What Is Love ?


Love is a subject that has many facets.  People will often say "I love my car", "I love that house",  etc. etc.

Love from a Spiritual aspect is different.  It is more empowering than the idol way people use that term.

When people get married, their thoughts are about the magical feeling that love produces.  They walk into the arrangement with stars in their eyes, but later,  the stars turn into nothing more than a glimmer and many times dies out completely.

When the mystics talked about Love, when Jesus said "Love your neighbor as yourself", "a new commandment I give you that you Love one another just as I have Loved you."  That kind of Love is the highest and the most Godly kind of Love that we can share.  And it is different than the love that so many people ascribe to.

When two people get married there is a tendency to want to change the other person "ever so slightly" to comply with their wishes.  In other words they want to recreate and form out of the dusty person that they married, into a more charming or a more exciting person.  Actually they want to create a person in their own image .... a godlike complex.

The kind of Love that is of the highest and purest is unconditional Love, a Love that always seeks the good in the other person, a Love that covers over a multitude of sins.

Unconditional Love doesn't have favorites.  It isn't saved for the worthy, or for those that are the highly gifted.  

It isn't a matter of being worthy of that Love.  Who really is worthy of unconditional Love?   And yet that is the kind of Love that God offers to ALL.  

In order to manifest God on earth, it becomes a matter of expressing through words and through conduct the healing spirit of Love.   

God Loves us during our journey.  It doesn't matter who you are, that Love is there waiting to be partaken and the more Love you can show the more Love will be given.  

We are free to be and do whatever we want to do.  Wherever there is a cause, there is an affect.  Whatever you extend out will be reflected back.   Therefore the more Love you can give the more miracles of Love you will experience. 

So, when life seems to be difficult.  It isn't that God has put a stumbling block before you.  We experience these lessons because it is through these experiences that we develop Love, compassion and how to forgive.   And if we take full responsibility for our lives, there is nothing TO forgive.  Which then leaves us to be fully and deeply in the Spirit of Love and kindness. 

No one can fill that holy void.  That space that we so desperately try to fill with material gain.  It can only be at peace when we are at peace with each other.

The companion of Love is Forgiveness.  In order to have Unconditional Love, there has to be a release of anything that holds you back from Loving your brother.  For, if you can not love your brother who you can see, how can you love God in Whom you can not see?

There are billions of people living on this planet and each person has their own unique personality.  There will always be differences of opinion, there will always be an excuse to hold someone accountable for your bad feelings.  But, whatever has happened, in order to find peace within, in order to be One with the creator, there has to be that journey to forgiveness.   

You can not enter the Kingdom without taking everyone with you.   To be able to see the Light of God within every person, even though THEY can not feel it or express it. 

That Kingdom emanates Love, it emanates Forgiveness.  When you are in vibrational alliance with that higher consciousness,  that Tree of Righteous bears fruit in the form of joy, peace, kindness, mildness and self control.  

For as long as man has lived on this planet, we have been engaged in war and violence.  There has been the war of the sexes, man against woman and woman against man in their fight for equality.  We have been engaged in wars.  Brother against brother, and father against son, in our Civil War and we continually see nation against nation in their effort to control.

We fight because of differences in thought.  One side wanting to be the supreme ruler.  We have brought such pain, sickness and death on one another.  Money has been the targeted reason for so many hurtful plans.   Their supreme rulership is not to rule with honor or for the betterment of the people, it is to rule for the sake of gold. 

We have traded our hearts of Love for monetary pleasures.  Leaving our brother in the dust if he should need water for his thirst or food for his nourishment.  Leaving him under cardboard boxes to keep him warm.  And we salve our consciousness with "He's a bum"  "He could get a job if he wanted"  "He is stealing from us when he is given any kind of sustenance."

You are not able to walk into the inner Kingdom of God while holding bad feelings toward another person.  No one is rejected by our Father/Mother, for we are as children finding our way back to our parentage.  

To Love one another .... there were no stipulations as to who would be considered unworthy of that Love.  

Love is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling that you get when you are with that special person.  Love is a commandment that we are to cultivate for EVERYONE.    Love heals, but before there is a healing for your brother, you first must Love yourself.  Whatever Love you possess, use that Love to reach within and heal the brokenness that your life's experiences has caused.  Forgive yourself and then forgive others.  Love conquers all.

 
                                                  

                                                  


                                                     TAKING BACK YOUR POWER




Taking back our power.  Where did it go?  Who did we give it to?

Giving away our power starts off rather easily.

I think that we are conditioned to surrender our power from an early age.  

At first it seems logical. Being obedient to parents, teachers, and then into the work place.  From there it spreads like a disease.  Anyone who stands before us as an authority figure, .... we automatically assume that they know more. We become obedient even if we "know" it is unjust   We don't want to "rock the boat" so we adhere whatever we are told.

Words that are said loud enough, or with consequences as a punishment for not obeying, or out of a sense of loyalty, as in the case of marital arrangements.  

