an unfamiliar place
Time and again we are mysteriously brought together for a brief moment to be ourselves; yet we struggle. What is this force that tugs at our hearts and places us together? Is it something within us, or are there forces out of our control that are as inescapable as gravity, holding the very existence of our universe together. To fight against the physical forces of nature only brings pain and suffering. No matter the amount of energy we exert, we only wear ourselves down and eventually must surrender. 
We learn at a very early age to accept for certain most of the laws of nature. The Sun will rise and set, the tide will come in and go out, the seasons will change, the birds will fly South for the winter and return in the spring, and the caterpillar will transform itself into a beautiful butterfly. It's so easy to accept the things that happen repeatedly, we have undeniable references. 
Are we so naive to think that we can ignore the attraction of the soul? Are we to live a lifetime to acquire the conscious wisdom and expanding knowledge to know how and when to accept our feelings when we are powerless to control them? It's so easy, so easy to ignore what appears to be the inevitable, for we have so few references with which to compare. Can we be so ill equipped in our ability to understand love that we do not expect similar results when we experience tribulation of the heart? I guess that is why we have the sagacious wisdom of the ancients to guide us through the perilous journey of love, spirit and heart. 
They tell us:  
  • You create (choose) your own reality
    • Events occur. We choose. We learn. We grow. We live. We have little or no influence over many events occurring in our lives. But we choose the way in which we respond. From the first choice, many others come until we consciously experience the lesson. Then we learn, are able to grow and thus to live and love and serve. 
  • Speak intelligently from the heart
    • Cultivate the assurance of the heart. Combine the strong and intelligent courage of an adult with the sincere and trusting optimism of a child. 
     
     
  • Be thy self
      • Who are we? Our core beliefs guide us in the direction we consider to be our true selves; but what we believe is not really uniquely ours, unless we have evaluated each one for it's truth value. Then we are ourselves when our thoughts, feelings and actions are in harmony with our true core beliefs. Anything less manifests as conflict. 
      It is said, "defeat is the true mirror in which you may honestly view your real self."  
       
  • Do the right thing, for the right reason
      • Does this imply that not doing for the wrong reason is to be avoided? 
      Those who know the truth only in the mind, and who have not experienced it in the heart, cannot be depended upon for support when real trouble comes. Shouldn't we balance ideas with ideals. 
      The righteousness of any act must be measured by the motive; therefore, the highest forms of good are unconscious. 
Many things, which happen in the course of a human life, are hard to understand. Do we create our own reality, or do we allow the circumstances and events of our lives to dictate the direction of our growth? Or is a little of both?
My heart dwells in an unfamiliar place.