Trusting In Nature

Here is my friend Steve Tallamy’s monthly article (August 2010) for Living in Courage.  Thank you Steve, I love this article!

The Article I Didn’t Want You To Read!

A few months ago I started to write an article for Debra to share with you here but after rereading it on more than one occasion I didn’t think it good enough to grace her wonderful website. So I stuck it my Work In Progress folder with the intention of reworking and fishing it another time. I didn’t want you to read it as it was!

Then Debra insisted (she can be quite insistent, have you noticed?) that I read the ‘Ringing Cedars’ series of books by Vladimir Megre about ‘Anastasia’ and her dream of changing the world and mankind back into a state of purity. I won’t harp on about the books here as Debra has featured them in her newsletter this month and I have been mentioning them non-stop.

Suffice to say here that once I started to read the ‘Anastasia’ books I couldn’t put them down; there was so much to think about in each chapter that I couldn’t wait to get started on the next one. As I read each page I began to realize that the article I had written, the one I didn’t want you to read, bore an uncanny relationship to what I was reading. So bearing in mind that the following is not the finished article (excuse the terrible pun – I’m English) here is what I didn’t want you to read.

Trusting In Nature

By now you will know that I have a great love of Nature and a passion for gardening. But I am what my family and friends call a ‘lazy gardener’, to which I always reply, “I’m not lazy, I trust in Nature and what she wants to grow will grow and what she doesn’t want to grow – just won’t grow, simple.”

You see when I sow seeds or buy a new plant I don’t read all the instructions about what kind of soil it prefers, how often it should be watered and fed, when it should be sown or planted; Hey, you don’t see labels hanging off the trees and bushes in Nature do you! I don’t do any of that, I just find a vacant piece of soil and sow the seeds or plant the plant, that’s it.

What I do spend a bit of effort in doing is to find ‘heritage’ seeds and plants, the old varieties that over the years and seasons Nature has nurtured and naturally given an advanced immune system and survival instincts. These to my mind are so much more likely to mature given the growing methods I use than the artificial hybrid varieties, plus of course it helps to keep the life-line going for future generations to grow and naturally develop.

My theory is this, if you love and trust in Nature she will do all of the hard work for you, she will supply the sun the rain and the natural goodness for the plant to grow, and grow it will, if she wants it to. If she doesn’t then it won’t, trust her and don’t plant those types of plant there again, try something different and see if Nature likes that one better. The thing that annoys people the most it that despite them spending a fortune on special feeds, fertilizers and composts, spending every waking hour feeding and watering, pruning and weeding, their plants often than not fare a lot worse than mine.

Don’t get me wrong, I do water my garden from time to time and hoe up a few weeds but I don’t make it a chore. I love and trust in Nature and she responds in kind.

The End – Sort of!

Well that’s it, you’ve read it now, and if you have read any of the books in the ‘Ringing Cedars’ series you will see the connection. Love and Trust is so much better than chemicals, artificial fertilizers and man made hybrids, not only in gardening but in every other aspect of life too. The big bonus is that we already have both of those components love inside of us and they came free of charge …use them daily, they create miracles!

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Self Alignment – Are You In?

As I lay in bed with the strange sensation of vertigo, I have been contemplating life and the seeming inability for humanity as a whole, to change.  I have often talked about the garden of our consciousness.  Pulling weeds, then planting seeds of love, wisdom, peace, gratitude and grace.  All watered with unity.  As we make a conscious effort to make changes within ourselves from the inside out, shifts occur.

But what about our Higher Selves? The true perfection of who and what we are.  Imagine our Higher Self, or Presence trying to plant just ONE seed of a Universal Law inside us. One that can be nourished and grow!  Not easy to do, as we all run around busy busy, trying to survive in the “outer” world.  That one seed could deliver our true identity, or some information critical to our survival as a species, or our gift – the passion in life we came here to live.  I want that connection, don’t you?

This is two fold.  One, by taking responsibility for our own life’s garden. Two, by being receptive to a more important message from our one true source.  It’s time to take the blinders off, to get busy living our true authentic life.  Not the person the world thinks we are, or expects us to be.  Reaching inside gives us the courage to look deeper, past what is in the “outer” world.  Only by living from the inside out, will we survive on this planet.  Unity is critical at this point.  Everyone needs to come to terms with the fact that we have created quite a mess down here.  We do have the ability to re-align ourselves and this beautiful planet, back to the original state of purity/perfection of creation. Our responsibility is to our Creators, the Collective, Mother Earth and all her Kingdoms.  It is time to return to that divine place in our hearts that will heal everything, bringing us all back into alignment.  Are you in?

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

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Tips for Love

Look in the mirror, deep into your eyes and say ” I love you ………..”  Do it with feeling and intention.

Tell your body you love it. There is intelligence in every cell of your body. Talk to, direct and love it.

Go easy on yourself – stay away from the negatives, until the positives take over.

