~ The Journey ~

The Winds of Change

~ D ~ — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:12:06 +0000

As I sit here beneath the blues and whites and grays of another beautiful Sedona sky, I close my eyes and feel the freshness of a new wind blowing across my face and thru my hair. I hear the rustle of leaves as this new wind caresses the trees around me. I continue to listen and I hear a faint whisper in my ear, “I am the winds of change. Feel me. Allow me to refresh you. Breathe me in and know that all is well.”

I take a breath so deep that it touches the very core of who I am. I exhale and my body actually begins to feel lighter as the heaviness of all that concerns me dissipates and leaves me. I am overcome with complete and total peace. I am reminded of who I AM…and I know.

Change is in the air. It is all around us. Let us breathe it in and allow it to remind us of who we really are. Let us all be at peace and know that our best days are indeed ahead of us.

~D~

Photo: Sedona, AZ ~ August 29, 2010

Forever in Relationship

~ D ~ — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:17:06 +0000

Forever in Relationship is something that I have struggled with for awhile now. My Heart and my head have had major battles over the topic. Having been married twice, I promised Forever twice. Both marriages ended in divorce. I have since had other relationships in which a promise of Forever was discussed, but those have also ended. Was a Forever Relationship really mine to promise? Was it fear that kept me from promising Forever again? Or was it fear that wanted a Forever promise?

I asked Spirit to shine a light on Forever and help me understand what it means for me on my path. Without sleep, I sat in the silence for hours and waited for my Truth to be illuminated. As the light of understanding began to come forth, I was reminded that I AM a Spiritual BEing having a Human Experience. I AM Love; born out of Love, into Love to BE Love. Love is the only thing that ever was, ever is or ever will be. I AM Forever…my Human Experience is not.

Love is the only constant. It is unconditional. There is nothing that will change what Love truly is. Relationships are conditional. They change based on circumstances, choices, personal growth, etc. My mind has tried to tell me that the two are the same, but Spirit has shown me that my Heart knows the difference. I can promise to Love Forever, because that is who I AM. I can promise to BE in Relationship right now in this moment, because Now is all that I have. I can not promise Forever in a Relationship, because it is not mine to promise.

It is my belief that as Humans, we want promises of Forever in Relationship because we are afraid. We are afraid of ourselves, we are afraid of our past, we are afraid of being alone, we are afraid of the unknown, we are afraid to trust, we are afraid to allow, we are just afraid…period. When we ask for or make a commitment of Forever in Relationship we do it out of fear. By doing so, we step out of the free flow of Love that comes from the Heart and we cross over into the control that the mind craves. The mind tells us that this control will calm our fears…and it does for a while. It calms them by burying them deeply beneath empty promises of Forever Relationships.

When we were born into this life experience, we did not know fear. We only knew Love. We craved it and accepted it from wherever and whomever it came. We lived from our Hearts, We lived in the Now. I am hungry, I will eat. I am sleepy, I will sleep. I am Love, I Love you. As our minds began to develop and become conditioned to our Humanness, we were slowly introduced to fear. Because of this fear, we allowed the voice in our head to drown out the voice in our Heart. I am hungry, but it is not meal time. I am sleepy but it is not dark outside. I Love you, but you do not love me.

As a result of conditioning, relationships have become more about control than about Love. Marriage is a perfect example of this. In my opinion, it is a legal arrangement that is meant to “protect” and “control” the parameters of the relationship. It dictates what is acceptable behavior for those involved. As I stated earlier, I have been married and divorced twice. I no longer believe in the institution of marriage. I do acknowledge that there are those individuals who truly feel that marriage is right for them, but it isn’t right for me. I do not fear commitment. I just don’t believe that I AM to commit myself and my life to another person in such a way as to limit my Life Experience. The freedom to follow my Heart is my birthright. For me, marriage is a forfiet of that birthright. I have been there and done that. I have no desire be legally bound to a person or a relationship. If my heart says go, I want the freedom to do so.

I do believe in relationships. I want relationships. I want an intimate relationship with someone special. Spirit has told me that I am not to walk this path alone. But that doesn’t mean that I am to make an empty promise of Forever. It means that I AM to follow my heart. I AM to walk the path of my Life Experience in the Forever Love that I AM and share that Forever Love with those who walk with me. I AM to recognize and honor divine connections. I AM to allow Relationships to grow and BEcome. I AM to accept relationships as they are now and as they will BE. I AM to do this by Loving those I AM in relationship with unconditionally; without demands, expectations, judgments or fear. I AM to allow them to BE all that they can BE.

My view of Forever extends far beyond the realtionships in my current Life Experience. With that being said, if I AM blessed with a realtionship that lasts for the remainder of this Life Experience, it will not be because I entered into a binding agreement or made a Forever promise out of fear. It will BE because I followed my Heart and allowed the beauty of the divine connection to unfold.

~D~

Photo: Our Southern California Garden ~ May 2010
Copyright 2010 – Denise Gilreath ©

The Stupa and The Medicine Wheel

~ D ~ — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:01:41 +0000

Early this morning, we went to the Amitabha Stupa here in Sedona. A Stupa is a structure that represents the physical embodiment of the Buddha’s enlightened mind. Stupas are a rarity in the west and we are blessed to have one literally within walking distance of our home. The Stupa here is graced with a bronze image of Amitabha, the Buddha of Limitless Light. It is filled with sacred relics, ritual objects and hundreds of millions of prayers for peace. We left the road and began the short hike up a well worn dirt pathway. As we approached the Stupa, I felt a sense of reverence for the sacred ground upon which I walked. As is Buddhist custom, we circumambulated the Stupa three times. We stood in silent meditation for a few moments and then left an offering. We followed the dirt path up the hill to a beautiful wooden statue of Buddha. Again, we circumambulated the statue and stood momentarily in silent reverence and meditation.

