Spiritual Expansion

What is Your Truth?

November 3, 2015 By Cara Lumen

What is YOUR truth, not THE truth because “truth” is different for everyone. It is what you feel deep inside. Truth comes from the values you choose to live by. No one can tell you the truth, you have to figure it out for yourself.
Truth is a varied as we are

Wikipedia lists 16 major religions in the world and that does not include American Indian or paganism. Each one has its own set of beliefs, ceremonies, rules, and followers. Because each of us seeks a connection with an unknown, indescribable, fundamental energy, we search for what is true—for us.

Your truth will not be my truth even if it looks like it on the surface. And yet, at the core, our truth is about our personal relationship with wherever we came from and wherever we are returning to. That’s a unique personal journey and a very personal belief.

When do you need to learn your own truth?

We slowly become conscious of our truth over time. My urgency to understand how I felt about where I came from and where I’m going began when I moved to a senior center. What I know about my own life is that in the next 20 years or so (I’m 83 now) my future holds death. I’m in no hurry, but the population I live in is very fluid in their coming and going. I watch age show up in bodies, including my own.

Death is probably not coming to me anytime soon, but it is higher on the list than it used to be. And that’s what prompted me to look at how I want to live this portion of my life. I want to look at death as an adventure, a discovery of something so awesome that I welcome the journey.

We live in a pattern of cycles

I am drawn to the idea that life flows in cycles just as we see in nature. One cycle gradually merges into another cycle. Life is ever-changing. That means I am ever-changing and am probably in constant need of adjustment.

Knowing that life is a pattern of inevitable cycles, my version of life is to go with the flow, to allow life to unfold and then simply shape things as they come. There’s no striving, no effort. There’s acceptance, observation, adjustment, and choice.

I have time to make a difference

Each day is an opportunity to contribute, to make a difference, to place a pebble into the flow of life and watch the circle of waves move out into the world. Each day. Each moment. Make your every moment count.

Discover your own truth

What do you believe life is about? Some say it’s a dream and that we are the dreamers. Others say we are souls who agreed to come into the world to learn a specific lesson, or offer one to others. We agreed to our life, whatever it looks like.

An image that appeals to me as that of a vase comfortably filled with universal energy and surrounded with universal energy. When the vase breaks, the universal energy is still there—everywhere.

What is your truth?

You have to decide on your own truth. It will come from beliefs you are taught that you need to question; situations you experienced that were colored by your age; relationships you had, both positive and negative; ideas you resonated to; and concepts you explored and accepted. Your truth is a unique combination of your life experience and your current self-aware choice.

Your truth is eclectic

Allow your truth to originate from many sources. I am drawn to some of the celebrations of the American Indians, like honoring the earth and leaving a gift when you take an animal’s life for food (I’m vegan so I don’t do that). I am drawn to Taoism and its simple purpose of exploring my essence. I explore the mudras and chants of Buddhism and Hinduism. I meditate with rocks and crystals. I use essential oils and flower essences.

I read. I learned a lot from Thomas Troward, who studied the world’s great religions and wrote about the similarities. His work is the foundation for the Center for Spiritual Living, which was part of my personal exploration. Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the Tao Te Ching resonates deeply, as do the words of Gibran, Rumi, Deng Ming Dao and Alan Watts. Read, explore, try ideas on for size and see what resonates. Formulate your own truth, the beliefs and concepts and structure that resonates with you.

Draw your truth from your inner wisdom

Your truth is a totally personal journey. Explore religions other than the one you’re most familiar with and adapt what resonates with you. Become conscious of how you express your spirituality. Question everything. Listen to the truth that comes from deep within. Live your truth outwardly in your life.

Create your own spiritual celebration

Make being spiritually aware part of every day. Whether it is a mindful walk in nature where you feel grateful for your life, a sitting or standing meditation, journaling, writing poetry, expand how you are in service, be conscious that you are a spiritual being having a human experience. Live every moment of your life from that spiritual place.

Go exploring. Find your own truth and embrace it.

