Secrets Are Always Hidden

                                         "And above all, watch with glittering eyes

the whole world around you because the

greatest secrets are always hidden in the

most unlikely places."

Roald Dahl

Deep inside of every human being runs a vein of creative expression.  It may be a physical skill, personality trait or a singular quirkiness.  At a very early age, we begin to sense the presence, but life eventually draws us away.

Throughout our years of development, the inner calling of our skill yearns to be brought to the surface, to be discovered once again.  The artistic vein is bulging with expression and fears it will rupture, losing with out a sense of gain .

As we become in tune with our hidden nature, we begin to dabble in our skill.  "Oh it is nothing," we might say, "just something I am working on."    As we perform with hidden mike, sleight of hand or pen with ink, excitement stirs.  The disrespect of minimizing is overcome with a sense of true self value. We unleash our doubt and fly on the wings of new found artistic freedom.

Rush to the Surface

"'I hope I get a good night's sleep and then have a rush

of thoughts,  as I did this morning,'  says O.    'It's very 

delightful  when that happens  ~  all of them rushing to 

the surface, as  if they  have  been  waiting  for  me to 

become conscious of them ...'" 

Bill Hayes

Words rapidly flow through my consciousness at lightning speed.  I find I must set down my favorite pen and let my fingers race across the keyboard.  Where do these thoughts originate and who dresses them is such brilliant colors?  Surely I am but a vessel to give birth to unsigned expression.

The words mysteriously flee through my consciousness.  Imaginative thoughts are never ending and there is no incentive for me to stop.  Phrases are accompanied by rich images so alive all seem to be breathing in this very space.

There indeed is no importance to who authors these words, as it is as though they belong to no one.  The need is to float them out into the world for others to see and breathe.   The unspoken words have a fragrance all of their own and the depth of meaning is up to you, and you a lone.

Canvas Painted by Decisions

"I think we're all born with this huge canvas

in front of us and the paintbrushes and the paint,

and we choose what to put on this canvas."

Louise Hay

A blank canvas can be just as intimidating as beginning a new relationship, career or adventure.  The artist applies a base coat as a foundation, just as we dip our toe into the new situation to test the waters.  Initial colors are chosen and we judge how much of ourselves we want to invest.  

Layers of paint are dripped, thrown, and sponged upon the canvas before the unseen images appear.  It is only with time that the gift emerges as art.  We must be aware and alert as to not mute or muddy any color before its prime.

As the initial relationship or career or adventure ripen to full participation, the canvas has been well used.  We are called to examine our desires, intentions, and level of commitment before we proceed.  As the artist, our subconscious surfaces nudging us to proceed with the landscape or to begin to create a new scene.

We Are Not Divided

"Accept this moment as it is."

Eckhart Tolle

The New Earth written by Eckhart Tolle brought me to a higher level of understanding life.  His wisdom may not be unique to him, but I happened to have myself open to his writing at the exact right time.

Eckhart Tolle instructed readers to ask themselves the pivotal question of life:  "Who am I?" We are powerful and receptive "if you truly knew yourself to be spirit rather than a little me, you would remain non-reactive and absolutely alert when confronted with challenging people or situations."

When I remain alert in the moment and find confrontation, I can remember that I am Spirit and not divided from anyone standing before me.  My response would be of powerful and effective, and not make any other person or situation into an enemy.  This can be successfully executed when I am living in the moment, consciously aware of who I am.

Discover, Wonder and Bliss

"A well composed book is a magic carpet on which 

we are wafted to a world we cannot enter in any other way."

Caroline Gordon

The written word carefully placed upon a page initiates the kindling to strike the fire of learning.  The fire grows as each word is offered to the passion of the reader. Uncensored, the mind expands and welcomes the dance of the flames.

There is no other vehicle accommodating our wander lust such as a book.  The fare is low, the weather never interferes, and connections are freely made.  Characters speak to us with words we long to hear or spark our authentic yearnings waiting to enter reality.

