Falling in Love with Yourself.

Recently, we went for a drive up on the Pisgah Mountain. As we were driving and slurping up the delicious grand views, I realised that I was scrambling to sense the orientation to the place. I have by now travelled to various parts of the mountains, accessing them from different entry points. Although I can find my way to the mountain, once I am there, I feel a little lost. There are so many overlook points to view the sky and valleys and after a while in my mind there is just one huge ambiguous blurr of mountains, mountain roads, valleys and vistas. They seem to merge and blend into each other. Then I look next to me to my chief navigator who has all the details of the place implanted in his subconscious with every hidden alley and mountain passage that he can quickly refer to. Although, I feel blessed to have my husband sitting next to me in the co-pilot seat with all the directions ready, I become impatient with my own self. I too want to know the mountain roads like the back of my hand. I too want to understand the network of pathways inside out. And this impatience does not really feel very good.

There are instances like that for all of us, when we are impatient with ourselves or judge and criticize ourselves. We put unimaginable pressures to be Mr. Perfect or Ms. Perfect and in the end, are not more than tired, stressed and discontent. I realise that this whole situation with the mountain roads is a really good example of where I can love myself even more deeply and unconditionally. It is here I can say to myself, "I love you just the way you are. Even though, it takes longer for you to understand the road system than you would like, I still love you. You are absolutely gorgeous, smart, loving and compassionate. And you are loved." Yes, at first glance, it feels silly to say this to myself. But this is precisely how it feels when you are beginning to love yourself completely, fully, unconditionally! It feels silly to say such things because we may have not heard this kind of self-talk a lot before. Yet, we must let go of that resistance to love ourselves. We need to move from talking heartlessly to speaking heartfully with our inner self.

Besides, how can we give others love, compassion, trust and all our beatiful gifts, if we have not given them to ourselves first. How can we give something we don't have?

To recognize how deeply we love ourselves we can notice how we treat ourselves: how easily we forgive ourselves for our errors, how deeply we trust ourselves to navigate this life, how patient we are with our so called "shortcomings" and how seriously we care for our well-being. I believe that our errors, mistakes and shortcomings are just part of the learning process and they are vital for our growth. Next time, you make a "mistake" or don't think you can do something or are impatient with yourself, take a moment of reflection. Switch modes and dive deeply into unconditional love for yourself.

Love,
Sophia

Vista

The Intention for Today is Vista.

Today, indulge in the grand vista. Go up to a place with a view. Or close your eyes and visualize a huge field or vast landscapes of oceans, forests or mountains. Expand with your mind's eye today.

Thank you Vista for opening up the horizon for us.

PS: Remember to embed beautiful images in your mind's eye every time you see it. This is the fuel for your visualizations later on.

Song

The Intention for Today is Song.

Today, hum, sing, dance to your favorite music. Take some time to sing a tune or hum along songs that move, uplift or entertain. Feel the vibrations. Embrace the song.

Thank you Song for pulsating through us!

PS: Open yourself to the sounds of the universe.

Buzzing

The Intention for Today is Buzzing.

Today, feel and enjoy the buzzing within you. What new creations are waiting to take form? What new experiences are you about to feel? And in what new ways are you going to serve others? Feel the joy and excited anticipation of all that is on its way to emerge in your life.

Thank you Buzzing for all the buzz about the new and amazing!

PS: The feeling of anticipation for all things new is to be cherished, enjoyed and treasured in the deepest ways. Stay with it and take guidance on the next steps. Things are changing very quickly around here. ;-)

Capable

The Intention for Today is Capable.

Today, know that you have all that you need within you. You are infinitely blessed and infinitely lucky and infinitely filled with genius, love and strength. A wise soul recently said to me, "You are more capable than you think you are." I think this applies to all of us, doesn't it?

Thank you Capable for helping us to bring our contribution to this world.

PS: Anything you want, you can have it. Anything you want to create, you can create it. Anyway you want to serve, you can do it. You are CAPABLE!

Absorb

The Intention for Today is Absorb.

Today absorb into yourself that pristine, untamed, wild nature. This Nature that blossoms to a rhythm that is complete with divine timing, stands as a reminder that within you is all that you need. Absorb the abundance, the love and embrace all that is YOU!

