Give the Gift

Give the Gift of… “Listening” with All Available Senses!

What??? My Guidance just filled me with this message. It is not unfamiliar but seems to be new in depth for me. When we interact with others, we can give the gift of being most fully “present” and listening, without interrupting, with every human sense we have. First ask, who are these “others.” Not only humans we encounter but with “other:” animals, objects, scenes, and human experiences… This is a whole lot. Being “Present” is also a struggle as a concept because humans are caught up in a three dimensional mental construction that make “time” seem like a real thing. We organize our thoughts in a linear way. Past, present and future pretend to exist. When we walk around we hold memories of the past. Some are “good,” even enjoyable. Some are traumatic for the drama we have experienced. These shade the way we react and even listen in the “present” moment. We have fear and anxiety about our unknown future which also limits and distracts us. Being Present, “staying in the moment,” is one of our major challenges and lessons in our striving for consciousness beyond the limitations of three dimensional human consciousness.

Witnessing as Listening is a great Gift! We serve by allowing another person to offer their story to us. They are our teachers. Sometimes teaching through the overcoming or just surviving the experiences they have encountered. Sometimes teaching about what NOT to do or to be. (If you get “triggered” you have a major learning experience if you deeply listen…) Not interjecting our opinion or a story is difficult for many of us and showing the deep respect for a storyteller can be almost impossible when a memory is triggered by our storyteller. And, “listening” is not an easy human ability to learn. Too often we have learned that people who interrupt seem to control a conversation and so we learn to interrupt. Not respectful as a behavior. Not “Accepting” as one “Perfect” soul chatting with another “Child of God.”

AND, Listening is NOT done just with the sense of hearing. Words or tones are communicated and then taken in by our ears. Listening is also focused vision looking for all kinds of non-verbal visual signs. And then there is “Feeling” which entails more than hearing or seeing. Feeling is not as simple as a touch on the skin. “Feeling” (with a capital “F”) is your heart and soul being touched by your interaction… Feeling is resonating with the energy you find in the interaction… Whether you know it or not, Guidance (both internal and external from our guides and angels) has offered you a chance to serve, to grow, to expand, to test your learned or remembered wisdom through every experience of a sharing this moment and has lead you to this lesson. We are there, in this interaction, for your learning and to serve in the learning of your interactive partner(s).

By Listening you are receiving. You are Honoring. You are Accepting. You are serving by allowing your partner to have a witness to their acquired wisdom, though you may have a different perspective. Receiving is difficult. Being open to listening without judgement is difficult. If you pride yourself as a “Giver” or “care giver” it is difficult to be the one who receives. And, receiving another’s love or care giving is a great gift… (Yes, think about this, especially if you are uncomfortable asking for assistance…)

There is so much and so many directions in this blog to consider. To simplify these thoughts… Be available to really and to fully Listen! This is a Gift and it is not easy to learn to do when interacting with fellow travelers on your path though this life.

You are NOT alone! You are Loved! You have the support and Guidance surrounding you. It is available if you learn to be present, accepting AND Available. And, if you listen…

Your Gift to the World Is YOU!

Do you like receiving a gift? Do you get pleasure and satisfaction from giving a great gift? If you are like most people, you get a great sense of satisfaction by giving a thoughtful gift. Hopefully, the gift has no “strings attached” to the process of giving. (You know what I mean when you give a gift and EXPECT something in return for your efforts…) Your present may be heartfelt and wrapped in the elegance of your warm wishes and tender love. It may be given in a more functional, less extravagant wrapping. It may have been thought out and well planned or a spontaneous act of sharing. You know when your act of giving is especially well received and when it does not meet the highest response.

A genuine act of kindness is often the most thoughtful gift which you can offer. “The thought counts” and the endearing follow through can be most meaningful. AND, many of us do not appreciate the present we can offer when we are sharing our love and our time and our compassion. You know that moment in time when the person in front of you offered you their “presence” and their listening skills as you share the most emotional memories. What a great gift when you are fully heard and this connection reminds you that you are not on your own. There is someone who listened and who cares…

Whenever, you increase your consciousness, you improve yourself. By enhancing your awareness and listening skills, you become more precious in your interactions. And, if you ever touch the Divine Spirit so that you fully celebrate the “perfection” of the person in front of you, you become the beacon of light which heals and warms the souls of every spirit you touch. There is no greater gift you can give. Honor yourself, for you are perfect even in your seeming imperfections. There is no one exactly like you. You are unique and at the same time Divinely connected to all other souls. Your lessons in this life are for you to move forward on your path BUT your movement on your path supports and assists everyone. Remember how Divine you really are and the source of unconditional love you can offer.

