Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I Wait: Angel of Patience

I Wait  (Julia Margaret Cameron, Google Art Project)

Blessed are those who wait.
The globe whistles past them.
The sharpest bit of the world
doesn't deter their gaze
from the promised direction.
Ulla Hahn
I looked up the word patient in the dictionary:  "Bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint; steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity." 
Years ago a friend wisely advised:  Never pray for patience.  You'll get so many opportunities to practice it...instead pray that you are thankful that you already have patience. 

 Waiting patiently in this era of instant manifestation is a lost virtue.  Aha... my computer just flashed an error message to test mine -- what timing!  
God's angels realize that we are a work in progress.  In truth, we are already complete and perfect in His Love, but it takes patience to recognize our spiritual Identity. 
While writing this now my little cat Angel is on my lap, staring up at me so lovingly.  Purring, she is a reminder that love is patient and kind. 
A test of patience involves taking time to be loving, no matter how trying a situation may be.  Love is the answer. 
 
 "Infinite patience brings immediate results." (A Course in Miracles) 
Enjoy your day with the Angels.
Rae Karen


 P.S. I had to laugh just now-- my blog failed to load... Patience now!


Saturday, February 23, 2013

Believe in Yourself


"Believe in Yourself " Shirt Tag

The things that attract our Spirit always have a hidden message; if we look into our heart, we can understand the meaning. I must admit I was more than a little surprised when I went to put on a new sparkly shirt I'd bought earlier this week. I'd pulled off the tag and was taken back by the words: "Believe in Yourself"

It's not unusual to get a message on a tea bag or a fortune cookie, but on a shirt?   I smiled, thanking the Angels, for the gentle admonishment, to not doubt myself, especially regarding the outcome of a recent creative project.

It's funny how just the right words at the right moment can be transforming. That's what happened to me.  I could feel myself lighten up and relax.  The butterfly is all about change, becoming more than we can understand as the "caterpillar".  Becoming a brand new creation...

Now that's something to be both thankful and enthusiastic about as we spread our wings.

Enjoy your day with the Angels.

Blessings,

Karen

 

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Angel Messages on the Road



On a recent trip, we hadn't gone very far when we saw this "Angelic" message on a truck in front of us on the highway.  I pulled out the camera and Elliot passed slowly by so I could capture this photo.

Angels deliver solutions in many different ways.  It was a good sign to know that we're not traveling the road of life alone, but in the wonderful, loving, joyful company of Angels.  "Linen Management Solutions." We had a good chuckle, knowing the angels are helping humanity with our "laundry."

Angels speak to every one but are we listening?  To hear angelic guidance, we must silence the clamor of our ego sense and cling to the unseen things of Spirit.  My favorite definition of an angel is given in her book, Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy.

"God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality."

One dictionary defines the verb "listen" as "to give close attention with the purpose of hearing." Knowing this, it is good to ask ourselves, "What am I paying close attention to:  Spirit or matter?"  The more we can dwell on the spiritual facts of being, the greater becomes our capacity for hearing divine messages.  Entertaining material thoughts exclusively blocks us from the beneficial influence of "spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect."

Enjoy your day with the Angels and listen...

Blessings on Angel Wings,

Karen

 

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Brrrrrrrr...Planning Ahead

Impatiens in the Garden This Morning


With the freeze warning in effect last night for sunny Florida, I spent late afternoon bedding down the flowers with blankets and quilts to keep them warm through the cold night. The backyard looked like a sleep-over with all the lumps and mounds of covers.   I also called on the Angels to watch over the garden.  It was well worth the effort.  The impatiens were smiling this morning when I uncovered them to greet the sunrise.

So it is with life, often we have a "heads up" that things aren't going to proceed as usual.  Extra care is necessary to sustain one's comfort zone in the physical as best as we can.  Then prayer and meditation are the keys to letting go of attachments and letting things be as they are.  The rough patches in life are a call for more love.  If everything we do is in a spirit of love, then think how much better this world would be.

Enjoy your day with the Angels.

