The Art of Conscious Loving

We are people who need to love, because love is the soul's life, 

Love is simply creation's greatest joy. - Hafiz

 

 The sunrise must be happening even though outside of the window it still looks dark. The birds are singing so loudly this dawn and what I keep hearing is, "wake up, wake up!"  How easy it is to sometimes just pull the cover over my head and not face the day because of the disappointments or fears that come rushing in. Being aware of the suffering in the world can truly dim my light and keep me from my hopes and dreams.  

 

It takes courage to uncover the dreams that were once buried deep inside of our hearts. There can be lots of excuses, detouring us away, rejecting or missing opportunities.

 

The phone call came in the middle of my day and the news was unexpected. I could feel my heart sink into despair. How easy I could forget my heart's desire and get caught up in the emotional charge of being rejected. In just one moment I felt the hurt rise up in me. I breathed in as I hung up the phone. There was nothing I could do but be fully present. Mollie, my puppy, was barking and letting me know that a client was walking into my office. Deep down I could feel the sadness and anger yet consciously I knew that this was just bringing me truth. I was okay and able to continue to let the day unfold. I bow to my clients who always bring me presence. I overcome the resistance and a feeling of true power enters me. I can be myself. It's such a privilege to live this life and know that a plan was happening here. 

I learned a long time ago that this world is my messenger. A meditation practice continues to support me and bring me back to neutrality. If I am reacting to the circumstance at hand, I will spiral into negative thinking and keep myself a victim. Connecting to my feelings with compassion will help the suppressed emotions to pass by and slowly I can become more aware.  I can be angry, sad or disappointed even though its uncomfortable and underneath it all there is the guilt or shame that is so hard to touch. Yet this moment is a breath away from feeling free. I lean into it all without judgment and connect right away to my source. God is here as love. I am here in the most loving way and I align with what is true- I am a child of God, worthy to be loved.

 

The very thing that upset me can be a beautiful opportunity to release the past judgments and receive this moment. I can choose to stop controlling or sedating my inner experience. I can be fully present with my Self, just the way I am and this calms me and dissolves the misunderstandings. I can't control the world or the things outside of me but I can trust in what Spirit is telling me. I can listen to the inner guidance showing me the way. 

 

This morning the dawn woke me up with the sounds of birds singing. They just would be singing no matter what was going on. These birds aren't waiting to see who is listening. They sing and I am awake to hear their offering. I listen in the quiet of the morning and being myself is the message I receive and that always gives me life. How simply it can be!

 

I love this entry into myself as I breathe in and receive all that is here. It seems that a new day can always bring new insight and an opportunity to see this world with a sense of God where nothing is between us and the life around us. I have a choice in how I will be today.

 

So, like the bird singing this morning, the flower radiates its beauty or a smile from a stranger gets my attention and fills me up.  I get wrapped up in a piece of artwork and get lost in creating or reading a favorite book. When I begin to get quiet, I get a nugget of wisdom that changes my thinking. Receiving this world as it is and all that is magnificent can return me back to love. In a holy instant, I choose to be with myself fully in my experience of this world. Life is the gift and I can share it through my expression no matter what the conditions are.

 

As I stand at the counter in my kitchen, with oldies blaring out of the speakers, I chop the veggies for tonight's dinner. At the end of the day, even though I am tired, I rest in my heart and will not forget my dream because the ember is still glowing in my soul. I live in union with it and the miracle is in the letting go.

 

The door opens and my boyfriend, Robert walks in with his smile that wraps me up. We dance in the living room without saying a word. Being ourselves, we come home to the love that just wants to be shared. The art of conscious loving is being ourselves, unveiled and authentic. Those birds know how to just be, as we are reminded again and again to love ourselves right now.

 

Happy Loving Ourselves and Each Other Day!

 

Take a deep breath.

Feel what is rising within.

Love is the way.

Soften around what is resisting and let go.

Loving yourself is the pathway.

Lean into everything, then the resistance can leave.

Now you are at the entrance to the threshold.

The doorway is your heart.

Trusting in the power that comes from source/God.

Walk through and love greater.

Love is the answer.

The happiness that is you is your true nature.

Now open and allow your light to soften your gaze on the world.

Looking into the face of humanity, you can feel the love that is you.

This is the art of conscious loving.

All my love

Namaste

Frannie

The Miracle in the Present

"Hope is the companion of power, and the mother of success for he who hopes so strongly has within the gift of miracles."

The church bells ring in the distance and all of a sudden this moment feels sacred. Why is it that the sound brings me immediately into a precious holy instant? I reach inside and I am held by the love of my Beloved as I feel like I am captured into a rapture of complete and perfect peace. Then with pen in hand, I can express it in my way as I bow to kiss this earth with my own way of creating. It's never really a masterpiece, but it is life being given back through my receiving. There are so many ways to join with this magnificent spirit that only wants to keep flowing. Sometimes without effort it does and sometimes there is resistance from my humble response. Yet truly I cannot imagine a greater thing than this moment of creating something that might only be worthwhile for me. It just spills out like the beauty of this pure and simple day.

