‘Love and Light’ — What Does it Mean?

What is Meant by the Saying Love and Light?

This is an interesting conundrum.  It is a saying that has become a standard greeting in the spiritual community but what exactly does it mean?

“Where there is love there is life”  — Mahatma Gandhi

Divine You Book by Cherie Roe Dirksen

I touched on this adage in my book Divine You — Redefining Love in the New Earth but never really found a satisfactory answer.  But, hang on, do I see a light at the end of this tunnel?

I was listening to Deepak Chopra (click here to see which one of his books TOTALLY changed my perspective of success forever!) the other day and he was discussing light in the context of photosynthesis.

Science and Light

Can you believe it, science rearing its technical head in a spiritual blog?  Actually, the bridge between spirituality and science is closing in rapidly.

Let’s put this simply because I don’t want your attention to wane: Light creates form.  There you go, in a nutshell!

Ha, but what does this have to do with spirituality?

Everything!

Unity in DiversityWe are spirit having a human or ‘material’ experience.  We are incarnate — in form in a dimension that requires atoms (which are pretty much free-floating molecules) to coagulate into matter to make up ‘stuff’ (I know, my scientific prowess is amazing — I’m surprised New Science magazine hasn’t lassoed me to write for their journal yet).

Suffice to say that we need this ‘stuff’, or, more eloquently, solid matter to navigate this third dimension of physical, tangible reality.

Okay, now I know you’re an intelligent bunch so you’re still with me…

The sun’s rays are transported to Earth through the ether and provides organisms with light energy which they convert into chemical energy — a process otherwise known as photosynthesis.

Even the word ‘photosynthesis’ is profound — it is derived from the Greek photo-, “light”, and synthesis, “putting together”.

Without light, plants won’t grow and without plants, herbivores would die and without herbivores, then carnivores and omnivores die — you get the picture.

Are you beginning to put things together here?  Light = putting together.

Right, so Where is Love in all of This?

Love — although it can’t be proven in a laboratory — is the glue that binds existence together for us spiritual beings.  It’s what makes life interesting and adds to our staying power here.

Without love, what would be the point, right?

Ergo, in my humble opinion, love is what keeps us on this planet.  It is what holds the form together, the egg to our cake — the binding ingredient of all biological life.

So light provides us with form and love keeps us in form — interesting, huh?

Let’s Put this Together, Shall We?

What does love and light mean

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In conclusion to this verbiage, I’d like to sum this up by adding; there is another wise saying in spiritual circles — Namaste — which means ‘I bow to the God in you’ — it’s beautiful and shows respect.

It is a recognition of the divine spark or aspect of the creator/God/source within another.

However, of late, we have this new ‘greeting’ to contend with, ‘love and light’. It can either send a shiver of contempt down your spine or fill you with good vibes.

I know that for some the former is true…it may irritate more than invoke feelings of euphoria — hell, it can irritate me sometimes too — especially when you wonder if the person whimsically tossing it about actually grasps the meaning of it or if they just like to poop candyfloss — but, eh, whatever floats your boat.

Now, hopefully, you can say or interpret this with some relevant meaning (as per the above discussion) aka ‘may you be held lovingly in good form’ (or something to that  waffling effect).

What’s your take on this adage?  Do you use it?  Does it get your heckles up?  What does it mean to you?

Original article was written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Lightworkers World but adapted for use here.

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7 Ways to Tame the Ego and Become Instantly Likeable

 “If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the 
internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need 
to be approved, and the need to judge.” ~ Deepak Chopra

What is the Ego?

I remember having a conversation with someone once, we were talking about Eckhart Tolle and the ego identification.  The lady I was talking to piped up and said, ‘well, I don’t have an ego’.

“Do you get that an ego is the identification you have with your self and who you are, what you do and how others perceive you?”

Let me make this perfectly clear:  Everybody has an ego!  Here is the dictionary definition of this fruity little word:

e·go – 

  1. the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.
  2. the part of you that reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment.
  3. egotism; conceit; self-importance.
  4. self-esteem or self-image; feelings.
  5. the enduring and conscious element that knows experience.

Aligning with Your Awareness of Ego

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Are you a prancing show-pony or a shrinking violet?  Either one has an imbalanced sense of self.

