What a year 2014 has been!

Looking at our mail from a year ago, it is tempting to add comments to parts of the text we included then...(so that is exactly what we have done). Life has had such a dramatic change this year. Little did we know what was coming... (Even though Lin had had some psychic whispers in his ears sometime before...)

We welcome the new year as a small family, with the joys of being a part of our daughter's life expression.

Happy new year wishes for you!

Namaste and lots of Divine Chuckles

Lin, Torill & Tuva-Linn

www.lindavidmartin.com

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So here is last year's text, with this year's comment:

Windows on the Soul...

Reflections on the years past.

In anticipation of the year to come.

In anticipation of the year to come, it seems fitting to look both backwards and forward in time. Hopefully that we may more completely embrace the eternal 'Now'. There are many ways to usher in the new year.

Resolutions...

let them be moving targets, so that we may 'give ourselves a break' and approach the changes we desire with a gentle sense of forgiveness (for self and others). And be open for what the Universe may bring... ;-)

Better Body stuff...

We all know the drill - diet and exercise!

How about using 'fun'? Like pushing a stroller, lifting and carrying a bundle of joy... ;-)

Such as a well (fun) taught class in yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Gong or similar body techniques, that bring a sense of Energy into the mix of body processes. Depending on your locale and the time of year (weather permitting): walks in Nature, cross-country skiing, Kayaking, Dancing, or create your own 'Fun' movements or stretches. A move toward integration of Body / Mind can be a real turning point, in dropping self taught (read guilty) ways of keeping ourselves feeling 'not happy'.

Better energy food...

Everything carries some form of energy. Which we may desire to approach in a gentle way of asking the body a basic question: how much life force is in the food I am about to eat? How will this food work in my body? Subtle answers will come. Give it time if at first you do not seem to succeed. It will come! Or just be happy to get to finish the meal you hastily have put together... ;-)

Constructive use of Mind / Emotions...

Such as remembering experiences in the past that have had meaning and insight. And in looking forward to the future that we might use those insights to allow ourselves greater happiness. There are many fine books and teachings along these lines. No doubt you already have some favorites. Which offer ways to gain self understanding, that can be extremely powerful! In that ' search of the Mind' Many times the gift of love is given to us. Sometimes we know that and we experience it as such. But there may be other times when we've experienced love and we only understand it in retrospect. Compassionate communication with friends, or your significant other, may be tremendously helpful. Relationships can be a key to growth! Or use the last bit of brain power to stay awake for yet another night meal... ;-)

Music...

as a trigger for Soul Remembrance.

Music may serve as a powerful key. And can 'lighten the load'.

Somehow music can effect insight, as though it bypasses the normal 'filters' to keep happiness from happening. The selfish side of ego process wants us to choose happiness in ways that seem to bring happiness. But it is always fleeting and does not last. True happiness always carries an element (perhaps surprisingly so) of fascination with the Divine: (read - the Child Mind in operation.) Wonder, awe, simplicity, friendliness, Compassion (for BOTH self and others),

For example: hearing a popular song from the past, that as a teenager, had meaning for you. And it unleashes a flood of memories from that time frame. Which may also, on reflection, with your present level of understanding, help create a gentle 'shift in awareness' that allows more forgiveness of self and others! Not to mention all the lullabies, riddles and cute children songs that bubble up from deep down in the memory... ;-)

Mediation, Prayer, and Contemplation...

are time honored methods of inducing a deeper level of integration and understanding. Deep spirituality may or may not involve an overt connection to religious beliefs and membership in a church or center of religion. The Mystics of all times and places have a deep mutuality of understanding that may appear religious, but it is always centered in deep spirituality. Their insights transcend ordinary 'Time and Space'.

We may not exist in the awareness that they have revealed, (I certainly am not yet there, as much as I hunger to be there.) BUT they all point the way, of a compassion so deep that it excludes no one. Regardless of the 'brand' of religious observation we may find ourselves attracted to.

I love the idea that God / Goddess is deeply present in us all, and that Divinity is never in competition with it Self! So from our individual feeling of 'special separateness' we may feel we are in competition (in some way) with every one else. That is just the ego's 'false sense of separation' that has never actually been the truth. And we can forgive that as well - over and over, until we get it right. (Not just an intellectual awareness, but one of a deeply shifted perception that reveals the core truth in us all!) A state of Awakening to the Christ / Buddha Mind !

We all need some form of 'spiritual community'. It may be found in many places: online (social formats like Facebook, interest groups) clubs, study groups, and religious affiliations, and more. Perhaps most powerful of all is to sense that God / Goddess is ALWAYS with us.

Breast feeding and gazing into an infant's eyes are highly recommended... ;-)

Time and Timelessness...

At the core of our being, time becomes unified. The past, present, and the future are all coexisting simultaneously within ourselves at a deeper level. This is an experience that is not dependent upon just our intellectual capacity for understanding. The intellect can range widely and truly believes that it has understanding. But at the core of our being, the true nature of understanding is beyond words. It has to do with direct perception. With direct experience of the deep love the Universe - God / Goddess holds for us all.

As stated before: breast feeding and gazing into an infant's eyes are highly recommended... ;-)

So what does the future hold?

We may ask of ourselves... What will be the nature of 'this experience with that individual'? What about my job, my further education? Questions that seem very relevant to our experience of life in the physical body.

Are we ready for a direct answer to those types of questions?

I think not because we still believe that there are situations over which we have no control. But control implies the egos perception of its own desires. All Real power lies in an alignment with our deep soul desire. Moving past the simplicity or selfishness of the egos desire. And moving into the deep level of trust, allows the alignment of our personal power as co-creator with the Divine, of the experiences that we most truly want. May it be so! And so it is! :-)