We've Moved!

The Heart of the Matter has moved!  You can find the blog here at:

http://www.christielconnection.com/

Infinite love -
Christine

Dropping In

Notice.

Allow a shift in perspective.

Move in a little closer...

And drop in deeper. What amazing universes of love we ARE!

Love Hum

Hear the constant hum of love - 

from the ancient foundations of the earth,

I love you...

I love you...

rock wall - Fogarty Creek

Beach rock - Fogarty Creek

From the ocean's waves and the sweet life within it,
I love you...
I love you...

Depoe Bay

Mussels - Fogarty Creek

from the ground beneath your feet,

I love you...

I love you...

Our deck at Inn at Arch Rock

Making tracks - at the gas station in Lincoln City

from the pleasures of life,

I love you...

dinner at Tidal Raves - wine heart

(and how did that little chihuahua get into the wine?)

from life's messes,

I love you...

Maizee's drool on Rob's leg

from the growing things,

I love you...

I love you...

mossy rocks - Depoe Bay

Tulip heart

And from your own angelic heart,
which is the very Heart of God - 

I LOVE YOU

for Karen, Bob, Joe, and Ricky

It was quite a week for hearts - hearts everywhere, and in so many unexpected places! This one took the cake, though. I almost couldn't believe it. Two different broken pieces of seashell, wedged into a rock on the shore. And as if that wasn't miraculous enough, just above it is a smaller set, mirroring the larger one!

These are for my friends Karen and Bob, and Joe and Ricky. Each couple lost a son unexpectedly some years back. I love them all so much, and I am in awe of the immensity of their hearts. In fact, I found these the day I saw one of Karen's posts - it was the 11th anniversary of RJ's death at age 16. I love you all dearly, and I love your boys, and my heart sings to yours today, with the sorrow and joy Karen so beautifully wrote about. Love you.

The Beauty in the Gutter of You

Can you imagine what it would feel like, in your body, your mind, your LIFE, if you never experienced anything in you as ugly or shameful or unworthy? What if there was no experience in you any more of something too painful to bear? What if there was no more berating self-talk? Can you imagine it?

The heart on the storm sewer grate caught my eye, but then my eye was drawn down into the shadows and the murky water below. I had to let my eyes adjust to see what was there. And it occurred to me to take picture of it, because it was so interesting. But I had no idea how beautiful it was until I looked again at the photos. Holy WOW!

I couldn’t help but see the analogy to the consciousness journey, the life journey. By going into our content, our darkness, by softening into the constriction and the painful places we just don’t want to go, and by finally laying down judgment of ourselves and our experience, the gutters of our lives transmute into a brilliant avenue of divinity for the flow of the God-Love that we are. In my mind's eye I see a glittering avenue, paved with gold and diamonds, adorned with jeweled trees and with crystal lights beaming and streaming out of points in thin air.

I had the most beautiful realization the other day. I realized I no longer think any unloving thoughts to myself. The way I discovered the depth of this truth was during my recital. Toward the end, when my body and mind were tired, I had one of the biggest public memory slips I’ve ever had. A doubt entered my head in one of the songs that begins every section with the same words and then moves into different ones, and I thought, “Is this what comes next?” Right after that, I thought, “If this isn’t what comes next, I have no idea what does!” And by then I’d missed the phrase, and was standing looking helplessly at my pianist who continued to play the accompaniment. A few measure later I had reoriented, and leapt awkwardly back into the flow on a sudden high note (singing the word "cry," no less), the apex of a phrase of sweet text I'd completely missed: "and butterflies lift silken wings to catch a rainbow cry." And on we went. And the first thought that came to me as we went on, the very first one, was “I love you so much!” And the little part of me that in the past might have been the target of my criticism, my shaming, my inner meanness (the likes of which we visit on ourselves in ways we would never allow someone else to speak to us), turned toward my heart with a tiny, “you do?” and immediately came my answer, “Yes, I love you so much you are so brilliant and amazing and perfect and I just LOVE you!” And the two of us skipped happily on into the music, without giving it another thought.

I was so grateful for that “mistake,” that very public blunder, because it was an opportunity to visit shame or criticism on myself and instead I received an amazing flow of love. In reflection afterward, I realize I’ve been working on self-love for years. And I can see now that it is part of me, it is me, and that it will never leave me again. And... I just realized I snapped these shots on the day of my recital, when I was taking a morning meditative photo walk. How perfect is that?

And beyond the fact that I’ve chosen it, this new life isn’t mine because I’m special, or because I’m Christine, or for any other reason. It’s because love is what we are, and it’s our nature to return to ourselves. And now that I’ve seen it and know it in my core in me, I know I can share that path and truth with others, being a guide for them on their way back into their own beautiful, loving and brilliant hearts, and that makes me so joyful! Yay Us!!!! Yay GOD! YAY LOVE THAT KNOWS NO END!!!

