Fantasy or Dream?

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I Have a Dream

We all have heard the “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King which now reflects the dreams of many people in the world.  We may not have a global dream as King did, but we each have a personal dream.  What is your dream?  How many times a year do you recite your “I Have a Dream” message?

It is important that we focus, remind ourselves of our dreams and repeat our heart’s desires so we can plant them deep within our subconscious.  It is not necessary at first to share your dream with others; recite it to yourself.  Write it on a nice piece of paper and look at it every day.   Make sure it is written in positive language indicating what you desire instead of what you do not desire.

I Have a Dream

I have a dream to:

Forgive myself.

Love myself.

Honor myself.

I have a dream to:

Nurture and develop my God given gifts.

Speak my truth.

Make conscious choices.

I have a dream to:

Feel my all my emotions with ease.

Honor my heart’s desires.

Have faith, trust, integrity and courage.

I have a dream to:

Be a blessing to my family, my community and my planet.

Receive and give with ease.

Forgive and love others.

See the Divine in everybody and everything.

What is your dream?

Copyright @ 2012 by Shervin Hojat

Tend To Your Garden Within

Courageous

Have you asked someone what they desire to be more like and they reply “to be courageous”?  It takes courage to admit we desire more courage.

Many of our current wishes are waiting for us to become courageous enough to take the first step.  It takes courage to move forward despite voices in our head saying, “it is too hard”, “you need more time”, “don’t be foolish”, or ” don’t open yourself up”.  Courage is moving through standing waves of limited beliefs and being ok with feeling the fear of disapproval and the intensity of the insecurity and unknown.

What is on your wish list?  What is in your heart to be expressed? What is holding you up?  Muster some courage to take a small step ….

Courageous

Courageous are not those

who say the right words

not acknowledging or feeling

 the words in their heart.

Courageous are not those

who ignore their heart’s desire

to be accepted by others.

Courageous are not those

who dim their inner light

to shine less to please others.

Courageous

 are those who touch their feelings.

Courageous

 are those who feel their feelings

 despite the intensity.

Courageous

 are those who allow tears to roll down their face.

Courageous

 are those who are committed to their own highest good.

Copyright @ 2012 by Shervin Hojat

Tend To Your Garden Within

Room For Rent

We all have tenants in our head, and thousands of tenants try to reside (or at least visit) in our head daily. This is true if you read, watch TV, listen to radio or talk with your friends or family. Are you aware of whom your tenants are?

You may not be aware of all your tenants who may compel you to react to events based on their presence. Just sit down and be quiet for couple of minutes. Can you hear them? What do they say? What do you feel? Do the tenants give you energy, courage, inspiration and vitality or sap your energy?

In the context of Tending to Your Garden within, it is important to be aware of our tenants and evaluate their benefits to us. We may choose to evict those who sap our energy and vitality and replace them with tenants who are a source of empowerment, joy and life.

Tenants

Look around.

See the signs.

“Rooms for rent. All tenants welcomed.”

“No background check required.”

Another sign says.

“Live in my head rent free”

Unsuitable tenants create havoc

physically and emotionally.

The mean boss and his words

occupy a large room there.

The lover who shattered a heart

has a cozy room there.

The insecure child plays hide and seek in the rooms.

The angry adolescent smashes furniture in the basement.

The martyr friend lives in the largest room

constantly trying to get the attention of other tenants.

The intellectual occupying the living room

broadcasts doom and gloom

providing “his” version of truth for consumption.

It is time to evict all the tenants.

It is time to be selective of our tenants.

A new sign goes up:

“Vacant room available.”

“Background check (intention) required.”

Copyright @ 2011 by Shervin Hojat

Tend To Your Garden Within

Repeated Patterns

Sometimes we need to take a look in the rear view mirror to receive new insight regarding what has happened in our past. Like me, you may have experienced intense moments in the past and perhaps are curious to view a new perspective on what has transpired.

