The Mystic in the Mi(d)st

Centuries ago few select people had profound connections to the Sacred.  These mystics forged the path to the Sacred with intuitive insight and curious daring.  While traversing this trail, they consciously and intentionally sensed the world beyond the mundane.  They discovered and lived in a place of sparkley shininess, a world of possibilities.

We are alive today are fortunate people.  For centuries upon centuries the path of the mystic has been cleared and walked.  The directions to this path are readily available to any one.  In this moment, and in the moments that follow, we have only to open our eyes and tenderly look at the world anew.  This looking invites us to engage all of our senses.

Each of us can choose to move through the veils of the ordinary, past the mundane and become the mystic in the mi(d)st.  Any one can venture down the path of being in the world but not of it.  This simply means that while we see the mundane, we choose to live extraordinarily.

How might a mystic encounter the extraordinary in the daily?

• Taking moments to pause, breath, and really be aware of his/her surroundings.  The mystic notices what is happening, recognizes gifts and messages, and finds opportunities to celebrate the iridescent beauty inherent in the world.
• Living in hyperawareness, a mystic responds to the world with compassion.  S/he may acknowledge that s/he is a bodhisattva, one who vows to alleviate suffering in the world.  
• Responding to the world instead of reacting becomes her/his mantra for s/he sees the Sacred in all.  S/he responds to the Sacred in every moment of every day.

On this Earth walk many anonymous mystic.  They go about their daily lives much like the rest of humanity with one big difference: the mystic is fully aware, fully awake, and fully alive to the extraordinary.  Within the extraordinary lays the kernels of the Sacred and the mystic gently nurtures the seeds into fruition.  S/he takes each opportunity to enter into relationship with the manifestation of the Sacred.

Just for today, notice where the mystic is in your mi(d)st.  How are you being that anonymous mystic in the mi(d)st?

Living anonymously...whenever, wherever possible,

Vanessa

www.intentandaction.com

Just for Today

Twenty years ago this September I was attuned to Reiki.  Yesterday I remembered the first rush of healing grace flowing through me.  With that surge of energy began a journey of adventure, excitement, and challenge.  Earlier this week before I introduced another to Reiki, I reflected upon the Reiki Principles.

Just for today, I will not be angry:  maintaining a place of calm amid all the pokes can be difficult.  In the moment I remind myself to focus on my breath as I still my fingers and tongue.  My awareness is on my breath, my body, my whole being.  When I practice nonattachment, the anger dissipates.

Just for today, I will not worry: in the moment, I draw my attention to my body, mind, spirit, and heart.  Listening to my internal monologue, I become aware to what is driving my reactions and responses.  My body provides clues to my emotional and mental states.  Through the breath, I gain awareness and have opportunities to let go of the angst.

Just for today, I will be grateful: during intentional and spontaneous times throughout the day, I name my blessings, gifts, and joys.  Perhaps I set aside time midday and before I rest at night to remember my blessings.  When a kindness occurs throughout the day, I stop and spontaneously give thanks.

Just for today, I will do my work honestly: more than the work that pays the bills, this is asking me to live a life filled with integrity.  So perhaps I am being asked to be a compassionate presence or provide a listening ear.  That is part of my life work.  And, I am present my best authentic self throughout my day.

Just for today, I will be kind to all living things: from the creepiest of insects to the bestest of friends, each being I meet deserves my undivided attention, compassion, and unconditional love.  Each moment of every day becomes an opportunity to practice kindness and to rest in the calm that results.

There is nothing magical or mystical about following these five principles.  While our lives may not radically shift for the better, what does occur is that our lives are filled with more grace, more healing, and a calmer state of mind.

Wishing you a life filled with the five principles,

Namaste

Like Water In the Palm of Your Hand

I thought, “hold it like you would hold water in the palm of your hand" was a Chinese proverb.  But, the holder of all sorts of virtual info, Google cannot verify this.

Holding water in the palm of your hand is a good metaphor for living.  Whatever way we contort our hand, eventually the water drips out.  The speed of the drip depends upon the shape of our hand, the tension in our muscles, and so many other factors.  When we hold the water, and our life unfolding, with the four nons our life becomes a never-ending cascade of possibilities unfolding.

Nonattachment = nothing is ever permanent.  Eventually the water runs out of my cupped palm.  Like an objective observer, I do not cling to what is occurring.  I notice what is smoothly working, what needs to be tweaked, and what needs to be let go.  I know that with combining calm with objective awareness manifests life’s abundance.

Non-judgment = we knowingly and unknowingly judge in every minute of every day.  Watching the water slide out of our palm, we gently reframe any judgments we have about the ability of the water to remain and our capability of harnessing the water.  Non-judgment asks that we notice those judgmental distractions but do not react from them.

Non-defensiveness = we make no excuses for water running out (blaming it our arthritis, the cramp in our hand, the coldness of the water) We treat ever situation as “life as it is.” We learn from the unfolding.

Non-violent = means no outward display of violence in our thoughts and words.  It cautions us to listen to the negativity in our thoughts.  When we notice the violence we gently reframe it into a different way.  This new way invites the beauty of abundance into our life.

Practicing the four nons is an ongoing challenge.  At times we are able to be nonattached, without acting on judgments, not defending, and with minimal violence.  At other times, our connection to the four nons explodes in a fury.  This isn’t a competition to get the practice of the four nons “right” all the time.  The four nons encourage us to be the best we can be in the moment.

Discovering your best in the moment,

Vanessa

www.intentandaction.com

Practice the Art of Reframing

Lately it seems that the words, It would be good to open our eyes and see (Thomas Merton) are caught in a perpetual loop in my mind.  Their echo seeks to distract me and then pull me into awareness as I open my mind and heart’s eyes and SEE.  Only in those moments do I discover a nuance, a subtlety to my unfolding life.  I recognize what I have ignored or have just been afraid to acknowledge.

Veil removed, I have the opportunity to look deeply at life, reflect upon what is revealed, and then begin the process of reframing.  Life as it is does not equate to complacency.  Rather, accepting life as it is invites us to experience the plethora of possibilities.  What happens when I shift into this awareness?  I stop being stuck.  While movement may not be forward, it is a glorious dance that only occurs through curious daring and courage.  In my sideward slide, my perception shifts.  I see from a different angle.  And, maybe this view allows me to see what is really unfolding.

Many years ago, I got married and had a child.  It was never on my radar that I would become a single parent raising a toddler on my own.  Yet, it happened.  Time and time again over almost two decades, I have had opportunities to reframe and frame again, this opportunity of non-traditional family and non-traditional parenting.  Through this reframing, I have developed a very loving, unique, not-so-conventional relationship with my son.   

If I had not been able to get past my perceptions of what a family should look like and how I should relate to my son, the twining of my son and I into relationship would not have occurred in this dynamic way.  This shifting of awareness precipitated a glorious dance that we continue to this day.

It is amazing how being willing to explore can bring us to a place of wonder.  We find this place of wonder all because we were willing to open our eyes to see.

To open eyed awareness,

Vanessa

www.intentandaction.com