Garden in the Morning
Art Print - Roberto Lombardi
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Every morning during summer months I go outside not long after dawn to water my vegetable and herb garden. By the time I’m done preparing the plants for the day they are glistening, glowing with joyful radiance, ready to meet the sun as it rises over the crest of the tree tops. Like those plants, we need daily sustenance to prepare ourselves for the day and to raise our consciousness and spiritual awareness.

Early morning activities should be chosen with care. They set the mood for the rest of the day. We have many choices: hatha yoga, prayer, meditation, journaling — these are all things that give sustenance to our inmost beings, and prepare us to live in spiritual sunlight.

Many times I’ve awakened while being given instructions by my guides. Pay special attention to your thoughts while waking. You see, all night long we are communing with spiritual beings — our spirit guides and angels. If they want us to remember something that thought will be in our minds as we regain consciousness in the morning. You might want to put these thoughts into a special bedside journal labeled “Self-Improvement Insights” or something similar.

Just as plants cannot thrive without water and sunlight, we need spiritual sustenance to sustain our journey toward higher consciousness. We need higher consciousness to put the chaos and confusion of life into perspective, to maintain peace of mind.

Today’s key thought: Spiritual sustenance - meaning practices and personal rituals that give us spiritual strength.

Finestra Sul Golfo, Palermo, Italy
Art Print - Andrea Del Missier
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Distractions are very common during our work days. A distraction may be something as little as a dog barking outside, or something as complex as an unexpected phone call with someone who doesn’t ever want to ever stop talking. How we deal with petty irritations that take our minds off our work tells us a lot about the level of our spiritual consciousness connectivity.

The first line of defense is prayer. Ask Spirit to remedy the situation. Say, “God, I need help because __________ is keeping me from being able to work. Please change the situation so I can get some work done.” Now often, this leads to a swift dispersal of the distracting energy.

What if it doesn’t? What might that mean? My first thought is that faith might be lacking. Do you really believe that Spirit (God) answers prayers? Do you have faith that your spirit guides are watching out for your best interests? Words of prayer without the faith are rather empty. Along with faith goes gratitude in advance for the solutions you’re asking Spirit to enact on your behalf.

Another thought that comes to mind in the case of an unanswered prayer is that the supplicant may need patience, and Spirit is using the situation for your benefit, for patience-training purposes. If you have ever prayed for patience you may be getting lots of tests like these! After all, dogs do eventually stop barking and talkative phone callers do eventually hang up. Patience is nothing more than waiting without complaining (internally or externally).

What you may need is a better attitude toward distractions. Perhaps you need more flexibility so you can cheerfully handle these types of events. Go with the flow and be willing to change your plans for a few minutes, or hours, or however long it takes.

Send your love to the dog, to the too-talkative person, or whatever energy assails you. Your love energy will penetrate the distracting energy and change it to something more compatible with your purpose in life. Try it! Love starts with you!

Today’s key thought: Gratitude in Advance - meaning that you know Spirit will help you, so thank Spirit, your angels, and your spirit guides now.

Mint Art Print
Carolyn Shores-Wright
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During winter herbs such as mint and lemon balm lie dormant. Early in spring they awaken and start to grow. Within weeks green, vibrant leaves dance above the ground. A few months later garden herbs are so abundant and filled with potency, the herb farmer harvests them to use and savor that fragrance and essence. If the herb isn’t harvested, it will flower and eventually scatter seeds that result in new plants the following spring. However if it is harvested at mid-summer the plant has another chance to sprout new leaves and return to full power before the end of the growing season. Either way, winter comes and puts an end to the growth. It is inevitable. The plant must be cut back by hand of man or seasonal change — to go dormant and start again.

There are cycles in human lives too: birth, growing, aging, death. We understand this and see it happening all around us. Organizations and countries have cycles too. They are born amongst upheaval, hope, higher aspirations, and a need for change. They grow in power and efficacy — then age to a point where the original mission is lost. A need to solve problems devolves into desire to maintain power. And then they die. Some other human construct replaces them.

While all these changes are taking place we must each search our hearts to know the role we must play. Are we mere observers? Do we pray and heal and spread loving energy? Do we submit to treachery or resist it? Whatever role we are guided to, the ability to commune with our higher self helps us throughout each day.

Forest Creek Poster
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Today I walked to the river and set my heart on communicating love to it. The river sprit responded. Each molecule of water is capable of responding to human love. It is not hard to project that love, but it does become easier with practice.

Walking home I was full of energy until about half-way, when suddenly I was tired. Exhaustion came upon me suddenly, and I wondered why. I noticed was in front of my former boyfriend’s dwelling, a hotel. I wondered if he saw me walking by and sapped my energy, or if the energy left via a cord that has not been broken.

I decided to re-energize by pulling in fresh spirit from nature. To do this I focused on nearby plant life - trees, mainly. I exchanged a vibration of spiritual communion with them. Most trees are very open to sharing spirit. I left behind all thoughts of the man and the drained feeling. By concentrating my consciousness on plant energies I was soon filled with their vibrations. Even as I neared my home where I must walk up a steep hill, and even though I became drenched with sweat, plant energy sustained me and I avoided any feeling of exhaustion.

I believe daily interaction with nature is essential to human health. We are created from nature and intended to live in it. When we’re inside our homes surrounded by walls, tables, chairs, books and bookcases, computers, and all manner of other man-made objects, we need to realize that none of these things have living energies. People have mined these things and used them, shaping them to suit our purposes. There’s nothing wrong with this, within reason, but we need to exchange energies with nature to refresh our own energies. By nature I mean plants, rivers, rocks, and the whole scene available in your area.

Daily nature loving brings energetic rewards.