December 24, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: Metamorphosis awaits; embrace the cocoon. En♥, -me!

Some of us desire growth, change, and transfiguration of our physical lives and spiritual selves but are unwilling to step into the envelope of alteration. Metamorphosis is unattainable without passage through the cocoon. In this capsule of change, our attentions are directed within, where we come to understand that we are fully equipped with the resources to awaken to the fresh breath of a transformed life and perspective. The truth and beauty is in recognizing that life consistently affords us with metamorphic opportunities, but we must first be willing to undergo the cocoon experience.

"Experience the strength and new beginnings being revealed within you." –Nancy L. Butler-Ross and Michael Suib, Meditation Express

From My Cocoon, 12/23/12, 12:36:47 PM
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

December 22, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: Each moment requires a private party. En♥, -me!

Pity parties. Passion parties. Everywhere we turn, we can frequently find ourselves engaged in one of the two (or something that qualifies on the spectrum between), and primarily the honored guest is our past perceptions or our future foretellings. What about the present? Often times we spend too much energy planning and hosting parties for the past and future that we fail to realize our neglect to invite the now. And we wonder why we feel so imbalanced!? The truth and beauty comes in understanding that every moment, all we have is this moment; and, it should be eternally celebrated with a private, prominent party. No guest list is necessary because the only other two attempting to get in (past and future) should never be on it. We could increase our potential of being grounded, centered, and balanced if we spent our energy concerning ourselves with gathering socially in observance of every moment, just as it is. So, DJ, turn up the music! Now we've got something really worth celebrating!

From My Cocoon, 12/21/12, 10:29:30 AM 
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

December 21, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: Love Synthesizes! En♥, -me!

My experience has been that when all else fails, love remains. Why? Love Synthesizes! There is a sometimes indescribable power that seems to harmonize and heal even the most fragmented pieces among us. That's love. Love brings us together in song and dance. Love brings us together for hugs and physical embraces. Love brings us together to complete projects as a team. Love brings us together to stand collectively for a cause. Love brings us together after disagreements. Love brings us home. Love brings us unto ourselves. Love brings us unto love. Even the universal symbol for love, the heart (♥), is drawn by the coupling of two halves. Love Synthesizes! The truth and beauty is in recognizing that we need not wait until we feel compartmentalized and broken to experience the everlasting unity and cohesion that love consistently provides.

From My Cocoon, 12/20/12, 10:45:14 AM 
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

December 15, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: Taste the sweet nectar of life uncommon. En♥, -me!

"Lend your voices only to sounds of freedom.
No longer lend your strength to that which you wish to be free from.
Fill your lives with love and bravery,
And you shall lead a life uncommon."

– Jewel, Life Uncommon

The truth and beauty is in comprehending that it can be just that simple! Many of us expend our energy and strength on things that entangle and enslave our own selves. Unfortunately, it's the common thing to do. But what if we...just...let...go? The uncommon life is lived in courage, the courage to be enveloped in love and boldly free ourselves from those things we no longer wish to be bound to or by. Daring to live a life uncommon is filled with an abundance of nourishing sweetness that eases and satisfies. Let's stick our tongues out and taste it now.

From My Cocoon, 12/14/12, 10:00:19 AM 
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

December 13, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: I can experience my own healing by peeling back the layers and loving the hurt away. En♥, -me!

If we can worry ourselves sick, we can believe ourselves well; the mind can be medicinal! Every single pain that we experience, physical or metaphysical, is capable of healing. The truth and beauty is in receiving the lesson that the pain has come to teach us, by exploring its organic source. This inward journey requires an enormous amount of blatant honestly with ourselves. Underneath the multiple layers of our own fantasies that paint us as victims of hurt is the authentic truth that actually paints us as the victimizer. We can heal ourselves! Our courageous willingness to love against all odds is is the treatment.

NOTE: A helpful resource for peeling back the layers may be Sakichi Toyoda's "Five Whys" Technique.

NOTE: A helpful resource for loving the hurt away may be Love is Letting Go of Fear by Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D.

From My Cocoon, 12/12/12, 10:40:40 AM
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

December 11, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: All can illuminate brighter by fearlessly sharing the inextinguishable light. En♥, -me!

There is a candle of inconsumable flame. Its light permeates the soul and serves as a beacon of truth for our journey. And we all have it. The truth and beauty comes in believing that we are all the source of this limitless light; we are all one with this limitless light; and by choosing to unify our limitless light, we can all be more luminous. Contrary to popular belief, we need not fear the darkness as a result of sharing our light. The abundance of light is inexhaustible.

"If this little light of mine combined with yours today, how many watts could we illuminate? How many villages could save?" – Jason Mraz, The Sunshine Song

From My Cocoon, 12/10/12, 9:41:49 AM
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

November 30, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: My oneness with the united self declares that I am me, you, us, them, this, and that. En♥, -me!