Feed your body nutritious food, clean water and exercise in some way. The body is made to move. Walk, run, dance, work out, whatever resonates with you. It has to be something you enjoy, not dread doing. Your body will thank you. When your body feels good, you feel good. Co-Create in Love.

Never stop searching for wisdom in regards to your physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Let go of fear and doubt. They cannot coincide where love lives.

Be kind and loving to others and they will be kind and loving to you.

Make gratitude your attitude and pay it forward.

LOVE is LIGHT, so keep it FUN!! We are supposed to have fun as God in action.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

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Love Yourself

Do you find it challenging to love yourself sometimes?  Learning to love yourself gives you a sense of freedom that resonates with your body, mind and spirit.  I would like to share a book with you that can assist you in learning to love YOU. Love Yourself by Lawrence Crane is a valuable tool , and I suggest you add it to your spiritual tool-belt.  According to Larry human love is selfish.  Divine love is completely selfless.  Real love is winning the universe, not just one person but every person, every being.  Real love, divine love is constant, persistent acceptance of all the beings in the universe.

Lawrence is an author, lecturer and self made millionaire. “For over 30 years Larry has been showing people what love really is, where to get love, and how to have love once you know where it is. For Larry, it’s all about results. “It’s not what you say, it’s what you do,” are words Larry often repeats. “Talking about love, talking about what love is, talking about how to be loving is not the answer,” says Larry. “Actually doing it is the answer. Doing it, not talking about it.” This book shows you how to do it, how to Love Yourself and reap the rewards, financial, health, relationships, whatever your heart desires. You can have it all when you know how to Love Yourself. As Larry frequently says, “There are no impossible’s.” This book de-mystifies true love.”

.Joe Vitale says “This book is a manual of love from a man who has dedicated his life to showing people what love is, how to be living and how that translates to success in every area of your life. “…a highly effective tool for attracting what you want out of life.”

Tom Hopkins says  “…a tool to make your life, your career, and your relationships better…and better.”

Louis Ormant, Ph.D. says “An enriching and enlightening experience. It provided new energy, spontaneity and fresh insights.”

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The Neglected Garden

My friend Steve Tallamy is a guest writer here at Living in Courage. Steve has written “The Neglected Garden” from the heart.  Steve is a nature lover who is very connected to Mother Earth, and her beautiful kingdoms. I look forward to sharing his articles once a month, which are sure to be filled with wisdom, humor and guidance.  Visit Steve at http://stevetallamy.com/

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The Neglected Garden

We have all seen that piece of wasteland in our neighbourhood that the developers get their hands on to turn into luxury flats that no one in that area could possibly afford to buy.  Or we have taken over a new home where the once beautiful garden has long been neglected.  The first thing we or the developers do is to bring in the troops to dig, burn and spray to indiscriminately clear the land of everything that once grew there. Come the spring the land is barren, no colour, no scent, no shape or form.  Except if you look close enough the shoots of those deep rooted tough old thorny brambles and thistles.  These hardy plants (they are plants, not weeds) survive and will flourish again, multiplying year upon year.  Even if we build our new homes or construct new gardens on top them they will eventually push their way through in their desire to live.

These words came to me not when building a new home or giving my garden a makeover.  They came with a brand new awakening from inside of me.  For years I have been on the path of finding the real me, to make a better life for myself, a life of happiness and love with a good chunk of financial stability thrown in.  After beginning my new program of healing, things are become clearer day by day, slowly but surely, bit by bit, I am learning more and more about myself. Now,  I see my former self as that neglected garden, the troops as the many so called Guru’s I have listened to and believed; the digging, burning and spraying are all of the self-development books and videos I have read and watched.  I turned myself into the barren landscape of no colour, scent, shape or form, having stripped myself not only of the unwanted plants but the ones I needed to keep but didn’t recognize. Of course the brambles and thistles of my deep rooted fears now had plenty of room to flourish; choking me with even more self-doubt than ever before and without any shape or form to build upon, my soul became a neglected wasteland again.

The lesson we can all take from this is to look at our gardens before stripping them bare, seek out the beauty, the shapes and forms of our lives that we love and enjoy.  Do this before we clear away the brambles and thistles, nurture the roses and fruit bearing trees and come springtime there will be a balance in our garden and more harmony in our lives.  But never forget to prune and feed it from time to time or the wasteland will return stronger and more powerful than ever before.  Having a love and respect for Nature is having a love and respect for yourself, for you and Nature are one.

Steve Tallamy

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How Was The Trip? A Story On Perspective

My friend Chris Cade shared this story recently and I want to share it with you.  I do not know the author, but love the wisdom his story bestows.  It’s all perspective!

