Wednesday, October 2, 2019

The Only Constant in Life

October 2, 2019


As a professional writer for my entire adult life, I have always appreciated a clever turn of phrase or a witty wordplay. One of my favorites is something I heard back in the early 1990s: “The only constant in life is change.”

I really love the paradoxical nature of that saying—the juxtaposition between the opposing ideas of change and constancy. I am surprised, however, by how long it took for me to realize that this statement is not actually true. The only constant in life is change? That’s the only constant? Of course that’s not true. In addition to the sun rising in the east, the inevitability of death, and a few other things, there is another constant in life that is much greater than change. It is a constant that not only helps us weather change, but in many cases benefit from it.

The constant I am talking about is that Universal Intelligence we call God. But I will get back to that later. My initial goal is to explore the phenomenon of change and why we experience so much of it in life. And the reason I am interested in this topic is because it touches on an aspect of living life in the divine flow I didn’t notice for quite some time.

If you follow my teachings, you know that living life in the divine flow is about learning how to recognize and cooperate with the divine flow of life—a flow that is continually guiding you toward the effortless fulfillment of your heart’s desires. And by heart’s desires, I mean the desires of your soul or spirit. They are desires that are often greater and grander than anything your ego would normally allow you to have; desires that are always for the good of all—not just you; and desires that are often related to fulfilling your soul’s purpose for this lifetime. It is to those desires that you are continually being guided through your intuition, through the intuitive wisdom of others, and through divine signs and synchronicities.

Along the way, I have collected countless stories about people who have followed divine guidance and manifested their heart’s desires miraculously. But here’s what I am getting to: If you ask those people a few years later—or sometimes much sooner—how they are enjoying their dream come true, they will often say that they are no longer living that dream, or living it in the same way, because something changed.

The question is, why? If they were truly being divinely guided by God to something, why—in many cases—didn’t it last? There are many reasons for this, but here are six reasons why things might unexpectedly change after you fulfill a desire of the heart:

1. You allow yourself to take full credit for the fulfillment of your desire.

When your desire manifests, you might be tempted to exclaim, “I did it!” Oh, you did it, did you? It wasn’t God working in you, through you, and as you? It wasn’t because you followed divine guidance? It wasn’t due to the blessing of God’s goodness and grace? Whenever you allow your limited, self-serving ego to take back over, you begin to make terrible decisions—decisions that are not divinely guided, but are, instead, unguided or misguided. The result? You may end up undermining what you previously co-created with God. 

I was recently reminded of this fact by a funny sign someone photographed and posted on Facebook. The sign said, “Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that you are making terrible decisions!”

2. Things may change due to the ripple effect of decisions made by other people.  

For example, when Carol and I desired to move from Dallas, Texas to Sedona, Arizona—so I could conduct talks and workshops in cities throughout the Southwest—we felt divinely supported every step of the way. We experienced amazing miracles—both major and minor—throughout the entire process, including being divinely guided to a house we were absolutely thrilled to rent. 

But guess what? Only three years later something changed, and we had to move out of the house we so dearly loved. Why? To make a long story short, it was due to decisions made by the couple who owned our house, which left them overextended in real estate holdings. When the housing market crashed in 2008—the result of greedy choices and irresponsible actions made by people in the mortgage industry—they were among the first to lose their home, and they had to move into the house they had been renting to us.  

Remember, in ways both seen and unseen, obvious and not obvious, we are all connected.  When anyone makes a decision that is not divinely guided—a decision of the ego—it can have a ripple effect that affects others, both near and far. 

3. Perhaps the manifestation of your dream was not really “in the flow” the entire way. 

Perhaps at some point during the process you stopped taking the next divinely-directed step and began “forcing” your way forward—forcing your desire into beingness before its divine time, or before you grew to be the kind of person you needed to be to maintain or sustain the fulfillment of that desire for any length of time.

Remember, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do it. You must always seek divine guidance before taking any action. You must constantly pay attention to your intuition, listen to what others are saying, and watch for divine signs and synchronicities—all of which can help you discern whether any action you are contemplating taking is truly “in the flow” or not. If you continue to force things to happen, whatever you manifest will probably not last very long.

4. Sometimes the flow may lead you to the fulfillment of a desire, just so you will finally realize that your desire is not a true desire of the heart.

One of my favorite stories is about a woman I know who had a long-held desire to leave the large city where she had lived for many years, so she could run a combined café and bookstore in a small country town. After years of getting nowhere with her dream, one day everything just fell into place. With the kind ease you experience when you are “in the flow,” she was finally able to effortlessly fulfill her desire and open her shop. 

However, she soon had a rude awakening. For one thing, she discovered that the work was much harder than she thought it would be. And worse, the people in this small town didn’t appreciate “outsiders” coming in, and they didn’t frequent her establishment enough to make it work out financially.

