Author: Heather Wiest

Beach Therapy 🌊

On By Heather Wiest

“All of us have in our veins the same exact percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean.” ~ John F. Kennedy

There is much we can learn from the ocean as we have a similar inner landscape within us as well.

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.

To begin, gather together any ocean artifacts you may have on hand. Seashells, a vial of sand, beach glass, stones rubbed smooth by the pounding surf, or a recording of ocean sounds can help you slip more deeply into this meditation, but they are not necessary. Sit quietly and visualize the ocean in your mind’s eye. Allow all of your senses to participate in your mental journey. Feel the tiny grains of sand beneath your feet and the cool spray of mist. Hear the sea’s rhythmic roar as the waves meet the beach and retreat. Smell the tang of salt in the air. Watch the sun’s rays play over the ocean’s surface, creating shifting spots of teal, cerulean, cobalt, and green. Don’t be surprised if you see dolphins or whales frolicking in the waves — they are there to assist you. Spend a few minutes drinking in the ocean’s beauty and appreciating its vast splendor.

Once you are fully engaged with the setting before you, visualize yourself sitting on the beach, facing the ocean, and watching the waves advance and retreat. As each new wave of seawater approaches, imagine it carrying healing energy toward you. Just as the ocean’s tides sweep the shores free of detritus [debris], restoring balance, so can the waves in our mind’s eye cleanse our souls of what no longer serves us. ~ Waves of Healing, by Madisyn Taylor

Our intention for this week is to feel more peaceful, centered, light, and carefree — renewed in our body, mind, and spirit — as if we have spent the day at a beautiful beach. In Yoga Nidra we practice the fifth limb of yoga, PRATYAHARA, which means sense withdrawal. It is the ability to turn our attention inward, so we are focusing on our center, internalizing the benefits of our yoga practice. It can also be described as drawing the senses closer internally. Feeling our senses, observing them, and gazing at the mystery of everything inside ourselves — with love and compassion — rather than with lack and judgement. As we touch that open presence, we touch our deepest source of strength, and are renewed.

What helps you feel peaceful, renewed, and balanced? 

Make this a priority, and create a personal intention around this idea. 

Cease striving, and know ALL things are working together for good. Allow yourself to trust, have faith, and fully let go of stress, tension, and anxiety. Everything is happening exactly as it is supposed to, with hidden blessings you will soon understand. 

Imagery Script: The Beach

For a few moments allow yourself to take several nice, long, deep breaths. Notice the cool air coming in, filling your lungs, and the soothing warm air going out. Just let all your thoughts float away as you bring your attention to your breathing… in and out.

You might mentally scan your body and notice if you’re holding any tension in your muscles. If you are, just gently let all that tension melt away with every out breath. Bring your attention to your breathing, in and out… in and out… let yourself feel more and more comfortable right where you are.

In your mind’s eye you see yourself descending down a long, narrow, wooden stairway towards a beautiful, inviting beach. Your bare feet feel the rough weathered steps, and with each step, you feel more and more tension gently melting away from your body.

As you continue down the stairway, you notice how the bright white sand stretches down the shoreline as far as you can see. The ocean is a deep shade of blue with the fine white crests of the waves sweeping towards the shore. You reach the end of the stairway and step down, sinking into the warm soothing sand. As you rub the sand lightly between your toes, a soothing sensation of relaxation gently melts through your entire body. The roaring sounds of the sea’s surf, the waves crashing over each other, calms your mind and allows you to feel even more relaxed.

You begin walking slowly towards the edge of the water and notice the warm sun on your face and shoulders. The salty smell of the sea air invigorates you, and you take in a deep breath… breathe slowly out… and feel more relaxed and refreshed. Finally, you reach the water’s edge and you gladly invite the waves to flow over your toes and ankles. You watch the waves glide smoothly towards you, gently sweeping around your feet, and the trails of sea water that flow slowly back out again. The cool water feels soft and comforting as you enjoy a few moments allowing yourself to gaze out on the far reaching horizon. Overhead, you notice two seagulls gracefully soaring high above the ocean waters, and you can hear their soft cries becoming faint as they glide away. And all of these sights, sounds, and sensations allow you to let go and relax more and more.

After a moment, you begin strolling down the beach at the water’s edge. You feel a cool gentle breeze pressing lightly against your back, and with every step you feel yourself relaxing more and more. As you walk down the beach you notice the details of sights and sounds around you, and soothing sensations of the sun, the breeze, and the sand below your feet.

