aLL is LoVe . . .

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The evolution of all spiritual life,
Dana Lynne,

includes 3 absolutes:

1. You will love. 
2. You will be loved. 
3. The former will eventually be 

far more important to you than the latter. 

Grasshopper, 
The Universe
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GuEsS wHaT? The LoVe is in you! I used to think that the love I needed was going to come from someone or something outside myself (and it very often does, and that's a huge bOnUs!), but when I want to feel love, I have to remember that I have to love me first and connect in with my Source!

If something's missing in my life, it's missing 'cuz I am NOT GIVING IT TO MYSELF (. . . and, at first, that totally stinks to realize because it means that we have to STOP complaining about everybody else not giving us what we need, and figure out how to give it to ourselves . . . which is actually un-sucky, and powerful in a cool way...)

FYI: just want you to know that at first, this idea really bugged me (and pissed me off, actually), 'cuz it meant that I am in charge (and I have to stop blaming others for me!), but, at the same time, the good news is that I AM IN CHARGE . . . of ME! And, why would I want to give my sUpErPoWerS away, anyway? (so we can stay "victimized" and not take responsibility? hmmnnnn . . . sounds miserable!) 

. . . which leads me back to the fact that I am in charge of my own stories and my own 

hApPiNeSs! 

Here's a cool grownup blogger who has some ideaS:

30 tHinGs to Start dOinG fOr YoU!

Seems kind of weird that in order to receive love, we have to love, but it has to start with us loving ourselves before we can love others.

What's important is that we love ourselves, and then we love others with no expectations.

We just love because it feels good . . . and right . . . and true.

For me, I know that I am loving, and to keep myself from being loving or restrict myself from being loving feels very difficult, really tough . . . and well, NOT ME.

Love is always bestowed as a gift –

freely, willingly and without expectation.

We don’t love to be loved;

we love to love.

~Leo Buscaglia

ALL is WELL! 
ALL is LoVe . . .

;) Dana

(s) CARE (d) . . .

DeAr fUn & fRee (fearful sometimes) pEEps:

I was reading an old post I wrote about fear, or being scared--and guess what? 

Many of us run away when we're scared--like a flight reaction--not even a choice. I know I've grOWn Up a bit, cuz' I now notice the fact that I'm scared and don't necessarily run fReAkY-dEaKy in the other direction . . . (at least not every time . . .)

These days, I try to notice my scared feeling, name it, pause, & breathe--and then maybe walk away, or face whatever I'm scared of, or still run freaky-deaky in the other direction . . . but at least I consciously choose how I want to respond (most of the time).

Point of information (no coincidence): the word, CARE is in sCAREd. It makes me wonder: 

What if we find our greatest gifts in our fears? 

I suppose CARE is in sCAREd for a reason--I'm thinking that when we face our fears, the Universe comes in and CAREs for us throughout the process. In other words, we are TOTALLY supported in all the lessons and fears we face--even if we don't always see it or realize it.

Over the past year, I have faced some of my biggest and most painful fears, and it's been pretty tough sometimes . . . but I will tell you this: in the facing of these fears, I found within me a quiet strength I had no idea I possessed, and I have gotten stronger. 

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago:

It takes courage to enter the fire, rather than go AROUND it--I know for me, it's been much easier to go around my fears rather than face them. The problem is, we just can't go around; we must face our shadows, shed light on our dark spaces, and face the fires that consume us--and only when we let go and surrender to our fears, is it possible to be reborn into something greater.

If I hadn't had the courage to face my fears, I wouldn't have realized my inner strength . . . and knowing I am strong will help me face the next sCAREy stuff that shows up.

So what fear have you faced, and how did you come out on the other side? 

Lots of sCAREd,

Dana

I AM (in charge of my thoughts) . . .

Saving the World

Today may my prayers help me realize
I cannot control everything.
To put the world in order,
We must first put the nation in order;
To put the nation in order,
We must first put the family in order;
To put the family in order,
We must first set our hearts right.
-- Confucius

Good Day All--

Happy Saturday! This poem/prayer landed in my inbox this morning . . . just what I needed to read, of course! It reminds me that the only stuff we can control is within us . . . like in our own hearts, thoughts, and responses to events and relationships. And, if we want to have a huge impact on our beloved planet, we have to begin with ourselves. As Gandhi encouraged,

"You must be the change 

you wish to see in the world."

