THOUGHTS...

 

Thoughts...

It's almost in the morning... My husband is deeply asleep, snoring in peace. My mind is in turmoil and I can't sleep. I decide to get up and listen to what words will come. I was planning to do it tomorrow, but this is free writing, it's not supposed to be planned. When it calls, you answer. Sometimes it happens during the night. The quiet, the loneliness; the fears. Everyone is supposed to be asleep, but that doesn't really work the way it used to anymore... Life has changed for so many of us; it moves on and on, very actively, even through the night. So many people don't have a "regular" schedule anymore. For anything. There's always so much one can do during the quiet hours these days. The Internet, TV, phones, games... You can stay connected with friends and family, run your business, be entertained in endless ways. Be distracted. There are always needs to be fulfilled, habits and addictions to be appeased, things to do, places to go. But at night all bodies are gray... We still suffer, we still crave, we still hunger. And not for the things that fill our time and our minds, that distract us from who we truly are, what we truly want. We hunger for true connection, for love, for life. We hunger for the things that are supposed to make it all worth it. Underneath it all, we are seekers. Who maybe, one day, will be able to turn off all the power buttons, face the darkness, feel the world cry, and finally find our own light again.

Gisele Marasca-Vargas; 6/29/2012
theragicenter.com

Photo by Hello I'm Nik 🎞 on Unsplash

Inspiration

Inspiration

I used to receive inspiration when I was busy doing something else, such as taking a shower. My conscious mind would then be distracted enough with mundane chores that it would step back and open the space for me to receive messages and inspiration for poems, short stories, project ideas, etc. Although I was very appreciative of such gifts, it was often inconvenient to receive inspiration in those situations. For instance, getting a great idea for a poem in the shower meant that I had to rush to finish while trying to keep the words in my mind, and then scramble for pen and paper or try to find my recorder while wrapped in my bath towel, dripping water all over the floor.

Lately, as I have been getting more connected with my intuition and more directly and intimately in touch with my guides, I have become more daring in that I now ask for inspiration when I need it. Because of that, the ominous blank page on a computer screen or my notebook does not hold the same power over me or incite the same intimidation and fear it used to. Somewhere within me, I KNOW my request will be answered and the words will come. Sometimes the piece I need to write comes almost completely ready in my mind, requiring only minor tweaking; at other times, I start writing a couple of sentences and the rest flows as I go. On the rare occasion the words don't come, I'm told instead that I need to rest and should finish the following day. But there's always an answer.

I believe this simple exercise in faith applies to all things in life. If we can learn to ask and trust, without a doubt, that we will receive; and if we understand that at times it might not come exactly when we expect it or how we thought it would be, but there's always a higher reason for it, then we can finally release and surrender. We can live in the simple knowledge and certainty that we are loved, and all is well.

Gisele Marasca-Vargas; 6/21/12
theragicenter.com

Above or Within?

Above or Within?

Two sisters standing side by side. Originally from Indonesia, sold together as a pair. Same make and style, same dark, woody complexion; yet, so different from each other in many ways... One is so much taller than the other; a slender figure, high in stature; her long arms extended high into the sky, hands closed in a prayer-like gesture, head bowed in humility and contemplation. The other a lot shorter, although also slender; head facing the sky rather than bowed down; one arm stretched up and bending towards her face, with one long finger touching her third-eye. Yet, both somehow convey a sense of the Divine, each in their own way. I wonder what they say to each other when no one is listening:
"Why do you reach up?", asks the shorter sister. "What do you seek?"
"The Light," answers the taller one.
"Well, that's what I'm doing! But I'm reaching for the Light within, through my third eye, as I look up to the infinite heavens. Why do you look down instead? And why look for the Light within by reaching for something outside yourself, so far up?"
"Looking above is just symbolism for something higher and larger than ourselves. I reach for the Light that shines above all. And I show my respect for the Light by bowing down. I pray."
"I meditate. That's how I reach for my Light."
"Aren't both the same? Isn't your Light my Light? Can we not reach above, within and all around us? When you feel lonely and confused, when you are afraid or angry, or when you experience joy and gratitude, don't you reach for the same Light?"
"Yes, but by reaching from within by meditating, I can experience the Light more closely, more intimately than praying."
"Why?"
"Because when you pray, you are talking to yourself, or talking to 'someone up there.' When I meditate, I am listening to myself."
"So I'm talking to myself. And who is my Self?"
"Well..."
"The Light?"
"I guess..."
"And when I'm talking to 'someone up there,' what am I trying to reach?
"The Light, I suppose..."
"In other words, aren't we all Self? Isn't Self Light? Aren't we all Light?" Isn't All Light?
"Maybe, but with prayer you are still projecting something, rather than being receptive to something."
"Prayer has been defined as more active and meditation as more passive, yes; but the lines between the two get blurry very easily..."
"But there is a difference!"
"The function of prayer and meditation is reciprocal."
"What do you mean?"
"They are a harmonious reciprocity between opposites, which leads us towards our perfection. Through prayer, we learn to meditate."
"So, they are different."
"They are more alike than you realize. It is often hard to tell when one ends and the other begins..." Don't both open a door to deeper communion, connection, spiritual upliftment?
"But which is better, then? Looking above or looking within? Praying or meditating?"
"In the end, is there really a difference? If there is, does it matter? Prayer and meditation are two manifestations of the same purpose, two roads to fulfillment. They are a form of Love. They take you to the Light. There's no superior way to touch and be touched by the Light."
That seems to satisfy the sisters. And watching both standing side by side in complete and harmonious union, I have to humbly agree...

Gisele Marasca-Vargas; 6/15/201
theragicenter.com