And… I love you. The same way I love me. Because we are the same.

PS - I would love to hear your thoughts on this. How's your self-talk going? 

And if you'd like to go exploring into this sweet, peaceful world of self-love, check out my website - www.ChristineElder.net 

It's for all of us, this inner sweetness. I promise.

Shape Shifter

This Costa Rican shape-shifter blew me away with his silky swift contortions. It was like watching a bunch of different creatures inhabit the same body. Amazing! 

He reminds me of life in the flow. Shifts through emotions and experiences are seamlessly smooth - crying turns to laughing, anger explodes and gives way to giggling, lots and lots of joy dances from one object of delight to the next and the next and the next. I love life with all of its messy shapes, sizes and colors. WAY more interesting than 50 shades of similar. Let's play! :)

PS - Doesn't he make a good heart? Mm hm.

Yes

 

A colleague of mine shared this poem with me last week. I love William Stafford. Once when asked how he was able to produce so much poetry (he wrote at least a poem a day for the last 20 years of his life), he answered, 

"I have very low standards." We can do amazing things when we give up the idea of perfection, 

which means realizing that everything is in fact, that.

Yes

It could happen any time, tornado,
earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen.
Or sunshine, love, salvation.

It could, you know. That's why we wake
and look out – no guarantees
in this life.

But some bonuses, like morning,
like right now, like noon,
like evening.

 - William Stafford

Today, I say "yes" to whatever is. This moment. This life. This love. This now.

Pointsettia heart courtesy of the Safeway floral department in Ballard, WA. 

Thanks for your heart eye, Rob. :)

 

 

News Flash: What's Your Story?

Ice storm covers our Dogwood tree with a layer of crystal

Stories make the news. Usually bad or painful stories. Painful things happen in our world every day.

And so do beautiful, loving, and exquisite things. Every day, people love. They radiate joy. They create beauty. They be the infinite beauty that they are. But being love isn't much of a story, is it? And even the stories we hear on the news of something inspirational or uplifting often are framed by the struggle that made them stand out: the person who gives the dying child their wish of meeting a famous sports figure, the anonymous giver who delivers presents to a poor family, the gentle soul who rescues abused animals.

What if we were captivated by the incredible power of love for love's sake, love that just IS? No story, no contrast to what is "wrong," just the infinite presence of love? It's not much of a headline draw, is it? "Gertrude drove to work radiating peace and love." "As Neil sat at his office desk, he sent thoughts of love and support to all of his co-workers." "Sarah embodied the presence of infinite love today." "Sam's playful joy made everyone smile and giggle for hours."

Doesn't it sound good? "Ellen radiated infinite space and freedom from her heart and the world was transformed." "A ribbon of crystalline light emanated from him, lifting everyone in his presence into a sense of peace and well-being." "All the world took a breath of love together - breathed it in, became it, and conflict ceased. Everyone looked around, a little dazed, and wondered what the fuss had been all about."

In such a world, we'd easily lose interest in painful stories, because we simply wouldn't see them any more. They vaporized in the presence of so much love. Nothing happened, no story to report, no dramatic upheaval. Love, peace, joy and beauty just finally came into full focus and nothing else could stand.

On Awakening

The heart of you is the heart of everything.

In the Christian tradition, this would be the Word, in Buddhism, Pure Awareness, outside of tradition, Oneness. And as Source has manifest into so many expressions, here on earth we have this experience of the fruit on one side of the tree looking at the fruit on the other side and thinking it is something other than itself. So we have the experience of separation, or the perception of separation.

But as we allow ourselves to experience Pure Awareness, to be the power that animates the entire body instead of thinking we are parts of it, we no longer experience the separation. We have perspective, but not separation.

And this is what I got today! At this level, my experience of "Christine" is the same as my experience of anyone else. Yes, my brain, body, senses, experiences, are coming through as "Christine," but my awareness is behind that, before that, just as my awareness of looking at another is not within them, either. I have the same vantage point whether I am looking at "me" or "another." Awareness looks at itself! I am not "Christine" any more than I am "you." But I am all of that.

This illuminates the experience of separation within the "self," where separation begins. Because from this persepctive, that of pure awareness, there is no judgment or opinion about the experience "I" am having, just as I have no judgment about the experience "others" are having. There is no separation into the preferred or non-preferred experience, the like or not like, just the awareness. Which completely erases struggle. There is only awareness and flow.

