many paths

I hope you enjoy this excerpt from the Preface of my new book, BLESSINGS BY DIVINE DESIGN, now available on Amazon…

blessed-b

“There are many paths on a journey. There are many books in the library. Not every path or every book is going to work for everybody. Children and teens often listen to their friends or other adults before they listen to their parents, even if they tell them the same exact thing. There are as many ways to make dreams come true as there are people on the planet, but not every person is going to write a book about it. If you are seeking to understand how creative energy works and, specifically, how you can use it to create what you want, then getting lots of information about different techniques can help.

Social media is another example of many voices sharing the same message. If you participate in any online groups where information is freely shared, you no doubt have seen lots of the same stories, photos, and jokes passed around from time to time. Some are the same, some have been personalized by the sender.

 But what makes you look at it or read it one time and not another? Does who sends it to you make a difference? Possibly. Then there are those days when it doesn’t matter who sends it or says it, you won’t be in a receptive mode; and other times, you will see a quote or statement that perhaps you’ve seen a hundred times before, yet it will be like the first time you ever saw it – it’s message will strike a chord in your Awareness, like an arrow hitting a target. Sometimes, it just depends on the delivery and your level of receptivity, and if something can be expressed to you in a new or different way, even if it’s saying the same old thing, you might get a new understanding of it; kind of like finally fully hearing the words to the lyrics of a song that you’ve hummed along with for years without actually knowing what it said.

Will every technique in this book help you? Perhaps. Maybe not. But hopefully there will be some ideas expressed in unique and interesting enough ways that will inspire you to keep working on achieving your dreams, or at least set you in the direction of coming up with your own ideas. Don’t let past failed techniques or advice stop you from reaching upward in your life. No matter how many times you have tried something, if you keep trying (thereby refusing to give up), you will eventually find the technique or method that works for you. While Thomas Edison didn’t invent electricity, he devoted much of his life to inventing ways to harness its tremendous power. If he had stopped his efforts after a few failed attempts, you might not be enjoying electricity and all its accoutrements the way you do today. He did not admit failure, merely acknowledged identifying ways that didn’t work! Most importantly, he tried again and again, perfecting his technique, learning how to use the energy yoked in his hands, until he met with success.

This book is written with that idea in mind. There are several different presentations offered on some traditional processes that may help you to look at the way you’ve been creating in a different way. You haven’t been doing it wrong, but if you don’t have what you want in your life, maybe you need to fine tune and hone your skills. The first stone wheel probably didn’t roll out of the cave perfectly round and already aligned. It probably had some square angles and chunks on it that made for a bumpy ride. But the craftsman with a chisel and a dream kept working at it until he or she created the first stone wheel that rolled smoothly. And the rest of the wheel-creating industry was born. Each additional craftsman or creator, made his or her own improvements on what was once a good enough but potentially incomplete vision. But because that first caveman or cavewoman dared to create their vision to the best of their ability at that time, we now have wheels that make tracks on other planets. The caveman may never have conceived that idea – or even had the understanding to conceive it – but because he acted on his dream, it set the “wheels of creation” in motion for all future Creative Extensions.

What you create may not be comparable to the first wheel, but this analogy is meant to inspire you to go after your dreams! Starting with something simple will give rise to something greater in you, something you may not have conceived of before, but if you will give your dream a chance to be born, it will carry you forward into a life you have previously not imagined. If someone has created something similar to what you want, then there’s your proof it can be done. Now, create your own version of it!”

Check it out here:  https://www.amazon.com/Blessings-Divine-Design-Visionization-Mapping/dp/1441422846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485715861&sr=8-1&keywords=blessings+by+divine+design

if you want…

 

If you want more Love in the world, be more loving to yourself and everyone else around you, even if you disagree. Being in disagreement or opposition might make it more challenging but it does not make it impossible to love others. Love includes respect. Respect includes knowing that others may have different ideas, values, or opinions, but it does not make them less than you (or you less than them).

