Dancing With The Divine

March 28, 2010

Dear Friends,

In large part, living life in the divine flow is about one thing: Learning how to cooperate with the divine guidance that you are continually receiving—the kind of guidance that comes through signs and synchronicities; through the wisdom of others; and most importantly, through your own intuitive sense.

Fortunately, cooperating with divine guidance is not that hard to master. All you have to do is dance. Dance? That’s right . . . dance. Ten years ago I came across an article by an unknown author that described cooperating with divine guidance like dancing with a partner.

Although it is my practice in these weekly messages to only share insights and observations that are original with me, this week I am making an exception. Here is the article I first came across in the year 2000. Even if you have seen it many times before, it is something that is well worth re-reading:

When you look at the word GUIDANCE,
notice the word "dance" at the end of the it.

Remember that cooperating with divine direction
is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything feels uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person relaxes and lets the other lead,
then both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues,
perhaps with a nudge to the back,
or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two bodies become one,
moving together beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person,
with gentle, skillful guidance from the other.

Now look at the word GUIDANCE again.

Notice that it starts with a “G,”
which could represent GOD,
followed by "U and “I.”

“GOD,” "U" and "I," “DANCE.”

God, you and I dance.

That’s how divine guidance works.
It’s like dancing with God.

Are you willing to let divine guidance
direct your life?

Are you willing to let it lead?

Let’s dance with The Divine, my friends. Let’s surrender our need to control life, and allow G.O.D.—the Guidance Of the Divine—to move us in whatever direction is the most beneficial.

Steven

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com

Be True To Yourself

March 21, 2010

Dear Friends,

Most of you are probably familiar with this popular line from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "To thine own self be true." When it comes to living life in the divine flow, that is especially good advice . . . on several levels.

For one, that statement reminds you to always be true to your Highest Self—that Divinely Loving Self that exists at the core of your being. There is no better way for you to follow the flow than to always let your love lead the way.

"To thine own self be true" also reminds you to be true to who you are as a uniquely talented individual with a particular purpose in life. It almost goes without saying, that when you recognize what you are really passionate about, and you use your special gifts and abilities to express that passion, you will experience the flow like you have never experienced it before.

Finally, on a less lofty level, "To thine own self be true" reminds you to honor all the little preferences you have in life—your likes and your dislikes—and keep those preferences in mind as you try to discern your next right step.

It is always tempting to look at how other people achieve their goals and dreams, and want to follow in their footsteps. But the fact is, their path to success may not be well suited to you. Based on their interests and delights, as well as their talents and abilities, their flow may be completely different from your flow.

To fulfill your heart's desires effortlessly, it is important for you to feel reasonably happy with all the steps you are taking, mainly because a happy, positive attitude keeps you open and receptive to divine guidance. If you choose a course of action for the sole reason that it has "worked" for someone else, but there is absolutely nothing about that course of action that you particularly enjoy, then there's a good chance that you will miss the flow that is divinely designed for you.

One thing I find fascinating about the divine flow is that it always seems to take your unique, individual nature into account. Yes, sometimes the flow may ask you to step slightly out of your comfort zone. But it will not—for any extended period of time—require you to engage in activities that are completely foreign to your personal makeup.

For example, a lot of people these days are fulfilling their dreams via Internet marketing and networking. It may seem logical and reasonable for you to take that path as well. But if that kind of activity does not enliven you—or worse, if it actually seems to sap your spirit—the flow will not require that particular action of you. Or, the flow will present you with an Earthly angel that will take care of that action on your behalf.

I have said it before and I will say it again: Living life in the divine flow is not about drifting. It is about taking action. But the action that you are required to take is divinely guided action. And that's the kind of action that always feels effortless . . . not just because it is easy to do, but because it is divinely designed to be perfect for you!

Here's to being true to yourself, and to always being faithful to your flow . . . and not to somebody else's.

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com

The Divine Flow In Action

March 14, 2010

Dear Friends,

I have been teaching the basic principles for living life in the divine flow since 1995. In 1998—a good three years before I began to write my book on the subject—I wrote a lyrical poem about the divine flow that I titled, “River of Life.” Here is that poem:

Traveling down,
Turning corners round,
You're rowing down the river of life.

Gliding along,
Hear the river’s song,
You're rowing down the river of life.

Let go and feel the flow.
Make your plans, then let them go.
What you want is round the bend.
Use your oars, but let God lend
A helping hand.

Moving ahead,
No fear, no dread,
You're rowing down the river of life.