Blessings,

Karen

Saturday, February 16, 2013

The Gift of the Detour

Bald Eagle photo from Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday we had to take a detour on the way home.  I must admit it was self-induced as we were in the wrong lane that ended in a forced right turn.  I commented to Elliot to just go that way.  There must be a good reason. 

We were in a part of town unfamiliar to us.  There were open grassy fields. Traveling along, I spotted a bald eagle flying overhead!  I recognized him by his white head and white tail.  The bald eagle symbolizes heroic nobility and divine spirit.

In Animal-Speak, Ted Andrews writes:  "These eagles are the messengers from heaven and are the embodiment of the spirit of the sun."

What I didn't know is it also symbolizes the rediscovery of the inner child.  "To accept the eagle as a totem is to accept a powerful new dimension to life, and a heightened responsibility for your spiritual growth.  But only through doing so do you learn how to move between worlds, touch all life with healing, and become the mediator and the bearer of new creative forces in the world." 

This is the process we're all going through in different degrees.  We are becoming so much more than we now appear to be.  From a karmic viewpoint, events will now fly faster and the ramifications for everything we think, do, or say ( or fail to think, do, or say) positive and negative will be both stronger and quicker. 

Another wonderful gift from nature appeared in the sky last night.  Maybe you saw the beautiful pinkish halo around the half moon.  The night sky was so clear, the Big Dipper was visible, too.

Enjoy your day with the Angels. Their messages abound in a myriad of wonderful ways.

Blessings,

Karen





 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

A Day Devoted to Love



This beautiful quote by Rumi says it all: 

"Love said to me, there is nothing that is not me.  Be silent."

It's wonderful to know that Divine Love is always present, never absent in any condition.  That's quite a commitment that we often take for granted.  Angels, God's messengers of Love, enfold us 24/7.  Imagine how our lives would be more blessed if we could make a commitment to acknowledge them often throughout the day.  Love is all around us, but we must remove all the barriers of fear we've created to not let Love in.   Today is a perfect time to begin to pause and take a breath, then let the Love in.  And let your universal Love flow out making the world a better place.

Thank you, Angels for all your Love that encompasses every aspect of our Life.

Love and Blessings,

Karen

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Leapin' Lizards - Love Overcomes Fear

(Lizard in the Garden last Spring)


It's hard to know exactly when my fear of lizards vanished.  I'd become familiar with the little blue and yellow striped ones while living on the farm at Virginia Beach.  Often they could be seen basking on a rock in the flower bed, enjoying the warmth of the sun.  I began to see them as cute and amusing...although the last thing I wanted to do was to touch one.

It turns out those three years were good training for a future move south I knew nothing about.    Now living in Florida, lizards are a natural part of the landscape. Often posing on top of the garden statues or scaling the exterior walls of the house or the patio fence. I found myself becoming rather fond of them at a distance.

The balance in nature shifted when a couple of cats adopted us.   Apparently they had been living in the crawl space underneath the house.  When we began to feed them I thought the lizards would be safe.  Yesterday afternoon I was sitting outside with a friend, when Mr. Paws caught a small one in his mouth and began to toy with it. The lizard froze, playing dead and the cat waited, wanting to play.  I silently asked the Angels for help.  This is supposed to be a peaceful place.  All God's creatures can move in harmony. I affirmed.

I knew it was important not to interfere with nature, but still...

 When I looked again the lizard was missing!  No one saw him move. Sniffing the ground the cat couldn't figure it out and neither could we.  Then I happened to look down at my pant leg. 

The lizard clung to my jeans, looking up at me.  I could almost hear his loud cry for HELP!  His tail was missing, but he was alive; and it would grow back.  Now, there was hope. It was a bold move on his part.

My reaction surprised even me.  Why wasn't I jumping up out of my chair, screaming and brushing him off. But I knew in that moment that I was the answer to my prayer.  Seeing his panic, I reassured him to hang on. 

And he did.

 He clung to my stiff leg as I carefully walked through the mulch to the far side of the woods.
Somewhere along the way, he let go. The cat now far away still sniffing the patio.

I must admit when it was all over, I began to cry. I wasn't exactly sure why.  Maybe it was because my love for that lizard exceeded my fear of him and in that moment I was transformed.

