My musings
If you like to talk philosophy, you may enjoy my brief exploration of the link between eyesight, outlook on life, and inner vision. Let's take a look at the spiritual side of life, and of vision. None of what follows is religious doctrine, nor is it intended to be instructional. These are just my musings. I don't belong to any specific religion; I prefer to follow my intuition. So feel free to take from this what you like, and discard the rest.
The concept of God is such a personal experience that I'm not sure my experience will necessarily benefit anyone else. I think we each have to find our own path to our higher power, our strength comes from walking that path. Being led on this path by anything other than our own loving inner guidance diminishes our power; like a butterfly that has been helped out of the cocoon, its wings will lack the strength for it to fly. I can only encourage others to go take that walk for themselves, in the direction their heart points out. The rewards come with the very first step taken. Sometimes the reward comes disguised as struggle. Afterwards we learn that through our pains we find our power. And that power compares to the wings of a healthy butterfly, the one that followed nature's laws in its struggle to break free from its cocoon. After the initial struggle, true power allows us to 'fly' away from pain with elegance and ease.
Love/Light/Passion
From what I observe around me, I know only one thing pretty much for sure; each human body is on this earth temporarily. After conception/birth, sooner or later, there comes death. The amount of time in between those two moments varies, but even this is relative. In the big picture, it's all “just a blip.” So I think that what matters is not how long you live on this earth, but the amount of light that shines from you while you are here. How much passion, how much love is there in your life? Love for your self, love for life itself, love for what you do, love for the people around you, love for this earth and all it provides, love for anything and everything. How much love - period. Not tomorrow, but Now, in this very moment. Do you love reading this? Then read on. Don't? Then leave it and go do what stirs your passion.
Work
is love made visible
~ Kahlil Gibran
Whatever you do, do it with passion; be motivated by love!
A pastor friend of mine in Maine told me he stays on the straight and narrow path because of guilt over a dark issue in his past. That caused me to ponder the obvious opposite approach. How much different would his life be if he walked his chosen path out of deep love for the light, rather than out of fear for the dark?
From personal experience I'd say that when our actions are motivated by our deep love for the light, rather than our fear of the dark, serendipity happens. That's when life goes from effortful to effortless. Instead of struggle, we flow with life's changes, we function through dynamic relaxation, and we experience synchronicities on a regular basis.
...when
our actions are motivated by our deep love for the light,
rather than
our fear of the dark, serendipity happens.
The advantage of living life from love, is that we stop struggling, and that includes less strain in our eyes. We find ourselves open to the big picture. We can allow that picture to simply flow in, accept it for what it is, and are able to focus on any part we choose, the parts that interest us most.
Such living from love come easiest when we stop trying so hard, when we give up the struggle, when we let go of the ego self, or, in positive words: when we relax into the Light. This light is within each of us, as well as all around us, but we're usually too busy to notice. This light is not normally physically visible. It is therefore easily missed or forgotten, but it can be felt. Only when we relax, when we let go of our 'important-and-not-so-important-things-to-do list' for a few minutes, or hours or, better yet, for several days (as is done during a Vision Quest), that's when we are likely to become a little more aware again, more likely to sense that light, and open up to seeing the big picture. Our busy life causes us to often be in tunnel vision, narrow minded, missing the big picture entirely.
You may notice the similarities between our physical vision and our spiritual vision: Letting go of effort and strain, opening up to the bigger picture, letting love/interest lead, relaxing into the light...
How to stay connected
Even those of us lucky enough to have become aware of this light, can still forget it, seemingly loose it, apparently detach from it. How do we keep aware of and stay with it? Simply by practice. Just like the visual relaxation techniques that we practice more and more until they become habitual again and we no longer have to consciously think about them, so can we practice letting the light flow through us. The more we imagine or sense this, the easier it becomes and the more light we can allow in. The more light we are able to take in, the more light we are able to reflect back out.
To begin with, keep your attention on the light, in whichever form you sense it. Can you truly tune into it, and perhaps let it grow and take up more space in/around you?
Live each day as if it was one of precious few remaining. Each day truly is precious and provides ample opportunities to learn and to love. Let your light shine! Breathe in love, breathe out the overflow of that love. Our eyes are light seekers, let your mind seek the light too. You can find beauty or horror, love or fear, depending on what you choose to focus on. Both sides exist, but where do your choose to spend your precious time? Explore this world with wonder and enjoyment. Radiate Peace, Love, Light and Joy to whatever extent you feel capable of.
"No matter where I go or what I'm doing,
a part of me is talking
to God.
And a part of God is listening."
- Dolly Parton
If you find yourself in an argument, ask yourself how you can bring light into this situation. Listen and look for Light in the other person's words and actions. Contemplate on what the most loving thing is that you're capable of in that moment. Even if it is just a friendlier tone of voice, use it. In each moment, be aware of how you can bring more light and love.
Your small acts of kindness, a smile, a few encouraging words, these things send out waves of love that light up the world. Become a source of such love, be your brightest shining light. Recharge yourself as needed with time for you - perhaps in nature, in meditation, with dear friends, with self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, self-love. Nobody can take away your inner light, it’s always there for you, your love is your purest power, it overcomes all fear.
"Life is a precious gift. Each moment is filled with great opportunities.
Don't waste your time on earth. Spread love and understanding.”
- Josiane Antonette
Life is about people, not pursuits. All the achievement, money or recognition in the world cannot be taken with you when you die.
The only thing you take with you is the love you give away.
Above and beyond anything else, first learn to love oneself non-judgmentally and unconditionally. Then you will actually love all people and all things the same way.
- Laurelynn Martin
Suggested reading:
"Testimony of Light" - Helen Greaves
"The Untethered Soul" - Michael Singer
"Broken Open" – Elizabeth Lesser
"Dying to be Me" – Anita Moorjani
"Fools Crow - Wisdom and Power" - Thomas Mails
"We shall cast rainbows upon the land" - Ray Reitze
"Awakening Spirits" - Tom Brown Jr. (and many of his other books too)
"The Reluctant Shaman - a woman's first encounters with the unseen spirits of the earth" - Kay Cordell Whitaker
"The Holographic Universe" - Michael Talbot
“Why are there Monkeys?” - Brooke Jones
Poems by Hafiz
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