This woman eventually gave up on her dream and went back to the city in defeat. However, once there, she realized how much she actually liked living in the city. She loved all the social and cultural offerings it had to offer. And she was happy to once again be living close to her daughter and her friends. But best of all, with her newfound open-mindedness, she was finally receptive enough to be divinely led to a line of work that was much more fulfilling and rewarding—something that had nothing to do with books or cafés.

You see, sometimes the divine flow will help you fulfill a desire that is not right for you, just so you will finally be open to what is right for you. 

Thus far, all of the reasons I have listed for why things change have been related to the ego part of your nature—to that part of you that is not open to divine guidance and inspiration. What follows are two reasons that have to do with the spiritual part of your nature:

5. After you have manifested a desire of the heart, your inner spirit will eventually want to manifest something else.

It is important to remember that as an individual expression of God—the Great Creator—you, too, are divinely creative at the core of your being. After you co-create something wonderful with God, your innate drive to create does not end. 

Think about a painter. After a painter has completed a masterpiece, does the painter put down the brush and never paint again? Of course not! Eventually the painter will grab a blank canvas, pick up a brush, and begin to paint something new. 

And so it is with you. No matter how fulfilling the manifestation of your dream may be, eventually your inner creative spirit will desire to create anew. That means you may no longer have a strong desire to actively maintain or sustain what you previously created, and thus, it is likely that—over timesomething about it will change. 

6. Change is essential for your spiritual growth.

You may not be consciously aware of it, but underneath your specific dreams, goals, and desires is an underlying desire to become more aware of your true, spiritual nature—to recognize your oneness with God’s Presence, and to realize your full potential as an individual expression of God, exhibiting God’s attributes of wisdom, creativity, and love.

Nothing gives you a better opportunity to grow in your spiritual awareness and understanding than the challenge of dealing with change. Without change there is little motivation for self-examination and inner exploration, and your soul’s journey may come to a standstill. 

So, yes, for many reasons change in life is—and will be—constant. But thankfully, it is not the only constant. For God is also constant, which means that no matter what is shifting or changing in your life, you are constantly being guided by God and supported by God in manifesting another good—even a higher good.

Remember when I mentioned that Carol and I had to leave the house we loved after being in Sedona for only three years? Well, as the flow would have it, when we began to look for another house to rent, we were divinely guided to a house with the exact same floor plan in the exact same neighborhood! It was almost like not moving at all. There were only three differences: This house had an even better view of Sedona’s famous red rock formations; it featured a beautiful pond in the back; and the rent was $200 less per month! 

But that’s not all. Because of a change in circumstances for the people who rented this house to us—and a change in our own circumstances—we now own that house! Talk about manifesting a higher good!

So again, yes, change in life is—and will be—constant. But thank God—literally—that change is not the only constant. God is also constant. God’s goodness is constant. God’s guidance is constant. God’s grace is constant. And God’s love is constant.

No matter what is shifting and changing in your life—or how challenging it may be—you can always take great comfort in the constancy of God’s Presence through it all.

Steven

© 2019 by Steven Lane Taylor
www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Happy "Now" Year!

January 1, 2019


 Happy Now Year!

Yes, you read that right.  I wrote Happy "Now" Year instead of Happy "New" Year.  It’s not a typo. It's just my way of reminding you about the important part that the present moment plays in the manifestation process.

As I frequently mention, fulfilling your heart’s desires effortlessly depends upon your ability to recognize and follow divine guidance. But that guidance only comes to you in “the now”—through what you are intuitively feeling now, through what others are telling you now, and through the signs and synchronicities that you are noticing now.
,
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t value in spending some time visualizing what you want to have, do, or be in the coming year. In fact, that’s important. Focusing on a destination is what sets the whole flow in motion in the first place.  But after that, you must return your attention to the present moment, so you can sense the next right step that the divine flow is directing you to take.

It’s sort of a back-and-forth thing: You visualize your goal, then return your awareness to the present moment.  You picture your dream, then come back to the here and now. If you are continually focused on the future—continually daydreaming about where you are headed—you may miss the very step that is leading you there. 

To live life in the divine flow, you must let go of your projections into the future—as well as your reflections on the past—so you can be present for the doors that are being divinely opened for you right here, and right now.

Do you have a particular desire that you would like to fulfill in 2019?  A goal that you would like to accomplish? A dream that you would like to realize?  You do?  Terrific! Then tell the Universe exactly what it is you would like to achieve this year, and pay keen attention to what starts to show up in your life.

