Thoughts For The Day ~ Repost

 

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”  ~ Martin Buber

MarDrag’s Thoughts:

On our Journey, our Life Path, there are Destinations we see, aspire to, and reach. Destination is what keeps us going, with the desire, hope, and success of reaching them. BUT…we cannot always know every Destination life has planned for us. Some Destinations are secret…because they either hold a tremendous reward, or a profound lesson. Those Destinations are a combination of our efforts on our Path and the forces of the Higher Powers, Destiny if you will, that guide us on our Path. If we knew every detail or every end point, than would we see a need to even make the effort? Life’s little tricks! In addition, our Paths and Destinations change all the time, depending on our Choices and Decisions.

Experiencing Life is our Purpose, the Destination is the cherry on top. And isn’t Destiny a form of the word Destination to begin with? So, it is our Destiny to reach our Destinations. That may help us worry less about how we get there and enjoy our Path more fully along the way.

“Even the smallest changes in our daily routine can create incredible ripple effects that expand our vision of what is possible.”   ~ Charles F. Glassman

MarDrag’s Thoughts:

Sometimes, we can get in rut. We repeat the days, over and over, focusing on our obligations, work, and families, etc…and we can forget about the Magic of Life. That Magic that swirls and hangs outside our normal routine. That routine creates a circle around us, and very little gets in that is new. So, to bring Magic back into the circle, back into our lives…all we need to do…is make a small, simple change. Just start with one. Walk a different way today. Take a different route to work. Go to a different grocery store. Take up a new hobby. Reach out to someone you have not heard from in a long time. Something. One thing…Different. It is amazing how that can Create Change…and can open our vision to so many new possibilities. Get Creative. Go ahead…try it. Just to see.

“Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.”  ~ Noela Evans

MarDrag’s Thoughts:

We have all heard the phrase about “taming our dragons”…meaning overcoming our challenges to reap the rewards. It is one of my favorite quotes…because of the Dragons. I have made friends with mine, and they are now my companions and guides rather than a symbol of negativity or difficulty. Both the words Challenge and Dragon conjure apprehension, fear, and “battle” in most people. But, as the quote says, both words also hold a great gift…if we can look past the fear and face them. Dragons are formidable creatures, but are lovers of treasure, and hoard it, saving it for special gifts. If you are friends with a Dragon, it will share its treasures with you. But, it also wants to know you will cherish the gift and use it well. Challenges are much the same. They hold a gift, buried within its lesson, and if we “tame” it…that is face it straight on and, through right action, come to its resolution…then there is a sparkly, rich gem of wisdom there for our taking, to treasure and use through our life.

Wouldn’t we rather have the jewels…than a dusty path with no pebbles or hurdles at all? And it is those pebbles that buff our Spirit into the Warrior that it is. So tame and make friends with those Dragons. All that glitters…is yours.

Blessings!

Friday Poetry ~ Searching

 

I was going through some very old boxes of writing and papers and came upon some very early poetry of mine. This little piece was written in 1997 as I began my spiritual journey. I hope you enjoy it. Blessings!

Searching

I take to the streets of my soul
Laboring over cobblestones of the past
Ducking in doorways
Listening for sounds
Or footsteps
Looking for the flicker of a light
Searching for the key
That will open that which is closed in me

(by MarDrag)

Thoughts For The Day

 

“F.E.A.R. has two meanings:
Forget Everything And Run –Or- Face Everything And Rise” ~ Author Unknown

 
MarDrag’s Thoughts:

This quote is brilliant. We always have a choice whether we listen to Fear and let it limit us, or whether we vanquish its false voice and overcome it. Fear is another of those emotions that only has as much power as we give it. So, do we Run or Rise?

“Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any misery, since after all you don’t know what work these conditions are doing inside you? Why do you want to persecute yourself with the question of where all this is coming from and where it is going? Since you know, after all, that you are in the midst of transitions and you wished for nothing so much as to change.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

MarDrag’s Thoughts:

How often do we think of change…and ask for it, at times beg for it. But we do not consider the path on the way to change, and what it might bring. We cannot just snap our fingers and magically be changed. We have to go through the process…which sometimes brings discomfort. And then we lament and ask why is this happening and where will it take me. When we were the ones who asked for change in the first place. We must be willing to walk the road of change and embrace the transition it requires for us to get to where we want to go. And thus…it becomes even more important to be as sure as possible about the decisions we make and the changes we ask for.