If you want more Peace in the world, be more peaceful within yourself and around others, even when chaos reigns. Being peaceful within yourself does not mean you are ignoring what is going on around you; it simply means you are making a choice about not adding fuel to fire. Even when others are being less than peaceful within their own lives, you can give a good example of Peace by the choices you make leading to a peaceful existence.

If you want more Compassion in the world, be more compassionate with yourself and others around you, even when they are acting in ways that defy compassion. Being compassionate does not mean you condone what they are doing, but it does provide an avenue for the expression of unconditional love, which everyone needs more of. Through the act of compassion, you detach from judgment and relate to others as humans, as spiritual beings just like yourself.

If you want more Faith in the world, be more faithful with your own beliefs and tolerant of others. When you remain in faith, you cannot also be in fear, judgment, anger, resentment, unforgeivness, Being in faith means you are willing to let go of the chains of negativity flowing around you. The way to be a lamp unto the world is to live by Faith, not fear: Walk your Talk.

Your World According to Should

 

(when trying to create a Vision for your life)

It may be necessary for you to relax your ideas about what you think a vision should be.

As you’ve probably realized by now, “should” places a heavy burden upon the shoulders of the person wearing its cloak, a burden that will never be lifted because the wearer keeps allowing things to be added to the pile. One thing to realize about all the “shoulds” in your life: they always come from a source outside your True Self. Your “Still Small Voice” will never tell you what you should do – it’s much more direct than that (if you’re listening to it). It tells you what TO DO.

If you have lived your life according to the “shoulds” of society, family, friends, co-workers, and peers, how might you be feeling right now? A bit overwhelmed? At a loss where to turn or what to do next? Out of control? Anxious? Depressed? Like, if it weren’t for the awesome responsibility your “shoulds” have created, you would just hang it all up (either by just walking away or perhaps, drastically speaking, suicide)? “Suicide by Should” is not the way to go.

You hurt yourself and limit your real abilities when you take on the responsibility of “should.” It creates an expectation you can’t possibly live up to, and then, when you don’t quite measure up, you have “failed.” Is there anything worse than the sense of failure instilled by an unfulfilled “should”? Family and friends are disappointed. Grade cards and annual reviews are not quite as glowing as they “should” have been. Even worse is that deep sense of regret, shame, and guilt – perhaps even anger – you may feel inside when you realize you just can’t cut it, according to “should.”

Then someone comes along and informs you that you “shouldn’t” let this or that have control over you. I trust nowhere in this book will you find a sense of you “should” do this or “shouldn’t” do that. No expectations are being imposed upon you from this side of the page – hopefully, only practical advice and guidance as to how to regain control of your life.

Anytime you feel “out of control” or unable to handle the things happening in your life, it’s because you either haven’t created a vision for your life that you’re committed to, or you’ve lost sight of it somewhere along the way because of some sense of “should” that you’re trying to follow. No matter what kind of trouble you’re having in your life, you can probably trace it back to the basic concept of a vision, or lack thereof. This brings you back again to “visionizing” your life.

But where do you begin?

It may be helpful as you pursue or peruse this vision concept if you simply suspend judgment for the duration. Let go of the “shoulds.” Let go of your expectations and preconceived ideas. It matters little how far you are on the spiritual path compared to your neighbor or your Sunday school teacher or your dad when he was this age. Refrain from judging yourself by any standard. Simply let loose and let go of all the inflexible ideas you’ve held about where you “should” be by now.

(This is an excerpt from the book, Blessings by Divine Design, by Barbara Quin, to be published in 2017 by Great Spirit Publishing.)

