Tag Archives: life

Wishing You Joy & Light

The Christmas season is here, and with it a myriad of memories, feelings, and images. The events of the past few years have magnified the importance of the people in our lives, and also our connection to our greater humanity. When I think of words that are most evocative of Christmas for me, JOY tops the list.

There is definitely a heightened feeling of love and goodwill at this time of year. It gives me joy to see people take a little rest from the regular routines, worries, and burdens of every day life. There are not nearly enough celebrations in our lives, and particularly lately. Life is something we should be enjoying too, not constantly “slaving at”.

I think of joy is a life keyword, an evaluator of the world around me. I’m feeling that if our world was better balanced and society fairer, we’d be seeing a lot more joy on an every day basis.

This is something for all of us to contemplate for the new year 2023 just ahead. How will we claim and live our joy? And not just our joy, but all of the positive aspects of life that we deserve. These are our lives, and all the moments in them are precious.

I realize that some people reading this may not celebrate Christmas. Take a moment to think of your own culture’s sacred traditions and celebrations. What one word is evocative of how you feel as you share those celebrations with family and friends?

I send you sincere best wishes for all the JOY your heart can hold. As you gather the people that you love around you, may your days be filled with a blaze of Light.

Susan L Hart 2022 / HartInspirations.com

Your Amazing Uniqueness

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Do you recognize and value your own special uniqueness? We live in a creative universe that is infinite and knows no bounds. Your extraordinary singularity is nothing less than a miracle of Life.

To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”. In a society that touts conformity and wants to keep you small, the challenge is to objectively identify that which makes you unique, and then nurture and let it bloom, never allowing anyone to make you believe that it’s bad to be YOU.

We are all souls learning here on Earth, separate and yet also bound together as fractals of a greater whole. We each are imperfect (and yet perfect) in our varying stages of personal growth. Perspective, understanding, compassion, and kindness are higher spiritual attributes that go a long way towards helping each other on our individual paths of learning.

It is a common human condition to harbor fears that we are never quite acceptable. We are taught from a young age that conformity to certain standards will earn us society’s stamp of approval. That guarantees us the ultimate ego comfort zone, but at what cost?

Observe the current growing movement for social conformity to a single one-world ideology. If we agree to society’s demand that we think, do, and say the same as everyone else, what kind of lives are we living? Certainly they are not ones we could call our own. This could not be deemed expansive, either in terms of our personal soul growth, or the evolution of the collective we call humanity.

Therefore never let go of what is amazingly, astonishingly, exceptionally YOU. Embrace all of the wonderful attributes that make you a distinctive human being. Defend your right to think your own thoughts and speak your truth.

The world needs your inspired heart and spirit, your inner fire, perhaps more now than at any other time in history.

The above is a an excerpt from my ebook Becoming Bigger: Realizations of Self & Humanity.

As a footnote: Rapid and extreme changes are taking place in society right now. The big decision for humanity during this evolution of society is this: Where is the line between the unique individual, who has a soul, who came here to learn and build a life, and their responsibility to society? Is that individual part of society, or a piece of property of the society?

Susan L Hart 2022 / HartInspirations.com

The Rainbow Warriors Legend

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The Maori of New Zealand possess many ancient legends and stories that explain their beginnings, their ancestors, their deep connection with Papataanuku (Mother Earth), and their relationship with “Io”, the supreme spiritual power.

One of their most important legends is that of The Three Baskets of Knowledge, and Tane, who was called to make the journey and ascend through the many realms to the uppermost one, occupied only by Io-Matua-Kore, God-the-Parentless. His mission was to obtain from Io the three baskets of knowledge, and bring the wisdom back to Earth for the benefit of all humankind.

Looked at simply, it is a story that explains how humankind gained knowledge of things both earthly and spiritual. However, at a deeper level, it is a metaphor for the archetypal inner journey of the mystic, as he or she travels inward, seeking always to find unity with the universe, and to become one with his or her concept or knowing of Io or God or the Supreme Being or the Way.

Several excerpts from the Maori song “He oriori mo Tuteremoana”, which speaks of the journey of Tane, highlight important ideas from this story.

“Listen O son. There was only one spiritual energy that transported Tane to the Uppermost realm; it was the spiritual power of the mind. Nought seen there but Io-the-parentless. Source of all authority, Source of all spiritual energy, Source of all heavenly origin, Source of all creation.”

The song speaks here of the incredible gift we are endowed with as part of the Source of all spiritual energy, and that is the power to create whatever we desire with our minds.

“Smoothed and a-glistening were the Bespaced Realms when Tane was summoned to the sacred beam in the presence of Rehua at the tail end of the realms; distilled then was the Ancient-knowledge of the upper realms, Ancient-knowledge of the rainbow, and the Ancient-knowledge of the spiritual powers.”

The rainbow as a bridge between realms and as a sign of hope and inspiration for the world is found in countless legends and stories of the indigenous cultures. For instance, the Maori legend of Uenuku and the Mist Maiden is a testimony to the power of love, and the rainbow represents love in all its shades. The rainbow is a reminder of the covenant between land and sky, mortal and immortal, earthbound and celestial.

“Tiwhana mai i e rangi a Uenuku-rangi! Span the skies, great rainbow of Uenuku!”

Many indigenous cultures believe that under the symbol of the rainbow, humanity will come into balance with one another and the Earth to experience the Golden Age. However, first an alignment with spiritual values, a healing between brothers and sisters, and a renewed reverence and appreciation for the Earth must take place.

