The Power of Stories

Life, Story, Writing 0

Our stories have power.  Let this power be at the heart of your writing practice, and let your writings awaken and strengthen you in return.

Let all these stories inspire you to spend your time more richly, and let that richness spill onto your pages.

Let your stories of change and stumblings illuminate the path for those hiking behind you.  Writing lights a bright beam for all to see, and that light leads to more souls sharing their experiences.

Let me give you a big “juicy pen” and some “thirsty paper” to drink up your words and stories.

— Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper, by SARK, p. 119-120

Every Experience for Good

Gratitude, Life, Peace 0

I remember hearing, early in my spiritual recovery, that we should thank God for every experience we have, while we are having it; that we need to look for the good in every one of our experiences.  I was not easily convinced.  I had had too many painful times in my life to believe it was all intentional and all holy.  It took more than a little willingness for me to review my past with an eye toward seeing and then accepting that all of my experiences were holy, even the most painful, and that all were necessary to help create who I had become, and thus had been a blessing.  Letting in the idea that there are no accidents allows us to give up our confusion, our fear, our spiteful anticipation, our preconceived resentments, our resistance, and our near-constant concern over outcomes.  We can choose to believe that every experience is on its own schedule and that showing up for it is our only real job.

If this seems too simple or far-fetched, consider this:  If you find out at the time of death that this way of seeing was all wrong, will it matter?  I think not.  In the meantime, it will have allowed you to be far more peaceful going forward.

— Karen Casey, Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow, p. 111-112

Enchantment Is Self-serve.

Joy, Life 0

To all of you who would like more excitement, pleasure, and satisfaction in your lives, please take note:  Enchantment is self-serve.  Opportunities abound, if you are available.…

As we have seen, it isn’t certain things that satisfy us, it is our capacity to be satisfied.  Are you satisfiable?  Notice that I’m not saying you should settle for less; rather, I’m suggesting that you develop the capacity to Receive more.  The last line of Derek Walcott’s poem “Love After Love” says it beautifully:  “Sit.  Feast on your life.”  What are you presented with that you might fully Receive in this moment, this place, this income, this age, this you, this life?  Whatever it is:  Sit.  Feast.

— Victoria Castle, The Trance of Scarcity, p. 130-132

Being Lavish

Joy, Life 0

Overindulging or acting unconsciously is quite different from being lavish.  When we are lavish, we inhabit the unconflicted realm of Yes — wholehearted and intentional enthusiasm for life. . . .  When we make strict rules for ourselves about what is allowed and how we may feel, we’re being stingy with ourselves.  That stinginess leads to frustration, suspicion, righteous anger, and, ultimately, grim resignation.  If we don’t believe we can have what we want, we unconsciously create lifestyles that assure we can’t possibly be fulfilled.

— Victoria Castle, The Trance of Scarcity, p. 125

Directed Energy

Gratitude, Inspiration, Life, Trust 0

Living in confident expectation means using your energy most efficiently; it’s the way to live life by design rather than by default.  Direct your energy!  Remember, it doesn’t matter how much you want something.  Wanting is self-perpetuating — if that’s where your energy is focused, you’ll just get more wanting.

— Victoria Castle, The Trance of Scarcity, p. 121

Influence

Connection, Core Value, Inspiration, Letting Go, Life 0

Think about the people who have most influenced you.  When I remember them I am always surprised to discover that these are people who did not try to influence me, who did not need my response.  Instead they radiated a certain inner freedom.  They made me aware that they were in touch with more than themselves.  They pointed to a reality greater than themselves from which and in whom their freedom grew.  This centeredness, this inner freedom, this spiritual independence had a mysterious contagiousness.

— Henri Nouwen, Turn My Mourning into Dancing, p. 75

Confident Expectation

Inspiration, Letting Go, Life, Peace 0

I encourage you to confidently expect, while not being attached to an outcome.  Expect it, but then let it go.  Yes, the money would be great, the job would be perfect, the relationship would be wonderful, but they in themselves are not what has value.  It’s what they provide that we are really interested in — the sense of security or freedom, the experience of happiness and belonging.  We can claim those states as our inner reality, with or without the associated tangibles.  It’s the essence behind the form that really matters to us.  And when we live in It Already Is, we are irresistible to the flow of abundance in the universe.

— Victoria Castle, The Trance of Scarcity, p. 120

A Mental Shift

Gratitude, Life, Peace 0

Gratitude is indeed like a gearshift that can move our mental mechanism from obsession to peacefulness, from stuckness to creativity, from fear to love.  The ability to relax and be mindfully present in the moment comes naturally when we are grateful.  One of the most delightful aspects of my Jewish heritage is the saying of Brachot, blessings or prayers of thanksgiving throughout the day.  These are praises of God for creating a world of infinite wonder and possibility.  There is a blessing upon seeing a star or a rainbow.  There is a blessing for the gifts of food, wine, and water.  There is even a blessing upon going to the bathroom for internal organs that function so well!

Joan Z. Borysenko, PhD, Gratitude: A Way of Life, by Louise L. Hay and Friends, p. 11