You Are Everybody and Everybody Holds the Key

 

Everybody is Somebody

It’s interesting to observe the reaction of people when seeing former colleagues, or even distant relatives. Recently, I witnessed a person visiting the place where I work. I’ll call him John. Everyone who passed by John stopped and exclaimed about how good he looked, how great it was to see him, inquired about his activities since retirement, his family, etc., and laughed about previous times shared together. As John went through the building, other workers would stop and call out to him in recognition. Smiles, laughter, handshakes, slaps on the back. All good; all should make John feel good about coming back for a visit, to be so warmly received. Which is usually the goal when visiting a former place of employment or other belonging, like a club or school.

I don’t know John from Adam. I have no idea who he is and have no working relationship with him, so it could have been a meaningless experience for me; I merely observed and let it go. But what it actually did was point out that Everybody is Somebody. Everybody has some measure of influence where they work, go to school or church, etc. They impact the people around them, whether they are aware of it or not, the degree of which depends on how they interact. Are they positive, pleasant, and friendly, or critical, complaining, and micromanaging? How a person interacts with others and shows up day to day will determine the quality of such a reunion.

Have you experienced this? How do you want to be remembered at the place where you work, learn, share, and grow? Remember, you are making an impact not only on the present environment, but you will leave a lasting impression that will ripple back in any future encounter, to be witnessed by others who were not there the first time around.

Always remember:  Everybody leaves no one out. Everybody is Somebody. And YOU are Somebody, too.

 

Everybody is Dealing with Stuff

One of the popular quotes passing through the ethers now, in essence, states, “Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle.” While this has been widely mis-attributed to Plato or Philo of Alexandria, amongst other modern writers and philosophers, the actual originator of the statement is believed to be Rev. John Watson, writing as Ian Maclaren, a Scottish author and theologian who lived from 1850 – 1907. His original statement was written as, “Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle.”

The purpose of the statement, of course, is to remind us that everybody has stuff to deal with, stuff we know nothing about. I once worked with a young woman I’ll call Mary. Mary was so pleasant and sweet at the office. She had a smile on when she arrived and when she left. I never knew of any difficulties in her life; I even wrote a story for her kids about a little stow-away kitten in her car. Then, one day, Mary announced she was moving to another state. It came to my attention via the office grapevine that she was getting a divorce and leaving a very difficult marriage. Nothing in her demeanor ever reflected the challenges she was facing at home. I admired her strength yet wished I could have provided some kind of emotional support for her. My hope was that Mary excelled in her new job and her life was more blessed than ever. I believe she is the kind of person who would receive a very warm welcome on a visit with former co-workers.

Just because someone is smiling all the time doesn’t mean they don’t have trials and personal battles. And, likewise, just because someone may appear grumpy or cranky, doesn’t mean they are just mean for meanness sake. They may be just having a bad day, or they may be facing tests no one else knows about and they just don’t know how to ask for support or help.

Even you, reading this, have things you are dealing with that likely your closest friends know nothing of, so we can all be reminded of the truth of the words, no matter where they came from, that everyone is dealing with stuff the best way they know how. Let us not judge each other based on first impressions, but seek instead to give each other the benefit of the doubt unless and until proven otherwise.

Above all, if a choice must be made:  Kindness is never a mistake in response to anyone.

 

Everybody is Deserving

You – yes, You – along with Everybody else, are deserving of good things in life. You deserve your dreams to come true. You deserve to have plenty of money to meet your expenses, plenty of food to ensure a sated appetite, and all the things needed to make your life comfortable. You deserve to work at a job you enjoy, to feel you are making a contribution to the Goodness in the world. You deserve to feel your feelings. You deserve health, vitality, happiness, peace, forgiveness, success, and, yes, even You deserve Unconditional Love. Accept that you deserve to receive these things, and let yourself be Blessed to give them to others, too, through your interactions, your attitude, your words, and the way you treat others. And don’t take it too personally when someone responds in a way that surprises you, because you don’t know what they’re dealing with; Everybody also deserves compassion.

Thinking on these things called to mind an old song with the refrain, “Come on, people, now; Smile on your brother; Everybody get together; Try to love one another, Right now” (see link and lyrics below).

