Spiritual Growth – Page 11

Spiritual messages and reminders come in many forms but no matter how or when they come it is important to learn what they are trying to tell us. Our spirits must be nourished and filled with dreams, passion, enthusiasm and creativity or they eventually shrivel up into an empty shell and die of thirst…

A few days ago I was ready to let go of the last remains of a cactus I (barely) kept alive for over 25 years. Truth be told it’s been sitting dead on my windowsill for some time but I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. That cactus was the first thing I bought when I moved out of my parents house. Perhaps it represented a right of passage or perhaps it represented life itself. Whatever it represented at any given time my heart is saddened by the realization that I killed what was once a living, breathing thing.

I remember when I bought it and if memory serves it was only about 12 inches high. I cared for it faithfully. It outgrew its pot, was replanted and grew some more. I was quite proud of how it was flourishing with new “arms” sprouting all the time. What started out one taller spine with one little arm was over 5 feet tall with dozens of arms! It was a beautiful shade of green with little leaves constantly sprouting from the end of the arms and main spine. Although it started to fall over to one side and I could no longer move it, I would turn the pot so it would rest against the wall. I felt and communicated with the spirit in that cactus and knew that as long as I gave it nourishment it would stay happy, healthy and growing.

One day I had a cleaning person come to my apartment and when I returned home from work, there was my cactus tipped over on the floor. The main spine had split and a few of the arms were dangling from the place where they were once firmly attached. They oozed white liquid and I clearly remember crying hysterically about my broken and obviously bleeding cactus. Sadly I could not save the main spine but I did replant one of the small arms. It took root quickly and season after season it sat on my windowsill and grew although not as full or tall as its mother.

For whatever reason, I stopped watering my cactus as often as necessary even though it would tell me what it needed by turning slightly brown. I would look at it and be too tired or too busy to simply get a glass of water to water it. I’d tell myself ‘I’ll water it tomorrow’ and maybe I would get to it, but soon my tomorrows became more frequent. A cactus has an amazing resilience. If it doesn’t have water it lays dormant using little energy to live but after so many tomorrows (about 3 years worth) my cactus was brown and shriveled. I wept as I moved it from the windowsill to the front door so I could get rid of it. Yes it was dead and it was finally time to let it go.

The day after I moved the cactus I put it back into its corner home to take a picture for this post and I noticed green at the tips of the spine and arms. Wait, maybe it’s not dead after all! Is it possible to bring it back to life after years of neglect? Could a bit of water, and love and light make a difference? I don’t know if my cactus will fully spring to life again but I can tell you that for now it is watered and the small green tips are getting greener and expanding.

Like the cactus our spirits are very much alive inside. We are more resilient than perhaps we give ourselves credit for. At times we may feel ‘dormant’ but once we begin nourishing our spirits with love, excitement, passion and light we have the ability to come back to life. If you’ve had a stressful time or painful experience it is natural to want to push it aside, isolate or dull the pain so you can’t feel it but a sprinkling of forgiveness and love goes a long way! Your spirit may be calling out for water now. Find the nourishment it needs! Your spirit wants to shine brightly and light your way.

As long as your heart is beating and you have breath in your body there is always hope. It’s never too late to nourish your spirit and find the spark within. If you are always too busy or too tired or stressed to nourish your spirit and you want to wait until tomorrow that’s fine but how many tomorrows will it take before you wake up to find years have passed? There’s no tomorrow better than today to start nourishing your spirit.

What are you enthusiastic about? What do you love? What are you passionate about? What excites you? Find those things and live vibrantly again! Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Choose today to nourish your spirit and soul!~Shine Your Light Debbie

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Have you ever had a song pop into your head and you can’t get it out? Otherwise know as an earworm, the song plays internally and could be “catchy” or “annoying”. It is repeated until you find a way to break the cycle of repetition.

What if the “earworm” is not a song but a soundtrack of thoughts that run through your head that keep you in the past, or feeling like you lack something, or they are full of fear? How do you break the cycle of repetition? The realization and awareness that there IS a soundtrack is a great start!

I recently saw a status posted on Facebook that really resonated with me and presented a wonderful answer. With permission from my friend I wanted to share it and I think you’ll see why. He presents a wonderful way of getting back to yourself and connecting with the present by doing something as simple as watering a tree…

“I do at Times have a Soundtrack running through my Head.
The Conversation goes like this:
I am Missing Something.(When was the Last Time I was in Paris)
I am Missing Someone.(Usually My Mother)
I need Something More.(Another Book or Gadget I will buy and leave on the Shelf for a Year before I look at it if at All)
I am not Enough(Someone else seems More Up to whatever is going On)
I do not have Enough(Always at the End of the Month Bill Time)
Tonight I was Grateful to Water the Tree’s, be in Nature and put my Attention there.
Like I said a few minutes ago…need to do that More….”~Ellis Martin

While yours (or mine) might not be exactly like the one above I’m sure you can relate to the ‘soundtrack’ about missing something or someone and/or not being or having enough. Those things run through my head every day and I’m guessing if two of us have a similar soundtrack (with different answers of course) then many more of you out there have you own soundtrack as well.

The beauty of the post is the realization that there are moments we need to connect with nature and feel the peace of that connection. Our connections and grounding in present time don’t have to be complicated and full of effort. Grounding in present time can be as simple as watering a tree. Yes, I think Ellis is right when he says ‘need to do that more’. Perhaps all of us need to quiet the soundtracks, feel the earth beneath our feet and listen to the sounds of silence more often.

The peace of watering the trees, being in nature and having your attention in the present allows you to connect with yourself in a whole new way. It allows for a moment of calm and turns off the ‘soundtracks’ in your head as you enjoy that moment. The soundtrack of life can be loud and deafening. The ‘quiet’ communing with nature could be exactly what you need to connect and commune with yourself. Maybe it’s time to listen to the sounds of silence.~Shine Your Light Debbie

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