Namaste Friends,​

I hope this finds you and your loved ones well. It's been awhile since my last blog post. I have no good reason except just the busy-ness of life. However, these days I try to be more deliberate in taking what I call "sacred pauses" in the busy-ness and one way that I do that is my daily practice of reading A Course in Miracles (ACIM). So, I thought I would share one of the most influential thoughts that I have come across in ACIM with you, and it is this:

"Every choice you make is either an expression of love or an expression of fear. There is no other choice."
 
Now, I'm sure this is not a new concept for most of you; you've probably heard this or some variation of this at some point. But recently I've been asking myself what does it really mean to choose, consciously and consistently, to move through the world from a position of love? How does that work practically? What does that feel like? And, perhaps most importantly, who would I become? I think about what each entails: love is expansive, light, open, joyful, contented, trusting and spacious; fear is contracted, angry, heavy, anxious, depressed, protective and jealous. So, I think the first step is deciding what qualities you most value. Then, you have to be willing to let go of the defensiveness of the ego to make space for the intelligent responsiveness of the heart (see the brilliant work of the Heartmath Institute to learn more about this).

And finally, you have to practice softening the sharp edges of the ego-self through breath, presence and stillness in any given moment where you have a choice between love and fear, and lean into the softness. This requires courage, but it is where our true strength lies. We discover not only that we can choose love, but that we are love and are rewarded with a freedom that surpasses all other freedoms. Ultimately, it is through our willingness to stop defending our idea of ourselves that we discover our true and indestructible Self.

Love & Light,
​Shanti