“At times you have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ~ Alan Alda

MarDrag’s Thoughts:

Sometimes in the wilderness of our journey the path is not quite clear, or we struggle with doubts because we cannot always see the way distinctly. But, if we choose to trust our Intuition, that inner wiser voice, then the confidence in our choices grows stronger and we have even more proof that our Intuition leads us always in the right direction. We must be brave in the wilderness of our Intuition and listen to its voice, because it will always lead us out of the dark scary places and into Right Action.

Blessings!

Monday Message ~ Compassion

 

Good Morning! In keeping with our tradition here, to seek guidance and wisdom for a message to begin our week with…I turned to my set of “Angel Cards” by Kathy Taylor and Joy Drake to see what message they had for us today. As I closed my eyes and ran my hands through the cards, the one that surfaced and stuck to my fingers was:

Compassion

I long ago lost the book that went with these cards, but it is not difficult to ascertain the message this one is sending us today. The world, and many of those in it, have turned hard. There are so many who judge, ridicule, and hate…too many…and it seems that Compassion and Kindness have been put in the background. So too, when we forget to have Compassion for others, we forget to have it for ourselves…and it creates a pattern that is not easy to change. We have to actively desire to change this pattern…and that begins with ourselves.

Today, let us carry this word Compassion in our minds. Carry its meaning in our hearts. And let it work through us in action. Begin by looking in the mirror and letting our Self know we have Compassion for our own paths and the trials set forth on that path, the struggles we overcome to continue on that path, and then endeavor to show ourselves Kindness and Gentleness, nurture ourselves with Love and Understanding…for we are Warriors trying to make a difference and find some Happiness to live too. We deserve to show ourselves Compassion, rather than judgment, fear, or disappointment. Our paths are what they are for a reason.

So too, are the paths of others. So we are called to take that Compassion out into the world and Shine it brightly. Look to our neighbor, co-worker, stranger…and know they have their story too, their road strewn with pebbles obstacles too. And as we share that Compassion with others, it grows within us, and spreads out like a great lovely mist, sprinkling sweet gentle energy over us and others to balance and transform those negative energies that would think they have the power.

Let us show them just how powerful Compassion can be…and change the world, our world, a bit today.

My own heart reaches out to All of you, in deep Compassion as you manage your life and path. I know it is not always easy, and sometimes downright painful…but know you make a difference in this world…simply by being you. So I turn my heart toward you and let my Compassion flow to you. May it envelope you in a warm, loving embrace of nurturing and support.

Blessings!

Life’s A Purpose ~ Repost

 

Some conversations this week asked the question of Life’s Purpose…what it is and how we find it. For those people, and anyone else asking that question, I am reposting this blog in hope it sheds some light or understanding.  Blessings to You All!

_______

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.” ~Helen Keller

“Every choice before you represents the universe inviting you to remember who you are and what you want.” ~Alan Cohen

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” ~Barbara Hall

“You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.” ~Jerry Gillies

“The end is not the reward; the path you take, the emotions that course through you as you grasp life – that is the reward.” ~Jamie Magee

from the Desk of MarDrag:

What is Life’s Purpose? That is such a big question for all of us, one that we spend our entire lives pondering. We have such questions and considerations. Is it something we are? Is it something we do? Is it something we find one day and live happily ever after? Is it something we never find and search for forever? Is it something “out there” or something “within”? This is a subject that masters, philosophers, geniuses and brilliant minds have discussed and debated for millenniums. And we mere folk have struggled to understand it too, in our own ways.

I, too, have contemplated this question for most of my life. I used to think that, if I could just find my life’s purpose, the reason I am here on this earth, then I would finally be happy, content. Meanwhile, as I was searching and contemplating….I lived a lot of life. I survived my childhood (LOL), I grew into an adult, chose my career, had a family, and watched them grow. I had some great successes, as well as some great failures. I made mistakes, and learned great lessons from them. I took care of others. I walked a spiritual path, studied and learned a great deal. Had some deep and earth shattering moments of revelation.

And still I asked….what is my purpose?

Not too long ago, I realized something that changed my perception. I realized that my life’s purpose….was to live my life. Exactly how I was living it, am living it, and will live it, until I am here no longer.