Now that we have cleared up the myth of the ego being only a no. 3 definition of the strutting peacock itching to get recognition and praise, we can move on to ways of coping with your ego.

“Ego is the biggest enemy of humans” ~ Rig Veda

Do you get that an ego is the identification you have with your self and who you are, what you do and how others perceive you?

So even someone who is timid and an introvert has a problem with ego identification.  It is just in reverse but the principle remains.  When you feel yourself either inferior or superior to others — you have ego issues.

Disidentifying With the Ego

The ego is an inseparable part of you, it is not the enemy.  It is how you let your ego use you that can be detrimental to the quality of your life.

“Masters know when to speak, when to be silent and when their words will be like farting against thunder.”

I am, in no way, saying that the ego needs suppression or containment, just proper management and understanding — it’s as simple as that.  Your ego identification is an integral part of you, and like the universal concept that we are both yin and yang/light and dark, you need it.  You are a unique individual with irrevocable personality traits in your toolkit — this is the part of ego that can be embraced.  The key is to see this beautiful quality in every other soul.

Here is the pitfall of the ego — it wants to be separate from the whole, better than the rest and put itself somewhere untouchable.  This is the downfall of our current society, it is a separatist theory that pits people against each other and keeps them in an ‘us against them’ mental construct.

This is the dangerous element of the ego — the total takeover and manipulation of the authentic self.  Unfortunately, most of our worlds cultures are primarily caught up in the subconscious identification of the ego.

So how can you disconnect and tame your ego?

Let’s Spring Clean this Concept

There are 7 fundamental principles to keeping your ego in check.  Let’s explore them now:

  • Water Off a Ducks Back — do not take things
    personally.  When you do, you are subconsciously (or consciously) in agreement with whatever you have taken offense at.  This can leave you in constant need for validation from external sources which is the need of the ego.  Be at peace with what other people think of you, even if it is not congruent with how you see yourself.  You are never going to have universal appeal, there will always be someone out there who doesn’t like you — get over it now and save yourself any future distress.  Acceptance of what is is key.  For more about this in-depth trait, click here: Do You Take Things Personally?
  • Think Before You Speak — honour the power of your words and you will honour not only others but your sense of self.  Choose your words wisely.  You will be in control instead of having a hurtful motor-mouth.  People will pick up on this and return it in kind.  Practicing the integrity of your words will result in a better quality of life for yourself and those with whom you interact.
  • Hold Your Tongue — the ego loves to make itself right.  A common trap to fall into is trying to make someone else see that you are right. Really?  Is it that important for you to force someone to see life through your eyes and perceptions?
    No, that is your ego trying to justify itself.  Masters know when to speak, when to be silent and when their words will be like farting against thunder.  Control over your mouth is like having control over your sphincter muscle at a dinner party.  Exercise it and you will notice how easy it becomes to have total control of outbursts or having to explain yourself constantly. The best book I ever read about learning to be impeccable with your words is ‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz (a must have for your spiritual library).
  • Don’t Buy into the Labels — get in touch with who you really are and reconnect
    to your source or core being.  Look past the labels and identifications that society plasters you with.  You are not your profession, you are not the role you play in your family or community.  You are a special individual spark of the Divine that is nameless and authentic.  Get to grips with that through meditation (click here for an article about 5 Easy Steps to Meditating).
  • Quit Comparisons — learn to be comfortable in your own skin.  There is no-one in the world like you — from your individual fingerprints to all the exclusive experiences your soul has accumulated.  Comparing yourself to others is another trick of the ego — don’t fall for it.  Fall in love with yourself (read an article about this HERE).
  • Count Your Blessings — instead of complaining about all the things that are wrong with your physical appearance and situation, try to see all the positive
    aspects of your life and body.
  • See Divinity En-Masse — don’t try to elevate yourself above or bury yourself below others.  You are part of a collective consciousness of Divine souls here on Earth.  See the divinity in yourself and see it in others too.  The ego won’t be able to do this.  If you are finding resistance, you need to go into why you can’t accept that your fellow human beings are just as much a part of God as you are.  To see the internal beauty in another will put you on a level playing field instead of comparing yourself and others and passing dangerous judgments.

Why Will This Guarantee My Success?

