Omens Are Everywhere

Omens bring to our attention something that is important in our lives. This can be something that is about to happen — sort of like a “heads up” — or it can be something that may have been in the back of our mind for a while without truly getting our attention enough so we can act upon it, or do something about it.

Often, we can look back after something has happened in our lives and see the omens we were given ahead of time — that we didn’t pay attention to as, at that time, it never occurred to us that it would have any kind of priority.

At that moment, we may even tell ourselves that 20/20 hindsight is so clear, if only we had been paying attention…

In reality there are omens in our lives every day and in pretty much any situation we are finding ourselves in. And yes, they can be of great help to us as we are living our day-to-day lives, as long as we recognize them for what they are… Messages from the unseen that connect in our subconscious in a meaningful manner.

This means that omens are intensely personal, not only from the perspective of what is an omen for an individual, but also in the way it is interpreted.

As a rule of thumb, whenever something happens, no matter how simple it is, whether it is an every day occurrence or something you have never seen before; if it grabs your attention, if it stops you in your tracks, or just gives you food for thought, chances are it is an omen.

When you write down what just happened, and write above it your first association with each word or concept outside of the storyline of what just happened. 

The associations will then give you an indication as to what the omen may be about.

So, why would we pay attention to omens as we are living our busy every day lives? It seems like it is just one more thing to do — and on top of that, the messages they give take time to discover. Why take that time?

Well, first and foremost, whether we do take time to register and decipher the omens we come across on our paths, absolutely is a personal, free will choice. And sometimes we may be more apt to do it than at other times.

However, registering that “heads up” signal may be quite beneficial to us…

We are living in a time in which it is ever more important to live our lives according to our own values. Therefore it is important to know where we stand, what is important to us, what makes us happy — and then make our choices in a way that we can expand those things in our lives.

We can still do the things we have always done — but the moment there is this tiny thought that says, “I truly don’t want to do this…” for whatever the reason, that, in a sense is an omen! And if we pay attention to that omen, we may discover a better way to go about what we are doing, or perhaps we find that there is no reason to keep doing those things, just because we have always done them…

As we pay attention to the omens on our path, it will give us the opportunity to change our lives for the better in a very gentle manner.

Give it a try!

Harvest Time

When I grew up, the month of October was always busy picking apples and pears. In a sense it was the result of our work throughout the year, and those apples and pears would last for a number of months into the future — even though we didn’t really have an orchard of any size…

Looking back, perhaps the most important work we did throughout the year to ensure the harvest, was watering the big trees during the summer months. Each tree would receive three buckets of water on its roots, every day. And somehow, it is that — and the harvest — that stick in my mind most… Not the blossom in spring, or the shade the trees provided. Not the birds and horses who helped themselves to the best fruit, right before the harvest…

And this then, is an example of how our perspective of what it is that is ready to harvest in our lives. We may have an idea as to what we set out to “make happen” this year, yet, come harvest time, our actual harvest may be different than what we thought.

As it turns out, what we decide to do — where and how we decide to focus our energy — during the year, may give an indication of what it is we can expect to harvest, yet in the energy of today there is another way to predict where our most productive harvest will come into our lives during this time.

Often this indication is given when we look back at our life over the past year, and note the events that seem to come to mind most clearly — whether these were big or small events, intentional or surprising events, even those events we never thought we would be part of — if they come to mind with great clarity as we look back it means they were important to us. Perhaps not important from a logical point of view, yet certainly from the perspective of our personal path of growth.

Needless to say that there may be some surprises there.

However, these events that we remember with unexpected clarity will indicate in which direction your “personal harvest” is likely, come harvest time, as they show us where we have focused our energy from a more intuitive, or subconscious perspective…

On one hand it is a good thing to realize that the energy we have put into something from a logical perspective is never wasted. As it turns out, we will have made (great) progress in that area.

On the other hand, what the unexpected events that show up with uncanny clarity do indicate, is that there may be a better way to go about it. A way that has the potential to reap even greater rewards…

Either way, it is definitely a good way of paying attention to what it is you are harvesting right now. And when you think that no “harvest” is coming your way… Look again!

Motivation

We all have our own motivation to do the things we do, to act the way we act, and to say the things we say. The fact that we are allowed to express our opinions in whichever way we see fit and to act upon them is one of those very precious things in life we call freedom…

That freedom has a lot to do with society and culture; with the people around us and the social mores we live by. In other words, at least at the surface this freedom is something that is granted to us by the society we live in; and therefore stems from outside of ourselves.

