Divine Union Relationship Coaching

26/06/2015

world peace, transformation, and awakening is truly an 'inside job'...test it for yourself...

22/06/2015

recipe for vibrancy:

•tell the truth
•look in people's eyes
•laugh as much as children do
•question your thoughts
•be joyfully curious
•listen literally
•notice the details
•enjoy silence
•relish stillness
•fall in love with yourself
•give honestly
•love honestly
•walk. A LOT.

xodaniela

POSTCARD FROM GREECE

Dear Ones -

This is my mother. She's been hiking and walking and climbing with me for the last week across Northern Greece. In the past few days, we have explored the tombs of kings, walked the waterfront of an ancient city, picked through the collapsed columns of an even MORE ancient city, climbed the foothills of Mount Olympus, and strolled around the edges of the world's deepest gorge.

She is 72 years old.

There is only one reason I have been able to have these adventures with my mom — and that is because she has spent years and years and years taking beautiful care of her health.

My mother is not a bodybuilder, mind you. She's not a champion athlete. She's not a vegetarian or a teatotaler. She doesn't do fad diets. She doesn't juice. She doesn't cleanse. She's never done a marathon. She doesn't take zumba classes. She doesn't do kettlebells. She takes no vitamin or mineral supplements. She sprinkles ground flax seeds on absolutely nothing. She likes butter and cheese and red meat and white wine.

But for her entire life, she has eaten good and healthy real foods — and yes, that includes butter and cheese and red meat and white wine...all of it in moderation. Much of this food she has raised or grown herself, and most of it she has prepared herself. She does not smoke. She does not eat fast food. She does not drink soda — diet or otherwise. She does not keep junk food in the house (which really upset me as a child, but thankfully lots of my friends had houses that were STUFFED with junk food, so — do not worry — I had my fill of Oreos and Pop-Tarts...but I was never served that good junk by my mom.)

And she has consistently moved her body for years. She has stretched for about 20 minutes every single morning since about 1974. She takes the stairs, wherever there are stairs — even to the 14th floor. She gardens in the fresh air.

Most of all, though, my mother has walked. She walked to her one-room schoolhouse every day when she was a kid, even in blizzards, and she has never stopped walking. When I was growing up, my mom walked every day in the woods, and now she walks to town, and she walks to work, and she walks to the library, and she walks to visit her friends. She walks in the rain, she walks in the snow, she walks in the cold, she walks in the heat. If there is a beach, she will walk it until the beach runs out.

When there is nothing else to do, she says, "Let's take a walk."

If I am sad, she says, "Maybe a walk will help?"

When she comes to visit me, we do not sit at the kitchen table and talk: We go for a long walk, and talk.

When I was in high school, I used to call her after basketball practice and ask her to please come pick me up at school, and she would say, "Walk home." (Two miles; hills; dark; cold.) She made me into a walker, and I am grateful — although I was not grateful about it in 1984.

My mother is in perfect health, and I thank god for it. But I also thank HER for it — for taking such good care of herself, and for showing me how simple it can be to take care of a human body. Taking care of a human body is just like taking care of a dog, really: You give it good food, you give it long walks, you give it lots of love and a warm place to sleep. Do all this, and it's pretty likely that your body will stay loyal to you for a long, long time.

And just think of the adventures you can have!

Thank you, mom, for the healthy example of your life! I am re-inspired to take even better care of my own health. I want the adventure of living to last for as long as it can.

I am LITERALLY following in your footsteps — on this journey, and all the journeys...

ONWARD,
LG

03/06/2015

"friendship is the great hidden transmuter of all relationships "

FRIENDSHIP

is a mirror to presence and a testament to forgiveness. Friendship not only helps us see ourselves through another’s eyes, but can be sustained over the years only with someone who has repeatedly forgiven us for our trespasses as we must find it in ourselves to forgive them in turn. A friend knows our difficulties and shadows and remains in sight, a companion to our vulnerabilities more than our triumphs, when we are under the strange illusion we do not need them. An undercurrent of real friendship is a blessing exactly because its elemental form is rediscovered again and again through understanding and mercy. All friendships of any length are based on a continued, mutual forgiveness. Without tolerance and mercy all friendships die.

In the course of the years a close friendship will always reveal the shadow in the other as much as ourselves, to remain friends we must know the other and their difficulties and even their sins and encourage the best in them, not through critique but through addressing the better part of them, the leading creative edge of their incarnation, thus subtly discouraging what makes them smaller, less generous, less of themselves.

Friendship is the great hidden transmuter of all relationship: it can transform a troubled marriage, make honorable a professional rivalry, make sense of heartbreak and unrequited love and become the newly discovered ground for a mature parent-child relationship.

