When the End Approaches

Circle Dance

You dance circles in my heart,
Round and round you spin
But you never go anywhere.

I wonder if you know
The direction you are headed.
The direction that you want to go?
The direction that I want to go?

Laughing, crying… trying to find our way,
Through the kisses and passion
Trying to find something solid
To place our footing
Our foundation… to build something lasting.

Yours, mine… different but so alike
A fusion of two different worlds
The potential for greatness,
A weakness that could be crippling.

Where will this dance take me,
The dizzying circles are tiring
And still I may be ready for more.
But are you willing to release the crazy cycle and go forward?

by Melanie Sargent

I wrote that poem a few months ago when I realized that the man I married was, although a very good man, wasn't the right man for me. I desperately wanted him to be. I looked deeply into everything that offered hope, offered a solution. But, try as I might, the end came and my brief marriage dissolved much like a mirage, at the moment that I had been finally believing it to be real.

I look now at the kaleidoscope of warnings that came to me with fleeting bits of clarity. I knew, and then I denied what I knew. I told myself to follow my intuition, it would guide me. But, I doubted what I was learning. Really, it scared me and I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to believe that he was the man he said he was.

My intuition told me through my dreams that we were a mismatched pair. I would awaken with anxiety and a troubled heart several times a week throughout our nearly two year relationship. Occasionally, I would have a pleasant dream with him in it, but mostly they were disturbing. They would dictate to me the differences in our values, the way we viewed the world. Sometimes it would come in the form of a gross betrayal, other times it would be more subtle.

Now, I am not suggesting that if you have a dream or two about your spouse cheating that they are in fact cheating on you! No, rather I am implying that your subconscious mind is trying to get your attention, especially if you are having the dreams on a regular basis. It may be worth your time to write about them. Not only the details you remember from the dream, but also the feelings that it provoked before and then throughout your day as you reflect upon it.

You may notice that you are just the casual observer and that what you are seeing doesn't offend you. You may see yourself react in a way that isn't normal for you. For example, in the past sometimes I would find myself getting really angry and confrontational and suddenly know triple black belt level karate and kick some serious ass! I would awaken from those dreams feeling exhausted and empowered that I could handle a situation if it should arise. No, I couldn't just perform that level of skill, but if that dream was speaking in metaphor, as they often do, I could relate it to another area in my life in which I was feeling out of control or weak, and I could see the relationship and know that inside of me I did own the power to handle the situation!

And that, is precisely what you can gain from paying attention to your dreams. In my specific instance with my husband, I was finding that over and over I was giving up my personal power and ideals in different ways in order to submit to him. Ultimately, it emphasized how out of balance we were as a couple. When you have to consistently dis empower yourself in order to show love or be loved by your partner, it isn't healthy and it won't honor the best in either of you.

And, just like the soap opera always says, "Like sands through the hour glass, these are the days of our lives." Moving on, moving forward and hopefully learning from our mistakes. Even enough to recognize that some things we may initially classify as mistakes, such as my soiled marriage, are really not mistakes, just stepping stones to take us to where we are supposed to be heading.

Blessings....

The Ripple Effect

When I was a young girl, I was quite taken with this poem, "There's a ripple effect in all that we do, what you do touches me, what I do touches you." It was on a really groovy 70's poster that hung on the wall of my room. It didn't site an author, so unfortunately, I have no one to credit. The words were so powerful and evocative that they have stayed with me all these years. Time and again I have reflected back on the simplicity and truth in those words.

In some ways, it's like saying that Karma will come back to you, positively or negatively, depending upon what you do. We have a choice in every instance, to create a positive vibration or the contrary. Sometimes we may worry that if we stand up for ourselves and hold our ground, and not take care of the other person or persons involved, that we will be creating a ripple of negativity. I stand to think that when we hold true to ourselves, with love and integrity, we will create a space that will allow others' to hold true to themselves also, with love and dignity.

