entirely an inner process. Yes, there are times when we make an inner shift and experience a corresponding change in our outer world. As within, so without is spiritual law. But the further along the path of our spiritual mastery we travel, the fewer and fewer obvious outer world changes we are likely to see. We simply don’t need the validation of seeing a change and, in our mastery, all of our experiences feel equally divine.
When we fully realize the wisdom of “chop wood, carry water”, we understand that every moment is our spiritual path and also our deepest spiritual expression. A moment savoring a simple piece of lettuce just picked from the ground is as joyful as listening to the most beautiful, world-renowned symphony playing a complex composition. Scrubbing the floor can be just as inspirational as sitting in meditation in a beautiful garden. It all comes back to how we’re resonating and the frequency with which we’re vibrating.
Since this quote about enlightenment is coming into your life today, take it to your soul and ask what its particular meaning is for you and your life. What is your unique expression of chopping wood and carrying water with enlightenment? I’m sure it will be absolutely divine.
Image by TheUjulala from Pixabay