The dynamic of friendship is almost always underestimated as a constant force in human life: a diminishing circle of friends is the first terrible diagnostic of a life in deep trouble: of overwork, of too much emphasis on a professional identity of forgetting who will be there when our armored personalities run into the inevitable natural disasters and vulnerabilities found in even the most ordinary existence…

Friendship transcends disappearance: an enduring friendship goes on after death, the exchange only transmuted by absence, the relationship advancing and maturing in a silent internal conversational way even after one half of the bond has passed on.

But no matter the medicinal virtues of being a true friend or sustaining a long close relationship with another, the ultimate touchstone of friendship is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self, the ultimate touchstone is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the essence of another, to have walked with them and to have believed in them, and sometimes just to have accompanied them for however brief a span, on a journey impossible to accomplish alone.

From ‘FRIENDSHIP’ in
CONSOLATIONS: The Solace, Nourishment
and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words.
© David Whyte & Many Rivers Press

Available
http://davidwhyte.stores.yahoo.net/newbook.html

and Amazon.com

Photo © David Whyte 2015
Walking Together
Banks of the Isis
Oxford, June 2015

30/05/2015

what if God was One of us
-joan osborne

what if God was One of us...
-joan osborne

20/05/2015

the Heart of Acceptance

19/05/2015

its never Them. its only YourMind.

14/05/2015

Relationships are the container in which we are called to respond to with yeses and nos. the honest 'no', given in Love, is an honest yes to everyone involved.

xod

08/05/2015

"Love is a field, not a commodity..."

xod

08/05/2015

which do you prefer...?
Truth or Illusion...?
xod

how are you going to spend this precious life you have been issued? whether you're going to spend it trying to look good and sustain the illusion that you have power over circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it, and find out the truth about who you are.

-anne lamott

07/05/2015

"On the journey of the warrior-bodhisattva, the path goes down, not up, as if the mountain pointed toward the earth instead of the sky. Instead of transcending the suffering of all creatures, we move toward turbulence and doubt however we can. We explore the reality and unpredictability of insecurity and pain, and we try not to push it away. If it takes years, if it takes lifetimes, we let it be as it is. At our own pace, without speed or aggression, we move down and down and down. With us move millions of others, companions in awakening from fear."

-pema chodron

18/04/2015

the wonderful MessengerBody
xo

The body's uncomfortable emotions happen only to remind you that there's a thought available for questioning.

14/04/2015

no exception.

What's going on and how does it support you?

11/04/2015

ReAwaken Your Curiosity......

Do you remember what it felt like to be a child? Your natural pull to explore? To notice all that was around you, in every scene, and wonder...? Not for the sake of finding the reason for something, the *why*, but the essence of the experience of curiosity was what resulted in the unbidden state of delight... Joy.

Curiosity is an experience... It is a state of holding awareness in the present moment, taking it all in, and steeping deep into the Mystery...

"What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world.”
G.K. Chesterton

The HeartPath Journey is designed to guide you in the Return to Curiosity, the Return to Wonderment...the state of SacredAwe, as experienced in the Heart. While the mind seeks answers, the Heart guides us into the depth of reverent Wonder and Awe.

Joy IS the signature of willing curiosity and wonderment. It IS the experience of the Unreasonable...a state of being we can only experience in the Now, in clarity, in contentment, in the Heart.

The HeartPath LivingCurriculum is intentionally designed to facilitate Your Return to your TrueNature., the world and wisdom of Your Heart, the JoyfulCuriosity and Wonderment that we so naturally Are. The group format of the HeartPath LivingCurriculum reignites your Remembering who you Are, as we are here, TOGETHER, in a very large group format, on Earth...! The group format is one of the *why's* of the LivingCurriculum... it provides participants with the opportunity to travel with others, in a like minded and like hearted setting, and to do so in a guided, skillful way... Participating in a group format, for some people, can seem very scary... the mind can offer up images and scenes as to why the group format is a reason to not join this course, even if the Heart is whispering *yes*...

Rumi describes the *joke* of the Open Secret... we typically walk around pretending we are not afraid of one another. We often resist the temptation to connect in the eyes of those around us, especially people we don't know, yet are right there, in front of us. We each carry some version of the belief that we are the only ones afraid, and that everyone else has it together. THAT is the joke! Many of us are deathly afraid of others.... The mind races to compensate for embarrassment, and seeks to bury deeper our beliefs of being not good enough or acceptable enough, or deficient in some way, yet we are also equally afraid of the belief that we are alone, and the only one that doesn't have our sh together...This is one of the inner tumultuous wars of the mind, which, if you have noticed, is playing itself out on the global level.

