The Many Masks We Wear and the Truths We Hide

I love Halloween, it’s a day set aside for us to be outrageous or to bring forth something we wish we could be. But what happens on the other 364 days of the year when we are wearing our everyday costumes for fear the world will find out who we really are?

In order to prevent our true inner self from being seen, we wear a symbolic or metaphorical mask over our authentic personality in the hopes that our true self remains hidden. It is fear which creates the mask and fear which keeps it in place. The truth is that the masks we wear are hiding our true and most beautiful identity from both ourselves and from the world.

Masks can take the form of "I know it all" or "I'm tough" or "I'm different.” We want to believe that this is who we are, yet there are lingering false beliefs that over the years have become the foundation for the façade.

In addition to the mask we complement the disguise with stories and layers of accessories that add more credibility to the whole costume—another diploma or award, a faster car or a bigger house. Gradually, the costume becomes very heavy and the result is mental and physical exhaustion!

When we dig deeply enough into our hidden nature we find not darkness but light and the realization that our safety lies in actually letting down the mask and in being our true authentic self.

When you wake up tomorrow morning think about some of the disguises you are willing to take off in order to let out the beautiful you that lies within.

Change Your Thinking - Change Your Life

One of the most profound yet simplest statements I have ever read was, "change your thinking, change your life." At that time my thoughts were all about how I was a victim of outside circumstances, when all along, I was a victim of my own thinking! Once I got through that shocking discovery, I was able to turn things around. It took many years to clean up the trash that had piled up in my mind, the anger, the rage (which of course I denied), but thought by thought, feeling by feeling, step by step, I eventually turned my life around.

I discovered the power of my thoughts and the value of affirmations. I've seen my dreams come to fruition and the truth is that I'm far from complete!

Here is an exercise you can do over the next few days.  Envision the life you would like to live, write it, present tense, I am and I love being....fill your dream with images and pictures and feeling tones that match your dreams. Write it down and read it in the morning and before you go to bed.  it’s time well spent.

We live in an Extravagant Universe

Wayne Dyer said, "Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into."

We live in an extravagant universe. If you need proof there was quite a show Monday night which demonstrated just how magnificent this universe really is. Because of a huge solar flare up stargazers had the opportunity to see the northern lights as far south as Arkansas. A few hours of joy brought to you by the cosmos!

Are there moments of joy and pleasure that you have missed because you made a choice to see life through a different lens?  You have a choice to look at your life and see lack and limitation or the extravagances in your surroundings. You can make the choice to behold the magnificence in small things that are naked to the eye or the grander extravagances such as the stars and the galaxies. No matter where you look there is plenty.  Look for the lavishness in the simple things as well. The universe doesn't hold back!

When you are out and about today take some time to tune into and appreciate the richness of your environment and give thanks that it was all created just for you.

Above is a photo of a tiny sea algae called a diatom. This little creature can  turn dissolved phosphorous into an inorganic mineral shell. Now that’s magnificent!

Consider Your Choices!

Each day is a gift. As we open our eyes and stretch into it, we are given the opportunity to think a new thought about the life we desire. We have a choice to move through the day with purpose and to express our well-being or to sit on the sidelines and let life pass us by.

As you move through your day, consider each choice you make and if that choice doesn't feel right choose again. If the choices you make don't turn out exactly the way you thought they would, choose again. If you are feeling guilty or shameful about a particular choice, find that place of compassion in your heart and move through your challenge. Know that each juncture is a blessing and if we take responsibility for all our choices we are no longer the victim but the victor.

I invite you to look at the choices you've made in your life, good or "bad" and evaluate how that choice has gotten you to where you are. Bless each and every one of them and watch how your consciousness shifts.

Your Personal Holy Grail

Are you looking for the Holy Grail of awakening?  Are you going from workshop to workshop, class to class, waiting for some scrap of wisdom to turn on the light bulb of your consciousness?  The Holy Grail isn’t out there to be found, it lies within you. It is filled with your deepest desires, it’s there waiting for you to discover and drink its sweet reward. The Holy Grail is your intuition.

You have the power to tap into your subconscious and get signals that guide you gently, or not, towards a path that supports you in your growth and unfoldment. This all happens before you are consciously aware that anything is happening. Whether you call it a gut feeling, a hunch or sixth sense, intuition offers a course of action without much rational thought. Your intuition can help you decide what you should embrace and what you should avoid long before you've had time to analyze the situation.

