JULY 31, 2009: "ANEW"

ANEW
(Janis Kelly @2009)

I say that I'm ready to let go
I say that I'm ready to move on
But still something always seems to pull me back
To where the right went wrong.
I say that I'm leaving the past behind
I say that I'm dealing with all my fears
So why am I standing here so desperately
And pleading through my tears?

I want to be whole again
I want to remember who I am
I want to release myself from all this pain
And find myself again
I want to feel free, once more
To somehow let love walk through my door
And so I'm on my knees and calling out to You:

"Can You send Heaven's Breath?
Can You send Angel's Wings?
Can You send all of Your mercy, grace, compassion, too?
Can You send healing for my heart?
Can You send healing for my soul?
Can You send healing so my life--
Can start anew?"

I wanna get back to shining!
I wanna get to back to reaching!
I wanna get to all of the joy that I once knew!
I wanna get back to knowing!
I wanna get back to growing!
Which means there's no turning back;
I'll have to find my way through!

"Can You send Heaven's Breath?
Can You send Angel's Wings?
Can You send all of Your mercy, Your grace, compassion, too?
Can You send healing for my heart?
Can You send healing for my soul?
Can You send healing so my life--
Can start anew?"

JULY 16, 2009: "PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF..."

"The presence of God's love in me is greater than my fear could ever be;
The wisdom of God's holy word, lives in my soul.
The presence of God's love in me is strong enough to set my spirit free;
The power of God's healing light makes me whole."
-Janis Kelly @2007

Greetings, family!

Today is Thursday, July 16th, 2009 and I am blogging for the second time this week! I am currently reading a wonderful book and using it in my daily meditations and journaling: "Stake Your Claim; Exploring the Gold Mine Within," by Emmett Fox, the renowned scientist, philosopher and spiritual teacher (1886-1951). It was a gift from my dear friend, Louise Vidaurri, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone seeking their greatest good!

The essay I read and worked with today is entitled, "Watch Your Step!" and begins with the following bible verse, found in the book of Ecclesiastes: "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil."

As Mr. Fox points out, the "inner" meaning of, "Keep thy foot," (or, "Watch your step," as we would say today), is to maintain your spiritual understanding, and to "go to the house of God" implies that God (or whatever name you feel most comfortable using) is always present, no matter where you are. So what is really being said is that if you maintain your spiritual understanding and remember that God is everywhere present, you will be "more ready to hear," i.e. to receive your inspiration or your answer from God.

"To give the sacrifice of fools" is to accept something that someone else told you as the truth, rather than seeking it directly from God; "for they consider not that they do evil," meaning that we don't recognize that our negative thought patterns actually create destruction in our lives.

Basically, what this verse is saying--and why this lesson was so powerful for me today--is that if we want to be successful in life, to have spiritual understanding and Divine Inspiration, we must "Practice the Presence of God" at all times, not just when it's easy to do so.

As I look into my own life, I see that I am always "Practicing the Presence" of something. For instance, when I'm stuck in traffic, I am typically practicing the presence of frustration and impatience; when I'm "broke," or in financial distress, I often practice the presence of fear and lack; when I don't feel well physically, it tends to be sickness and worry that I practice. I could conjure up many more such examples, but suffice it to say that I have gotten quite skilled at "Practicing the Presence" of many negative or "evil" qualities! Therefore, it's not surprising that I would continue to experience them regularly and, actually, "habitually."

So how do I learn to "Practice the Presence of God" instead? For me, the most powerful and practical way is through daily meditation, when I deliberately remove myself from outside distractions such as those listed above and focus in on my breathing. As Echart Tolle advises in his book, "The Power Of Now," all I really need do is close my eyes and bring my attention to a particular body part--let's say my feet--and then allow myself first to just "feel" them, and then to feel pure energy, light, power, etc., coursing through them. This feeling--however it shows up for me that day--IS the presence of God. When I practice this technique over the course of my entire body, I emerge from my meditation feeling distinctly different than when I started. For me, that's the Presence of God, pure and simple.

Now, the safety of my living room is one thing, and the world-at-large is another, so how do I maintain this "presence" as I move throughout my day? Well, that part is "simple, but not easy," as my friend Rev. Jim Lee used to say! I must choose to practice it , regardless of the outer circumstance. For instance, as I am sitting in traffic, I can choose to replace my feelings of frustration with those I cultivated during my meditation, thus replacing frustration with calm. When my bank balance is especially low, I can take a deep breath and replace thoughts of lack with those of abundance and prosperity. Or, when I am feeling physically unwell, I can affirm, as the chant says above, that "the presence of God's love in me is greater than my fear could ever be!"

What are you practicing the presence of--right now, in this very moment? Is it "God," or is it "evil?" The choice is always up to us: we can't control the circumstances, but we CAN control our response to them! As for me--just for today--I am choosing "a heart that is healed, a soul that's revealed and a life that's been renewed!" Let's practice together...

In Harmony, Unity, Peace & Love,

Janis
www.janis-kelly.com

JULY 14, 2009: MY FIRST ENTRY SINCE APRIL!

Greetings, family!

Wow, it's been a really long time! Today is Tuesday, July 14th and it's been more than three months since my last confession! When I look back to the beginning of April, it's amazing to realize how much has transpired in my life since then! To whit, I am writing this blog from Boulder, Colorado, where I relocated to at the beginning of June. My journey here has been nothing short of miraculous and a wonderful example of the power of deliberate intention! Therefore, I would like to share an essay from Emmet Fox's fabulous book, "Stake Your Claim (Exploring the Gold Mine Within)," entitled "That Illogical Fellow:"

People sometimes say, I believe firmly in the spiritual teaching, and I have done so for years, but I have never been able to make it work--isn't that strange? And sometimes they say this with quite an air of triumph.

Such people remind me of a certain man who used to boast that he had an ailment that no one could heal. It seems that he had successfully defied every school of healing known to the public and had emerged triumphantly still in possession of his affliction. As it happens, his wife did heal him later on by prayer alone, but she was a patient and persevering woman.

Of course, if you go about saying or thinking that you cannot make the teaching work (which usually means that you do not expect to) you are really making a law for yourself to that effect, and you should never be tired of reminding yourself that when you make a mental law for yourself you do have to live under it. You may have known this law for forty or fifty years and yet, being human, you are likely to forget it, at least occasionally.

That man's wife probably points the way to the overcoming of this mistake. The key to success with such problems lies in just the qualities that she obviously had: patience combined with a gentle and unhurried expectation of success.

The patient whom she healed is not a rare specimen, nor is he unknown to anyone. We are all likely to encounter him under our own hat at any moment!

I EXPECT TO BE LOVED (Janis Kelly @2008)

I expect to be loved;
I expect to be embraced;
I expect to be acknowledged and appreciated;
Everywhere that I go!
I deserve to hear, "YES!"
I deserve to have success;
I deserve to be seen as nothing less than a
Divine Expression of God!

In Harmony, Unity, Peace & Love,

Janis
www.janis-kelly.com