The signature of this silent fear is neutrality and indifference with those *we don't know*...Our Hearts close, and the pain we suffer is the Love we withhold.

"One of the greatest enigmas of human behavior is the way we isolate ourselves from each other. In our misguided perception of separation we assume that others are not sharing a similar experience of life. We imagine that we are unique in our eccentricities or failures or longings. And so we try to appear as happy and consistent as we think others are, and we feel shame when we stumble and fall. When difficulties come our way, we don't readily seek out help and compassion because we think others might not understand, or they would judge us harshly, or take advantage of our weakness. And so we hide out, and we miss out.

If you're interested in the door to the heavens opening, start with the door to your own secret self. See what happens when you offer to another a glimpse of who you really are. Start slowly. Without getting dramatic, share the simple dignity of yourself in each moment-your triumphs and your failures, your satisfaction and your sorrow. Face your embarrassment at being human, and you'll uncover a deep well of passion and compassion. It's a great power, your Open Secret. When your heart is undefended you make it safe for whomever you meet to put down his burden of hiding, and then you both can walk through the open door."
-Elizabeth Lesser, Broken Open

If what we want, is the experience of deep contentment, purposeful lives, aligned in the Heart, and a world that reflects that, it can ONLY happen when YOU are deeply content... the ReAwakeing of Curiosity and Wonderment is a critical component on the HeartPath of Self Realization... Contentment requires a ReTurn to the Awe of Wonder...

Do you remember the following teaching?

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Notice, he did not advise become a little child, singular... he spoke of becoming little children, plural... a group... we are here, together, dear ones... humanity IS a group...!

Please consider what might be available to you in the HeartPath LivingCurriculum 7 week course...

The return to surprise, curiosity, and wonder, especially in that which rotely appears familiar... the World of Aliveness, the rapture of the Heart...

Wisdom begins in Wonder. When we Wonder, we Love.

Love,
Daniela

HeartPath Spiritual Director
www.HeartPathInstitute.org

10/04/2015

want Peace? stop the mind, on paper... question Your Underworld.
(5 minutes)
xod


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeH85savvN4&list=PLBD14C349EF50AAE3

Katie responds to a question from a participant at the Forgiveness Workshop in Ojai, California in Sept. of 2009. Learn more at: School for The Work: http://...

10/04/2015

NoExceptions...
xod

09/04/2015

the Heart's capacity is Unreasonable.

-myss

17/03/2015

[The Open Mind; Part One]

I often hear people state they have the desire for Happiness... What I notice is that there is a direct relationship between a state of contentment, and peace, and the amount of *Should/Shouldn't* thinking and speaking we engage in and believe... So, here's an experiment for you... Notice, throughout the day, the critical mind... How often does you think statements like "He shouldn't do that", or "She should take better care of herself", or "The weather is really awful today", or "He should listen to me", or "They shouldn't do it like that", or "She shouldn't lie to me"... Any of these sound familiar...?

(if your mind is saying things right now like, "no, not really, im not really a critical person", or "no, not so much, I don't judge others", or "no, I like to think positive, I don't complain", then this exercise will be triple fun for you...!!!)

The realm of the ShouldWorld is where we spend an immense amount of time, holding firm that our thoughts and observations of the world are valid. Until we consciously choose to observe this phenomena, Happiness is an unobtainable fantasy. Why? Because you have placed your Happiness outside of yourself, dependent on the world adhering to your plan, your wants. The ShouldWorld is the world of the confused mind. Its a steady stream of judgement, assessment, and righteousness, flowing so steadily, is glides through you, unnoticed.

Listen, today, to yourself... Notice WHAT you think about. Notice WHO you think about. Notice what you think others should and shouldn't do. Notice the frequent visits your mind takes into the business of others. Notice how you think you know what's best for them.

This practice is a meditation, a living meditation... a meditation to engage in throughout the day. I assure you, if you choose to accept this invitation, the results will shock you. Once the shock wears off a bit, mind will rally and rush in to defend itself, its shoulds... like this:

Witness: (that's you, watching your thoughts, from a perch, or a seat in the movie theater of your mind) "hmmmm... interesting... I noticed felt an aversion to that person and thought "he should have been more polite to the cashier...I could feel a a subtle scowl build on my face, then I looked to make silent eye contact with others in line for validation of my complaint"

"hmmmm.....interesting....I noticed when I came home and saw my husbands dirty dishes in the sink, after ive asked him many times not to do this, I thought *he's should do his dishes, and shouldn't be so disrespectful"

"hmmm.....interesting....I felt irritated and annoyed when the phone rang at dinnertime, and saw my mother in law's number on the caller ID... I thought, *wow, ive asked her not to call at 6pm. She's should honor our dinnerhour*"

Once we slow down, we are able to catch our thoughts, identify them, and notice them, like in interesting specimen... PAUSE HERE...something interesting happens if you remain in the space of the stillness, just for a few second... simply hover here, with what you have noticed... one of two things will likely happen...

