Find Your Way Back Home...This Holiday Season!

“If Light Is In Your Heart, You will Find Your Way Back Home."― Rumi

Photo Credit: Sociedad Argentina de Horitcultura

Many of us may have wept when we first heard the story of The Prodigal Son. What we may not know is that in some ways, we also are expressing the same behaviors as the prodigal son. It's this absence from home that makes some of us weep...

We've been absent from "home" for too long! This holiday season, I invite you to find your way back "home," where you'll find your Father anxiously awaiting your return. In fact, he has kept the lights on to help you make your way through the darkness.

Please make an attempt to  go home!

You don't need money for the journey. All you need is to make the decision that you are going to start the return journey home ...this holiday season...this month. 

It's time...it simply is time to go home!!! 

My prayer for all of you, no matter where you are as you read this message, is to heed the call. You know you hear it... just don't delay. 

You see, I know how much delaying can cost you; like you, I was a Prodigal Daughter.

I left my home of Comfort, Warmth, Love and all the security in life, and I headed off "for a far country."

I went searching for years. I walked through many peaks and valleys. I was sure that the more I traveled, the closer I was getting to my destination. I met all sorts of beautiful Souls to accompany me on the road. Their chatter and guidance kept me persevering anytime I thought I was lost.

I met people...many other people...who like me were on a journey away from their home. We huddled together for comfort. We drew close to the brightest fires that beckoned, not necessarily providing the greatest warmth. But we drew close. We wanted to believe in the brightness of the fire.

When we set out from home, there are so many, many, many roads to take on the journey. We can pick our route, the level of terrain, how steep a mountain we want to climb. 

Some people I met along the way found a certain level of comfort at some terrains, and they hunkered down there for a while. In fact, many got so comfortable at some mountain peaks that they refused to go any farther.. They'd found what they needed for comfort. Plus, they were tired. 

Photo Credit: Mentors' Channel.

I personally don't think there are "wrong roads," as I believe that all roads ultimately will lead you home, if you're diligent in your search and stay connected to your Soul. By not listening and discerning its messages, you can delay the good that the "Father" within is waiting to pour out on you.I made that error, and I kept on going. 
I kept going. 
Two years ago this holiday season, I began to think of making my journey back home. See...after all my traveling...I was getting tired. I was really tired. My hands had blisters. Despite buying new pairs of shoes more often, the soles of my shoes were all worn out. The new shoes kept wearing out no matter how sturdy the leather seemed on the outside.

So, I literally started the journey, headed back home. At the time, I didn't know that  this was what I was doing. All I knew was that I was tired of walking and walking, and even though I had seen some really exciting places, and met some awesome folks along the many roads I'd traveled, I desparately wanted to get back home!

The preparations began for my return trip actually because I'd encountered a huge  boulder blocking my way. There was no way around it. I had lost so much strength traveling for so long on distant roads that I knew I didn't have strength to climb over this boulder that was blocking me on the East, West, North and South.  So, like any sensible adult who gets lost: I decided to retrace my steps.

By retracing my steps, I began to see patterns I'd left on my outward journey, and I followed some of those old trails. 

Step by step by step: I was retracing my way...and making my way back home.

Photo Credit: Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

I wasn't excited...yet. As I didn't know the reception of the "family" from whom I was so long separated. Tentatively, I kept on retracing my steps...finding my way ...back home.

To get back, I also began to look around at each landmark I'd passed before...but hadn't paid attention to... as I quickly hurried by heading to my unknown destination. On the return trip, though, I studied all the landmarks and milestones I'd etched my name on ...possibly intuitively knowing that I'd need them sometime and in someway.

I looked and saw how many good landmarks and milestones I'd pushed away, discarded, without appreciation or respect, and I wondered how I had even made it to go forward. You see, at that time, I was going forward, but not growing forward. There's a huge difference.

As I picked my weary, tired body through familiar, yet unfamiliar terrain, a new thing began to happen. I realized that all the baggage I thought I needed became useless the greater the distance I traveled returning home.

