To truly be present, we need to be available to the moment with our whole self This requires not only an act of attention but also an act of integration so that we are drawing upon all parts of ourselves to 'be with' another

It may be difficult for us to imagine how the earth which appears to us to be a solid mass of complexly interrelated parts, can have an intentionality to purify and can be undergoing a process we normally associate with human beings on a spiritual path And even if it is true of the planetary body, we may well wonder how this happens and how it can affect weather patterns

We have tended to think of matter as solid and of thoughts and feelings as invisible and insubstantial More like air than like anything physical

There is an awakeness that comes from a clear mind, unobscured by wandering thoughts and preoccupations, and there is an awakeness that comes from a clear heart, willing to engage with life as gift and as an ever-unfolding revelation of the purpose of Creation Such an awakened heart cannot respond indifferently to life because it sees the outstretched hand of the Creator at every turn and in every particle of experience

The oneness that is shared by all of life can be perceived on many levels – in the whisper of a beloved, in the smile of a child, in the fragrance of a flower, in the graceful dance of a leaf as it falls from a tree – all of these gestures of life can touch the heart and cause it to embrace life in its fullness, to experience something of the mystery of connection that resides within all living things

Spiritual purification is not an intellectual process, but one that is initiated by the creative power of light - the very force of Creation that was manifested at the beginning of time and that furthers Divine intention throughout time Spiritual light travels across all dimensions of reality, both physical and non-physical, affecting one's body as well as one's consciousness

There are certain times in life when one wishes that the limitations of self could be other than they are, and that the personal characteristics and attitudes that have been troublesome in the past could simply disappear Often, efforts of will to eradicate these undesirable emotional habits and tendencies are found to be unsuccessful, and after a short time of seemingly positive improvement, one reverts to the old patterns and ways of being

Springtime for the soul brings with it the beginning of new possibilities for awakening, and for realizing the greater expression of the deeper self on all levels of manifestation It uncovers dormant perceptions and allows them to flourish in the new warmth of the spiritual sun