Divine Beauty

Tell someone that they are beautiful and you may get one of many different responses. Depending on that person's story and beliefs around beauty it may be a positive reaction or a negative, or it could be indifferent. The response may also be based on what you are referring to when you acknowledge their beauty.

One indisputable fact is that we are all divinely beautiful. We have an essence of our soul that shines. Maybe not all the time, maybe not in a while, perhaps it is hiding or wounded, but underneath it all and somewhere in the busy-ness of our life, our divine beauty exists.

There is greatness to be found in embracing this divine beauty. It illuminates our soul. It empowers our actions. This type of beauty touches hearts. It also heals wounds and unlocks doors. It is the spirit of our being. And it is completely and entirely unique to you.

This divine beauty cannot be purchased or copied. It cannot be embellished or masked. It is so vibrant that it shines through the cracks of our insecurities, the bars of our bravado, and the shadows of our pain.

It often is seen by others before we are aware of its presence. Yet it is this very beauty that connects us to each other. It brings worlds together. It creates union. It fosters peace and it welcomes simplicity.

There are many in our lives who we can identify with this glorious beauty. We hold them in a tender and special place within our heart. We think of them far differently from the glossy magazine paged bodies or the cinema screen bombshells. And if by chance we discover it in someone who also exhibits outward polished beauty, we stress the divine beauty as far more valuable and appreciated, "She may have a lovely face, but her heart and compassion truly are where her beauty shines."

So think on this. What is your divine beauty? How do you express it? What do you do to allow it to freely flow into the world and touch others? How do you recognize it and honor it? We are all divinely beautiful and it is here that we need no redefining!

Blessings, Lisa

The Artist Within The Chaos

There is a quote by Nietzsche that I so understand and appreciate, "One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." I love finding the creative energies of thinking and living outside of the box. I love the challenges and newness that is found there. It is where I grow. There is an abundance of wonderful to be found there!

So much of our day is organized, scheduled and planned. We fall quickly into habits and patterns. Some that serve us, but some just because it is comfortable and familiar there. Sometimes these habits and patterns keep us from exploring and wondering. They can limit us from experiencing life fully.

Whenever I begin to feel a bit stuck or a bit disappointed in the way my life is flowing I stir up a bit of chaos. I begin to rid my life of aspects that no longer serve it. They may have made sense at one time, but when it is time to be rid of something...it is time. I also begin to seek new and fresh perspectives. I have "what if" conversations with people whose opinion I value and with myself. This helps my mind stretch a bit and my soul dances through with its creative juices. The depth of my soul's resources goes beyond time. It reaches into a universal resource of opportunities and a vast scope of energy.  I challenge the many possibilities. I expand the simplest of idea and build upon it. I recall dreams and see them as reality.

When life becomes too routine, I order up a dose of chaos. I live outrageous dreams. I step outside of the normal habit or expected thought. I awaken my inner artist and bring new colors into the picture. I try out new theories and practices. Creativity blossoms within the chaos and a freshness gets added to my life.

Blessings, Lisa

The Work In Making A Decision

I was once told there are no bad decisions, just poor actions. Staying in a place of contemplation for too long keeps me in a place of stuck. I know enough to take a peek around the corner and see what fears are lurking that I am not facing. I know enough that my story can get wrapped up in this process if I do not stay true and open, authentic and alert to what my soul is telling me and how it is guiding me.

Life is filled with decisions for us all. Sometimes we feel we have no choice, but we always do. Sometimes we feel stuck, but we are keeping us in that place, not the situation. Sometimes we need to walk away, get a fresh perspective, spend some of our pent up energies and allow the flow to find its way out and around.

Bottom line is I know the pattern at hand when I am feeling like this. Most decisions I face are made without struggle and with confidence. But this one area that I am facing is the one that causes this pattern to resurface. So the work continues. I look inward. I do my soul-work and give myself the space and time needed to lean into that, be fully present in it and listen closely to the truth that surfaces.  What still needs to be faced? What needs to be released? How can I gain a fresh perspective? What can I accept healing grace in?

That is really the decision to be made. That is really the dilemma. And so I continue in my growth and evolution. It is part of life. It is what makes it so beautiful and alive. It is not always easy. It is not always clear and obvious. But once you know...you cannot unknow. I want to be full. I want to be aware. I want to be present. The only way I know to do this, is to keep moving on, to keep self-loving, and to be honest and accepting.

The decisions I am facing will get made. And they will be the right decisions. Why? Because I know I am not willing to sit in a place of making poor actions. I am willing to challenge the old beliefs. I am willing to take chances. I am willing to change the way I do things and think about things. This is how I have been able to rise above so many other obstacles in the past. Onward!

Blessings, Lisa

The Sneakiness of Self-Deception

It is a very sneaky creature. Self-deception used to have its way with me. But once I caught on to its ploys, it methods and its slyness I learned to confront it and chase it out of my path. I stopped cheating myself, stopped fooling myself and stopped playing the game of self-deception.

Self-deception can hide you away. It can keep you from shining your inner light. It creates excuses for you to not take risks, to not change, to not dig deep. It also keeps you from living in your integrity as well. Oh, so sneaky it is! It wears a mask! It covers its ugliness behind big excuses and justifications.  It gives you all the reasons, the rationalizations and the validations to not BE, DO, TRY, or EXPLORE!

Self-deception, if fed and nurtured, coddled and sought, will train you to become a master at rationalization. It will stroke you for all your justifying and curl up in your lap for every challenge you excuse away instead of taking on or at the least facing. The face of self-deception smiles at your arguments that you know, deep down inside, are just excuses.

With time you begin to realize that the longer the story is around your excuse, the more layers and details you have used to support it. This means then the further self-deception is taking you from your truth. Cheating yourself from your authenticity, from being your truest self is a non-fulfilling act.  Living a life where you do NOT hide away from being, even if it is less than perfect, a little scary or at a slower pace, leads you to a life of empowerment and beauty. You are filled with a presence that escalates your expansion and growth.

What is self-deception keeping you from in your life? What wonders are you making rationalizations for so that you are not stretching to reach for them? What excuses are you feeding that are holding you back and keeping you small? What one justification can you let go of today so you can shine just a bit brighter and live a bit truer?

Blessings, Lisa