The passage to any portal awaits for the reader to choose.  The destinations are endless whether written in words of fantasy or carefully recorded in ancient script.  As our creative mind engages with the words of the author, the momentum begins transporting the reader into discovery, wonder, and bliss.

Dream Journey

"My imagination functions much better 

when I don't have to speak to people."

Patricia Highsmith

Visions appear unexpectedly and cannot be appropriately expressed in the verbal form.  With flowing words the senses awaken to what is not said. The picture painted with each written stroke takes dream shape settling into the memory banks in vibrant color.

Energy seeps front the experience when it is translated into the spoken word.  The imagery fades, as the senses cannot remain awake when lulled by such a lower current.  The pitch of the voice may add excitement, but the frequency does not emit the expansiveness of the dream.

Which spoken words best express being the eyes of a hawk in flight or the sensation of being the foam on the ocean wave when the tide rolls in?  So much is lost as I speak of being the ripple of a silk scarf dancing in the wind.  Close both eyes and beckon Spirit to transport the mind upon a dream journey, words will never describe.

A Dash of Knowledge

"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.

Imagination is more impotent than knowledge.  Knowledge is

limited.  Imagination encircles the world."

Albert Einstein

A storytelling conference was offered at Starved Rock State Park in Illinois.  I immediately registered and happily attended the event.  I don't know if my interest in telling stories kindled as a small child, director of a pre-school or director of a day care center.  Maybe it was perpetuated while my four children expectantly gathered at my feet.  

My education completed and accomplished in my career, I certainly accumulated knowledge. So with imagination, I was able to string fact with fiction.  I discovered young and old alike remembered information presented in imaginative form.

As a long time writer, my ability to create something out of nothing has endeared me to numerous aspects of my life.  No matter how small, if an incident was soothing to my soul, I yearned to script it to my memory.  I could elaborate upon knowledge  so it was never forgotten at all.  

Gifts of Chaos

"Chaos often breeds life,

when order breeds habit."

Henry Adams

Routine brings us comfort and offers a false sense of control.  When there is order to our day, we maintain focus on what needs to be accomplished.  Daily agendas breed habits and allow us to experience a sense of safety, but chaos appears regardless.

Chaos can be minimized, but it will disrupt the harmonized cadence we intended.  It throws us off our secured path and triggers new thoughts and deeds.  The disruption can help us create new ways of approaching life or reconstruct better solutions to established problems.

Staying the same breeds stagnant behavior.   'Out of the box' thinking generates excitement.  When we alter our self-imposed guide lines, we can experience new insight or become aware of previously unnoticed sounds or sensations.  Without a deliberate mind set, we open to whatever gift chaos brings our way.

Undivided and Coupled

"Through every word runs power.  

That power is real whether you believe it or not."

Sonia Choquette

To think of one's mind as a deep well is an interesting concept.   Dropping down into the dark hole, we leave intentions, expectations, and focus behind.  We allow time for our eyes to relax, our body to release stress, and our minds to just be silent.

Our senses escalate and we move outside of the body and into the vastness of the well.  Suspended in time and space, our awareness is tickled by unknown objects and amazing fragrances from our past. Our thoughts begin to gather images and we become a glowing orb.

The extension of the mind becomes empowered to experience at will any realm beyond the veil. Carefully exploring, we are empowered by Divine Light reminding us we are light and love undivided and coupled with all.

The Beauty of the Moment

 "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

Confucius

We are drawn to a particular form of beauty, touching our body, mind and soul.  The image is carried with us for endless days, and never diminishes in luster, shape or meaning.  We do not even bother to ask our companion, "Did you see that?"  We already know the magical display was for our eyes only.

Deep in the reservoirs of our minds, there are crevices filled with illustrious images extracting our  attention for no apparent reason.  We are perhaps touched by color or object, but the real draw comes from what is left unsaid.

There is a certain glint in the eyes of a child or the tilt of the head of a beloved pet.  Perhaps a brief glimpse of an image not really there or a voice so rare hair stands on the back of the neck.  These translucent times are followed by a silence, allowing time to digest the experience, knowing no one else has seen the beauty of the moment. 

