Have you found your Rainbow?

Have you found your rainbow yet?

It is there, waiting for the sunlight to find it.
Brilliant colors, magical spheres
Whisps of water surround it.

See your rainbow with your inner eye;
Hear the heavenly music with your inner ear;
And feel the rain mix with your tears.

Stop and listen, without censor or judgment.
Love the Divine that lives in you and see
The Glory of God in everything that surrounds you.

Have you found your rainbow yet...or has your rainbow found you?

The Path of Least Resistance

I had a revelation on Friday. I discovered the truth about the phrase, "the path of least resistance" and learned something about myself in the process.

I returned home from work on Friday and as soon as I walked in the door, I felt all the negative thoughts, criticisms and judgments about my ability to successfully pursue my own path. I had a zillion little things to do that are all tiny steps on my path, and I made the mistake of thinking, "You'll never make any money from that, you never have." I felt that negative vortex start to pull me under and just I was about to give in (and give up), I stopped and sat down at the kitchen table.

I took a deep breath and asked, "What is going on here?" When my mind had quieted, I realized that my ego was doing its self-sabotaging dance and wanted me to be the partner. I was intimately familiar with this process, having accepted it without question for most of my life. But something inside me said, "No, let's take a look at this first."

I closed my eyes and saw two paths in front of me. The left path was difficult to see because of all the weeds growing over it. Vines hung like curtains from the trees that lined the path and I could only see a few feet ahead. The right path was clean, simple and free of debris. I could see for miles and there was noise and activity going on further down the path. I wanted to see what was happening, but realized I had to step on the right path first.

I realized that I had a choice in that moment. I could do what I had always done and go down the left side. I would become frustrated, angry, bitter and resentful because of all the obstacles in my way. I would eventually give up and decide that paths are not for everyone and then I would start over, at the beginning.

Or I could try something new and make a conscious choice to go down the right side. I am proud to say that I chose the right hand side.

My decision was based on many factors. I realized that I had never found happiness, joy or contentment by following the left path. I knew that way was not for me anymore. And I reached an important conclusion - why follow a path out of habit when it was not taking me to a better place?

After making my decision to follow a different path, my mood totally changed. I was happy again, eager to get started on my tasks. As I walked up the stairs to my office, I realized I had just stepped back from my beliefs, looked at them objectively, and discovered they no longer served me.

My Observer had finally appeared!

Many spiritual teachers talk about developing your own "Observer" to help identify the beliefs that are holding back your progress. You cannot identify those beliefs unless you step back from them and see how they impact your life. The Observer is the only way to do that.

The "path of least resistance" usually refers to someone who is trying to take a shortcut or cut corners. But on Friday, I realized that it can also mean "the path without old resistance."

Everyone on the planet is walking on their path - it may be cluttered with all kinds of resistance planted by the ego. But when you clear away your self-defeating belief patterns, your path becomes clear and open. Besides making it easier to pursue your journey, clearing the resistance also allows the Universe to supply you with the tools you need to continue.

You open your inner self to receive the flow of all good that is ever circulating around us!

So take out your inner machete and start clearing your path of resistance. Amazing things will start to happen!

To Expand or Contract? That is the Question.

The famous quote from Shakespeare, "To be or not to be" has its place in immortality. Many things have been written about these five simple words. Philosophers, intellectuals and other esteemed people have placed their interpretation on this essential phrase. But what does it really mean?

We are human BEINGS, always in the act of creating our reality. The word "being" is a verb - active and expressive of an unseen force that flows through all of nature and through all of us. We are creative BEINGS, always in the act of creation. But what happens when we learn habits that smother our creative powers, merely because we start living our life automatically?

We become human BEANS.

The word "bean" sounds just like "being" but they represent two totally different concepts. A "bean" is an inanimate thing. It cannot chose how to react, nor can it chose to anything different than what it was made to be. The concept of free will does not apply to a bean; only to human beings.