But please remember this: Although having desires and pursuing desires is an inescapable part of your innately creative nature, you never have to fulfill a desire in order to be happy; you never have to accomplish a goal in order to be happy; and you never have to realize a dream in order to be happy. Remember that real happiness—true, long-lasting happiness—only comes from accepting and appreciating the current moment for whatever it is offering you . . . and from opening up your heart and being the love that you are in that moment. That, my friends, is the real key to having a happy new year—from the first day of the year to the very last. 

Steven

© 2019 by Steven Lane Taylor
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

The Beauty of Blind Love

February 14, 2018




February 14th is Valentine’s Day, the day we make a conscious effort to express our love and appreciation to the people in our lives whom we dearly cherish.

For the most part, the kind of love being celebrated on this special day is “romantic” love. And one of the characteristics of “romantic” love—at least in the beginning—is that this kind of love is “blind.” We literally don’t see the physical flaws and personality quirks in the beloved. He or she looks perfect to us.

But is that really being blind? Or is that seeing as we are truly meant to see—as that Universal Presence we call God, sees? As we grow in our spiritual understanding, aren’t we called to see beyond appearances? Aren’t we called to see beneath the physical, and look past the behavior? Aren’t we called to see the true beauty and the radiant innocence of the Spirit that lies within each person? Aren’t we called to see his or her inner perfection?

If that’s being blind, fine! Give me some dark glasses and a cane! Because there is nothing that feels as good as truly loving. There is nothing that feels as good as recognizing the inherent goodness of another’s soul, and allowing yourself to bask in that glorious light.

So what does this have to do with living life in the divine flow? Simply this: When you love as God loves, and see as God sees, it won’t make any difference where you are along the course of “the stream.” It won’t make any difference whether you are just about to reach your dream, or whether you are still miles away from it.

When you love without limits you are happy right where you are, wherever you are. And, in the end—all goals and dreams aside—isn’t happiness all you really want out of life? Isn’t happiness all you’ve been trying to get out of life . . . all along?

Well then, here’s to “blind” love! And here’s to having a lovingly happy day, every day!

Steven

© 2018 by Steven Lane Taylor
www.rowrowrow.com
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Happy "Now" Year!

January 1, 2018


 Happy Now Year!

Yes, you read that right.  I wrote Happy "Now" Year instead of Happy "New" Year.  It’s not a typo. It's just my way of reminding you about the important part that the present moment plays in the manifestation process.

As I frequently mention, fulfilling your heart’s desires effortlessly depends upon your ability to recognize and follow divine guidance. But that guidance only comes to you in “the now”—through what you are intuitively feeling now, through what others are telling you now, and through the signs and synchronicities that you are noticing now.

That doesn’t mean that there isn’t value in spending some time visualizing what you want to have, do, or be in the coming year. In fact, that’s important. Focusing on a destination is what sets the whole flow in motion in the first place.  But after that, you must return your attention to the present moment, so you can sense the next right step that the divine flow is directing you to take.

It’s sort of a back-and-forth thing: You visualize your goal, then return your awareness to the present moment.  You picture your dream, then come back to the here and now. If you are continually focused on the future—continually daydreaming about where you are headed—you may miss the very step that is leading you there. 

To live life in the divine flow, you must let go of your projections into the future—as well as your reflections on the past—so you can be present for the doors that are being divinely opened for you right here, and right now.

Do you have a particular desire that you would like to fulfill in 2018?  A goal that you would like to accomplish? A dream that you would like to realize?  You do?  Terrific! Then tell the Universe exactly what it is you would like to achieve this year, and pay keen attention to what starts to show up in your life.

But please remember this: Although having desires and pursuing desires is an inescapable part of your innately creative nature, you never have to fulfill a desire in order to be happy; you never have to accomplish a goal in order to be happy; and you never have to realize a dream in order to be happy. Remember that real happiness—true, long-lasting happiness—only comes from accepting and appreciating the current moment for whatever it is offering you . . . and from opening up your heart and being the love that you are in that moment. That, my friends, is the real key to having a happy new year—from the first day of the year to the very last. 

Steven

© 2018 by Steven Lane Taylor
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Friday, October 13, 2017

About Heart and Home

October 13, 2017


The latest reports about the wildfires currently raging across California indicate that as many as 2,800 homes and structures have been destroyed in the city of Santa Rosa. In television interviews with families who have lost their homes, but not their lives, it is nice to see that all of these people recognize that, in the largest sense, life is not about things. It is about love. And even though their houses—and all of the things in them—are gone, each of these families feels extremely grateful to still have each other. They feel blessed, in fact.

The loss of one’s home, however, is not something to be minimized. It is still a very real—and very significant—loss. And grieving the loss of one's home is both understandable and appropriate.

A home, as you well know, is much more than bricks and mortar, wood and shingles, stucco and tile. It is much more than a structure, a shelter, or even—in some cases—a work of art. A home is a box of memories, containing cherished mementos, souvenirs, keepsakes, heirlooms, and irreplaceable photographs.