I kept looking at different pieces and asking: "Do I really need this?" "Is it not hindering my progress to make it back home?" "Why do I even need to carry a radio or television, isn't the silence just as comforting? The radio and TV are just noise and extra baggage. Even so, if you need to hear something, or you really miss them, stop in at an inn along the way and just listen for a day or two to what's going on. You'll see you aren't missing that much. The world is still going on, and it's still making noise and trying to tell you to go East, instead of West."

The more baggage I dumped, the lighter my load and the easier it was to travel, especially on the roads that were brightly lit with a light that perhaps only I could see. 

In places where the road got narrow. I'd found ways to turn my body around to fit with the passageway. I'd learned by then how not to get stuck in a narrow roadway.

It was after I'd pushed myself through a very, very dry and long roadway, that a curious thing happened.

Photo Credit: My Story

The light became brighter and brighter. As I felt myself becoming intoxicated with the beauty of the light, it suddenly faded into becoming part of my horizon. As I took a step to settle myself in the dirt that had made a comforting cradle to hold me for the night: I saw in the distance an old familiar building.

"Yes. In the morning, I will be home."

The question I now ask: Was it worth it to leave home? Would it not have been better to stay in the comfort of my Father's home all the years I had been wandering? 

My answer? A resounding NO! 

I met a lot of people. I gained so much insight. I learned how to to navigate the tricky terrain. I learned what is good and bad for the journey... at least my journey. I learned about the narrow passageways that can keep people trapped and locked in for life. 

I learned how to say "Thank you" for the smallest gifts (and also for all experiences, i.e. the good and seemingly bad.)  I learned how to identify where I was strong, weak, or can be led astray. I learned about the other Souls traveling and which to avoid.

Regrets?

None.

Photo Credit: Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

But I am so grateful to be back home!

If you choose to embark on your journey this holiday season, I urge you to: Never stray too far from the center lane, no matter how inviting the peripheries may seem. Most of all, I invite you to discard ANY THING (including people) that would destroy your self confidence ...as this sits in Your Father's House. This is the LIGHT, the only Light you will need to navigate your way through the "journeys" you may undertake in life.

Stay connected to your confidence ...it is the connection to your Soul.

Welcome home!

Happy Holidays!

Namaste',

Che' 

What's Height Got To Do With It? Keep Perspective: Oneness

"If a man would have peace, let him exercise the spirit of Peace; if he would find love, let him dwell in the spirit of Love; if he would escape suffering, let him cease to inflict it; if he would do noble things for humanity, let him cease to do ignoble things for himself..."- James Allen, "The Heavenly Life: 'Divine Center.'"

Photo Credit: My Story
(Seeing this picture; can you gain a perspective on how "tiny" we are in terms of the Universe)

We are tiny creatures. We are very tiny creatures.

We may look at the ant, crawling on the ground, going busily from place to place with seemingly

no purpose, as a pitiful creature that we can crush any time we have the desire. And... we often do...crush, crunch, spray, kill...the ant without a second thought.

Some people do so with larger creatures...animals... as well.

They shoot animals, going to and fro, for no reason other than...because they can.

See this: (American Dentist Allegedly Kills Popular Lion, Cecil).

Were we to truly pause and see our own smallness in the scheme of life, we would indeed pause...halt...all our busyness going to and fro in our daily activities.

Were we to ask, if there was any real purpose to our days, we would see clearly and understand fully that our individual busyness is as seemingly meaningless in the scheme of things as that of the ant, or the dog, or the lion going about their ways. 

But we, as humans, never stop. Most of us don't pause in our days and our ways to ponder the larger questions of life and wonder about our "bigness" in the overall scheme of life?

Of course, we are here for a purpose. Our
lives do have meaning. Often, though, it's not what we think. Often, too, it's not in the ways we think we fit. I certainly don't know how it all fits together. I respectfully leave that to a higher Presence active in our world. But what I do daily is try to stay connected to that Presence and Power and stay aware of where I might, or might not fit, into the day's activities I'm called to do.

