Archive for January, 2019
Cheerfulness
…having or showing good spirits, pleasant, bright, conducive to creating good spirits.
Cheerfulness, like laughter, is good for your health. Approaching everyday stressors with a cheerful attitude has benefits like reducing inflammation and blood pressure and contributing to an overall sense of well-being.
“Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.” ~Joseph Addison
The more often we succeed in managing daily stressors, the more empowered and confident we become in dealing with them. One of my favorite ways to put stress in perspective and get out of the spin cycle, is to remind myself that in a hundred years it will not matter. The inference is obvious; I will have moved on to a new dimension, and life is too short to sweat the small stuff.
There is an additional aspect of cheerfulness and calm. Seeing stress and worry as robbers and thieves, I choose not to entertain them. Hence not allowing them to steal my peace of mind, contentment, joy and gratitude.
“Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as on the state of things without and around us.” ~Charlotte Bronte
“Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, and its power of endurance – the cheerful man will do more in the same time, will do it better, will preserve it longer, than the sad or sullen.” ~Thomas Carlyle
Cheerfulness has another splendid gift to offer. A cheerful countenance can lift the spirits of others, bringing relief from their stress. We all have experienced the shift when a cheerful person walks into the room uplifting the energy. And, conversely, when a person of sad and sullen countenance enters, the energy shifts downward. Which would you prefer to be?
Being a cheerful person does not mean avoiding coping with and moving through life’s difficult challenges. There is a phrase in the Herbal Tarot that seems ideal for this moment. Yellow dock is the herb on the two of pentacles and it’s spiritual properties are building…”a stronger inner self who is not afraid of dancing with life, just as the famous Zorba did even during the most harrowing experiences of his existence.”
It is important to express cheerfulness appropriately. This quote by William Feather says it well, “Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious.” No one enjoys being around a Pollyanna.
I invite you to continue cultivating your spirit of cheerfulness.
Blessings!
Disappointment
Life has it’s ups and downs, peaks and valleys, joys and sorrows, victories and losses, pains and pleasures…a veritable roller coaster ride of emotion.
Disappointment is activated by failure and disillusion; in ourselves, and in others. The antidote for disappointment is hope, trust, and faith. Striking a balance is necessary to successfully navigate through storms of disappointment. Learning not to over invest in expectations, of ourselves and others is an essential aspect of coping with disappointment.
“Don’t let today’s disappointments cast a shadow on tomorrow’s dreams.” ~Unknown
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” So the saying goes. My take is, why stop with lemonade? Open a store that sells things that are all about lemons. Lemon themed coffee mugs, glassware, dish towels, aprons, Limoncello, lemon drops, lemon bars, etc. Metaphorically, profiting from what life gives you.
“There’s always failure. And there’s always disappointment. And there’s always loss. But the secret is learning from the loss, and realizing that none of those holes are vacuums.” ~Michael J. Fox
When deeply mired in the muck of disappointment and loss, processing through to the other side brings renewal and greater wisdom.
“Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.” ~Eliza Tabor
I invite you this week to seek the gifts of strength, faith and wisdom that come with disappointment.
Blessings!
Foundation
Part of the definition of foundation is a basis upon which something stands, a supporting structure.
To build a strong character that has an abundance of integrity, compassion and sentient awareness, begins with the creation of a solid foundation, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
“A house must be built on solid foundations if it is to last. The same principle applies to man, otherwise he too will sink back into the soft ground and become swallowed up by the world of illusion.” ~Sai Baba
Many of us don’t begin our journey through life with a strong, healthy foundation. However, one can be constructed at any time. It is hard work which is often avoided, or put off, until some crisis demands a new solid foundation. The commitment to follow the process through to completion is exceedingly rewarding.
“And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” ~J. K. Rowling
The work may seem formidable. In my neighborhood, I see dozens of homes arising from the ashes of last year’s Tubbs fire, in spite of the many hurdles, obstacles and difficult decisions owners have had to make. And this rebuilding starts with a foundation that cannot be seen via casual observation, yet it supports the promise of new beginnings.
“Process transforms any journey into a series of small steps, taken one by one, to reach any goal. Process transcends time, teaches patience, rests on a solid foundation of careful preparation, and embodies trust in our unfolding potential.” ~Dan Millman
Preparing for this week’s blog, brought to mind the fable of The Three Little Pigs. Anxious to get on with having fun, two of them built homes of straw and sticks respectively. The third little piggy built his home of brick. He was chided by the other two for his efforts and the time it was taking to build his sturdy home.
Then along came the Big Bad Wolf. He came to a house of straw, demanding the little pig come out; he refused. So the wolf huffed and puffed and blew the house down. The little pig who built the house of sticks met the same fate.
Then the wolf went on to the house built of brick, and hard as he might, all his huffing and puffing could not blow the house down.
Blessings!
Wholeness
…having all it’s proper parts or elements; entire; being healthy or sound.
As sentient beings we can spend a lifetime journeying into the realm of wholeness; to find, invite, nurture and become our authentic selves.
The Knights of the Tarot all represent the search for the Holy Grail; the symbol of God within.
“…our knightly task is to figure out where our place is, to evaluate our experiences and decide what new attitudes and approaches best suit us. That journey and the adventures, victories, and obstacles we encounter along the way, prepare us to assume our roles as Queens and Kings.” ~Spiritual Tarot: Echols, Mueller, Thomson (Quill, NY, 1996).
“We need to see, and agree that what we seek already lives within us, and we within it. Now we know our one great task: Watch for whatever promises us freedom, and then quietly, consciously refuse to see ourselves through the eyes of what we know is incomplete. Then we live wholeness itself, instead of spending our lives looking for it.” ~Guy Finley
The quest, the journey to wholeness is seldom undertaken and sustained through to it’s reward. The path is fraught with peril. Self-doubt; a tenacious clinging to unhealthy patterns because they exude comfort and safety, even though they are the very Demons of fear that keep us prisoners, make us unable to accept the grace and forgiveness of divine pardon. Thus preventing our escape to the nurturing love of the authentic self. Additionally, the time, dedication and courage required to seek after and capture the Holy Grail discourages most of us.
“The journey to wholeness requires that you look honestly, openly, and with courage into yourself, into the dynamics that lie behind what you feel, what you perceive, what you value, and how you act. It is a journey through your defenses and beyond, so that you can experience consciously the nature of your personality, face what it has produced in your life, and choose to change that. Words lead to deeds. They prepare the soul, make it ready, and move it to tenderness.” ~Gary Zukav
Although the journey to wholeness is perhaps the greatest challenge we face in the quest for the Holy Grail, success and reward defy description. However, there are many palpable rewards: inner peace, especially amidst social, political and personal upheaval; no need to fear/react/behave based on what others think of us; authentic self-confidence based upon intimate knowledge of our personal strengths and weaknesses; the ability to successfully deal with cognitive dissonance; and a deep, abiding, intimate connection with others and with the sacred energy of all life.
“You see, the condition of wholeness demands an inner quiet, a state of serenity and contentment. Nurturing intimacy with oneself can be done only in a tranquil setting, a space where noise and chatter diminish and one’s own personhood comes to the surface.” ~Susan Dietz (Press Democrat, Single File, December 22, 2018)
I invite you to find, nurture and protect your sacred space. The haven and refuge of wholeness.
Blessings!