1. you will naturally drift to the place of wonder, and the signature of this wondering is the question: Is that thought true...? Is it really true she shouldn't call at 6pm? PAUSE HERE , and see what comes next... hover in this question... from here, you might notice a lightness occur within you...sometimes very subtle, sometimes a flood...this is the signature of the opening mind....it's distinct. its unmistakable...an unwinding of tightness begins to occur internally...mind itself loosening its righteous grasp...

2. mind will regroup, and rally...bum rush you with reasons to hold firm to the position "She shouldn't call at dinnertime"...cite evidence, examples, and continue to casebuild against Mom's 6pm call...citing past scenes and episodes in the movie of your life where Mom didn't listen, how she never listens, how she's inconsiderate... mind might swoop in with a litany of proof that MOM SHOULDNT CALL AT 6!!! and that YOU.ARE.RIGHT ABOUT THIS...!

if and when option 2 arises....?

notice. how. you. feel.

in your body. in your density. in your heavy. in your tightness. in your fire. in your adamancy.

For today, SweetReader...Notice the Shoulds... Watch where your mind actually IS, throughout your day...let the HolyWhoaza, the KapoweeBooyah, hit.....let it steep you....

and there will be a Part Two...

xodaniela

17/03/2015

Truth comes as a conqueror only to those who have forgotten the art of receiving it as a friend
-tagore

More often than not, we Know our Heart's Truth... and we ignore it because we fear our lives will crumble apart if we answer its call. you know what...? it might.... that thing you call *crumble apart* just might happen... and, then your honest life begins. I've never worked with an unhappy honest person, after the dust settles, inner compass recalibrates, and the bubbling inner Joy erupts...

set yourself free, today. tell yourself the truth. look it right in the eye. hold its gaze, even if your stomach churns... hold. Its. gaze.

Oh yes....

the Truth sets you Free...

xodaniela

17/03/2015

TrueNature...
xoxo
(00:28)

16/03/2015

for the rest of the evening, I invite you to explore, with a kind of playful curiosity, what you seek to *control*... from the seat of the witness of your mind, where do you attempt to shape outcomes? what hidden agendas and motives sneak unnoticed in your interactions with others, tonight?

This consideration found me this evening while walking on a very snowy slushy lumpy trail... I usually walk this trail everyday, and the terrain of half melted snow is what makes it terrific fun. Why? Because it forces me out of my conditioned way of predicting the future, and thinking *i know how it's gonna go*... See, when the trail is flat, my mind can easily settle into the illusion of the *I Know* mind... into confusion... into thinking a flat trail assumes safety and predictability and assured outcomes...

However, each step on a slushy slippery nonsensical path confounds the predicting controlling mind. My foot steps down and where it slides is an absolutely delightful question! It's the perfect stage for the I Don't Know mind to naturally arise... I've no clue if I'll still be standing seconds later, or how my foot will twist when it lands... It a hilariously ungraceful walk in moments, which only adds to the delight. A walk in the Grace of Surrender... An honest walk, actually... The kind of walk that ReMinds me of the enormous energy and effort the confused mind expends to control outcomes. mind loves loves loves to believe something as audacious as *I am in control*.

with tremendous love... enjoy the mystery of each step, tonight.
xodaniela

15/03/2015

people can only act as they believe... there's actually no other option, in that moment...

07/03/2015

let it crumble, today...
xoxod

02/03/2015

what if today, you noticed a *fear of the unknown*... what if today, in the moment you are aware of this fear, this resistance, you remain still. steady. you watch, and listen... what if in that moment you give up your predictions of what is next, and you allow the fullness of the moment. what if your childhood friend *curiosity* turns out to be an ally of such glorious magnitude, that you simply forgot...?

01/03/2015

hell on earth, when we believe should's and shouldn'ts...
xod

26/02/2015

you are that, today...
xodaniela

23/02/2015

happy birthday, to each and every Star, today...
xodaniela

19/02/2015

suffering has it's distinct signatures: short tempered, ashamed, tense, alone, worried, insulted, and anxious (to name a few)... the Grace of suffering is that it signals us to examine deeper within... It shows us, every time, we are a belief away from our TrueNature, a state of unbidden Grace.
xodaniela

18/02/2015

the single biggest challenge in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
-george bernard shaw

16/02/2015

*love the one you're with*
-CSN

16/02/2015

again. and again. and again... and again! and again...? yes, *again*...

do you get it...?
xoxodaniela