Ascending To "See" Level

November 11, 2012

Dear Friends,

Three weeks ago, Carol and I vacationed for five days in Destin, Florida—a seaside town that’s famous for its beautiful, white-sand beaches and emerald-colored waters.  Our trip began with a two-hour drive from our home in Sedona, Arizona to the airport in Phoenix.  As we left our house—which sits at an elevation of 4,000 feet—Carol remarked, “Well, we’re on our way to sea level!” I jokingly replied, “Great! I wonder what we’ll see at that level.”

It was just a little play on words, but when I said it, I was reminded of a profound truth: that what we “see” in our lives depends a lot on what “level” we are at in our consciousness.

At a lower level of consciousness—when we are influenced by the fears of the ego—we tend to see other people as burdening, irritating, or even threatening.  And when circumstances vary from what we planned on or expected, we tend to see those situations as something that is “bad” . . . something that must be immediately corrected or changed through manipulation and control.

At a higher level of consciousness—when we are consciously connected to the Higher Self within—we see something quite different.  We see things that the eyes of the ego are totally blind to:

For one, we see everyone around us as our brothers and sisters in essence. We are able to see beyond appearances and look past behaviors to behold the innocent Divine Sprit that lies within each and every person on this planet—a Universal Spirit that connects us all.

And when we are confronted with an unwanted situation?  Well, we are more easily able to see the potential for good that lies within that situation.  Plus—even better—we are able to more clearly see what steps we need to take to help bring that good into being.  We are able to recognize the divine signs and synchronicities that are pointing us in a particular direction.  And we are able to access the insights of our inner sight—that inner guidance system we call our intuition.

So how do we reach that higher level of consciousness that enables us to see life more clearly, more accurately, and more lovingly?   How do we connect to that Higher Self that always sees above and beyond what our mortal eyes behold?

I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating: A daily practice of meditation is the most helpful thing we can do to rise above the fearful and self-serving thoughts of the ego.  Just twenty minutes each morning is enough to help us reconnect to that All-Seeing Spirit that lies within each and every one of us.

So, my friends, here’s to the beauty we behold in the physical world whenever we descend to sea level—the level where sparkling emerald-colored waves wash over pristine white-sand beaches.

But even more importantly, here’s to the even greater beauty we behold whenever we ascend to see level.  It’s the level where our eyes are truly open—the level where we are able to see what our inner Spirit always sees: nothing but good, and the potential for good . . . in everyone . . . and everything.

Steven

© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

The Devastation of Separation

July 20, 2012

Dear Friends,

Although there are rarely definitive answers as to why certain tragedies occur in this world—such as the shooting rampage that just took place at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado—I believe that the underlying cause for many of these events 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 that many 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 Aurora.

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 lonely soul who orchestrated that horrific event which ended the lives of a dozen people, and changed forever the lives of dozens and dozens more.

For now, let us remember that when we judge others—when we attack them, belittle them, and criticize them—we are not only mentally and emotionally separating ourselves from them, we are also mentally and emotionally divorcing ourselves from the One Spirit . . . from the All-That-Is that is God.

May we remember who we truly are at the core of our being: individual expressions of God, as inseparable from our Source as waves are from the ocean. And may we maintain that conscious connection—and the sense of well-being that comes from that connection—by seeing all of our brothers and sisters as equal members of God's family.

Steven

© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

On Heart and Home

July 2, 2012

Dear Friends,

On television this morning, I saw interviews with several families who lost their homes in the devastating wildfire that continues to burn in and around Colorado Springs.  It was heartening to witness these people recognizing 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 now gone, these people feel 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 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” that 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

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© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Practicing Patience

June 24, 2012

Dear Friends,

I’d like you to imagine something.  I’d like you to imagine yourself rowing a boat gently down a stream toward a particular destination that you have in mind. This stream is so wide, it is more like a river, and there are many, many twists and turns along the way.  As you encounter one bend in the stream after another, you begin to grow impatient—agitated even—because the destination you are trying to reach continually fails to materialize. You begin to wonder whether your destination even exists. And you begin to seriously consider giving up, and ending your journey before you ever reach its end.

Now I want you to imagine the same thing, but with a difference. Like before, I want you to imagine yourself rowing a boat down a stream toward a chosen destination.  And once again you encounter one bend in the stream after another.  But this time you row with infinite patience. And why are you so patient?  Because this time, before you set out on your journey, you climbed to the top of a nearby mountain. And from way up there, you were able to see your destination in the distance. You not only know that your destination exists, but you have a very good idea about how many bends in the stream you will encounter before you get there.  So—one stroke of your oars at a time—you slowly but surely make your way to your goal, knowing that it’s only a matter of time before you finally reach it.

