Life's Divine Cairns

July 18, 2010

Dear Friends,

This weekend I am conducting another Divine Flow Retreat here in Sedona. The very first activity I offer in these retreats is a guided meditation on a Red Rock formation called Bell Rock. Many people believe that Bell Rock has amazing healing and energizing properties, and it is one of the most popular places in the area.

If you have spent any time in Sedona yourself, you probably know that it is not extraordinarily difficult to reach the higher parts of Bell Rock. However, without knowing the best way to ascend, you can easily run into a dozen dead ends, and repeatedly encounter crevices that cannot be crossed.

To make it easier for hikers to reach the higher vistas, the National Forest Service has placed piles of rocks called “cairns” to guide the way. When you travel from cairn to cairn, you are able to climb up Bell Rock in the most efficient and unobstructed way possible.

And so it is with the divine flow in your life.

When you follow your intuition, when you are open to the intuitive guidance of others, and when you pay attention to the divine signs that are all around you, you will find yourself being directed toward the fulfillment of your heart’s desires in a virtually effortless and obstruction-free manner.

That doesn’t mean that your path will always be direct—a straight line from where you are to where you want to be. Nor does it mean that your journey will always be swift. It is common to experience lots of twists and turns along the way, and reaching your chosen destination can take longer than you expected. But if you remain patient, and take one divinely guided step at a time—focusing only on the step that is right in front of you—your journey will still feel like a flow . . . a flow that is helping you get to your highest good in the most beneficial way possible.

Here’s to following life’s divine “cairns.” Here’s to noticing and heeding the divine markers that have been placed along the way to help you accomplish your goals without undue struggle or strain . . . and to help you reach even the loftiest of your dreams with effortless ease.

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

It's About The Journey

June 11, 2010

Dear Friends,

Last week I wrote about the freedom you have to choose your destinations in life, and the freedom you have to pursue those goals and dreams by choosing to follow divine guidance . . . or not.

Naturally, if you continually ignore divine guidance, you are probably going to encounter more challenges along the way than you ordinarily would under consistent divine direction. However—that said—not every single challenge in your life is the consequence of making an unguided or misguided choice.

As I mentioned two weeks ago, some challenges you encounter in life are merely bends in the stream, and they will quickly transform into blessings if you cooperate with what is happening. Other challenges—as I mentioned in my message on April 18th—give you a much-needed chance to heal an emotional wound, or eliminate a limiting thought, so you can move down the stream toward your dreams more freely. In hindsight, those kinds of challenges can easily be seen as the divine flow at work in your life.

But what about the really major challenges that occur in life? What about the kind of unwanted circumstances that seem to come out of the blue, and severely test your ability to maintain any kind of positive outlook on life? What possible blessing can there be in the sudden and unexpected loss of a loved one, or the diagnosis of a serious disease?

Even though most of my work is focused on the goals and dreams we have in life, and how best to reach them, in the end, life—as the saying goes—is not about the destination . . . it’s about the journey. And that journey is not about getting somewhere. It’s about being something.

Said more accurately, the journey of life is about the kind of person that you become during the journey. Or, more accurately still, it’s about remembering during the journey who you truly are—and always have been—at the core of your being . . . which is nothing less than an individual expression of Divine Love itself.

In my personal experience, nothing has given me the opportunity to get in touch with the Truth of my Being more than a major challenge has. Understandably, it is difficult to readily see an extremely unwelcome challenge as a “blessing.” However, when that challenge leads to a renewed appreciation for the sacredness of life, or when it helps you know first-hand what unconditional love and compassion truly feels like . . . well, you can’t help but feel blessed by the experience.

Remember that pursuing your goals and dreams in life is something that you will always be motivated to do, because it is in your nature as a divine creator to do so. But never lose sight of the fact that when all is said and done, the only thing that is truly important in life’s journey is how you have spiritually matured along the way—how you have grown in wisdom, deepened your faith, increased your gratitude, and expanded your ability to be the love that you are in every situation. And if you do successfully reach some or all of the destinations that you originally set out for in life . . . well, that’s even better!

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

Freedom and The Divine Flow

July 4, 2010

Dear Friends,

Sunday, July 4th is Independence Day, the day that we in the United States celebrate our right as a people to create our own futures and pursue our own dreams . . . free from oppressive and dictatorial rule.

But let us remember, too, that when it comes to our relationship with that Divine Intelligence that is commonly called God, every day is Independence Day . . . and should be recognized and celebrated as such.

Each and every day, you have the freedom to choose what you want to have in life, what you want to do in life, and what you want to be in life. And you have the freedom to pursue those goals in any way that you see fit.