Magic of Sacred Equation

I've been fighting to be who I am all my life.

What's the point of being who I am, 

if I can't have the person who was worth 

all the fighting for?"

Stephanie Lennox

Life leads us into flowering meadows and murky swamps as we develop the power of choice.  We have the authority to linger or move along, independent of others demands, distractions, or motivations.  Our energy is misspent chasing after illusions, instead of investing the energy in self-discovery.

Once we create a sense of self and hone in on strengths while healing setbacks, we move forward attracting who we need to enhance our best interest.  If we are chasing after some entity known or unknown, we are wasting our time.

Time spent convincing a friend or a lover of our worth is misspent.  The very act of aggression displays disrespect for the self.  We dishonor who we are by adjusting or minimizing for the sake of one other.  When we stand in appreciation of our unique self, positive energy attracts us to others  also wishing to reflect personal goodness.  Chasing, bartering or remaining small never enters the magic of  sacred equation. 

Human Blemish, Sacred Pearl

"When you stop expecting people to be perfect,

you can like them for who they are."

Donald Miller 

Friends and relations were placed up on a pedestal.  I would marvel at their brilliance and dance in the reflection of their bountiful glow.   As they were human, however, they would eventually fall from grace in the smallest of ways; and I would be dumbfounded.

Over the years, I began to realize I saw people in their spiritual light and not as they were in their daily human suit.  I would sense sacred goodness and expectations excelled.  When human frailty was observed, I would feel emotionally disillusioned.  The flaw, of course, was my own.

I still view people in spiritual light, but remain aware of human roles they play ... primarily my teachers.  My triggers ignited by others are my issues waiting to be resolved.   I now can look beyond the  human blemish and discover the sacred pearl.

The Hidden Divide

"If you were lucky, you might meet someone

who was exactly right for you.  Not because

he was perfect or because you were, but because

your combined flaws were arranged in a way that

allowed two separate beings to hinge together."

Lisa Kleypas

Two options are available in reaction to discovering a friend's flaw:  compassion on some level or a total disconnect based on fear.  Individuals bury weaknesses and project strengths.  When time is invested in each other, one eventually becomes comfortable to disclose.

Two people joining together are normally reacting to similarities.  We glory in the sameness of appreciation for books or nature or theater.  We view our parallels as positives in the calculation of deepening the bond.  Weakness, the true test of relationship, is often buried far behind.

The test of love arrives as we drop our masks and show our wounds.  When partners can identify with the risk and pain the other has endured, the two slide into union.    Two  will fail to deeply connect if there is a hidden divide.

Stimulating Verbal Embrace

"When someone loves you,

the way they talk about you is different.

You feel safe and comfortable."

Jess C. Scott

There is no longer time for meaningless conversations.  I have no tolerance for 'small talk' and I'd rather use my words for "Good Morning," to a total stranger in the street.  The dullness of insignificant exchanges lack the energy of a stimulating verbal embrace with a loved one.

A loved one can be a child, friend or elder who immediately sparks at the very sound of your voice.  A contagious grin slides across the face and laughter is almost immediate.  The conversation picks up wherever you last left it and the journey of kinship carries forward.

The exchange between loved ones heals the heart and mends the soul.  An appreciative mood wraps around both souls like clouds caressing the moon.  Happiness sparks inside like stars popping into the sky.  The words spoken between those who love are gentle, kind, and everlasting.

The Pace of the Flame

"A stray fact:  insects are not drawn to candle flames,

they are drawn to the light on the far side of the flame,

they go into the flame and sizzle to nothingness because

they are so eager to get to the light on the other side."

Michael Cunningham

 As I stepped onto the burning coals, placing one foot in front of the other, I marveled at the coolness brushing across my face.  I could feel the bed of  heat beneath my feet, and yet, feel my spirit rise above me.  It was as though I was the wick in the midst of the flame.

The one side of the flame drew my attention, and the other created an open space.  Fire, like passion can burn too quickly, leaving nothing but cold ash.  So  I yearned to learn the balance sustaining the pace of the flame.

