Nature, Friendships and Love of God and Yourself are the best things in life.

Having led most of my life already I am aware of the fast and constant pace that most people have to keep in order to pack in developmental goals and milestones.  From adolescents forward the race is on!  Hormones throw us into gear whether ready or not!  Academics is a high priority because learning and knowledge are the keys to our future.  As women we have a conscious awareness of our biological clock ticking.  No time delay or snooze button to put off procreation and finding a suitable mate.  Dating is a hot and heavy scene where we have to learn boundaries with the one's we are chemically on fire with and find a way to not hurt the feelings too much on the ones who don't turn us on. 

When you feel overwhelmed as you will, don't fall apart or have a melt down as they say these days.  Take some lessons from nature.  Leonardo DiVinci invented the parachute after noticing how leaves fell from trees.  Really you can look to nature to guide you for answers that you are searching for and become an independent thinker because of nature's link with the infinite intelligence that created this world, all that is in it, and the universe.  God encourages us to explore and get to know Him through the very creatures and plants that he has created to be our friends and companions.  Have you noticed how your mood can be uplifted when you look into the beautiful face of a flower?  At my friend's house where I took care of her plants for her while she was on a trip to Africa, I was greeted every morning out on the deck by the pretty little faces of purple flowers not unlike miniature pansies.  There were so many of them nodding their delicate heads in the breeze.  Bees buzzed from plant to plant and I noticed that they particularly liked the purple colored plants.  I had read in an article that described their attraction to purple flowers and that by planting lavender and other purple varieties of plants you are able to support bees whose numbers have been depleted due to the toxic chemicals people use on their gardens, yards and farmland .  Another study has found that bees recognize human faces.  Bees are in tune with us and we can be in tune with them if we open our hearts to the wonder of our bond with them through all that is scientific and our togetherness as part of the portrait of God's love and beauty.  Studies of bees has shown that they can actually learn to recognize our individual faces.

When you have those little breaks in the day disconnect yourself from the electric devises, the pressure of deadlines and watch with open wonder what nature is doing.  How do butterflies go about their day?  They love to sail in the breeze and circle around me when I am outside.  Sometimes they will land on me.  One sat on my great toe for the longest time the other day.  These are delectable moments to see their delicate wings and sense how curious they are about us.  You have to drop the rush and push of life to attract the still and tranquil.  As soon as you invade their peaceful and loving vibrations with negative energy they will wing it out of there!  I had that experience once when walking in a park in the Bay Area, California.  I happened to be on my cell phone with a Middle Eastern male friend who had the tendency toward possessiveness that made him controlling.  When I told him that a hummingbird was hovering inches away from me looking directly at my face, he said something derogatory and I could feel the negative force of his energy come through the phone.  The bird flew off immediately.  I asked him when would he ever learn?  I say to people that I am happily single because it is too difficult to deal with other people's stuff.

I did have a close friend who was gay while I was in the Bay Area and helped him through the end stages of congestive heart failure.  I believe he was enlightened although he used to show me by using his thumb and index finger squeezed together to show he had an eintzie wientze little bit to go.  After he was discharged from ICU having hemorrhaged blood as a result of blood thinners he went home to be cared for by hospice which is what our Teacher had instructed him to do through her liason, a lawyer for the organization.  Another young man who happened to live around the corner from my friend's apartment stayed through the night and I took the day shift.  The gentleman lawyer called from time to time when I went home to rest telling me that our Teacher had asked him to support us as it is especially difficult physically for those who are present with beings who are spiritually elevated when they die.  I felt exhausted for sure, my neck became stiff  and I had a headache.  In fact all I could do at the time was collapse on the bed and rest as best I could.  It was not unusual for me to experience time warps during the time I spent with my Teacher and I felt the same sense then.  I will love him forever and my love continues to grow and my gratitude is awakened with fresh thoughts of his presence, stories and just how wonderful he was.  We volunteered together everyday in the office of a spiritual mission for prisoners.  Before we began he sang prayers in Sanskrit which an ancient Indian language.   His voice was robust and his whole countenance exduded an elegant style.  I have always felt moved by his power and he taught me not to hold back when engaging in any type of service for the upliftment of other's lives.  Our love for our Teacher was great because there is so much Grace in our lives when we aligned ourselves with our Teacher's power through selfless service.

A funny story was told at his memorial that was held in a quaint rose garden on the grounds of our Teachers compound in the Bay Area.  The story was presented by the young man who stayed with my friend at night before he died.  The audience laughed when they heard how he had been given the name Babu Rao, from our Teacher.  As she approached him and spoken to him, giving him the name he responded to her with love and thanks.  He then turned to the young man and asked "What did she say?"  He wore bilateral hearing aids and they squeeked at times.   His love for our teacher was so pure that he seemed to radiate light when I saw photos of him with our Teacher during one of her visits.  My friend's mother also had this white light emanating from her being when she was greeted by our Teacher. 

The stress in our lives can be neutralized and deflated and nature is a great stress reducer.  Pressure can build like in the water hose, until it can cause the tube to rupture.  In terms of our bodies that can manifest as serious illnesses that have great impact on our lives emotional and psychological wellbeing.  Take care my friends and learn to take periods of rest.  You may not be able to take naps because you may not be in a place where that is possible, but if it is they are very good for your health.  You will feel recharged afterwards and if you keep to a schedule and avoid stimulants like caffeine your body will get used to being quietened and replenished through napping at the same time every day if possible or whenever you can.  You can also use guided imagery to replenish your energy and recharge your enthusiasm and zest.  Think of your body as a solar panel that is open to the pure energy of the sun and all the positive energy that is being sent for your good by the universe.  Absorb that energy and soak it up into the core of your being.  Fill your heart with gratitude for these precious moments to absorb the natural sources of God's power.  Remember God or your higher power constantly and like a child with an imaginary friend keep God as your constant friend and companion.

The greatest practice for replenishing body and soul is through meditation.  I was taught that one hour of meditation is worth a thousand hours of sleep.  Like your mother used to tell you, sit still and be quiet, and that's as simple as it is to meditate.  Breath easy and say God's name silently to yourself.  Take the focus of your mind to the area of your heart.  If your mind chatters let it think of your thought stream like clouds that drift through the sky.  You don't put your hands up to stop them because you know that they will be carried away by air currents and winds.  Similarly your thoughts will drift away.  With practice your mind will still.  With repeated meditation you will go into meditation more easily and love will grow as you enter your heart more often and enjoy your own great company.

Please feel free to contact me:  lawrencerita511@gmail.com