I am Enough and I am Whole

October 12, 2015Leave a comment

When I think of the fall, I think of harvest – reaping the yield of produce that was tended to all summer in crops and gardens. It’s a time of ripened abundance where we literally enjoy the fruits of our labor – a time when we experience growth, productivity, and completion. Bushel baskets overflow as vibrant colors begin to fade and turn. Days grow shorter and sunlight wanes minute-by-minute. Sadly, the landscape transitions to brown and barren in its pallid journey toward colder temperatures. The sense of closure begins to overwhelm many. Our productive and vibrant season appears to die and come to an end. Sometimes it feels more like loss when the lifeless signs of a winter pause replace the active flurry to gather-in.

In a contemplative space of harvest, I consider my personal growing seasons – times of planting, cultivating, harvesting, and rest. Why is it that when I’m not producing, I feel incomplete? Why is it that more satisfaction comes from the plethora of active growth and vibrant energy? Why do I discount the time of rest and judge myself so harshly?

Winter is the slowest growing season in an apple orchard, but it’s also one of the most important. Cold winters are very important for apple trees. The trees need rest to produce flowers and fruit each year. It takes about 900 to 1,000 hours below 45 degrees to prepare the trees for the next season. While the trees are resting, they are pruned. Extra wood is cut out so plenty of light can reach the leaves and fruit. This helps keep the tree healthy and prepare it for an abundant harvest of nutritious, tasty apples with good color.

Maybe I am like an apple tree, complete and whole in all of my forms and all of my creative seasons. There is purpose and intention to the cycles of my life. Sometimes I’m quiet and germinating. At other times, I’m in full production. When I embrace the intention of rest and go within, I can grow into my highest potential. Actually, I can become so much more than I can even imagine.

In the spring, when temperatures begin to warm, buds appear on the branches of an apple tree and leaves begin to emerge. Beautiful, fragrant apple blossoms bloom into their full grandeur and the tree is a spectacular sight. The sweet spring version of an apple tree is whole and complete in and of itself. Festivals bring people together to celebrate the trees in full bloom. Florists use apple blossoms in creative designs and the branches have inspired many artists. Apple blossoms are a Chinese symbol for beauty and immortality. The apple blossom encourages action, motion, courage and passion. If I were an apple blossom, I would arguably be complete and whole and enough.

The beautiful, fragrant blossoms are only one function and stage of the apple tree. When pollinated by insects, the next miracle of life begins and an apple grows in place of the fading blossom. As the blossoms die and fall away, the tree is filled with apples and the growing season starts over. Plush green leaves warm the landscape as apples grow and turn a variety of hues. Soon the leaves turn into magnificent fall colors and the apples ripen. Once again, it’s time for harvest. Apples can be used to eat, cook with, make beverages, and so much more. The apple, as a fruit, is complete and whole and the fruit produces seeds, which are complete and whole.

With all of this abundant life, we mustn’t dismiss the simple elegance and genius of Nature’s plan. Winter is necessary. Rest is essential. Pause is imperative. And, the bare winter tree is complete and whole in itself.

William Arthur Ward said, “Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed, and a giant oak in an acorn.” It is time we see ourselves with this same faith and magnificent potential. This year, as I fall forward into the quiet space of rest, renewal and regeneration, I will honor this season with gratitude and reverence. When I’m not “producing,” I will experience myself in all of my wholeness. I will cherish the time of rest and remember my precious birthright to blossom, grow, and flourish. I will not only harvest and celebrate the fruits of my labor, but also mindfully gather the seeds of potentiality and hold sacred my ability to plant them.

Life is perfect. The cycles and seasons are purposeful. As an expression of this Divine Creation, I will allow my true essence to emerge in all of its glorious and splendid forms. I am enough and I am whole.

A World of Love, Julie

www.JulieKrull.com

Breaking Through

October 10, 2015Leave a comment

The not so subtle “Crack!”

Reverberates through every cell of our being

And echoes in the midst of those in witness

As the bones break, the marrow spills its essence

In endless cascades through dimensions and lifetimes

Strength and brute force are gone in an instant

While pain, subtle knowing and creative juice

Take their resonant place

This isn’t just another break

The feminine voice will be heard

The spiraling fracture intrigues and entertains

Those not feeling its significance

While the Great Healer maps Her plan

Conspiring with the Wisdom of Everything

To realign, balance, and walk a new way

At the place where science and spirit meet

A reunion occurs in the collective life force

The pieces come together in ascended delight

And dance in the field of quantum vibrational love

As the weaving begins

Something cosmic is breaking through

Heart consciousness is anchored

The spark of genius is received

A path with potential is remembered

We embody it all, inviting Her in

Wait. Dare I let grace and beauty define this new path?