Look around you now and see if the room in which you're now sitting is smaller or bigger than you?

Do you have a perspective of your size?

Some folks spend a lot of time worried about being tall, short, fat or slim. This is so much so that during the GOP debate, held in mid-September 2015, the top Google search was the height of the 2016 candidates. (See this: People Only Care About How Tall The 2016 Candidates Are). A seven-foot or taller man or woman may seem a "giant" among us, but in terms of the Universe, it's just a different variety of life's creatures and things on Earth. [Advice: When you're feeling big, look up and around you] 

We go boldly forward in our days and our ways acting on the feeling that we are the greatest creatures on Earth. WE have a right to be here; THEY do not.

Photo Credit: My Story

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Genesis 1: 26 

Photo Credit: My Story 

 Whether you believe in Pantheism, God present in all,  or Panentheism, God above all, he created the animals as well as humans.The only thing that separates us is our intelligence. But as Science uncovers the intelligence of other species, humans may have a humbling experience about this point too. (The Science Is In: Elephants Are Smarter Than We Realize), (Dolphins, Dogs and Elephants Smarter Than Some Realize), and (Goats Are Smarter Than You Think). We may yet find that humans are not the smartest creatures on Earth.

We're increasingly discovering that animals, like humans, feel emotions...sadness, joy...as do humans.

Cane Carso was a dog featured on Facebook. He was scheduled
to be euthanized, but his tears saved him.

"Lawrence Anthony, a legend in South Africa and author of 3 books including the bestseller, The Elephant Whisperer. He bravely rescued wildlife and rehabilitated elephants all over the globe from human atrocities, including the courageous rescue of Baghdad Zoo animals during US invasion in 2003.

On March 7, 2012 Lawrence Anthony died.
He is remembered and missed by his wife, 2 sons, 2 grandsons, and numerous elephants.
Two days after his passing, the wild elephants showed up at his home led by two large matriarchs. Separate wild herds arrived in droves to say goodbye to their beloved 'man-friend'. A total of 31 elephants had patiently walked over 12 miles to get to his South African House.
Witnessing this spectacle, humans were obviously in awe not only
because of the supreme intelligence and precise timing that these
elephants sensed about Lawrence's passing, but also because of
the profound memory and emotion the beloved animals evoked
in such an organized way: Walking slowly, for days, making their way in a solemn one-by-one queue from their habitat to his house. Lawrence's wife, Francoise, was especially touched, knowing that the elephants had not been to his house prior to that day for well over 3 years!
But yet they knew where they were going. The elephants obviously wanted to pay their deep respects, honoring their friend who'd saved their lives - so much respect that they stayed for 2 days 2 nights without eating anything.
Then one morning, they left, making their long journey back home.
SOMETHING IN THE UNIVERSE IS GREATER AND DEEPER THAN HUMAN INTELLIGENCE."- This story was posted in 2013 by Dr. Wayne Dyer and re-posted by Reid Tracy after his death, as a "classic Wayne FB posts."

Why can't we then keep perspective and respect for other creatures?

One of the key reasons, I believe, is that day-to-day, we are so full of ourselves, our very lives and the concentrated energy within us, we don't have time to look outside at the larger world. The times we do, it's to see how the other creatures can serve us. 

Photo Credit: My Story
(Goldfinch by Feathers [Allan])
Notice the birds of the air are more protected
than animals and creature that are on the ground.. 

.  

But believe it or not, our concentrated energy is no more important to the Universe than the concentrated energy within the animals and the lowest species crawling on Earth.

Animals, like humans, know how to instinctively
care for and love their offspring.

