"There is no one alive who is Youer than you." -Dr. Seuss

Spiritual resource to share: authenticity

  

Today you are you,

that's truer than true.

There is no one alive

who is Youer than You.

 from Dr. Seuss

What a thought!  What an idea!  There is no one in the world quite like you.  SO how does this figure into the grand scheme of things.  What makes you You?  What is it about you that makes you so unique?

For some it may not always be easy to discover your unique gifts, and then have the courage to share them. For others, it's a breeze. But it is such a worthwhile undertaking to make that discovery.

First of all, coming from the basis that we are all created in the image and likeness of God, and knowing that God is infinite, there is an infinite store of spiritual qualities each of us reflect. That we all have our own unique signature to give to the world, of this I am sure!

This was demonstrated to me early on in my career when I was studying dance at the University of Minnesota. I took an experimental class in Dance Improvisation. There, the teacher removed any guidelines, threw away all dance disciplines and asked us to start moving for most of the class period.

We all started out a bit intimated and feeling directionless. But one by one, we started experimenting with the moves that felt most natural to us. Pretty soon, as we took turns watching one another and dancing, it was becoming obvious that each dancer focussed his or her movements on a specific theme.

I loved exploring the spiral - movements rising, falling, turning inside then outside; another was fascinated with balance - each part of the body brought its own balance and imbalance to the rest of the body; another kept dancing within the theme of contrasts; another centered on the contraction and the movements that emerged out of that, and on and on. The point was that each of us had a strength that emerged and our own unique signature blossomed in an open and inviting atmosphere.

How can we do that today? Can we develop our own voice? Our own way of dancing through life? Can we identify our authentic self and give that to the world?

Sure.

Do this fun exercise. Leave aside all expectations, and put yourself in an open and inviting atmosphere. Now, write down everything that you are. Come up with at least, let's say, 20 things. Done? OK, now remove any titles or jobs you may have (like professor, award-winning pie eater), any roles you have or positions that define you in relation to others (mother, second cousin, etc), any thing that defines you physically (drop dead gorgeous, short and round, etc.) and finally remove any dead end quality (like boring, lazy, etc.)

Now that outside expectations, labels and dead end stuff have been removed, you should have a list of your primitive spiritual qualities. (For more ways of discovering your spiritual qualities, see past post on the Spirituality Matrix.)

This embodiment of spiritual qualities is you, your theme. Let's say what is left on your list is grace, order and spontaneity. Or strength, precision and tenderness. Or maybe it's warmth, intelligence, promptness. Taking this cluster of spiritual ideas (which is actually you, now understood spiritually) how would you respond in a variety of settings? How would Grace/Order/Spontaneity respond at a family Christmas dinner? How would Strength/Precision/Tenderness deal with a new challenging project at work? Or how would Warmth/Intelligence/Promptness deal with paying overdue bills?

You are unique. And you bring your God-given qualities with you wherever you go - bringing a unique dimension of God's love to every activity in the way that only you can.


Signing off as Curious/Adventurous/Embracing,

Kim





To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

dance: becoming an athlete of God

Spiritual resource to share: rhythm of head and heart

A friend once asked for a more tangible definition of Soul.  I could think of no better explanation that to see Soul as expressed through dance.  I was a student of dance for about ten years and loved Martha Graham's deep and organic structure of movement.  As Martha Graham was a pioneer in dance, I included some of her ideas about dance.  See for yourself how much of dance defines the rhythm and beauty of life all around us and enjoy this dance class as if it were your own!

Selected Martha Graham Quotations

• There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. We are, all of us, unique, each a unique pattern of creativity, and if it is not fulfilled it is lost for all ...

• The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.

• No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time. It is just that the others are behind the time.


• Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery.


• Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.


• In a dancer's body, we as audience must see ourselves, not the imitated behavior of everyday actions, not the phenomenon of nature, not exotic creatures from another planet, but something of the miracle that is a human being.


• I am absorbed in the magic of movement and light. Movement never lies. It is the magic of what I call the outer space of the imagination. There is a great deal of outer space, distant from our daily lives, where I feel our imagination wanders sometimes. It will find a planet or it will not find a planet, and that is what a dancer does.


• We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energize the spectator into keener awareness of the vigor, the mystery, the humor, the variety, and the wonder of life. This is the function of the American dance.

• We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. One becomes in some area an athlete of God.


• It takes ten years, usually, to make a dancer. It takes ten years of handling the instrument, handling the material with which you are dealing, for you to know it completely.


• I'm asked so often at ninety-six whether I believe in life after death. I do believe in the sanctity of life, the continuity of life and of energy. 

dance. dance! DANCE!

Spiritual resource to share: universal jumping joy

OK folks - off to Liverpool.... and do the twist!



and then to Belgium....



and then a little bit of tango in front of Shakespeare's statue in Central Park



Dance brings out the childlikeness in us all!