Am I bold enough to allow the deep, dark precipice

Of Her bleeding womb to inspire my soul?

Can I hold it all together in its rightful place?

Whole? Complete? Balanced? And aligned?

Yes. The sacred marriage begins

As the Divine Physician officiates and remodels

Back comes her strength tempered with compassion

Force returns softened with an ease of communion

Structure is restored as Grace does Her thing

The new marrow spills a peculiar essence of hope

As harmony activates a sweet song of connection

Trusting the mystery of a higher potential

She breaks through and bows in deep gratitude

Realigned, in reverence, she walks a new way

Art: Heart of Ether by Andre Ferrella – http://www.andreferrella.com/

The Missing Piece/Peace

October 9, 2015Leave a comment

A Halloween catalog came in the mail. I don’t usually look at catalogs but my husband suggested I would enjoy the fun and creative visual feast. I opened it and immediately spotted this image: “Rest in Pieces.” Instantly, I had one of those moments of recognition. It was as if a story of “unity and connection” had written itself, begging for my signature. I chuckled out loud and thought, “How perfect is that!?”

The play on words from “Rest in Peace” to “Rest in Pieces,” with the spooky, graveyard zombies, took my mind on a whimsical, yet contemplative, journey.

One definition of peace is personal. Inner peace, or peace of mind, refers to a mental calm, serenity, or tranquility. This peace is considered by many to be healthy homeostasis and generally associated with bliss and happiness as opposed to stress and anxiety. Another definition of peace is relational. It means a freedom from disturbance, disorder, dispute, or war. Peace is a sign of harmony and suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships.

Piece, on the other hand, refers to a portion of an object or something “not being whole.” What happens when we view ourselves, and our world, as “not being whole?”

Humanity has been “Resting in Pieces” for centuries. We have been living out a powerful and very destructive story of separation. In developing the ego, the self-reflective mind differentiates the self and creates an illusion of separation from the earth, nature, God/Spirit/Source, other humans, the cosmos, and the whole of creation. The mind compartmentalizes everything into pieces, including our body/mind/spirit. As a result, we have become obsessed with comparing, contrasting, and competing. This perpetuates an even greater sense of separation, stress and anxiety as we experience perennial failure – never measuring up or fitting in. Feeling incomplete, we find ourselves in an epic wandering, searching outside of ourselves for the missing piece/peace.

Relationally, seeing the world from the story of separation has left us feeling threatened and vulnerable. We have created myriad social forms – political, economic, spiritual, and so on, in an attempt to create order, a sense of belonging, and protect ourselves (from “them” – the other pieces of the whole). This worldview of separation has led to unhealthy boundaries, beliefs, judgment, and injustice. We have created greater disturbance and unrest by seeing the world through separation and fear. In the pursuit of power and dominance, we are destroying each other, our planet, and ourselves.

There is no peace when we rest in our pieces.

It is time to awaken and move into action. Let’s put our pieces back together and claim our authentic power through peace and connection. The power of peace comes from an integral lens, seeing Creation as one living, interdependent system. It’s time to tell a new story of love, integration and unity. We are essential pieces of an integrated whole. We are part of one living system. We are members of an interconnected universe. We have never really been separate. Remembering our wholeness, and seeing the world and ourselves in this way, moves us into greater health, harmony and yes, peace.

Peace be with you… and may we all rest in the awareness of our complete piece/peace.

Image: grandinroad

Gone With the Wind!

October 7, 2015Leave a comment

Gone With the Wind! Six Practices to Develop Inner Guidance

I was sitting in the car near the University of Illinois at Chicago, when I saw this cute young woman looking in the grass near the car as if she had lost a diamond ring. She kept getting really close to the ground and feeling around with her hands. She moved onto an asphalt parking lot, doing the same thing on her hands and knees. So I thought she must have been looking for something very small and valuable. When she came back near the car for the second time, I rolled down the window and asked her what she was looking for. She helplessly said, “MY GLASSES!” The wind was blowing so hard in Chicago that it literally blew them right off of her head and they went flying! The poor young woman could not see well enough to find them.

The winds were something terrible that sunny October day in the Windy City. The news reported sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and the unusual weather system produced gusts of up to 81 mph, snapping trees and power lines, ripping off roofs, and taking a helpless young woman’s glasses and launching them into the concrete abyss of the city. The strange weather system mesmerized meteorologists because of its size and because it’s barometric pressure was similar to a Category 3 hurricane. It mesmerized her and I as we joined forces to look for the glasses.