Angels often teach us lessons in nature and I was so happy to be used as an angel to the rescue.

Enjoy your day with the Angels.

Blessings,

Karen

 P.S. In Animal-Speak by Ted Andrews, lizard teaches to listen to your own intuition before you get swallowed up in what is not beneficial for you.   You will see things that others may miss.  You will hear things that are not being said. The lizard also teaches detachment. (Their tails come off in order to survive.) Sometimes we must separate ourselves or part of ourselves to be able to do the things we must desire to do. Lizard is also associated with dreamtime.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Has God changed His Mind about me?

This week our Course in Miracles study group came across the passage:  Has God changed His Mind about me?  This is the question we need ask ourselves whenever anything tries to threaten our peace of mind.

Then accept His decision... "for it is indeed changeless, and refuse to change your mind about yourself.  God will never decide against you, or He would be deciding against Himself."

"God does not change His Mind about you, for He is not uncertain of Himself."

I wanted to anchor this in my memory bank to use in stormy weather.  A funny image came to mind. I recalled many years ago that comedian Carol Burnette often did a skit, As The Stomach Churns, on her TV show; a spoof on a popular soap opera at the time.  I had a good chuckle imagining her in the midst of a big drama, turning away from her opponent and facing the camera, asking the audience with a puzzled look. "Has God changed His Mind... about me?"  (Ta-dum followed by dramatic organ music.)

I had to laugh, knowing how the ego loves to create drama.  That's what it feeds on.  That's what keeps it going, with the What if? ...  I should have...   If only I'd...   Why didn't you?  Why me?

Yet this simple but profound question is the answer to every little interference that tries to disturb our peace and confuse our identity.

God never changed his Mind about us.  We are created in His image and likeness, as spiritual beings.
So the next time we may find ourselves about to engage in fearful, guilty, angry thoughts or reactions, stop and take a time out to ask the question:  "Has God changed His Mind about me?"

 Then accept this powerful truth: God is Love and so are you.  God is all in all.

Enjoy your day with the Angels.

Blessings,

Karen




(Reference ACIM, Chapter 10, The Idols of Sickness)

Monday, February 4, 2013

Who? Who? Who? An Angel Message



Yesterday it was almost dusk when we returned home from our road trip.  I grabbed the phone to make a call.  Entering my little den, I was amazed to see this large bird land in the camphor tree.  We had made contact in that moment.  Our deliberate gaze seem to have a meaningful purpose.  An owl in the daylight is rare.    I ran for my camera while he patiently waited out on a limb.  With the zoom lens, I could see it was a barred owl posing as big as a cat!   

I knew it was a sign from the angels.  I looked up the symbolism in Animal-Speak by Ted Andrews:  

"The owl is a symbol of the feminine, the moon, and the night. It has been called a cat with wings.  It has great vision and hearing. The barred owl is the champion vocalist among owls. 

The barred owl has a benign nature, and this is what is most outstanding about it.  It is a great actor and can put on quite a show.  Many believe its vocal performances are designed to put other animals and people off.  It reflects the ability of this owl to teach us how to use the voice for greater effects."

As I watched him fly away, he let out a Who? Who? Who?

Enjoy your day with the Angels.

Blessings,

Rae Karen

Friday, February 1, 2013

Deleted Phone Messages: An Angel Message


Yesterday's blog on communication and the phone system, made me laugh last night.  My new cellphone was experiencing technical difficulty. 

When new messages appeared on the screen, I couldn't access them. The only prompt available was a lengthy explanation on how to review deleted messages. With a new phone, I had no deleted messages, but could see calls were received with messages.

 A quick call to the tech rep, entitled me to the privilege of being titled, The Question Stumper of All Time.   During the lengthy time it took to solve the problem, I heard the deleted messages prompt over and over again. 

I was thankful for the reminder not to let my mind retrieve old deleted messages. An ego ploy to  keep me off balance and miss the now opportunities.

Now, my phone messages are easy to retrieve, and I'm learning not to get hung up on the past.

Enjoy your day with the Angels.

Blessings,

Rae Karen