To Sing a Deeper Song consider:

Another name for God

How Are You Exploring Your Essence?

We Are Part of a Larger Spiritual Order

You Are All-That-Is

What is Your True Nature

I Am You

Return to the Simplicity of The Uncarved Block

17 – Exploring The Village of Nothingness

18- How Your Light Illuminates Paths of Darkness

21 – How to Share a Piece of Your Soul

22 – Create Your Own Spiritual Journey

What I Learned from Pharrell Williams

October 20, 2015 By Cara Lumen

I’m a fan of The Voice. I didn’t know Pharrell Williams until he became a coach on the show. Now I’m a huge fan of this man who is deeply in service, a person who cares profoundly about others. Who he is shows in many ways. Here’s what I learned from watching Pharrell on The Voice.

Pharrell encourages artists to sing from their heart

Whatever our field, we know that our best work comes from our heart, from being true to our own passion and from sharing generously of ourselves. Pharrell tells the singers he coaches that when they sing from their heart, the rest will follow. When you write a blog post, are you singing from your heart? When you create a course or coach a client or lead a webinar, are you singing from your heart?

Pharrell offers people a strong helping hand

There’s a very subtle way in which I’ve seen Pharrell serve others. In the knockout rounds on The Voice, the coaches have to choose between two people on their own team who they’ve paired together and coached. One of the motivations for the choice a coach makes could be to choose the artist that most likely could win the competition for the coach’s team. But that’s not where Pharrell seems to be coming from. Several times, when he has a choice between two singers, I saw him choose the one who is really good but needs more time or more coaching. He releases the one he knows will be picked up by another coach. He chooses the singers for whom he can make the most difference. He is totally in service to the contestants and keeps himself deeply focused on their success.

Pharrell recognizes and addresses the needs of the people around him

Pharrell is a singer/songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He constantly seeks to meet the needs of the communities he serves. He looks for the concerns, the problems, the wishes and desires of the people he wants to reach. When one member of his team lost, he took her into the studio to explore how she felt and a new song emerged from the collaborative experience. We all try to understand the emotions of our community. It’s fascinating to watch where and how Pharrell searches for inspiration.

Pharrell is generous with his talent and knowledge

He’s a world-class musician and he gave one of his team’s finalists one of his original songs to sing for her final round. That’s hugely generous. But he felt the match. He knew she was the right artist to deliver his song. He’s excited by new talent and new possibilities. He loves to mentor.

Pharrell is deeply in service

Contestants in the blind auditions get to choose from the coaches that turn around for them. Each coach “pitches” the contestants to get them on their team. Pharrell never talks about his team, or winning; he always talks about what he sees in the artists and how he wants to help them fulfill their dream. It is fascinating to watch what he says. It is always about the contestant.

What I learned from Pharrell:

Communicate from your heart
Give everything you have
Do your best to help the other person succeed
Don’t be concerned about winning; be focused on how you can help the other person do their very, very best. Their success is your big win.

Watching Pharrell share the stage with the other coaches, watching him honor the people he’s working with is just more evidence of his generosity of spirit.

I know Pharrell wins major music awards. I know people love his music. His team member won The Voice one season, but that’s not the point. My life got better when I observed a loving heart in action and the effect it has on everyone around him. You know that all of his music comes from his heart—just as his life does. Thank you, Pharrell, for living with an open heart and coming from a deep place of service. You inspire me to sing a deeper song.

To Sing a Deeper Song consider:

07- How to Find and Express Your Distinctive Voice

18- How Your Light Illuminates Paths of Darkness

20 – Why Are You In Service?

Take Money Out of the Equation

Your Work as You

What Message Are You Modeling?

Are You a Gift Person

What is Your Personal Promise?

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How Are You Exploring Your Essence?

September 8, 2015 By Cara Lumen

Who are you? What makes you who you are? Where did you come from? Where do you go when you die? How much control, if any, do you have over your life? These and many more questions present themselves as we move along life’s journey.

Rather than have a set of rules, dogmas, or restrictive beliefs, those who search for an understanding of the natural flow of life are searching for themselves. They are looking for their essence. I happen to call that Tao.