When I was 16 I walked into a cult. It was easy for me to give my power away, after all, they had the secrets to life, they knew what to do in order to be at peace with God.  They knew the rules that would show me the path to everlasting life.  They were the Elders of the church and it was their responsibility to mold me into a worthy person.  But then, I was no different than millions of people who follow whoever they deem as a spokesperson for God.  

Then, when it comes to marriage, there is always that one that demands to be the powerful one in the relationship and the other becomes obedient, (not all marriages, but a vast majority).   That person presents themselves as the "breadwinner" the one that has more education, or the one that has the ability to speak their words with command.  The one that demands to be "right" and the wife or husband that feels that it is just easier to do what he or she says than it is to question.

Very few question leadership, especially if it is coming from someone that tells you that they are helping you. That seems to be the "hook".  The controller is always clothed with "your best intentions at heart".  Or, "You need to do this for the betterment of our cause" or "our relationship."  

You can always tell if you are being bullied, or if you are being verbally abused.  It will first show up as a knot in your stomach.  Your first sign that whatever words are being spoken are not kind and that you are being placed in a subservient position.  

Stop and reflect.  Who have you allowed to have power over you?  Who do you believe without question?  And if you do have a question, will they listen to your thoughts?  Are you being valued for the person that you are, or are you being used for their own personal gain, be it monetary or an effort to be superior.

We are bombarded with words that bring fear into the heart.  Listening to the News, or doing anything that brings a sense of fear is sucking your power and when your power level is lowered, fear and stress take up residence.  Listening to the words that abuse you will tear you down.

Having the eyes to see who is keeping your door locked isn't always easy, especially if the door is ornate. And if the controller of your power will praise you every so often for the good job you are doing.  After all, a good controller will know when to praise so you will be willing to allow them to stay in power and you will be willing to serve.

Love never ties you down with expectations.  There is freedom in Unconditional Love.  Freedom to make your own choices, freedom to think what you want, freedom to be all that you can be.

As you start to take back your power, you become more aware of just how much you have given away.

Those that present themselves as an authority figure demand your power.  That demanding may be presented with velvet gloves, but gloves, velvet or leather, cover the finger prints that are squeezing the heart. 

It becomes easier and easier to allow others to dictate how we are to feel and how we are to act.

Giving over your power to appease the anger of another, to give over your thoughts in order to fit in a society that has gone mad or to give up your personal relationship with God and hand it over to someone that has the gift of charm.  However you are giving yourself away, it is time to retrieve what you have so freely given away.  

Those that seek your power will be charming, they will promise you a good return, they will let you know how you have benefited, they will make what they are selling sound like it's a special deal just for you and if you don't want to be a follower of their thought or their product, they will use guilt.  AND THEN if you still are not going to be a follower of whatever they are selling or promoting, their sweetness and charm will turn from being a little lamb to an angry lion.

The bottom line is :  Know when you are being manipulated, know when a person is asking for your power/thought processes.   Know who you are, know what you want and what you don't, then sit back and watch the storyline unfold.

In order to take back your power, you have to be awake, awake to know who has taken it while you were asleep.  To Love yourself enough to open the gate of your prison, the key is easy to find.  It has always been safely kept within your heart, you just have to love yourself enough to open the gate and walk into your freedom, to be authentically YOU.

For those that use all the tricks to change you ... or to keep you captive to their Will, give them a key and let them know that they will have to put someone else in the cell, because you have escaped.

Love yourself enough to open your eyes, Love yourself enough to be the Power that you are, Love yourself enough to be everything you are capable of being.

Who you are is worth Being.  Don't be the illusion that your captor places upon you.  Trying to be anyone that is not authentically you is to wear a mask and when you wear that mask, you are covering over the most beautiful Light ... you are covering the person that has been in hiding, waiting to be recognized, waiting to be Loved and appreciated.  THAT person has to step forward, THAT person has to be seen.  THAT person needs to be real so that you can be authentically Loved for who you truly are. 

THE BOX

                               


                                                                  THE BOX


It is so easy to think like everyone else.  After all, how are we going to be accepted unless our thoughts are in harmony with those around us?

When we were in school, in order to be a part of any social group, you had to act and think like the rest of the kids, otherwise you were considered an outcast.  

Then after graduation, you take with you, your ability to "fit in".  My question is :  Exactly what are you fitting into?

You are learning how to fit into the box, a box where everyone thinks the same thoughts.  Within that box, everyone feels safe and secure.  After all, if everyone is thinking the same thing, it must be true.

However, when it comes to our advancements, it has always been the person that thought outside the box that was able to bring about new inventions. 

Henry Ford got us off of horses and sat us in the first automobile, and Thomas Edison (Nikola Tesla) took us from candle light to light bulbs.  It has always been the person that thought outside traditional thought that brought about advanced thinking.

