Awaken the Divine Within

              Luke 20:38 "... and He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive."      I am convinced that we do not die, that we only transform upon our earthly physical death. We are not simply our bodies, but our essence is our soul and our soul is eternal. Just like the clouds that change into rain, hail or snow, our body changes into spirit and light.      When my husband Michael passed away, his soul emerged and was free to become pure essence. I feel this essence surrounds me, encircling my heart and soul. God of the living has allowed Mike to show me glimpses of his soul in various ways (in nature, music, books, through others and in dreams). I feel Mike and God holding my hand as I walk the rest of my earthly and spiritual journey. I feel their presence in my life.      Everything has that spark of life as God is in everything, and it all is in God. He is the creator of ...

  Prayer for Courage Sweet and kind God  You who dwell in my soul Give me courage to face life With all its ups and downs Encourage me to call upon you When all is progressing smoothly As well as when things go wrong With your help Adversity will not prevail Give me courage To weather the storms of life With grace and hope Kindly look upon me When I find myself despairing Or in the darkness of fear May your light pierce The deepest recesses of my heart And lift me up Like a feather lifted in the breeze Give me courage to praise you At all times And in all circumstances May I endure hardship And always embrace Your gentle guidance Amen.

  Seed of God  A seed of God is in us. Now a seed of a pear tree grows into a pear tree, a hazel seed into a hazel tree. A seed of God grows into God.  ~  Meister Eckhart As I see it, growth is essential in all that is living.  It is the expansion of nothing into something, which occurs naturally from the small into the large. Seeds that are planted contain the universe, they contain life. God is constantly creating from the seed, from the origins of the universe to the seed of faith planted in our souls and hearts. Seeds mature and ripen into their intended form. Nature teaches us that all that is living grows in darkness into flourishing life. From darkness comes light and life. It is in the darkness of the soil or in the darkness of the womb, or in the dark times of our souls that transformation happens. Our souls are fertile ground for the seed of God. The Divine Gardener plants the beginnings of life and scatters seeds to see them take root, develop, grow, ...

 We're All Connected  We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. ~ Martin Luther King How is it that we are all one in the Spirit? How are we tied together? All our souls are interconnected and God is the common thread. What affects one affects all. Just like the World Wide Web connects this world we live in, the web we share in our souls connects the universe in its entirety. When we spread love or compassion to one individual, we are spreading love throughout. On the other hand, some may choose to spread hate or divisiveness affecting the whole as well. We are all one in this one universe. Jesus said that what we do for the least of our brethren, that we do to him. God is in us as we are in Him. Saint Paul wrote about us being one body. Each part of the body with its diverse talents makes the whole body work in unison. As the heart pumps blood, the body is able to function, ...

                  Walking.... Walking down the street I saw a stranger We gazed into each other's eyes Into each other's souls No longer a stranger I recognize the face of God I looked up And saw a canopy of leaves Providing shade from the heat To those below Here the birds rested And filled the air with song I heard the voice of God Walking down the street I looked down and noticed Roses, flowers, grass, and weeds As well as tree roots and rocks I noticed the nature of God With the wind in my face And the coolness of the air on my skin I felt the Spirit of God 

  Revelations 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter their house and dine with them, and they with me."      What beautiful imagery of Jesus/God standing at our door and knocking, that is, on the door of our hearts and lives. Imagine this for a moment! See how God does not force himself upon us, He reaches out and seeks us. He deeply desires us to freely open the door to his invitation to join us at the table. Our Creator allows us this choice. Though He already resides in our souls, He invites us to listen to His calling and to open our hearts and senses to happily receive His graces.      We should strive to listen to the gentle voice that is not loud or demanding. God is like the shepherd whose sheep recognize his voice and follow him. To listen to his voice, we must settle down and be still and know that He is God. We won't hear him if we don't get away from the noise of our busy ...

     I said to my soul, be still and let the dark come upon you, which shall be the darkness of God. ~ T.S. Eliot In darkness, God created the light. In darkness we were formed in our mother's womb. Just as our organs function within our bodies in the dark, it is in the lack of light that the seeds begin to evolve and grow. Because of darkness, we can appreciate the light. In darkness our bodies, our minds and our souls, rest as we sleep. Our universe is made up of dark matter. During the Dark Night of the Soul, our spirits change and grow, and without endarkment we would not experience enlightenment. It is in the darkness of death that we enter the light of new life and in the darkness of pain and suffering we are transformed. Darkness doesn't have to be a negative word because God uses darkness from the beginning of time to the present moment to bring about growth. It is up to us to embrace the dark. Also, the sky uses darkness for the stars and celestial bodies to shin...

  Who is an ordinary mystic? An ordinary mystic sees the Divine  in everything they encounter Hears the voice of God  in a baby's squeal of delight Smells God's aroma and fragrance in the food mothers make Tastes the pain of death with assurance of the hereafter Feels the caress of the Creator when a feather lands on their shoulder An ordinary mystic Experiences peace in the midst of war Senses the pain of those that grieve Walks the path of serenity and joy Is in tune with the music of the universe And witnesses the extraordinary in the details of creation They say yes when called by God and share this calling with love Ordinary mystics are you and me

  This is my first time blogging. The Spirit within me has been tapping my shoulder and bopping my head to share my reflections, poems and prayers with others. So let me introduce where I'm coming from. Since I was very young, I've felt the presence of God in my life. Then, when I was 16 and living at home, smoking a cigarette in the bathroom, so I wouldn't get caught (I quit cold turkey later), when out of nowhere, an intense surge of energy cursed through my body. It was so strong it brought me to my knees. I instantly knew it was God. I ran out to tell my mother I wanted to be a nun (as I was raised Catholic). But I quickly changed my mind because I wanted to be married and have kids. This event led me in my spiritual journey to get to know and experience the Divine Creator in wonderful ways. I have since then felt the presence of God as energy within me recognizing the Holy One as the source of these feelings enhancing my spirituality. Though I've experienced many s...