Thank you Absorption for integrating our own beauty.

PS: Think about a comment of admiration and praise the you heard from someone or from yourself today. Instead of just bypassing it, absorb this statement of love and admiration fully within yourself. Allow yourself to be showered in such an outpouring of acknowledgement. Give that to your self, today.

Expansion

The Intention for Today is Expansion.

Today feel expansion in your consciousness. Take a moment to tap into that which is unending, unlimited and infinite. Expand your comfort zone in whatever way possible. That is where your highest self expresses and creates even more fully for this world.

Thank you Expansion for opening us up for creation. 

PS: One way of tapping into the infinite is to observe the breath as it moves through you. Do this as often as you can throughout your day and feel the expansiveness within you.

Cullasaja Waterfalls

Enjoy these beautiful images of the waterfalls that we visited today!

The bountiful waterfall of CullasajaCascading gusto of Cullasaja Falls 

Waterfall

The Intention for Today is Waterfall.

Like the waterfall, blossom into your own today with life, glory and glamour. Take charge of your Emergence with confidence, grace and humility. Like the waterfall, let go, surrender, and trust. Become the waterfall today.

Thank you Waterfall for showing us humility in grandeur.

PS: Today is the day to let go of some old patterns and beliefs that no longer work for you. Acknowledge them, connect with them and dissolve. Trust in your inner knowing, today.

Circle of Love

Water gushing through the woods, meandering its way into a cascading waterfall! This is the image of the Cullasaja Falls that I had the privilege of experiencing today. The majesty and splendor of the water is forever embedded in my consciousness.

To me it represents the abundance that exists. The sounds of the waterfall envelope you in such complete ways that there is no room for thought, all noise is dissolved and absorbed. Each drop of water seems destined to make it all the way here from the mountain top; emerging from nooks and crannies and cracks and holes in the rock walls; forming creeks and streams; and then finally dropping down in complete surrender down the cliff. And in the next moment, the aftereffect of the descent, is a beautiful flow of water gurgling as it meets rocks and glistening with sunshine.

An encounter of this kind drowns the intensity of time, leaving only the present moment. The moment that is all-encompassing, filled with all and everything. It smoothes into and within every cell of our being, with an affect that is healing and cleansing. This moment connects us to that which is omniscient, relieving us from the mundanity of human civilization that is disconnected from nature's cycle, at least for that very instant of rapture.

This to me is the Circle of Love. Enveloped in its warmth and wonder, I invite you to find or revisit your version of the Circle of Love.

Love,

Sophia

Fog

The Intention for Today is Fog.

Experience the mystical fog today. Imagine moving through the milky enigma that envelopes the land, lakes, river and mountain tops in the early morning hours. Allow the fog within our consciousness to become awe-inspiring and something of wonder.

Thank you Fog for showing us a glimpse of mystic nature.

PS: Expose yourself to some element of nature like the fog that inspires you to get accustomed to new points of reference.

Share

The Intention for Today is Share.

Today, share something about yourself to someone. Express who you are in your unique way and enrich the life of another. Speak, create and communicate in a way that allows your gifts to take form. Share Your Gifts Today.

Thank you Share for being a medium for Universal Flow of Life.

PS: An idea for giving someone a gift is to give someone something you are fond of. It will have an impression of you all over it and in this way you are sharing yourself.

Self-Care

The Intention for Today is Self-Care.

Today, atleast for one moment, indulge in extreme self-care. Have you seen how a cat grooms itself? It seems like her body is the greatest treasure on earth and that is how she treats it too. Take inspiration from that. Give yourself milk-honey-butter-and-cream treatment, whatever that means for you.

Thank you Self-Care for taking tender loving care of ourselves.

PS: One of the ways you can care for yourself, is to ask yourself: what can I do for you? And your body will show you what it needs. Make sure then, once the answers emerge, to follow it with action.

Commitment

The Intention for Today is Commitment.

Today, take small baby steps as a show of your commitment to yourself. Your inner desires and dreams are wanting to emerge. Help them to flow from you in beautiful ways by opening up a channel. In your heart, you know what you need to do. Take a moment of reflection, write some notes down and then just do what you are called to do.

Thank you Commitment for helping us take the steps.

