Courage and (((HUGS))) Helping Us Grow Spiritually...

The Tao Te Ching states that Courage is derived from Love (慈 loving 故 causes 能 ability 勇 brave)

This card 'jumped' out at me twice whilst shuffling, so I supposed that there is an important message within~

Courage~ Courage is standing up for what you most believe in. The most important person to believe in should be YOU. Trust your thoughts; with a candidness to understand your motivation, be mindful, consciously and creatively aware. Search within the lessons, seek to separate your intuition from the fear, trust that Spirit will guide. Surround yourself with white light, meditate to find the clarity within; without ego or judgment. This will lead you to the truth. You will find your strength in the midst of the fear. As you proceed forward, do so with Honesty, Authenticity, Gentleness, Confidence and Courage. 


I am trying to gain some clarity on the meaning behind this card as I look back on my experiences of the last 8 years. There have been so very many times when I have questioned, "Can this really be?" As I was choosing my card for today, this card slightly fell out. I replaced it and continued to shuffle. The card fell out at me again. So I take heed. 

Courage or Strength. We often hear, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." I really believe that we say and pass along phrases that we don't really understand completely. Strength refers to the ability to withstand, to exert great force, stress, or pressure. As I see it, strength is power based, more physical than mental;  accessing inner physical strength to push forward, but doing so without truly understanding with any kind of intellectual clarity. So naturally I had to dig deeper to understand what this phrase meant to me. What I discovered was Courage. What doesn't kill us serves us to access the courage to dig deep to discover and stand up for what we believe in with dignity. Courage is the ability and willingness to confront the fear, the pain, intimidation, uncertainty and perhaps danger, and to further do so with understanding and virtue. There is a calming in Courage, a gentleness, a compassion and love.   

Be courageous in your beliefs, seek to understand the truth with clarity. Stand passionately courageous,  knowing that you are good, honest and whole, armed with integrity, intelligence and foresight. Be Courageous. 

(((HUGS))) Helping Us Grow Spiritually...

You are Not Alone... if You Ask.. the Elk

♦You do not have to do everything alone, help is out there waiting for you♦ if you just ask for it♦ The Gift of the Elk♦ We are a community♦ We are one in this together♦ If you have been engaged in a competitive manner, the Elk offers rather to strive to work within the group in order to reach a common goal♦

Often, we believe that we are alone in the problem and often we are correct. That's because the solution is in the community, those that surround us.  Be conscious that you may be closing yourself off to aid. Allow your energy to be open to receive. You may be pleasantly surprised that you are supported and that there are answers.

There is something to be said for community, getting along, doing the right thing and moving towards a common goal; 'for the good of all.'  Especially when we feel that we have been wronged. Pitch in to lift someone up rather than slamming them further into the ground. The awareness is that even when you think or perceive that you know all the circumstances, you don't. We all have our reasons for doing everything. With a conscious awareness, let's open up our visual awareness to see the many possibilities that are available! Let's find a sunset that we can all enjoy!
A bit off topic.... but while I was writing this I remember back to when I was a young girl. I knew that there was often more to the story than what people wanted me to believe. Two of my best friends were girls that had a difficult time finding friends. One had had lice and the other was poor. Another friend that I met on along the way was black. She lived between my house and a girlfriends home. I would stop on the way home and we would play for a bit each day. I chose to see more. There had to be a story behind the stories. I know that this has led me to who I am today. I do look to see the story behind the one that people want to tell. This is the flip side. If you see someone who is acting out, my answer would be that 100% of the time, there is a story. Strive to hear the story that is being told rather than the story that someone wants you to believe. This serves the community in a manner that is building rather than destroying. 

Back to the Elk....Rewards♦
The appearance the Elk signifies a time of plenty. All that you need, you will receive. Long and steady, rather than quick and easy, is the key to opening the lock, freeing the door to your goals. Sometimes all it takes is the next step. The Elk brings courage, confidence and empowerment today in moving you forward and achieving your goals♦

♦You are Beautiful♦ have an incredible day, with peace in your heart, love in your words and radiance in your smile, Namaste♦

Black Elk, Oglala Lakota♦♦"You may have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle. That is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round.... The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always come back again, to where they were. The life of a man is a circle, from childhood to childhood. And so it is in everything, where power moves...."
♦Nobility,Endurance, Beauty, Pride, Stamina, Strength, Respect♦

Dear God ✾ to teach and to flow ✾

Greetings Morning! Welcome back! A gentle peaceful morning it is. On this day I choose the ♦Spirit of the Water♦ to reflect upon my day. She is relaxed, yet versatile, peacefully adjusting as she moves throughout the day, always calm, even whilst the winds blows through and around, for she understands that it is not her who is enraged.