All of those treasured things are physical symbols of the people and the experiences in our lives that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Although the memories themselves remain intact, it is still understandably tragic when the “memory collage” one has spent a lifetime constructing, has been destroyed by fire, wind, water, or a shift in the earth itself.

To each of you who have recently lost your home, a loved one, a beloved pet, or anything else that occupies an important place in your heart, know that you have the entire Universe working on your behalf to help you restore your sense of wholeness, recover your sense of peace, and rebuild whatever it is that needs rebuilding.

And know, too, that even though it may not appear that way to you right now, with the help of The Divine, it is always possible for great good to come out of this time of great grief.

Steven

© 2017 by Steven Lane Taylor
www.rowrowrow.com
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

The Devastation of Separation

October 3, 2017



Although there may never be a definitive answer as to why shooting rampages keep occurring in this country and in the world—like the one that just took place in Las Vegas, Nevada—I believe that the underlying cause for many of these recurring tragedies is ultimately the same thing: a feeling of separation instead of oneness.

“Oneness” is about our intimately joined relationship with each other. It is a relationship that arises from the fact that we are all individual expressions of One Spirit—that creative, loving, all-pervading Spirit we commonly call God.

There are times when we sense that holy connection more than others, such as when we pray, meditate, spend time in nature, or hold a tiny baby in our arms. And the natural result of that sense of connection is a wonderful feeling of well-being.

But all too often we feel disconnected, instead. We forget that we are one with God, and one with all of God's children. We feel separate from others, and separate from everything around us. And that sense of separation—of being all alone and on our own in this world—can generate a fair amount of fear.

Sometimes that fear—and the anger that often issues from that fear—can be so magnified by mental illness or negative mental conditioning, we witness the kind of destructive behavior that just exploded in Las Vegas.

Although everything that happens in life is an opportunity for us to discover where our blocks to loving are, it may be quite a while before many of us are willing to feel compassion for the tortured soul who orchestrated that horrific event, which ended the lives of 59 people and injured more than 500.

For now, may we contribute to the healing of this tragedy—and to the healing of the whole world—by embracing everyone on this earth as our brothers and sisters in Spirit.  May we never forget that we are as inseparable from our Source as waves are from the ocean . . . and thus, we are inseparable from each other.

Steven

© 2017 by Steven Lane Taylor
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Thursday, December 1, 2016

An Illuminating Experience



Recently, for the birthday of my wife, Carol, I arranged for her to fulfill a long-held desire—to participate in a Lantern Festival. If you are not familiar with a Lantern Festival, it’s when a gathering of people simultaneously release illuminated paper lanterns into the sky. The lanterns themselves can be quite large—as large as 3 feet tall by 2 feet wide. At the bottom of each lantern is a combustible material. And when the material is lit, it not only illuminates the lantern, but it also fills it with hot air. Eventually the lantern becomes light enough to rise up into the sky and float away—just like a hot air balloon. 

Some festivals are attended by dozens of people. Some are attended by hundreds. Our event was attended by thousands—more than 6,000, it is said. From pictures and videos I had seen, I knew that the releasing of the lanterns would be beautiful. But when the moment came to release our lanterns, I was surprised by the emotions that overcame both Carol and me. In fact, we were both touched to the point of tears.

So why did we experience such strong feelings? Well, there is something I didn’t mention about the preparation of the lanterns. Before the lanterns are inflated, each person writes upon it his or her dreams, goals, prayers, or affirmations. Some people express desires for a better house, a perfect job, or a loving relationship. Others seek abundance, happiness, or a healing. And some write down messages to loved ones who have left this plane of existence.

When each person lets go of his or her lantern, allowing it to rise high into the sky, it is a symbolic way of releasing his or her heartfelt desires and prayers into the care of a Higher Power. Imagine being surrounded by thousands of people of every imaginable walk of life, all joined by one common wish—the wish to live a more fulfilling and joyful life. And imagine being surrounded by thousands of people of every imaginable color and creed, all joined by one common faith—the faith that we live in an intelligent, creative, and loving Universe that knows what our dreams are, that hears our prayers, and responds to them.

It has been a long time since I have experienced such a profound sense of universal unity. And I suppose that is what brought tears to my eyes, and to Carol’s eyes, as well. It was truly a moving moment, which was made even more moving by the inspiring songs that were being played during the release, such as “Imagine” by John Lennon, and “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban.

If you would like to attend a Lantern Festival near you, I invite you to visit this website: www.thelanternfest.com. It will be an experience you will never forget—an experience that is as inspiring as it is illuminating.

Steven

© 2016 by Steven Lane Taylor
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Here’s a video of the moment Carol released her lantern: