Lessons from Vines

Lessons from Vines

No garden or landscape is ever completely free of the ever present vines. They grow quickly and can take over entire lands in short periods of time. They are hard to destroy and keep at bay. Yet nature is a great teacher and affords us an important lesson. The significance of vines metaphorically has a great impact in our lives and if heeded  early can help us tremendously. Vines are very tenacious and each branch or tendril shoots off ever more of its self and becomes quite invasive in any garden. They strangle the vegetation and kill it without mercy. Trees, bushes, plants, vegetables all are equal opportunity for the destruction by these vines.

Vines represent the problematic issues  of life that effect anyone and everyone regardless of rank or status in life. They teach us the draining nature of time and effort that is spent dealing with these issues. When dealing with worldly arduous problems they seem to literally choke the life out of us on our spiritual journey and restrict and hinder our progress. Social media, news, politics are notorious for fueling distractions that keep us from our inner sacred path. We get wrapped up in these issues much like the vines and the entanglement can be difficult to extricate. We usually require outside help with this endeavor to help us sever from these issues. Vines can leave scars on their victims such as trees, and so these global distractions do the same to our psyche.

No matter how many good seeds we have planted in our landscape of garden of our minds, and hearts, these pesky vines of problems can make short work to all the fruit of our labors. Even one small vine can grow to create havoc, much like how one small negative problem can take root and upset a well balanced mind and heart that is full of blossoming love. They do not distinguish whether the delicate or the hardy plants are to be effected, and so too is the case with global socioeconomic and geopolitical climates when transmitted through news, media and idle gossip.

Not all vines are bad to the plants. Such as the example of poison ivy that hurts us but not the wild vegetation like trees. It keeps us away. In doing so, the distractions in our lives that are restricting and mind numbingly strangulating us, also serve a purpose to ground. If our path is all spiritual then we live in a high or euphoria or fantasy perceptions without getting grounded back into reality. The pause from constant spiritual bombardment allows us the time to regroup and gather our "whys" that set us on a path of enlightenment.

Lastly how do you get rid of vines. You have to get to the source. Find out what, why, how, where and when for all these troubles, see the bigger picture, and extricate our selves from the problematic negative distractions. Sever the root of the vine of life and you stand a chance at evolutionary success.
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I love you

Where does your self worth come from?

Where does your worth come from?

I have struggled with this conundrum for many a decade. Part of the problem is the understanding of the question. Self worth vs outward material worth. I think both are connected. Our material worth is inherently linked to our self worth. The greater the appreciation for self worth, the greater the material worth we create. We attract more outward to the inward when we are content and ready to receive. This state of being is a natural state when we become balanced.

Yet it is also a state that requires definition when our heart and immortal spirit are filtered through a manifested mind. Worth is itself formless. As deep as any ocean it remains constantly in motion and difficult to grasp when we observe it from the point of view of the mind. Yet when felt within the heart it appears with fortitude and passion.

Self worth is as unique as our fingerprint. It is an individualized quality that is ever present. It accompanies our psyche and molds to external stimuli if not paid attention to. If we are given praise, our self worth appears to rise. If we are berated, our self worth deflates. True self worth does not rise and fall with the tide or the waves of other peoples emotions or life's circumstances.

Self worth is created in the heart that mines the dreams and sculpts the hopes into realities. The greater the self worth, the increased likelihood of a successful career, relationships, and opportunities. Self worth emboldens self empowerment. It all starts with defining ourselves. Who are we? and What place do we have in the world?

Each of us deserve to be here. Each of us deserve to be heard. Each of us can make a difference.

You are worthy.
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I love you

View from the camera

The view through the camera.

There are times when it feels that life has not presented to me what I had believed I wanted out of it. After all, why did my thoughts not manifest the reality of my choice, like all the self help books foretell? I have agonized over this question till I understood the use of the camera. Allow me to share an idea with you.

Looking at a beautiful landscape and desiring it to be mine is akin to viewing the landscape and capturing a snap shot of it with a camera and taking it home. The landscape is the dream, the camera the mind. It requires careful observation through a view finder, and then focusing with a lens. Adjusting the aperture, the sensitivity, the shutter speed and with a steady hand taking the shot of what I want to capture. Same is with the concept of manifestation of reality.

