Esoteric Realms

I yearn for silence, for solitude, for those moments when my mind is detached in such a way that is able to fly and go places I have never being and I understand in ways it was impossible before. It is a ray of light illuminating my mind, my heart and soul and then the thoughts, emotions, and words are free to flow easily. It hasn’t been the case for a long time now, I lost track of time in the middle of turmoil, noise and pain. I need to get it back somehow. I’m coming back to the original place where all seem to be so right and creativity flourished almost effortlessly. It is never in total isolation but in the sharing of like minds and thoughts that somehow sustain and inspire to create even more. It is to find that connection of the seen and unseen that completes the picture many times. I am not sure who would understand, perhaps only those who have experience or yearn to experience the same. I don’t believe it is a unique gift but it is something few touch upon because those few are the ones with enough courage to claim the space they need to experience it. It is not easy sometimes, especially when there are so many other things out of control and most of the time we want to control them. In the end the one who suffer is the one with their wings tied up.

Words are like the air I breathe, without them flowing I feel like dying. There are integral to my well being and my health, it is not good to bottle up emotions, anger and hate. A volcano can not be contained. I am afraid that is what I have done as the tremors shook deep within loosing up the soil and fragmenting what used to be solid. It is new terrain, one that I am sure in time can be even better than it was. Dreaming gives hope and refreshes the soul, it is something to look forward to even though we don’t know the way. It is taking one step at a time expecting to succeed. Not everything fall on a straight line, and everything that does not works out fine all the time, the more delightful rides sometimes are the ones on a scenic route even though it takes longer. I can’t keep starring at the many curves, turns and crossroads while I miss the view around me. I need to stop and walk slowly in order not to miss the details of what is trying to touch me and transform me.

I see an open gate, a cool fresh dawn before me and a inspiring breeze letting me know I am still alive. I close my physical eyes and open my inner vision, then I breathe in. The tension goes away and rushing through comes my long forgotten friend, inspiration. Where has it been? Why it took so long? Why did I let it go? Who said I could control my fate, or what others decide to do in the end? Who said I would never get hurt again? It was a really good try, a good run, one I thought I won but found myself instead with an empty shell. There is an ideal but never an absolute, there is always a way to find the way.

On a Mission

USS Boxer, Picture by the Associated Press

Yesterday was the remembrance of the Lord’s Passion and Death, as I sat on the pew and listened to the account I couldn’t help it but to be moved to tears. As I went forward to venerate the cross I remembered that it was thanks to a cross that we were set free. Too many it seems madness but to God it is a blessing. Jesus accomplished his mission through suffering and sacrifice and that is how many times we also accomplish our own mission on earth.

Last night, as I scanned online for news on the hostage situation off Somalia I found out that the USS Boxer is on its way to help in the situation, that is the ship my son is in. I received his last message earlier yesterday. So we came together as a family to pray the Rosary for his safety and the safety of all involved so that it is resolved in a peaceful manner. The anguish makes me restless but at the same time there is a peace and consolation in my heart. I remembered the medals I gave to him before he left to California, blessed by our parish priest to protect him, which he has on the chain that holds his dog tags. I also remember how every Sunday our brothers and sisters at church assure us of his prayers for him. We are all together in this mission, whatever that might be for any of us in our different walks in life. This is our earthly mission as members of the militant church.

My life long learning of my faith comes to life one more time, now I pull out the “weapons” provided to us in order to help and intercede in this situation and I trust that joining forces with many others our actions and prayers will bear fruit. If you believe this I would humbly ask you to join me as well.

Tomorrow we will celebrating Jesus triumph over death on a cross and with it the certainty that we took can raise with him. We took can triumph over our present situations, our hardships, challenges, and trials. We are on a mission for ourselves and one another.

Wishing you and your families a blessed and happy Easter.

Book Launch Preparation

As the time draws near to the moment I have worked so hard for, I can not help but to also feel anxious.

I pray that my next book, Moonlit Walks, offers my readers a reason for hope in these difficult times when it is hard to look for that positive glimpse in our daily circumstances. It is the only way to move on and let our life be transformed into what is meant to be.