As you continue your leisurely walk down the beach, you notice a colorful beach chair resting in a nice peaceful spot where the powdery soft sand lies undisturbed. You approach this comfortable looking beach chair, then you sit down, lie back, and settle in. No one to be. Nothing to do.

Your heart, soul, and intuition are illuminated…
The sun (Son) reflects deep truths…
Listen now to the messages within…

Whole-heartedly trust this inner guidance. 
Be encouraged and inspired.

You take in a long deep breath, breathe slowly out, and feel even more relaxed and comfortable resting in your chair. For a few moments more, let yourself enjoy the sights and sounds of this beautiful day on the beach. And, when you feel ready, you can gently bring your attention back to the room, still letting yourself feel nice and comfortable right where you are. 

(Adapted from American Holistic Nurses Association: Guided Imagery)

Heaven by C. JoyBell C.

The sun has an ocean.
An ocean so deep, vast and blue.
And on these eternal waters I float.
And while I float, I can hear the seagulls nearby.
Heaven has come down to earth for me.

All Is Well.

On By Heather Wiest

Have you hoped, wished and prayed with the best intentions for guidance or certain answers, and nothing seems to be happening? Sometimes what appears to be a problem or inaction is actually an answered prayer in disguise. When we ask for help, God may dismantle the old to make room for the new. Or maybe it is just not the right time to proceed with deep seeded longings. Always ask for divine will and timing, and for guidance as you act upon wisdom given to your heart and soul. Ask the Spirit to make transitions smooth and harmonious for yourself and everyone involved. Pray for the highest good for everyone, always and in all ways.

Four Types of Answered Prayers

  1. If the request is off target — God says “NO.” You’ve got to be kidding!
  2. If the timing is wrong — God says “SLOW.” Wait…
  3. If you are not ready — God says “GROW.”
  4. If the request is on target, the timing is right, and you are ready — God says “It’s a GO!”

Sometimes delay has to be. Our lives are so interconnected, so bound by circumstances that to let our desire have instant fulfillment might, in many cases, cause another to go unanswered.

But think for a moment of the divine love and thoughtful care that seek to harmonize and reconcile all of our desires and longings and prayers; delay is not denial, not even withholding. It is the opportunity for God to work out our unique purposes and accomplish our desires in the most wonderful way possible for all of us. Yes, all is well.

Is your deepest longing and prayer currently a NO, a SLOW, a GROW, or a GO? Trust divine timing and will always and in all ways. Be still and seek God’s presence; listen and receive wisdom and guidance for your prayers and petitions.

  • Pour out your heart.
  • Realize God hears.
  • Always believe.
  • Yield to what God says to you.

Rely on My leading. Nothing is impossible to Me. Unlimited expectancy yours. Unlimited power Mine.

God at Eventide, May 2

Mandala of Compassion 💮

On By Heather Wiest

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning circle or spirit. The mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community. “Each person’s life is like a mandala, a vast limitless circle. We stand in the center of our own circle, and everything we see, hear and think forms the mandala of our life. Everything that shows up in your mandala is a vehicle for your awakening. From this point of view, awakening is right at your fingertips continually. But it’s up to you whether your life is a mandala of neurosis or a mandala of sanity.” ~Pema Chodran

Our intention for this week is to invite more interconnectedness, compassion and wholeness into our lives. Yoga Sutra lll.24 (maitryadisu balani) teaches the cultivation of friendliness creates inner strength. Experiencing healthy compassion and lovingkindness toward ourselves and others strengthens our interconnectedness and sense of well-being. I love this passage from The Message, “So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.” (Colossians 3:12-14, MSG)

“We typically think of our emotional range as something that is fixed and unchanging, a reflection of the personality we’re born with. But research is revealing the possibility that we may be able to cultivate and increase our ability to feel the emotional state of compassion. Researchers have found that feeling connected to others is as learnable as any other skill.” ~ Kelly McGonigal

💮 Where and with whom in your life can you experience more interconnectedness and wholeness, lovingkindness and compassion? 

💮 Personal transformation occurs in circles, not rows. Who’s in your inner circle, supporting you, yet challenging you to grow?

Awakening Compassion Guided Meditation

Gently close your eyes. Roll the shoulders up, back and down. Take 3 deep breaths. Place your hands in a comfortable position. Settle in.

