Tag: loveserveinspire

Gift of Light 🌟

On By Heather Wiest

A long time ago, people thought the sun was leaving. Each day, the sun appeared for shorter times and climbed less and less into the sky. Fearing that it would stop its ascent and descend completely over the horizon and not come up at all, people celebrated the day of the Solstice, translated as the sun stood still. After that day, the sun began to climb ever so slowly into the sky and the days became longer. The light makes a stand against the dark and prevails. People all over the world celebrate light in many forms at this time of year. This season of great de-light is a time to remember the amazing Light that resides within and all around you. The light is most welcomed at this time of year when we are in our darkest days. As we hold it dear, it is a constant reminder of revelation. At any given moment the brightness of understanding will burst through; a ray of light relinquishes the darkness. Yes, the sun will return. Yes, the oil will remain lit. Yes, the Son is born. We light the candles and remember the miracle of this season. Light the night sky with your bright spirit; remember you are a miracle! May light-filled moments of wonder be yours this Holy-Days Season, and may you give the gift of your complete presence, your undivided attention and care to your loved ones.

✨Gift of Light Meditation✨

Breath easily and deeply and bring yourself into a centered, peaceful place. Imagine a magnificent light above your head and ask that it come down into your heart. An endless supply of warm, beautiful and supportive light now fills your heart. You may see it as a fireplace with burning logs, or a beautiful room with many candles. Visualize tremendous vitality, beauty and warmth within you. You have an unending supply of this energy and light. Acknowledge its power, majesty and expansiveness. Fill yourself with this light; every cell, every bone, thought and emotion is saturated with this eternal energy. See it. Feel it. Let it fill you. It is love. It is peace. And it is joy. Take as long as you’d like swimming in this amazing luster. When you are ready, prepare to offer your gift of abundant light to your loved ones. Visualize and feel the light from above you connecting into your heart and to your hands. Open your palms softly and outwardly. Your hands may feel warm. Offer light to your loved ones. Visualize them clearly. Offer light from your heart to theirs. As the light from your heart pours through them, notice that light begins to come down into the top of their head from someplace else. See them surrounded by you, surrounded by and filled with light and love. Their bodies are healthy, vibrant and beautiful. Their minds are expansive and calm. Peace flows through them offering them ease of heart. Wish them joy. Wish them good health. Wish them courage and abundance. Tell them whatever comes to you that is important to convey. Continue your blessings for them until you feel it is the right time to stop. Now release them gently. Leave them light-filled.

“There it was — the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person.”

John 1:9 AMPC

“If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out; to keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”

Mother Teresa

Release🎈

On By Heather Wiest

This week’s theme is simply the word RELEASE. What comes to mind when you hear the word RELEASE? You may feel a sensation of opening, of letting go, of freedom. Releasing has the power to free you from anything in life that may be bothering you, or weighing you down. You may be gripping onto a stressful situation or relationship, a strong emotion or desire, an unhealthy temptation or personal struggle, an unfulfilled expectation, a difficult loss, or even a big life-changing decision. It’s time to fully let go and release your grip. From deep within the sweet space inside you, a voice can be heard. Its loving words echo in your mind — trust in the natural flow of life, all your needs are taken care of. You are freed from all concerns about the past and the future. Your life is unfolding according to a perfect plan. Receive encouragement and inspiration!

Oftentimes, when we let go of our gripping, our obsessing, our control, we begin to sense a lightening, a unique calmness that encourages us to trust the natural flow of life. Inhale PEACE. Exhale RELEASE.🎈

Allow your life and the lives of those around you to unfold naturally, without force. “If the canvas struggled under the artist’s paint brush, the painting would never get finished. If the canvas is perfectly still, totally submitted to the artist’s wisdom and creativity, something beautiful happens.” ~ Kristy Bassett

Headlong Into Love, by Danna Faulds

I slip into the swift river of grace
the moment I stop trying to control
my fate. The current takes my 
breath away, leaving me amazed
at the release. Use me up, I say.
Smooth my rough edges
until I offer no resistance to the flow.

Within the enclosure of my open heart,
may awareness wake and take aim
at my last attempts to grasp the known.
I pray to give myself over to a strength
that isn’t mine, to be carried by the 
energy of change and evolution.