Obviously, friends, as you pursue your goals and dreams in life, there is not going to be a mountain that you can climb, so you can look down from above and get a feel for the lay of the land.  There is not going to be a way for you to confirm that your chosen destination does, indeed, exist.  Nor will you be able to know exactly how many bends in the stream you will have to encounter before you reach your journey’s end.  So the question that arises is this one: In the face of so many unknowns, how can you possibly remain patient for any length of time . . . especially if you have been rowing and rowing for what already feels like an eternity?

One answer to that question is to make sure that you are focusing most of your attention on what is happening in the here and now moment.  It is much easier to be patient when you are fully engaged in being where you are, rather than constantly thinking about where you want to be.  A daily practice of meditation is a great way to enhance your ability to be consistently awake and aware in the present moment. 

That said, however, the patience that comes from present-moment awareness is not what I want to focus on in this particular message.  Instead, I want to talk about the patience that comes from trusting—trusting that the destination you are pursuing does, indeed, exist; and that with every bend in the stream you are one step closer to reaching your dream.

I wish there was a magic wand I could wave that would instill that kind of trust in you.  Obviously, I don’t have that kind of wand.  What I do have is more than 25 years of experience in consciously practicing the principles for living life in the divine flow.  And, as I mentioned in last week’s message, that experience has led me to conclude the following: This Universe of ours is—without a doubt—both intelligent and beneficent.  It is aware of what we want.  It is aware of what we need.  And we can trust it to continually guide us to the fulfillment our dreams, goals, and desires.

That doesn’t mean that the Universe will always lead us to exactly where we want to go.  But it does mean that we can trust the Universe to direct us to a place that will be—at a minimum—the equivalent of what we want, or to something that is even better . . . to something that is greater, grander, more fulfilling, and always in the best interests of all.

Friends, no matter how many unexpected twists and turns you encounter as you row your boat down the stream toward your dream, please don’t lose your patience and give up!  Continue to patiently “row with the flow” by following the guidance of your intuition, by heeding the intuitive wisdom of others, and by paying attention to the divine signs and synchronicities that are all around you.  Do those things, and you can trust that one day you will, most assuredly, arrive at the destination you had in mind . . . or even better, you will arrive at a place that was the true, underlying desire of your heart all along.

Here’s to a joyful and fulfilling journey.  Bon voyage!

Steven

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© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

The Significance of Small Miracles

June 17, 2012

Dear Friends,

Several years ago, I was speaking to a group of people about my personal discovery of the divine flow.  I related numerous synchronistic events and happy coincidences that led me to conclude that this Universe we live in is, indeed, “intelligent”—that it is aware of what we need and what we want, and that it is continually working on our behalf to help us fulfill those dreams, desires, and goals.

One gentleman in the group didn’t doubt that I had experienced many coincidences in my life, but he did question whether the conclusion I reached as a result of those coincidences was a justified conclusion.  Specifically, he wanted to know if the coincidences I had experienced were “statistically significant.”

“Statistically significant.” I remembered that term from a business class I took in college.  What this man was talking about was the fact that—below a certain numerical threshold—sheer chance alone could account for my experiences. And he was seeking some kind of statistical “proof” that I had experienced enough of these minor miracles to reasonably conclude that there was, as I determined, a divine intelligence behind them. I’m not sure my answer satisfied him, but it was more than satisfactory to me.

First of all, I told him that right after I published Row, Row, Row Your Boat, I began to keep an official journal of my divine flow experiences, so I would have some additional stories to put in my next book. But I stopped keeping that journal after just three weeks. Why?  Because I was getting writer’s cramp! There were just too many minor miracles to keep track of—far too many, it seems to me, to be explained by mere chance.

I then pointed out that when I faithfully practice the principles involved with living life in the divine flow, the number of synchronistic events and happy coincidences that I experience dramatically increases. But when I don’t “practice what I preach,” that number dramatically decreases. If these events were just occurring by chance, then my behavior wouldn’t affect things one way or the other.

Which brings me to the point I want to make in this week’s message. (That’s right, I’m just now getting to it!)

I think I have made it very clear in these weekly messages that it is extremely easy for you to unconsciously block or limit the experience of the divine flow in your life. Obviously, when you live life forcefully or fearfully, you are going to experience the divine flow to a lesser degree, because you are actually interfering with the manifestation process itself.

But even if you are doing a pretty good job of recognizing and cooperating with the divine flow in your life, that experience can still be diminished if you don’t make a conscious effort to appreciate each and every little miracle that manifests in your life—even something as seemingly insignificant as the appearance of the perfect parking place.

Like everything else in life, even the divine flow can be taken for granted. And the more you take it for granted, the more likely you are to easily forget many of the miracles that have happened in your life—especially the smaller ones.  Even recent occurrences can quickly be forgotten.

