Awaken the Divine Within: Spiritual Reflections for a Soul's Journey

                  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...