The secret is to let go and allow Spirit to create a spark.  In time, a twin flame appears like a fallen star from the sky, fueling the fire at day break and raking the coals at night. The unfolding warmth shimmers and shines, as each side now becomes one with the flame.

Electric Shock to the Soul

"Sometimes the slightest things change the direction of our lives,

the merest breath of a circumstance, a random moment that connects

like a meteorite striking the earth.  Lives have swiveled and changed

direction on the strength of a chance remark."

Bryce Courtenay

Any word expressed has the potential to harm or to heal and how we receive it alters the meaning.  Words overheard in a conversation or a script written upon a wall can change the course of our lives as dramatically as an electric shock to the soul.

Words impact life daily.  The written word carries dreams, fears, and truth.  The spoken word expresses  creativity and invests in exchanges with others.  The living word nudges  perceptions to open to the vastness of possibilities.

If we exclusively listen to our rhetoric cloistered in our den, our visions and actions will become stagnant without fresh input from what is being spoken out in the world.  Words spoken by others can stimulate our greater understanding or increase extensive pursuit of personal truth.  Whether a bolt of magnetic connection or the distant sound of a whisper, grab a hat and prepare for travel!

Splayed Wide Open

"The only way to find true happiness 

is to risk being completely cut open."

Chuck Palahniuk

Notable authors claim we repeatedly experience heart break, breaking our hearts open continuously.  They go on to say that it is not until the heart is permanently cracked open that true love enters.  If a person is breathing, they have experienced a broken heart.

The act of keeping our heart open can create an overwhelming sense of vulnerability.  To allow our core to be splayed wide open takes physical courage and emotional strength.  With the removal of masks and false identity, our authentic form can be seen by all.

We may ask ourselves 'why' we would do such a painful thing as exposing our entire self?  The answer is clear ... the possibility of being unconditionally loved just as we are heightens our self-worth, heals old wounds, and strengthens positive energy within the world.

Unlock Passageway

"No obstacle is so big that one person

with determination can't make a difference."

Jay Samit

Living life as a hermit may increase spiritual experience, but it blocks the human experience which is the point of living.  If we keep our heads bent low, we do not see depth in the eyes of others.  When not paying attention, we do not notice the freedom in the child running.  Not looking upwards to the sky, deprives a person from the image of light spreading in the darkness.

Obstacles do not budge if we simply ignore them.  They do not vanish from sight.  Even if we master by-passing them, they will easily present in a differing form or location.   The hardship carves a learning experience needed in the development of self.  The hindrance enhances our ability to become stronger in the face of interference.

Stumbling blocks help build a concrete foundation.  With creative resolution, we can place each challenge in a stable place enhancing our awareness of personal strength.  Our confidence grows as life's obstacles continue to confront us.  Determination is the key to unlocking any blocked passageway.

React to Disruption

"Disruption is, at its core, a really powerful idea."

Clayton M. Christensen

Strict schedules leave little time for impromptu creativity.  Our planners are rigid disallowing extensions that might allow free thinking.  Change will find a way to disrupt any agenda at any time or place.

How we react to disruption determines whether or not we will benefit form the experience.  Will we be flexible and go with the flow or will we dig in with resistance?  Change will occur no matter our defenses.

Disruption can shatter a well formed piece of art or a permanent project.  With new eyes, we can create a greater masterpiece.  Change can be confirmation of a job well done, but even better can be had before retiring.  As pieces are slowly put back together, a stronger foundation can be created.

Differing Rhythm of Strangers

"I want to learn how to speak to anyone at any time to make us both feel

  a bit lighter or richer with no commitments of ever meeting again.  I want 

to learn how to stand wherever with whoever and still feel stable.  I want 

to learn how to unlock our minds, my mind, so that when I hear opinions

or views that don't match up with mine, I can  still listen  and understand.

Charlotte Eriksson

Total strangers can deliver unexpected wisdom to us, impacting our lives deeply.  The information seemingly coming out of nowhere meets no resistance and becomes lodged in our minds.  As we never see this stranger again, there are no available answers to our questions.  We can either seek additional knowledge or choose to disconnect.