I pray to tumble headlong into love
and not reach out even once
to try and break the fall.

Today I release my grip on ______________. I am freed from all concerns about the past and the future. My life is unfolding according to a perfect plan. ❤️

“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.” ~ Ephesians 3:20, The Passion Translation

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Root Down To Rise Up! 🌲

On By Heather Wiest

Root down to rise up. Humility initiates gratitude. In fact, the root word of humble means “ground or earth.” To be humble, then, is to be grounded, which naturally leads to a more calm, present state. We not only feel more grounded in our own selves, but also in our connection to others. When we are humble, we feel less compelled to control everything or to prove ourselves to others, which makes it easier to settle down inside and to have more inner peace. When we rest in humility, gratitude naturally follows. What are you grateful for? The power of gratitude never wanes. Say it when you feel and believe it. Say it when you don’t. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. When the root is deep there is no reason to fear the wind.

“The forest is your friend. It tells you that all is well. Look around. See the tallest tree. See that it has weathered every storm, and millimeter by millimeter, ring by ring, continued its growth over centuries. Know that you have grown that way, too. Rise slowly when it’s time. Find your path. Feel the earth beneath your feet, supporting you, giving you strength, filling you with grounded energy.” ~ Melody Beattie

“The only block there can be in your channel is self. Keep that out, and know that My Spirit is flowing through. Therefore all must be the better for coming in contact with you, because you are a channel. See this, and you will think it natural to know they are being helped, not by you, but by My Spirit flowing through you as a channel.” ~ God Calling, Self Kills Power

Quiet Revolution, by Danna Faulds

Mine is a quiet revolution.
No fireworks light the sky
proclaiming liberation, just 
the sure sense of presence
filling me with stillness.
I can’t seem to worry 
anymore, can’t make myself
rush to finish what I once 
deemed so important. Instead,
I stand awestruck before the 
sunrise, grateful for another
day to love and be loved —
so simple and so humbling.

May you be grounded and grateful. Root down to rise up. 🌲 Be an open vessel for Spirit to move.

When the root is deep there is no reason to fear the wind.

Inhale PEACE, exhale GRATITUDE.

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Out Of Alignment

On By Heather Wiest

There are many stories of spiritual masters embracing the presence of an annoying student in their community. There is even one story that documents a teacher paying an irritating person to live among his students. From an everyday perspective, this is difficult to comprehend. We generally work hard to avoid people and things that we find annoying so they don’t bother us.

From a deeper spiritual perspective, however, irritation can be an important teacher and indicator that we are making progress on our path. Being able to remain centered and awake even when we feel uncomfortable is much more impressive than doing so in an environment where everything is to our liking. ~ Things That Annoy Us, Madisyn Taylor

When was the last time you were annoyed by something or someone? With whom was your last argument? It’s really easy to recall, right? Annoyances and arguments often trigger us OUT OF ALIGNMENT, out of our stability, ease and peace.

I am learning to notice when I am out of balance sooner by stating this intention: I witness when I’m out of alignment. I choose to see love and peace instead. I step back and let the Divine lead the way. 💞

The emotional trigger that begins an argument may have little to do with your present situation, but has dug up a wound. When we find ourselves in an argument, we may feel like we are losing control of emotions that have taken on lives of their own. When we can become aware that this is happening, taking a deep breath can help us step back from the situation. Once we can separate ourselves from the heat of the moment, we may find that the emotional trigger that began the argument has little to do with the present situation, but may have brought up feelings related to something else entirely. Looking honestly at what caused our reaction allows us to consciously respond more appropriately to the situation and make the best choices. ~ Stepping Back from Anger, Madisyn Taylor

We spare ourselves, and those closest to us, drama and pain when we practice awareness and a quick comeback toward love and equanimity. However, it’s important to honor our feelings. “True healing occurs when you give yourself permission to feel whatever feelings live below the triggers. Feeling the pain allows it to pass through you, and strips away its power.” ~ Gabby Bernstein

Steps to Reconcile = to restore to harmony, to settle differences, to make consistent

  1. Make the first move (shows maturity).
  2. Handle with humility.
  3. Remember, you own the offer, not the result.

Who do you need to reach out to?