That doesn’t mean that accomplishing those goals is totally up to you—and you alone. Quite the contrary. You are continually receiving divine assistance. You are constantly being divinely guided and supported in fulfilling your heart’s desires in the most beneficial way possible. But you will never be forced to do anything that you don't choose to do.

You always have the freedom—the independence—to follow divine guidance . . . or not. You can choose to row with the divine flow, and reach your chosen destinations with effortless ease. Or, you can choose to take a more arduous route, and row against the flow by ignoring or resisting divine direction. It's up to you.

The wonderful thing about your freedom of choice is this: Every choice you make in life—whether it is guided or unguided, divinely inspired or ego-driven—gives you an opportunity to learn from your experience, grow in wisdom and compassion, and ultimately discover more about your own divinely loving and creative nature.

But again, it's your choice. You can choose to learn and grow from the experiences you create . . . or not.

Here's to the joy that comes from creating our lives and living our lives by choice. May we always be grateful for the freedom we have to do that.

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

Minor Miracles, Continued

June 27, 2010

Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago I wrote about the minor miracles that occur quite frequently in life—the kind of synchronistic events and happy coincidences that may seem relatively insignificant, but lead to the fulfillment of a heart’s desire, nonetheless.

I feel that I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t remind you of the following point: Although miracles are usually associated with circumstances that are obviously to your benefit, an undesirable encounter or a challenging situation can also be a divine gift in your life.

I can’t tell you the number of times that an unexpected “problem” has popped up in my life, which led me to a very valuable learning lesson—a lesson that helped me deal with a similar, but more serious problem just a short time later.

One time, for example, I experienced an issue with my computer that was fairly minor, but still extremely frustrating. It took me quite a while to figure out what was going wrong, and why. But I finally did, and I was able to successfully fix the problem.

I thought that was the end of my computer troubles. But the very next week I ran into another problem . . . only this time the problem was much more complicated, and it was much more important for me to correct the issue immediately.

Well, thanks to what I learned the week before, guess what? I was able to fix the problem both quickly and easily. It felt as though the divine flow had purposely prepared me for what was to come, and had equipped me to handle the upcoming issue much more effectively.

Like so many other times in my life, what I had initially judged to be “bad,” quickly transformed itself into a blessing—a blessing that I could never have foreseen based on my original assessment of the situation.

What I have learned from countless experiences like these, is that unwanted circumstances are often “miracles in the making,” and it is my job to allow the miracle to unfold by cooperating with what is happening, rather than resisting it—by seeking only my next right step, and the one after that, and the one after that.

One of the keys to living life in the divine flow and experiencing its miracles more freely and more frequently, is to embrace every challenge that occurs in life as if it were a blessing about to bloom—a divine opportunity for you to benefit in some way. You will find that when you actively look for the gift in every situation, the divine flow has an uncanny way of making certain that you find it.

So, the next time a situation arises in your life that elicits some kind of discomfort or displeasure, make sure that you remain genuinely open to the possibility of experiencing something miraculous . . . even if the miracle is just a timely lesson learned.

Remember to always be grateful for all of life’s miracles—both major and minor . . . including the ones that show up in your life as blessings in disguise.

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

Fatherhood and The Divine Flow

June 20, 1010

Dear Friends,

Many of the churches where I present my talks and workshops refer to the divine power at work in this world as “Father-Mother-God.” The reason is apparent. It is a simple reminder that this higher power that many of us call God, not only has a nature that we associate with fatherhood, but it also has characteristics that we associate with motherhood . . . such as nurturing.

I’ve never had an issue with the notion of God as Mother. But I’ll be perfectly honest with you. For much of my life I was very uncomfortable with the concept of God as Father.

You see, I used to harbor a lot of resentments towards my own father, and whenever I heard the word “Father” used in reference to God, I would cringe a little.

Then one day I had a revelation—one so simple, I was astounded that it didn’t occur to me sooner. I remembered that I was a father. And what, as a father, did I feel towards my children? Nothing but unconditional love. And what, as a father, did I want for my children? Nothing but for them to be happy and fulfilled . . . and I would gladly do anything in my power to help them live abundant and joyful lives.

For the very first time, I could finally relate to the idea of God as Father . . . as a loving, generous, powerful presence in my life that was continually providing for my needs, and continually guiding me towards the fulfillment of my heart’s desires.

At that moment, I not only changed the way I felt about God as Father, but I began to feel differently about my own father, as well. I began to look beyond his human shortcomings to see the divinely loving spirit within him. And I am happy to say that today I can truly appreciate many things about my father that I ignored or took for granted in the past. In fact, at this point I feel I have moved beyond appreciation . . . to love.

