Friday, November 28, 2014

Becoming More Light

Every day I create more light in my life.

I focus on the light that I am and the light I bring into the world.

I choose light over and over again, and after a while, some of the darkness loses its power.

Because I am learning to constantly turn to the light, I am absorbing more and more of it.

When the darkness sometimes reasserts itself, I am so full of light, it has less and less to attach itself to.

Perhaps one day, all I will be is pure light, and the darkness will be left far behind, and like a cloud blown across the sky, I, too, will have moved on.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Four Holiday Meditations - Starting the New Year

I start this new year with expectation.

Since You, the Universe inspired me and provide for me, I will listen for Your guidance.

I will see progress in my relationships through Your guidance.

I will be led to fulfillment in my work through Your direction.

I will feel increased peace in my home through acknowledgement of Your presence.

I will take inspired action by first listening within.

In all that I do, I will feel Your inspiration and tender, constant care.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage


Four Holiday Meditations - Gifts From the Universe

When I bring my gifts, I know that You, the Universe, are blessing me with Your Generosity.

I am able to share generously from my heart.

It does not mater how it is received.  I have no control over that.

It only matters how it is given.

I know that what I bring is acceptable as an offering to Your Spirit within the recipient.

I give with gratitude for Your Provision.

I give with humble acknowledgement that You are my complete Source.

I give to bless.

I give to uplift.

And all that I receive comes with Your blessing.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Four Holiday Meditations - What to Bring to the Table

When I prepare the food, let it be with patience, calm and gratitude.

Let me bring uplifting conversation to share, free from family gossip or politics.

Let me share funny stories, and uplifting moments.

Let me share poetry I have read or written for the occasion.

Let me share a holiday book for signatures and comments.

Let me add photos and send it to each person.

Let me provide games and tables for smaller conversational groups.

Let all who walk through my door be blessed and uplifted by this occasion.

As I walk through the door, let me be prepared with an uplifting and forgiving thought for each person.

Let us all be blessed by this occasion.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Four Holiday Meditations - Being With Others

I live in a Beneficent Universe and therefore I am always in Its Presence.

I am here to bless and be blessed by every occasion.

Let me feel only Your Presence when I am with others.

Let me see Your Form, Your Love, Your Conversation when I am with others.

Let us share our good wishes for each other when we get together.

Despite any pains of the past or any misunderstandings, let us respect the paths of each other.

We are all learning Your Way, discovering for ourselves Your constant Presence.

On this journey, let us be generous with each other.

We will grow in Your Grace and learn to see each other as You see us.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

Monday, November 24, 2014

My New Bio

Walking

In the light

As light

To the light.


Walking as

Ever-expanding light

Sharing light

Overflowing with light.


Seeing only

Light within

Light without

All-encompassing light.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Cycle of Fear

Little nudges, little doubts

Little feelings of inevitability

Create the vicious cycle

Of little fears.


Redefine

Throw back into the air

The opposites

Courageously.


What would I see?

What would I feel?

If my choice made a difference?

Which it does.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Sunday, November 23, 2014

A New Sense of Family

I am grateful for a new view of family.

There is family without judgement.

There is family without criticism.

There is family without reaction, just a sense of understanding and room for mistakes.

There is family who appreciates.

There is family who accepts.

There is family who goes about their business and lets you go about yours.

There is family who shares and lets you share, too.

There is family who takes care of what is on their mind and lets you do the same.

There are shared meals, shared chores, and shared conversations.

This is a new sense of family for me.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Saturday, November 22, 2014

What Life Is Not

Over and over again through examples and stories of past generations, I was shown what life is not.

I have chosen a better life.

It has taken study and observation to build something from scratch.

I did discover that all the past was not lies.

As I was able to lift my head and free myself from the lies,  I was able to recognize the good and extract it and use it as well.

But carefully, oh so carefully, because the past rushes up to envelop me.

So I draw on my good form the Infinite within.

It is good.  It is a pure Source.

It is a constant Source.

It does not disappoint.

Patiently, oh so patiently, It waits on me to discover my new life, my true life.

And for every step I take, I feel the closeness, the consciousness of a particular love.

It is worth the work.

I am succeeding.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage
www.InspiredPractices.com


Friday, November 21, 2014

Letting the Project Evolve

On extremely rare occasions, I will follow a pattern, but what I most love to do is to let the project evolve.

I get excited about the materials, or in the middle, I decide I want to use them a different way.

I have many methodical friends who create wonderful works.

But I enjoy acting on the inspiration of the moment.