Today, most I must time to rejuvenate my soul. Mindful and aware, that we are not our emotions, only experiencing them, understanding that these experiences are based on my perception of the events. More importantly, I understand that I have a conscious choice to accept, embrace and then to also let it move on, to experience more.

The truth is that life does flow, if we allow it to. Some things happen that teach us to be mindfully aware not to resist. This is especially true around experiences that appear as obstacles. We must learn to gently allow for nature to take it's course, with an awareness that the winds come and go to teach. Today is a day to embrace the wisdom within, knowing, with flexibility and softness.

Divine Wisdom, the power of discovery; with the knowledge and insight to seek and to learn the inner depths of one’s soul. The Spirit of Water knows her soul, she understands the path that has lead her to where she stands today and will move her towards where she needs to be. She allows this discovery to guide and move her, compassionate and with kindness, with gentleness in her touch. 



With Love, Kindness and a Heart filled with Awareness, I write an open letter to God. This is a letter of forgiveness and grace. 

Dear God; 
I know that I have done much wrong throughout my life. My actions, reactions, decisions and choices have hurt others many times. Many who have trusted and respected, when trust and respect were not warranted or due. I have acted many times harshly out of ego, greed or fear, not clearly understanding the damage that I was causing.  My mistakes are mine alone, I have been in control of every decision that I made. I knew, even at a young age, somehow, that what I was doing was wrong. I also know that these actions have caused much hurt within. So much fear, so much rejection.


As I grow older, I am able to look back at my life and the experiences as a whole. Consciously aware of my mistakes, my sins, I know and understand deep within my heart and soul that my actions have always been a reflection of my feelings of unworthiness. Seeing the whole is often difficult because this is not who I believe that I am nor who I want to be. So I have chosen to move forward.


Can we ever just leave the past behind and move forward?  I have always believed that the way out and through is forgiveness. Forgiveness of self. Forgiveness and understanding of the way it was and Grace for the way it can be. I seek forgiveness of my sins; selfishness, greed, anger and ego. I ask forgiveness where I have been blind, hurtful, when I have  taken what was not mind to keep. I ask forgiveness and seek grace.

I ask forgiveness as I begin my life moving forward, responsible and renewed that I have learned. My lessons have served me in a manner that have taught me to be a more gentle, kind, loving and compassionate. This is of self and of others. As I make choices, as I respond and react, I am consciously committed to not judging others nor myself according to my ego or pain. I will move forward with an awareness of my thoughts, feelings and emotions. I do so with an understanding that we all make choices based on our experience of love. We are always a reflection of the love within ourselves. This is at the core of my values and beliefs, who I am and who I want to be.  I seek forgiveness in order to move forward, whole and complete, with kindness and strength. 

I admit that I sometimes do not clearly understand the ways of the universe, the world of discovery. I have sought long and hard to move forward in my life, to do what I want to do, what I feel is a part of who I am. 
I am not perfect and I therefore do ask for leniency. I promise to do my best to serve, that I will be genuine and respectful of anothers path, especially when they are acting out in pain. 

I ask, that when I hit a road block, when I stumble and I fall, to do so with a gentleness of self. Some days are more difficult to get back up again. I ask for patience with my forgiveness of self. I ask that the light always shine within me and radiate outwards. 

I ask that I have faith, in that there is always forgiveness, and that in moving forward there is acceptance.      

 
May today there be peace within. As I begin my journey of today, may I do so with compassion in my heart, gentleness in my eyes, kindness in my touch, love in my thoughts and a smile on my face. And I do so with  gratitude. I give gratitude for the many wonderful things in my life, experiences, friends, family and the beauty that surrounds me. I give gratitude for the many lessons that I have learned and the path that I have chosen to experience. May I see the good, the wonderful and the beauty in all that surrounds and those that I meet. May I move forward with a sense of Peace and Gratitude with every step I take and may love be the essence in all that I do. 


♦Be Kind, because you can♦it is a choice♦