There is a pull from deep within, that’s often unexplainable and makes me nervous to share aloud.

It’s the feeling every time I pick up a book on spirituality, learn more about a Holy Book, or different ways to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.

It’s the feeling I get in the pit of my stomach and the center of my soul, that feeling of exploration-to further uncover that which I know is my True Self.

It’s the feeling I get when I visit the Abbey.

It’s the feeling I get when picturing what living at an Ashram would be like.

It’s the feeling I get when I journal.

It’s the feeling I get when I blog.

It’s the feeling I get when I meditate.

It’s the feeling I get when I practice Yoga.

It’s the feeling I get when I read Hafiz, Rumi, Deepak, Erich Schiffmann, and many more.

It’s the feeling when I have deep conversations with my dearest Jana Fleming or attend her retreats.

It’s the feeling I get when I walk into a health food store.

It’s the feeling I get when I smell insence.

It’s the feeling I get when I listen to Wayne Dyer or Oprah’s spirituality series on podcast.

It’s the feeling I get when I share with someone a tool that could help them.

It’s the feeling I get when I dig my toes in the earth, touch a tree, or smell a flower.

It’s the feeling I get when I look up at the stars, see the sun set and moon rise.

It’s the feeling I get when I see Tibetan prayer flags waving in the air.

It’s the feeling I get when I’m at a Kirtan.

It’s the feeling I get when I see, hear or read anything in Sanskrit.

It’s the feeling I get when Skylar brings me random feathers-that seem to be all around us ALL the time. (angels)

It’s the feeling I get when I wake up and find it hard to work but would rather read all day.

It’s the feeling I get when I want to be in silence with no technology clouding my world.

It’s the feeling I get when I am at church.  (Unitarian Universalist-my spiritual home, THEY ROCK, just sayin)

It’s the feeling I get more and more each day…it’s exciting yet scary.

So at this point in my life it’s just about finding some sort of balance…seeking more of that feeling without negating my “householder life” as Deepak calls it.

