Tag Archives: self-realization

Our Essence is Freedom

There was a time in Hawaii – I will never forget it – when the ocean spoke to me of freedom. A storm was blowing in from Japan, and word in the community was that within a couple of days the surfing would be stellar. That same night, my partner and I awoke at midnight to the thunderous sound of pounding waves. We headed out immediately to check it out at Makena Beach (also known as Big Beach) somewhat nearby.

This was one of the calmer beaches, not a surfer hangout. The waves were already spectacular! There were no man-made lights, save for several small dots twinkling way off in the far distance. When we arrived, the scene that lay before us took my breath away. Makena beach and the water were lit brilliantly by a magnificent full moon. Light clouds flitted in and out in the strong breeze. The rolling huge waves frothed white in the blazing moonlight, crashing wildly on the shore.

We took our shoes off and walked. The beauty and power of the scene were intoxicating, and my soul was unleashed in a way I had never experienced before.

I felt what it means to be just a human being on the Earth, and the inherent freedom of my soul. For just a little while, the pulse of nature ran through me like a jolt of electricity. I felt the wildness and joy of my essence. I was completely alive, and I did not want that feeling to end.

The wild, untamed places discovered in my travels without fail have this affect; they speak to my soul. And I have come to understand this: Our essence is freedom, and we must never let that go.

A brief quote about freedom from Shawshank Redemption:

“Sometimes it makes me sad, though… Andy being gone. I have to remind myself that some birds aren’t meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright.

Too many people don’t realize that their feathers are too bright to be caged. When that changes, the world also will change. It’s time to claim your bright feathers, if you have not done so already.

This is a repost from Sept. 2022 in response to “Danger and Wonder at Peggy’s Cove”, a recent post by my good friend Alegria at Life With Alegria. Her expression of intoxication surrounding her Atlantic Ocean experience reminded me so much of my own experience on a Hawaiian beach (with another ocean) many years ago. I highly recommend that you check out Alegria’s blog, where she explores the many facets of finding your joy in life.

My novelette The Turquoise Heart is currently being offered as a free download. Help yourself to a copy today.

Remember What’s Real

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In indigenous cultures the elders of the community are highly respected for their life-long accumulated knowledge. They are teachers in the community and particularly of the children, so that the ways and tradition of reverence for the land will not be forgotten. Perhaps if we were to acknowledge indigenous wisdom more, we would be better able to solve our problems related to Earth and our natural environment.

After all, how can we solve these problems when we are feeling so separated from the land itself? I do not believe that corporations (or governments) largely have the sort of caring that would lead towards a healing of Earth, or us, for that matter. At a grassroots level, we must take personal responsibility for ourselves and our Earth.

“In order for the land to take care of us, we must take care of the land.” There are many interesting videos to watch on this site: Wisdom of the Elders, Inc.

Inspirational Quote:

“Not just beautiful, though – the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they’re watching me.” ~ Haruki Murakami

An excerpt from The Turquoise Heart, where Elsu (the elder in this case) speaks to Anna, who is the same age as his granddaughter Suki:

…Elsu gave her a wink. “This has all been quite intense, has it not? I see why you would be exhausted. We will start walking over to the creek, and soon it will be time to say goodbye for now.”

“For now? You told me that I came through some kind of time portal. How would I know how to come back, even if I wanted to?”

“I’m thinking you may want to some time in future, Anna. After all, there is still the problem of the trees.“

“The trees have a problem?”

“Are there not rumors in your town right now that the trees will be cut down? You came to realize during your time here that they are part of your Earth family. You already sense you will miss them. What are you going to do about it? It was not just me who called you. It was also the forest.”

“What could I ever do about that? I’m just a teenager. No one cares what I think or say about anything.”

“I guess this could be a challenge to take home with you, or maybe it really does not matter at all. That is for you to decide.”

“Okay, Elsu, but why am I suddenly responsible for the trees?”

Elsu replied softly, “Anna, if not you, then who? That huge tree that gave you shelter is over one thousand years old and a grandparent.”

His rebuttal disarmed her.“I do care about the forest. I promise I’ll think more about it.” It had never before occurred to Anna that she might have the power to change anything important in the world…

I invite you to take a few moments today to download your free copy of The Turquoise Heart. Although the protagonist Anna is “just” going on fifteen, she has a strong sense that the world is not quite right, and that what is expected of her in the “formula for life” already does not feel like enough. The Turquoise Heart is a 1-hour read, and the prequel to a coming longer novel (or two?). Download it here.

© Susan L Hart 2024

You Butterfly, You

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The beautiful butterfly captivates us with its brilliant color and lightness of being. Its joyful flitting among flowers never fails to raise our spirits, and somehow it gives us hope. Hope for what? Well, perhaps simply a world where more color, joy, and lightness of being may be possible. Butterflies cut right through to the core of our being. They speak to our souls about joy.