This applies to fiber art, knitting, quilting, and my new venture, drawing.

Since I like to try so many different approaches, I usually have what most people comment on as too many different projects and directions.

I have learned that I will work on one for a while and then go to another, and eventually, I will come back to the first project.

Over long periods of time, lots of projects get done, sometimes with several finishing close together.

My mind and eye mature along the way.

I can’t see everything about what I am creating while I am involved at whatever stage I am in.

But with the perspective of time and working with other materials, I can come back with a fresh eye, and maybe even some new techniques to play with, and then I can get a more complete sense of what I want to see.

Since I am no longer pressured by deadlines, I can give myself the time to play.

This kind of discovery is very fulfilling for me.

When it feels finished, it is.

The work lets me know when it is complete.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Our Natural State of Compassion

Since we come from a compassionate Source, our natural state is compassion.

It is only when we begin to think of ourselves as separate, that we experience the fear of lack and therefore, competition and loneliness.

Otherwise, we are all equipped beautifully to live in harmony with each other, as Nature balances all of the natural world.

We are able to see when someone needs help and to offer it.

Someone is able to see our need to to fulfill it.

This happens all the time, but we don’t usually acknowledge it, because it seems so small and insignificant.

Yet, this is actually one of the most significant building blocks of society.

We naturally share, we naturally celebrate, we naturally experience the cycles and  seasons and stages of life.

We are all connected to Nature, her cycles and her compassionate provision.

We have grown up in a culture which has moved us from children playing outside and running up and down the block where all the families know each other, to more and more separated existences.

However, we can still be compassionate to strangers.

I enjoy the occasions when a conversation develops between me someone I don’t even know.

I get to hear a different point of view, share stories about the topic under discussion and emerge with a slightly larger understanding of someone else’s world.

That is what builds compassion.

We are all living here, but the sun shines on each one of us at a slightly different angle and we receive a slightly different view of the same object.

We interpret the same experience differently in the light of our various life experiences.

So we can be more and more compassionate the more different points of view we see.

We are built for it.

And we are built to share and care.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage
www.InspiredPractices.com

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Convergence

As I continue my spiritual study, I am experiencing a convergence of the deep ideas in what I am reading.

I feel a deeper and more universal peace permeating me.

I feel a more comprehensive outreach in the work I am guided to do.

We all have a deep spiritual capacity for understanding ourselves.

The distractions of the world around us are so heavy and pervasive, they seem almost inescapable.

But there is always a quiet place within each of us.

When we are driven to find it, it connects us with our own peace, and then leads us to share it with others.

We find a convergence with others of like-mind and like-peace.

© 2014 Kathryn Hardage
www.InspiredPractices.com


Preparation

When I am alone, I solve a lot of my personal problems through spiritual study, actually, all of them.

But I find that I still stand on shifting sand when I come into contact with other people.

I asses what I need to do and be in each situation with each group instead of just listening within.

It throws me off balance.

So now, my preparation will be to remain in God-contact, to keep the same feeling that I have when I am immersed in my spiritual study.

The spiritual facts and principles are always in operation.

I will develop my ability to keep listening and feeling those when I am in a public setting.

I have no idea if I can actually keep my focus, but I will certainly begin the process.

(This was written on Oct. 21, 2014) and I can now say I am getting better at it.

© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Monday, November 17, 2014

Your Freedom Now

The Universe is giving you your freedom.

Take it right now.

Do not stop to look at the disturbances or distractions along the way.

You have a mission, a deep spiritual identity.

Go the direction it is sending you.

You have already tried out the kind of life that is all around you.

You know how that one works.

Find the higher road.

Listen to your high calling.

You are made to be uplifted and to uplift others.

Go up.  go out.  Go forward.

Let your footsteps dissolve into a higher path.

Let your life show your freedom.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Heat in the House

Sometimes we are reminded of the luxury in which we live.  

This happened when the heat went out.  On Wednesday, the repairman was called.  When he didn’t reply, a friend’s repair service was contacted.  He came out late Thursday, but was not familiar with this brand of heater.  Late Friday, he informed us that he  was unable to reach the central office for advice, because everyone else in the area was calling.  The original repairman turned out to be out of town.  He recommended someone else.  The someone else was called and scheduled for Monday.  He was booked solid for Saturday.  On Saturday, he called with a cancellation for Sunday morning.  The heat was repaired on Sunday morning.  Hurray!

A luxury of repair services.

In the meantime, a neighbor loaned us a space heater.  

Luxury of neighbors.

We added more quilts, did baking, went to the internet cafes, went to work on the weekend, and found various other places to stay warm.