We are all here for a purpose. Yes, even the lowest creature. Some people are aware
and are doing much to alleviate killings and suffering of some animals. See these pieces:
(Dogs Arrive After Being Rescued From South Korea Farmers) and (200 Horses Roam Free After Being Rescued From Years of Abuse)

When we gain perspective on our lives, we also see that the passing issues that destroy our joy day-to-day are unimportant in the overall scheme of things. We can begin to feel Joy and Peace and Happiness in this way. 

Look up...look around you...see how 'big' you are...and see how you fit, if viewed from above, in relationship to the sky and the wind and the sun and the moon...and all the other animals and creatures on Earth. Know, they too, are here for a purpose, and though we may not know it, they also feel what we feel. See this: (Dog Stands Guard Over Pup Until Is Rescued).

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this November, my wish for us all is that as we give Thanks for our lives, we also gain perspective on that very life and its meaning in the ever-evolving Universe. I pray that we begin to wake up to the ONENESS among us all, people and animals alike, as did this pilot who's obviously awake! (Pilot Diverts Flight So Dog Does Not Freeze To Death).

Remember the turkey you eat came here with a purpose, too. In the eyes of the Universe, it, too, is worthy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Namaste',
Che'

The Greater Part of You....

Photo credit: Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura
We Should Think of The "Greater Part Of You" as a sleeping giant...awakening by any touch of connection. 

Challenges in life bring the greatest men to their knees. I mean this in both a literal and figurative way.

People fall on their knees and pray ...without ceasing... when obstacles block their path
to good. God then becomes their top "agenda item," until the next obstacle comes around.

I'm not going to knock these people.

What is sad? They don't realize that God always is ..the greater part of themselves.

God IS the greater part of all we are at any stage in our lives!

Photo credit: Mentors' Channel

We may have traveled far and achieved much from our early days, and through it all, God has been the force and the fuel propelling that growth forward.

When we are able to fully connect to this greater part of ourselves during times of crisis and through prayer, seeming miracles occur. Endorphins are released into our bodies...we relax, we feel peace...we become whole.

Photo credit: Sociedad Argentina 
de Horticultura

On a daily basis, though, we can reach in and connect to this infinite source of power, strength and goodness within us.

Any time of day or night, in any given moment, we can find the same peace, we can relax, we can become the wholeness we seek...were we to reach in and simply connect.

In "The Dynamic Laws of Prayer," Catherine Ponder, a master spiritual teacher, writes,

"The shocking truth about prayer is that all prayers are answered by our loving father. Whenever a prayer seems to remain unanswered, you can be sure that somewhere there is a closed door between you and the Infinite Giver." 

I have lived this.

GOD SENT LOVE IN A BAG OF POTATOES: This potato showed up in a bag of potatoes on a day several months back when  I was having a challenging day.
Without a doubt...seeing the "love potato" stilled my fears of the moment...immediately. 

The only times my life has gotten really off track are those times when I've bought into the fears of the world and the insecurities of people surrounding me. Sometimes, it's the hands of God that reached in and grabbed me back to fullness and wholeness from the "smallness" I had cultivated around myself. 

As I proudly and gratefully celebrate yet another birthday tomorrow, I've made myself a promise: I desire and expect only the highest and best experiences in my life.

Moet & Chandon may not be everyone's best champagne, but it's certainly one of my favorites. 

"What I know and what I've learned is that when I expect and desire only the highest and best experiences in my life...(doing so without fear or doubt, but with absolute faith... and without sharing my desires with anyone else...especially those who would disparage those desires)...then only the highest and best experiences show up in my life."

We can all look back and see that our lives have been a true reflection of our thinking and our expectations. Pay attention. Look back. Trace back.. and see... when certain experiences showed up in your life.

Credit photos: 
(L: Sociedad Argentina de Horitcultura 
R: My Story ) 

Was it when you were fearful that a negative experience showed up? 

And ... 

Was it when you were holding yourself in highest regard that you began to experience the highest and best manifestations in your life, i.e. in terms of finances, job experiences, people and events? 