We seek self-awareness—an understanding of our own talents, gifts, skills, wants, wishes, urges, beliefs, emotions, and everything else that seems to define us.

In seeking to understand our natural self, our essence, self-awareness is the path to change.

If you don’t become aware of how you act, what you say, how you affect others, you can’t change yourself. If you don’t become aware of your needs and wants and desires, you can’t seek them out. The more self-aware you are, the more aligned are your choices. When you cultivate self-awareness, you make choices that are aligned with your core self.

Observe the signs of your essence

Your world reflects your essence. You can understand your natural self when you become aware of your thoughts and actions and begin to make conscious choices about what you think and say. Your essence is reflected in how others respond or react to you. You can observe the responses you get and then make changes in yourself that alter those responses.

Become clear on what you believe. Where did those beliefs come from? From school? From your family? From your past? Do they serve you in your present awareness? Do you want to keep those beliefs? Think about releasing or redefining your beliefs so they are aligned with your current values.

What do you want to change about yourself, and how do you do that? Observing your own thoughts and feelings is a key component of self-awareness.

Question everything

If I do this, what will happen? If I do that, how will things be different? What is keeping me from moving forward? What am I doing way over here? Questioning goes with observing. If something is working well in your life, observe it, figure out how you helped make that happen and do more of it. If, on the other hand, it’s something you don’t like, figure out what made it happen and stop doing that. We have the choice. Question your choices and keep them aligned with the direction you want to go.

Explore your essence

How do we do that? Well, we can explore our essence through stillness, the various forms of our spiritual practice. Meditate, do yoga or Qi Gong, or walk reflectively in nature. Journal, mind-map, or have philosophical conversations with others. How are you learning about the possibilities in the path you are on? How are you learning about the essence of your natural self?

You are on your own unique path

You are on a journey that only you can take. What it looks and feels like begins and ends with you. You will interact with others on your path. You will learn from them; you will teach them. Some you will walk with for a while; others you will avoid. Some you will lead, others you will follow. But the specific path you take is yours alone. How you walk your path will inspire and motivate others.

How you walk your path is the expression of your essence. Walk it mindfully.

To Sing a Deeper Song consider:

There is No Striving in being

if I Were a Person Who…

Create Your Own Spiritual Journey

How to Creative Fertile Field for Positive Change

Are You a Gift Person

What is Your True Nature

I Am You

06– Unfolding And The Art Of Wu Wei (podcast, 20 minutes)

14- How Strong is the Foundation You Build On (podcast, 20 minutes)

How to Invite Serenity into Your Life

March 24, 2015 By Cara Lumen

Serenity is hard to capture when you fill your life too full. What do you release? What do you change? How do you go about bringing more moments of serenity into your life?

Slow Dow

You have to say “no” to a few things. You have to cut the clutter that takes up your space and your time. You have to choose your priorities and let the rest fall away. When you know what you want to achieve, choose to do only those things that help make it happen.

Immerse Yourself

The easiest way to feel serenity is to immure yourself in whatever you are doing. You may become completely absorbed in a walk in nature. You may give yourself over to building something or cleaning something or writing something. Do not think about what is next or what still needs to be done. Be present in the moment. When you sink deeply into the experience at hand, you will feel serene.

I was faced with completing a series of steps that I had never done before. It was simply a matter of putting up my first podcast on my site and on iTunes. I had the directions. I simply immersed myself in the step that was before me and when that was complete moved on to the next. It kept me both focused and serene. I wasn’t aware of my steady progress until later when I realized how much I had done and that I had achieved my goal, one focused step at a time.

Move Mindfully

Pay attention to how you feel. Explore the connection between your awareness and what you are doing. As you move deliberately thought the actions you take, become more aware of their beauty and their intricacy. Be mindful of what you say. Listen before you respond. Pause before you take action. Immerse yourself in what you are doing. Cultivate mindfulness as a path to experiencing serenity. Lean to appreciate and savor more moments.

