“May our heart’s garden of awakening bloom with hundreds of flowers.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Hello Spiritual Warriors!! I hope you are thriving and leaning towards nourishment. This week we explore awakening love in our life.

No matter who your are; no matter what you do; no matter where you live – you could use more love. More self-nourishment, more joy, more affection, more forgiveness, more compassion from those in your life, more attention from others.

We want it; we need it, but our quest for it is often misguided. We look outside of ourselves for something that rests within. We seek what we already are.

Yet we wake up each morning on a quest to somehow find it in a text, a phone call, an email, or the eye of someone we are gazing at.

If we could recognize our splendor – see the divine nature of our being, we’d understand and appreciate the magnificence that rests at the core of our being.

We can connect to that radiance with greater consistency by following these 5 steps starting with each morning as soon as we rise:

Step 1) Start your day with some stillness & silence. Meditate – whether for 16 seconds or a full 30 minutes. Using a mantra (I list 12 timeless mantras on page 207 in Secrets of Meditation), or simply following your breath in and out, will place us in a state of witnessing awareness.

Step 2) Surrender. Acknowledge that this moment is pure and perfect and exactly as it’s supposed to be. The past is carved in stone – the future is unknown – all we have is this precious, sacred precious moment.

“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to LOVE, believe, do, and mostly LIVE.” – Dalai Lama

Step 3) Draw the logical conclusion that — if this moment is perfect – so are you…exactly where you are supposed to be – with all the emotions, relationships, and circumstances that you have created.

Step 4) Open your heart to love. Repeat the affirmation. Today I let love in. Today I receive love. Today I am love. And throughout the day, as soon as you are not getting your way…as soon as you witness yourself trying to impose you view on how things are supposed to be or how something should unfold, repeat the affirmation.

Step 5) Flow. Extend yourself to someone. Lend a helping hand, ear, or heart. Give something to someone – a thank you, an apology, a hug, a smile. Send a text to someone telling them you are thinking about them and sending them love.

Remember that you are so worthy to receive love. And the more you practice these simple steps, the more quickly you will feel loved and feel the love of the universe. Email me with your results. Keep your ripple flowing. I’ll see you in the gap. Peace. -davidji