Over time we may experience the same events with different people. Dealing with an issue we may have had with a sister when a teenager:  now dealing with the same issue with a co-worker as an adult. We may be experiencing similar patterns, issues and feelings.  Feelings can be those of being abandoned, being pushed around (losing self), not being loved, or fear of rejection. Looking back, we may realize that we have been dealing with the same issues for a long time and get discouraged at our progress.

Our personal and spiritual growth is continuous and evolving. We may repeat an issue (dealing with fear) several times in a span of many years which may seem old and repetitive. However, the depth and intensity of these issues most likely varies (we have learned and grown). Imagine being on a tree climbing up. We may be on the same location on the trunk of a tree, but a different height. The realization of pace and depth of growth is a great mechanism to gauge our progress and can be a source of self encouragement (instead of despair at seemingly slow progress). The poem below describes this issue further.

Reaching the Bottom

Swimming at the surface

guided by gentle winds and waves.

Comfortable, effortless at the surface

forgetting

the only guarantee is change.

Change is a means to reach new frontiers of self awareness

we have not touched.

A change in wind and current takes the swimmer under the water.

Swimmer has been under the water many times before.

Swimmer feels frustrated for repeating seemingly old patterns again.

He thinks, I thought I was done with my schooling.

Swimmer sinks to the bottom of the ocean of his unconscious reality.

Nothing is in sight but dark murky waters.

Where is the bottom?

Where is the top?

Bottom of the ocean is further away this time.

Something has changed.

It is taking longer to get to the bottom.

What has gone wrong?

Panic covers the swimmer in the midst of darkness.

Hopelessly and helplessly sinking with no effort.

Suddenly…

“Bam”

His feet touch the bottom unexpectedly!

A sudden surge of reactive force propels the swimmer to

the surface at an amazing speed.

Swimmer flies out of the water like a dolphin

and swims at the surface again.

Swimmer is more aware of his boundaries.

Swimming with expectations of going under

to experience new frontiers.

Copyright @ 2011 by Shervin Hojat

Tend To Your Garden Within

In My Pack

We sometimes are not aware of the anger and hatred we harbor within ourselves. Having a feeling does not mean that we feel it.

We may have learned from our childhood to be quiet and not express our opinions and feelings.  We may fear speaking our truth and the confrontation that may follow.  We may be calm and soft spoken most of the time while holding onto unexpressed emotion within.  Sometimes, we hold our emotions unexpressed inside our body and its energy may manifest into many physical symptoms.  Sometimes, these emotions burst into uncontrolled release and sometimes, if we are lucky, we direct its release by doing something that society deems acceptable. 

We can look into ourselves and review how and when we feel that it is acceptable to show our anger and rage.  Are we angry about the real issue or are there some other underlying issues?  Understanding such insight can help us be less reactive and be more pro-active in expressing our emotions cleanly in a timely manner, which will help us in our relationships with family and friends.

In My Pack

In the dark of night I

peek into my pack.

I have stuffed my emotions safely

into my pack.

Among the emotions

I carry anger and hatred in my pack.

They cover my heart and arteries like plaque.

You may be surprised at the contents of my pack.

I look calm, smiling, put together and on track.

I cannot show you what is in my pack.

I have an image to back.

I have an urge to share my pack

without owning what is in my pack.

I share my pack

for causes that give me no flak.

My pack and I traveled a lonely path.

I realize now that lashing out at others

is not in my highest good.

I am now aware of the contents of my pack.

Learning to feel and express my emotions cleanly

without stuffing them in the pack.

Such a burden I used to carry in my pack.

I no longer travel a lonely path.

I now travel with a much lighter pack.

Copyright @ 2011 by Shervin Hojat

Tend To Your Garden Within

Message for the New Year

Happy New Year!   2012 is about accelerating our remembering of who we are and what we can do by challenging our long held beliefs and habits.

It is a time to bypass the lengthy and life time processes of doing things to give ourselves permission to be who we already are.  It is about changing our consciousness (no physical doing required) to accept our Divine love, relax, be present and follow our heart’s desires.  It is about what we are and about what we desire.

May 2012 be a blessed time for us, our families, our communities and our planet.