We looked for nearly 20 minutes along the whole city block and they were nowhere to be found. She had to leave to go tutor a student in the speech lab and sadly knew she couldn’t drive home without her glasses. Losing your glasses can be disabling. I decided to keep looking and told her I would put them under her windshield wiper if I found them. I found an empty cigarette lighter near where she lost the glasses and dropped it shoulder height to see which direction it would go. It sailed for 1/2 a city block before it rolled to a stop. I decided to head in that direction. I walked down to the next block and took a stick to move all the piles of leaves as I came across them. Surely, the glasses would have taken the same path of the leaves and the empty lighter. Nope.

After a diligent search, I went back to the car to finish writing the report I was working on. When she returned, she said she called her boyfriend for a ride since she couldn’t see to drive. With curious hope, we both decided to look again, one more time, while she was waiting for her boyfriend. We discussed how scratched up they would probably be if we did find them. I headed north, went across the street, and circled back with the leaves again. She went back to the asphalt parking lot with her limited vision and her hands reaching out to “feel” her way around. She found them! They were stuck in a chain link fence a half a block away from where they had launched. And, they were not scratched! She could see again, and could drive home with a funny true story to tell her family and friends.

I love this story. If that was me losing my glasses downtown in the big “Windy City,” I would have been in big trouble. Sometimes when the Spirit moves through our lives it can be like hurricane-force winds that leave us feeling helpless, disoriented, scared, and unable to clearly SEE our way. Yet, Spirit is always right there to guide and assist if we have faith and stay present. I had the better vision that day as we searched for the spectacles. However, she was the one led to find them with her limited vision, reaching hands, and blind faith.

A dictionary definition of blind faith is “belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination.” Blind faith isn’t necessarily blind when we understand how to tune into our inner, spiritual guidance and intuition. I like to say intuition is like seeing with your soul. The ability to trust this different way of knowing starts with the practice of mindfulness and present moment awareness. Listen with your soul. Breathe. Relax. Stay present. Look within. Be still. Welcome the mystery and learn to live in the questions. There are as many different expressions of intuition and guidance as there are individuals. And there are as many ways to learn an effective practice. One must find what feels resonant and develop commitment and discipline. Here are six simple practices you can start with:

1. Tune into your body sensations and “gut” reactions. Some people filter their intuitive guidance through physical sensations and the body. When you get a hunch, “Go with your gut.”

2. Tune into your heart, feelings and emotions. Some filter intuitive guidance through emotions and the qualitative experience of feeling. Open expansive feelings usually mean something different from that of constrictive narrowing. When tuning into your heart, you tune out the distractions of the rational, logical mind. What do you feel? “Follow your heart.”

3. Tune into the still small voice. Some discern spiritual guidance by developing and understanding the difference between egoic self-talk and the still small voice. Egoic self-talk usually comes from the place of fear, separation, self-preservation, competition, comparison and judgement. The still small voice of spirit guides from the place of unity, love and the greater good of the whole. Start with quiet prayer, meditation and contemplative practices. Be still and know.

4. Tune into signs and symbols. Some develop a sophisticated guidance language based in signs and symbols. When you live in the question, guidance appears on your path in a variety of ways. People, conversation, words, numbers, music, images, and symbols can present literally, and/or intuitively. Pay attention.

5. Tune into your dreams and visions. Some develop dependable guidance by harnessing the language of dreams and visions. Access to the subconscious and unconscious mind can occur when the conscious mind is quiet during sleep and meditation. Again, this is another language of signs, symbols, and emotions. Sweet dreams.

6. Tune into nature and animals. Some develop guidance through communion with nature and/or animals. Many patterns and possibilities exist in the natural world. If you feel called to nature, ground your practice in connection to the earth and natural world. Tune into plants and animals. Connect with your pets and pay attention to wild birds and animals. Become one with nature.

Universal intelligence is in all living things. Connect. Listen. Trust.

We are living in a time of expanded consciousness and amazing global shifts. We are stepping into the fullness of who we are and taking responsibility for our health and quality of life, discovering the resources we have within as we connect with Creator, creation, community, and our own divine essence. This is not an abstract idea, but a calling for all who are committed to practice unification. We are divine essence in human form becoming spiritual change agents in the world. Tune in and trust. Even gale-force winds may be a source of guidance for you.

A World of Love,

Julie

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Uniting in Love

October 5, 2015Leave a comment

Uniting in Love – Three Practices to Ignite Authentic Love

“All we need is love,” instructs John Lennon’s famous lyrics. The sentiment is incredibly moving today at this pivotal time in history. Love is a unifying force that can improve the quality of life on earth, ignite planetary healing, and create global oneness.