I don’t offer solutions to individual situations but one thing I can do is to share with you my journey in order to inspire others to begin their very own journey. In the same way that I offered in Simplicity, Richness of Life, my experiences on raising a family and learning to live simpler in order to do what matters in my life, on Moonlit Walks I will explore many other topics that I deemed worthy to reflect upon and explore. It is the only way I know how to navigate my life and the turmoils it sometimes accompanies it, one that perhaps will help others to do the same in their own unique way until they too find themselves in come waters.

Life is not easy sometimes but it becomes bearable when we share it with those around us. I believe that is why many of us are having a hard time today, we have disconnected ourselves from each other in pursuit of our own dreams. We have lost the sense that family, friendship and community is what makes us prosper in the long run, not merely individuality. We treasure who we are, yes, but never forgetting that we are also called to share ourselves with others. It is a way to enrich life and to make it more meaningful. It is to give it reason for its existence.

Stay tuned for the announcement on the launch of Moonlit Walks, I will try to make it as memorable as the moments that inspired it.

Resolutions 2009

It is that time of the year again and I usually start thinking about my resolutions towards the end of the year. This year though it has been so full of drama that I haven’t got time to really think about what I had on my list for 2008 and what I did not accomplish in order to start making plans for 2009. I usually approach resolutions in a practical manner; a clear and definite list of goals and results. This coming year I will still have some of those but for business purposes only, on my personal life I will go a different route.

Another thing I would like to do this year is to list what I learned on 2008. So here we go.

In 2008 I learned:

Dreams do come true, if you put your heart right behind it.
Anything worth having contains a big risk.
I am me, I can’t pretend to be anyone else in order to please anyone.
Words can only go so far, I need actions to back up words.
It is a shame but the one I trusted the most was the one who hurt me the most.
I would never measure myself with someone’s else standards.
Opening my heart was the best thing I have done in a very long time.
I’m listening more and more to my innate intuition, so far it hasn’t failed me.
I used to live in the past and think of the future, right now I’m learning to live in the present moment.
Nobody is perfect.
There is good in each and every individual.
Love transforms everything.
I have way more friends than I realized.

My 2009 Personal Resolutions:

With God’s help I will rise above the struggles.
I will rescue myself from the abyss.
I will continue to dream and act.
I will keep a big smile.
I will continue to build friendships.
I will live in the present, learn from the past and hope for the future.
I will never push aside my intuition.
I won’t settle.
I will be loved just the way I am, God does.

What are some of your resolutions? And how about what you learned on 2008?

Wishing you the very best on 2009, many blessings and health during the New Year. Cheers!!!!

Awaken by Force

Lately it seems that a week does not go by without some kind of drama or situation to deal with. It comes from all angles; personal, emotional, financial, parenting and relational. It feels like a battle ground and no matter how sure I am that all will get back to normal, it only takes a few days for the next attack. I never know from where or to whom it is going to be next so I am forced to be alert and suspicious of everything and everyone. I have come to believe this is a spiritual attack, one that is working hard to destroy everything we are and have.

I feel hanging by a thread sometimes but that thread is God and it is stronger than anything I can imagine. The thoughts on unworthiness comes to mind from time to time but I recognize it as part of the attack itself trying to keep me down feeling like all will lost anyhow so I try to refocus the thoughts and feelings in the midst of confusion and agony. One thing that amazes me is the calm that prevails within even if it is in the most obscure corner of my soul, it lingers. I know that there are many circumstances I can not control and because of it there is reason to despair. Like in the battleground, I need to asses the enemy and the terrain, be alert, know my weapons and deal with the attack as it unfolds before me. My main goal is to survive and to protect those around me, on the same token, I can not do much for those around me who decide to do something foolish exposing themselves to the imminent danger. It is not easy to see them fall and most of all I fear the long term effect of their injuries, but like I said, there are certain circumstances I have no control over and one of them is someone else free will.

I wonder how other people deal with spiritual battles or if they even believe in one but I come to realize that that they are so real.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Limitless Mentality

“Never put a lid on God. You can’t give God a thimble and ask for a quart. It won’t work. Your plans, your projects, your dreams have to always be bigger than you, so that God has room to operate.” – Mother Angelica from the book Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality.