If you choose to listen to this song, pay close attention to the lyrics, because they are telling you some of the Secrets of Life:  Love is a song we sing; fear is how we die; we are here but for a moment; listen and you will understand; and You hold the key to love and fear within your hands, the same key that unlocks them both, so it’s up to your command.

Finally, keep this in mind and close in Heart:

You are Somebody.

You are dealing with stuff no one else knows about.

You are Deserving of a great life.

 

Namaste’

 

(click for video and song):  Get Together, by The Youngbloods

 

If you would like to sing along, here are the lyrics to “Get Together,” sung by The Youngbloods, from 1967.

“GET TOGETHER” by The Youngbloods

Love is but a song to sing
Fear’s the way we die
You can make the mountains ring
Or make the angels cry
Though the bird is on the wing
And you may not know why

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

Some may come and some may go
We shall surely pass
When the one that left us here
Returns for us at last
We are but a moment’s sunlight
Fading in the grass

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

If you hear the song I sing
You will understand (listen!)
You hold the key to love and fear
All in your trembling hand
Just one key unlocks them both
It’s there at your command

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

 

Do you want Gratitude with that?

There are some days when I have numerous, intense moments of Gratitude. It’s a feeling like being immersed in a deep vat of liquid, shimmering, golden Light. It feels bigger than my Being. It feels more expanded, like Earth being aware of the Space it inhabits. It extends to the far reaches of that Inner Space.

Like “praying without ceasing,” growing a Consciousness of Gratitude is a moment-by-moment experience that doesn’t happen all at once. So much of our day is consumed with gotta-get-this-done-right-now attention that it zaps our energy. We can feel like a funnel that all our attention and energy is pouring through, trying to fill a bottomless pit of stuff-to-do.

Today’s unexpected Moments reminded me of French fries, how they really can hit the spot when you’re hungry for them and they are hot, salty, and fresh. Life hungers for Gratitude like lungs hunger for air, or a dry garden for thirst-quenching rain seeping into its roots. Gratitude could be called the Life Force of our Good. The more we have of Gratitude, the better our life becomes – the better our Life Outlook becomes.

If you have an active Gratitude practice, wherein you are seeking to experience more Gratitude in each day, I invite you to think of Gratitude like a French fry (or a grape from a bunch or a glistening berry in a full bowl or whatever image inspires you). The next time you have one, before you eat it, give it a Gratitude Identity – that is, name a Gratitude for each fry before you eat it and then savor the Golden Goodness as it fills you. You can do this with anything you eat, or even any task at hand – every garment you fold when doing laundry, every dish you wash after dinner, ever step you take in the park.

When you add an Attitude of Gratitude to each day, your life becomes fuller and more abundant in ways you don’t normally think about. Gratitude is not all about money. It’s about Peace of Mind, Grace of Heart, more Unconditional Love and less judgment; more Forgiveness and less resentment.

In case you think you don’t have anything to be Grateful about (yes, I’ve heard people say that), consider all the things you take for granted:  shelter, transportation, employment, education, friends, family, church, hobbies, bills – yes, bills!; food, coffee, tea, running water, art, science, Freedom to think what you want to think, be what you want to Be. Some things are big, some are small, but they all count when being Grateful and the feeling will probably intensify every time you give it your Attention.

Even if your life is different than you think it should be, there are still many things for which to be grateful, so I hope, today, you make the Choice for Gratitude.

Namaste’

A Tumbleweed Christmas

 

Christmas looms ahead, in a dead heat with all the bills that won’t gift themselves in December, in addition to increased expenses and winter heating costs! It would be an easy time to become discouraged by all the commercial push against the withering wallet. But a question I overheard once brought to mind an experience that may help bring to focus the real meaning of this busy holiday time.

 

Of course, it is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Way-shower to the world. We must always remember that. Within that, also, is the desire to give gifts, even if they are as simple as that of the Little Drummer Boy’s humble performance. But gifts in themselves are not always what we remember about Christmas past – sometimes it’s the feeling of the holiday – the intent. A couple of these were brought to mind in response to the question:  What is your favorite holiday/Christmas memory?

