Category: Belief

Be the Wave of Change

9/19/2014

Be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Gandhi

Today, I came upon a 1 minute video (created by Louie Schwartzberg, narrated by Morgan Freeman) that will be the opening for the United Nations climate talks on September 23. It is one powerful minute of truth. Please spend one minute of your time to view it and see how it affects you. I, personally, believe that we are all powerful elements of change, according to our own inner integrity. We can spend our energy, like that of the waves, in affecting change for our planet and for the future generations to inhabit it. Use your ever-renewing, ever-unfolding expression of life to be the wave of change and make a difference!

Wisdom of the wave

Stand on the shore at night. You can hear the sound of the waves. You can see them break and whiten on the rocks. But the sea itself, vast and imponderable and strange and deep, you cannot see. A wave breaks on the rocks and then is gone, and all that is left behind is a fading line of foam. Yet the sea is more than the foam that fades on the rock. The sea is more than the wave into which it shaped itself for a moment. When wave and foam are gone, the sea abides to shape itself into another wave and fling itself in foam on the rocks again. You are like a sea that shapes itself into a wave. The wave will expend itself, but you will not expend yourself. You will shape yourself into an infinity of waves. You are the ever-renewing, ever-unfolding expression of infinite life. You are the spirit of the Infinite moving across infinity.
~Mahatma Gandhi

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Do you believe in miracles?

1/20/2014

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"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~Albert Einstein

Do you believe that miracles actually happen? I do! I sign my emails with the above quote by Albert Einstein and I strive to live every day by the passion and power of that belief. But, sometimes I forget. Sometimes, when bad things happen -- to me, to my friends and family, to those whose lives are woven with mine in one way or another or even to complete strangers (since we are all connected) -- I fall so quickly into fear, lack, limitation, or the quicksand of despair, that it makes my head spin and my heart hurt. Sometimes it feels like my life is a wildly pitching ship being swamped by stormy seas, while I am trying to keep my balance and avoid getting battered to bits or swept overboard.

But then, like the bright warm rays of sunshine flowing out from the clouds, I will be touched by grace, by beauty, by love and friendship. And, just like that, the stormy seas of my emotions calm, the sun appears, I find the center of peace. There are so many constant beacons of beauty and abundance, goodness and miracles, that I am usually powerfully reminded if I can just open my eyes and heart to receive them. It is a kind of dance of willingness. You see, the miracles are there, but you have to be willing to open in order to receive them. If you keep your mind and heart stubbornly closed, they cannot enter.

I love this quote by Rumi. It always speaks to me when I feel damaged by life quirks and challenges: "The wound is the place where the light enters you." Yes.

If you feel hurt, damaged in some way by life's chaotic moments, can you quiet the internal racket and focus on being willing to believe in at least the possibility of a miracle?

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The Power of Belief

5/7/2013

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"Love has accounted for remarkable deeds. It has healed the dying, saved the imperiled, warmed the heart in ways that words fail to express adequately, inspired nations, raised the consciousness of the world, and so much more. Drawing on this power, manifesting it, begins by caring for something more than you care for yourself. The authentic self knows this truth. I believe that one of the most frequently asked questions about life comes down to What’s my path? The answer is written in the hearts and minds of all humanity, and it amounts to no more and no less than service. Unconditional love manifests easily when we genuinely work for the benefit of another." ~ Eldon Taylor

Do you believe in synchronicity? Events that occur by seeming coincidence, that appear to be connected, but have no demonstrable causal relationship? I most fervently do! The reading and reviewing of Eldon Taylor's book, I Believe: When What You Believe Matters!, is just such an event for me-- an almost magical manifestation of what I needed to read and ponder at exactly the moment it would have the most impact on my life. Let me explain.

I have been experiencing a bit of a rough patch in my life, as have so many others in these somewhat trying and chaotic times. Dealing with caregiver burnout, grieving the loss of my mother, and various health and job challenges became overwhelming. Some of my core beliefs were shaken to their foundations and cracks began to appear. I started to question my whole way of relating to the world, my path of service, my very faith in the goodness of the Universe. Quite predictably, my self-confidence was suffering under the onslaught, despite my efforts to practice all the balancing, healing tools I could marshal. So I was more than ready to devour this wonderful, stimulating, thought-provoking, cathartic book.

Oddly enough, had I not given my word that I would do this review, I would likely have skipped it, with all the major upheaval transpiring in my life. And that would have been a personal loss and a very sad thing for my spiritual growth, as well, since reading the book was like watching the sun emerging from behind a bank of dark clouds and shine fully on my soul. The illumination it brought to mind and spirit have been very profound. Through a series of anecdotes, stories, research studies, inspirational quotes and using the wisdom of his lifetime weaving them all together, Eldon Taylor has created a gem of a book to help sort out what you, personally, believe -- about yourself, your world, your integrity, love, enlightenment and so much more!

Many of these concepts were not new to me, since I have been privileged to hear many inspiring speakers and read their works over the past years. But my psyche, through the persistent battering of adversity, put up a protective shield and I lost touch with my own authentic self. I could no longer hear the still, small voice that had been my guide. I felt abandoned. Anyone else in this boat with me?

Through reading and reflecting on the ideas presented in this book, I've begun to find my way back to my authentic self, to the strength that emanates from being in alignment with my deepest core beliefs. The book both inspired and also challenged me to do some deep inner work, but it ultimately affirmed and stretched my belief system, reminding me of truths that I'd forgotten.

One quotation particularly caught my attention: "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." ~ Norman Cousins
The impact of this was like a sledgehammer to my soul, especially when I realized that I'd been contemplating letting some cherished dreams die, feeling that circumstances were out of my control. The process of reading I Believe helped me to reclaim the power of my integrity through deeply examining my beliefs and their motivation.

I think anyone who is seeking answers to life's most challenging questions, willing to take an introspective, searching look at why they believe as they do, will benefit greatly from the insights and reflections presented by Eldon Taylor. This book seems to me to be a distillation of Taylor's wisdom derived by authoring 300 books, audio and video presentations, hosting radio talk shows, and developing his patented InnerTalk technology. I found truth resonating through the many topics covered, and it was accessible because of the way in which it was shared. Taylor is candid and open in describing his own path -- the triumphs and the failures -- and makes exploring your own beliefs a much more productive process through his insights.
*I was provided a copy of this manuscript for purposes of review.

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Be the Wave of Change

Wisdom of the wave

Do you believe in miracles?

The Power of Belief

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