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Far from home – On the longing of my soul

March 26, 2015March 26, 2015 Barbara Bullock, M.F.A. Spiritual writer

Dear friends,

Have you ever lived somewhere and not felt at home there? Have you ever felt misunderstood, lonely; perhaps even a little alien and very different from everyone and everything around you? I am sure we all have at many points in our lives. I believe we sometimes feel this way when we are not in sync with our spiritual nature.

Throughout my life, I have often felt I am in the wrong place. As I look around, I often see stress, problems, fear, envy and competition, discrimination and injustice; I see hindrance due to man-made rules and regulations. I feel the negativity energy around me and wonder. Where is the other side of the equation? Where have beauty, acceptance, love, joy, hope and freedom gone?

In this moment, I realize that I am more than a human being. In this moment, I try hard to remember that I am a spiritual being having a human existence on planet earth. In this moment, I feel far from my spiritual home. In this moment, nature is my sanctuary.

I wrote a poem the other day called Far from home. I hope it will give you a glimpse of my world and inspire you to find your piece of heaven on earth next time you feel far from home.

Far from home

Ever since I was born I felt far away from my home

Not a house, not the place of residence

Home is where my soul is from is the place I mean.

The place of our origin and destination

The place of pure love, light, and everlasting peace

Colors are brighter here; angels sing here, everything feels lighter and free.

Call it paradise or universe, or even give it a religious connotation.

Whatever you call it, I call it home.

Ever since I was born I felt far away from this place – my soul.

But where is this place of pure happiness, of serenity, of peace?

Where has it gone?

Our modern world so busy, filled with distractions, temptations and tribulations, schedules, deadlines, noises and egos.

Standing in the middle of the noisy crowd

Many people surrounding me yet seemingly forgetting me

Overlooking that I am a soul in a human body, coming here from far

Not a calendar, not another task to be completed, not another issue to be resolved.

Looking around I see many people hustling and bustling

Too busy to remember their true human nature

Not noticing their soul’s cry.

But wait! We are here to fulfill our soul’s mission!

We are here to love and be loved.

Instead, I see people doing things that don’t resonate with them

Pleasing others, chasing time and spending more money for stuff than they can afford.

Stuff that has no meaning, breaking promises and leaving us empty inside

Didn’t you know? Only our spiritual lights really fulfill our hearts and souls.

In this busy place our spiritual home is far and forgotten

But look! In the midst of this modern chaos, just look around!

There are signs of the divine everywhere; even here.

Things so beautiful yet without an explanation,

So magical, so bountiful, so serene, so peaceful

Go see and listen to a waterfall, ocean waves, birds singing, crickets chirping!

Sights and sounds of nature, soothing music to my ears

The hot sun shining on my face, the warm wind embalming my tired body

My soul longs for love and peace.

This feels a bit like home.

Love, Barbara

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#Spirituality #Soul #Home #Nature #Stress #Negativity

Black is beautiful. Not just in February. A tale on perspectives and colors

February 26, 2015February 26, 2015 Barbara Bullock, M.F.A. Spiritual writer

Light and dark in February — Light and dark on Oahu, Hawaii

Dear friends,

I took the photograph, you see here today, in Hawaii last year. Hawaii is known for gorgeous beaches, beautiful flowers, stunning scenery and the famous and welcoming Hawaiian spirit of “Aloha”. Imagine a picture perfect sunny day, lush, green trees, flowers so colorful that no paint would suffice if you’d tried to color them, and blue skies melting into the turquoise Pacific. On my walk along the beach I arrived at a lagoon. I stopped and took the stunning surroundings in as much as I could. Any thoughts of winter disappeared way back into my mind. I did not want to be reminded of any cold, wet, and snowy weather this time of the year. This was February after all.

Suddenly, I felt a presence. I turned around but could not see anyone. I shrugged my shoulders and walked on. There it was again. “Who is it?” I asked. No answer. I had had someone in spirit communicating with me before. Still, no answer. So I walked on.

Then my eyes fell on my camera. “Maybe I should take another picture”, I thought. And so I did. I have always liked taking pictures of something beautiful as long as I can think. I have also been very blessed in my life being able to travel around the world and capture many picturesque sites. I was used to pointing my camera to something amazing. This time it was different. There seemed more at work here than just me. It felt as if someone or something was taking my camera and guiding my hands into something I had never seen before. As I looked through the lens and let my hands and camera go where they wanted, I realized that they were pointing into the sun. Immediately, I remembered any knowledge of photography I had. “Don’t take pictures right into the sun or they will be too bright”, is what I had always been told. However, spirit seemed to want me to do exactly that. So I took the picture.