Our motivation to do, or not do something, to say something or be silent, to act or sit back is usually much more complicated.

Often our motivation is provided from outside of ourselves. For instance the motivation for being on time for the start of your shift at work may well be the paycheck at the end of the month, which you need in order to pay the bills. This may also be true when looking at the decision to speak up or not; very few people find the strength and courage inside themselves to become a whistle blower. And for good reason. Therefore the wiser choice may well be to stay silent…

Yet in this day and age it seems to be more and more important that the things we do ~ like our job ~ are something we are passionate about. Even though we may have to work harder to make a living, when we are doing something we feel passionate about it seems that ultimately the earnings come in more easily than when we are just ‘going through the motions’. 

Doing the things we are passionate about usually are things that we feel motivated about from within. There is an inner drive, an inner guidance to set out and do those things. And when we do, we almost always feel more fulfilled as a result.

In other words, while there will always be an ‘outer motivation’ for any number of the things we do, our ‘inner motivation’ seems to become a more and more important part in making choices as to where to spend our time and energy. As to what we want to be part of, and what we choose to walk away from. As to what we want to say, and when to be quiet; and if we still want to speak up, how we choose our words.

As time goes on, our inner compass will become a more and more important part of our motivation for living our lives the way we choose to…

first published in 2009

Taking it Easy

Most mornings when I wake up, I will start off by examining the ideas, thoughts and half formed plans that are floating around in my mind. Sometimes these are fairly basic and based around the situation of that very moment — like the cat snuggling up and wanting a tummy rub… Other times they can be quite involved and extensive, and it can even take a bit of time to sort out where they may be able to fit in the fabric of my life.

It is on those days that it is easy to make plans that can stretch throughout the week, as one idea often leads tot he next, and the next, and the next…

And then something happens that says — subconsciously at first, yet more insistently when I am not listening — “Wait a minute! Why the rush?”

It always signals a moment to take a deep breath. A time to stand still, even if it just is a minute. Or perhaps it even is a sign that it is time to smell the roses…

Now, often when I look back over the past couple of days, there have already been different signals — or perhaps “Omens” — that I am too busy. That I am trying to do too many things all at once…

Yet, like undoubtedly happens to many “Omens”, I have failed to actually pick up on them…

Anyway… Then there is that morning when there is that message that says “Hold on! Wait a minute!”. And that one, I have learned to listen to…

Yes, in the past I have tried to just keep going, to make my plans to keep moving through the day — after all, one has to be productive, right?

Invariably that has not worked. It has taken me into miles of traffic jams. And sometimes while on the hunt for some product or material I need for my work, it seems to be sold out everywhere I go… Until I give up and make one last phone call, only to find it can be delivered with next day shipping without extra cost…

So, there is really no reason to keep running around when the early morning message was to take it easy… To take a moment to listen to the signs and signals that are coming my way…

As it turns out, there is wisdom in taking it easy more often. In taking the time to listen to what messages are coming our way, and follow up on them. To do the research what the second meaning of the “Omen” might be (I have found over the years, that there often are at least two meanings to those type of messages…).

Chances are we would receive the necessary information in such time that we can use it before things go haywire — even to prevent that from happening. Which would, in all likelihood, bring a smoothness and an ease to life…

And all the time we would need to take it easy…

The Cosmic Baseball Bat

There was a time — a long time ago — when someone told me that when the Universe has a message for us — for instance because we are making choices that, in one way or another, take us away from your chosen path — it will in all likelihood first gently tap us on the shoulder. If we fail to notice this, the Universe may progress to sticking us with a cocktail pick… Annoying perhaps, but by no means painful. And after all, it is just a way to get our attention. To get us to listen to this message that apparently is quite important to us.

If we are still not paying attention, and when the message is important enough, chances are that the “attention getter” is being ramped up from there, until finally we find ourselves being hit by the proverbial “Cosmic Baseball Bat”.

And that, then, usually will get our attention…

The next step is to figure out what the important message entails. In other words, what you have to do to get back on your path — and perhaps even to get an understanding of how you have come to make these decisions that took you away from your path in the first place…

Now, when I set out to ride my bike, enjoying the sunshine, nature, and the prospect of meeting with friends — none of this was on my mind… And while I may have had a somewhat nagging feeling of something being not quite the way it should be, or perhaps a semi-conscious thought of something that wasn’t quite right… My focus was well and truly on enjoying the day as it unfolded.

And then, as I almost got to where I wished to go, it hit me… The Cosmic Baseball Bat…

Listen! You know. And you know you know… Now act accordingly!!