Love the journey.

~~~Om Shanti~~~

Sweet Spot of the Soul

From within lies that sweet spot
The internal point of dependable reference
That allows us to know, and know for sure.

The alter of our spiritual life
Where we don’t need feathers, crystals, or incense.

For this is an eternal flame
That connects us to something greater than ourselves
That’s bigger and brighter than anything abound.

Our heart song needs no strings or fancy voice
For this place within shouts the glory of all that’s inside and outside.

Sharla Patrick

Where Have You Been?

When I wasn’t looking there you were.

When I wanted nothing to do with you, patiently you waited.

When I denied you, you stayed steadfast.

And then one night the soot of life faded away.

There standing bright, I felt you for the first time.

With a smile on your face and warm embrace.

Your open arms cradled me like a baby.

Rocking back and forth a familiarity hit me,

This place was home, it never went away

Only clouds of darkness hid the beauty and grace for so long.

But now I see, now I feel, now I know you were there all along,

I was just too asleep and blind to realize you.

Tonight has been an amazing one with my daughter.  She asked if we could watch a movie and snuggle-how could I say no to that.  I put down my work, turned the movie on and cuddled under many blankets on the couch.

Skylar picked out the movie, she’d actually watched it before apparently and she said it was great.  She kept talking about how this robot was the sweetest robot ever and the girl didn’t like him, even though the robot did everything for the girl.  I was fascinated at her liking to a movie about a robot (this wasn’t a cartoon mind you).

We shared many laughs tonight and a cry or two during this movie…precious moments I absolutely am thankful for…but in watching I was moved to write something that seem to just pour out of me.

This was inspired by Andrew in the movie, “Bicentennial Man” (played by the amazing actor-Robin Williams).

Heaven on Earth

There comes a moment in time,
or maybe there is no time at all,
or is it time just fades away if only for a brief moment.

When two become one,
no more boundaries that separate,
there are no walls, no judgments, and no ill will.

Only the pure ecstatic joy of heaven in the now.
Words cannot explain the bliss that fills from the inside out.
Wishing it would last forever,
time passes and shortly there after we are left breathless,
bewildered of the short journey,
that gives us if only a taste of what all eternity is like.

Sharla Patrick  Oct 2010

]]> http://sharlapatrick.com/heaven-earth/feed/ 4 http://sharlapatrick.com/notes-heart/ http://sharlapatrick.com/notes-heart/#comments Thu, 21 Oct 2010 01:51:11 +0000 Sharla http://sharlapatrick.com/?p=967

Notes in The Heart

It’s almost as if it snuck up on me.

I didn’t expect it at all.

I thought I was just sitting and listening to music.

Not expecting each note to drift into my ear and proceed to vibrate my entire being.

With the movement that seemed to dissolve so deep into each cell of my body

Came an everylasting pure estatic joy iminating from the depths of my heart

This knowingness from deep within recognizes my True Form

Beauty, Bliss, Harmony, Creativeness, Love, Joy, Harmony Reside

No room for anything else

The Bright Light Burns Etnernally

The Divine in Me Sees and Recognizes the Divine in You.

Namaste.

~Sharla Patrick~

Brought to Tears

As I write this I have tears in my eyes after watching a simple short video, not even 4 minutes long of an old high school acquaintance climb this amazing, stunning even, snow covered mountain with her husband.  Their faces were filled with pure joy as they reached the peak and could see the entire world it seemed from up that far.

As I watched this video I took myself there, to talk in their shoes, to feel the open air on my face, to breathe the crisp air into my lungs and bask in the beauty of mother earth all around me.  I felt free, I felt wonderful, I felt refreshed, rejuvenated and nourished by nature moving through me.

Not even being there in “real” life I was able to mentally take myself to that place in that exact moment and feel nothing but FREEDOM.

So often I feel trapped, that the world around me can close in hard and fast with no where to turn, when really that’s so not the truth but only a deception of life that I have total control over.

Perceptions of Life

It’s so much easier to walk around with an entitlement attitude, that the world around us, that people around us-owe us something.  That it’s not our job to make ourselves happy or find freedom…

It takes energy, will power, determination and a conscious mind to change that perception of entitlement to a mindset of personal responsibility.

For me my soul is yearning right now to feel freedom, space, love and peace in all that surrounds me…even when there is turmoil my knee jerk reaction is to defend, to perceive that someone or something should act a certain way-when really I have no control over anyone but myself and my own thoughts.  I have to take responsibility for my own life in finding the eternal freedom, because it’s already there…it’s really just a process of uncovering the “muck” of life that’s clouded what the soul contains from birth.

“The amount of happiness that you have depends on the
amount of freedom you have in your heart.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Going Within and Without

Freedom to some is living with lots of money, big houses, fancy cars…to me freedom is that place I find every now and again within me when I feel connected to something that’s so much bigger than me-to Source.

That connection is always there, all the time…for me it’s just a matter of fine tuning my life, my soul, my mind to feel that connection more and more.

I can go into my eternal seat of wisdom, into my heart and feel the purse essence of love and joy, total freedom-so I know it’s there.  I find that the more simply I live and clear my life of materialistic things, I go “without” I actually have more of the feeling I crave so much.

I love going within to find more than I ever could on the outside.

We Have Everything We Need to Fulfill Our Hearts Desires

As I close out this post for today, I have to remind myself that even in my darkest hours, in trials and tribulations that I may face that I have EVERYTHING I EVER NEED to BE WHOLE, to live a FULL and PROSPORUS LIFE.  That boiling within me is a strong, vibrant, beautiful woman who can accomplish everything and nothing and I’m still a Divine Child of the Universe without question.

