On Asking for Help & Signposts

On Asking for Help & Signposts

We all need help sometimes. Some of us have become good at "making due" so much that we have learned not to ask. Many men have been taught that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Many women have been taught that, with the advent of the Career Woman of the 70s, that we must be strong and do it ourselves in order to "prove something."  

Can I tell you a secret?

Our angels sit around in chairs scrunching their noses in compassion while we bang our heads against the wall, feeling frustrated about our lives because we need help and don't know what to do. They want so badly to help us, but they can not do so unless we ask.

Do you remember when you were a child and could not tie your shoelaces? At some point, someone--maybe a childhood friend or a parent--showed you how. 

We are born knowing everything we need to know, spiritually, but we are put on this earth to learn how to manifest it, physically. Sometimes it's just hard! So just ask.

Asking is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. When you're asking, you've realized that you need something you don't know how to manifest alone, and you are looking for whatever support is necessary to honor that heart truth.

Asking allows you to stay in touch with that bubbling hot spring of passion.

The other day I was doing some emotional sorting around what I want to manifest. I was sitting in my container garden next to brightly colored flowers. "Am I on the right track?" I asked. "Guides, please let me know!" 

I journaled my thoughts and hit on some ideas that felt very good, when suddenly a hummingbird appeared within a foot of me, peering at me as if I were some strange curiosity in her flower patch. She hovered for about 10 seconds, and flitted off. But the interruption of nature at just that moment happened to underscore the very topic I was journalling about, and I felt a deep excitement as even more ideas expanded from there. 

Moments like those are called Signposts. Ask long as you have the courage to ask your guides for help, they will always reply.

As in my case, they may not reply in words or thoughts, but confirmation will come in the form of a signpost, or some simple event that offers energetic synchronicity and exponentially expands your sense of love, positivity, or clarity.

Imagine if you met the love of your life, but you became discouraged because they said something in passing that led you to think they could never like you. You walk away from them and miss out on lovely experiences, all because you never garnered the courage to ASK for clarification.

We do this type of thing on a lesser scale everyday. We get into confusing situations, and we forget to check in with ourselves, with our highest wisdom, with our primal knowing, and with our guides. We suffer in confusion rather than taking time to simply ask for help! You never lose by asking!

On Faith

On Faith

What is faith? I was raised to belief that Faith is an action word. We often define it as "belief in something for which we have no proof," but even the early French etymology explains faith as the "duty of fulfilling one's trust." That duty sounds pretty action oriented to me!

People are sometimes afraid to believe in God. They feel pressured by religion to place faith in something for which they have no empiriclal evidence. They don't want to place faith and then be sorely disappointed at some critical moment. But what if Faith is an action we take day in and out?

What if, from today forward, you look at faith as something you do in order to fulfill that trust, and you begin with having faith in yourself? 

It is often easier to have faith in the abilities of others. We may choose to believe or disbelieve in our government leaders, our parents, our bosses, and lovers, but when faced with ourselves, if we have not developed a solid core of faith in our own ability to live, love, and prosper, we suffer. Sometimes, because we have trouble believing in ourseselves and carrying our that duty to fullfill that sacred trust with our own hearts, we look outside of ourselves for something to have faith in. We look to God, or to Angels, or to Mother Earth. But in fact the deepest lessons of most religious faiths is that God, Angels, Gaia, they are all found within us. Until we learn to see the refelction of the divine within ourselves, we can not heal that inner sense of lack. You must trust that you are worth having Faith in!

"Faith is the function of human life that dispels the dark clouds of doubt, anxiety and regret, opens one’s heart and orients it toward good," says Daisaku Ikeda. When you take up Faith as an action verb, seeking to understand how and why something is worthy of your love and energy--and how best that should be physically expressed--you unlock the gateway to a profound glimpse at real truth-- that all things are worthy of Faith and Love, for all things created are beautifully, blissfully, divinine. Once you realize this, you don't have to worry about losing Faith, or Hope, or falling into pits of despair, for that faith once found can not be lost. Even the guru who disappoints through scandal, must be recognized as part of a great teaching and learning wheel. As your fatih increases, your brilliant mind can honor the needs and duties of that faith, taking actions which support overall well being and increasing overall faith--not in any guru or physical earthly thing, but in the cosmic nature of life, and in the blossoming flower your own soul.

On Devotion

The word devotion stems from the old latin meaning roughly to "dedicate by a vow, sacrifice oneself, promise solemly" or to preach from the base or root of one's being. I'm a fairly passionate person and though I am quite comfortable with throwing love around, I do not make declarations and vows of devotion lightly. I have often known within minutes, if not hours, the love contract between myself and another. This isn't to say I can't be surprised, for the road of love between two people, whatever the relationship, can twist and turn several times over. 

And yet I've found that often deep within, we have a sense of who and what we are meant to be to one another. We just spend time (days, weeks, months) clearing old wounds, or ego, in order to fulfull that original spark of vision. 