 

First to mind was a time when, as a young child, our family had very little materially. My father had been struggling to recover from a broken back injury that had left him in the hospital for nearly a year. His recovery was slow and recouping income to the family was slower. So how do you tell three children under five years of age there is no Christmas this year?

 

Somewhere in storage is an old black and white photograph of a tumbleweed, taken from the dusty desert around Phoenix where we then lived. It was sprayed with white flock material, the kind we used to also spray on window panes and write our fingers through, pretending it was real snow. Strewn over the brambly shrub were old-fashioned icicles, slivers of shiny silver that captured the light to imitate the ice-imposter in a hot desert community. Perhaps a few other ornaments, but no strings of white or colored lights. Santa saw fit that year to work through the landlord to provide my sister and I with plastic dolls that were half as tall as we were; my brother was young enough to be happy with the wrapping paper. Those dolls no doubt provided many happy hours of play. Then, as struggling families always seem to be able to do, a festive meal was prepared from the cobwebs in the corners and we were all grateful to be alive. No one noticed if the gravy seemed watered down or how the single chicken seemed to feed so many.

 

The second memory was when I was older, late teens. Financial troubles in waiting on the proceeds from the sale of our home meant there was no cash at Christmas. Reaching beyond the commercialism, however, we gathered around the kitchen table with a stack of magazines and scissors and proceeded to cut out pictures of what we would like to give each other had money been no object. What would you give your loved ones if money was no object? Can you find a picture of it? Imagine if money were no object and you could give each other whatever you wanted. What a wonderful feeling! Though I don’t remember the pictures now, the same way most gifts of Christmas past fade from prominence, what meant the most was being safe and being together. We knew better times would come eventually.

 

We don’t need a lot of fancy packages and big parties to really get the focus on Christmas. If a baby can be born and cradled in an animal’s feeding trough and from that humble beginning provide salvation for the world, how much more grateful should we be to have friends and family nearby, presents or not, to have the physical capacity to think and the feeling ability to appreciate and the spiritual development to wrap up the idea of Love? Can we also then reach beyond the commercialism and rush-and-grab frenzy this season to remember what it really is all about?

 

So this year, as the shiny paper and pearly bows are flying on Christmas morn’, think about your own Tumbleweed Christmas. If your family or friends don’t know what a tumbleweed is, it’s the perfect opportunity to help them learn that, just because something appears scraggly and useless, there can be a great deal of love contained in those brittle, spindly branches, a memory that once made them green and growing with life.

 

Merry Christmas.

 

(Note:  This article was also published at Freshare.net in 2007, http://freshare.net/article/a_tumbleweed_christmas/#.VnGnFzbUjDA;

and in Senior Living Newspaper in December, 2009, and in Yahoo Voices in their now discontinued community pages)

Gratitude through the Holiday Season

Maintaining a Sense of Gratitude through the Holiday Season

Amid the merriment and joy so often expressed during special and seasonal holidays, some people may experience more depression or a sense of separation and aloneness, even when in the middle of a rousing crowd. Many things can contribute to this, such as the loss of loved ones, separation, divorce, unemployment, poverty or lack of resources, poor health, estrangement from loved ones, and more. Some people are good at covering up their sense of grief during the holidays while others express it in grumpiness, aloofness, being a “Scrooge,” etc. And then there are those who genuinely love the whole experience and cannot help but express their joy and happiness.

Wherever you fall in this rainbow of experience, it is still possible to find joy and to be grateful during the holidays, no matter what kind of holiday it is. One way to do this is to realize all holidays are a means of celebrating life, in one form or another. People often become unhappy because they have developed unrealistic expectations about the holidays, i.e., not getting the presents they wanted, not being with the people they wanted to be with, not having enough money, and so forth. After all, how can you expect to be grateful if you didn’t get what you wanted, if Billy, or Joey, or Jenny got more than you, and Gerald and Reggie got the most expensive gifts of all? Where is the gratitude in that?

