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The theme song from the old movie "Mahogany" asks the question "Do you know where you're going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you?" It's a good question for each of us to ask ourselves: "Do I like my life? Do I wake up each morning, not only excited about where my life is heading, but enthusiastic about the moment-to-moment journey as well?"
When we have a purpose in our life--an idea of how we want to express our self in the world--our days become meaningful, effective, and fulfilling. There is positive, enriching affirmation in our life and purposeful intention in all that we say and do. We consciously give direction to the Divine Energy within us. We channel It, so to speak, like water through a dam, and there is Power in that directed movement! And, just like the power generated by water through a dam, the Power of Purpose can light up our whole life. In fact, we could say that a life without a purpose is like just so much water under the bridge.
Each of us is an individualization of Spirit, a point of consciousness in Universal Consciousness, a microcosm of the Macrocosm, a particularization of the Impartial and Unlimited. That's BIG potential! Unlimited Power is always available to us, ready and willing to bring about our heart's desire, and a life filled with love, peace, prosperity, and joy. But we experience only as much of It as we choose to use. Unless we call upon It, unless we actively draw from It, It remains unexpressed through us. But, when we have a purpose--a plan that motivates us, an idea that inspires us--we open up the floodgates through which the richness of Spirit can flow into our life. It gushes forth as we require of It. It surges through us as we make use of It.
If Spirit, through Its formative Power, will make our dream come true, we've got to have a dream in the first place, right? Do you have a dream? Did a dream come to mind just now when you read the question? Do you consciously know the kind of life you want to create? Is it alive and active in your mind? Would you recognize your dream if you were living it? Or, are you certain that you're not living your dream, but unclear what dream it is you're not living? Some of us have forgotten our dream. We're not sure anymore of what it is that we want to do that we're not doing. And, even worse, some of us are not only not dreaming or living our dream--we're living a nightmare! It's time to wake up from that nightmare and allow inner healing to take place.
How do we remember our dream and how does that dream actualize into our earthly experience? We begin to discover the dream within us by first acknowledging that there is one to be found. The Creator must have a purpose for Its creation. As part of that creation, every one of us has at our core a Divine, Holy Purpose...a reason for being, a unique part to play in the Dream that God is having. We all play an integral part in the Divine Picture of Creation, though often it may seem to us that only some people have a specific purpose in life, the "stars of show," while the rest of us appear to be simply aimless extras. But, despite seemingly contrary evidence, the Divine Idea includes each of us living at our fullest potential.
Everyone has the same potential for greatness in life, and by "greatness" I mean a self-expression that is spiritually magnificent and fulfilling whether the rest of the world knows that we exist or not. The important thing is that God knows we exist. Spirit knows who we are and why we are to the most minute detail. Even the hairs on our head are numbered! We don't exist for the purpose of making an "impression" on our environment, but rather to discover and express our self in and through our environment. The only true meaning in life, our life, is that we LIVE IT!
As children, we all had an idea that we were special; so distinctive, in fact, that we knew that we were going to be famous one day. We weren't going to be just a ballerina, but a world-famous prima ballerina, or a movie star, or President of the United States. We were aware of the Power of our potential, and we felt naturally unique and important. But then, as we began to grow up in the world, and spend a little time with the prejudices and opinions that accompany earth life, and only some people seemed important, we began to think that maybe life was made up of superstars, heroes, and extras. But, the Inner Truth that we were aware of as children hasn't changed. It is still at the heart of our being, ready to energize us with inspiration and motivation, and fill our days with the joy of self-expression. We are still special and important to the full expression of creation. There is still Power in our potential!
As snowflakes and fingerprints have shown us, nothing in nature is an exact duplication. Therefore, there is no one who expresses life quite the way you do. Each of us is unique even though it is the One Spirit expressing through each of us--as each of us. Who we are will not be duplicated in all of eternity! Our "purpose," then, is to tap into the Dream that God is having and give that dream a unique outlet in our life. Our thoughts "tap into" the One Power, each of us uses the One Creative Principle, but as we do, each of us brings forth a different result.
How do we discover our spiritual identity? How do we find our unique role in the Dream that God is dreaming? How can we know what will best express the spiritual ideal at the core of our being? We can begin by asking ourselves what it is that we truly love to do: "What is it that I would love to do even if I didn't get paid to do it? What is it that I would do with no strings attached and for nothing material in return? What is it that, when I do it, I feel the most connected with Life and the most centered and fulfilled within myself? What is that thing that, when I'm doing it, everything else in my world could be falling by the wayside and I could still feel content doing it?"