How to Train Your Dragon of an Ego by Cherie Roe Dirksen

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When you tame the ego, you are paving the way for smooth and easy life flow.  You relinquish judgments, comparisons and the need to be or feel superior.  This is a frequency that you will project and I guarantee that people will be attracted to you.  People standing in their truth and integrity are like moths to a flame — be it in your personal or professional life.

Your ego won’t go away but you can have control over it instead of it running amuck with you.

When you do have control, you will never feel the need for superiority nor inferiority to any one else.  You simply are — a state of grace, least resistance and an inner knowing of peace.  Now isn’t that something worth going after?

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7 Proven Tactics to Spread Joy Around the World

7 ways to spread joyDoes it not feel wonderful to be the catalyst that activates the pay it forward system?  What is paying it forward?  For those of you who don’t know — it is when you perform an act of kindheartedness with no need for reward, the receiver of that action then pays it forward to someone else.

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” 
― Rumi

This creates a cycle of goodwill that can, hopefully, snowball — spreading out into the world at large.

Do you feel like starting an avalanche of joy today?

How Can I Be of Service?

Here is a simple list of things that you can start to incorporate into your every day life, scattering those seeds of love and bliss.  I guarantee that the pay-off will be huge — just watch how you start affecting people’s lives.

  • Smile at people — especially the ones that look grumpy.  They are the very ones who probably need your beam of sunlight more than anything!

  • Hug people
    — most people are tactile and appreciate some physical contact.  It could mean the world of difference to them if you hugged them instead of just standing there like a great lump!
  • Genuine compliments — don’t hold back on this one but don’t force it either.  There are so many times when we think something nice about a person but never actually open our mouths to voice it.  Just one little spoken observation could make someone’s day.
  • Practice kindness — be gentle and giving in all you do.  Don’t only reserve yourself for friends and family.  Treat everyone you meet as If you were long-lost buddies. Do this with animals too; they just thrive on unconditional love.
  • Be impeccable with your word — think before you speak.  Try to filter out your blurbs.  Sometimes we say too much or let slip hurtful things that we can’t retract, so be mindful of your dialogue at all times.  People will notice this and want the same quality.
  • Thoughtfulness — bring tokens of love and gratitude whenever you visit or bump into someone.  I learnt this from Deepak Chopra.  He said that this can be in the form of a silent prayer or blessing, a bunch of hand-picked flowers or a poem.  It needn’t cost anything but the thought.  People really do appreciate your consideration.
  • Greet – always try to say a cheerful ‘hello’ to passers-by, shop assistants or anyone who catches your eye.  This is a simple yet effective practice that works because you are acknowledging their existence.

Acknowledgement — ‘I See You’

I would like to share a story with you.  I was walking in the streets of Cape Town when asub button homeless man on a bench asked me for some change.

I stopped and started looking in my bag for some money.  While I was scouring my untidy bag for loose coins he started to mumble something like ‘sorry for wasting my time’ to which I replied that he could never waste my time.

He looked quite startled at this and said that I had got him wrong, he had actually said that most people tell him that he is wasting their time and was really thankful that I had even stopped to talk to him, let alone give him money.

I did manage to fish out a few coins for him, as I handed it over I apologized as it wasn’t much.  To this he replied, ‘it is not the money that has made my day, it is the fact that you even stopped to acknowledge my presence.’  I held back a bit to talk with him and he said something else that I found remarkable but understood him completely.


Don’t Judge a Book by it’s Cover

He said that he was not ‘this’ as he pointed to his disheveled clothes — referring that he was not a vagrant. 

He said that he was a soul on a journey, just like everyone else, and he has chosen this path to learn something that he still needs to figure out.  I found this man to be a truly courageous and enlightened human being who taught me something very valuable that day. 

Do not pass anyone by, make sure that the very least you give is your attention — this can be their gold nugget.

*Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Purpose Fairy — to read the original article click here and here for the second part.

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New Beginnings…Building up an Art Collection from Scratch

Faith Repaid

A couple of weeks ago I had a buyer who practically cleaned out my stock of paintings.  This was great as I was still trying to source funds for a trip to Egypt I had already booked.  My theory behind booking the holiday before I had the funds was:

  1. I am using the Law of Attraction and you must have faith that what you need is on its way
  2. I will procrastinate about going for the rest of my life if I didn’t make a move NOW
  3. I had finally convinced my husband that we NEEDED to go (lol) after many years of begging and never being able to be on the same page about this particular destination.  He had a bad experience going through Cairo on his way to Israel many years ago.  So, again, I felt the time for action had finally reared its persistent head.

