Does your closet sometimes get so full that you have trouble locating what you would like to wear? This happens to me more often than I care to admit. An overflowing closet might be exciting if everything in it were something I actually wanted to wear. But no, many of the items just take up space making it difficult to find what I am looking for.
A closet is not unlike the human mind. Like a mind, it stores necessary things as well as those that are no longer useful. Even when not conscious of the items held there, they sit, waiting, taking up space. And like a closet, the mind is unlikely to relinquish the things it holds unless there is a conscious the choice to let them go. We often hold thoughts and ideas about ourselves, about others, and about the world that are no longer useful, that in fact, cause so much crowding in our consciousness that little space remains for the creative thoughts that would cause us to thrive.
Think about that old tattered shirt in your closet. It’s there every time you open the door. You know the one; the one you push out of the way over and over again trying to find something more appealing. You know you would rather wash an entire load of clothes than wear it, yet there it hangs, taking up space, mocking your inability to surrender it to the giveaway bag. What thought, idea, or belief is lingering in your consciousness taking up space like that tattered old shirt? What belief about yourself is filling your consciousness day and night leaving little room for the peace and joy you seek?
If you are seeking joy, but holding thoughts of anger, fear, guilt, remorse, or regret, there is little room for joy to seep in. There is of course nothing wrong with having these thoughts or feelings. They are a part of our human experience and often helpful in defining ourselves. But holding onto them until they become a tattered memory squeezing out the joy we seek is counterproductive to a life that thrives. You are intended to thrive. You are intended to experience joy. You were meant to “be fruitful and multiply.”
Whatever that thought is, you really don’t need it anymore. You know you don’t. Take it out of there right now. Take a good look at it and realize it does not define you. It is not who and what you are. It is just some fleeting idea that crossed your mind one day and decided to settle there. Let it go. Drop it in the giveaway bin or set it on the porch and call the universe to come and pick it up. You haven’t needed it in years.
And now quickly, before it wanders back in there, replace it with something else – perhaps its absolute opposite. It might feel strange at first, but over time the new thought will become a comfortable part of your attire.
© 2019. Eileen Patra
When I REMEMBER I become one with what may seem to have come apart. In the greater picture, nothing is ever disconnected, but in my mind or perception something may appear that way. I may feel disconnected from my spiritual nature. I may have lost touch with cherished memories. I may have lost touch with friends or loved ones by a move, a change of workplace, a conflict, or their transition from the physical realm. Whatever the cause, I have the ability to REMEMBER and draw the essence of that relationship into my conscious awareness. I can REMEMBER the sweetness of the first meeting with a beloved spouse. I can REMEMBER the first moment I held my precious child in my arms. I can REMEMBER the great joy of a childhood friendship. And in that moment, I reconnect. I experience oneness once again with what seemed lost, separate or grown apart. I once again feel the great gift of connection. And, I can REMEMBER that I am one with all beings; one with the Source of all things, one with the Allness of God. And in that holy instant I am REMEMBERED; all parts once again whole. In that moment I know that all members, all parts of the whole, all moments in time, all feelings, qualities and blessings are forever one in the mind and heart of God and I am enormously blessed and instantly made whole.
DEW, the moisture that appears on the grass and plants in the early morning hours is a mystery to me; a miracle in a sense. I know I can look up the process and find details about condensation and heat and humidity and such, but still the appearance of DEW in the morning has a magical quality. Where there was no moisture before, it suddenly appears. DEW provides much needed moisture to the grass, the plants and the insect world, appearing when all was dry just moments before. In life, there are miracles like the appearance of DEW all around us every day; the phone call from a friend when we were feeling lonely; the traffic that keeps us from the 10-car collision down the road; the smile of a baby in the grocery store line that reminds us of the joy and amazement of life just when we needed it. Like DEW, these things appear miraculously and satisfy our thirst for connection, safety and harmony. Where there was darkness moments ago, there is suddenly Light and what was dry and thirsting is quenched.
PAINT is a magical, miraculous substance capable of changing the color of an object. A vast variety of pigments and tints can be added to this liquid substance to create a coating of the desired color and hue. Easily changed or even removed in its liquid state, PAINT becomes fixed when it dries. Metaphysically, PAINT represents the thoughts and energy we project into our world and our experiences. We can PAINT our thoughts or experiences in the color or hue of our choosing. We can choose a color that vibrates with joy and harmony. Or, we can choose a color that constricts or vibrates with fear or anger. Thoughts and energies held for long periods of time become fixed and require one or more coats of a new color, or new thoughts. If I have been holding thoughts of fear or anger for a long period of time, it may require numerous affirmative thoughts to change the picture I have allowed to become fixed in my mind. Today, I paint a miracle. I paint the world with shades of Love, Healing, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Faith and Joy and they become fixed in my mind and in my life.
SMILES. What else needs to be said? A SMILE is a miracle. A simple facial gesture that speaks volumes without uttering a word. It conveys happiness, joy, love, connection, approval, acceptance, delight, recognition and so much more. The SMILE of a sleeping infant warms the heart like nothing else. We watch and wonder what image floats across the mind of this tiny, helpless being that causes it to SMILE. The SMILE of a loved one lets us know they are happy and this brings us joy. The SMILE of a stranger can brighten an otherwise gloomy day. When we SMILE, we project an energy of love, creating a stream of good that lifts us and those around us to a higher vibration. SMILE and make a miracle right now.
MELANCHOLY may seem unlike a miracle. Yet MELANCHOLY is an aspect of our miraculous ability to transcend time and space. When I feel MELANCHOLY I am visiting some point in the past that brought me joy or peace. Perhaps that feeling of MELANCHOLY is a deep desire to return to a simpler time or a time when those who no longer inhabit the physical realm were still by my side. While this may seem sad, it is in Truth the desire of my soul to re-experience something. It is an inner stirring calling me to something greater. It is a stirring that calls me to bring the joys, and imprints of past relationships to new endeavors. It is a call to live the gifts of those who have transcended, to do them honor by giving life to what they may have shared with me. It is a desire to recall the playfulness of childhood and reenact it in this now moment. MELANCHOLY is a miracle that calls me to the NOW moment in a very special way.
Eileen Patra 