Two Sides? Or, More?

Yesterday I grabbed a fist full of quarters to feed a downtown parking meter.  Several quarters slipped from my clenched hand and fell to the floor.  As I looked at the dropped coins, I noticed that more than two images were represented by the fallen quarters.  Two sides to a quarter morphed into the adage “there are two sides to every story.”

Hmmm. If there are more sides to a quarter than two, is the adage really true?  With a chuckle, I retorted, “no there aren’t two sides….every story is multifaceted. The number of sides depends upon the number of people or groups perceiving the happening.”

In my lifetime quarters have had the potential to have 59 side images represented.   Although one of those sides is the static picture of George Washington, the image on the other side can manifest in 58 different ways.  No matter what the image is on the other side, a quarter is still worth twenty-five cents. 

I ponder at this moment in time about that quarter and how it reminds me of how each of us experiences the world in different ways.  Although my reality is my own it is not necessarily the reality of others.  And, this isn’t a bad thing.  We are a creative lot. Diversity of perception gives birth to opportunity and success.  Each of us is striving to live an authentic, accurate, true life story. This is told through our reality. When we accept the realities of others, we take the first step to gaining common ground.  In this place of acceptance, our common ground, no matter what we perceive as real, profound things happen. We collectively transform the world.

My intent for this day? Well, when I begin to judge or deem my way the best or only way, I am going to return to those quarters and remind myself that reality is comprised not only of what I believe but the multi-faceted, multi-hued offerings of what others perceive.  Transformation is possible only when we open our eyes and accept those around us.

What do you intend today?

Peace & Joy, 

Vanessa

Trusting there is another way…

During the month of October I have been presenting a 4-part program on the insights of Thomas Merton and Rachel Carson.   As I prepared and presented the information, I found myself fluctuating between the despair caused by what we as humans have perpetrated and the hope that we have learned enough individually and collectively to go forward in less harmful, hurtful ways.

But, how do we begin this transformation from harming to healing?  The first step on this path is to admit the harm that we, individually and collectively, have perpetrated.  Peering deeply into the murky fog of illusion, we name our tendencies to be hurtful and times we have been catalysts of harm.  This reflection is not a form of self-castigation; rather, it is a way of recognizing our triggers and deep fears that lie at the root of our harmful behavior.

This reflection invites us into an “aha” moment.  During this mini-epiphany, we discover the emotion behind our trigger of hurt.  Maybe this catalyst is fear or the uncertainty of not meeting the perceived standards of another.  As I become aware of that part of myself that is hurt and wants to lash out, I know have the power of choice.  I can choose to let my hurt fuel my words, thoughts, and actions; or I can choose to shower my hurt with love.  As my hurt heals through self-love, the potential for harm manifests into an abundance of love.  I respond to others with this abundance of love.

Is this shift from harming to healing easy?  No.  Is it necessary?  Yes.  When we vow to cause no harm, we agree to get in touch with who we are at the ground of our being.  We agree to love who we are including the scars and the sore spots.  Through this self-acceptance, we forge the path of accepting others.

In this shift from harming to healing I find the trail of despair has ended and path hope welcomes me in.

Peace & All Good, Vanessa

Engaging Compassion Through Intent And Action

Earlier this week, you may have opened an email announcing my book Engaging Compassion Through Intent And Action.   You may have found yourself wondering why it is so important to engage in compassion.  Or, what is the connection between intent, action, and compassion.

Have you been woke up to the horror of something you did or said?  You didn’t mean to be hurtful but what came out of your mouth or your actions hurt another.   Later, did you find yourself wondering, “what was I thinking?”  A part of you was so tangled up in a past event or desperately clinging to a potential future, that you failed to be mindfully present. While it was not your intent to be hurtful, you reacted. The connection between your intent to be loving and gentle and your action was broken.

Most of us, I believe, want to be loving and compassionate. We don’t wake up in the morning intending to be hurtful or angry.  But, we lose sight of our compassionate intent bit by bit as the events of the day overwhelm us.  Only when we bring our self back to the moment do we mend the break between intent and action.  We bring into alignment our intent and action through our compassionate response.