Close your eyes before you continue reading, and think about it for a moment: the thing that you would do for free is the very thing that will set you free...
The impulse toward your spiritual growth and the pathway that leads to your self-knowledge lie within that activity--because as you do that thing, you will naturally call upon the Divine qualities within you. You will require them and use them, and you will learn more about the Power within you.
It is essential to our spiritual evolution that we pursue our greatest joy or, as Joseph Campbell put it: 'follow our bliss." If you already know what it is that you love to do, are you doing it at least part of the time every day? Often we divide our lives into what we love to do and what we have to do. We have an idea of the life we'd like to live "one day," but we often view it as a fantasy--an ideas whose time may never really come. But, as we do what we love to do, even part of the day, we activate the dream within us, and the Power behind our dream brings about the ways and means for us to live it in real time. We don't have to worry about how we can make a job out of the thing we love to do. That's the function of the Universal Power within us. When we have a definite purpose in mind, when we fill our imagination with a specific desire, and then keep our thought fixed on the concept that Intelligent Energy is giving form, every moment, to our dream, then we will begin to recognize those forms taking place in our life.
Your dream doesn't need to be "awe-inspiring" to anyone else but you! A young woman I knew a few years ago was a very enthusiastic new student of mental healing and mental attraction. Barbara would share, often unsolicited, all the good things that were happening in her life to anyone who would pause long enough to listen. Her sister, Nancy, was one of those people. Barbara called her one day to tell her about an empowering seminar she'd just attended where she had gotten in touch with her dream to be an artist. She'd been so excited about her discovery that she'd not only gone out and purchased new canvases and oils, but was looking for a space for her first showing. Nancy tried to feel happy for her sister, but she'd lost her job at the library because of cuts in the the county budget, and though she'd been looking through the want ads religiously, she hadn't found anything that looked like fulfilling employment. Barbara said excitedly, "You know, Sis, you can do anything you truly want to do!" Nancy tried not to feel irritated by her sister's enthusiasm, but her sister hadn't been looking through the classifieds for a week and coming up empty. Nancy responded half-jokingly that the only thing that she truly liked to do was to sit in the big, comfortable chair in her den with her cat, Fluffy, on her lap and read a good book. She added that a few Oreo cookies and a cup of hot tea would be nice, too! Barbara was uncharacteristically silent for a moment, and then said confidently, "Okay, then there's something wonderful for you that meets that description, including the Oreos and tea, because I know without a doubt that there is a Power within you that can and will give form to your vision! You can know it, too!" Nancy agreed to keep it in mind.
The following week Nancy sat in her big den chair, a cup of tea on the end table and Fluffy curled up on her lap, and scanned the want ads. She tried not to be disappointed when she found nothing of interest. She was doing as her sister had said, she was knowing that there was a Power within her that was willing to give her her heart's desire. And that even though she couldn't see it happening, she'd been feeling confident, even empowered, that there was something Good in motion. Then the telephone rang and a friend whom she hadn't talked with since leaving her job asked her if she was still looking for work. When Nancy said Yes, the friend told her that her brother, a script reader for a Hollywood studio, had a backlog of scripts and needed an assistant. The pay was good and the best part was that Nancy could do all the reading at home.
Needless to say that Nancy took the job. In fact, after reading a few scripts, she was so inspired that she wrote one of her own. Today, Nancy is a successful script writer.
There isn't a desire too small for Life to acknowledge or a plan too grand for the Power within you to bring it about. The very inspiration for our dreams comes from the Spirit within us and, surely, Spirit can bring about whatever It inspires. Our heart's desire can lay dormant within us for a lifetime or it was blossom into expression and we can experience the time of our life. Our life on earth is truly what we choose to make of it, no matter how it began or where it appears to be headed. Your dream is waiting for you to come true. Choose to use your Inner Power.
Stephanie Sorensen is a writer, spiritual counselor, biofeedback therapist, and inspirational speaker. For more information go to http://www.innerhealingtoday.com
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Do you play Bridge? If you do, the chapter titles of Duplicate Bridges will have special meanings. If you don't, that's OK. You have real bridges to cross and can relate to their challenges. Single mom, kids, a new career? Is there anyone out there for me? These are the bridges that the author, Esther Cleveland, refers to in Duplicate Bridges. Bridges are made for people to get from one place to another, usually to avoid dangerous terrain. Some are visibly safe and others are questionable. (Having a warning sign on them.) Some are uncharted and you don't know what to expect, but someone on the other side is urging you to cross. The main decision is whether to trust that other person. Promises may be great, but should I take the chance? Find out about her adventures and decisions in Duplicate Bridges.