There is an ancient theme that runs through many American Native legends that warns of the devastation the European white man would bring to the land. However, the myths also promise that some time in the future, when the devastation (especially as it was wrought upon the native peoples and upon the land itself) was at its worst, spiritually aligned souls among peoples of all colors, peoples of the rainbow, would feel a calling of Spirit and come together to bring things back to proper balance.

These souls, who would do no violence and would work to end violence, would be called the Rainbow Warriors.

The time of the Rainbow Warriors has come.

Footnote: Quotations from “He oriori mo Tuteremoana” are by Tuhotoariki, grand-uncle of Tuteremoana, the most famous descendant of Tara, eponymous ancestor of the Maori Ngai Tara tribe. He lived nineteen or twenty generations ago. At his birth Tuhotoariki composed a well known oriori or song chant, “He oriori mo Tuteremoana”, which has survived to this day. Tohotoariki was a famous tohunga or priest of his time, and his oriori contains many spiritual teachings for his high born grand-nephew.

Susan L Hart 2022 / HartInspirations.com

The Risk to Bloom

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“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~ Anaïs Nin

Roadblocks we encounter out in the world are meant to protect us. But, what about the roadblocks we create for ourselves? We build barriers to keep at bay what is too scary to explore.

It’s important to analyze new situations and evaluate the pros and cons. However, sometimes logic is our enemy. Even while it is telling us “No”, deep within our intuition is screaming, “Yes, yes, yes!” Those are cues for us to let go and venture down that unknown road.

What is life for, really? Adventure, learning, expansion, and growth, they are all begging for you to step up to the plate.

“Although the road is never ending, take a step and keep walking, do not look fearfully into the distance… On this path let the heart be your guide for the body is hesitant and full of fear.” (Rumi)

Susan L Hart 2022 / HartInspirations.com

Eduardo & the Green Obsidian

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Meeting Eduardo was a delightful surprise. So, for that matter, was the green obsidian.

On a bright summer afternoon, I walked down an El Centro street just after a lunch with my friend Barbara. In that moment I was in a very good mood. The city streets were already quiet by then, as many shops had closed for the weekend at 1 pm.

I casually noticed a young man sitting on a stoop as I passed him. He appeared to be one of the transient travelers often seen on the downtown streets, selling their handmade jewelry to make travel money. About four paces past him, I was stopped in my tracks. A voice in my head said clearly, “You MUST go back. This young man needs your help.”

I continued to pause and I listened. The direction was repeated. I have learned not to ignore my intuitions, so…

I about-faced and walked back. He looked up from his work and smiled warmly. Rather than displaying his jewelry on a ground cloth, he had devised an upright stand so it could be viewed at eye level. Aside from his beautiful handmade necklaces and bracelets, he was also reselling some cheap trinkets. The first thing to catch my eye was a small, silvery Eiffel Tower.

Thought to self, “Ah yes. Paris. Some day…” But I knew buying a $2 charm was not going to make Eduardo’s day a whole lot better.

I continued to look. Many of his necklaces featured turquoise, but as much as it is my favorite stone, nothing really grabbed me. Suddenly Eduardo handed me a necklace from the other side of the stand, and the moment my eyes fell on it, I knew it was meant for me. Sleek and smooth, largish and tear-drop shaped, the stone set in the necklace was a dark, lustrous opaque green. Held up to the light, I could see faint rainbow colors. There was a magic to it.

I told him in Spanish it was the piece I wanted. I did not dicker on the price in this case. I was happy enough with what he quoted, and, I had a deep sense that Eduardo badly needed the money. I expressed my delight at the beauty of the stone. He seemed pleased. He told me it was obsidiana (Spanish for obsidian), and that it was very special to the Mayan people.

Eduardo had woven the obsidian into a thread neckband of olive green and black. He invited me to sit beside him so he could fit the length to me and add the clasp. But when he took out his lighter to burn the thread ends (as I had just seen him doing on a bracelet as I walked up), the flame failed to ignite. At that exact moment, Eduardo reached his completely broke point. He embarassedly asked to borrow a dollar so he could purchase a new lighter.

I said sure. He procured one from the store next door, then sat beside me again. I asked his name and where he was from. Peru. He had only been in Ecuador for a couple of weeks. We chatted happily while he worked, me in my broken Spanish and he in his imperfect English. It didn’t matter about the gaps. We understood each other in all the ways that were important.

As Eduardo was making the final fitting, a young couple walked up and the woman exclaimed how beautiful the necklace looked. It was me! I paid Eduardo the money, and we cheek kissed in the Spanish way before I departed.

He looked at me. “Esta fue una reunión de corazones, si Susanna?”

I smiled. “Yes Eduardo. It was indeed a true meeting of hearts.” I hugged him, then proceeded on my way.

As it turned out, this meeting was not just about Eduardo’s predicament. I also had been working through a rough period in my life. When I later researched it, I discovered that green obsidian is a Gaia Stone and is sometimes called “The Soul of the Earth”. It is associated with the heart chakra and is said to promote loving relationships between people. Green obsidian is therefore held very sacred by the Mayan people.

Later I had the stone mounted on a silver wire so I could wear it more often. Because of the special way it came to me, the green obsidian represents my love for humanity. When I wear it, I feel connected to the All and loved in return.

It magically found me at just the right time, and the messenger was Eduardo.

Susan L Hart 2022 / HartInspirations.com