I have come to believe that there are no such things as coincidences, and that everything happens for a reason. That is the law of cause and effect in motion.
The problem is that many people do not see the cause that is behind the things that happen in life. Just as there is the material world and material laws, there is a spiritual realm and spiritual laws. These are not visible to the five senses. It is possible to understand the causes that are unseen and also to understand and apply spiritual laws but not without a correct knowledge of the way we manifest the Divine in our lives into the material - through opportunities, events, encounters and free will choices.
All things happen for a reason, and they are neither good or bad, but they are all Divine by Design. Each day brings us an opportunity to participate in the process of creation. We are not discovering ourselves, but rather creating ourselves new each day.
We are not on a journey to find out Who We Are, but rather to determine Who We Want to BE. Your job on Earth is not to learn (because you already know), but to remember Who You Are. And to remember who everyone else is. All opportunities, events, encounters are called to your Self by your Self in order that you might create and experience Who You Really Are. And Who You Really Are is an expression of pure joy, pure love, and pure creativity!
Thought is Creative. Matter is Consciousness. You are the creator of your reality, and life can show up no other way for you than that way in which you think it will. This is actually all you are really required to know!
Thought is pure energy. Every thought you have, have ever had, and ever will have is creative. The energy of your thought leaves your being and heads out into the universe, to return the experiences people and things you need to experience the highest expression of the Divinity within You.
So be on the lookout.
If you think God looks only one way or sounds only one way or is only one way, chances are that most days you’re going to look right past the signs of that Divine presence in your life. If you focus only on the Mother/Father God of Your Understanding you’ll spend your whole life looking for God and not finding Her. Because you’re looking for a Him. And so on.
Watch. Look is the unlikely places, in the unfamiliar faces. Listen. Feel the words to the next song you hear. Recognize the information in the next article you read or the story line of the next movie you watch or the chance comment of the next person you meet as the answer to your prayer.
There is a divine purpose behind everything—and therefore a divine presence in everything. Perhaps our ideas about right and wrong are just that—ideas. They are the thoughts which form the shape and create the substance of who we are. There would be only one reason to change any of these; only one purpose in making an alteration: if you are not happy with Who You Are.
God is in the sadness and the laughter, in the bitter and the sweet. I have not said your values are wrong. But neither are they right. They are simply judgments. Assessments. Decisions. For the most part, they are decisions made not by you, but by someone else. Your ancestors and parents, perhaps. Your culture or religion. Your teachers, historians, politicians and corporate and media machines. Perhaps most of your ideas are not even your own...
So, now, in this moment of New Year's Resolutions and Affirmations of Change, in the BIG year of prophesy and probability, uncertainty and searching, you may be looking for permission to deeply reevaluate your priorities, to dare to create yourself anew according to your own thoughts and feelings, to become more of Who You Really Are.
To that end, I am heeding this advice: - Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
- Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
- When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.
- Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
- Take naps and stretch before rising.
- Run, romp and play daily.
- Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you've had enough.
- Be loyal.
- Never pretend to be something you're not.
- If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
- When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
- Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
- Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
- On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
- On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
- When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
- No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout ...run right back and make friends.
- Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
If you're looking for a sign from Dog... this is it.
May You Be Blessed!
And that one is Otis.