Engaging Compassion Through Intent and Action invites you, the reader, to discover what brings you to the moment and anchors you in the moment. Examples of experiences and simple ways of being are shared within the book. You are invited to create with curious daring and courage your bridge of compassion and re-align your intent and action.

Is engaging compassion a cure for what ails the world? Perhaps you are unsure about the answer to this question.  You may not fully understand the power of compassion.  By taking the opportunity to rediscover, repair, and re-walk your bridge of compassionate intent and action, you begin to more fully embrace compassion on your life bridge.  And, maybe somewhere on that bridge you will be fully awake to, fully aware of, and fully alive in the compassion that makes a difference to you and the world.

Join me in engaging compassion through our intent and action!

Vanessa Hurst is available for Compassion Conversations, retreats, programs, and book signings.  Contact her by email or phone (502.599.7222) for more information.

Print book available @ Amazon or by special order @ Barnes & Noble or your local bookseller

Ebook available for Kindle, iBook, and Nook

Zoning In, Zoning Out

image courtesy of thanukorn/freedigitalimages.net

Last week, a woman in one of my classes described being contemplative as zoning in and zoning out. I laughed at the accuracy of this simple image to describe the contemplative way of being.

During formal contemplative practices like meditation and tai chi, we zone in.  Our attention is focused inward and on our relationships with our self and with the Sacred.  This internal focus draws us away from the world.  We create an environment in which we practice acknowledging our distractions and letting them slip gently away.  In our hyperawareness we have the choice acknowledge but not react to our distractions.

Through this inward contemplative being, we refine the silence in our quiet mind. Zoning in prepares us for the bombardments of the external world.  Anchored in the silence, we are more awake to the challenges in the external world.  When we are grounded, we are better able to navigate difficulties and respond compassionately.  We develop the ability to respond with compassion to both the internal world and external world.  

Zoning in we create the environment in which we choose to respond instead of react. Zoning out we use the skills that we have developed during the zone in to respond to the world.  We are hyperaware of what distracts, what triggers our fears, and what are the results of our reactions.  Zoning out as a contemplative gives us a greater control over our thoughts, words, and actions. We can choose to respond with unconditional love and compassion and minimize the impact of our fear-filled reactions. We can choose to harm none and alleviate suffering.

How are you strengthening your zoning out by zoning in?

Through Intent & Action: Opening Our Eyes To Hope

Through Intent & Action: Opening Our Eyes To Hope: image courtesy of  markuso /freedigitalphotos.net Hope is peculiar.  At times She is like the brightest of suns and cannot an...

Opening Our Eyes To Hope

image courtesy of markuso/freedigitalphotos.net

Hope is peculiar.  At times She is like the brightest of suns and cannot and will not be ignored.  At other times, Hope sneaks up on us gently tap tapping on our shoulder while whispering, “Here I am.”  And, then Hope proceeds to wrap us in her gentle, compassionate embrace.

Last night I attended a political rally during which we talked about hope.  It was a gloomy topic for some.  They had difficulty seeing hope in and for the world.  If we look at the macrocosm of the world via the news, despair and hopelessness threatens to overwhelm us. But, when we look at the microcosm of the details of each news story and peer deeply at what is unfolding in our lives; well, we find the grace-filled face of hope in the words and actions of both the impersonal and personal. Even in tragedy, the vein of hope runs strong in every kind word and action. Sometimes we have only to open our eyes and see.

Maybe there are times when I, when you, when we want to just wallow in our misery. We don’t want to feel Hope in our life. Even when I am not in a space to accept Her as a full-body, full life experience, I can still name where Hope is present. This awareness of Hope can be stored in my memories banks and retrieved when I am more willing to embrace it. In those moments of inability to embrace Her, I can chuckle darkly at myself, and know there is a better way, a hope-filled way.

I ride the tide of despair knowing that I will come to a place where the darkness lifts. I come to that place of acceptance when the tide laps against the Shore of Hope. I am deposited on those wet grains of sand. With each step I take, I move me farther away from the despair and more fully into Hope. Hope shines her brilliant light in my face. I am wrapped in Her gentle embrace.  I experience Hope in all Her splendor.

Full body experience or partial knowing, Hope is my silent, steady companion. I have only to turn my face into Her brilliance or lean back into Her embrace.

Where is Hope for you today?

Namaste, Vanessa

www.intentandaction.com