What were the thoughts of Da Vinci or Michelangelo, the moments before they created their masterpieces. Everything I gaze at as I wander through the museums and cathedrals brings me life. Little did these artist know how inspiring they would be for us all. The energy of these ancient temples of worship or the fountains and walkways of stone were places where pilgrims journey from far away lands. Just as we come from all of the corners of the earth to witness and experience a world of ancient ruins and history filling our minds and hearts with energy.

I am grateful to just breathe and observe all the little miracles that are right here before me. The property where I am sitting is framed with the herb rosemary, growing around like a hedge and the fragrance so divine brings me to the thought of growing it at home this way. Then I look up into the clear blue sky, not even one cloud, and a hot air balloon flows effortlessly in the valley. I watch like a child and my heart seems to be filling up with a joy that just being here is enough.These moments of presence brings a nourishment to my inner being that makes it all so sacred. I love the Buddhist quote that is" before enlightenment, carry water and chop wood and after enlightenment, carry water and chop wood." Now I do not claim to be enlightened but staying awake seems to be the greatest gift of being present with life and allowing it to bring me these little nuggets of perfect awareness. How sweet it is to just be still and watch the butterfly move from leaf to leaf. How delicious it is to hear the sounds of the tractors in the vineyards harvesting the grapes. How every little scene I gaze upon seems to bring me this incredible appreciation for being alive and how simple it all is when you gaze at nature. It all is complete and perfect in its unfolding.

We take this life for granted sometimes yet only to be brought to our knees when a loved one is dying or we are given a diagnosis that seems tragic, we might realize how precious these moments are. We awaken to a conscious awareness where we remember how incredible it is to be a spiritual being having a human experience. We are blessed to invite this life fully in and to let it bring us to great appreciation.

So with this thought, I offer to you. What will you do with this day? How will you use your eyes and your hands and your voice to express the gift that life gives so freely. I invite you to live in this moment as mindful as you can and share the piece of life that expresses through your being. Tomorrow you could die and not have the chance to say I love you. Today is your day to awaken to the truth that this is your moment to shine and live as if you only had today to express the gratitude in living so aware of others around you. This day, you are no different in someways, yet maybe that smile from a child or the gaze of a flower has reminded you how precious you are. Consciously you get the choice to choose to be the instrument of such a love that created this life so beautifully, for you. So as Jack Kornfield writes; " Enlightenment is intimacy with all things."

Go and be intimate with this life that is given and connect with all that weaves us together as we flow back into oneness with all that is. This is the holiday season where the light that abides in you can flow into the hearts of the ones you are with. The miracle is in the present moment if you can breathe and stay still for just a little while as you enter inside.

In to me I see can bring intimacy with all that is.

Nov. 3, 2016

It's quite a miracle when you think about just waking up to a new day. The way our body just knows how to breathe on it's own and there is our heart beating at a perfect rhythm. It is the way we show up in this precious moment that seems to allow the thoughts to soften and the truth to spill out into our every gaze. How could we ever take this life for granted. I know I do and then something inside of me awakens and then I breathe into this moment until the light enters my consciousness and I get taken into the swirl of spirit that is my constant companion. It can take me a few minutes or hours sometimes but with the intention to clear the cloudy mind of its incessant chatter I just allow myself to be the witness of what is. How many times I bring myself to the altar of my heart where once again I am humbled by the beauty of just being right here. Life certainly has its way to take us away to spiral into insane thinking where we forget how precious life is and we want to run away from the feelings that fear can bring us into. Once again I watch this world and all that is showing up and I can choose where I would like to reside. This life can be seen with a cup half full or empty and it is up to me to be present once again to that still small voice within that guides my way. This alone is the greatest of all miracles. With patience and commitment I can return to the silence where this fullness of life fills me up and helps me see the world with greater clarity. Then I can rise up out of my bed and go out and play and I know that this is my birthright. To enjoy this life that is given without conditions. Looking at the political arena or the ups and downs of this world, I can surely put on the glasses that help me to see what is important.

Namaste, 

Frannie

Be Awake and Bloom

We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released. - Jean Houston

Sitting on the pier with my brother fishing opened me as I gazed over the water feeling the comfort of his presence so near me. It was familiar as if there was no time. It's been years since we spent more than a few hours just with each other. The gifts of these moments fed me like the days of our youth. We would spend countless hours in the little aluminum boat on our lake in Northern Ontario catching perch, bass and sometimes a pike. Fishing in the river I recall myself being lost in the gazing into the still waters observing the sunlight reflecting in the fallen trees or driftwood making home for sea life. I liked it best in the river because of the calm waters and I could hear the birds and listen to the turtle as it made its way out of the water onto the fallen tree trunk. The sounds brought me closer to my own calmness inside. Those memories of myself as a child, was at home in nature.

 

Maybe back then it mattered if we caught any fish. Today all that mattered was being right here sharing the moment with Phil. This timeless feeling where our hearts have never been separated by distance or time and we remember in the stillness of this precious moment that love is all there is.