With our barriers down, unanticipated conversations can bury nuggets of treasure.  Little shards of gold slowly surface after the stranger has long passed.  As they float up to our consciousness our curiosity is drawn to the shining treasure. The opportunity to pursue the golden thought is totally up to us.

Strangers may be angels sent from the Divine hoping to side step our rigid thinking and closed minds.      Synchronicity grabs our attention and alters the rhythm of the daily grind.  Caught off guard, we may be more receptive to the differing rhythm of strangers.

To Be Restored

"I've always had enough,

even if my enough and your enough

are as different as an elephant and a minaret."

Catherynne M. Valente

What about love, I ask?  How much is enough?  Do we habitually give until we are depleted?  Are we 'gimme pigs' slurping up everything for ourselves? When do we know we are fully saturated or lacking for more?

How does one know if they are suffocating in a relationship or if a person is dying on the end of the vine?  Is there a way to detect if there is too much emotion or not enough fire? Is there a scale for measurement or a thermostat for adjustment?  Doesn't relationship infer two?

I believe we must depend upon detecting the answers with our personal inventory.  We must be in touch with our inner feelings and understand what we need.  Then we move on to whether or not we are receiving what we desire.  If affirmations present themselves, then we can focus on being the best partner we can possibly be.  It is in the giving we might hopefully receive and be restored.

Recognized and Remembered

"They didn't recognize me," I repeat.

He stops in turn, my hand still on his arm.

"It's because they have never seen you," he says.

"I would recognize you anywhere." 

Muriel Barbery

Recognition is not the goal if we are extending our gifts and talents to better the lives of others.  We encourage and guide during work and play which builds our integrity and radiates our soul.  Our contribution may be a microscopic drop in a brilliant landscape, but without it, the picture would be  incomplete.

We all have the desire to be seen and heard which is important to our unfolding spiritual and physical lives.  If we believe observers are unaware of our efforts, we can choose to remember the Divine is always cheering us on.  Our good deeds do not go unnoticed and goodness is returned to us double fold in random acts of kindness from others.

If we allow our light to shine brightly, we will be seen or our energy will be felt.  We can create a presence just by being.  Look into the eyes of others and see if a trace of recognition is reflected.  Know that energy has been exchanged and duly registered.   On some level, we are recognized and remembered by many.

 . 

The Right to Command

"I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me,

merely because you are older than I, or because you have

seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority

depends on the use you have made of your time and experience."

 Charlotte Bronte

A highly educated person is not automatically a brilliant scholar.  The educated need  to share what they learn, to make application or to demonstrate in terms understood by others.  Ancient wisdom survives generations, but does not enhance the lives of others if it is not communicated in a decipherable language.

When a mentor or peer talks down to those who are listening, a distance is automatically created.  The gap in the exchange allows for a disconnect and enhancement seeps away.  The wise soul is the one who can lower or heighten his level of communication with a determination to successfully be understood.

No matter who we are beggar or prince, we contain a message for the world.  We can choose not to condescend, and to unite on common ground with respect.  For some, the message is unspoken so our hearts need to be open.  It is when we listen to each other on common ground or catch a glimpse of a reflection that moves us to tears, there is no need for superiority nor commands.

All The Heavens Imagined

"A woman has to live her life,

or live to repent not having lived it."

D.H. Lawrence

Lady Chatterley's Lover

As a physical human being, a large graph stretches before me.  There are various markings in an array of colors, demonstrating individuals routes leading to enlightened experiences.  In this human body, I have freedom to decide where I might travel.

Fortunately, I also am equipped with a silent partner.  Some may use the label spirit guide, mentor, totem, or angel.  This higher being nudges me when I stray too far off my intended path or pushes me into needed scenarios I do not recognize.

I am also a child of God/Goddess/Universe which means I have a spiritual connection coaching me into sacred realms.  This is where I learn respect for various aspects of worship and compassion for all travelers on the road of life.  Using my physical body, I encase my sacred heart, and hope to be all the heavens imagined.