Imagine the horizon spanning through your chest with a radiant sun rising in your innermost center—your heart. As though being melted by the solar warmth, release tension in your shoulders and across your throat. Soften your forehead and rest your attention inward on the light deep within. Take 3 smooth, even breaths. As you inhale, invite the glow from your heart to expand toward the inner surface of the body. With each exhale, let the light recede. Take another 3 peaceful breaths.

Attuning deeply to your heart center, offer compassion to yourself, honoring your journey wholeheartedly, dissolving all self-judgment, shame and guilt naturally.

As you embrace yourself compassionately, you enhance your ability to offer lovingkindness to those you care for deeply, embracing both their positive and challenging qualities.

Bring into your heart the image of someone you care for deeply, releasing any expectation of how they should be, creating a space of openness in which their transformation, and yours, can occur more easily. Take a full, deep breath.

As you offer compassion to yourself and to those you care for deeply, you gradually develop the ability to offer compassion to those with whom you experience separation or difficulty.

Bring into your heart the image of someone you find challenging, perceiving their authentic being rather than focusing on their actions and beliefs. Take a full, deep breath.

As you hold this person within your heart of compassion, clearly see that all of their actions are based on a need for love, support and security, even if those needs are expressed inappropriately.

By seeing this person compassionately, your feelings of judgment, anger and resentment are released more easily, allowing you to see this person and yourself more objectively, while creating safe and appropriate boundaries. Take a deep, cleansing breath.

Now, open your heart of compassion to all beings, honoring each person’s journey, recognizing that all of us are moving, within the limits our our understanding, toward a vision of love, peace, freedom and joy.

Affirm your growing compassion, repeating the following intention 3 times, aloud or silently: With a heart of compassion, I clearly see that we all share a journey toward love, peace, freedom and joy.

Take a full, deep breath. When you are ready, open your eyes, returning slowly and gently, sensing your heart of compassion guiding your journey.

~ Adapted from Mudras for Healing and Transformation by Joseph and Lilian Le Page

💮 Continue to radiate love and compassion, expanding your life mandala. 💮

Always Into Love by Danna Faulds

On this voyage of
the soul, may we be
bridge builders,
our common ground
visible beneath the
surface differences.

May we braid the
threads of reconciliation
into a chain of possibility
that joins, heals, and
includes what once 
seemed separate.

May our shared prayer
be answered: to grow
so open that there is
no “them” or “us,”
only the One, moving
always into love.

photo

Cultivate Joy! 😊

On By Heather Wiest

Life is a constant ebb and flow. Challenges attempt to disrupt our ease and peace, but as we intentionally cultivate joy, our energy steadies and positively shifts.

JOY = A source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something exceptionally festive or satisfying.

What brings you joy in this moment?

What are you looking forward to that makes you smile? 😊

Take a minute to daydream and plan for joy. Allow yourself to be light and free.

“Let go of heaviness. Seek that which is light. Gravitate toward joy. Your soul and body will lead you, if only you will listen. Walk lightly. Speak and laugh lightly, as much as possible. Go lightly along your way.” ~ Melody Beattie

“…when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 New Living Translation

I ______ to cultivate more joy into my life.
No matter my circumstances, I choose to be joyful.
Divine joy fills my soul.

JOY Meditation

Think of a time you experienced COMPLETE JOY. It may be a recent happening, or from the past. Picture it clearly in your heart and mind.

Feel all the emotions.

What sensations do you feel in the body?

Where do you feel these sensations?

Label your emotions with one word.

Label the sensations felt with one word.

Tuck these words deep into your memory account of joy.

Be filled with wonder, be touched by peace.

Spark to Flame, by Danna Faulds

May the peace of your being
leap from heart to heart
and mind to mind like a 
wildfire in dry grass.
Through the simple act of
being present here and now,
may the peace that passes all
understanding be fanned 
from spark to flame to 
true illumination.

