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For centuries, the idea has been around that our thoughts create our life, that we are living in a dream, and that the outer world is a reflection of but the inner world. Nothing has changed – that Truth remains. It is a call to wake up.

“Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.” – William James

“By choosing your thoughts, and by selecting which emotional currents you will release and which you will reinforce, you determine the quality of your Light. You determine the effects that you will have upon others, and the nature of the experiences of your life. “- Gary Zukav (from “Seat of the Soul”)

“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” – Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

“When one realizes one is asleep, at that moment one is already half-awake.” – P. D. Ouspensky (1878-1947)

“You are given the gifts of the gods, you create your reality according to you beliefs. Yours is the creative energy that makes your world. There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in.” – Seth (As channeled by Jane Roberts in “The Nature Of Personal Reality, Chap. 22, Session 677”)

“If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive.” – Bettie Eadie (from “Embraced By the Light”)

“At times, I may get sidetracked, focusing on the ways in which my life appears to be flawed. In that frame of mind, I feel disconnected and discontented. But as I become aware of my disharmony, I can make adjustments.

“Just as musicians must listen carefully and bring their voices into alignment to create harmony, I, too, must listen in order to bring myself into alignment with Spirit. When I am in sync with God, harmony is the inspiring result. I am blessed and at peace.” – Daily Word, January 25, 2010

I take full responsibility for my life, and desire to be in alignment with Spirit. With God’s guidance and grace, I wake up from the dream of suffering and duality, to be the True Essence that I really am.

Today’s Daily Word – Saturday, January 23, 2010
Meaning
In God, I find spiritual meaning in everyday life.

Many tasks in daily life may seem mundane or even irritating, so I look for a deeper spiritual significance in each one.

When I’m standing in line at a grocery store, running errands or waiting for a computer program to load, I look for the blessing in it. I may find myself giving thanks to God. I may have the opportunity to connect with another person. My attitude may transform an ordinary experience into a rich and rewarding blessing.

I affirm “Thank You, God,” anytime I find myself waiting. These delays turn downtime into an experience of awareness and meaning.

The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established. – Proverbs 19:21

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I strive to find spiritual meaning in everyday life not just because tasks may seem mundane or I’m bored.

Any time that I can find spiritual meaning or blessing in some task or situation, I am connecting more directly with God, strengthening my relationship. Hence, when I’m in the shower, driving, washing dishes, etc., I can often be found praying in some form either singing, talking aloud, or silently.

In any form, in any way, whatever I am engaged in, especially when I am alone, I take the opportunity to commune with Spirit. There I find peace, there I find meaning in my life.

I don’t know if it was the serious situation of friends dealing with the possible devastation to come because of the forecast of extreme local flooding, or what the Haitian people are going through, but a wave of appreciation swept through me yesterday – appreciation for Roger.

Now, I regularly tell Rog I love him and am grateful for him and his being in my life. But appreciation feels different and, in hindsight, it seems that I don’t seem to verbally express that to Rog very often.

So what’s the difference between gratitude and appreciation?

Encarta states that gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness to somebody and comes from the Latin gratitudo which means “pleasing.” The Hebrew term for gratitude is hikarat hatov, which means, literally, “recognizing the good.” (http://www.aish.com/sp/pg/48906987.html). The latter definition resonates with me for my spiritual practice includes making gratitude my usual state of mind and a way of life.

Appreciation is defined as “a full understanding of the meaning and importance of something” (Encarta) and “sensitive awareness” (Merriam-Webster).

In an instant and without mindful analysis, yesterday’s appreciation wave imparted to me a full understanding of what Rog means to me at a conscious level and deeper. Wow!

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. – John F. Kennedy

I’ve met a lot of couples lately, and it’s interesting for me to observe what their relationship is like.

Is it about having a warm body in bed at night, someone to share household responsibilities and finances with, to have someone take care of the other? Or is it a real partnership in which the team members help one another not only in managing every day responsibilities and activities, but to help them evolve their souls, to support them in their waking up? Can I feel the love and joy energy between them or does it feel like they’re just making do with things?

Without a spiritual compass it seems impossible – not to mention extremely painful and depressing – to be in an intimate committed relationship. What is apparent to me now more than ever is that my partner is my best teacher on my path to full awakening, wholeness, and healing. Yet, without each of us having a spiritual foundation for providing guidance, strength, and love, it can not be so.

It seems to me a waste that others do not glean learning from their close relationships. Some actually carry resentments and blame forward into the future even when the relationship has long been dissolved.

My spiritual foundation was built primarily on 12 Step principles and secondarily on A Course in Miracles (ACIM) after adhering to an atheist viewpoint for many years prior to that. In the 20 years since, I’ve incorporated other spiritual traditions’ ideas into my belief system. Of course I’ve found that there is no competition in spirituality and in fact much commonality of principles (boy, what a relief that is in this usual world of duality). Rog’s spiritual foundation was built early in his life on Jesus’ teachings from his religious upbringing and continued with ACIM. We’re pretty close in our beliefs and we both consciously endeavor to practice them in our daily lives.

When Rog and I get into a ‘challenging’ discussion, we each seek to listen without ego to the other, to be honest and respectful of self and other. We strive for clear communication with love. We make amends when we have erred and we forgive one another and/or ourselves when needed. We are open to being both student and teacher.

When we married almost five years ago, we each promised to the other “… to do my best to always see the Light in you. I promise to do my best to be your perfect shelter, where you can be reborn in safety and in peace.” Keeping these promises has allowed us to wake up more and more, and to enjoy greater freedom.

In this crazy, changing world thanks to my Higher Power and my life partner, I am not just ‘getting by’, but I am evolving and waking up. I am so very grateful.

Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I cannot reach them: but I can look up, and see their beauty; believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. – Louisa May Alcott

I came across this quote in my daily planner and realized that I was most familiar with it: I had a copy of it that had hung in my office for years. And, just the other day, I came across that copy in my file drawer that is still disorganized from our recent relocation. Reading it again got me thinking about its meaning and I’d not done that in the many moons since I had come to believe.

With God all things are possible, including achieving my highest aspirations. But they must be aligned with Source if they are to unfold. With faith and following God’s guidance, I can strive for all that I desire (which comes from God). It matters not where they lead, for I’m in this adventure called Life partnered with God and being with God is my greatest desire.