Last night, thing after thing kind of kept going wrong, and I had to troubleshoot, along with getting my kids bathed, doing homework, and making dinner! All this stuff happening in my home sort of threw me for a loop, which isn't a bad thing at all--I've learned to be pretty flexible, and even if things felt a bit, well, tOpSY tUrVY--I was actually reminded of some important stuff:

• I am not always in control
• The world is not on my timeline!
• If I am upset about my situation, only I can turn it around and change my own thoughts & mindset--
• Situations cannot MAKE ME FEEL a certain way, how I interpret them is up to me, and I cause me MY OWN distress! My feelings are my own business!
• I can look at stuff and complain about it (VICTIM), or I can see the bLEssIngs and gifTs (POWER) in whatever life presents me . . . you know, like, as in presents?

Which, as usual, brings me back to GrAtiTuDe (yay!). SO here are 3 things I feel grateful for:

1. I have an amazing handyman named Dave who comes over almost immediately whenever I need him. Thanks, Dave!##$!
2. I had wonderful heart time with my kids last night, despite the mishaps . . . 
3. We had yuMmY food for dinner--homemade potato, leek, sausage, & chicken gumbo!
4. My kids loved having a tickle party!

(ooPs . . .) that's 4. Oh well! Anyway, I was able to turn around my gOOfy evening and make it AmAzIng! That's my (NEW) stoRy and I'm sticking to it! What sToRy have you been able to turned around? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Have a bEaUtiFul day!

;0) Dana

p.s.  Full MOON SUnday! Check out MoonCircles for some cool info and rituals!

WhAt's YoUr mAgiCaL nUmbEr?

I suppose I'm a pretty superstitious person . . . in a go(o)d way (not like a creeper or something)! I mean, I am always looking and listening for patterns and signs in my life . . . out in nature, in daily conversations, in animals that get my attention, in numbers, and in patterns in my relationships.

I guess I figure if something keeps repeating itself to me, the Universe is trying to get my attention . . . like, for example, when the same old problems keep coming up! . . . 

It could be yucky stuff like when something keeps bugging me, or when people keep treating me a certain way, or my body keeps reacting the same to something (one example is, if I have sugar, I feel kind of headachy and sick-like).

But it can also be good stuff! Like when I smile at a stranger and just feel better, when I help someone, or give them positive reinforcement, or when I just randomly laugh out loud and others join me, 'cuz IT JUST FEELS GOOD!

Anyway, my point is that I actually have a magic number--333. I see this number all the time--and I often wake up at 3:33 AM.                                                                                                                                             I knew that it was going to be an amazing day when I got to 3,333 hits on this bLoG one summer; I was patiently awaiting the day for awhile! I kind of took it as a sign that I was writing some stuff that folks could relate to, and that somehow helped people . . . including me!                                                                                                                                             There's a lot of power in the number three, and you can find out more about the spiritual meaning of different numbers by looking them up at Doreen Virtue's Angel Numbers. Here's what she writes about the 333 sequence:

333 - The Ascended Masters are near you, desiring you to know that you have their help, love, and companionship. Call upon the Ascended Masters often, especially when you see the number 3 patterns around you. Some of the more famous Ascended Masters include: Jesus, Moses, Mary, Quan Yin, and Yogananda.

My daughter, Chloe, has the number 64, but she also sees the number 32 (half of 64) quite often. Do you have a magic number?

What numbers and symbols speak to you in your daily life? Leave us a comment and share your experience.

lOvE! . . .

Dana, Dana, Dana

bE PreSeNt!

Seems like so many of us spend our energy wishing for things to be different. Do you? Personally, this habit has robbed me of being present for some pretty big chunks of my life.

The way I can tell that I'm intensely present is when I actually stop noticing the passage of

time; Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this "optimal state" FLOW (and he wrote a book by the

same name!). 

If I'm not present, not in the present moment, I can generally be found up in my head, making up stuff. 

It's pretty L(one)Ly up there, now that I mention it.

It may seem simple to get out your head, but to me, it has taken some very deliberate noticing on my part of where (up in my brain?) and when (in the past or future?) I AM with respect to what's right in front of me. 

Many times, I will notice that I'm not at all present, and so I enter my surroundings and intentionally interact with what's in front of me. Sometimes I even have to NAME STUFF to get out of my head: 

"There is a tree, I can feel my feet stepping in the grass, I am breathing in . . . I am breathing out . . ."

And guess what? 

TIME DROPS OFF, AND I CAN GET OUT OF MY HEAD AND BACK ONTO THE PLANET EARTH. 

It's nice on this earthly plane; I believe I'll try to be here more . . .

Big Love ;)

Dana