Receptivity: Welcome Mat of The Mind

Morning Crescent Moon - Receptivity Peeks Through The Trees

Just as instinct guides the animal, so would intuition guide man, if he would allow it to do so. (Ernest Holmes - The Science of Mind)

To withhold ourselves from receiving Universal energy as a result of negative thinking and negative action, or to resist giving thanks from our point of awareness is to work against the flow of the Universal energy. (Gregge Tiffen – The Power of Giving Thanks – November, 2007)

Waking this Thursday, ‘Blog Day’, with no idea re this week’s topic, I felt a gentle nudge to start from a different place. Rather than opening one of Gregge’s booklets, I turned to today’s ‘Daily Guide’ (this month written by Rev. Dr. Christian Sorensen) in my November Science of Mind magazine. When I read Holmes’ quote, the focus was clear: receptivity.  That led me quickly to Gregge’s quote, a reminder to be receptive to the ever present flow of Universal energy.

I chuckled as I read Sorensen’s message, where he equates training the mind to be quiet and receptive with training a puppy to ‘stay’.  “Intuition,” he says “comes of a welcoming mind where it will impress itself upon the receptive medium.” 

Being that receptive medium or keeping our welcome mat out requires consistent intention, attention and p r a c t i c e. We have a lot of help in doing so.

Think of nature and her receptivity: plants grow toward light and animals instinctively know where to find food. Another chuckle as I thought of the bear that made a mess of my nicely stacked wood this week. He was simply following his natural instinct toward food, which just happened to be under my firewood stacks.

Bear Instinct

We’ve all experienced the joys of following our intuition. Seven years ago this month, I woke with a strong sense that I was to adopt a dog ‘this week’. I ended up being at the shelter at just the right time to meet Cool Hand Luke and his foster mom who needed to find a home for him quickly. Two weeks and a long hike in the mountains later ‘Luke’ came home to Crestone. These seven years have been a joy having him as my teacher and companion. Yes, I might have adopted another ‘good’ dog. But I would not have had the experiences that Cool Hand Luke Skywalker continues to offer daily.

I’ve learned from those joys as well as from the not always joyous times when I wasn’t receptive, choosing to ignore a clear sense to choose ‘A’ over ‘B’.  We can all cite those examples as well.

I’m grateful for both. They serve as reminders, reinforcement if you will, of the good that comes when we listen from within to the whispers (that sometimes must grow louder to get our attention) of guidance from Source.

We are receptive beings. Receiving the flow of Universal energy is a blessing of the highest order. It isn’t ‘more blessed to give than to receive’ as we’ve been told. Receiving and giving have equal parts in the flow of life. What we receive opens the door to giving thanks as well as to giving ourselves as expressions of that energy flow.

In the week ahead I invite you to join me in keeping the welcome mat out for all the Universe has to offer. Notice what comes. Observe your response. And, walk through your world ever grateful for its bounty.

Hurry Up Mom ... Let's Go Eat Breakfast!

Life: Sandbox or Sandpaper?

Robin sings and brings new beginnings of Spring

As willing adults, we are able to trust, be curious, be enthused, be pleased with ourselves, and be fully generous once again. We are able to know and feel and experience the peace, joy, and love creatively produced by Mother Nature as we live in harmony with Her.  Gregge Tiffen (Mother Nature – May, 2007)

I’m feeling my childlike nature come alive as the temperatures warm, the songbirds sing songs of courtship, and the green of new growth appears on the aspens and cottonwoods. The creek is flowing more freely and swiftly, and budding cones are forming on the pines. Will I embrace new growth and life as my sandbox? Or, will I succumb to the dreary news and the ways of the world that grate like sandpaper on my soul?

The bright green of new growth as the snow melts and Cottonwood Creek flows

I have children on my mind and in my heart this week. Up close and personal, my stepson’s daughter is about to celebrate completing her third year on the planet and begin her fourth. We haven’t met yet other than via the wonders of technology, yet she’s always in my heart.  That same heart aches at the suffering we humans have created for one another, especially for the children who face survival early on in life. Surely we can do better. We must.

It is the nature of a child to be trusting, curious, enthusiastic, satisfied with self, and generous. Those childlike ways of being are pure energetic qualities that we each have access to. They are the sandbox of life.

Somewhere along the way sandpaper arrived on the scene. We lost touch with our nature. Someone, maybe many, told us it was time to ‘grow up’ or ‘get serious’. They didn’t understand that life is a sandbox. Education and other systems of the world echoed this sad message.

The curious eyes of Cool Hand Luke trained on a turkey vulture high on a limb stretching to dry its wings

But changing our nature is not the way of nature. In nature there is consistency, nurturing, and growth. From a seed in the ground a tiny sapling pushes through the earth and, through all of its years, fulfills the pattern in its seed. It keeps on being that tree through cycles, weather events, nesting birds and insects who find a home there.

In staying true to its nature, the tree invites us to do likewise – stay true to our nature as trusting, curious, enthusiastic, self-satisfied, generous beings. As humans with consciousness, awareness and free will it is our choice to do so. Or not. Moment to moment, day to day we can develop our capacity to return to the life affirming nature of our childlike ways.

We do so by accepting the care and protection of the Universe and having unwavering trust in that protection. We experiment curiously with life’s events to discover how life works (and, in the process, we discover things that don’t). We expect and allow our curiosity to nurture enthusiasm as we experiment, explore, and, yes, even when things don’t turn out as we aimed for them to. We allow ourselves to be satisfied. Even when we think we’ve fallen short, we trust that we gave it our best shot and that tomorrow will dawn anew. Finally we give what we naturally have to give – a warm smile, a hug, a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a laugh and, oh, so much more.

When we embrace life’s events as a sandbox with everything needed to build castles in the sky, the rub of sandpaper fades away and we move forward in our natural state to create the world, our world, anew.

Spring! A fertile time for bunnies, ideas, and other new growth.

The Twinkling of An Eye

Solstice 2016 - The Light is Returning

The gift you give yourself is to be open and to make space for acceptance. Gregge Tiffen (The Winter Solstice: Giving To Yourself, December, 2007)

‘Twas blog day before Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and more

And, all through the house

I’m the only one stirring

There best be no mouse.

Luke is asleeping

And right at my feet.

What is today’s message?

Let’s be short and sweet!

It came without clatter

Of hooves on the roof

A friendly reminder

That needs no proof.

Amidst the hustle and bustle

You may find yourself in

Take time for yourself

Time to go within.

For in the season of giving

We often forget

The importance of receiving

But, please do not fret.

A few minutes at most

With a hot cup of tea

Will serve to remind you

About receptivity.

For giver and gift

Need YOU to receive

That is the cycle

So, please do believe.

Take this reminder

Wherever you go

With a twinkle in your eyes

Like the Santa you know. 

Snow Dusted Dunes - Solstice, 2016