It got my attention. I am listening…

And with that, insights are beginning to surface. And as they do, I can suddenly see how the puzzle pieces all fit together. And before long the picture emerges that has been eluding me for so long… It is not unexpected. It is not hard to bring into being. It is even easy to see how everything is fitting together — now that I actually see the picture — into one image.

Imagine that!

Now, while everything has turned out for the best, I truly intent to — next time the Universe has a message for me — to pick up on the gentle tap on the shoulder… To pay attention right away, and to change direction well before I would get hit by the Cosmic Baseball Bat…

Cycles Upon Cycles

While we may have a tendency to keep our eye on the clock in our day to day lives — doing things at certain times, setting and keeping our appointments, and so on — we may also find that somehow we find ourselves disconnected from… Yeah, from what exactly?

That, sometimes faint sense of feeling disjoint from what is happening, that at other times may be right “in your face” as time seems too have disappeared before you could blink your eyes…

Looking at that, it seems that pretty much everything in our environment does not pay any attention to the clock at all. Our environment functions in cycles. It is us that try and organize our lives according to time…

Granted, setting a time makes it a lot easier to meet with people. At least the chance of all meeting up at the same moment increases enormously…

On the other hand, when we focus on the cycles upon cycles that are there, time suddenly seems a lot less important. Perhaps this is because the number of cycles we encounter — and their interaction with each other and with us — can get complicated in a hurry.

Breathing may well be the easiest cycle we can touch — simply creating in and breathing out — and yet, when we slow our breathing, that other rhythm that is paramount within our bodies, our heart rhythm, may slow also.

In our environment, the obvious rhythm may be day and night — light and dark. It is a rhythm that interacts with the rhythm of the seasons, as days are longer during summer, and shorter during winter — at least in most places. The seasons then, are part of the rhythm of the earth circling the sun.

Another obvious rhythm in our environment is the rhythm of the moon, creating the ebb and flow in the waters of the earth…

So, here we are…

We are having the rhythm of our heartbeat and our breathing that interact with the rhythm of day and night — something we may recognize in being a morning person or an evening person. Roughly 28 cycles of day and night create the cycle of the moon. About 13 cycles of the moon create the cycle of the earth moving around the sun — and this cycle is in a sense divided into the 4 cycles of the seasons, that each with their own focus and energy are guiding us on our path through life…

And from the perspective of our uniquely individual path through life, each and every cycle that we encounter is not a circle, but rather a spiral — the symbol for growth… 

It places us in a situation where every beat of our heart, every breath we take, is an opportunity to express our potential and make it count! And to grow as a result of that expression.

The Unpolished Self

It is said that we — when we are born — are perfectly whole. Yes, each of us has our own package of life lessons that we are taking along into this experience and some of those life lessons are health related. Therefore, our perfect wholeness is seen from our potential to grow as much as we can during this journey that we have embarked upon — rather than from a heath perspective…

Symbolically, one could say that as we enter this life, each of us is a perfect circle — an innate perfection that has everything within itself that is needed for us to achieve our goals, whatever they may turn out to be.

In a sense we are uniquely beautiful in a similar way unpolished crystals are mesmerizingly beautiful…

Then, as we grow up, the sharp edges are polished off, and bit by bit the unique expression of our innate perfection gets hidden. We are taught how to behave, how to act and react — we are told to be ‘nice’ and acceptable. And step by step, we adapt to what is expected of us.

Until one day we may find that this beautiful, unpolished core of ourselves no longer wants to be hidden. It demands to come forward, to show itself — and with that we may start looking for that part of ourselves that is truly authentic. We begin to rediscover the Unpolished Self…

The unpolished self is authentic, yet more often than not it also has a “wildness” to it. An intuitive knowing of where we stand, and where we are headed. And if we don’t like the direction our path has taken, or where it is leading us, there can be a deep seated drive to change. To move forward on our own terms.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that we let go of everything we own, quit our job, and walk off into the sunset. Yet it does mean that we re-evaluate our priorities, that we again decide where we want to spend our time and energy in life. It most definitely means that we look at what things in life are worth pursuing, and what is not. And perhaps most importantly, it can bring us to a point where we bring our authentic, unpolished self closer to what we do in life and how we are doing it.

In other words, as we get to know the authentic, unpolished core of ourselves better, we will find ways to use this understanding in the way we go about reaching our goals — whether those goals are job related, or are more personal in nature.

I would like to invite you to join me on a journey to the deepest core of your Unpolished Self…