A Voyage of Discovery

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." by Marcel Proust.

Infinity is something we can't understand, as we tend to shelve everything into into neat categories: people, events, landscapes. But there is more than one way to look at things. The possibilities are infinite. Perception is a subjective experience, and our senses interpret reality in a unique way.

It's not the same from one person to the next. It's not the same from one day to the next. It's not the same whether we're working or on holidays. It's not the same depending on our mood, our frame of mind. With awareness comes a new appreciation of the world around us. Every flower, every blade of grass can be overlooked as mundane and unimportant, or admired like a little masterpiece. The world around us is full of mysteries and suprises. It's there for us to enjoy, and the best things in life are free, such as sunshine, rain, fresh air, and nature...

We can experience infinite pleasure in becoming aware of the beauty around us. If we cultivate a spirit of wonder and appreciation, we'll extend the boundaries of our world. Our world will become infinite. We won't need to travel to distant destinations to stimulate our senses and discover new landscapes.

Today imagine that you're someone from another country, visiting your place for the first time... What would you see? What would you think? What would you feel?

Enjoy your day,

Isa

Painting: "Discovery" by Mary A. Gravelle

The Temple of the Soul

"A person cannot live on bread alone." Luke 4:4

What is your body, but the temple of your soul? God gave you this life, this body, and you will remain in it "until death do you part".

Our body is the garment through which life expresses itself in the physical, mental and spiritual. It is up to us to look after it the best we can.

In the physical, we need to include nutritious food, adequate rest and moderate exercise. We need to avoid harmful substances like drugs and alcohol, as they lower our immune system and impair our judgement. As we keep in mind what we really want for ourselves, we will stop putting these chemicals into our body, and allow it to heal and regenerate itself.

In the mental realm, we need to be watchful of our thoughts, focusing on positive outcomes, and never giving up hope. Once we admit that things are getting better all the time, we'll become appreciative of our surroundings and of other people, instead of constantly finding fault with them. At the same time, we'll become more appreciative of ourselves, as we let go of the urge to beat ourselves up.

Last but not least, we need spiritual food, perpetually reminding ourselves that this is not our body, but God's gift to us. It's the temple of the soul, and our meeting place with Him.

Love and friendship,
Isa

Painting: "Contemporary Female Nude" by Aja.

Regrets about the Past

"Love your neighbour as yourself": what does it really mean? What does it have to do with regrets? And who's my neighbour? Is it just the person living next door, or living in the same street? Of course my neighbour is everyone, as we all live together on this planet.

It's easy to love people who think like us and act according to our expectations. But it's much more of a challenge to love people who are not like us, or people who've insulted or harmed us.

Some people are so stubborn and irritating that we wish they weren't there at all! But we do our best to forgive them, no matter what. We tolerate them, we accept them, we allow them to be what they wish to be... If only we could be so lenient to our own selves! But of all the individuals we interact with, we seem to punish ourselves the most. We can forgive others, but we have trouble forgiving ourselves...

"Love your neighbour as yourself" means that I am willing to accept myself. That is the primary condition under which the good in me, the constructive part in me, can grow and thrive. First I must be at peace with who I am. I am a child of God, just like everyone else is. Everyone is part of the same family: humanity.

I can't love my neighbour if I can't love myself. I can't help others if I can't help myself. Regrets serve no purpose, but to keep me in a place of self-hatred. "I wish I hadn't done this, I wish I had done that..." Condemning myself for my mistakes is just as counterproductive as condemning others for theirs. I am not qualified to make any judgments, not even on myself.

The past is gone, and dwelling on it only interfers with the good I could achieve today. It interfers with the making of the better person, the more fulfilled individual I want to be from now on. Instead of beating myself up about past errors, I will pray for enlightenment to create a better tomorrow, based on yesterday's errors. I will have no regrets, knowing that my mistakes are simply learning opportunities.

Stop regretting, and start living!

Love,
Isa

Painting: "I Love Love" by CLara Fialho

Knowing Ourselves

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want." - Lao Tzu

We all seem to have trouble knowing ourselves at times.
We find ourselves doing things we don't approve of, like eating or drinking too much, or criticizing others. We find ourselves neglecting the things we should be doing, like household chores or important assignments. We even avoid things that are pleasurable, like relaxing or spending quality time with our loved ones.

Truly knowing ourselves entails finding our life's passion, our purpose. But even when we discover what it is, we often neglect our dream. Instead of going after it with consistence and determination, we seem to give up all too quickly, especially when things don't work out the way we want them to. We forget that the secret of real success is to hang in there, no matter what.

We seem to have a dual personality. Deep down, we long to know ourselves and be in harmony with the "I" that God created. The little "i" is the other person in us, the human self. It's the ego that often takes up all our attention, especially when we get caught up in the rhythm of our daily activities. It's time to look inside of us and become aware of who we really are. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way round. Once we shift our attention to our inner being, the divine part of us, we'll be able to achieve so much more. And it will happen naturally, without stress and without strain...

Best wishes for success and happiness!

Isa

Painting: "Eclipse" by Alma Thomas.

Love is Beautiful

Love is positive energy. Love is beautiful and creative. Love is patient and compassionate. Love is letting go of fear. This is because the opposite of love is not hate. It’s fear.

It’s fear that prevents us from living in the now and from loving in the now. But we are responsible for that fear, because we are the ones that create it in the first place, and we do so in our minds.

Once we understand this, we become aware of our negative emotions. We can decide not to give in to them any more, not to feed them, until we clear the passage for the endless flow of love that is always present in the universe.

Isa

Painting: "In Search of Love" (Batik on Cotton - Exotic India)

Life is a Banquet

Sitting at a long table full of bautifully prepared dishes, I long to eat all these delicious foods, as they are so appetising. I could grab everything and greedily stuff it into my mouth, or I could exercise restraint. I could extend my hand and take what I desire, or I could just take what I need now, and leave the rest for later.

When a dish is passed to me, I decide to help myself to a moderate portion, knowing that I can have some more later on. When a dish passes me by, I decide to enjoy what's already on my plate, knowing that this dish will be passed to me again later on. If a dish hasn't been passed to me yet, I decide to wait my turn, while engaging in an interesting conversation with my neighbour...

Life is full of choices... Life is a smoorgasboard filled with moments, big and small, good and not so good. With an attitude of patience, restraint and gratitude, I can achieve a lasting sense of satisfaction. This sense of inner peace would elude me if I believed I needed to have everything right now. Everything is there for me to take, but do I want it straight away? What good would it be if all my desires were fulfilled immediately? I long for this, I long for that... But in all honesty, what do I really want? Is it beauty, fame and riches? None of these can be taken into the next world...

Life is a banquet, and there is no need to yearn, envy, or grab. Everyone receives their rightful portion when it's their time.

With love!

Isa

Painting: "River Banquet" by Leah Sarat.