Thursday, December 5, 2013

Embrace your inner Mystic


  


Have you ever questioned what you're doing here or why you are alive? Most, if not all of us ask such questions at some point in our lives.  I believe these are some of the most important questions we can ask ourselves. These simple questions hint at the truth of who we are and start us on a journey of self-discovery. And whether we realize it or not, such questions have the potential to open us to something much bigger than this reality.

If we choose to really embrace these questions - to not only ponder them in our heads but to engage in practices that connect us more deeply with their legacy and align our lives with what they reveal - then we are in fact embracing our inner Mystic.

Did you know you are a Mystic? I believe we are all mystics. In my recent book, The Six Sacred Gifts: Everyday wisdom for the spiritual seeker, I wrote:
"Basically, mystics are people who seek a higher truth about who they are and why they're here than the one society provides for them." Mystics sense there is much more going on here than meets the eye; they long to see beyond the veil and they have the courage to explore it.

Isn't this true of everyone on some level? Aren't we all exploring what life has to offer to the best of our ability and courage? If we stand still and quiet long enough, don't we all feel a sense of some lost truth deep in our bones, something we can't quite pinpoint? When we close our eyes and connect to the warmth of the Sun, the sound of the ocean, the tickle of the wind or the strength of a Sequioa, do we not tap into something much older, deeper and magnificent than our physical selves?

Embracing our inner Mystic means we are not afraid to explore the boundary between known reality and what lies hidden beyond the veil. There is not one answer to the questions of what we're doing here or why we are alive; there is just your answer - the one that is aligned with you and your existence here. It takes courage to ask such questions because there may not be a clear answer. Or even riskier, there may not be an answer that society supports or that you feel you can embrace.

In fact, there need not be an answer at all. The answer is found in the journey we make while seeking. What actually happens on our journey doesn't have to be some big tidal wave of experience. It can be as simple as a child's laughter or watching the Sun rise... anything that opens us to the truths we discover as we peek beyond the veil.

The gift in the journey is our becoming. When we embrace the mystic in us, we live with awareness. Living with awareness supports us in becoming someone or something closer to our true essence. That essence is the pure, infinite energy in us that is not born, does not die and never changes; it simply is. Yet we lose our sense of this aspect of ourselves early on in life as we get socialized into our families and communities. We can remember and reclaim the magnificence of our true essence. All we must do is embrace it.

So how do we embrace the Mystic and the wisdom that our journey brings? Someone asked me this question just yesterday. There is much that can be shared around this topic; this blog is but a preview. Here I offer you a few simple ways to begin embracing your inner Mystic:

  • Own that on some level, you are a Mystic! Explore what being a Mystic means to you. If you feel resistance to identifying yourself as a Mystic, explore why. What hidden meanings, beliefs and fears are beneath that label? Are they true? Do they matter more to you than your personal evolution? What are you willing to hold on to and let go of to more fully embrace your journey of becoming?
  • Go beyond thinking and reading about the questions; learn and engage in practices that connect you to the ancient wisdom found in their legacy. Then align your life with what those practices reveal to you.
  • Find the courage to open your heart and explore what lies beyond the boundaries of known reality. Many have walked the Mystic's path before you; there are teachers, mentors and guides all around you. Open to what they have to offer. No matter how far you have already traveled, there is always room for more growth.
  • Find your own rhythm along your journey. There is no hurry; rushing toward the unknown can be self-defeating. Take your time and move forward with the innocence of a beginner. If you decide you already "know" something so can skip ahead, you narrow your perspective, shrink your experience and close the gateway to the infinite realm of all possibility. Set your Ego aside and keep an open mind as well as an open heart along your journey.
  • Let go of attachments you might have about what it means to be a Mystic. We are not Mystics to win a prize or get some reward; we are Mystics by our inherent nature. As I share in The Six Sacred Gifts: "This journey is neither hard nor easy; it is whatever you bring to it. There is no reward for making it; it is done for the doing." Pay attention to the whole of your journey, for therein lies the wisdom.

Happy Trails and Namaste'

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Let Your Light Shine!!




December brings us Winter Solstice - the longest night of the year and for some, the true New Year's Eve - as the next day starts the journey into growing days and increasing light. Until the Solstice, cold Winter days and long, crisp nights call us inside, not only to stoke the fires of our hearths but also the fires in our hearts.

This month, we enter a time of introspection, reflection and integration. We reflect on our past and use the lessons we find there to make plans for our future. What does your deepest heart long for and how can you stoke the fires that burn there?

December's energy is aligned with organizing and readying yourself for what's next, even if you can't see it clearly. What preparation is needed to move toward your heart's desires? Where is growth needed? Surrender? Patience? Trust? Courage? Action? How can you best prepare yourself to be the person you want to be in the future? What skills do you need to sharpen? Are there foundational pieces to your dream that need shoring up so you can go the distance? These are questions to reflect on and tend to this month.

Despite today's very commercialized Christmas season, December is an opportunity to honor our inherent innocence and to celebrate the birth of our own light. Each one of us has a gift to offer the world, and we are the only ones who can bring that gift forward in our unique way. No one is excluded from owning the Sacred Light they bring forward.


These tips can help you make good use of December's opportunities:

  • Shift your gift. Consider shifting away from commercial gifting and instead, create gifts that nourish the heart and spirit of your loved ones and others in ways that make the world a better place, such as: make donations to worthy world causes; make something homemade like art, ornaments or body products; write loved ones a special letter; take on a project to help someone; volunteer time to those in need; or just offer to be there for someone who is lonely.
  • Learn from your year's harvest. Reflect on what worked and what did not. Release what feels complete or no longer serves and use it as fuel for your future successes, just as the fallen leaves become a warm protective blanket of nourishment for the tree roots beneath the ground.

  • Notice your inner fire light. Does it feel strong or weak? What does it need to burn more evenly? What will sustain it through time? Make plans to bring this balance into your life.

  • Honor your inner light. Use the colorful lights of the season as reminders that your inner light shines on, despite any darkness around you. All you have to do is allow it. Light a special candle in the evening and take a moment each night to sit and fill your heart with gratitude for the unique contributions of your inner light to this world.

Happy Holidays to you!