That this journey I’m on is nothing more than a huge university and my job is to learn what I can, while I can in this carnation and enjoy every moment of it.  That FREEDOM isn’t free there is a price to “pay” of taking full responsibility not blaming others outside of me for taking me away from  freedom.

NAMASTE

(The Divine Light in Me, Sees and Honors the Divine Light in You)

10 Ways to Stay Spiritually Connected

By: Marianne Williamson
Via Oprah Magazine May Edition

Weather you practice traditional religion or relate to a more universal spirituality, these steps will help you tap into a sense of unlimited pease:

1.  Recognize your creator. Think on this: There is a supreme power in the universe that is bigger and more powerful than your small mortal self.  This steps makes you humble.

2.  See opportunities to put more love into the world. Strive to be a vessel of love, to fill the world with more compassion and kindness.  This step makes you loving and lovable.

3.  Set aside time each day to spend in spiritual reflection and contemplation. Dwell in the presence of the divine: Your path may be to pray, meditate, read spiritual material, take a long walk through nature-or all of the above-but an optimum practice includes both morning and evening sessions of at least 20 minutes of each.  This step makes you strong.

4.  Become more accepting. With every interaction, surrender any tendency to judge another person.  Pray for a more accepting heart. This step makes you gracious.

5. Forgive anyone you have not forgiven. Whenever you withhold forgiveness, you keep yourself bound to your own feelings of guilt.  This step makes you kind.

6.  Recognize your mistakes. Admit where you yourself have been wrong and be willing to be corrected.  This step makes you responsible.

7.  Try to see the good in others. When you’re tempted to judge someone, make an effort to see their goodness.  Your willingness to look for the best in people will subconsciously bring it forth.  This step makes you positive.

8.  Take stock of your thoughts and behavior. Each night ask yourself, when you were negative when you could have been positive?  When did you withhold love when you might have given it?  When did you play a neurotic game instead of behaving in a powerful way?  Use this process to self-correct.  This step makes you grow.

9.  Bless the world. Pray not just that your own life will be blessed but that blessings be poured on everyone.  This step makes you beautiful.

10.  use each interaction to be the best, most powerful version of yourself. Try to rise to the occasion.  Be the most wonderful expression of you that you’re capable of.  This step make you a conduit of God’s love.

Don’t Do Something-
Just Sit There

Yes I know, this might sound contrary to what we normally hear, “Don’t just sit there, do something.” Well, last night I was totally inspired by the Twitter EpicChat conversation that really got me thinking about being in the flow and being spontaneous.  So lets chat for just a moment about this whole notion of NOT doing something and JUST sitting there.

The question was brought up, does it take planning to be in the flow of life?  Does is take planning to be spontaneous?  There are so many ways to look at those questions a a million ways to answer depending on who you are and where you are in life…but it just got me thinking and here are my thoughts.

I think that in this day and age, slowing down is not apart of most people’s daily regime.  It’s go, go, go, all the time from the time they get up to the time they go to bed.  I know myself personally can get this way and then I eventually awaken to realize I’m living life with very little consciousness-that I’m not in the flow of life and things are a “push” to get done.

It’s not that the flow of life ever went away or even slowed down, it was just that in a matter of sorts I turned away, didn’t recognize, didn’t tune into the flow of life that’s there to help my Divine Journey of Bliss.  It could be argued that some don’t have “good” flow in their life-that everything always goes wrong for them.  (I have a certain someone in my family that is much like that and sometimes I just want to ring their neck).  But even that “not so fun” flow is a flow, RIGHT?  Might not be the most desireable flow but it’s still there none the less.

How I Get In The Flow

You know for almost 30 years I never even knew there was a wonderful flow that’s “on my side”…it wasn’t until November of 2008 that I began a journey of self healing, learning tools that connect me to my highest self and Divine Purpose in life.  I began a regular practice of meditation which allowed me, for the first time really in my entire life, to feel that flow running through me, around me, and in every aspect of my life like never before.  So it wasn’t as if the flow wasn’t there-it was and is ALWAYS there-I just had to find tune my consciousness to even realize it was there and understand how to ease my way into that flow of ever so beautiful energy that helps me in every way.

Meditation to me is a fantastic tool and practice that helps quiet the massive thought traffic that really never stops, but meditation quiets that and allows me to heal, connect to Spirit, it imparts in me Divine Inspiration, allows me to have creative solutions, meditation has cultivated more patience and understanding in my life in every area of my life.  It’s not in meditation that all these things happen but most of the time in my every day life-the FLOW!

Everyone Get’s in the Flow a Little Different

So on Sunday’s my neighbors don’t ever work, not even a little house cleaning, no working on the yard, or even a bike ride…Sunday’s are set for day whole day of  Spiritual Worship.  My neighbors are of the Mormon faith and although that’s not my way of Spirituality there is something to the Sabbath concept-where they allow themselves to get closer to Spirit, they do nothing so that the rest of the week provides everything they need in this journey.

My father, I’m not sure that he has faith at all of the traditional sense but he is ALWAYS in the flow…he is a brilliant man who is super creative, works hard, has many many friends, tons of money, loves helping people and is just a great man.  However, he does “just sit there” a lot and I believe that’s why he has flow working in his life the way anyone would want.  He sits alone writing every single day of his life, not like in a journal like most but he prefers 3×5 index cards-just writes and writes and not just for a minute each day but ALL day long.  As thoughts come into his mind he takes a card out and writes.  He takes those quiet “just sit there moments” and really pays attention to what he’s guided to do or create by writing it down.  The flow in this man’s life is amazing and anyone can see it.

Don’t Fight the Flow