Manifestation Elation

Right, so with all that said, I licensed some of my art to a home goods chain store in the US and sold most of my art collection after I had put my trust in the manifestation of the money process and had gone ahead and booked the holiday.  Fancy that?!

Now What?

Now here I sit.  My site where I sell my work is looking very bleak at the moment and I am pressed for time with mustering up another collection as my trip is literally around the corner and the paperwork is still being processed, which leaves me anxious about wrapping up the details.

A New Perspective

But then my dear partner pointed out that this is a whole new beginning for me — a clean slate to start afresh.

“I know about the law of least effort (thanks to Deepak Chopra) and I am applying it to my life.”

No matter how long it takes to build this up again, I get the chance to truly go further into what I want to paint and how long I take doing it is entirely up to me.  There should be no pressure with the creative process, only enjoyment and true expression of what needs to come out and manifest in this reality.

So with that in mind, I will be starting this new adventure by going out into the big wide world and seeking the beauty and inspiration I need to get this new collection on the go.

The ‘old’ me would be frantically running around like a headless chicken trying to paint and build up some stock but the ‘new’ me knows better.  I know about the law of least effort (thanks to Deepak Chopra) and I am applying it to my life.  I have given myself no time limits and will now let it flow naturally…

I promise to document the process, so look out for this in my Tuesday Art Blog.

Thanks for looking!

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What is Abundance and How Do I Get It?

Now Don’t Just Think of Money!

When we think of the word abundance most of us jump straight to material wealth.  However, abundance, like the word ‘wealth’, does not only mean physical treasures.

Wealth can be measured by your physical wealth or health.  Without your health you could be the richest person in the world and it would mean nothing.

“…the umbrella of wealth covers so much more than money.”

Wealth can also refer to your mental frame of mind, as in the case with health, if you are mentally ill all the gold in the world won’t help you.

Having meaningful relationships, whether romantic or otherwise is of great importance.  In other words, you have a lot of money but no-one to share it with – not much fun either!

“…you could be the poorest or the richest person in the world and still suffer a huge amount of pain if you feel that everything is worthless and your life has no meaning. “

Then there is of course the financial wealth which we all think will solve our problems but as you can see from the list above, this is not always the case.  Of course, it is wonderful to have no money worries and to be able to buy anything you desire or go any place in the world or just to have enough to pay the bills – I am not denying that.  But the umbrella of wealth covers so much more than money.

The most important of all is the wealth of spirit.  Without this you will be searching your whole life for meaning to it all and you could be the poorest or the richest person in the world and still suffer a huge amount of pain if you feel that everything is worthless and your life has no meaning.

The Distortion of Wealth 

Unfortunately, through most media outlets we are being pumped with the need for greed.  This is another clever ploy by the ‘elite’ to keep us in a cycle of want and ‘tunnel vision’.

“We are being manipulated on a massive scale to keep us from seeing certain truths about our reality.”

Be very careful of the need for riches and try to assess why you want all that money anyway.  Always try to see the root of the desire and be mindful and appreciative of the trees in the forest instead of not seeing the forest for the trees.

We are being manipulated on a massive scale to keep us from seeing certain truths about our reality.  This is being done to keep our minds preoccupied with meaningless pursuit.  This is what I mean by being ‘mindful’ of your desires.  Are they really yours?  Or are you having the wool pulled over your eyes?  So be clear about what you want and why you want it.

How Can I Feel Abundant When I Have Nothing? 

A good starting place, to manifest your dreams, is to start with being grateful for what you do have.   That which you consider being of wealth to you.  This could be having a close family or a special talent or even the fact that you have a roof over your head and food in the fridge.

To be continued…CLICK HERE for part 2

Thursdays Blog will look at the importance of gratitude in receiving true abundance.  To follow my blog, please click the ‘follow’ button in the right-hand sidebar.

The above article has been an extract from my latest book ‘Divine You — Redefining Love in the New Earth’ which is available now through all good bookstores.

Here is another article, about abundance, that I found helpful from the Deepak Chopra Center Blog —

Are You Ready for Abundance? A Letter from David Simon, M.D. – The Chopra Center Blog.