There are natural consequences in this world. For example, my son may knock over a plant, breaking the pot and making a dirty mess everywhere. He didn't maliciously knock over the plant. It was an accident. However, there are still consequences from that action. He still needs to clean up the mess, possibly buy me a new pot out of his hard-earned money, and re-pot the plant if it survived the crash. Another consequence is that I lose a pot and possibly a plant. Likely both of our time is taken with the cleaning up, the going to the store for new supplies, etc. Cause and effect. It doesn't always mean that we make a conscious choice around how or why things happen. Things happen, consequences take form, and we get to decide how to react. We can react by throwing a fit, calling out abusive words, stomping our feet.... or, we can choose to remain calm and take care of the mess without letting the incident take us to another place of regret.

That isn't to say that some days I don't throw the fit and overreact! Of course I do! More and more though, as I become awakened, I realize that this is just "stuff". This isn't significant in the big picture! And, understanding that allows the space for life to take the course of our destiny, our blueprint. I allow myself to have moments where I am angry, frustrated, sad, etc... but, I make a conscious effort to identify that this is what I am feeling now, let the feeling happen in as safe a way as possible, and then release the hold the feeling has on me as soon as its appropriate. Remembering that it is just a feeling, it is not my overall essence.

One thing that I am in full awareness of... life cause ripples, we affect people knowingly and unknowingly, positively and negatively. However, if more often than not, we can choose to create positive ripples I'm suggesting that everyone will benefit in a global way. Especially ourselves.

I leave you with this quote by Earl Nightingale as you may ponder what type of ripples you are creating in your life, and in others' lives, "Our attitude towards life determines life's attitude towards us."

May you create peaceful and gracious ripples throughout your life...

Allowing gratitude and generosity in your life

I've been pondering gratitude quite a lot lately, as my life has taken some unexpected turns, some in which could easily lead to a nose-dive into the pools of despair. So, to think and explore the concepts around being thankful, at times can seem daunting. My Higher Self, however, disagrees. My Higher Self is inclined to think that even hardships are blessings. Yes, even the terrible tragedies create blessings often in some form.

You see, we live in a world of contrasts and reciprocity; often viewed as yin and yang, dark to light, high to low, in to out, etc. There is a duality in our world that creates seemed blessings and assumed curses. Many by now have heard of the Law of Attraction. It has gotten quite a stir lately with the movie The Secret and all of the spiritual gurus jumping the bandwagon! Not that it isn't a bandwagon worthy of jumping, it is. It has been often pushed and touted as an alternative to positive affirmations, or rather, it really just takes positive affirmations to the next level. At any rate, often the focus is on getting rich, and for many, that is the most important thing. "Ye who dies with the most toys wins" would not be such a famous quote, if the majority didn't crave money and material possessions. I'd like to suggest another way to encourage the Law of Attraction and the Law of Reciprocity to be utilized not only to YOUR advantage, but also to the WORLD'S advantage.

And, this is where the whole "gratitude" aspect comes into play... For us to take the high road, where we can hold our head's high and know that we are each doing the best we can, with the tools we have been given, to accomplish exactly what we are here to do. That may sound somewhat complex to some, and you may be wondering what in the heck I mean, but please bear with me! I don't want you to have to give up all of your material possessions! I'm just suggesting, that the Universe is abundant! There is plenty for everyone! And, part of this process of attraction is allowing yourself to accept the abundance and be certain in your generosity to others' that it will be reciprocated, often tenfold, to you! It is a good idea to share, and know that you will never be without.

The Tao Te Ching says this quite nicely, "Instead of trying to be a mountain, be the valley of the universe and all things will come to you." In the Bible, it is taught that as you give, you will receive. This truth, no matter what your faith, is prevalent in the Law of Attraction and the Law of Reciprocity. Nothing, and I mean nothing, that you do, say, show, give, or take is without effect. In physics they have a law derived from Newton that states, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." All of these things point to the elementary "cause and effect". What you do matters. What I do matters. We, globally and independently, matter. So... matter in a big way. Matter in a series of small ways. Matter in a "Pay it Forward", live your best life, be thankful for the rain, the sun, the grass that grows underfoot... the sadness that comes into your world because it teaches you compassion for others' sadness... the food on our tables that nourish us, knowing that there are so many out there that are without nourishment.... We are so rich with blessings. Feel those blessings. Be grateful for them. And then, do what you can, in small ways or large, to share them. Those blessings will befall you tenfold and more.

Believe. Go forward. Be grateful. Bless others' and allow yourself to be blessed.