Hey, Three Dog Night! Is one really the loneliest number that you'll ever do? ;-) (Of course I'm not taking a stand against this great song, but the first line has always created an intellectual stir within). As it relates to the unity of diversity and the very infinite nature of our united selves, some might even propose that one is actually the most populated number that you'll ever do. Yet, it doesn't feel crowded. The truth and beauty comes in recognizing that in the grand perspective of the cosmos (from the smallest microscopic organism to the people that we adore, to the people that we just tolerate, to the inhabitants of the earth, sky, and sea, to the material trappings of your own bubble in society), we are all one. It's not so lonely here after all, is it?

From My Cocoon, 11/29/12, 10:43:07 AM
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

November 26, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: Be. En♥, -me!

The truth and beauty is in perpetually internalizing our is-ness such that we externalize our is-ness.

"You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July...
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through
'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth"

– Katy Perry, Firework

From My Cocoon, 01/30/13, 9:43:12 PM 
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

November 19, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: I can move closer to joyfully living my purpose by continually aligning my choices with the awakening seedlings of my soul. En♥, -me!

The measure of our joy is directly related to waking up our dreams and fulfilling the truest desires of our souls. Our dreams spring forth from the organic expressions of who we are, and waking them up demands that we perpetually make decisions and surround ourselves with the people and resources that are in line with our advancement toward our goals. The truth and beauty is in internalizing that (as James Allen wrote in As a Man Thinketh) "Dreams are the seedlings of realities."

From My Cocoon, 01/23/13, 6:13:27 PM

Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

November 18, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: My breath of fresh air carries sweetness to the nostrils of all beings. En♥, -me!

The fundamental premise of The Butterfly Effect (a mathematical term of Chaos Theory), teaches that infinitesimal alterations in a system can have significant and unpredictable influence on another part of a broader system. The same principle applies to unbounded power of the breath. In essence, we may never know the full extent of our mark on other beings, but we can be certain that we do have an effect on all beings, whether directly or indirectly. The truth and beauty comes in understanding and accepting the radical responsibility to allow our breath to only be a vehicle for refreshing love, life, and light. How's your breathing lately?

From My Cocoon, 01/23/13, 5:42:15 PM
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM 

November 17, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: The uniqueness of my impact is unconventional by design. En♥, -me!

There is no harm in recognizing just how special we are. How else can we maximize our potential? The truth and beauty is in owning our potential by truly comprehending that the one thing we all have in common is individualized gifts and abilities. Every being has a unique something that defies convention, and the universe thrives off of it. Let's commit to going within and exploring what makes us stand out, for the betterment of all.

From My Cocoon, 12/22/12, 12:27:05 PM 
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

November 15, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: Sow the seed that will bear fruit for all. En♥, -me!

Society has so successfully ingrained the message of "do for self" in our minds that it sometimes seems like the word "selfless" has been long removed from our vocabulary. We can easily get so wrapped up in our own microcosms of the world that we fail to remember that it is our union with the cosmos that even makes our microcosm possible. Every now and then (more often than not), it pays to plant things in our gardens that will benefit more than just ourselves. The truth and beauty comes in understanding that the garden which is planted with others in mind is the garden of perpetual harvest.

NOTE: A great example of this concept is demonstrated by the Hoe Mama movement.

From My Cocoon, 12/19/12, 4:30:17 PM
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

November 11, 2012

Today's Truth and Beauty: YOU've sown what YOU've reaped! En♥, -me!

Often times, we choose to issue out a warning to others by proclaiming the idiom, "You reap what you sow." It's a sentiment that is echoed throughout various communal and spiritual practices worldwide. But how often do we turn the words back on ourselves and reflect on the converse proclamation? Before we surrender to the impulse to place blame on other people, places, and things for the fruit of our present conditions (be they perceived as helpful or a hindrance), suffice it to say that the fruit is a reflection of what we ourselves have planted. The truth and beauty is in owning the fact that as farmers of our own fields, we are responsible for what has grown, and we have a responsibility for what grows.

"Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil." – James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

From My Cocoon, 12/19/12, 1:07:20 PM
Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM

Today's Truth and Beauty

Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM is a product of my ever-evolving meditation practice.  To borrow a concept from the song Killing Me Softly, this is me finding my own letters and reading each one out loud.  As I receive the daily combination of words and pictures that express the truth and beauty of my soul, I will post them to this blog and the Today’s Truth and Beauty Facebook Page as a means of communicating them to whomever among the masses has been designated to receive them as well.

I began sharing Today’s Truth and Beauty^TM (TT&B) with family and friends in November 2012, and it has since taken a life of its own.  As I’ve worked to streamline the ideas and keep up with the vision, I have had to remind myself of a lesson I learned from Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project, (that she learned from studying Voltaire) “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”   As such, though each TT&B’s message and picture is posted daily to Today’s Truth and Beauty Facebook Page, a brief description of each TT&B will be posted to this personal blog space weekly.  Please bear with me while I catch up on posting the TT&B descriptions from November 2^nd.  The words and pictures are from my heart.  So, wherever you are in your journey, whatever circumstances have guided you here, I am eternally grateful for your presence; and, it is always my prayer that while you are in this space, Whatcha See is Whatcha Get! 

If these words and / or pictures shine an ounce of light onto your path, please do us all a favor and pass them on. Why?  Because it’s time to start talking to the world.  We need us!

En♥,

– me!