The other day I was with a good friend of mine I haven't seen in a few years. We spent several hours talking, and I expressed that I was so excited to see her son, whom I hadn't seen in years as well. The following day, I came to her home and there he stood. He was friendly and chatty, but none of that mattered. Instantly my heart was overwhelmed with a deep filial connection I have only ever felt for my own child, and none before or since. I knew, as certain as my own breath, that "come hell or highwater" I would protect the life and interests of this little boy as if he were my own. It was an unresonable, soul-certain feeling. My friend and I talked about this, and other forms of love for most of the evening.

This is the nature of devotion. It is a vow that comes from the Great Below within all of us, from our own primal, very human selves. A vow so strong we would sacrifice our lives. This vow may be spoken or unspoken. It may blossom within us like a surprise, or burn so deeply born of karma and circumstance.

Where and how we choose to express this life-on-the-line kind of devotion is critical, for our very life is at stake. In Nichiren Buddhism, it is said that those who practice Buddhism today made a vow many thousands of lifetimes ago to flower with life, to remain in the karmic cycle of death and rebirth, regardless of enlightenment, in order to help others. It is a vow of great compassion. To live it means to release the judgements of ego completely, and honor the beauty of our human process. Some say that this kind of higher-consciousness devotion (ie to God, to the compassionate healing of Earth or Humanity) is the only place we should place our deepest devotion.

I say that devotion to a small child and devotion to God are one in the same. Both are Divine. We all are. When we honor anything in this world as we would honor Supreme Life, we heal the frayed threads of communal consciousness. We remember the greatness that we hold as individuals, but also as a collective creating life. 

And yet, devotion itself is a neutral energy. It is the expression of our willingness to give our all. If we devote ourselves to acts or routines that disconnect us from our life force, or take on committments that have nothing to do with our soul needs, we minimize the light of loving wisdom we are able to share--because this kind of devotion ultimately saps our energy. If we devote ourselves to people/places/causes that negate who we are, we eventually need to do the healing work of returning to wholeness around those parts of us that are shut down in that process. We then become busy repairing and healing our own relationship to ourselves. While this is not "bad," we can experince greater expansion by being discerning in what we choose to devote ourselves to.

  

Daily meditations and prayers, nourishing foods and activities, actions that support healthy and balanced relationships-- these are all hungry for our devotion. When we are devoted in love, we vibrate love and draw the world around us into a resonance of love. In turn, more love is created.

On Strength

On Strength

Every creature on this earth has its own quality of strength. I was thinking of us today, and how we humans are pretty scrawny when compared to, say, a lion. However, we have brilliant minds capable of creating complex structures in multiple planes of reality; just look at our physical buildings, emotional & social etiquette, intellectual abstract reasoning, religious beliefs! Yet when we talk about strength we don't often think about these human acts. We talk instead about overcoming challenges, or persevering against all odds. We tell stories in which some forceful action displays our strength. 

I have thought a lot about strength this year as I've sat with people overcoming tremendous illness, or children facing playground bullies. I honor that our strength shows in so many different ways.

To me the heart of strength is in loving oneself enough to honor the messages coming from our inner lion (or primal center of energy), and in allowing that story to well upward from the well of our being, like a song deep within our own blood, unique unto us, but asking to be sung.

When we live from our deepest truth, we are impassioned. Our blood sings. Our life glows. We are in love with life. The energy that this creates can make impossible things manifest. Inventions are created. New worlds are created.

Children are really good at living this way. They listen to that inner voice that tells them where they must go or what they must do, and because they are connected with that passion, they do it. It is a fierce primal life force energy that they wrangle effortlessly. They are filled with passion for just being alive.

When we allow ourselves to connect with our inner lion, we have an enormous power generator backing up our every move. But that isn't enough. We must also temper that raw force with loving awareness that comes through our heart. Our heart energy transforms that passion song into something that works not only for us, but that can also increase vibrations of light and healing for others in the world as well. Connecting with our passion makes us passionate, but tempering it with deep trust and reflection, this makes us strong. Possibly unbeatable! 

Real strength is being courageous enough to listen to that voice of truth in the still waters of our deepest heart, even when the rest of the world is telling us something completely different--and being willing to act upon it for a good that serves both ourselves and our community. Real strength is standing by that heart or primal truth in order to create more light and beauty in your multiple planes of reality--even if it doesn't fit the reality that is already there.

It takes strength to march at the front of a revolutionary war brigade, or to create an invention the world calls crazy. We all have the strength to do incredible things. Find your inner lion. Figure out how to honor it. Then do what's necessary to tame it so your own unique, primal song can be unleashed.

Daily Practice

April and May were filled with some really sweet moments, including the adventure of the Isis Advanced training, and our first Beach Cleanup of the year (see pics on facebook!). However, in my private life these months also brought the physical moving away of significant family and friends, as well as the anniversary of a poignant family death that is still a bit steamy around the edges. 