Here’s to all the men who have been “fathers” in our lives—who have provided for our well-being, and guided us in effective ways of providing for ourselves . . . just like the divine flow guides and provides.

Here’s to our earthly fathers . . . and here’s to our heavenly one, as well.

Happy Father’s Day!

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

Minor Miracles and The Divine Flow

June 13, 2010

Dear Friends,

If my work is somewhat new to you (and to a number of you, it is), you may not be familiar with my definition for the divine flow, which is:

“The divine flow is an underlying current that is continually guiding you toward the effortless fulfillment of your heart’s desires.”

You might assume from the phrase, “your heart’s desires,” that I am talking about major goals that you want to accomplish in life, or desires that are exceptionally grand and glorious. And you would be right about that. But you would only be partially right. Because the desires of your heart can also be desires that appear to be relatively insignificant—desires that seem to be fairly minor in the overall scheme of things.

What you have to remember is that your “heart” is your “spirit,” and your spirit has desires both big and small—all of which, when fulfilled, serve to help you live a life that is more joyful and rewarding. And the divine flow works just as diligently to guide you to the effortless fulfillment of those seemingly small desires, as it does to help you fulfill the ones that seem large by comparison.

Here’s an example:

Here in Sedona, Carol and I subscribe to the local paper, the Red Rock News. Although we always read the headlines on the front page, we rarely do anything more than check out the entertainment section, or look through the classifieds for an interesting estate sale.

Last week, though, I felt an unusual urge to grab a cold drink, go out on the patio, and sit down to read the entire paper—something I had never, ever, done before.

Well, I didn’t have to read very far to discover why I had been mysteriously compelled to open the paper. Because there on Page 2 was an obituary for a dear friend of ours—a woman that Carol and I had not seen in quite some time.

Her name was Nanette, and for many years she was the head innkeeper at our favorite Bed & Breakfast Inn, The Briar Patch. Before we moved to Sedona, Carol and I stayed at The Briar Patch so often, we formed a lasting friendship with Nanette. She was, in fact, one of the very first guests we invited to our home when we became Sedona residents.

Had I not followed my divine intuition to read the paper that day, I would have missed the obituary, and Carol and I would probably have missed the opportunity to attend Nanette’s memorial service. As it turned out, though, Carol and I were able to attend the service, and pay fitting tribute to a woman who meant quite a lot to us.

So, was that an example of being divinely guided toward the accomplishment of a major goal in life, or toward the realization of a lifelong dream? Of course not. But it was the fulfillment of a heart’s desire, nonetheless. In fact, Carol and I would have been heartbroken to have missed the opportunity to join Nanette’s other friends and family in a celebration of her life.

Here’s to living life in the divine flow, my friends . . . and here’s to recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating all the flow’s minor miracles that make such a major difference in our daily lives.

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

A Journey to the Center of the Earth

June 6, 2010

Dear Friends,

This week I have a question for you: What’s at the center of the Earth? If you give that question a little thought, you will realize that there is more than one answer.

From a strictly physical standpoint, the answer could be that there is a core of solid iron at the center of the Earth, which is surrounded by an outer core of iron that’s molten.

From a purely spiritual viewpoint, the answer could be “God”—especially if God is understood to be an all-pervading intelligent energy that exists within and throughout everything in the universe.

But neither of those answers is the one that I was looking for. I was actually talking about the word, “Earth,” and what is found at the center of that particular word.

Have you ever noticed that right smack dab in the middle of EARTH is ART? For me, that’s significant, because it helps remind me that our journey here on Earth is meant to be a creative experience.

Like I mentioned recently, we are innately creative beings. As individual expressions of what many call “The Great Creator,” we are, in fact, nothing less than Divine Creators in our own right. And Earth is the canvas upon which we express ourselves.

Earth is where we—as spiritual beings—have the opportunity to take ideas that originate in spirit, and go about the process of giving those ideas physical form. And when we go about that creative process thoughtfully—with the conscious intention to bring more beauty, harmony, love, joy, and understanding into the world—we are doing more than just manifesting something materially, we are producing works of art . . . sacred art, no less.

Whether we are writing books or building homes, painting landscapes or engineering bridges, composing songs or inventing businesses, carving sculptures or raising families, nothing satisfies our souls more than bringing something new and beautiful into the world that wasn’t there before.

To quote a short poem I wrote way back in 1977:

Art for art’s sake.
Art for the heart’s sake.
For God’s sake, art.

Here’s to the divine artist within you, me, and all of us.

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