This is something I've thought of lately:

It's great to be able to laugh at ourselves. To put some humor into daily life can surely take the pressure off at times. However, when humor is used as a means for protection (or on the expense of somebody else) I find it frustrating. Hurtful even. So many say " they're only joking" or "that's just them" or "they didn't mean anything by it." See, I don't get that. If it doesn't feel right I nowadays say a big fat NO to such jokes. It usually means that a person is protecting themselves anyway, simply by throwing a silly joke around. 
Then again, boundaries have to be set with love. Words have to be spoken with integrity and clarity, not force. I've learned that, too. To be assertive is so different from being aggressive, as well as discernment is different from being judgmental. It's not what we do, but how. When humor brings us together, I am happy to laugh. When it puts a wall of separation between people, I am not.

Love to the world!

To shine as our true selves is not necessarily an easy thing. Influenced by society, our upbringing and mainstream media, we are often molded by outer circumstance, by our own interpretation of the world around us. To truly find oneself, to go within is essential. To still the mind. Because to be present and aware takes us away from judgement and offer a clear pathway to freedom. Clear, but not always easy. To me it means letting go. Simple, but at times very hard to do. In fact, it takes a lot of courage to explore the wast universe we have inside. The willingness to heal and abandon old opinions and ways, may be required. Our safety strategies may be severely challenged. My own experience of finding our core is the same as seeking our basic innocence. To shed the layers of ideas and beliefs we have covered over the shining diamond that we are. It is a priviledge. Because to love ourselves and others with honest acceptance and clear integrity, is within reach. Our soul is like that diamond. To uncover its beauty we have to go deep since the layers of pain may reach through to other lifetimes. Fears which never left our deepest memory, imbedded in our cells. This is my direct experience. Then again, since cells regenerate there is always an opportunity to clear such blockages. Simple processes can bring us there and back again, transforming the energies at our very core. 

To once again, truly shine

We were born free, conscious, open and aware. The eyes of an infant seems to flow from one object to another, from one face to another, as if they naturally see everything in between. The connection. The light. The vibration of life. Their innocence is completely non-judgmental and has natural integrity, expressing self without restrictions or any protective games. I suggest that this is possible all through life. If we are brave enough to re-ignite this kind of love and trust in our hearts. It will appear slightly different in the expression of an adult. Then again, not. Our protective nature is born out of wounds. The ones we carry and yes, it may serve us at times. As long as we are aware of the illusion. As mature men and woman we may believe in different things, live different lives, but in the end we are connected through this infinite divinity that we once were. That we still are. The lesson is to heal and let go, just to find that in our very core, we are the freedom we seek.

I treasure those moments, when the sun brings complete peace to my heart. As I am free enough not to hold on, not cling to anywhere I have been or anywhere I may travel, nor to anyone I love. It is a quiet moment in time, of pure breath, inhaling the bliss of just being. Angelic voices seem to sing in those moments, through the dazzling tunes of birds. Celebrating with me, expanding life as it is. It is then that I can recharge. It is then that any "doing" can be born out of Grace. Such moments bring a shining light to all that I create, inspired and moved along by something so much larger than life.

In the midst of exposure, fear and excitement are mingling like confused lovers in me. The old, very very old, emerges in waves, repeating a severe pain from an ancient past. Luckily I see. I know. It is not of this moment. This does not belong to me now. These are stored memories from another lifetime, clearing out of my cells at a catapulting force. Intense like fire but still fleeting, like a rainfall on a sunny day. The way through, is open. No more holding back. No pushing down. I fully welcome this hurt from an existence I can no longer recall. My body held it just to purify my cells as I internally re-live the madness, but only for a moment. Freedom is at its core, a light so bright that I smile the very instant my senses feel it. Once again I am saved by my own inner source, the truest part of my depth. I contemplate, hear a whisper so clear and solemn: Life is a dance of healing and joy, and tremendous love.

As the heart is filled with passion for something that can naturally serve in the world, an inner force takes over. Fear is pushed aside. Hesitation vanish as a drive, born out of love itself, rise like a fire through my middle. Light pours out of me, surrounding any doubt and uncertainty I may feel. All while excitement and an amazing sense of calm mingle like lovers in my depth. To let go of expectation is a key. Instead, trust and allow. Such dazzling ingredients for success. Whatever that may be. 

It's a sunny day, and I am fully free to be me.

Feelings of spring:

The soft warmth of the sun, embracing me and the world around. Bushes and trees, their wisdom and strength so potent, surrounds me where I am resting. Birds, so effortlessly, doing their thing. Singing as if no one's listening. Flying over treetops to celebrate the gentle start of a new season. Flowers are poking through, white and yellow and bright like life itself. The stillness of the moment brings a joy so soothing that I can remain here, with no thought or plan in mind. It takes me inward, but also allows me to stop. The events of the day shall follow, touched by the wide peace I am now regaining, again.

 

Have a glorious day, folks!

An open child may teach us how to feel and be present, to fully enjoy the moment and laugh and cry in equal measure. A graceful elder may teach us how to slow right down, how to listen to our wisdom and look after what we hold dear.

Meanwhile, we in the middle may stress too much, feel too little, judge too harshly or try way too hard.

To learn from the young and the old may be our salvation.