 

We both have been through the loss of our mates, our mother and father and as the years have flown by we have lost time with each other. Today we return to the simple pleasures of being alive because we have weathered the storms and moved through our grieving hearts able to rise up and receive what gives life. Standing together and sharing the wisdom of what has been in the past, with some of our falseness fallen away, we are fully present with each other even if we are not talking, just being ourselves.

 

Knowing someone deeply is such a treasure and as we share with one another our hurts, our pains and our joy. Speaking from the heart or gazing into the eyes of another we realize that they have been where we have. That they have touched those stirring waters as emotions ripple deeply within. We can open ourselves to this deep stillness inside and know that others are the same. We can receive the moment and allow our internal eyes to see beyond the image of aging and find that sweet spot within our open heart. Here we can rest for awhile as our breath leads us to our own heartbeat. Our whole world is within us and yet how much of our ourselves do we share with another? We are planting new seeds in every moment and these intimate moments can become the flowers of tomorrow's happiness.

 

Today as I sit, discovering who I am, I am humbled by the knowing that even though the dramas of life continues to move through my blood, I can fully embrace it all as I breathe into the quiet where God has no language. In the stillness I find the peace and remember that all is well as I let go once again to find that seed that has been planted within me. The spark of light that needs my attention. I breathe in and allow in the fullness of being here with all of the memories of days gone by and return to the presence that is my inner strength as peace and serenity find me. In this garden where all begins to bloom, I feel a power greater than my little self showing me the way as I become that flower receiving the light of a radiant sun. I have gazed into the eyes of life itself and allowed it to bring me happiness. I am here to grow and every part of life has made it so.

Blessed Be,

Frannie

The True Spirit of Christmas: The Gift That Costs Nothing

Today I gently allow spirit to awaken me as I open my eyes to daylight. Everything around me seems crazy and all that I can think of is the worst. The season of holiday cheer is close and yet the moment here is all consuming as I relapse into fear. All I can do is breathe and let go as the Holy Spirit fills me up. It is all here, held in the presence. I turn more deeply inward and upward I gaze into the mind that holds no judgment. It is all sacred and holy as I put everything on the altar upon my heart and pray. All the suffering that has occurred because I forgot that everything is part of this experience called life and the presence can hold it all. There is nowhere to go but inside to this stillness where all is and allow the healing to begin. Why do we forget that God is right here waiting for us to return and feel the love that is unconditional?

Peace begins to rise up through the cracks where I sit and witness it all. I am letting go again and again until the fullness of being here is rooted and grounded in my being. I hear the sounds of people singing Christmas carols outside my window. I let the music touch me as I remember being a child, sitting in wonder as I looked around the living room watching my mother decorate our tree as she put the tinsel strand by strand on every branch. It was a sight to see when she was finished. The lights were shimmering and every ornament was perfectly hung. She was an artist and as she focused on the task at hand, our home was filled once again with the spirit of Christmas. My mother gave to us in the spirit of self- expression. In that moment, it was the peace that I felt as my mother let go of all the challenges and anguish that was taking her away from her heart.

Our truest self is completely free and not crippled by our past deeds or even concerned with building itself up through wealth or fame. I feel we have everything in our own power to get in touch with our magnificent self and bring it to light. This is the being that lives and expresses through us right now and this is who God intends us to be. Through love and compassion we do get closer to the genuine star that shines within.

This is the true meaning of Christmas as peace abides within the moment where only love can be shared. In God all things are possible as you let go of the idea that you are separate from your creator.

This is our song to sing as we reach inside and listen to the music of the angels. They rejoice in our freedom to be fully here without the burden of the ego mind that wants to control and keep us in the thoughts of limitation and lack. Oh how many times I have journeyed away from the truth that I am worthy of this beautiful place within where love abides. How difficult my life is when I think I can control what is around me? How sweet it is to return to the comfort of my own open heart where each of us are joined with the same love that created us.

Peace only comes when we align ourselves with our relationship with God, the Universe, Spirit, or Higher Power. This sacred and holy place is where we dwell in Oneness as we decorate our Christmas trees and light up our homes with the ornaments. We bring ourselves inward and breathe into our hearts as we remember what is important. We free ourselves by releasing the past that imprisons us and our brothers and sisters. We let go of the thoughts that keep us guilty or others in guilt. We begin again in joy and celebration as we create a new year that awakens us all into the spirit of love where we see all of our relations as holy. Here in our hearts we are free to give the greatest gift of acceptance, which is unconditional love and share the food that has fed us.

Love is the light that shines through your heart. You become the star that shines into the darkness as you illuminate from the inside and share this love with all that are present. You unwrap the moment as presence fills you up and love is given freely through your receiving. This is the gift that costs nothing. Our lives are gifts from God and what we do with it is up to us.

Today is the day to remember how precious this life is and all who come to share with us during this holiday season.

At this time of celebration throughout our world, we join our hearts with one another as devoted celebrants of diverse ceremonies and celebrations.

Merry Christmas and Blessed and Happy Holidays to All!

All my love,

Frannie