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Heather's Views triangular trees in a row

Effortless Being

Dear Ones,

Picture yourself on vacation at a beautiful resort; you are floating on a calm lake, on an air mattress, completely supported by the water and the mattress. You have nothing to do, nowhere to go, no deadlines to meet, no problems to fix; you are experiencing effortless existence. Does your day feel that tranquil now? It can when you practice the art of effortless being.

A beautiful spiritual practice for the lazy summer days and an even better one for those chaotic, fast-paced days, is the practice of effortless being. An old Zen saying is, "Don't just do something, stand there!" At first you might think that it should be the other way around, an admonition not to just stand but to take action. Then upon deeper reflection, you will realize that it is profound: we need to be still and stand there doing nothing, until we are centered in the presence of God, the peace of God and the wisdom of God. From that place we can take action.

One of my favorite Bible quotes is Psalms 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth."

What that scripture means to me is that before we can manifest the good that God has for us, we must first be still and put all our attention on God. Naturally when we do that, all we can see or perceive is God or good.

What a tremendously powerful place to be. Think of how much more easily you could smile at a stranger if you knew that you that you were smiling at God! How much easier it would be to smile at a stranger, to offer encouragement to someone who is suffering or to listen to an angry boss, when you see that one as an expression of the Divine. (You know that sometimes God wears the best disguises!

Over the years a phrase that has helped me remember that it is all God, is simply, "How odd of God!" It takes all the judgment and criticism away.

In July we will be focusing on the idea of charitable giving or giving without any expectation of return. When we give this way we are practicing compassion and our love for other beings. In August, we will explore the art of effortless being.

I believe that real giving come out of effortless being. Let's see if we can effortlessly practice together to see the beauty and magnificence in everyone.

Love,
Heather

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