Inner Space

"There is peace even in the storm."

Vincent van Gogh

Now, more than ever, the world seems to be swirling, spinning us off balance. Even when deliberately standing squarely on both feet, the winds of change batter us about. Making good choices based upon our own boundaries and needs, still does not protect us from the storms on any given day.

Real control comes from within, where we have created safe space, so that we can simply 'be'. Gaze into the setting sun, stare at the brilliant moon, capture the innocence beaming from the baby's face and bring all generated feelings inside. Hold the resulting emotions safely within creating a sense of peace.

When a sense of inner peace is created, we carry it around with us, having access at any given time. Visit it often, do not wait until desperation overwhelms us. Mentally, we sit in our sacred space feeling connection with all there is while beckoning the presence of whatever we deem holy. 

• 
  

Inner Nightmares

"I dream my painting 

and I paint my dream."

Vincent van Gogh

Dreamscapes have been sprawled across backdrops of everything but normal.  For months we all have been exposed to drastic changes not only physically but mentally.  We have been kicked out of our norm which is then reflected in our dreams.

Not only have there been dictates from the government, there have also been disruptions astrologically.  I am not inclined to the daily shifting of the skies, but I sure know what retrograde feels like!  

The full moon has always impacted the energy surrounding me and enhances my dream time, but retrograde is far more jarring and intensive.  It seems as though our personal energy increases either positively or negatively, impacting our atmospheres.   Words of wisdom ...  ride out the storm; go with the flow; see and look for the good in the midst of chaos; and believe dreams reflect our inner nightmares.

Hey, You're Not The Boss of Me!

"If you hear a voice within you say

"you cannot paint,"

then by all means paint, 

and that voice will be silenced.

Vincent Van Gogh

The radiant young woman stated she taught a meditative painting class.  She apologetically  shared facts about her background which did not include art classes.  She also minimized the meditations she used as they were her own, not some well known person.  No, she wasn't a writer, she made clear.

Why do we do that?  Why in a vulnerable moment do we share a passion of ours then spend wasted minutes convincing the listener we are no good.  I was drawn to this young woman, and I wanted to know more.  She again began to back pedal telling me all of the things wrong with her class.  I finally interrupted her and aggressively said, "I don't want to hear those parts!  I want to hear what prompted you to do this! "  Pleasure slithered across her face.  She then shared how she had visualized painting for years, and imagined having a private space to create.  She was innocently endearing.

Divine Spirit prompts us, gives us nudges towards unexplored areas of our lives that would bring us joy or pleasure.  It is not as though we would need to master these areas, but to experience them.  Then ego jumps in with dripping negativity, squashing the desire and squelching the excitement.  This is when we need to raise our voice to ego and say, "Hey, you're not the boss of me!"

When a splendid idea flits across our mind, we need to pay attention.  We can reduce it to a manageable size so we can begin right away or we can enlarge the idea, expanding it into true passion.  The key is to follow through at any level possible.  Start little until a mentor appears or a reasonable class to share the basics becomes available.  Whether it is music, painting, or writing, when we raise our awareness, opportunities unfold.