Religion and Spirituality

‘Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”~Leo Buscaglia

As we journey through life there are times when seemingly insignificant acts become significant life changers.These life changers are not always found in the “big” things we do but the small random acts that brighten the night, cause big smiles and bring joy to our hearts.

I experienced several of these moments last night and wanted to share so you too can be the cause of an ear to ear smile. It might surprise you to know that the cause of these light up the night smiles were caused by a simple candy cane…or maybe it was something else!

On the way to teach my last meditation workshop of the year I decided to stop and pick up some candy canes to give to those attending. Little did I know that what started out as a simple “it might be nice to give out candy canes” thought would turn into smiles, happiness and joy not only for those who attended to the workshop (myself included) but for everyone I came in contact with.

The Joyful HELLO!

Before the workshop I arranged the chairs and set the energy then placed a chocolate mint candy cane on everyone’s chair. A small gesture to be sure but the result was bigger than originally intended. As everyone entered to take their seats they stopped for a moment and looked at the candy cane. A few asked “is this for me?” A few giggled and said “OOOOO a candy cane!” Regardless of anything they ‘said’ ALL of them smiled from ear to ear. The heavy, palpable energy in the room lifted immediately. A little piece of holiday candy turned into a big HELLO to spirit!

After the workshop I had almost a full box of candy canes left over (of course I bought too many. God forbid someone arrived and didn’t get one. I thank my mother’s programming for this.) and since I didn’t trust myself to bring them all home and not eat them in one sitting, I decided to give them to everyone I came in contact with on the way home.

The girls at the Yoga center, the cab driver, my doorman. In my mind it was simply giving away candy BUT it was much more! As I handed them out with a smile, it caused the people to stop the thoughts running through their head, be in the present, get a hello AND then it caused them to light up with a smile. With this small gift they immediately became HAPPY which in turn made me happy! I acknowledged another human being with a smile and a candy cane and didn’t just pass them by lost in my own thoughts.

All too often there is a sense of feeling anonymous or invisible in this world. We all want our presence acknowledged but have gotten so used to being a part of the crowd and lost in our own thoughts we sometimes don’t take the time to acknowledge the presence of those around us.

A “hello” to spirit creates a healing for the person who receives it for it recognizes their presence. What’s interesting is that when someone smiles, you can actually see them coming back to themselves. If you don’t believe me try looking into someone’s eyes, smile and say hello just to see what happens.

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.”~Paramahansa Yogananda

So I ask you, was it the chocolate mint candy canes or was it a “hello” that caused people to light up and smile? Whichever it was, I’m going back to the store and buying more of those candy canes to hand out! If you don’t have the means to buy and give out candy canes, get out there give out smiles and hellos. You may brighten a sad heart AND the act of giving brings happiness to your soul.~Shine Your Light Debbie

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When was the last time you received a spiritual HELLO? When was the last time you connected, and I mean REALLY connected, with another person? When was the last time you acknowledged the divinity in yourself and another?

Our lives our so busy and we’re around people every day. We pass them on the street, we have work colleagues, friends, family, clients and of course the grocery clerks, waiters and friendly Starbucks Baristas but are you connecting and acknowledging each other as spirit?

Now, there’s nothing I enjoy more than finding an answer and I found that answer in the form of a simple HELLO! I recently taught a meditation workshop in Chicago and what happened in that workshop reminded me of how powerful and healing a spirit to spirit HELLO is. Although this was a wonderful experience for the 16 beautiful souls who attended, you can practice it for yourself every day!

There is always a lot of energy around teaching any sort of workshop involving love and the heart center and this workshop definitely lived up to task. I had already guided the participants through their first meditation to shift them into present time but I noticed they were having difficulty connecting with their bodies. They seemed to be hovering just above their heads. Several were clearly isolated, hiding and swimming in painful memories. The energy in the workshop was so intense that I deviated from my notes and had the participants stand up, take the hands of someone else, look directly into their eyes, smile and simply say “hello, (insert name) it’s so nice to meet you, I’m (insert name)”.

What I saw and experienced next was truly amazing. In fact I would have to say the miracle of healing was clearly alive and well! Almost immediately after the exercise started the room got brighter! I stood back and watched as the energy that once loomed like a dark cloud over the room lifted and was replaced by a beautiful golden light. By the end of the exercise not only did everyone have their space but they were shining from a place of validation! Everyone’s eyes were sparkling and every single person had a smile on their face!

The eyes are the window of the soul…

What happened in the workshop is very simple. When you look directly into the eyes of another and say hello you are acknowledging their spirit. The human touch and simple hello told that person ‘Hey, I see you! I know your name! You are not just some anonymous person in the room.’ You simply cannot look deep into someone’s eyes and say hello without validating them. A simple in the moment “hello” also brings you right into present time not only with the person you’ve said hello to but with your surroundings as well.

So often we go about our days with our head in the clouds. Our thoughts are somewhere else. We could be in a room full of people and feel totally isolated and alone. We are so busy doing and thinking about the next thing that needs to be done or worrying about this or that, that we sometimes brush off (not necessarily intentionally) those who are right in front of us and some of those are the ones we love the most. We are not “present and accounted for” and grounded in the moment.

Of course it is not always be proper to take both someone’s hands in yours but a handshake works and you can always look into someone’s eyes as you say hello even when casually passing on the street. There is so much you can see when you look into a persons eyes and a simple hello with a smile has the power to heal a hurting, isolated person including yourself. As an added bonus to saying hello while looking into someone’s eyes while saying their name; You remember their name. This is my favorite party trick! Go ahead and try it! Even if you have difficulty remembering people’s names you will remember because you are not only saying hello to a body in front of you, you are connecting spirit to spirit.

Practice looking into someone’s eyes, smiling and saying hello. You are not merely using the words when you look deeply into someone’s eyes. You are acknowledging and validating the divinity, spirit and soul essence of another and yourself. You bring yourself and that person into the present moment and in the process shift your energy. So HELLO! I SEE YOU! And of course, practice makes perfect! HELLO!~Shine Your Light Debbie

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