We were born with lightness and joy

As adults, the world and its problems have this way of weighing us down. Eventually we forget that we were born with this innate sense of joy. Watch young children. They are still in a cycle of newness, discovering, joyfulness, positivity.

Butterfly, symbol of transformation

There is a long history of the butterfly as symbol of transformation, resurrection, adaptability to change, lightness and joy. You’ll find more about this in the article: Dance like the Butterfly

Allow the butterfly in you to burst forth

Embrace your soul lessons, because they are food for your transformation process. Learn from them, and do not get weighed down by regrets and problems. Allow yourself to grow, bloom, transform completely, to the beautiful butterfly you were always meant to be.

Born to Fly

I had a “friend”
who wanted to
dissect me,
so they could
determine how
to capture me.

I have worked
hard in this life
to unchain and
free my soul –
Why would I
agree to this?

The young me
would yield
to please, but,
the older me
stands firm for
autonomy.

I’m not an ant
made only
for hard work,
I discovered
I have wings,
I’m a butterfly.

Thank you for
the lesson!
I cannot allow
you to pluck
my wings and
pin me down.

I will not deny
that I am
a butterfly,
real friends
let friends fly,
and so must I.

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The Love Cure

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Infinite love already exists in everything that is alive, including you and me. Our love lessons are about removing the obstacles to love. They teach us out how to access, express and live it, if we choose to do so.

Fear, anger, prejudice… there are a myriad of padlocks with which we hold our love hostage. The experiences we have around love are all opportunities for self-examination. They teach us how to love better.

This can feel difficult in a world that is expressing so much dissension and “un-love”. Each of us is a key to healing it. Consider that perhaps the high tension and hatred being expressed in the world right now is a challenge to unlock our own love. Change begins within each of us.

Inspirational Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

“We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.”

“The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

The haiku Cure is an excerpt from Hart Haiku Vol. 1 / The Love Cure commentary is from 25 Big Ways to Grow Your Life (discontinued)

Travel to Find You

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The world is a mirror, and travel has this way of peeling back our hidden layers. It makes a lie out of some of the stories we’ve been telling ourselves, and it shines a light on good parts as yet undiscovered. It challenges, grows, expands and inspires us in ways that we never expected. We lose ourselves, and we find ourselves.

And then beyond the idea of world travel in this 3rd dimensional Earth existence, what if our souls really are trans-dimensional? And what if we live many lives, working out our lessons and perfecting our energy?

Perhaps we would live life in a completely different way, not so tied down to the ideas of money, success, material possessions. Perhaps life here would be about a completely different experience.

I believe we are moving towards that, we just need to let go of some old ideas…

Inspirational Travel Quotes:

“Not all those who wander are lost.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” ~ St. Augustine

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” ~ Anita Desai

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

“The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” ~ Wallace Stevens

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” ~ Mark Twain

“We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.” ~ Ray Bradbury

“Travel brings power and love back into your life.” ~ Ruminator

The Trip

We arrive
with no luggage
and leave with
none too,
so why do we
spend a lifetime
accumulating
mere things?

To prop up
our egos,
and relieve
our boredom,
to salve our
hurts, and
impress the
neighbors.

Within the
glorious potential
of the soul’s
quest, we lay
waste to what
could have been
for the next
new toy.

The kids
fight over the
treasures
left behind
by their parents,
thinking that the
having is some
kind of victory.

But the wounds
inflicted in the
fight for more
are baggage of
a different kind,
ones that can
cross over if we
don’t take care.

Traveling light
and loving well
are the real
accomplishments,
and as big as
they are, they
pack small
for the leaving.

Escape

Perhaps it’s just my lens because I’m a traveler at heart, but I think some of the best stories are rooted in travel. Of course, one person’s travel story is another person’s home story – and that is the essence of these journeys – discovering bits of one’s self in other cultures, and by extension, the call of our humanity.

The world’s in a pretty crazy place right now, and many of us are looking for calm places where we can heal and center ourselves. Judy Garland wistfully sang about it in Over the Rainbow, that place where “troubles melt like lemon drops”.

During an arm chair trip, I stumbled upon a wonderful story about just such a place of healing, created by a community of formerly abused African women. I’m looking forward to many more stories such as these, as the unfolding of a new humanity continues. It’s a saga of hope and possibilities, and beyond that, a confirmation that our best potential for the future lies in our ability to work together to achieve it.

Ghanaian photographer Paul Ninson on how he was able to visit the ‘village with no men’

Travel to Find You is a repost from August 16, 2022, Escape is a repost from July 6, 2023

The Trip is an excerpt from Soul Journey: The Poetry of Life

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