We continued to walk up the hill, off the beaten path and came to a medicine wheel. Medicine wheels were originally constructed by Indigenous people and are representative of their belief in the “never-ending cycle of life.” It has no beginning and no end. Tribal healers and holy men regard the circle as sacred and have always used it in their ceremonies. Though this medicine wheel sits on the same ground as the Stupa, it is not considered to be a part of it and is therefore, not maintained. Grass and weeds were growing in the center of the wheel and around the rocks that formed the sacred circle. We entered and walked around the wheel several times. As I walked, I became very aware of my surroundings; the ground beneath my feet, the sky above me, the plants, the trees, and the beauty of the red rocks. I sat down and closed my eyes. I could hear rhythmic chanting coming from the Stupa. The voices of the Buddhist visitors down the hill joined quite harmoniously with the songs being sung by birds somewhere nearby. A gentle breeze blew across my face and thru my hair. I felt it was an invitation from Spirit to go within and listen. As I sat there in my silence and heard what Spirit had to say, I could feel the healing energies of the medicine wheel rising up from within and all around me. My heart knew and recognized the sacredness of this place. A gentle rain began to fall. As the drops of cool water fell upon my skin, I was brought back to the awareness of my surroundings. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I stood up and exited the medicine wheel. I walked away with a true sense of renewal and enlightenment. I AM grateful.

~D~

Photo 1: Amitabha Stupa, Sedona, AZ ~ July 2010
Photo 2: Wooden Buddha at Stupa, Sedona, AZ ~ July 2010
Photo 3: Medicine Wheel at Stupa, Sedona, AZ ~ July 2010
Copyright 2010 – Denise Gilreath ©

Loving Unconditionally

~ D ~ — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 13:36:52 +0000

As I continue to grow in the Love that I AM and as more of my Authentic Self emerges, I realize that my definition of Unconditional Love is changing. I once believed that Unconditional Love simply meant that there was nothing a person could do or say that would make me stop loving them. And although that is a very important facet of Unconditional Love, I have realized that it doesn’t stop there. Of course, to Love Unconditionally means to Love without condition, but it also means to Love without demands, expectations, judgments or fear. Loving Unconditionally means Loving Openly; with an Open Heart, an Open Mind and with Open Hands.

Unconditional Love is a Safe Harbor in which our Authentic Selves can feel the freedom to not only emerge, but to thrive. I believe that we must first feel this Unconditional Love for ourselves before we can truly feel it for another. Once we Love ourselves Unconditionally and once we recognize the Peace and Equanimity that comes with it, we can become a Safe Harbor for others by Loving them Openly. To me, this means Loving them in such a way that they feel no pressure to be something that they are not. It means building no walls, having no chains and drawing no lines. It means giving them room to spread their wings. Sometimes, along with the spreading of their wings, those we Love will find that they must fly away in order to be true to who they have BEcome. Loving Unconditionally means allowing them the freedom to fly and feeling nothing but happiness in their flight.

BE a Safe Harbor…Love Yourself…and Love Others…Unconditionally.

~D~

Photo: Huntington Beach, CA ~ February 2010
Copyright 2010 – Denise Gilreath ©

How Beautiful the Morning

~ D ~ — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:58:56 +0000

How Beautiful the Morning
when Dawn’s light first breaks.
The smile of the Sun
gently awakens the Earth.
The Flowers look up
and giggle in Bloom.
The Breeze gently caresses
the leaves on the Trees.
A chorus of Song Birds
delivers the news…
Today is a New Day.
Yesterday’s done.

~D~

Photo: Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, AZ ~ May 2010
Copyright 2010 – Denise Gilreath ©

Sea Spray

~ D ~ — Fri, 28 May 2010 22:30:45 +0000

Sea Spray

The fluidity of the tide…
The groundedness of the shore…
So different in composition…
Neither knowing from whence the other came…
But both knowing they should meet…
With power and might they come together…
And Love reigns as sea spray…
Touching all who bare witness to the union.

~D~

Photo: Point Mugu, CA ~ April 2010
Copyright 2010 – Denise Gilreath ©

Come with Me

~ D ~ — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:51:28 +0000

Come with Me
to this Place that I’ve found;
where the Sun shines everyday.
Where rain only falls,
to make Rainbows above;
True Love knows the way.

~D~

Photo: Double Rainbow over LaFayette, GA
Copyright 2010 – Denise Gilreath ©

The Voice

~ D ~ — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:29:31 +0000

The Voice

A Voice cried out in the middle of my Night…Show Me.
A Voice answered in the purest of Light…I AM.
A Voice cried out and A Voice answered.
Truth was sought and Truth was found.
I AM both the Seeker and the Keeper of all that I AM.

~D~

My Prayer

~ D ~ — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:57:05 +0000

May the Light of who I AM
Shine forth upon this World
And brighten every day

May the Joy that fills my Heart
Put a Smile on Someone’s Face
And wipe their tears away

May the Life that I now lead
Reflect the me I AM to BE
And not what others think or say

May the Love that I bestow
Lift the Spirit of one Soul
And help them find their way.

~D~

Remember Me

~ D ~ — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:45:08 +0000

Remember Me

From the dawn of the day
To the setting of the sun
My Spirit cries out…Remember Me.

From the dark of the night
To the light of the morning
My Spirit cries out…Remember Me.

From the width of my awareness
To the length of my reach
My Spirit cries out…Remember Me.

From the depths of my soul
To the heights of my senses
My Spirit cries out…Remember Me.

Remember Me….I AM that I AM.

I AM that I AM…Remember Me.

~D~