When life presents big emotional situations that require deep coping and processing skills, I turn to my daily practice to ground myself before taking any other supportive action. Mantras, meditations, and fresh action (even if that action is sometimes rest) help pull me through.

Sometimes, I resist. I find myself shying away from my home altar, or making excuses not to take my morning walk. I recognize these actions as red flags indicating that I’m running from myself; I know that when I sit at that altar, or do the yoga, or take the walk, I will by necessity face the core of what my life experience is at that moment, and sometimes it hurts to be that present. My inner capricorn knows how to trudge forward with tireless determination, but trudging is not always necessary. 

I am learning to simply be kind to myself in those moments. Sometimes we run. Sometimes we hunker down and wait, like the opossum playing dead. When it’s hard, as it certainly was for a day or two, here or there, I spray aromatherapy, and find ways to laugh. 

Then, as night falls, I sit with myself in silence. I allow for space. I let my talking personality fall quiet. I allow the wisdom of my wild inner child to speak up, and then my heart to speak up. Truth comes up in those moments, when we allow for that uninterrupted time. 

It doesn’t always come up right then, but eventually it senses the opening I’ve offered, and pounds its way to the surface with seeming perfect synchronicity. Sometimes I realize that there are things I need in order to come back to myself: a trip to the beach, a hike in the woods, a stop at the ice cream shop with a friend. 

Other times, just acknowledging that life is complex and that in that moment I don't like the rules, is enough for me to let go of judgement and come back to center. I can melt back into my body and the practice of living with a sense of renewal.

We are all such warriors! Everyday, we are facing new adventures, old wounds, great choices at the crossroads of our lives. Nobody can lead us safely through our pathway. Our paths are all different. We have soaring mountains with snowbanks that have hidden the path markings, and blissful jumps to make from the top of emerald jungle waterfalls. 

In key moments, we alone must make the critical decisions for how to live, how to self-care, when to jump, when to play dead. However, our family and very good friends can be a part of our safety pack, offering love and listening ears where needed. They reflect back to us who we are (and often unintentionally who we are not!). 

Our practice is a part of our toolkit too. While there may be times when there just isn’t a moment to sit and Ohm because we’re face to face with something beastly, your daily practice will bring you back to the nuts and bolds of reality, putting that beast into perspective. Of course, as the name implies, daily practice requires consistent effort, and while it can certainly be joyful, it may not always be easy. 

Do you know how I got solid biceps? Regular exercise! Haha. While some of it was unintentional (carrying a 40 lb kid on one arm), some of it most certainly was (ie the ever-challenging-for-Dailey plank pose in yoga). 

Just for now, I can think of 14 or 15 friends and clients who are going through very grueling, horribly intense processing. My heart is always with you in the work. On this end, I’m praying that you’re well bundled for your snowy sojourn and that you’ve packed your swimsuit for the eventual sun. 

But I’m also reminding you to find your daily practice. If you’re having a hard time touching into it, then reach out and find a friend or stranger who can help motivate you. Or, like me, turn off the lights. Get dark. Play dead. And with amazement, watch your own inner sunrise.

xoxo

Dailey

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! 

No matter the family or format, being a mother takes tenacity, courage, and a heck of a lot of love. We each have our challenges, but I hope on this day, you are honored for all that you continue to bring into the world, and I hope you also honor yourself. You are a creatrix, and with each breath you affirm the life of your beloved charge. 

Some of us have suffered miscarriage. Others, forms of loss we can not imagine. No matter the fate of your child (or children) you are a mother.

For some, your body has known death and rebirth through the gate of your womb, and this mortal coil was your rite of passage into motherhood. 

For others, you brought life through pure ether, bleeding and opening through your heart as you adopted, inherited, or otherwise birthed the circumstances to love and hold your beloved progeny. 

You! Goddess! May you be known for the queen that you are, and that I know you to be, on this and every day.

blessings,

Dailey

May Events @ Healing Heart Reiki

** MAY EVENTS @ Healing Heart Reiki **

Welcome to the fertile energy of spring. May your "May" be blessed with love and light

3rd (sat)  - Reiki SHARE & CLINIC

4th  (sun)- Reiki I Training

5th (mon)- Being In Balance Yoga with Amanda Metcalf (all mondays)

11th (sun) - Advanced Energy Training / Isis Training with Dailey Little

17th (sat) - Intro to Your Own Energy with Diana Borges

28th (wed)- Ladies of the Lake Study Group with Bernadette Wulf

31st (sat) - Reiki II Training

Thought I'd post this here today. You can see event additions, details or changes on the website CALENDAR.

Please Share this with friends whom you think will benefit and enjoy these offerings. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes this month:

"love everyone and tell the truth." ~neem karoli baba

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~Lao Tzu

"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge." ~ Thomas Carlyle

Happy May! See you soon! ~Dailey