Quan Yin in Gail's Garden

Today is a day to make a new beginning.

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution?

I did! I have decided to get back to writing and be productive starting today.

One of my favorite quotes is “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoyce in it.” I am so grateful for all that I have and all that I can do. I know that many are unhappy and searching for a way to bring themselves out of a slump. So here are some suggestions:

Find the perfect book. I have just started reading one that I am finding perfect for me at this moment.
The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life written by Piero Ferrucci.
The forward is by the Dalai Lama. I highly recommend this inspirational book.

Exercise: Start slow and build up. Exercise produces endorphins and I always have a feeling of accomplishment
when I exercise.

Meditate at least once a day. Meditation is the path to enlightenment and don’t we all want that?

A new perspective: Take a new look at the possibilites for your life. Look at your life in a new way.

Ask Spirit (God) for inspiration and guidance. “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find.”

These are Universal Truths.

Blessings to you all in this new and exciting year of 2012.

Gail Manishor, RScP, Author of
From Here to Serenity, A Spiritual Guide to Transform Your Life
www.gmanishor.com

Todays Affirmation: Today I smile at everyone I meet.
I am happy and I live my life in deep joy.

Excerpt:  From Here to Serenity,
A Spiritual Guide to Transformation
Gail Manishor, www.gmanishor.com 

God created each of us out of a need and in great joy. If we were created in joy, shouldn’t we be joyful? It doesn’t work to say “If I only had such and such I’d be happy,” “If only I had the right man or woman I’d be happy,” or “If I just lost 20 pounds, I’d be happy.” Why wait? Be happy now. “That’s easy for you to say,” you may tell me.  Well, I am telling you. You can be joyful if you want to be. President Abraham Lincoln once said “A man is as happy as he wants to be.”

Take joy where you find it. Joy can be in the many little things as well as the big things. God doesn’t think in terms of small or big.
Everything is important. Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Sometimes joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

What do you love to do? What’s fun for you? Is it writing, drawing, painting, reading, going to the beach, walking in the mountains, skiing or gardening? Be creative in your own way. Make time for the things you love. Live in joy, and joy will live in you.

Joy is a by-product of knowing that God is always with you. It doesn’t mean there will be no sadness in your life. Life is change and growth. There are changing relationships or loss. Life just keeps happening. But it does mean that you can live in serenity knowing this truth.

In This Thing Called You Ernest Holmes wrote “As you enter into life, feeling the Divine Presence in everything, more and more you will hear a Song of Joy singing at
the center of your being.”

Gail Manishor, author of

From Here to Serenity, A Spiritual Guide to Transform Your Life
www.gmanishor.com

Do you remember this? “Friendship, Friendship, Such a perfect blendship… ”

This is Coco and Edward who lives next door. Getting to know each other. I think Edward is saying, “Who is this cute new chick that lives next door.  Is she friend or foe?

How cute is that!  Double click to see a bigger and better picture.

      Gail Manishor, author of
From Here to Serenity, A Spiritual Guide to Transform Your Life
www.gmanishor.com

“You were born knowing that you are the creator of

your own reality … ultimately the creation of your life

experience is absolutely and only up to you.”

– Esther and Jerry Hicks

Ask and It Is Given

In his textbook The Science of Mind Ernest Holmes wrote “Do not dwell upon adversity but think plenty into everything, for there is power in the word. Meditate on the things you are doing as being already done–complete and perfect.”

Stop going over and over in your mind how bad things are or have been. It is only in moving to a higher place of thought that you can move on in your life. It is only in letting go of the past that you can move forward. It is only in surrendering to God that your life can change. It is only through prayer and meditation that you can transform your life.

Forgiveness is extremely important if you want to move on to a place of serenity. Look back over your life and go through a process of forgiving for each person who harmed you. Forgive and love yourself.

Meditation, prayer and visualization are the major tools to take you to a higher place in consciousness. You have to do it yourself. No one can do it for you. But to live the life you are meant to live–do it you must.

Quiet your mind in meditation and ask for guidance and inspiration. Seek an awareness of the Divine Essence within yourself. Seek only to know God.

Pray knowing you are always heard and your prayers are already answered.

Visualize yourself in the life you want to live doing the things you want to do and being the person you want to be.

I trust that my own story and the people whose stories I have written about will inspire you and move you to make needed changes in your life. I want you to be and have all that you can be. I want you to live a joyous life. I want you to experience breaking free of whatever constraints that have held you back. My wish for you is that you can come to a place of forgiveness of yourself and others. In this way you will come to a deepening awareness and understanding of the Divine Intelligence within and experience new-found freedom.