We not only have to THINK outside the box, but, we have to STEP outside the box.  And as we step outside, it then becomes imperative that we stop putting others inside of boxes, making them appear different from ourselves.

People have a tendency to have little groupings.  A group for the rich, the poor, the middle class.  We group people as Republicans and Democrats, Catholic, Protestant and Atheist.  There is a box for everyone.  And if we don't know where to put them, we wait until we can figure them out and then toss them where they belong.

It isn't the majority that is right.  The majority is nothing more than a mob.  And when the majority becomes stressed or fearful,  the mob will act without thinking.  It's called mob mentality.

 Jesus was one who challenged everyone around Him to think differently.  He advocated to be as little children.

Children experience their world.  Everything is new,  everything is something to examine.  To a child, everything is a miracle.  Nothing is out of bounds when it comes to examining their surroundings.  They are quick to Love and quick to forgive.  They live in the moment and enjoy every second. 

As an adult we take those miracles for granted.  Everything becomes common place.  We pack away our imaginations ( I magi(c) nation).  WE are magical and everything around us reflects that magic.  And as we pack away our imagination, we also pack away our individuality, we give ourselves over to become robotic in our actions and in our thoughts. 

The greatest example we have of thinking outside the box is Jesus.  He taught, He ministered to the sick and the dying, He washed the feet of His Apostles, He preached about the Oneness we have with the Father.  In His time, He was a radical. 

And now it is time to think differently about who we are and what is truly important.  To stop chasing after the dollar bill and running past those that need a helping hand.   Stressing over what you hear on the News and neglecting our loved one, failing to communicate.

Our purpose is not to gain wealth or to see how many new inventions we can gather for ourselves.  We are here for one another.

Take the time to talk to one another about the good that is in your life.  Think upon the blessing you HAVE instead of the "THINGS" you don't have.  Because it isn't the stuff, it is that which is inside your heart.  That is where your true riches reside.

Stop looking at our differences and start looking at the same heart that beats, the same emotions that long for Unconditional Love, the one that is in need of compassion while going through a difficult time.  A simple telephone call.  To send a card.   Meet for coffee.  Do something that shows that you care.

That one act of kindness will germinate.  That act of kindness will then grow stronger in your own heart and will start a new growing process in another.

Kindness and Love can be more pandemic than war and violence.

You are stronger than you think you are because within you lives kindness and Love, joy and peace, happiness and all the gifts that God has placed there as your gift.  All you have to do is open the BOX.

Rainbows and Butterflies,

Cinda

The Elusive Feeling of Happiness

                                          THE ELUSIVE FEELING OF HAPPINESS



Happiness.  It is such an elusive feeling.  We can be happy one moment and within a second that happy feeling can change and then somehow we are captive to a fear or a worry that hangs on like a second skin.

The way we think is the way we feel.  So, how do we change "stinkin thinkin"  with healthy thoughts that will carry us through the day and give us a restful sleep?

Some people want instant relief and will reach for the magical pill, while others use meditation, exercise, music therapy, visiting with friends, getting away for the weekend for a change of pace or seeing a therapist that may help us straighten out our thought processes.

When we have run away thoughts that can not be tamed using everything and anything is a good idea, but, something that has helped me is to use a gratitude list.  Putting down all the things that you appreciate having in your life.  To stop dwelling on what you do not have and focusing on what you DO have in your life.

Being grateful opens us up to more abundance.  If we are constantly bemoaning what we don't have what we don't have seems to grow proportionately.

Living within the NOW.  How many times I have heard that expression.  It sounds like an easy fix and it can be.  The way to that is by being in the habit of keeping our thoughts under our control and not allowing our thoughts to be runaway children.

If thoughts become random and you find yourself exhausted from chasing them around, try this one trick .... write.  Write down what you are thinking and why you are having the thoughts.  Once you put in writing everything that you are worried about,  you will be in a better position to see what is real and what is a made up fear.

Life is truly a gift.  We can waste that gift by allowing painful thoughts to crowd out all the good that you have, or we can release the negative thoughts to make room for the miracles that surrounds us on a daily basis.

It isn't always easy to be happy while you are surrounded by those that are sad or worried.  But, if you will look at the example of the happy face amongst the sad ones, you can readily see that, when you are happy, you stand out and become a beam of sunshine.  Your happiness can be the Light that shines and thus help others to find their own happiness.

Being aware of WHAT you are thinking will help you to recognize when you have changed courses.  We have been given free will, and with that free will comes the responsibility of choosing wisely.  We can either allow and thus choose to have runaway thoughts that will carry us into depression, or we can choose to think upon those things that bring us happiness.

To be a true leader is to be able to lead yourself into the joy of BEING.  As they say, "happiness is an inside job."   No one else can MAKE you happy, it isn't their responsibility.  Be happy with who you are and those that walk beside you will bask in your warmth.

Be the sunshine that radiates the Love that you have.


Sending Love to ALL