Notice your progress

Stay in the moment, but take time to acknowledge and appreciate your progress. Then return to the task at hand. When you see how immersion and mindfulness move you steadily forward, you will begin to trust the process . Each time you practice giving yourself over to the moment, it will be easier to lose yourself in the work you do.

Be still

Quite your mind. Still your body. Release your awareness. Move into the place of peace that resides in each of us. Practice being still and hear and feel what becomes apparent. .

Be Patient

Life is an unfolding process that moves in cycles that cannot be rushed or altered. Any adjusting that needs to be done is within you. Take action. Don’t take action. Speak. Stay silent. Let the flow of serenity within you guide your steps.

To Sing a Deeper Song Consider

The Next “Now.”

The Power of Mindful Listening

The Spaces In Our Lives

Nothing Is Required But the Next Step

Patience and the Unfolding Process

The Cycle of Moving Forward

Awakening to Serenity

February 26, 2015 By Cara Lumen

Serenity is always there. We have to lay aside our thoughts, concerns, worries, plans and expectations to find it.

I just experienced the best meditation I’ve had in years. I’m writing this to figure out why. What did I do or not do that helped that happen? If I can figure that out, perhaps I can get that feeling of serenity to reoccur. Maybe it will simply return on its own.

Get out of your head

When I suggest that you lay aside your thoughts, I mean it. Your mind keeps you from being aware of the continual presence of serenity. When you are feeling serene, you are not even aware of your body. You simply are. It’s like floating in nothingness, detached from your body, connected only by one small point of consciousness.

Empty yourself

When you decide to reside in the moment, there is no room for concerns or worries. Lay them aside. There is nothing you can do about them right now anyway. Those concerns and worries may not even happen, so put them aside and allow yourself to feel present in the now.

Let go of control

Whatever plans you have made, whatever expectations you are holding, put those aside too. In this moment of serenity, there is nothing to do. There is simply something to experience – sweet serenity.

Don’t try to define how serenity feels

You probably will try to define it, because you want to experience serenity again, but let go and let the stillness weave its way throughout your body until your body disappears. No thoughts like “Oh my, I’m feeling serene.” No analysis like “How did I do that?” Stay in the moment. Let it seep into your core. Let serenity become part of your essence.

Serenity will remain with you

When you have set aside time to allow yourself to feel serene, and when you experience it, the feeling of peace will stay with you throughout your day. If your mind gets you involved in the physical plane notice it, pause, recall the experience of serenity and it will be there for you again.

Look for serenity

If you are not looking for serenity, you may miss it. Because I am actively writing and podcasting about serenity, I am looking for it. I am more aware of moments when I feel serene and the experiences that lead me into serenity. Simply begin to notice when you feel serene and see if you can identify what brought you to that feeling. Then take that action again.

Make time to experience serenity

It’s not about “practicing” serenity. It’s about putting yourself in a circumstance that encourages it. I’m not certain what happened to encourage this very deep meditation, but my mind was not thinking up exciting things to write about, I was not mentally planning my day. I sat in my meditation chair as I do every morning. I have two mudras that move me into the space of stillness. I entered a deep experience of serenity.

My personal experience

I have created inner guides throughout the years – an Amazon to help we with my physical development, a business person who guides me in that field, a trio of writers who show up to have a say when I write, but today there was another essence at the core – serenity. It was totally different and definitely recognizable. It was light. It led me from the physical plane into the field of nothingness, of light, of peace – of serenity. I simply sat there and felt serene. The feeling continues to fills me as I write to figure this out.

I want more

I love how I feel. I have felt this way in the past. but it’s been a very long time. I will see if I can operate from this serenity all day. I will see if I can experience this serene meditation tomorrow. Now that I know it exists, now that I know I can experience it, I want more. If I could walk through life with this inner peace, it would be bliss.

Let go and awaken to serenity.

To Sing a Deeper Song consider:

The Search for Serenity

The Serenity of Unfolding

Return to the Simplicity of The Uncarved Block

The Mudra That Made a Difference

The Spaces In Our Lives

Wander Beyond All Paths