Be the best you can be. Not competitive but in your open ability to share love. If possible, drop your judgement and perhaps ask a “challenging” person you encounter, “What has happened to you in your life to lead you to be the person in front of me?” ALSO, remember that just as YOU are a Gift for the people you bump into, THEY are a Gift for you as well. You have a lesson to learn from every encounter and it is a blessing to learn from this challenge. You might want to consider honoring the beauty and perfection in front of you when next you lock eyes on the person standing in front of you!

YOU are a gift to the Universe! Sharing your Love and your wisdom gained through your life experience is an amazing service to the Universe. Grow in consciousness and share your Light!

If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

Secret to Enlightenment: Be Present!

Yup, YOU being Present is the secret. It has been said before and came up again today. Be fully present and you will connect better and serve better! Your presence has great value to our Universe. Why and how do you do this? So much of the time, we dwell in the emotions from the past or apprehension (fear) of the future. When you are genuine and fully present, you will participate in our world (universe) with less judgement AND the people you interact with will feel that they are more fully “heard.” This is therapeutic (for all people.) Yes, just really listening, without judgement, is emotionally, mentally, and spiritually healing. You honor and show your respect for the person whom you are engaged in conversation with when you listen totally while remaining “present.”

Think of the times when you were involved in a satisfying conversation. Your partner(s) can be found listening and asking great questions. They are probably not interrupting to tell their story about themselves and so discounting your sense of value. Sure you need to know your limits and not go on too long so they can share their story but you can feel satisfied with being heard… If you are insecure and demonstrate this by telling your story too long or cutting your partner off then your lack of respect will often be reciprocated. We are all important, and perfect, and masters whom deserve to be loved and respected for who we are. (EVEN when we are struggling with the imperfections and challenges which we are born to learn from.)

Now the difficult part. How do you BE PRESENT? You might start by taking a deep slow breath, pausing a moment after you inhale, and then slowly release your breath with thoughts and nervous energy flowing out with your exhale. Learn to clear your mind so you can be “open” to the story you will be told. Release your need to argue with or even judge the speaker. This experience and this receiving of information is happening for a reason. Though it may be unclear or even different than what you might think you know, you are having this interaction with this soul to help YOU with YOUR lesson. AND, you will be of service to your partner by allowing them the respect of your full attention and listening. Yes, you might be triggered or bored but there is some purpose for this shared experience.

Your spiritual consciousness leading to your enlightenment includes being present and listening without judgement. Again, this is easier said than done AND this is what we are “shooting” (or striving) for in this incarnation. The act of listening and being fully present is the gift you have to offer this world/universe. Appreciate and love each creation, for the divine spirit dwells within every molecule you bump into. When you can fully love, allow, and serve, you will remember, and then live, in your pure divine spirit. At the deepest level, this is where we are headed as individual souls within the “oneness” of the universal divine. We are each unique AND a part of the larger, perfect universe.

If you are READY to be present and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

The Art of Being Present

What is the advantage in being Present? How do you achieve the state of Presence? In moving along your path in life, when should you strive for “being fully in the Moment?”

Have you ever had the telephone conversation or the face to face meeting with another person who was clearly “somewhere else” and not tracking your communication? In our busy world, this happens all the time. You have to repeat yourself or you feel insecure that you were not fully heard or understood. You have to question your communication partner to “check in” and to know that they were not so distracted that they did not receive your important communication. People clearly have a great deal on their mind and they are being torn away by the invasion of of text messages or other manifestations of interrupting technology. We are so “plugged in” that it is difficult to invest fully in the conversation with the person in front of you or on the other end of the telephone. A client may not feel fully connected with you if you are lost in another thought and this may cause a transaction to go poorly. Your friend or family member may get frustrated with your lack of focus and may lash out at you in frustration. These situations happen all to frequently. Many people do not have the awareness, and then the control, to be able to quiet the distractions and really focus on the present moment and this is sad.