So the idea of "wholeness" within the self, i.e. harmony or integration, ceases to exist and "wholeness" becomes the awareness that observes self and everyone else, and which sees "self" merely as one expression, one that we are intimately connected to through sensation, emotion, thought and experience, but still which is just another expression like every other one.

SO grateful for the divine gift of this awareness today, which as all truth does, came not through thought or pondering, but just dropped in as knowing. Grace.

Infinite love to you, from my infinity to yours. Funny, huh? As if infinity could be anything other than itself!

And P.S. - just how did that little heart get on the end of that leaf up there? Hmmm....

Your Inner Guru

A master teacher or guru is one who lives the art of receiving and non-resistance. It isn't necessary to know things, or to be learned or wise. We are all gurus. All that is needed is to get out of the way so that Source itself moves through. The wisdom of the cosmos is only ever a breath away from a clear and open heart.

This heart brought to you from the Oregon wine country, grounds of Dundee Manor.

I love you

As a friend of mine says, there is only One of us. Many expressions of that One, but there is only One, and we are All That.

Do something today that you love, not because you should, or because it's good, or because someone needs it from you, or because it's right or noble or required. Just because you love it, and you can, and it feels good to do it. Sometimes it's as simple as eating popcorn. I love popcorn! And I love walking slowly from here to there, noticing the leaves on trees, feeling the love of their Be-ing, seeing light and shadow, just noticing. I did that today. And then I ate popcorn. :)

Love you. When you love you, you love the entire world. Because there's only One of us, remember? I love you. And I love me. And that's the same thing. Isn't it wonderful?

Supermoon hearts

Moonplay! The energy of this supermoon has been intense - challenging and intoxicating and powerful all in one.  Have you felt some challenges in your bodies the last few days? Whoa! Mine has taken me for a crazy ride! Or maybe you've experienced a sense of emotional overwhelm, either from challenges piling up or perhaps just the sheer and stunning beauty of things. A lot is moving, for sure! Moving and waving and spinning and expanding. The energy of Life, Love, God, YOU. Breathe. Surrender. Let go. It's only the holding on that hurts.

The hearts in these photos require a bit of "I spy." They're not so obvious but kind of fun and playful to spot. The last one was the result a sweetly placed lens flare - thank you brilliant moonlight for lighting up the love!

The energies of this portal in time remind me to surrender to flow -  the flow of grace and the eternal, infinite opening of here and now.  Love to you, my beautiful, celestial friends.

Hubble Brain

ANTs: Automatic Negative Thoughts (Daniel Amen's term), that run around our world – 

in the air, in the media, in our systems.

IB: Infinite Being, i.e. what you are – eternal, light-filled, peaceful, loving, 

and all-knowing through connection to the One that is All.

YB: Your Brain, a highly tuned information receiver and processor, as well as inventor/creator. 

YB can run the ANT or IB channel any time you choose.

Our brains are like giant, high-powered telescopes/processors that receive information as well as project it out into the world. They are the interface between us and our reality. And we get to choose where we point them. We can point them down at the ground where the ANTs are, or we can turn them upward into our hearts, toward the All, where they receive the most amazing and interesting information about everything going on at all levels of Be-ingness.

Ants are fine. Earthly ants are actually amazingly intelligent, resourceful, and communal, but a bit of observation shows the ANTs of our brains to be tricky, using shifty slights of hand to point us into endless distractions of fear, worry, and separation. It's ok if you find yourself spending time with the ANTs. Those thoughts are only there to remind us to look toward who we really are. And they’ll keep showing up until we always remember. Just softly tune your mind the other way. After a while, when it sees more and more of the amazing universe it can play in, the ANTs just don't seem that interesting any more.

So why not tip your Hubble up to the experience of the real you, where you are joyful and free and flying around with angels and light-beings and the magic of stardust? It’s where the love is! It’s where you are. And it’s actually who you are. Want to live at home? Me, too! :) And there's a great bonus! ANTs are actually a lot friendlier when we view them from the comfort of our real home, like watching a movie that we know is just pretend…

and this is not my photo, credited to Suara, but it just came across my facebook feed and I laughed out loud...

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Not only is there a light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel is actually made of light. All is One, just varying shades along the spectrum of the same God energy.

We judge what we don't like or what causes pain as bad or wrong, and what gives us pleasure or agrees with our moral sense as right or good. Dark tunnel. Light. But in the land of God, there is just Is - the darkness of the tunnel, the light at the end, and everything in between. Without the judgments of our minds, we lose the "right" or "wrong," and see it's just pretty dang interesting! Then we find our tunnel becomes like a big slinky toy we can play with at will. Amazing.

Love you, whether you be tunneling or blazing or blissing.

Bee Love

I bee you, you bee me - infinite divinity!