Playing it safe, it is the most common mentality in order to navigate life without much discomfort. I really don’t know how or why some of us are so afraid to step out in faith. In the past people didn’t have much and in reality they had way more than we do now. They lived simply and work the land with their own hands, it was hard work and many times they gathered their food on a daily basis. There was no way to store food for a long period of time so they learned to get things as they needed, nothing more. Everyone in the family was expected to lend a helping hand and -unlike now- they did it without expecting to get paid for it, it was something they did because they were part of the family. They had to rely on faith and hard work trusting that they would have what they needed.

(Entrance to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament – built on Faith)

When it comes to God there are no limits on what He can do through us. I’ve seen it with my own eyes on the things He accomplished through Mother Angelica, and yet I’m afraid to step out in faith. “Pagan” she called a loan officer once for not lending her money based on faith. She had no assets and didn’t know what her income was going to be until the end of the month. We have been conditioned to work on “sure” ground, on security, on things we can see and touch.

The other day we had a customer worried about submitting a claim to her insurance company in order to do a repair in her house. Her fear was on the increase of her policy if she submitted the claim, now I just wondered, why in the world do we need to have insurance for everything if when the time to make a claim comes we are afraid to claim what we are entitled to? We spend millions of dollars over our lifetime to insure everything we possess and yet we are afraid to claim a portion of it back. What does insurance provides us? In this case absolutely nothing other than to make us part from our hard earn money in exchange for some “security.”

Having a limitless mentality is not stopping to think of what we can do, but on what God can do instead. We are a vessel and only when we allow to be used by Him are we able to do the great things He had in mind for us. They key to limitless is to tap to the source and open ourselves to the possibilities.

I really don’t know why am I writing on this topic today, all I know is that somehow those lines I quoted at the beginning jumped at me while reading the book this morning. I keep waiting to move forward in my life but at the moment I feel frozen in time, afraid of what might come next. I know I should have faith, the one I used to have years ago but that in many ways I’ve lost. I need to get it back; faith that things will get better, that nothing will last forever, that I can do anything through Him if only I tune in to His will in my life at this moment and that my dreams are His way of saying to go on, that there is so much more to be achieved and accomplished in my life.

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

A New Earth’s Christian Option

There is a hunger for enlightment and spirituality today, it’s a growing trend helping people to finally find time for themselves and their soul in order to find balance and peace within.

I volunteer at my local library once a week and I found Lift Up Your Heart among the books that needed to be put back on the shelf. I’m always on the lookout for a few good books to take home with me. Since the sections I worked are the non-fiction I get plenty of time to -while working- see what’s new and available.

This book was first published in 1950 and Fulton Sheen was way ahead in his way of thinking. He speaks of the ego and the I, the ego being that which we think or pretend we are and the I as our true self. The ego is a conformist, it is adjusted to its times; the I has attained inner freedom, through transcendence of the wordly. In order to reveal the I we need to shed our ego.

The popularity that A New Earth gained thanks to Oprah’s promotion has been impressive. Not only did she promoted the book but she sponsored a whole new online study on this book which many around the world are taking part of, Christians included. Many are calling it Oprah’s church, but I don’t believe that’s her intention. She always like to share what she believes is good according to “her understanding.” Unfortunately the impact this class will have will be one of people believing they depend on themselves and not God.

If you know of any other good Christian books that could interest those who are reading A New Earth please share them here.

Oprah’s Church? What Do You Believe?

Oprah has been for me a person who demonstrated that we can accomplish a lot in life, even against the odds. I watch her show every week and I’m a subscriber of her monthly magazine, but one thing I’ve learned in life is to KNOW WHAT I BELIEVE. I won’t judge her because she is acting according to what she knows about her faith at this point, only God has the right to judge on this matter. There is a lot of different teachings, faiths, beliefs out there and we can’t blame this or the other for the loss of our faith. When life doesn’t go exactly as we thought it should we can’t blame the media, books, people, music etc. Yes, the media have a tremendous influence in our way of thinking but it is ultimately US who by our ignorance are driven into situations of this magnitude.

When I heard the announcement for this class something told me it wasn’t right. I tried to listen to the first class but technical difficulties didn’t let me finish it. I thought about listening to it later after it was posted on her site. Then I went to the store and saw the book displayed and stop to look through it, I could tell right away it didn’t go with my Christian belief. By reading a blog review of the book I found out it had Budhist ideas integrated into it, called it Budhism 101 written into a more easy to understand terms.