Photo credit:  “Green Dollar” by Scott Chan

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Do You Lack Self-Worth When it Comes to Creativity?

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“It may help to remember that in the cosmic design, pain is neutral. In the physical world, pain motivates us negatively, while pleasure motivates us positively. True freedom is letting go of our attachment to both. The best way to begin this process is developing a state of witness consciousness through practices such as meditation and mindful awareness.” ~ D. Chopra

This extract was taken out of the latest Deepak Chopra blog, please click on the link below to read the full article — it is definitely worth the read:

Balance. Heal. Transform. The Chopra Center Blog.

Hitting the Nail on the Head

I think that Dr Chopra really hit the nail on the head with the statement above.  It is, synchronistically, a topic that I was just trying to convey to a friend of mine.

It is quite difficult to explain that one needs to disengage or detach from any perception of good or bad, that there only is.

Your mind has been trained to mentally label things or situations as either positive or negative.  We can choose to view anything, as was mentioned in the above quotation, as a conscious witness.  This means detaching from judgment and the need to apply a label.

“…any past trauma or early childhood inhibition could seriously stop you from trying a new venture.”

When you commit to any creative endeavour, one must clear the path, so to speak, of any loose debris that might be clouding your way.  For instance, any past trauma or early childhood inhibition could seriously stop you from trying a new venture.

Do you feel unworthy?

The Self Worth Issue

Let me cut through all the BS and get straight down to the brass tacks here.  Everyone is worthy.  If you are not feeling self-worth then you have probably set yourself up with a life lesson(s) to experience this feeling.

“This means that you take responsibility for agreeing to whatever or whoever made you feel unworthy.”

Your job is to identify where, in your past, you first agreed to take on this role.  This means that you take responsibility for agreeing to whatever or whoever made you feel unworthy (please read The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz for more about this very important subject of the agreements we make and how it affects our lives).

This may sound harsh but we must get real now or face the consequences of always feeling victimized.  When you carry a victim mentality you will never feel that you can be self-empowered.

It Takes 2 to Tango

So, the first step is to take responsibility for your choices.  And please do this with compassion for yourself and for whomever else may be involved.  When we agree to take on a lesson, it usually takes two souls to tango.

“…it is so important for us to be able to forgive and to not judge.”

This means that there is usually a ‘bad guy’ (or gal) but if we could view this from a perspective that is beyond the veil of our current reality, we may find that the ‘bad guy’ is posing as such to help us fulfill a soul lesson on the deepest of levels.  This is why it is so important for us to be able to forgive and to not judge.

When we are able to see, with clarity, the root point at which the conflict took place, we are able to glean the necessary teaching from it.  When we are able to do this, we are able to forgive and move on in our lives.

Where has this teaching or lesson taken you?

What have you learnt from it?

Can you agree to accept the lesson with gratitude and move on?

Letting Go to Move On

If you can truly let go of a past trauma, you will feel the absolute liberation of taking back your power.  When you accept responsibility for your actions and choices, you become self-empowered, knowing that nothing in this Universe happens by chance — you are at the very heart of every experience you have chosen.

Now to the Creativity Part…

When you commit to a creative project, whether it be in music, writing, art or any other form of creative expression, it is important to be grounded in your integrity.

“This is why it is important to face your demons and start a creative endeavour with a clean slate.”

If you are, say for instance, writing from a place of knowledge but lack the wisdom for which you write, you are lacking a certain portion of integrity.  In other words, if you want to write about something that you know a lot about but have not actually experienced or passed the learning thereof, you are not coming from a place of true integrity.  This is why it is important to face your demons and start a creative endeavour with a clean slate.

You can of course start anything without doing the groundwork but your success is usually stunted when you know you are not acting from true source.  If you believe in yourself 100% there is nothing that will get in your way of true creativity or success.

To kick-start this day off, I am offering subscribers a FREE PDF copy of ‘Creative Expression — How to find Your Inspiration’ (CLICK HERE).

How to find your inspiration…copy of my book ‘Creative Expression — How to find your inspiration…’ HERE (or click on the book cover).  Subscription to the site is 100% free, no hidden agendas — I only wish to share this book with you.

If you would like to order the paperback version of this book, you can do that HERE.