Missing the moment that will never come again is a loss that you can not ever recover!  There are times when you can multi-task but human interaction is very important and should not be short changed by your distracted and disrespectful pursuit of multiple thoughts or activities. Remember when this happened to you and how you felt this lack of respect and consideration! If for no other reason, you will miss out on the most joyful and satisfying moments in life if you are not present!

Achieving the state of “Presence” requires that you reduce internal and, if possible, external distractions. Begin by NOT thinking of your answer or response before your communication partner finishes their statement. Listen! Listen with ALL of your senses. If you require clarification, ask supportive “open ended questions.” Make eye contact. It is rude to not focus your vision upon the person who is speaking. If possible, feel the emotion of what is being said. Use your intuition to read “between the lines.” There are many times when you may need to clear your mind and relax your body to reduce internal distractions and this may benefit from learning how to meditate and to find yourself in the present moment. If you can be present, you will be happier and healthier. Your relationships can improve. You can find interpersonal success more easily.

Being fully present can become more a positive habit if you practice and learn more about what is distracting to you, AND, learn to let this go. Remember, that the respect you show in listening and interacting can be beneficial for personal learning and will improve your relationships. It will even SAVE YOU TIME in the long run. Try it and see for yourself.

If you manage other people or want positive outcomes with your family, learning to be fully present is a mandatory skill and life enhancing experience.

Blessings to you on your path and watch most carefully each foot step on your journey toward consciousness.

More information and support can be found at: www.mastersofthejourney.com and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney

Being Present: Key to Mindfulness

Have you ever suffered from anxiety, fear, or major stress? If so, then the chances are good that the fear or anxiety were born out of an experience from the past, as a learned response, or from fears of some future unknown or uncontrollable event. Throughout our lives we suffer great or small traumas and our body learns to respond to similar scenarios as if we were having PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) reactions. In deed, we may have mini-PTSD responses to fearful or difficult events even if these past events were not life threatening. Most importantly, if we ruminate on past events then we are not totally “present” in our bodies, in present time. Our bodies will then attempt to make us “present” by dragging us back into the present moment with an irritating, if not worse, symptom like an anxiety attack. This symptom is not necessarily the enemy, but it is a warning sign that we are not paying attention to our bodies, in the present moment.

Fear of the unknown or the uncertainty of what can happen in the future will also trigger a symptom of fear or anxiety. Since we can not predict the future with 100% accuracy, our flight-fight response can be triggered and physical or emotional symptoms can be exacerbated. When we lose track of the present moment, our body can force us to consider the present in rude ways.

Conversely, at the heart of every stress or anxiety management technique are simple activities designed to bring us back into our bodies in the present moment and in a “positive way.” One strong example is the request to take a deep slow breath and to feel the cool air as you inhale and the warm breath as you exhale. This simple, but powerful, request asks that you release thoughts regarding the past or expectations of the future and to feel the subtle difference of a slow inhale and exhale. This act of Mindfulness can back you away from your fear or anxiety especially when this has been rehearsed enough to become a habituated pattern.

Being Present or practicing Mindfulness is easier said than done, but the concept is not difficult to understand and with practice not too difficult to learn. Being prepared to “let go” of fear, anxiety, or traumatic thoughts can be very useful and can succeed when the skill of “Being Present” has become a positive habit.

Other techniques for mindfulness would include feeling: muscles relaxing, heart rate slowing, hands and feet warming, stomach tension releasing, and sensations of slowing down of distracting thoughts. Techniques which can lead to this state of mind and body, when practiced, include: Meditations, Autogenic Training, Progressive Relaxations, Visualizations/Imagery, forms of Self-Hypnosis, Breathing techniques, Yoga/Stretching, biofeedback training, and other types of focusing and observations. The secret is to find the one that works best for you, master it, and then use it preventively on a regular basis.

Information at the Stress Education Center’s website wwww.dstress.com may prove helpful to you.