A luxury of so many places.

What we discovered: 

It takes a lot of energy to stay warm.  Even with lots of layers of clothing, we still felt like hibernating.

Everyone enjoyed the continuity of meals.  Good food equals good community.  A luxury of food and community.

With the heat back on, we don’t have to think about it.  We can come and go and do whatever we want and need to without taking special steps to stay warm.

Appreciation of such a luxury.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Friday, November 14, 2014

The Third "Billy-Goat Gruff"

You remember in the story of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”, the small and middle-sized billy-goats tempted the ogre to wait for the third and largest billy-goat for a larger meal.  When the third and largest billy-goat came across the bridge, he butted the ogre right off the bridge and sent him downstream.

I am at the point in my life where I am the third and largest billy-goat gruff and I can now toss the ogres from my past life off the bridge to my new life and send them downstream never to bother me again.

Looking at various art and creative blogs and watching creative youtube videos, ideas I can share began to flow for me.  I was putting together lots of ways to do this when I ran up against several objections from my childhood.  

These voices have been getting more and more specific due to my demand to actually hear what they are saying instead of just feeling intimidated or depressed or scared.  When I put the feelings into words, I can refute them and argue on my own behalf.

So now that I have insisted they come out of hiding, I am also giving myself the strength to remove them.  When I was the smallest billy-goat gruff, I was a child abuse victim.  I still had my creativity.  In fact, that is one of the ways I survived.  

Then, I got to the next stage of my life, the middle-sized billy-goat gruff, where I just worked really hard at my school work and music lessons, graduated high school and college, got jobs and married and raised a family, all with my background safely buried.

At the ripe age of fifty years, my background began leaking through all the busyness, and I had to develop the tools and strength to deal with it.  Fifteen years later,  I have made good progress, but occasionally nasty and cruel things, such as attitudes and sayings, come through from time to time, especially when I am ready to move forward.

So today, when my creativity was in full flow and the negative remarks began surfacing in my mind, I stood my ground and decided that I am the person who knows who I am and what I am capable of doing.  And that is when the image of the billy-goats gruff came to my aid.  

I am now at the point where I am the third and largest billy-goat gruff and those ogres have got to go!


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage
www.InspiredPractices.com


You're My Friend, I'm Your Friend

I am building community from within.  

Whenever I see anyone, I now think in terms of our friendship.

We have been harassed into competing and isolating ourselves from one another, and yet, as humans, we thrive in community.

I walk around in a state of appreciation for whatever I see.

When appropriate, I offer sincere compliments.

Otherwise, I just send appreciative energy.

I notice more isolation than ever before - the few children who still walk home from school, people sitting by themselves in coffee shops - I’m one of them, although I’m sure we are all working.  I nod when I walk by them.  Sometimes they nod back.

It is fun to initiate conversations while in line at a store.

Admiring people’s children is always a good opening.

Asking about recipes when I am in an ethnic grocery is also a sincere opportunity.

I love connecting and I am creating more opportunities to do so.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Saturday, November 8, 2014

New and Old

I am easing into my old situation, but with a new view.

I have brought my new livelihood with me and I am developing it.

It feels different.

I know where I am going.

I am peaceful and confident.

It is all new, but in an old situation.

I wasn’t even sure I could do this, but I am.

As I continue my study about who I am and continue to express my deep sense of me, I am involved in my new livelihood wherever I am.

I love seeing how the pieces are fitting together even here.

Old painful memories have given way to a new view of my life.

It is worth living through such situations and circumstances just to see the progress that is possible.

Nothing is impossible to the forces of the Impersonal Beneficent Universe.

I am inspired.

I am taken care of.


© 2014 Kathryn Hardage

www.InspiredPractices.com

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Government from Within

When I consider the weakness of the political system, I am led to consider government from within.

Regardless of the way voters are being treated, I can be kinder, more compassionate.

Regardless of the way districts are gerrymandered, I can be generous to all.

Regardless of the special interests, I can be interested in the well-being of all.

Regardless of the emphasis on endless, pointless war, I can resolve the little irritations of my life more and more quickly.

Regardless of politics for personal gain, I can be thankful for those who are showing us the weakness of the system, and look for ways of accomplishing good for all in other grassroots ways.

We all have the ability to become more deeply conscious of why we are on this earth in this form.

We all the opportunity to widen our outreach and acquire the skills to communicate better.

We can all do more little things to help build community.

These are all steps which help create good government from within our own consciousness and within our own communities.

© 2014 Kathryn Hardage