“The blazing fire makes flames and brightness out of everything thrown into it.”
— Marcus Aurelius
"They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”
— Dinos Christianopoulos
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Here’s something you already know.
Life can be great and it can be terrible. It can be satisfying and it can be as boring as anything. It can be such a joy and it can be one hardship after another.
But here’s something you might not really and truly know.
It can be anything, I think, and it’s not so much what is delivered to you, but what you make of it.
Life really does come down to how you react and choose to respond.
It’s such a simple instruction that it’s become a cliche, but (maybe I’m speaking for myself) it seems the simple things are the hardest to get our heads around.
So here we go again:
Find the silver lining, always.
Try not to become cynical and bitter and hopeless in the face of the terrible.
Keep the inner spark that means you can turn anything around –
It’s the most precious thing you possess, and it probably diminishes the fastest not when you take a hit but when you take it for granted.
So don’t. Don’t take it for granted. Nourish your spark, keep it alive.
Look after your energy, it’ll help so much.
Find and do the things that grip your soul.
Feed your presence; be mindful. Notice and listen and see what’s here, now.
Don't let your mind, or your mouth, run.
Be alive, make the most of your moments.
Explore, partake in regular adventures.
Be grateful, appreciate, take time to smell your roses – and plant some more.
Hang out with good people (even if they’re online).
Trust your gut, go with your intuition. (This is such a fun and rewarding adventure.)
Protect and prioritise your peace.
I could go on – but you get the idea.
Take the time to nurture the precious, invisible essence within you that allows you to do the alchemy of transforming lead into gold.
Choose well.
It doesn’t just happen. A regular practice means you can do it blind-folded, automatically. Try not to leave it until you really need it!
So – what are you going to put into place to remember? I really do think this is the best investment you'll ever make.
Take the time today to do this, and do it on the regular.
And if I can help, let me know. Get in touch and we’ll chat.
Talk soon and go well!
Arjuna
PS.
Over 20 years ago I realised that spark was missing from my life;
I’d let it go out because, to be honest, I didn’t really know how to tend it.
The things I usually did just weren’t working.
I knew it had something to do with finding a different relationship with my mind, being more present and living from a deeper truth within me, but that’s all I had to go on.
I thought I’d have to go to India or something to really find a lasting sense of connection and meaning and purpose, but it turned out the answer was in my hometown, at an Ascension course and with a subsequent practice.
Ha – it’s often where you least expect it!
Ascension is the one thing I do every single day, even if it’s just 5 minutes before I go to sleep, because it gives so much back. It really feeds your soul.
If you some of that – if you want to:
+ Control the negativity, judgement, doubt and fear of your mind
+ Stop worrying about the past and trying to predict the future
+ Get meaning, purpose and clarity to life
+ Be calm, centred and truly alive, whenever and wherever
+ Become 200% better looking and funnier
Let me know and I’ll send you more details about the next course.
Dates are 9-11 February (starts 7pm Friday), be lovely to have you along.
Talk soon!