PS: In the moment of reflection, you may close your eyes and ask yourself, "what is wanting to emerge through me?" or "what must I do/ transform/ shift in order for my dream to manifest?"

Give of Yourself

The intention for today is Give of Yourself.

See if you can find an opportunity to give of yourself. Whatever that means for you, do it. Giving yourself is also another way to say, be your authentic self. Remove one more layer of "protective" facade that you may not need anymore. Take it slowly. Allow more of your shining light to emerge. We do need it.

Thank you Giving of Yourself for being who you are more.

PS: One way to give yourself is to speak your truth. Do not worry about how it is perceived. When you express yourself authentically, people will perceive you with open arms and love. Just dare to be who you are.

Giving Yourself.

The greatest gift we can give to people around us is to be happy. In a state of happiness, we give our inner gifts with liberty and ease. And we each have this gift. It is not small or big, it just is. We might be driven to believe that what we give to this world needs to be huge. A mass change of great benefit across the planet! A revolutionary way of doing something that helps and touches the lives of millions. All this is what I have carried in my heart for many years. Nothing I ever achieved would be enough because there is always another level of "mass impact" that can be had. Gladly, I am unburdening myself of this task.

In the last few years of introspection and reflection, I have come upon a treasure. This treasure is the ever-flowing, ever-abundant source of love and understanding. One of the granules of treasure that I am more and more grasping is exactly the message entailed in the quote above. The author of the beautiful book, Little Prince, has put it so clearly. It is when we give of ourselves, that we do the real giving. And this is not to be underestimated. I remember the significant impact made by someone in my life when all I needed was to be heard. This person gave me the time and their emphathetic attention which made all the difference for me. This person gave me the gift of themselves.

I have found that in my life, the small things matter a lot. A small gesture of kindness means a lot. A single smile. A kind word. A piece of music. A brilliant view of the sky. A breath of fresh air. The soil under my feet. A wave from the car window (North Carolinians love to wave!). View of the relaxed kitty kat next to me. A kind email. A simple home-made meal. A quiet restful sleep. These things are indeed HUGE, world-changing for me. These experiences fill me up with contentment, inner-joy and just plain giddiness! And yes, I love to giggle just about anything and it makes my heart happy. In such a state, I know I am in a state of giving that is richer, more dynamic and full of life. Then all my gifts are shared with joy and gratitude. I am not here to make mass impact on the world, although, my making changes within me, has a mass impact on the world! My purpose is to stay in a state of joy.

Share your thoughts on this below. Would love to know what you think.

Relax

Intention for Today is Relax.

Today take the time to relax. Allow your body and mind to unwind. In stillness and in rest, rejuvenation and revitalization takes place. Open up to the guidance from within.

Thank you Relax for helping us to open up and be guided.  

PS: A two-minute meditation can go like this: Close your eyes, become aware of your breath, and count backwards from 25 to 1. Open you eyes and go about your day.

Reflection

The Intention for Today is Reflection. 

At times when you are looking for an answer or a solution, the clues emerge when you sit still and reflect. See, feel and hear the quiet stillness of a pond and look at the reflection. There may be something there that will lead you along your path. So, reflect today on something that touches your heart.

Thank you Reflection for showing us the clear picture. 

PS: A cool way to reflect on something, is to ask a question you want to know the answer of from the depth of your being. Ask an open ended question that is expansive, for example: What would it be like if....? or What needs to happen for .... to change? Or something on those lines. 

Assemble

Assemble is the Intention for Today.

Today assemble your thoughts, your feelings, your intentions in one unique whole. Fly up in the sky and look at the big picture of your life. What is YOUR life all about? What is most important for you?

Thank you Assemble for helping us put it all together. 

PS: A fun activity to do is to take about 20 minutes of free time and do what is called a Life-Write. Basically, you right down all the elements of your life you love and all the aspects that you want to create and experience in your life. Kind of a short story of your desired life. And have fun with it. No censorship. Total Freedom. All with your highest purpose as a platform to build from. 

Abundance

Abundance is the Intention for Today.

Let abundance into your life. How? Just know that all that you desire is right here. If a desire can emerge within you, the Universe can manifest that desire in to the physical plane.

Thank you Abundance for opening up so much for us.

PS: Think of Abundance as a state-of-mind and then see the shift that happens within you and for you.