Now fast, now still,
Feel the flow of God's will.
You're rowing down the river of life.

Let go and feel the flow.
Do what you can, then let it go.
What you want is round the bend.
Use your oars, but let God lend
A helping hand.

Rowing downstream,
Heading toward your dream,
You're rowing down the river of life.
You're rowing down the river of life.
You're rowing down the river of your life.

Well, at a conference last August, I ran into a good friend of mine named Jeanette Alexander. Jeanette is an award-winning composer/pianist from Seattle, Washington. Although Jeanette’s compositions have all been instrumental up to now, she told me that she would like to start writing and performing songs.

It occurred to me at the time that perhaps Jeanette would be interested in turning my poem into a song—something that I had long desired. But it wasn’t until a few weeks after the conference was over that I was suddenly motivated to email my poem to her.

Guess what? The very same morning that I sent my poem to Jeanette, she awoke with a brand new melody in her head. All she needed was some words to make it into a song. When she opened my email, she was thrilled by what I had sent, and she immediately sat down at the piano to see if my poem would match the basic structure of her music. It was a perfect fit!

And there you have it, friends . . . a nice little example of the divine flow in action: Through divine inspiration and divine motivation, two people—many miles apart—were synchronistically brought together to help fulfill each other’s desires . . . effortlessly, and in this case, instantly.

This week, in lieu of a “lesson,” I simply offer you our song. To listen to “River of Life,” just click on:

www.rowrowrow.com/RiverofLife.mp3

This is a simple MP3 file, so your computer should be able to download and play it easily.

If you want to know more about Jeanette and her music, I invite you to visit her website at www.jeanettealexandermusic.com.

My original poem is also available as a Free Bookmark on the Order Page of my website. Just go to www.rowrowrow.com/order.html and scroll down to the Free Downloads section.

Enjoy!

Steven

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com

The Spirit of Aloha

March 7, 2010

Dear Friends,

After Carol and I returned from Maui last week, I wrote about the easygoing nature of native Hawaiians, and how they seem to “naturally” live life in the divine flow. But maybe “naturally” wasn’t exactly the right word to use. Perhaps “consciously” would have been more accurate. Because the Hawaiians are constantly reminding themselves to be in the divine flow of life by frequently using the word, “aloha.”

Aloha, you see, is much more than a simple greeting that has come to mean both “hello” and “goodbye.” You can’t be in Hawaii for more than a few hours—or even a few minutes—without hearing about the Spirit of Aloha. The Spirit of Aloha represents a way of life—a way of living focused on love, harmony, and mutual respect.

It is a way of life that has a very admirable code of conduct. And to remember that code, people have created clever acronymic meanings for “ALOHA.” What’s interesting about these acronymic meanings is that they parallel many of the principles I teach for living life in the divine flow.

Specifically . . .

“A” stands for “Akahai,” which means kindness. Well, as it happens, expressing loving kindness is one of the key ingredients for living life in the divine flow. “A” can also stand for “Ala,” which means watchfulness and alertness. Here, too, there is a parallel . . . because being in the flow of life demands that you pay attention to what’s going on around you, and to what’s going on within you.

“L” stands for “Lokahi,” which means working with unity. Again, one of the major principles for living life in the divine flow is remembering that we are all in the same boat . . . and that to get down the stream to reach our dreams we need each other’s help.

“O” stands for “Oluolu,” which means agreeableness. This is related to the principle of non-resistance, and being willing to follow the flow even when you don’t understand where it is leading. “O” can also stand for “Oia’i’o,” which means truthfulness and honesty. Once again there is a parallel . . . because to live life in the divine flow you must always be open and receptive to a higher truth, and be willing to let go of your need to be right. In other words, you must be honest enough with yourself to admit that what you currently think is true, might not be.

“H” stands for “Ha’aha’a,” which means humility. Here is a very direct parallel . . . because a sure way to block your experience of the divine flow is to get caught up in pride for any length of time. That particular expression of the ego can greatly interfere with your ability to sense divine guidance.

And finally, the last “A” stands for “Ahonui,” which means patience. And yes, following the divine flow often takes a great deal of patience. As you take one divinely guided step after another, you must always remain centered in the now moment, and allow things to unfold in their divine time.

So there you have it: “ALOHA”—not just a simple greeting, but a beneficial way of living . . . a way of living that keeps you in the divine flow of life, and helps you move forward in life with grace, ease, and continual feelings of peace and joy.

Aloha!

Steven

© 2010 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow
www.rowrowrow.com