It's no longer a mystery to me as to why we experience life the way we do.  The simple truth: what we think about, we bring about!

Dr. Wayne Dyer, our blessed and recently departed spiritual teacher, explains this phenomenon in his book "Inspiration." "We're in a system that's directed by a Supreme Intelligence, and we're part of that system," Dyer writes. "Everything is on purpose."

Credit: My Story

"Our 'vibrational'  match-up determines what we attract and what we repel in our life. We needn't focus on what's already happened and what we've gone through; rather, we must shift our vibration upward so that it harmonizes with spirit, and then...only then... will spiritually based ideas come knocking on our door."

"There's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come," Dyer writes.
He recommends that we try these personal affirmations to tune into things we desire and expect. "I desire it. It's on its way. there's nothing for me to worry about. '

In his book, "As A Man Thinketh [circa 1903]," from "Mind is The Master," James Allen  reflects the same thoughts. Allen writes: "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts."

Credit; Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

"As a plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called, 'spontaneous' and 'unpremeditated' as to those which are deliberately executed.   

"Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry."

As a progressive and evolving being, man is where he is so that he may learn and grow. Allen continues.  "And as he learns the spiritual lesson which any circumstance contains for him, it passes away and gives place to other circumstances." 



I have found that the more I have grown in wisdom and understanding, the less I want to speak. In this vein, I then choose to write no more on this subject of thoughts and life's circumstances. But I share this Allen poem with you to ponder and become wise about your own life.

"Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are

By thought was wrought and built. If a man's mind

Credit: Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura.
 (Like fine wine, we grow better with age, as the wisdom of God pours itself into us.) 

Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes the

wheel of the ox behind...                                                                                                          ...if one endures

In purity of thought, joy follows him

As his own shadow--sure."

Photo Credit; Sociedad Argentina de Horticultura

As I grow one year older, my wish for me, as well as for you, is to go deeper in Spirit. I intend to sit back of my personality more and more, allowing my Soul to move further in: into my mind and body... so that this Soulful view becomes the perspective with which I gauge and respond to the world. (Check out, from the photo on left, how relaxed and easy life seems when we're aligned and living from the Soul.) 

Over the years, especially this year that just passed for me, I have learned more than anything else that this Soul...is indeed, the greater part of me.

Namaste',
Che'

Laboring Without Pain...

This is a pencil sketch by Russian Artist Olga Melamory Larionova. 
Look at the picture above. Who could have occupied their days getting this image to perfection but someone who loves her craft?

Those of us without a trust fund to sustain us through life must make a living, and we're trained  to do so from birth. Of the many things we're taught in life, the most critical are those surrounding work and success.

We are told to get good grades in school... to succeed... so we can go out into the world and get the right job to make a life. Throughout this process, we are implicitly being trained about how to transition successfully into retirement with enough money for our Golden Years. (Some GenZers are going to buck the system. Check out this recent Bloomberg Businessweek piece: ("Boy King of The Evil Geniuses" )

Isn't this the crux of what we learn about life and living? But dare I now say that our time on Earth deserves more than a preparation for retirement, and ultimately, our death?

If we are not aware and awake to the purpose of our lives, the societies in which we live would have seduced into believing that life is the process of work: preparing to work, going to work, retiring from work.

Yet, while we're here, we are being offered a chance for so much more!

Each day we awaken to a new opportunity to see life with fresh eyes.

Each day, we're being called to wake up to the truth about life and its promises.Whether we're beginning our career, in mid-career or retired, here are some of the questions we wrestle with daily;

•  Am I saving enough for a good retirement?

• How can I get the next promotion?

• What type of raise am I going to get at my review?

• Did I pick the right career?
• Are others doing better than I in their achievements at work?
• How can I get the next right job?
• Am I Bored?
• Did I retire too early? 

 Few questions focus on what should be fundamental considerations about work:

•  Am I happy with my work?
• Is my work the reason for my happiness or sadness?