Happy Homemaker, Obedient Wife or Some Dumb Bunny

"You educate a man; you educate a man.

You educate a woman; you educate a generation." 

Brigham Young

Gratitude fills my soul when I recall all of the children I have worked with in my career and with those I gave birth.  I did not have a strong sense of 'who I was' but I clearly knew who I wasn't.  I defied stereotypical roles such as the happy homemaker, the obedient wife, or some dumb bunny.

Not having a true sense of self led me down pathways decorated by my creative spirit.  If I had known who I was, I would not have been a seeker exploring the belly of life or the realms of heaven. I slowly expanded through trial and error, regrouped, and searched again.

My willingness to seek taught me a resilience I never would have had.  Determination, coupled with stubbornness, and imagination led me beyond false scenarios.  Focus on the individual spirit, allowed me to embrace the next generation as authentic beings capable of enormous growth.

The Library

"We are not here to match and homogenize and agree on every point.

One size of spirituality does not fit all.  We are here to be our divine

selves, boldly, passionately, respectfully, to the absolute best of our

ability ~ and this, this is more than enough."

Sera Break

Remember me, please, as a library.  Think of me having numerous shelves with volumes of information not always running parallel.  My words found on numerous pages may be conflicting and yet, remarkably spot on.  Chapters may be repeated, but they have been slightly altered casting a different point of reference.

In one section of the library, I may be sharing how I have changed dramatically over the years, while in a different section documenting how I am very much the same person as when I was born.  Glancing down the rows, it is obvious that I wear colored jackets, some torn by heavy wear.  If the cover you find is pristine, put it back and select a book reflecting endurance and wear ability.  

I claim all of the words I have written and reluctantly acknowledge those still waiting to take form.  I have taken great joy in being the sliding library ladder riding back and forth between what matters.  As I age, however, the singular words of 'I love you' remain constant on my breath.

Spirit Awakens

"A single event can awaken within us

a stranger totally unknown to us.  To

live is to be slowly born."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Forty years ago, I was asked to play the part of Mary Magdalene in a church Christmas play.  I didn't give much thought to accepting this role, until I studied her life and the role she played in Christian history.  I was surprised to come across controversies about her which kept me digging deeper into this woman's life.  Parallels with Mary Magdalene continued to surface in my life.

Mary Magdalene flows through the blood of every woman.   Our life experiences may be totally foreign to each other, but at the core, we experience the purity of blood.  Women are often misunderstood, stereotyped, and branded by the impatience of man.  We are  judged by analytical, critical and biased information.

When we view  the expansive role of Mary Magdalene, we see a woman in relationship to her community, her family, and to Jesus the Christ.  She was criticized, judged and stoned, but rebuilt her strength through a relationship with the Divine.  She flourished, became a leader among women, and carried faith into the hearts of others.  This woman's spirit awakens within us all.

Beholder of Words

"Keep your language.  Love its sounds, its modulation, its rhythm.  

But try to march together with men of different languages, 

remote from your own, who wish like you for a more

just and human world."

Helder Camara

As I have aged, I have realized every person has a language known uniquely to himself.  It may be words composed of mathematical figures or exclusively developed shorthand.  The more artistic may see beyond surfaces into beams of light which radiates indecipherable meaning.  Volumes may be heard by the great grandchild through the elder's sigh of only one word.

The spoken word is so beautiful and articulate.  The written word offers freedom and fantasy.  The deepest form of language may be found, however, in the acts of kindness towards one's self and strangers.  The unspoken word held captive escapes through body language of judgment or acceptance.  Our heart can radiate heat or turn a sensitive woman stone cold.

Constant awareness and deep respect for differences help us to see into the eyes of the beholder to his words of love.  Through the eyes we by-pass gender, nationality, deformity or airs of superiority.  We see into the heart of the matter without barriers of accent, sound or mutation.  It is important to be familiar with our unique and intimate words so that they can be resonated out into the world.