You too can turn you life around. You can be healthy, happy and peaceful. You can live a productive and creative life. It is up to you. How much effort are you willing to make to live the life of Spirit? How much work are you willing to do to create the life you want to live?

Monarch Butterfly

Friday, 10/ 26/ 2011 4:40 pm:  This is an adventure in progress as we watch for our cocoons to hatch.  We never did see this particular cocoon. We did see what we thought was a butterfly dieing. It was laying on the ground. I thought I’d bring the dead butterfly into the house. However, when I touched it, it moved.

Much later I looked again and it was climbing up the sprinkler handle. I immediately got Bill to take a few pictures of it as it quietly sat recuperating from it’s birth and climb. Double click on the picture to get a better view.

I just checked our first cocoon. It is much darker and I can see the outline of the butterfly inside it.

Saturday, Aug 27, 2011 – HERE IT IS!! It’s gorgeous!  We were having breakfast when I looked out on the patio and there on the chair was the just emerged Monarch.

Don’t forget to double-click.

Butterflies are free.

Gail Manishor, author of:
From Here to Serenity, A Spiritual Guide to Transform Your Life
www.gmanishor.com

The Power Within

An Excerpt: From Here to Serenity,
A Spiritual Guide to Transform Your Life
Author: Gail Manishor
www.gmanishor.com

Meditation is almost universally recognized as a way of healing your life. It is by quieting your mind and going within when Spirit speaks to us. We are comforted. We are healed. We begin to recognize our power.

Now is the time for us to let go of the ego-self and align our awareness to the truth that God, our Higher Power, is always within
each one of us. That Power and that Presence which is God is always available for us to use. We are the absolute expressions of
the Most High God. The extent of our awareness of this Divine inner Presence is the extent to which we have control over our
own lives and our own paths. This is the moment we recognize the truth of who we are. We do not have to be victims. We do not have to feel powerless. We are not bits of dust tossed in the winds of time. We are not pawns on some giant chessboard of life, victims  to be used at will by some malignant or uncaring force. We can take control of our lives. We can be masters, not victims. It is a matter of choice. We have all the power we need. God never deserts us. We are never alone. It is up to us to realize the Presence within. We are Divine beings and because of the Presence within we are powerful and creative. We have control of our own destiny.

The Universe is in constant motion as God the Creator creates and recreates. Our life is a process. It is true that there are lessons we must learn and roads we must each travel on our separate paths to enlightenment. Never think for a moment that you are not on your right path. The wisdom within will guide you if you let it. Remain flexible, so that you are ready to follow that guidance on your perfect path.

Through the Law of Attraction as mentioned in Holmes book The Science of Mind and also in Esther and Jerry Hicks book Ask and It Is Given, we are creators. We are always creating whether we realize it or not. We can do nothing and create by default or we can take control of our thoughts, our words and actions and create our life as we want it to be. We are not powerless. We are powerful creators of our own lives and our own destinies.

Always know that today is the first day of the rest of your life. Today is a new day. It is a day you can see yourself as beautiful, perfect and powerful.

Remember–“ask and you will receive.”

“All my hurts my garden spade can heal.”– Ralph Waldo Emerson

2nd Cacoon

Excerpt: From Here to Serenity, A Spiritual Guide to Transform Your Life
Author: Gail Manishor
www.gmanishor.com

Praying rightly is not begging, pleading or bargaining with God. It is not “God, if you do this one thing for me, I will do something for you.” God already has everything It needs. Prayer is aligning ourselves with God knowing the Truth that God is the only Power.  God does not care if we pray, we are the ones who benefit from this communion with God. This means when we think rightly, live in integrity, pray knowing we will receive, our prayers are always answered.

All prayers are acceptable to God. However, praying rightly is using affirmative prayer. The following is a five step prayer that affirms what you are asking God for. Use your own words and make your prayer personal. “It is done onto you as you believe.” Pray until you know deep within that your prayer is already answered.

Step 1: Recognition.
It is recognizing and acknowledging that God is present. Say, “God Is Love, Peace and Joy.”

Step 2: Unification.
God is expressing as you and living in and through you. Say, “I am One with God.”

Step 3: Realization.
Affirm the truth of what you want. “I am now in perfect health.” Or “All credit card bills are now paid in full and they stay that way.”

Step 4: Thanksgiving.
Give thanks for the answer to your prayer. Even before we ask, all prayers are answered in the perfect way. Say, “Thank you God.”