But a bean is still alive. It can still grow, right? True, but it does not chose when to grow or sprout. It just does, just like it was programmed to do by the unseen force that underlies all of nature. A bean grows into what it was created to become. Nothing more, nothing less. And as long as it receives the nutrients it needs to grow, a bean cannot decide to become a different plant or animal. It has no say in the matter.

But we do have a say! The question is whether we realize our "being" or do we ignore it?

After listening to the audio course, "The 11 Forgotten Laws" I realized that in every waking moment, I am faced with a fundamental choice about my life. One basic decision stands behind my thoughts, which turn into beliefs, which then turn into action. That decision is whether or not I chose in that moment to "BE." Do I chose to become a higher version of myself, or do I decide "not to be" that person?

In other words, to paraphrase Shakespeare, "To expand or not to expand."

It does not have quite the same ring to it, does it? But the essential message is still expressed. In this moment (which is all I have) do I chose to expand my awareness and consciousness, by expressing my true self through my words and actions? Or do I chose to contract myself by being judgmental, critical, bitter, resentful, etc?

The decision is always left up to me. And the consequences are always my own.

Try this today - whenever you are faced with a situation where you could react either positively or negatively, ask yourself, "Do I expand or contract?" At first, this will seem awkward and perhaps may even upset you, but you will soon discover that you have been reacting habitually to situations instead of living in that moment. By forcing yourself to stop for a second to contemplate and deliberately chose your reaction, you begin to take back your life.

If you faithfully practice this simple process, you will start to accumulate moments in which you were totally present. Your thoughts were not distracted, you were not operating on automatic pilot, and you became aware of the consequences of your actions.

In other words, you were a human BEING in that moment.

And it feels great! Enthusiasm, joy, love and wonder will begin to fill your heart. You may even feel your very soul stand up, stretch, and say, "Finally! You woke up!"

"To be or not to be." That truly is the question for all of us.

You Can Be Free: The Cathedral Challenge

You Can Be Free: The Cathedral Challenge
www.MiracleIncome.com

The Cathedral Challenge

Have you ever walked into a cathedral when it was quiet and still? As soon as the wooden doors closed behind you, did you feel a sudden awareness that this space was special and holy? Did your soul quicken in excitement and whisper, "This is where you find me"?

I had this experience when I visited Nortre Dame Cathedral in Paris many years ago. It was August and the stifling heat of Paris was left behind as soon as we stepped inside the massive doors. Although the place was packed with tourists, their voices faded when I stepped from the nave into the main body of the church.

I was awestruck.

Alcoves lined the walls, each one dancing in its own candlelight. The main aisle lead up to the altar like an arrow, drawing me forward. Incense filled the air with a mystical scent. The art work and architecture were stunning, but it was the space - the vastness - of the interior that spoke to me.

I saw a vision of monks in their coarse, brown robes walking slowly up the aisles, chanting softly. Their reverence for each other, this special place and for God were tangible feelings that I somehow understood. As I watched, the perspective changed and instead of being an outsider watching a procession, I became one of the monks!

I was the last in line, the novice, trying to step in cadence with my brothers who led the way. I carried the latern in my right hand, and I held it high to light the way. Words of an unknown, but familiar chant fell from my lips and I felt as if I were one with these people, this place and with the Spirit of God that connected us.

The vision only lasted the span of several heartbeats. But I was transported to a different relm - a place where I was special, valued and loved. I have never had that experience before or since, but it has obviously stayed with me as a moment to ponder.

Life goes on and moments to ponder become few and far between. Until a passage in a book I was reading by Paulo Coelho startled me into remembering my vision. In the Zahir, Mr. Coelho describes a cathedral in Vitoria, Spain that started out as a small chapel. Over the years, the chapel became a church, then after more than a century, it became a Gothic cathedral. Over time, it was venerated and then neglected. Restoration work had taken place haphazardly over the years, but the cathedral withstood everything.