First to be able to view the landscape requires letting go of the judgement, the prejudices and the delusions that surround the idea in order to dream unencumbered.   These are blinders to the eyes of the soul represented by the lens cap that needs removing before any image can be taken. The power of the thought then is the idea of what that dream represents. The view finder is the vision of that dream image as it still is not tangible, till I start focusing with the use of my lens. By adding the knowledge of balance and love, I modify the settings and focus of my image that is held in the heart. I must be either patient to capture the image or quick enough and this means that I must play with the shutter speed of my mind. With the correct words of intention I get ready for the shot.

With the pressing of the button I engage the power of action. The steady hand is faith  is the trust in myself and the universe that my dreams will come to pass and I will get to capture the idea. Reality then manifests when I print out my picture. Framing the picture is the success I would feel having obtaining the sought after dream.

In this way the power of thought, word, action, and focus of vision are able to create some of the most stunning photography of my life. Try it, you may be surprised that your life already has manifested your dreams in various avenues. Just because it does not match up to a fantasy does not mean that the universe did not grant your idea, request or dream.

Empower yourself, you already have a camera, and it works just fine.
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I love you

Failure is not an option

Failure is not an option, it is a choice.

When we are led to an option it is a thing, or fixed concept. When we are led to make a decision it is a choice. And so what ever path we are presented before us is an option. Which path we take however is a choice. In doing so we accept the consequences of all that will elate us or befall us.

Failure is no different. When we lament on the failure and pretend that we did not "want" this option, we are deluding ourselves. When we plead ignorance of the choice, we are simply declaring that we did not spend the requisite time to look at all the advantages and disadvantages of the option.

So when we are faced with failures of marriages or relationships, or a  job or career or a financial opportunity, or many such events in life, it is not luck or disgrace or abandonment or depression that is the cause. These are just byproducts of the disadvantages of the option that was chosen. If we look at the advantages of the same option no matter how bad it may appear, we realize that we simply did not see all the vantage points of that option before choosing.

Failure is not a bad thing, even though given a terrible connotation. Failure serves the purpose of making us look at all the options again. Start at ground zero. Relook at our flight plan. Pause, reflect, re-decide. The beautiful thing about the universe is that it will always afford the chance at re-choosing the option. Failure means accepting the vulnerability. Failure means not just getting up off the ground, but instead stepping forward with another choice.

If we have never experienced failure, then we have not lived.
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I love you

Lessons from weeds

Lessons from weeds

I recently have had an explosion of weeds in my garden, unlike other years I have been able to stay on top of them, till recently they have become overpowering. So I stopped to ask nature for an explanation and reference of what the weeds in my landscape of life signify so that I may learn from them.

Weeds are like negative thoughts that are constantly blooming. These thoughts are an annoyance of time and energy. They compete for the life of my mind's landscape as they do  for my attention, as if to cry out " I am more important than all your other thoughts."  Negative thoughts and fears run wild like these weeds and can sour any mood. Aesthetically these weeds are not nice to observe by others and so too these harmful invading thoughts are unsightly on my frowned angry face.

Weeds or bad thoughts grow with the emotional waters brought by the rain storms of fear and anxiety or through the lack of drainage of anger and envy. These weeds rest deep into the soil of my mind and then grow. Weeds are also brought in by animals or other people or media in the form of waste, by virtue of gossip and idle chatter and slanderous untruths. Weeds can come from neighboring sources , or rather the conversations with people I may meet along the way. My landscapes or gardens of creativity are over wrought with these weeds of invasion.

Weeds take in the light of my energy and my emotional waters  grow and spread like wildfire. The only sure way to clear up weeds is preventing them from growing. I can try to burn them all out with anger, yet I risk the damage to nearby good shrubbery that hold healthy truths of my heart. I must stop the gossip and chatter with the weed chemicals and prevent further germination. I can cover up my landscapes with tarps of love to prevent further growth. Plucking the weeds is time consuming and can be fraught with challenge, yet this too must be done, as buried deep are the seeds of negative deeds.

Once clear, I shall plant healthy plants of truth and allow my lawn of life and landscapes of creativity to flourish.
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I love you