Earning a living is at the center of how we live our lives. So, our work is critical to our happiness.

We should begin then to focus on work in the sense of "occupying" our time. 

Each week, a new listing comes out for the Top 10 "best paying jobs," or Top 100 colleges that provide the best paying jobs or best paying college majors. Here are a few samples:
(Highest Paying College Majors),
(America's Top Colleges), (Schools With The Highest Salaries Upon Graduation), and (Top 10 State Universities With Highest Earnings Graduates)


We never will see listed the "Top 10 Most Satisfying College Majors Leading to A Happy Life."

Why?

When we think of a career, we rarely think about whether we will be happy with our occupation for the rest of our lives. The focus is on the money we would earn. For most, this translates into the happiness we can buy with that money: house, clothes, car, life partner, friends, entertainment, travel and other past times.


We assume that happiness will follow where the money goes. But this is not often the case.
There are many, many unhappy people occupying their days in work they try to fit into, though that work is totally wrong for their dispositions and real interests.

"Prosperity is at first a spirit, an attitude of mind, a moral power, a life, which manifests outwardly in the form of plenty, happiness, joy. Just as a man cannot become a genius by writing poems, essays, plays, but must develop and acquire the soul of genius---when the writing will follow as effect to cause---so one cannot become prosperous by hoarding up money, and by gaining property and possessions, but must develop and acquire the soul of virtue---when the material accessories follow as effect to cause--the spirit of virtue is the spirit of joy, and it contains within itself all abundance, all satisfaction, all fullness of life."  - James Allen, "Mind is The Master"

An employer may provide the right types of benefits, give a fair salary, be considerate about the time we need to take off...yet, not all of their employees will be happy. So, they wind up with bad or sloppy performers. This is bad practice for both the companies and the employees.

Employees are a company's greatest assets. Companies should  not suffer because we are doing the wrong type of work. Neither should we.

We may have been conditioned from birth to look for work that pays us the most in terms of salaries and benefits, but we must look within ourselves to know the kind of work that would satisfy our Souls. We must be active participants in our lives to make sure that the work we do leads us to both satisfaction and happiness. (Sometimes, due to economics, we may have to take work that is unsuitable to our desires, talents and skills, but we must make sure that work is only temporary. Do not stay long term in work you have no interest in.)

Even if all our conditioning led us to finding work, we must look for work of the right kind.  We must be active participants in our lives to make sure that what we do to occupy our days leads us to both satisfaction and happiness.

When we think of choosing a career or the work we would like to do, the real question we should be asking is: "How would I like to occupy my days?"


This question speaks to each second, each minute and each hour we spend doing what we do. Then, when we think of our work, we can envision (or not) the seconds, minutes and hours being spent pleasantly, happily and joyously doing what we feel most called to do. Once we can envision our joy in the work, then we can begin to drill down to the company and people with whom we'll be occupying our days: look in terms of the seconds, minutes and hours spent in that "company" in both a figurative and literal sense.

Do the companies practices and policies support our values?
Are the people we'd be working/interacting with on a daily basis pleasant folks?

We don't always get it right the first time. But each time, we get an opportunity to start anew to move unrelentingly towards retirement.

Is that the goal? Should moving unrelenting towards "the safe harbor of retirement" be the goal?
Indeed not.

Again we must get back to the seconds, minutes, hours...then days.

Are we occupying our days in the right way?

The purpose of our life is not to simply get through it.

The purpose of our life is to live through it, making each day one of value...a day that honors our Soul.

When we sell out our Souls, we know that only chaos, unhappiness and a lack of fulfillment can ensue.

This Labor Day weekend, I invite you to begin to focus on how you're occupying your time..
By doing so, excellent work, and all of its concomitant benefits, will follow.

"There is no joy in money, there is no joy in property, there is no joy in material accumulations or in any material thing of itself. These things are dead and lifeless. The spirit of joy must be in the man, or, it is nowhere. "- James Allen

Namaste',
Che'