Every experience I had or will have, every movement, every choice or decision, every action or task, every thought and emotion ….is the purpose of my life. Everything I have done, thought or felt has led me to this moment…..and will continue to lead me where I am meant to go. It all counts, even when we think it is meaningless, difficult or painful. This doesn’t mean we do not strive for a good/better life, or to make a contribution, or do something meaningful with our lives. It means that….just in the act of striving…is our purpose. There is significance in everything we do. One day, our purpose may be just to get through a difficult day. Another day it may be to smile at someone, or perform a random act of kindness and make their day a better one. Another may be to create the next life changing invention. Or to write a best seller. Or do something to change the world. Or it could just be to be the best you at what you do that day, be it work, caretaking or even doing nothing at all. But to do it with all your might.

The thing is….each day we wake, we get to say, I have purpose today. We get to give our lives purpose, rather than ask what is that purpose. Purpose is not the destination, but the journey, and all we experience, feel and share while traveling. From this, we gather all the imagination and energy we need to walk our walk. Our threads that weave the larger picture of the tapestry of this universe are full of purpose in that, without our thread, weaving in exactly the way it winds through the tapestry, makes the picture it’s perfect self. It would not look the way it does, it would not be the gorgeous tapestry that it is….if not for our own threads, running through it, in their own way….on purpose.

Blessings!

Monday Message ~ A Journey and Union

 

Good Morning! It is time to begin another week and seek our message to take with us and guide us. For that message, the Runes spoke strongly this morning, and so I take the stones in hand, draw close “The Book of Runes” by Ralph Blum…and seek their words of wisdom. The stone that presented itself for today is:

Raido:   “A Journey, Communication, Union”

Message (paraphrased): “Raido is another Rune in the cycle of Self-Transformation. This Rune is concerned with communication, with the attunement of something that has two sides, two elements, and with the ultimate reunion that comes at the end of a journey, when what is above and what is below are united and of one mind. Moreover, this union is realized from within rather than through the force of circumstances.

Inner worth mounts here, and at such a time, we must remember that we are not intended to rely entirely upon our own power, but rather to ask what constitutes right action. Ask the teacher within. Once you are clear, you can neutralize your refusal to let right action flow through you. Not intent on movement, be content to wait, and keep removing all resistance, As the obstructions give way, all remorse arising from “trying to make it happen” disappears.

As always, the journey is toward Self-Healing, Self-Change, and Union. But the perfect union of Heaven and Earth, above and below, cannot be forced. Trust your own process – that is the essence of this Rune. Keep on cutting away illusions. Raido urges you to undertake your Journey, your Quest – and if you have already begun…to continue.”

from The Desk of MarDrag:

And so, steadfastly on our journeys, Raido tells us to continue…to not give up now…that the union within, of above and below, is imminent. That is, our spiritual self and our mundane physical self are within reach of union. And is that not what we strive for? To combine our spiritual life with our everyday life, and make them one, as a perfect union, so that we may live and enjoy our lives, fulfill our life’s purpose and realize our dreams. Stay with that!

Though we may look for answers or validation of this union from circumstances around us, Raido tells us that the realization comes from within, and not forced through what happens to us. It also tells us that we are not alone in this, that forces are at work around us, and so we must wait at times for those forces to complete their task before we can resume ours. BUT…in that waiting period, we are not idle. This is the time to work on ourselves and clear away all obstructions and resistance, to open the channel, and then ask our inner Wiser Self what is the “right action”. As we listen and continue to clear away resistance to the circumstances we are faced with, then right action can flow through us and we can let go of “trying to make it happen” and allow it to happen as it is meant to be. As it is right, for us.

In the post last week “The Point of Balance”, I spoke about the way to finding balance is to see a thing as the whole of what it is so we can have a better perspective on it and seek the right solution. Raido also speaks to this today, and tells us to look at the two sides as we bring them together in union to form the whole of it…and then we can understand it better and remove resistance to it in that understanding, thereby allowing the proper action to come to us.

Our life’s Journey is always toward the Self and the perfect union of above and below within. Trust that Journey, that process. If you are not sure where that Journey is taking you, stand firm, remove obstructions and resistance to it, and allow the forces without and within, above and below, to merge into a perfect flow of Power and Rightness to guide you on your Quest. And do not ever give up on that Journey. You are needed and cherished and loved.

Blessings!

