Seasons of the Soul

New Dawn

I often use the term, “it dawned on me”, and realize that insights I get are often like the dawning of a new day…the wonder of the sun rising again to shine its light on the earth, giving a fresh perspective and new opportunities. Dawn is a very special time in many religions. It is one of the two times of day that are very potent magnetically (dusk being the other), and if you’ve ever noticed, dawn is when the birds begin to chirp, greeting the coming of the new day. Something dawning on us also means that there is partnership. There is that which dawns and that which is dawned upon. The I/Thou relationship is strengthened as we have a moment of recognition. We open to receive our daily bread, and the dawning of realization is a powerful metaphor for insights that bring us to new levels of awareness. So, when you find yourself noting that something dawned on you, it’s partially remembrance, but also the newness of a fresh start, idea, or opportunity. And it has all the promise of potential, just as the new day dawns to give us yet another opportunity to engage in life.
KJ

He Will Sit as Refiner and Purifier of Silver

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying Chapter 3, they came across Verse 3 which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver".

This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. 

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse that says "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. 

The man answered that yes, he had not only to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. For if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered "That's the easy part, when I see my image reflected in it."   -Author unknown

Light And Shadow

Q. Life is hard. I am studying art, and I come from a dysfunctional family. I want to run away from my life. Help!

A. When we recognize the possibility....to realize that life is often filled with the illusion of joy and sorrow....always the play of shadow and light....we can realize, as the artist knows, that without the shadow, you have no contrast. There would be nothing to hold our focus or attention to give the etching of character and substance. Our lives are the canvas. The incidents within our lives provide the shadow and the light. How we apply them to our canvas is our contribution...our artistry. Let us make of ourselves a true work of beauty....no matter how many shadows there might be!                 KJ

"God is not some person outside ourselves or away from the Universe. He pervades everything... He abides in our hearts and is nearer to us than the nails on our fingers." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Spirit Filled Art Jewelry

Elizabeth Lynn Moon is an extraordinary artist. She has done beautiful portraits, designed greeting cards, and created lovely scenes from nature in watercolor. Before fully embracing art, she began her career as a gifted musician and composer, traveling throughout the United States as lead singer for a band. After years of spiritual journeying and artistic endeavors, her many gifts find their culmination in spirit filled wearable art. Each piece is a creation filled with love, using fine stones and other gifts of Mother Nature. Elizabeth has a way of communing with the stones and beads she uses to become the midwife of meaningful art jewelry. Each piece is filled with an essence of light that makes the wearer feel incredibly special

I am privileged to have found Elizabeth’s jewelry, and am proud owner of several. Each time I wear her art jewelry, people stop to ask me where I found these memorable pieces. She has truly created jewelry of distinction. Elizabeth Lynn Moon designs wearable art pieces for all occasions and accepts commissions for specialty pieces. All her jewelry is one of a kind, so they become original keepsakes of high value with certificates of authenticity.

I have tried to import some of the images from her collection to this blog, but it just doesn’t work – so I encourage you to visit her website to see the jewelry. The photographs cannot do the jewelry justice, but gives an idea of what she brings to life. If you would like to contact Elizabeth or look at her larger collection, please go to her website at: www.elizabethlynnmoon.com

God's Gardeners

There’s a worm addicted to eating grape leaves.
Suddenly, he wakes up, call it grace, whatever,
something wakes him, and he’s no longer a worm.
He’s the entire vineyard,
and the orchard too,
the fruit, the trunks,
a growing wisdom and joy
that doesn’t need to devour.
                          ~Rumi

God’s Gardeners
The garden is such a continuing source of education for me.. The other day I was out on the patio enjoying a cup of tea, and I heard the sound of busy bees who were buzzing around the fruit trees. This year there were more blossoms than ever before, and the bees were busy doing their part to make sure every one was pollinated.  Later in the day I threw some leftovers on our mulch pile, and as I turned the soil, hundreds of worms appeared in the shovel...all very industriously doing their work along with beetles and other insects whose job it is to take care of the soil.

Yesterday, we had horrible winds, and many of the blossoms were shaken from the fruit trees. Our patio was a vision of snow flaked petals forming a thin blanket over the entire area.  At first I was upset… “Oh, we won’t have any fruit this year!”...but on closer inspection I noted that there were still many blossoms, and they were the strongest ones. It dawned on me that too many blossoms would mean a weakened crop. Too much fruit would cause the quality to diminish. Yet, the wind came as part of the garden crew, clearing out the weakest blossoms, dislodging old leaves that had clung through the winter to some of the trees,  and clearing the air. I started to laugh with appreciation as I saw all these marvelous aspects of nature working in concert as God’s Gardeners.

Human gardeners go around pruning and mowing, clearing and bundling, and then what do they do? Out come the blowers, and they swish everything away (or into the street). Nature does all of this without using noisy power tools. She is the master gardener and the great planner and restorer of Herself.

Every time I think I have to figure everything out, all I need to do is walk in nature. There before me is a handiwork that no human mind could ever fully conceive of or execute with the precision and magnitude that nature does. Everything is based on reciprocal utilization and simplicity of action. The trees and plants go through their life cycle. The seasons bring the necessary climate control, and the elements conspire to give a little more at one time, and a little less at another. Sometimes things seem out of balance, but always...always, nature returns in splendor, and the effect is a symphony of beauty that holds us all in awe of the majesty and dignity of something greater than we can possibly fully understand.

KJ

Uses For WD-40

WD-40
Water Displacement  #40. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. The workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling (also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home.

The executives decided there might be a consumer market for it and put it in aerosol cans. The rest, as they say, is history.