The main character's visit to this cathedral merged with my experience at Notre Dame. Let me quote the passage and see if you don't agree:

"And suddenly, in the middle of the central nave, I realize something very important; the cathedral is me, it is all of us. We are all growing and changing in shape, we notice certain weaknesses that need to be corrected, we don't always choose the best solution but we carry on regardless, trying to remain upright and decent, in order to do honor not to the walls or the doors or the windows, but to the empty space inside, the space where we worship and venerate what is dearest and most important to us." The Zahir, by Paulo Coelho, Page 54.''

It was an "aha" moment for me! Now I understood why that grand empty space called Nortre Dame affected me so deeply. My inner space yearned to expand and grow. Instead of focusing on what is important to my soul and creating an active inner life, I was focused on fixing the exterior - the doors, walls and windows of my life. But those are the trappings of a material world that dissolve when I pass from this world.

My cathedral, my space that is uniquely my own, requires focus and attention to expand and grow. My challenge is to find the way to do that, and to share my journey with others. Only then will the cathedral of my spirit be free to express itself in the material world of form.

Are you ready to begin your own Cathedral Challenge?

Change and the Stream of Life

Change. It can be a word to dread or a condition to fear. Especially now, when it seems that the entire world is spinning on a different axis and all the rules are different.

But what about your personal life? What kind of changes have you spinning in confusion or fear? Everyone has their own personal list with the changes they have to face.

But let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Have you ever heard of the Stream of Life? We are all immersed in it, but it is our personal choice whether to be in the middle, where the turbulent water is the most active, or to the side near the shore, where calmness prevails. But what is the Stream of Life?

It is an wonderful analogy that describes the ever abundant flow of the Universe. It acts as a model for our own reactions to events that seem to occur randomly in our lives. And finally, the Stream of Life connects us to the primal force that moves through all of us - love.

The Universe is ever expanding and increasing. Look at nature and you will see new growth on trees, plants and flowers. The birds are busy building new homes of their future young and calves, foals and baby goats can been seen frolicking in pastures, next to their mamas. Growth and change are part of the Universal language. Nature does not resist this inevitable fact of life, why do we?

Because we are the only one of all of God's creatures who have a choice about life. We can choose to be baker, a scientist or a candlestick maker. We can choose to be pessimistic or optimistic. We can choose where to live and what to wear. And we choose how we react to change.

Nature can't do that. An oak tree cannot say, "I'm tired of being an oak tree. I want to be a beautiful Aspen and live in the mountains." A cardinal can't say, "I am so sick of the color red. I want to be blue, like the Blue Jay." Well...you get the point.

Our ability to choose is our greatest freedom and our worst enemy. If we question our choices or debate about "what we should have done" we step out of the Stream of Life. If we feel guilty or angry about our choices, we block the flow of the Stream in our Life. And if our judgment about ourselves and our situation is too harsh, we deflate our own power.

Life stops flowing through us.

Close your eyes and picture a mountain stream. The water flows constantly towards its final destination, the ocean. When the water encounters a boulder or tree limb, it does not debate whether to go left or right. The water does not question why the obstacle is there or what the water did wrong to bring on such a disaster. The water does not question its own value and decrease its own power.

Instead, the water bends around the boulder, flows up or under the tree limb, and it keeps going, more powerful than before it came upon the obstacle!

What would happen if we followed the stream's example in our own life? Instead of resisting change, we decide to flow with it and look for the opportunities that wait to be discovered. Instead of playing the victim ("Why is this happening to me?") we ask ourselves, "What am I supposed to learn from this situation to become a bigger and better person?" Work on your reactions to change and you will begin to experience a different reality.

Change is inevitable. We can't change change! All we can do is accept that change will always be present in our life. It is our reaction to change that either propels us forward as part of the Stream of Life, or hampers our progress. Flow with changes and you will discover peace and happiness.

And you will be connected to your own source of power and goodness. Universal love.