Finding something to be grateful for can be a challenge if we’re in a mindset that is demanding more and more and more and seeing less as a result of it. It’s a matter of perspective. Where’s your focus? Where are you placing your attention? What are your expectations of the event and are you being realistic? Can you stop long enough to find a sense of peace in the sunset or star shine, a breeze or drifting cloud? No one is ever so totally alone that they cannot be grateful for something, even if it’s just the awareness that Spirit (God/Universe) is present. We might not have a certain person in our presence, but we have the memory or the dream of them in our hearts. When we feel the loneliest is the time to reach out and help someone else who might be feeling that way, too.

You don’t have to be surrounded by close family and friends to experience the same amount of love and joy if you choose to move into a place of community. It might be as simple as working in a soup kitchen for the day, volunteering to help others through some charity, helping to create an event/meal where people can come together to celebrate, or joining in a church service or ceremony. We might not have a close physical family, but we are all part of the Family of Humanity, the Family of Creation. Looking for common bonds we share is one way to be grateful and to take your focus off what you think is missing.

So, how can you be grateful this holiday season, even if you feel a little melancholy or lost? Start by being grateful for simple things. Here are a few ideas:

• Your health – and the fact that you can heal (and learn from illness or injury if you listen to what it is telling you);
• Family and friends you do have – if they are not close by, write to them or call them; if you’re estranged, take the first step to reconciliation – what if that’s all it takes to bridge the gap?
• Pets – if you don’t have any or have lost yours, visit a pet store or shelter to experience the unconditional love of animals – you don’t have to own one to enjoy their energy;
• Food to eat – even if you don’t have the “traditional” holiday fare, celebrate and give thanks for what you do have;
• Transportation and mobility – if you can, get up and go somewhere different – get out of your rut of complacency and look at a different scene;
• Nature/wildlife – go to a park, out into the country, a nature center – watch the birds and squirrels in your own backyard – notice how they are not concerned with traditions or rules of society;
• Nature/trees/plants/flowers – depending on the time of the season, give yourself permission to just enjoy the outdoors, even if you can only look up and see the sky between rooftops – watch the clouds float by and plant a dream into their vapors to be carried into the Universe;
• Resources right where you are – look around; you probably have plenty of “things” near you right now. What can you create from them? Can you tidy up and donate some of them to charity? Can you rearrange your furniture into a better-feeling order? Can you create a feast from the items in your pantry or freezer? It doesn’t matter if they don’t “go together” – you can create a lovely meal with what you have – invite others to bring what they have and share a unique dining experience and perhaps create a new tradition;
• Movies / Music – find some old movies on television or online; pull out some old videos or even home movies or favorite music from when you were younger;
• Children / Games – give your children an afternoon of completely undivided attention from you, playing what they like to play, or teaching them some games from your own childhood; turn off the media and focus on each other (do the same with your spouse, partner, friend, parent, sibling, or other family member who means a lot to you);
• Spirit / God / Universal Source – spend some time in prayer, meditation, and contemplation of your Creative Power/Source – allow yourself to really connect and you will discover so much to be grateful for when you release expectations, conditions, and rules. Give yourself permission to just Be in the moment.

As you can see, these are just some of the things for which you can express gratitude. Don’t let a date on the calendar keep you from living your Blessed Life now. Everyone has experienced loss but everyone also has the choice to stay in grief or to seize the day before them to make the best of it and honor the memories of their loved ones (who would not want them to be sad) by claiming Happiness and choosing an Attitude of Gratitude and Unconditional Love.

In this unfolding Christmas season and approaching New Year, I wish you much Love (make it Unconditional), Joy, Peace (make it that which surpasseth understanding), Health, Happiness, and Wholeness, no matter where you are…

~ Namaste’