To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Letting go and letting God

Spiritual resource to share: familiar, time tested life truths


There’s a lot to consider when trusting God – like what it means to let go. It’s talking about letting go of one’s own plans, speculations and opinions to make way for the grace and surprise of God.

There’s a discipline to this, I know. Letting go and letting God is not about letting yourself go, like letting things slide or ignoring things. To let go of self and ego and trust God is a discipline like many disciplines. For instance in dance: I studied dance for about ten years and can only truly say that I felt I was able to truly “let go” and dance only a handful of times. Let me explain and then draw some analogies to healing prayer.

For years, I danced up to five days a week. We always started out with stretches on the floor, stretches standing, then on to small phrases of movements then to movements across the floor. It was repetitive and in certain ways, contemplative. Then we would work on the larger performance piece.

After weeks, even months of class, we performed. This was where the discipline paid off. With the spontaneous connection of a live audience, the art of dance kicked in for me. Because of the discipline, I had more freedom, strength and confidence to move, to jump, to remember the intricacies of the steps, the stretches, the contact with the floor and with one another. The letting go was done because of my trust in all the things that I had learned. It was freeing, empowering and affirming! It all connected and made sense! The dance then was truly inspired.

Something in that perfect coincidence of balance, grace and energy being made manifest resonated deeply with the audience and that inspiration is what moved the audience to a full round of applause!

My approach to prayer is somewhat similar to my approach to dance. I can start with the study of things I know: the Weekly Bible Lesson, reading through Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy or her other writings, the Bible, other inspiring articles. I read these things in order to be stretched – to feel an expanding of ideas (otherwise it is just bland repetition like only reading the letter without the spirit).

I take a new idea and expand it to my life. I then move with this thought to my practice, my patients, to the world. I practice with this one idea throughout the day.

When I get a spontaneous call from a patient, it all comes together. The discipline of the daily work yields up to the inspiration of the moment. I let go of all speculation, human opinions and fears, and listen. I let God guide the conversation and later, let God reveal to me what I need to know. God becomes nearer and dearer to me, and it follows that whatever weight the limited and material arguments had, fall away.

If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to spirit.

Healing happens as a revealing of our perfect reflection of perfect God. There is something in that perfect coincidence of health, harmony and abundant love being made manifest that resonates deeply with me. And the whole reason for this is for the patient to experience this as well.

I grow in my trust of God’s supremacy. Every day, I can let go more easily and trust God more readily. It is an infinite lesson that I learn every day.





To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

dance with the world

Spiritual resource to share: caring hearts

Very recently, a former editor of The Christian Science Monitor, Richard Bergenheim, passed on. A beautiful article of love and appreciation was written up in the Monitor. You'll need to read the article to get the full force of the contribution he made to others personally and internationally. The article closes modestly enough with these words:

Richard liked travel because he loved humanity. In June, he told a group of college students, "Think of the world as filled with friends. We don't let our friends be in trouble without trying to figure out how to help them. We care. And part of what the Monitor exists to do is increase the caring capacity of our hearts."

When this delightful youtube video showed up on my screen, it reminded me of the thousands and millions of people who love humanity and who work, love and dance with others and in so doing, increase the caring capacity of all of our hearts. So enjoy watching it, and I hope you'll find your heart dancing to find even more ways to love and care for one another.





You can click here to subscribe to The Christian Science Monitor now!

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

the artist's hymn

Spiritual resource to share: our art

This hymn has been showing up all day yesterday and today. It makes me think of artists. One of its musical settings is set to a waltz.

Dance away!

Eternal Mind the Potter is,
And thought th' eternal clay:
The hand that fashions is divine,
His works pass not away.

Man is the noblest work of God,
His beauty, power and grace,
Immortal; perfect as his Mind
Reflected face to face.

God could not make imperfect man
His model infinite;
Unhallowed thought He could not plan,
Love's work and Love must fit.

Life, Truth and Love the pattern make,
Christ is the perfect heir;
The clouds of sense roll back, and show
The form divinely fair.

God's will is done; His kingdom come;
The Potter's work is plain.
The longing to be good and true
Has brought the light again.

And man does stand as God's own child,
The image of His love.
Let gladness ring from every tongue,
And heaven and earth approve.

photos from http://www.pbase.com/pliborio/olaria

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

G U I D A N C E

Spiritual resource to share: the dance





Thanks to Sandi and to John Mark Ministries for this wonderful article! (And check out Sandi's new blog!)

Dancing with God

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G: I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God, "u" and "i" dance."
God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings
and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.

May you abide in God as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.





© John Mark Ministries. Articles may be reproduced in any medium, without applying for permission (provided they are unedited, and retain the original author/copyright information)

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.