There are many definitions of love, but let’s discuss the universal, altruistic love that is shared by most faith-based organizations. Love is central to many religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions, as in the phrase, “God is Love.” Love is the ultimate grace and blessing where most do see eye to eye. This love is a divine link that can bind us together and potentially a redeeming force that can reconcile the hearts of humanity.

In the Bahá’í faith, love is the light that guides in the darkness, the living link that unites God with man, that force that assures the progress of every illumined soul. Bahá’í’s believe love reveals, with unfailing and limitless power, the mysteries latent in the universe.

The Dalai Lama said, “Love, compassion and tolerance are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” In Buddhism, love is unconditional and requires considerable self-acceptance. They believe this is quite different from “ordinary” love, which is usually about attachment and rarely occurs without self-interest. Instead, it refers to detachment and unselfish interest in the welfare of others.

In the Jewish tradition followers are encouraged to show mercy, love, and compassion to their brother and, as the Torah commands, love God “with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.” In the Christian faith, there are numerous references from “love your enemies” to the greatest commandment: love one another. It is said, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

Sufism explains the essence of God as love and the Sufi path is a path of love. Love is to see what is good and beautiful in everything. The aim is to be accepted as a lover by the Beloved God. Love encompasses the Islamic view of life as universal brotherhood that applies to all who hold faith.

Love can be considered an inter-faith, universal virtue. This magnificent and beautiful imperative is swelling and pulsing within the hearts of humanity. There is a collective awakening stirring within us and contributing to a global shift in consciousness. The conclusion? We are ONE. Therefore, love ONE another.

Listen to the beautifully crafted preamble of United Religions Initiative (URI): “We, people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions throughout the world, hereby establish the United Religions Initiative to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.” URI has created Cooperation Circles all around the world, who are transcending religious and cultural divisions to create inclusive, on-the-ground solutions to critical issues facing their communities and regions — at the top of the list: peace-building, global advocacy, youth, women and the environment. Their preamble goes on to echo, “We unite…”

“We unite…” Join hearts uniting around the world. From, and through, this inclusive love, start with yourself. This love is a critical key to healing the planet. Self-acceptance and unconditional love for oneself is foundational. They say you cannot love God or others completely without loving yourself first. In loving yourself completely, you will activate a healing resonance greater than yourself and prepare the way for all other love. Rumi wrote, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” Love yourself and you open the floodgates for universal, altruistic love to permeate every cell of your being and every corner of the universe. You pave the way to “Love your enemies.”

PRACTICE HEART COHERENCE: There’s a visceral yearning inside each of us to love. Take a few minutes everyday and focus on universal love with the intention of increasing your electromagnetic field of love. Breathe into your heart and allow it to expand… open… and guide you. Direct your attention to your heart and rest in the awareness of universal LOVE. Try this Quick Coherence Technique from HeartMath:

PRACTICE LOVING KINDNESS: Next, imagine sending love to your loved ones, neighbors, community, and expand this field of love to all beings on our planet. Include all races, religions, and those different from you. And, yes, include any “enemies” you may have. This powerful intention will assist you to embody universal love. And, there’s another benefit to this practice: all sacred wisdom and guidance comes from this place! You are strengthening your soul’s navigation system. Here’s a beautiful Loving Kindness Metta Meditation by Sharon Salzberg:

https://youtu.be/W3uLqt69VyI

PRACTICE EXPRESSING YOUR DIVINITY: Imagine loving with so much exuberance and heart that it spills out from within. It’s easy when we think about someone we love, a baby, a pet, or the beauty we experience in nature, art, music, etc.. Developing this kind of practice starts by aligning with our soul’s expression. Attune to your own sense of divinity. Stabilize the essential self and learn to express from this place with every thought, word, and deed. When live life as an expression of your higher self, you begin moving at the speed of guidance and co-creating in the resonance of love.

“All we need is love!” This day, right here, right now, allow your heart to embrace this world with all its amazing beauty, diversity, and need. We are called to deeply love those who are different from ourselves. It’s time to break down the walls that divide us, love one another, and BE in the heart of God. Kahlil Gibran, writes:

When you love you should not say,

“God is in my heart,” but rather, “I am in the heart of God.”

Come join in the co-creative path of love… I’ll meet you in the heart of God where we will unite and ignite loving peace on earth!

A World of Love,

Julie

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October 2015

Gone With the Wind! Six Practices to Develop Inner Guidance

Uniting in Love – Three Practices to Ignite Authentic Love