“Wait quietly in my presence while My thoughts form silently in the depths of your being. Do not rush this process, because hurry keeps your heart earthbound. I am the Creator of the entire universe, yet I choose to make my humble home in your heart. It is there where you know me most intimately; it is there where I speak to you in holy whispers. Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can hear my still small voice within you. I am speaking to you continually. . . words of JOY. Tune your heart to receive these messages of abundant blessing. Lay your requests before Me, and wait in expectation.”
(Adapted from Jesus Calling, September 21, by Sarah Young)

Simplify

On By Heather Wiest

Today we practice SIMPLIFYING — looking at our daily life, our priorities, possessions, activities, commitments, habits, thoughts and actions — and taking the time to reevaluate, gracefully letting go of what no longer serves us and establishing new intentions. When we simplify, we release unwanted expectations and stress and open up to increased freedom, joy, and inner peace. As Steve Maraboli states, “The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.” What, where and how can you simplify? What would make your life lighter and easier? What can you get rid of? Where can you make adjustments to allow for more breathing room?

Take a minute to personally reflect.

Here are 3 practical tips to help prioritize and simplify: 

❦ Look for soul stops. Even on your busiest days, set aside several 5 minute breaks to pause, tune-in, pray, and meditate. This helps redirect thoughts, feelings, and actions — even in the midst of the craziest schedule. Try bookending your day with longer spirit-filling stops.

❦ Be keenly aware. Ask God to get your attention. Look for Divine appointments — a text from a friend at just the right time, a song that speaks directly to your heart, a random opportunity to help someone, a funny situation that turns your day around for the best.

❦ Set limits. Pick a time your distractions begin, and tell them when they end. During those hours, do the phone thing, and computer thing, and every other thing you pour your soul into, but when that time comes to an end, shut it down. Disconnect to connect personally and spiritually.

How will these changes add to your freedom, joy, and inner peace?

“Beloved Spirit of God: Teach me the way of simplicity and surrender so that in this world of consumption, noise, and endless choices I might model joy, peace, and freedom. Amen.” ~ Peter Traben Haas

The Weight of Objects, Clearing a Space for Change, by Madisyn Taylor

In life, we tend to have an easier time acquiring possessions than we do getting rid of them. Just as we harbor emotional baggage that is difficult to let go of, our lives can tend to be filled with material objects that we may feel compelled to hold on to. Most people are not conscious of how much they own and how many of their possessions are no longer adding value to their life. They fiercely hold on to material objects because this makes them feel secure or comfortable. While it’s true that the ownership of “stuff” can make you feel good for awhile, it seldom satisfies the deep inner longings that nearly everyone has for fulfillment and satisfaction. It is only when we are ready to let go of our baggage and be vulnerable that it becomes possible to recognize the emotional hold that our possessions can have on us.

It’s not uncommon to hold on to material objects because we are attached to them or fear the empty spaces that will remain if we get rid of them. Giving away the souvenirs from a beloved voyage may feel like we are erasing the memory of that time in our life. We may also worry that our loved ones will feel hurt if we don’t keep the gifts they’ve given us. It’s easy to convince ourselves that unused possessions might come in handy someday or that parting with them will cause you emotional pain. However, when your personal space is filled with objects, there is no room for anything new to enter and stay in your life. Your collection of belongings may “protect” you from the uncertainties of an unknown future while keeping you stuck in the past. Holding on to unnecessary possessions often goes hand in hand with holding on to pain, anger, and resentment, and letting go of your material possessions may help you release emotional baggage.

When you make a conscious decision to fill your personal space with only the objects that you need or bring you joy, your energy level will soar. Clearing your personal space can lead to mental clarity and an improved memory. As you learn to have a more practical and temporary relationship to objects, positive changes will happen, and you’ll have space to create the life that you desire.

“Each of us has favorite items and places that help to calm and quiet us. What stills our mind? A walk in the park, a special place in the city, a quiet room? A rock, a cross, a picture, a lit candle? Use these places and things to find that place of stillness in yourself. Find the power in stillness. It’s a power that comes gently like the morning sunrise or the evening stars. Take time each day to seek out stillness, to find that sacred spot.
Let your mind and soul be at ease. Don’t grasp and grab for the magic and miracles. When you reside in that place of stillness, the joy, miracles, and magic you’re seeking will find you.” ❤︎ ~ Melody Beattie

“Let go of something, somewhere. Use yoga to become aware, to touch what lies beneath the surface of the skin. Is there tension longing for release, a knot of fear so deep and familiar that you believe its part of who you are? Ease into dark corners, locked rooms, unexplored hallways. Gain entry not by force of will, but only by softness. Enter on the wings of breath, and turn the key of self-acceptance to let go of something, somewhere.” ~ Danna Faulds

To simplify life I am___________.

There is freedom in letting go. ❤︎