Your dreams and deepest desires come from that place as well. Sit in a quiet place and tap into the highest idea for a project you’re working on, your next career move or a relationship you’re in. Listen with an inner ear and see where it takes you.

Dream Big!

Inner Transformation

Ernest Holmes wrote, "Anything you can dream of is not too great for you to undertake, if it hurts no one and brings happiness and good into your life."

Building dreams isn't simply about choosing what you want in life then thinking about it and hoping it will show up. It's about the work of inner transformation.

There are often missed opportunities to work through challenges. These opportunities come along when we're tired, when we feel beat down. Challenges come in the form of our fears and in the times when we talk ourselves out of our good. There are times when we settle for less when we know that we can have so much more.

Moving through these challenges is how we transform our inner landscape. Be observant and recognize when you are in the status quo. Face life head on with an inner confidence that you are in the flow of life moving forward with ease and grace. Trust yourself and accept your incredible good.

Caught in a Web of Egoic Thoughts

I was giving thanks today for the many blessings I have in my life. Then in the middle of my gratitude practice a fear thought crept in. I realized that my ego was trying to protect a great idea that I was being grateful for. I was afraid people wouldn't like it or that somebody else would claim it for their own. I also realized that I was being a bit arrogant. It's my idea and I'm going to hold onto it. That arrogance was arising once again from ego.

In the past the fear would have caused me a great deal of pain and difficulty because I would have spun the story until I was caught in a web of my own deception. But I caught myself, had a little chat with my ego and released the fear.

Life doesn't need to be difficult, painful or restricted because of our resistance to modify our mental and emotional states of thinking, feeling and acting. When we take constructive action by observing our thoughts we enrich our lives so we can have wholesome experiences. We can experience a whole range of good from being in supportive and loving relationships, to experiencing prosperity to creating good health.

Next time you’re spinning out of control, stop yourself like you would stop a child from running out onto a busy street and ask the question; "How is this thought serving my highest good?"

Flying High!

I was recently thinking  about a friend who wanted to get his pilot’s license and eventually became skilled and confident in his ability to fly small planes. One beautiful fall day he invited me to fly over the Mojave Desert. I arrived at the airport early and waited for him to check the aircraft; he went through his checklist not once but twice which made me feel very secure.  When we finally took off, the sense of freedom flying over the desert and seeing the snow covered mountains of Southern California from above  was exhilarating. 

We had many wonderful excursions after that and they were always related to good preplanning. Yet how do we plan each day as we set out into vast expanse of our lives?

Perhaps we could use a checklist before setting off into our day.

Here is as ten point head to toe check list I prepared for myself.

1.     Do I have any contaminated thoughts?

2.     Is my visibility clear? How am I seeing things today?

3.     Is my heart open to love and compassion?

4.     Do I have any energy leaks?

5.     Are there any obstructions that need to be released?

6.     Am I willing to use my hands in a creative way?

7.     Is my compass set on my higher purpose?

8.     What is my attitude?

9.     Where am I going with my day?

10.   Do I have sufficient fuel to get me there?

Check.....

Is everything a go?

Check

Yes…..

Take off, sour, and see your life from a place that you’ve never seen before….

Now enjoy your flight.

The Magic Wand

Imagine you are taking a walk in the woods and find a strange looking wooden box under a tree. You pick it up and examine it.  Upon opening the box you discover a wand and an iPod. On the iPod are instructions.  A lovely female voice says, “Contained in the box is a magic wand and by saying a few carefully chosen words....you could have anything you want”.  

Here are the guidelines:

·         You have to wait 48 hours before you use the wand.

·         You can only use it for good.

·         You have 10 minutes to say what you want.

·         You have to be very clear about what you want.

·         You have to be keenly aware of opportunities and resources that begin to make themselves available to you.

·         You must pay it forward by leaving the box in a place where a stranger can find it.

·         In 48 hours hold the magic wand in your right hand and state what you want. 

You say to yourself; “This is a bunch of craziness, there is no such thing as a magic wand”. But there is another part of you that says, “Go ahead and try it, what do you have to lose”?

What would you wish for in the areas of health, relationship and career? How clear would you be?

Chances are that you aren’t going to find a magic wand while taking a walk in the woods, but you do have within you the faculties to create for yourself the world that you want to live in. Just by taking time to be clear about what it is you want, you begin to produce positive results. You don’t have to know how, the universe is already working on the HOW. 

So knowing you have the power within you to create, what is one thing that you can get clear about today? Now claim it.