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” ~ James 1:2-4, The Message

I choose to see love and peace instead of annoyances and arguments. I step back and let the Divine lead the way. 💞

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Refining Fire (Tapas) 🔥

On By Heather Wiest

The practice of yoga is part of a gradual process of deliberate internal and external transformation.”

Nicolai Bachman

TAPAS, the third of the niyamas, is considered one of the most powerful concepts in the Yoga Sutras. The word “tapas” comes from the Sanskrit verb “tap” which means “to burn.” The traditional interpretation of tapas is “fiery discipline,” the fiercely focused, constant, intense commitment necessary to burn off anything that keeps us from having union with our body, mind, and spirit. It’s the fire that brings about transformation—the willingness, the cleansing, the discipline. This reminds me of the 3 “C’s” of life: choices, chances, and changes. You must make a CHOICE to take a CHANCE or your life will never CHANGE. Tapas is the practice of putting our plan for change into action. When we allow old habits to fall into the fire of tapas, burning away and out of our lives, we allow new, more positive habits to integrate into our body and mind. As we relax into stillness, we become increasingly aware of our true inner spirit, and this is where transformation begins.

Two questions for you: What negative behavior or habit would you like to burn away? What positive behavior would you like to integrate into the deepest part of your being? Let’s put our plan for change into action! Invite in the new, burn away the old.🔥[Ephesians 4:22-24]

A requirement of tapas, our internal fire, is to cut through distractions and bring our full attention to the present moment, where transformation begins.

Presence Practice Inquiry:
What’s happening now?
What do I need right now?
Does this serve my highest good?
Does this choice empower me, make me feel light, strong, courageous,
or does it disempower me? ~ Kate Shipp

The Scattered Pieces Will Come Together by Melody Beattie

“Scattered pieces. Sometimes we look around, and that’s what we see. Scattered pieces of ourselves, our lives, a project, a season of our lives. Where is the connecting thread, we wonder? How can we ever pull this together into something that makes sense, something with purpose, something with meaning? There are pieces to every whole; yet each piece is complete. Don’t worry about how they will come together. Work joyfully on the piece that’s before you, the piece that’s in your life today. There are many pieces of you, many beautiful parts. The universe will help you bring all those parts alive. It will bring mirrors to you, people who will reflect those beautiful pieces back to you. Look in the mirror of your life. What pieces do you see reflected? Know it’s you you’re seeing. Then let that part of you come alive. Pull in the parts of yourself, the many beautiful parts that have come alive. Beckon your warrior, your healer, your playful child. Bring together your professional self, your adult, the passionate part of you, the nurturing part. Let all the parts come together. Don’t send any of them away. You need them all. Each is a beautiful piece of the soul, the life, the person you are. Trust. Trust the process. Joy is yours, available for the asking and the desiring—even in the developmental stages–even before the puzzle has been put together. The scattered pieces of yourself, your project, your life. The connecting thread is love. The picture will be beautiful. Wait and see.” ❤️

“Scared and sacred are spelled with the same letters. Awful proceeds from the same root word as awesome. Terrify and terrific. Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation.” ~ Alan Cohen

“Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation.” ~ Ann Voskamp

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to read the scriptures, and make them the subject of conversation. While reading the third chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” One lady’s opinion was that is was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them what he said on the subject.
She went accordingly and without telling the object of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her. “But Sir” she said, “do you sit while the work of refining is going on?” “Oh, yes, madam,” replied the silversmith; “I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured.”
The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Christ sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come at random, “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said he had forgotten to mention that the only way he knows when the process of purifying is complete is when he sees his own image reflected in the silver. ~ Author Unknown

Inquiry by Danna Faulds

“Feed the inner fire with breath, with inquiry, and the willingness to see reality. When the flames consume the edges of your life, invite them into the center, the core of your identity, the innermost chamber where your deepest fears reside. Watch the fire rise, sparks flying, flames lighting the open space that remains when all else is burned away.”

May you embrace the refining fire inside of you. 🔥 Make the CHOICE to take a CHANCE, creating positive CHANGE. Put your plan into ACTION!

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