It is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master." There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year. It gets its distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.
Here are some of the uses:
*Protects silver from tarnishing.
*Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
*Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery.
*Restores and cleans chalkboards.
*Removes lipstick stains.
*Loosens stubborn zippers.
*Untangles jewelry chains.
*Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
*Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
*Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
*Keeps scissors working smoothly.
*Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
*Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
*Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl
bumpers.*
*Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
*Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy
handling.
*Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
*Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
*Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
*Removes all traces of duct tape.
*Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis
pain.
*Florida's favorite use is: "cleans and removes love bugs from grills and
bumpers."
*Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops
the itch.
*WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
*If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.
*It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor!
*Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use
WD-40!
*Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
P. S. The basic ingredient is FISH OIL
~Author Unknown

Welcome Wind

The wind was very active this Fall. Storms buffeted us earlier than normal. Yet, in observing the trees and the dying leaves, it always amazes me that Fall is a time when nature does her job unfailingly. Weak branches, old leaves...all things that would linger on their own, are given assistance by the glorious wind. Of course, it is unsettling with a large tree out my window. But each time the storms come, and I become afraid….I look at the tree, and its branches sway gracefully as gusts of wind pass through them. The tree is sturdy. It’s an old pine that’s been on this mountainside for over 40 years. I had it pruned a couple years ago, and asked the tree people if I should consider cutting it down because it might fall. They were surprised. “Why? The tree is healthy. It’s designed to withstand wind, and rarely do these type of trees fall on the mountainside unless they are diseased.”

The tree shelters the house from hot sun in the summer, and gives home to birds and other small animals. I love to go out and look up at its outstretched branches...inviting and reminding me that nature is right here even in the midst of suburbia. Yet, every time it is windy, there is always a little knot in my stomach. One day I realized how much I want to  control all the variables to make sure everything will be safe and secure. Yet, in life there are no assurances. The winds of change blow with the seasons. If we are sturdy, we can withstand the elements. When we have things we cling to that need release, life will bring circumstances to  prune our branches...to cast off the dead leaves that keep new growth from occurring. And once we’ve done our part, rather than trying to control, if we can only remember to open our arms as the pine tree does...to welcome life in all its seasons, knowing there is something much vaster and greater at work.
KJ

The Molecules of Agreement

On a recent trip, I had an insight as I was looking around the motel room and feeling concerned about the part of town we were staying in. It dawned on me as I watched my thoughts tending towards negative outplays that everything begins with an idea. Not that I haven’t known this before, but suddenly it was making real sense. I started to look at everything in the room, and thought of the buildings in the area….all the product of someone’s imagination.  And it dawned on me that all manifestation is an Agreement of Molecules! We are an idea in the mind of a vast creative Being. And in our creation we have been implanted with co-creative capacities - the ability to manifest according to our capability to imagine. Once imagined, we must find others who are in agreement with our idea. They become our molecules of agreement, and when we bind our capabilities together, we bring something into fruition.

It is essential to dream…to foster an environment where ideas are give permission to fly. In a documentary about George Lucas, the filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola, said that every day he directed each individual on his film team to come up with a new brilliant idea. Every day! Imagine! This stirs the creative juices, and it puts us on notice to let our minds seek possibilities and extend potential.

In relation to that, we were listening to Tony Robbins tapes on finding our power and igniting our passion. He talked about failure, commenting that for every record holder who has achieved a great result, they have an equal record for the greatest number of failures. The idea is that we have to hone our ideas. In the beginning, they may be raw and unadorned. As we work them, there may be things that have to be evened out. No matter. We keep at it again and again and again until we come up with a finished product. One product may be better than another, but in the very act of creating something that isn’t necessarily that good, a revolutionary idea may emerge. We accelerate our possibilities by trying and by failing. Using our creative muscles, we are gathering the molecules of agreement, and putting our effort into the endeavor that will lead to the next and the next and the next. When we work the muscles of our body, the body becomes firm and agile. So with our mind and our efforts.

We are sparks of a Creative Mind, and in the expression of ourselves, we are the outworking of an idea that we were. Likewise, as we give ourselves to our ideas and work them, something lovely or inspired or very useful can unfold. We are transcending imagination and birthing it into conscious creation, and as we do this, the molecules  of agreement gather to make our ideas real.
KJ

Thoughts for the Day

It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity. --Francis Bacon

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. --Melody Beattie

Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.
But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.
But you are eternity and you are the mirror. --Kahlil Gibran

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.                       ~St. Theresa

Full Cup, Empty Cup, No Cup

It is really astounding as one ages to watch what you took for granted suddenly disappear. In its place is someone you smiled at briefly in restaurants or felt kindly toward because they seemed so spry for their age. But it was never someone you identified with, because they reminded you of life’s impermanence…of the passing of physical youth, health, and beauty. Yet, that “elder” has become you, and you have no idea how or when it happened! As we grow into advancing years, we’re suddenly confronted with the unavoidable truth: People are born, we grow up, and we die. Emptiness becomes fullness and emptiness again. The flower fades, and so do we. Or do we? It depends on our focus.

As I observe physical changes, I recognize something else. The reason it is all so surprising is that who I relate to inside has always remained the same. When I look at my interior self, there is someone who is no age, no gender – only pure consciousness. It is unmoved by my tantrums, unfazed by events, and surmounts all grief. When I look to this aspect of my self, I find a comforting presence that remains itself no matter what. And in this, I am aware that when we are in full bloom, we are a full cup, and as our physical body deteriorates, we become an empty cup. Yet, when we look at our interior life, we might say that in our youth we are empty, and if we age well, we are full. However, beyond that…inside we are no cup. What remains and what is real is consciousness, pure in essence, without form. Full cup, empty cup – no cup. Ahhhh.
KJ