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?”, asked the father

The son answered:

“I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added…

“Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

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Dancing To The Tune Of Your Soul

Are you dancing rhythmically to the tune of your soul?  We all have a rhythm to our soul, through our breath, and the beating of our heart. Practice the art of being. Be in that space without doubt or fear. In this way, you remove the ego from your being-ness.  Allow love to permeate you.  This removes conflict between love and ego, which cannot co-exist in the same space at the same time.  The ego gets a bit serious and controlling.  Choose to make your “being time” fun, light and peaceful.  Become illuminated and remove the shadows.  It is more about allowing than chasing.  Go deep inside.

You never have to leave yourself to talk to your soul.  It is always right there with you. Home with you. There is no distance. Everything we need is already there for this journey called “LIFE.”  You may feel a stranger to parts of your soul.  Rea-quaint yourself with this deeper part of YOU, that can lead you perfectly.  This is your divine right! You are not helpless in this physical form.  You have all the assistance you need….a homecoming may be just the gift you need. A little courage, and a whole lot of love will take you there.

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

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Transition Laguna Beach

I live in beautiful Laguna Beach, California.  A true resort and artist community, home of the “hippies” from the 60’s to current day.  All walks of life enjoy living here.  Surfers and sunbathers crowd the beaches. We have activists, sports enthusiasts, tourists buzz through town all year long.  We are home to the Pageant of the Masters. I could go on, but you get the picture.  Laguna Beach is a magical town.

Now Laguna Beach has Transition Laguna, which is the 10th official Transition Town Community in the United States.  The 129th in the world.  This is exciting to me.  Let me explain.  The Transition Initiative can be a town, village, or any community.  They ask the question “For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly rebuild resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil and economic contraction) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?”   Each community forms it’s own Transition Group, creating a sustainable future for the residents.

Check out the The Transition Handbook

If you would like to know more about this, visit one of the websites above.  May 14th 2010 Transition Laguna Beach will host a party called “The Great Unleashing” from 6 to 10 p.m. May 14 at the Sawdust Art Festival, 935 Laguna Canyon Road. Sponsored by Hurley. Awesome party: Free. Brew, Food, Bands, Eco-Exhibits, Silent Auction. Motivate for Community Action Breakfast the next morning, Saturday, May 15th, 9:00 am to Noon.

May 15th come to Tivoli Terrace at Festival of the Arts Grounds for the Community Action Group Breakfast. Enjoy great food, a motivating celeb key note speaker, and a chance to form action groups. This “Open Space”, is a creative, playful, yet focused opportunity to make a difference. Don’t miss this event!  Are you interested in sustainable living, clean water, organic food, safe lighting for your home?  This is a venue that will provide you with education, while you are meeting great people, and having fun.  Life is supposed to be fun right? I hope to see you there!

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

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Courageously Give Your Soul Wings Permission To Fly!

Do you feel like you have wings?  That you want to fly?  Do you also feel a bit stifled, like your wings are tied to your side?  Perhaps you are flapping wildly, but can’t get off the ground.

Courageously give your soul wings permission to fly. Your soul knows how to fly, knows just what to do.  We get in the way sometimes flapping our wings to no avail.  Learn to listen to that still small voice inside of you.  Let it speak to you, help you expand your wings and prepare you for flight.  Listen closely in peace from your heart center.  Follow the instructions, even if they don’t make sense to you at the moment.  Your heart knows what is perfect for you, and will not lead you in the wrong direction, when you come from a place of self love.

I talk to people all over the world.  Some have found their wings and fly beautifully.  Others are ready to take flight, pensive, yet eager.  Some are simply too afraid to even think about it.  Are you ready to fly, yet there is something that holds you back? Take a deep look inside.  Ask yourself some questions.  Dig deep.  In your quiet moments, by talking and listening to your heart, answers will be revealed. They are inside of you, waiting to be revealed.  Support others who are learning to fly and they in turn will support you.  Have a joyful and safe flight!

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

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The Light at the “End of the Tunnel” is YOU!

The light at the end of the tunnel is YOU.  Are you waiting for a person, place or thing outside of yourself to be that light?  At the end of the day, only you can fully illuminate your life.

Imagine a room is in total darkness.  You can’t move the darkness out, carry it out or shout it out.  You can open a window to let the light pour in.  Then, voila, the darkness disappears.  Many things in life cultivate in darkness.  Baby’s grow in the mothers womb, seeds are planted in the darkness of the soil. At night, you can see the stars. We sleep in the darkness behind our eyes, taking  journeys throughout the universe.  We emerge into the light from all these different states. The light brings clarity, a sense of awareness and growth.  We feel alive and refreshed. Why? Because you are the light.  It is the stuff  you are made of.  Our true nature is divine beings of love and light.

Think of the garden of your consciousness.  Love, peace, courage, joy, abundance, happiness, health, creativity, success and an abundance of all good things exist. On the other side is fear, judgment, worry, doubt, criticism, unhappiness, limitation, sickness and disappointment.  Which part of the garden of your consciousness are you going to nurture with your attention? How much light are you going to shine in your own life? The light at the “End of the Tunnel” is YOU!

Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage Online

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