The photograph you see today is the outcome. It was not taken at night; nor was it altered. I believe that spirit guided me that day to look directly into the sun, take a picture and see what happens. What happened is amazing. What happened made me realize that things are never as they appear. Green palm trees were suddenly pitch black, flowers were gone, the water murky, items unrecognizable, and the sun barely there. If you imagine scenery like that, you would never think that I am still speaking of the paradise of Hawaii. At a first glance, it seems that everything is just black. That’s not considered beautiful, right? Now, take a closer look. Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it magical? It’s not colorful for sure. It’s black and it’s white. Isn’t it gorgeous combined that way?

That day I learned that where there is light there is dark and where there is shadow; there must be a light nearby. Each cannot exist without the other. Colors cannot exist without each other. Otherwise, there would be no difference. Everything would be the same. Everything would be just one. No colorful flowers, no stunning landscape, no vibration raising our spirits, no color. I also learned how beautiful black can be. In addition, I learned that no color is what it appears to be. It depends on your perspective. It depends how you see it and what kind of lens you use. If you don’t like what you see, change your perspective and take a closer look. You might find that it is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen. Even in black. Just as spirit guided me on that day to trust its guidance instead of my judgment and knowledge, open your heart and mind when you take a closer look at things around you, people around you, and colors around you.

Isn’t it beautiful? Aren’t people of all colors just as beautiful as the exotic and colorful Hawaiian Islands? Black is beautiful. Not just in February.

Love, Barbara

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barbara-Bullock/277533425653786

#Hawaii #photography #color #February #black

What’s courage got to do with it?

January 26, 2015January 26, 2015 Barbara Bullock, M.F.A. Spiritual writer

Dear friends,

I wish you a new year filled with courage. Here is why. As Dr. Maya Angelou used to say, courage is the most important of any virtues. She taught us that we cannot do anything for a long period of time without courage. I think she was right. Take the example of love for instance. I am sure you have been in the situation that you told someone you loved him or her. Yes, it does take courage to do so of course. However, have you been in the situation that you felt you had to keep saying and showing your love? I sure have. When I open my heart and love you, I will tell you. I will show you. You might love me back or you might not. To keep loving no matter what, takes not only consistency and patience, it takes a lot of courage. There might be many adversities and challenges you have to face. Society might not agree with who you love. Your family and friends might not agree with who you love. But when you love someone with all your heart and your affection comes from the purest spot in your soul, I think it does not matter who it is. If your love comes from the truth, I think it’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately, many people seem to judge others too easily and harshly. This is why we often ask ourselves the famous question “What would the neighbors say?” and sometimes ignore our own feelings, wishes and dreams.

I think that too many people live other people’s lives. I also believe that too many people don’t do things and don’t follow their dreams because they are afraid of how other people would judge them. We tend to please other people and live our lives according to others’ expectations. Are you truly happy? This is my question for you today. Many of you will answer this question with a big “No!” Why not? Aren’t you here to live your life according to your wishes? Didn’t your soul create a soul plan for you to live and follow a specific path for you alone? Your soul plan likely includes other people of course. However, it is your path and your life. We are all here to fulfill our own missions, whatever they might be. So why do you still keep asking yourself “What would the neighbors say?” I believe that we often ask ourselves this question out of fear of judgment and perhaps being ridiculed.

Indeed, opinions and wishes might differ, but we don’t. We all come from a place beyond our human comprehension that consists of light, peace, acceptance, and unconditional love. Even the most judgmental person comes from this place. The more you remember that, the more you understand that you don’t have to fear anything and you can do anything.

So what’s courage to do with it?

I wish you all a wonderful new year filled with courage. Go out and do what you have always wanted to do. Go out and tell someone you love him or her, no matter what. Tell your loved one again and again, no matter whether it comes back or not. Do the unexpected, do something exciting, do whatever makes your heart and soul sing! It really does not matter whether it makes anyone else happy. When you are happy yourself, it will make others happy. When you are happy, your inner light will shine on others and raise their vibrations too. Let’s make ourselves happy this year. Let’s have courage!

That’s what courage has got to do with it.

Love, Barbara

Works cited:

Dr. Maya Angelou

http://mayaangelou.com/

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