Step 5: Release.
Release your prayer to God in faith knowing that it is already answered. Say, “I release this prayer into the Law and I let it be, and so it is. Amen.”

Following is an example of an affirmative 5 step prayer:

Step 1: There is One Infinite Eternal Spirit, a Divine Being, God, and It is everywhere present, in through and around everyone and everything in this Universe. It is our Creator and Our Source. There is One, there is no other power.

Step 2: And I am One with It, One with the Power and the Presence that lives in and through me, as me.

Step 3: I know that I am loved by God, and that God is indwelling in me as me and in this great Love the healing power of God is flowing
through me, healing me at this very moment. I know that every cell, every muscle, every tissue of my body is now healed.

Step 4: I am so grateful to God for this healing. I give thanks that the Law is always working.

Step 5: I release this prayer into the Law, and I let it be. And so it is. AMEN

Affirmative prayer is not meant to be a “formula” prayer. It is a guide to help us pray rightly. Once it is understood as a means of acknowledging the power and presence of God and our oneness with God we will be guided to pray in any way we wish. Know that we are One with the One Power and Presence and that what we affirm is already done.

God can do no more for you than God can do through you. God helps those who help themselves. Pray on anything and everything. Nothing is too insignificant. God’s not too busy for you. God knows what you need and the answer is already in place. All you need to do is accept it. God works through you to accomplish your goals.
You are God’s hands and feet. Pray for the guidance and wisdom to help you move toward your goals. Never complain or whine, always praise and bless everything and everyone.

Many people ask, “Why are our prayers not always answered?” Prayers are always answered; however, there is a but. An example could be that you are praying that a loved one will recover from a serious illness. That soul may be ready to go back to God. He are she may have made an agreement before its birth to accomplish a certain thing before it makes its transition (death). It’s not our decision to make. The Divine plan for this soul may not be our plan, but it is always the right plan. Therefore, when we pray for something, always include that it be in God’s perfect plan and timing and not your own desire. If you love this person, you will want what’s best for him or her and not for yourself. If a loved one is in severe pain, he or she may be hanging on to life out of sheer will-power. This soul could be staying
for your sake although he or she may wish to go on. At this point you may with love and compassion give him permission to move on. It is his life and not yours. Allow him to break free of the bonds of your love and your need and release him to his highest good.

 Affirmation:

I pray in deep faith knowing that before I ask, my prayer is already answered. As I believe, so it is.

Monarch Caterpiler

I decided to change the look of the area next to the fence that leads into my Secret Garden. I chose to use silver, orange and purple. This picture is when my Garden Angel first planted the small plants. Boy have things changed. The silver has tripled in size, the red/orange snapdragon have grown also. I also put in 3 blue margarites and  a few purple plants.

A few months ago I planted 2 large milkweed plants which draw butterflies. The yellow and orange flowers complement the yellow  and the yellow and orange Tanzia already there. My Garden Angel (who finally came back for wherever Angels go) got so excited when she saw the Monarch caterpillars crawling all over the plants that her halo practically fell off her head.

Yesterday she suddenly appeared at the back door and her eyes sparkled as she showed me the caterpillar that had attached itself to one of the lawn chairs just outside the back door to the patio. It actually was beginning its cocoon.

I just peeked out in the backyard and we now have our first cocoon!!!

Excerpt: From Here to Serenity, A Spiritual Guide to Transform Your Life
Gail Manishor, Author
www.gmanishor.com/

God created each of us out of a need and in great joy. If we were created in joy, shouldn’t we be joyful? It doesn’t work to say “If I only had such and such I’d be happy,” “If only I had the right man or woman I’d be happy,” or “If I just lost 20 pounds, I’d be happy.” Why wait? Be happy now. “That’s easy for you to say,” you may tell me. Well, I am telling you. You can be joyful if you want to be. President Abraham Lincoln once said “A man is as happy as he wants to be.”

Take joy where you find it. Joy can be in the many little things as well as the big things. God doesn’t think in terms of small or big.
Everything is important. Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Sometimes joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

What do you love to do? What’s fun for you? Is it writing, drawing, painting, reading, going to the beach, walking in the mountains, skiing or gardening? Be creative in your own way. Make time for th things you love. Live in joy, and joy will live in you.

Joy is a by-product of knowing that God is always with you. It doesn’t mean there will be no sadness in your life. Life is change and growth. There are changing relationships or loss. Life just keeps happening. But it does mean that you can live in serenity knowing this truth.

In This Thing Called You Ernest Holmes wrote “As you enter into life, feeling the Divine Presence in everything, more and more you will hear a Song of Joy singing at
the center of your being.”