Monday Message ~ Movement

 

Good Morning! Here we are at the start of another week. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are feeling refreshed. I come with our message to begin this week…and for that I turn to the mystical Dragons for their wisdom. I have always loved Dragons, since I was a small child. And so, over the years, I have gathered many fine depictions of them. I have a small deck of cards that have beautiful drawings of Dragons accompanied by words of wisdom. Today, I draw a card with a magnificent blue, green, and gold Dragon streaking across the sky and its message is:

Blue Dragon:   Movement

Message (paraphrased): Oftentimes, when on a life journey, one feels as if they are in a bottomless void, with no direction to guide them out of the situation. That is the time to call upon their personal guardians, look within for spiritual direction, and use their willpower to find their way to their goal.

Today, know that, barriers fall and events begin to move quickly. Messages of a positive nature come your way. Pay close attention, and listen.

from The Desk of MarDrag:

There has been much talk in our weekly messages lately…about receiving Messages. Have we been alert and paying attention? Here is one more, letting us know that messages abound, and today’s are of a positive nature, so we must raise our awareness to listen and hear them. Sometimes they come from unexpected and unlikely places…and these are the places where miracles and solutions and resolutions come from too. This is good news for us…for as the card says, oftentimes, this journey we call life can be confusing, difficult, and arduous.

But, those are also the times to delve even deeper into our Spiritual beliefs and seek our guides, or pray to our deities, or do whatever our particular path calls us to do. Live every moment within that Spiritual blanket, knowing that everything we do contributes to that Divine energy that moves through us…every candle we light, every prayer or ritual we recite…it is in every move we make, every spice we use, every touch to others, every step we take at work, every report we submit, every tear we dry for another…every heartbeat we take…make it filled with the Spirit of our paths and the Spirit of Love. It is within that living that we find our direction…when it would seem we have none. If it appears there is a bottomless void…go deeper into Spirit. It is there we find our way.

And today…the Dragons tell us to be ready…to prepare as barriers fall, and there is Movement. And when things begin to move, it can be swift…so be ready with open ears, heart, and mind…and sneakers on! Most welcome news to us all!

Blessings!

Monday Message ~ New Beginnings

 

This week, our Monday Message comes from “The Book of Runes” by Ralph Blum. The Rune wisdom is always timely and appropriate…and this week proves to be no different. The Rune that presented itself in its wisdom this morning is:

Uruz: “Strength, New Beginnings, Manhood, Womanhood”

Message (paraphrased): “The Rune of termination and new beginnings. It indicates that the life you have been living has outgrown its form, which must pass away so that life energy can be released in a new birth, a new form. Uruz is a Rune of passage and self-transformation.

Positive growth and change, however, can involve passage into darkness as part of the cycle of perpetual renewal. It is a natural progression. Remain mindful that the new form, the new life, is always greater than the old.

Prepare for opportunity disguised as loss. It could involve something that has an intense emotional bond, and through which you are living a part of your life. A part that must be retrieved so you can live it out for yourself. Seek among the ashes and discover a new perspective, and a new birth. Your soul, and the universe, support the new growth.”

from The Desk of MarDrag:

Termination and New beginnings. Just as in Nature, our lives progress in a circle of gestation, birth, manifestation, realization, breaking down, re-seeding, and re-birth. That is…everything new, at some point, becomes old…and it is necessary to “empty out” and reclaim the space for new things, re-birth.

So, if we have outgrown the life we have been living…and this happens to us all…then it is necessary to let go of the old form so that a new form can be constructed. And this can come in the form of loss in our lives…or a dark passage through some difficulty that we did not expect. The key is to recognize that the cycle of growth and change has to include the concept of loss…or there would be no clearing away of the old and opening the space for the new. There would be no transformation.

We are challenged at times with loss…the loss of a job, of income, of a person, a dream, an expectation, a way of life we had come to depend on. BUT – it is our “perception” of the loss that really counts here. For every loss makes way for something new. So…if we can focus on “the space around the loss”, that is, “the potential of possibilities that are now open” because of the loss…then we can transition, transform, and create into growth and the birth of something new and magnificent.

How many times have we looked at something we had to let go of and thought we could never manage without it, or feared the change it represented and dreaded what it might bring…only to be transported into something new and wonderful we had not anticipated?

We must be mindful of our perspective and see with our heart and soul as well as our eye and mind. Just in this, we expand the limited vision of only seeing with the eye and mind. There is so much more to the story, our story.

So…though things might “look” bleak at the moment, know it is only a necessary passage to go through as transition takes place, clearing of the old way manifests, and space for a re-birth is made. It is the natural way of things. Believe…and Trust.

Blessings!

Getting To Where?