If you really want to fully experience the divine flow in your life, I suggest that you always take a moment to stop what you are doing and be consciously grateful for every little miracle that occurs. Celebrate it!  Revel in it! Only then will you begin to get an accurate sense of how miraculous this world of ours truly is.

Will the number of miracles that you notice be statistically significant—that is, enough for you to reasonably conclude that there must be a Higher Power at work on your behalf? I certainly think so, yes. But I’ll leave that for you to decide. 

What is much more important to me is this: The miracles that I now so freely and frequently experience are not just statistically significant, they are personally significant . . . for they have transformed my life from one of constant stress and struggle, to one of greater peace and ease.  And that, my friends—all statistics aside—is significant enough for me. 

To quote Albert Einstein:

“There are only two ways to live your life:

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

    The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

I choose to life my life the second way.  How about you?

Steven

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© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Safely Home

June 10, 2012

Dear Friends,

I never cease to be amazed by the way the divine flow can not only lead you to where you want to go, but it can also tell you what you need to know—to provide you with helpful, or even critically important, information.

When I wanted to know the spiritual significance of a dragonfly, the very next day I was handed a free copy of a magazine that contained that exact information. When I needed to repair a plumbing problem in my home, I was shown exactly how to go about it when a friend of mine unexpectedly asked me to help her fix an unrelated problem at her place.

Whether you need to know something to help you accomplish a goal, or you just want to satisfy your curiosity about a particular subject, the information you require is often right at hand . . . if you pay attention and follow the flow.  Here’s a particularly inspiring example:

A number of years ago, a friend of mine named Bob was grieving the unexpected death of his dearest friend, Steve.  In times like that, even people of great faith find themselves asking fundamental questions about life after death, and Bob was no exception.  “Where exactly is my friend?” Bob wondered.  “Is there really a heaven, or at least another plane of existence?  Is that where Steve is?  Is he at peace now?”

One morning Bob decided to take a long walk to help relieve his troubled mind.  He had only taken a few steps down the street when a scrap of paper caught his attention. Thinking it was just a piece of trash, Bob ignored it and continued down the block.

When he returned home, the small paper rectangle was still there. But this time, Bob felt compelled to reach down and pick it up. When he did, he found himself holding a card depicting a bank of fluffy clouds illuminated by a bright, white, heavenly light. And on the back, there was a poem. 

The poem was titled “Safely Home.”  And there, in the first two verses, were the answers to all of Bob’s questions:

“I am home in Heaven,

So happy and so bright!

There is perfect joy and beauty,

In this everlasting light.

The pain and grief is over,

My restless tossing passed;

I am now at peace forever,

Safely home at last.”

Needless to say, in that one miraculous moment, Bob regained his peace of mind; and his conviction that the soul does, indeed, live on was renewed.

Here’s to remembering what a marvelous and amazing Universe we live in—a Universe that not only hears our questions, but answers them.  May we always be present enough to recognize those answers when they come.

Steven

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© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC

Are You Fulfilled?

June 3, 2012

Dear Friends,

In addition to peace and joy, when you live life in the divine flow you are promised a life of greater satisfaction and fulfillment.  Although satisfaction and fulfillment seem to be similar qualities, and the dictionary uses many of the same words to define them, there is a difference.

Satisfaction is that good feeling you get when you accomplish a particular goal or realize a particular dream.  And when you live life in the divine flow, and practice all of the principles involved, you do achieve your goals and dreams quite easily—without undue stress or struggle.

No doubt about it, getting where you want to go in life is a very satisfying feeling, especially when the journey is virtually effortless.  But as good as it feels to arrive at your chosen destinations in life, that feeling is like a glass half full. The water in your glass is at a satisfactory level, but it is not filled all the way to the top.

Fulfillment is like a glass that is filled full.  And that has very little to do with whether or not you have accomplished a particular goal or realized a particular dream. Fulfillment is something that comes from within.  It arises from who you are at your core—a divinely creative and loving being.

As a divinely creative being, you understand that pursuing desires is a creative endeavor, and fulfillment comes from appreciating the creative process itself.  In other words, you don’t hinge your happiness on completing your creations.  Instead, you allow yourself to enjoy the entire step-by-step process involved in those creations—similar to the way a painter enjoys bringing beauty into the world one brushstroke at a time.

And even more importantly, as a divinely loving being, you recognize that your true nature is love itself, and nothing feels more fulfilling in this world than expressing the love you are at heart.  

You are a creative being.  And you are a loving being.  As you row your boat gently down the stream toward a dream, be who you are!  Express your divinely creative and loving nature all along the way. Do that, my friends, and you will always feel fulfilled . . . whether you are just about to reach your dream, or whether you are still miles away from it.

Steven

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© 2012  by Steven Lane Taylor

www.rowrowrow.com

Steven Lane Taylor, LLC