Inspiration

A lot of my readers seem to be enjoying Beauty Secrets from Audrey Hepburn. Here's another piece of beauty education that I think every thirteen year-old girl should watch.

I have a dream that we will one day live in a world where we will not be judged.

Loving Each Day
"You will be happy when you learn to center yourself in your own divine love, love that flows out to all God's creatures.

So stand up in the beingness of your own love, and let that love be your connection to all things. When you can enter your loving, your spiritual center, it doesn't much matter what the world presents to you. You have the inner resources to create your own happiness and fulfillment."

- John-Roger (From: Living Love from the Spiritual Heart, p. 25-26)
Watch today's Moment of Peace.

What if you already have all the inner resources necessary to effectively resolve the challenges in your life? Suspend your "yeah but"s for a moment. Imagine what your life would be like if you chose to create and promote all of the experiences you want, starting now? Begin it today with one small step.

There are master teachers all around you. Stop what you're doing and have a listen!

The more I listen deeply, the more I get to tune in to profound wisdom from everyday people in common situations. I take this in as feedback that I am in the right spot, a testament to the life I am creating.

My spiritual teacher tells me we are all multidimensional beings. Indeed. There is a constant dance between the inner master and disciple in each one of us. I saw it this weekend at my Master of Spiritual Science class. Teachers coming forward to offer a guiding hand or comforting word to the seeker within. I feel honored to witness the process as we unravel the lessons of the spiritual and physical worlds.

Encounters with the inner master happen in my professional life, too. In my coaching practice I call upon my client to invoke their inner coach and strengthen that voice over time. Call me crazy, but I love putting myself out of a job in this way. Teach a man to fish, as the saying goes. It is one of my favorite aspects of my work. I go into every session knowing that a person has all their own answers available within. My job is simply to facilitate them in getting the tools, trust and courage it takes to bring the answers out and into fruition.

As Jane Austen said, "We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be." It's that "if we would attend to it" part that gets sticky. It takes tremendous courage to follow our own inner guidance. We have a lot of habitual responses running contrary to the fearless voice within. The challenge then is to take these habits and behaviors as opportunities to grow, as stepping stones to our personal liberation.


Food for thought...

What would your inner master say?

Summer is waning. I just came home from a gorgeous evening of playful and profound stories set to sweet melodies and heart-throbbing percussion. It was Beyond Words: An Evening of Divine Poetry by Tamsin Rothschild, with music by Milo Page and Ron Beimel.

The title of the show perfectly captures Tamsin’s ability to transcend language by unabashedly revealing her heart on stage. I’ve seen her in other appearances both poetic and theatrical, but in this show she has outdone herself. The title “Beyond Words” also reminded me that I have recently found myself speechless about my precious experiences at a 28-day Insight IV seminar, and the six-day culminating experience of the Master’s in spiritual psychology at USM. Since graduating from USM at Royce Hall last Sunday, I’ve been fielding innocent questions from friends who want to know what I gained from “The Summer of 2007”. While I hesitate to encapsulate it in words, I am prompted now to share a key that rang true once more tonight.

What goes beyond words? In yoga this weekend, Kira prompted me to reflect on the concept of prana, chi, and “this increasingly nebulous word, energy.” Energy speaks louder than the language of tongues, and that is why Tamsin’s poetry has mass appeal. She transcends demographics and transforms the listener. Her poetry is a tapestry of intimate human experiences finely woven with her natural knowing of the divine truth that resonates in every heart.

As I listened, I remembered a truth that I gleaned this summer: when one speaks from the heart, people listen. Any experienced presenter can advise that when you go up “in your head”, the audience tunes out and the performance looses momentum. Getting the information straight is but a tiny fraction of communication. Out beyond words is the place where we detect subtle shifts in the inner environment of the presenter. Being present is far more important than technical accuracy. Totally independent of the speaker’s skill level or whether or not they have something compelling to say, the one quality that reigns supreme is heart. Does the speaker have heart.

On Sunday, I received the treat of hearing world-renown author Jean Houston address my graduating class during the commencement exercises, and also in a private talk before the ceremony. She filled the great hall with a huge energy, one I can only compare to the statue of someone like Martin Luther King, Jr. She came armed with well-crafted words, a voice of silken strength and clockwork timing. She strode up on stage and showed us what major league looks like. But far beyond her skill as an orator (as Robert dubbed her), was her presence. Simply put, it all came together because she had heart.

So it is a lovely thing this evening to reflect on how universal this principle of heart is. Tonight a much less daunting but equally magnificent poet moved me to tears in an intimate little theater. Tamsin offered a window into her very being. This confirms my suspicion that it takes great courage to be a poet, for poetry can only blossom under the light of authenticity. Alive and vulnerable, she held me captivated throughout. I delighted in her wit and childlike wonder, and felt my heart strewn across the black stage by words of longing, poignancy, and most of all, awakening.

If you have ever heard a speaker, a poet, or a performer who offered their heart through their words, you may know what it means to have someone speaking directly into your heart. Your mind flits about catching stray words while something much deeper inside of you soaks in affirmations of what you already know. In true communication, we are brought together as one. This is the greater purpose beyond words. As I continue along my path as a presenter of words, let me set my course here and now: May I always courageously call out the truth, and may I always speak with heart.