 

“Not all those who wander are lost.”  ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”  ~ Ernest Hemingway

“The only journey is the one within.”  ~ Ranier Maria Rilke

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”  ~ John Steinbeck

“At every given moment we are absolutely perfect for what is required for our journey.”  ~ Steve Maraboli

“Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.”  ~ Asha Tyson

“The journey is the treasure.”  ~ Lloyd Alexander

from The Desk of MarDrag:

I have written on this blog before about the Journey of Life, our Journey, and what that means to us. But I was talking with a client this past week…a young woman who has just recently begun her Journey and is still confused about where she will go and what she wants to do. To young people, we might say that, well, you are young and your Journey has just begun, so embrace it and walk it well. But it occurred to me that all of us, no matter what age, begin our Journeys anew each time a change or event causes movement in our lives. So, we might say, we are always on a Journey of some kind…and yet we look to and focus on the Destination as the most important part of it.

And I began to ponder the questions, “Just Where Are We Going?” and “Where is It We Are Working So Hard To Get To?”.

The thing is…as we have heard and I have written about before…the Power is in the Journey, not the Destination. Empowerment does not come at the end of the Journey…we do not of a sudden “arrive” at Empowerment…it IS the Journey – the taking of it – the bits and pieces of ourselves that we leave scattered along the way so that we can pick up the bits of wisdom that emerge for the leaving of them – and it is the wisdom we keep and are Empowered by. A Destination is just where we take a breath, rejuvenate, and begin again.

Now…is a Destination. We are here Now…we have arrived at Now…and should squeeze every bit of life out of Now…before we move on again.

So, if there are things that are not working, or we feel stuck, or if things are not manifesting as we wish, or there are struggles and stress…we must take a look at our Journey and how we are walking it…in the Now. If we consistently keep looking only at a Destination ahead, then we miss the Journey and the Destination we have already reached…in the Now. And too…we may miss a fork in the road, or a change in direction that would guide us to something we had not dreamed of yet. While it is, of course, good and right to have goals and dreams…if those do not manifest, (and some don’t for whatever reason), would we deny ourselves satisfaction and happiness then, because we did not reach where we thought we should? There is no guarantee with goals and dreams…so the Journey itself takes on a new importance.

We need to acknowledge each step we have taken on our Journey, for it has brought us here to this Destination of Now…and we have grown with each step, and moved forward. We ought to give ourselves credit for that, for it has taken much energy and perseverance, and we are to be championed for that. Every step, every hardship, every lesson, every joy…has contributed to this Now and, whether it seems acceptable or not…it is right where we are supposed to be. The sum of our past steps have walked us here. Now…what would we do with that knowledge that will help us walk the Journey of our True Path and Empower us?

Be in the moment. Know that you are on the right step on the Journey. Open yourself to new directions if the one you are looking at is not working. Better still…do not look too far in any direction, look at the steps beneath your feet and concentrate on those. Trust that they will walk you exactly where you are meant to go. And, enjoy the adventure of the Journey!

Blessings!

Thoughts For The Day

“Adaptability: A wise man adapts himself to circumstances as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it.”  ~ W. R. Inge

MarDrags’ Thoughts:

Everyday we are faced with Life Circumstances. Some are positive. Some are negative. Some we can change. Some we cannot. But the key to managing any and all circumstances…is Acceptance of them…and Adapting to their affect. To either embrace a circumstance, or to change one…the first step is to Accept it as a reality. It is happening. And then Adapt to it, as the water does to the vessel…Accepting its weight, girth and presence. It is then that we can see what measures to take. We must be fluid, like the water, and allow Wisdom to flow within our vessel, our soul, to aid us on our Journey.

“As you walk and eat and travel,be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.” ~ Buddha

MarDrags’ Thoughts:

Be in the moment! Each and every moment is a gift to be treasured. If we spend too much time pining for or regretting the past, or worrying about the future, we will miss the greatness of this moment. Don’t look away…what if what you want is ready to happen now…and you are too busy looking backward or forward to see it? Don’t miss the magic of your life this moment has to give.

“Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.”  ~ Jimmy Carter

MarDrags’ Thoughts:

Take a chance. Take that chance you have been mulling over. That voice you hear full of fear and keeping you from doing it…that voice is a false voice. It only tells you to fear because it is afraid you will stop listening and it will cease to exist. As the quote says…if we never go out on the limb, take a chance, we will never know what fruit our actions would bear. Never knowing is far worse than trying and failing. Remember, the mighty and magical Oak begins as a tiny seed too.

Blessings!