I’m not trying to condone the bad influence some communication mediums are doing to believers in general but what I would like to do is put responsability back on the shoulders of those who know about Jesus and what he is about. He came personally to teach us how to live and how to gain eternal life, if we choose to believe something else or listen to others than the witnesses of his teachings we are entitled to do so, but we are also entitled to the consequences.

As Christians what we are called to do is to continue to grow in the knowledge of our faith and share it with others. Each individual in turn will respond to the message or not. It is our responsability to share it to the best of our ability and move on, but we are also called to defend it. We can’t force anyone to believe on what we believe but we have the right to hold fast to our faith.

I believe that many people are driving to all of this kind of thinking because their spirit is hungry. We have starved our spiritual life to such a degree that we don’t even know what it is anymore. My belief is that we were created by God and that is who our soul yearns for. If we only take care of our body and not the soul sooner or later we feel that something is missing and it is.

Faith is a personal choice and we are ultimately responsible for our own life and what we do with it. All we can do is live it to best of our knowledge and ability, expose our belief along the way and guide those who are willing to listen.

We need to pick our battles and this one is one we need to trust God to conquer with the life of Christians as testimony. What’s your opinion?

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Clary Lopez, author of Simplicity, Richness of Life

Preparing for the Unknown

There is a new chapter, new events, a new problem or situation, you know is coming but you have no idea what it is or how to prepare for it. Is there such a thing as to prepare yourself for the unknown? Should we waste energy on something you know nothing about? Perhaps not.

I know mine is coming and all I’m trying to do right now is to relax and don’t think too much on how I imagine everything will be. At this point I know well nothing I imagine will be what will happen at the end. Attitude is what I need to concentrate and a spirit of acceptance. Maybe I should take with me The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, better grab it now before I forget.

The right mental and emotional attitude helps assimilate better the big and small unknown situations in our life. Your mind remains receptive and alert ,opened to ideas and able to create solutions for the situations and circumstances that threaten to throw you out of balance. I tend to be the “strong” in the family, able to communicate, guide and protect those I love. I can hide the turbulence inside as long as needed to in order to offer others the estability and support they need for their trials. What I need to figure out is how to sustain myself in order not run out of energy, hope and love. Quiet time and meditation has helped me for many years so I will continue to do so as I go along my path.

When you are caring for others it makes sense to care for yourself first. In order to give you need to have. For many years I’ve tried to do things on my own, only God is allowed into my deepest needs and worries. Now, I feel is time to open up to others who might be able to help me as well. God works in different ways and through different people so I must be aware to detect when that happens and welcome it with an open mind.

So to me the ultimate way to prepare myself for the unknown is to tune in to myself and be opened to the endless possibilities that might come my way in order to help me accomplish my mission.

A Christmas Wish

We are just hours away from celebrating one of the most important days for Christians. It is a time to remember and reflect on the awesome gift God gave to us in Jesus. What amazes me the most of all about this big event is that God was so in love with us that he was willing to become one of us in order to reach out to us. His love is so perfect and complete that we should not need anything else. We are called to love like he did but the more I see his love the more I realize how short I come up in matching his goodness. It is only by yielding to him and letting him use me as a channel when the most pure love come forth from me to others. My gift and channel is my writing, with it I’m reaching out and bringing forth from the depths of my soul not only what I feel but what he wants to communicate to me. Sometimes I’m lost in darkness and desolation, others I’m beaming with light and understanding. There are peaks and valleys, there is rain and sunshine, there is laugh and cries. It’s the complexity of our nature and one that I hope anyone can relate to.

This morning as I write this to you, the silence feels my senses and the words flow with ease. I feel tranquil and almost like I’m not here but floating about myself, it’s prayer. I think of you and wish that you experience the same peace and tranquility I’m feeling right now and that you get to be embraced by infinite love. Love is what we search and long for all the days of our life, without it we live an useless existence.

My wish this Christmas is that I get to understand the mystery of love. As I look into his eyes I hope that, what feels like my never ending journey, guide me to where I’m supposed to be.