Shifting Stories and Writing Stories--all focused on the reason perception is reality and practical ways to shift it towards what you wish to experience in your life.
Perception Shift: What Grows Beneath the Snow
|
Last week, the weather turned warm—for January in Ohio, anyway. The eight inches of snow that had blanketed the ground melted away, and we seized the moment. We cleaned up the yard, scrubbed the bird baths, and picked up fallen tree limbs. A lovely spring-like gift in the middle of winter. Of course, there are still months ahead where snow will accumulate, and I’ll bundle up in layers to stay warm. But what matters most is what we discovered under all that snow. Green and growing things. The pointed shoots of narcissus and daffodils are pushing through. Buds are forming on the hydrangea. Even my tiny violet pansies are still thriving in a pot. Under all that snow. In the cold. Still growing. It’s a reminder I needed.Yes, there is so much to be dismayed about in the world. Sometimes it feels like there’s no hope. What’s the point? Layers of cynicism, hate, distrust, ego, and greed produce fear and despair that seem insurmountable. I hate to compare snow to these forces—snow is beautiful, and these patterns of thought are not. But the metaphor holds: underneath all that weight and cold, life is still growing. Because it is. Hope thrives no matter the climate. Not wishful thinking or useless hope, but hope grounded in the knowledge that grace and love will overcome hate and despair. But we have to be the sun. We have to warm the earth. We have to log out of the belief that there are no solutions to humanity’s problems. When we stay trapped in that perception, we add to the very layers of fear and greed that create the actions none of us agree with. We become part of the problem we claim to oppose.To return to an awareness of consistent grace, we must be present to the truth that goodness is—can only be—the only real power. Step outside into nature and notice: we are not the creators of this beauty. We are the filters, the interpreters of what we see. So let’s choose to see what beauty, grace, courage, and kindness are growing. Let’s support that. Yes, it takes practice. It requires an agreement to give up participating in the adrenaline-producing actions and discussions that lead to distrust and division. Instead, be present with yourself and each other in the presence of grace. This is not a passive state—it requires action.First, we shift our perception. Then, we reach out and help those in need, knowing there is a solution. That solution begins with us. We are the green growing shoots. We are the blossoms even in the dark winter. We are the solution. Let’s get busy practicing living as if grace, beauty, and love are the only powers. Because they are. But we won’t see that truth until we choose it and live it. Then, and only then, it becomes the ground of our being which can withstand all suggestions that there is any presence or power other than the omniscience and omnipresence of Infinite Good. Since perception produces reality, choose this one.Then go look for proof that this is true. Prove it for yourself, so others can find it for themselves, too. Be the green growing shoot of hope. The world is counting on you. To creative, kind, and peaceful days! Where it all began! First, with a class called The Shift in 1992, which grew into this book nine years later. If you wish to walk a spiritual path where the infinite becomes more visible, this is the book to start with. Available in digital, print, audio, and a course. Purchase: Each month, I offer a free 11-Minute Reset—a brief, quiet time to shift perception, remember what’s true, and realign with grace. If you need a simple, steady touchstone, we'd love to have you join us. Sign Up Here. Something to Inspire: The Walk For Peace This Week’s Quote: Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way. -Martin Luther King Jr. FREE Daily Inspirations: The Daily Nudge and The Truth4Today If you have comments, questions, or suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Reply to this email, and I'll reply as soon as possible! |
Beca Lewis
Shifting Stories and Writing Stories--all focused on the reason perception is reality and practical ways to shift it towards what you wish to experience in your life.
Read or Listen Online How many times have you tried to change something — in your life, in someone you love, in yourself — and walked away with less than you hoped for? Without knowing a single detail of your story, I already know why it probably didn’t work the way you wanted it to. Not long ago, I noticed something quietly happening inside me. Nothing dramatic. No obvious self-sabotage. But I could feel it — a subtle pulling back, a slight tensing up, like a hand slowly closing just as...
Read Online What do we do with our time? We fill it with emotion—worry, fear, regret, shame. We reach for the phone, lose ourselves in screens of every size. We manufacture new things to do, just to stay busy, just to avoid the silence. And somewhere in all of that motion, we lose ourselves entirely. But why? Why are we doing any of it? Is it an obligation, a choice, or simply a habit we’ve never thought to question? We cannot possibly be here — in this extraordinary, fleeting, once-given...
Read Online or Listen Here Sometimes, to figure out what we want to say yes to, we have to learn to say no first. We can all look back on our lives and remember times when we wish we had made different choices. When perhaps we should have said no instead of yes, or yes instead of no. After a chain of events that happened because of one spectacularly bad choice—when I said yes when I should have said no (in my defense, I thought I was making the right choice at the time)—I found myself sitting...