“Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.  I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”         -Michelangelo

At first glance the statue of David overwhelms you. Standing 17 ft tall of the floor of the Accademia Gallery, makes you feel small. It is difficult to believe that a twenty-six-year-old painter and sculptor named Michelangelo would be able to create such a marvelous masterpiece.

Michelangelo’s creation derives from the biblical story of David and Goliath. His sculpture of David reveals the precise moment that the young shepherd is getting ready to begin his battle with the giant Goliath. First, he envisioned the figure of this young athlete within a huge block of marble and then proceeded with a mere chisel and hammer to extract it, freeing it.

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CR: A good strong foundation anchors our life force energy in the physical plane, it ensures our survival and the quality of the life we live. We thrive well with constancy and we function well with stability in our lives. When the foundation of our life is healthy; it expands and supports our life more fully. We can take on more responsibilities, be more creative and more playful. A healthy foundation is flexible, and at the same time enjoys the daily rhythms of life.

DS: This stability allows us to be more patient as our life unfolds; less reactive, less volatile to what is external to our being as we learn to accept life as it is. A strong foundation also helps us to maintain our spiritual connection when the winds of change blow in our lives. Without a strong foundation the irregularities and mishaps of life will blow us about and wreak havoc in our lives. Our Spirit will not survive well with constant change and we will be like a feather in the wind.

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What seems to be currently setting the bar in our human evolution is our relationships with others. The most prevalent and basic human wound, one we might call “the relationship wound,” is the feeling of not feeling loved or lovable as we are. It is also about not feeling good enough or worthy enough. This is a WOUND of the HEART.

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The Pain of Loneliness

We experience the pain loneliness when we feel cut off emotionally and energy-wise from others and life. It is a feeling of emptiness. We believe that if we are not accepted by others, and the pain of loneliness often seems unbearable to us. However, we are capable of overcoming this pain and finding wholeness within our true self.

The Difference Between Being Alone and Feeling Lonely

The truth is that feeling lonely has nothing to do with how many people are around us, but has to do with our ability to feel our connection to our self and others. Some of us have had the experience where we might have hundreds of people who love and admire us and yet we feel alone. Loneliness is an experience we inflict upon ourselves, it is our beliefs that create this reality.

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This is for most people one of the biggest goals in life: to find happiness.  Sounds simple in theory, but it’s something so many struggle to do throughout life.  Many search for happiness from outside:  material things, vices, anything to temporarily fill the void they feel.  What the truly enlightened among us know, is that the only way to fill the void within, is to focus on developing what’s inside.

People often reject difficult feelings—and even blame themselves for feeling something “less” than bliss. Here is just one example: “I SHOULD be blissfully happy, but I’m not. Any statement that begins with should” originates with the Writing on Our Walls. That mismatched thought, between expectation and reality, is one of the main causes of unhappiness. In fact, sometimes we increase our unhappiness by rejecting our own real, useful feelings of worry and discontent, attempting to replace “real” with “pleasant.”

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“To the gods we attributed a dazzling existence 

Consubstantial with the sea the clouds trees and light 

In them the waves’ glinting the foam’s long white frieze 

The woods’ secret and soft green the wheat’s tall gold 

The river’s meandering the mountain’s solemn fire 

And the great dome of resonant weightless free air 

Emerged as self-aware consciousness 

With no loss of the first day’s marriage-and-feast oneness 

Anxious to have this experience for ourselves 

We humans repeated the ritual gestures that re-establish 

The initial whole presence of things – 

This made us attentive to all forms known by the light of day 

As well as to the darkness which lives within us And in which the ineffable shimmer travels 

The Greeks”

–  Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen an award-winning Portuguese poet and writer.

“Lisbon’s many nooks and crannies are home to numerous attractions that continue to surprise and seduce visitors. The city’s charm lies in its inspiring architecture, enchanting squares and Moorish legacy.” … DK Eyewitness travel.

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“Feeling important makes one heavy, clumsy and vain. To be a warrior one needs to be light and fluid… Self-importance is man’s greatest enemy.” -Carlos Castaneda.

Once, there was a farmer who had an amazing Goose. Each day he would visit her nest and the Goose would lay a beautiful, golden egg.

The farmer would take the egg to market and soon afterwards he began to get rich. However, after a while he became greedy and felt that he was not getting rich fast enough.

One day, he came with an idea that he could get all the golden eggs at once by killing the Goose. After he finished the deed, he realized that not a single egg came out. He was devastated and realized that he had killed the golden goose that was giving him the golden eggs.

CONSIDERATION

1. How aware are you of the result of your actions?
2. Do you evaluate the choices of your decisions by weighting their costs and benefits?
3. Are you satisfied and grateful for what you have?

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“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on a heel that has crushed it.”   -Mark Twain

LOVING SOULS OF TENDERNESS

Life is beautiful, graceful, marvelous but at times difficult and hurtful. There are moments when we go through harsh and painful situations. We feel wrong things are done to us, something negative said or a hurtful event against us and start to have feelings of hurtfulness and resentment.

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Hmmm …. This is such a timeless question and one that has been posed many times, down though the centuries.  It is also a divisive question, one that has been hotly debated and argued by many.

Is it a matter of timing? Yes!  It was not possible to create harmonious societies on a large scale, until we had experienced the events of the last decades. Just as it’s impossible for a newborn to get up and walk, the new ways of being could not have been realized until we passed through the events that are still ongoing. The preferred visions of a co-operative, selfless society cannot come true until we have matured to the next stage of our evolution. This is the spiritual awakening process we are undergoing now.

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Only a person who has passed through the gates of Humility can ascend to the heights of Spirit.  -Rudolf Steiner

Humility is a refusal of excessiveness. Humility allows me to see myself honestly and objectively without any comparison to others. While also being able to cultivate a deep and satisfactory feeling within.  I am telling the world that I am not better and greater than any other.

Humility is what frees us from the need of self-importance and denotes the strength of our character. Humility is expressed as modesty and harmony towards life. An understanding that there is something higher than us making us powerful beyond any measure.

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