“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly…”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Do you have days when you feel uninspired? I do, even though I usually have projects going that really inspire me. Still, there are days when none of my ongoing projects inspire me. I don’t feel the energy to take action on any of them. Those days I just feel tired, and a little cranky, even if I slept well the night before. The cranky comes from an inner assumption that I must be doing something wrong to feel like this, and I’d better fix it. Only I’ve discovered that I don’t need fixing, I need acceptance and a change in perspective.

The other day I wanted to create a post for the blog. I wasn’t feeling sparked about anything. I was feeling tired. So, with no inspiring thoughts to guide me I went back over past journal writings I keep for this purpose. I discovered a story I wrote and found it to be a good fit for the blog.

Before I knew it, I was immersed in rereading the story, adding a little description here and there, creating the post format on the website, finding the right quote and the right picture to go with it. I was in the flow.

It all came so gracefully and unexpectedly when I hadn’t been feeling the spark at all. I’d uncovered a little pocket of joy.

Later that day, though I knew I should be weeding and mulching out in the yard, I just didn’t feel like all that effort. Instead, I drifted into the kitchen and tried out a dessert recipe that I’d been hanging onto for a while. It turned out well. That buoyed me up and I decided to check on-line for other recipes to try. There, I stumbled upon a gluten-free bread baking book. Feeling a little spark, I downloaded it.

There’s a discovery here – little pockets of joy happen, even when we don’t otherwise feel inspired, if you follow your energy.

It’s easy to feel joyful when we’re feeling really inspired about something. That joy spills over into everything. The energy is flowing strongly and it feels great. Yet, even in times when the energy is not flowing strongly, the joy still happens. It’s just quieter, and we’re less apt to be conscious of it, though that is when we most need to be aware of joy happening.

I didn’t think I was inspired that day. I just thought I was tired. Instead, I found my inspiration in places I didn’t expect it, in old journal writings, in a recipe I had been holding onto and never tried, in a new cookbook. I found it and didn’t recognize it for what it was, because I thought I should be feeling inspired about working in the yard. 

Instead, I just did what I had the energy to do.

The discovery is that there is joy happening all the time. It may be quieter, less obvious on the down side, but it is there.

Instead of focusing attention on trying to fix ourselves during these times, we could focus attention on where the quiet enjoyment is.

Maybe it’s a new recipe, an inspiring movie, a book. Perhaps it’s sitting quietly and sipping a cup of tea. The thing is, it’s there. It may just look a little different than we expect.

It requires the self-acceptance not to beat ourselves up because we think we should be doing something else, even as our hearts are guiding us to the quieter inspirations. It requires a change in perspective to see the rainbow.

And the surprise is, it’s not about what we’re actually doing, not really.

It’s about following the changing flow of creative energy from within. It floods sometimes and it trickles other times, but it’s always there.

I thought it wasn’t there that day. I was wrong. I was looking for the flood. Instead I needed to listen for the trickle.

The inspiration is there, even on the days when it feels like it’s not. Your inner self will guide you if you give yourself permission to listen, and look for the rainbow.  

“I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in.
Yeah, yeah, oh-yeah, what condition my condition was in.”
-Mickey Newberry
 
I have lately been more aware of the beauty surrounding me, especially outdoors. Yesterday morning I walked outside and it was as if it called to me. A bird sang, the air was bright and beautiful. It was like a “heads up!” message. Yet I didn’t know what to do with it except to notice.

Last night I dreamt of being driven in a van through the Alps. The beauty of the mountains was overwhelming. Tears of joy filled my eyes. I was glued to the window not wanting to miss one instant of the beauty.

Recently too, the sunsets have attracted me and felt like a pathway to feeling the love of Spirit, a daily reminder of just how much we are loved.

Perhaps the message is to focus on the beauty of all that surrounds us, both inner and outer beauty. Focus on God’s love and how that love is shown, both large and small. It is all there for us to be open to, to focus on every day.

Pay attention to beauty as a reflection of God’s love and you are choosing to allow more and more of it to enter your daily life.

Additionally, pay attention to what else you are paying attention to. Look at where your attention goes. Is it something you want to increase in your life? It will.

And then there is this - pay attention to where your positive attention is, for it is not random. What attracts and entices you is your Spirit communicating with you, guiding you to your inspiration. 

What is your Spirit saying to you today?

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Photo by Simon Matzinger on Unsplash

"You gotta' go there!"
-Abraham-Hicks

As I began work on Soul Doors, a project I've had in mind for years, I was so excited to finally make it happen. Yet, fear and self-doubt suddenly reared up. The fear persisted even as I prayed for guidance.  One afternoon, I sat reading over writings for the blog and staring distractedly out the patio doors. There was an opossum, white, raggedy hair standing up on its back, wandering in from the woods and searching the ground under the bird feeder with its sharp nose. It stayed for quite a while eating fallen seeds in the broad daylight. Opossum are nocturnal animals. What’s more, I had never seen one in our yard, even at night.

I believe that an animal that stands out and gets your attention is a message from Spirit. I looked up the message of opossum in Animal Speak, a wonderful resource written by the late author, holistic healer and metaphysical teacher, Ted Andrews. Animal Speak gives detailed descriptions of the specific meanings of animal and bird totems.  

The message of opossum is about the need to act in a way that you do not feel inside. If you are feeling afraid you need to act fearless. If you are feeling unworthy you need to act as though you are full of confidence. The message was to fake it till I made it! Spirit knew how I was feeling and supported me.

​Spirit knows how you are feeling too, and is supporting you in going for your dreams.

Esther Hicks, channeling the group of spiritual masters known as Abraham, says that once your rocket of desire has shot up, “You gotta’ go there.” There’s no recalling it.  Once you’ve identified what it is you want to be, or do, or have, you’ve got to fly with it and allow the unfolding of that which you desire. You’ve got to take the risk.

The truth is,  growth is about taking risks, putting one foot in front of the other when you can’t see how you’re going to get where you want to go. All you can see is the next step. Fortunately, your path is lit up by feelings of excitement and joy, guiding you. What do you desire? What are you excited about? Where is the sweetness? Be willing to take a risk. Be willing to sing a wrong note and sing it loud if it brings you joy. Be willing to fake it till you make it.


Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash