The Perfect Path

There are many angels walking along this perfect path of life that we have before us. Often, they go unnoticed; as all that glitters isn't gold. These individuals tend to be out of the spotlight, in the sidelines, quietly doing their good work without need of recognition or reward. There joy is in the random act of kindness which they look forward to offering at every opportunity. I had the privilege of being touched by one of these angels yesterday. 

I took a short trip to Dunedin, Fl which is one of top three most walkable cities in the U.S. according to walkscore.com. I am passionate about old fashioned community where residents walk everywhere, chat with neighbors and look out for each others children. So, off to Dunedin I went.

Filled with such excitement and joy, I did something I have never done before. I forgot and left my keys in the car door and happily trotted off to enjoy this lovely town. After enjoying the experience immensely, I returned to my car and realized my mistake. My keys were nowhere to be found and I took a minute to give thanks to the Most High for what I knew would be a perfect resolution, one way or the other. There was a hospital across from the parking lot and I imagined that someone may have taken the keys and turned them in to a safe place. Sure enough, when I inquired at the hospital security, my keys were waiting for me. An angel. All the dreadful things that could have happened in this situation did not. It was as if an angel had been following me, watching out and making sure. We are not alone here. Life need not be a battle. There is a higher force made manifest in many of those walking the Earth right now. They are everywhere and willing to perfect our path at every turn. Needless to say, I love Dunedin, Fl!

Every time someone walked by, they said hello! This town is beautiful inside and out.

A quaint place to stay while you're in town.

And to stop and smell the tropical flowers...

A few days after my experience in glorious Dunedin, I enjoyed a mesmerizingly beautiful day at Wekiwa Springs Park. Here you can rent bicycles, kayaks and go for a lovely swim in the natural spring. The water was quite cold but a truly welcome respite from the 98 degree heat! My trusty blue beach cruiser took me all around the meandering paths of the park.

These were the exquisite paths before me. 

 

Time for a swim...

And the pristine waters took me to another level.

The Watercourse Way

The Earth is a wondrous place. Everywhere we look we can find some beauty, vitality and peace. Despite the history of humanity as well as the present day, so littered with sorrows, suffering and despair, there is a constant reality of serenity and integrity that forever remains. Both the sky and the ocean stay out of judgement of our human horrors. The sun and the wind unfailingly give their offering to us no matter what injustices we may commit. The black earth and the stoic trees forgive us time and time again, regardless of the assaults. Even when children are murdered and good lives are wasted, the stars come screaming out at night, though silently and without reproach. We are so blessed, all of us, to live upon our Mother, she gives us her bounty even when she is drained, delights us on every turn, though often unappreciated and shows us the way we can follow if we would - the watercourse way, flowing, open and non-judgemental; traveling onwards with the current, harming no thing, simply allowing the wonders of spirit manifest on earth to be our guide.

By the Grace of the wonderful Creator of this magnificent Universe, I was led to Clearwater Beach this weekend. I cannot begin to express how overwhelmed I was with the majesty of this place. The water and the sky were beckoning all to come, play, rejoice, share and be enriched. I was awed by the warm, crystal clear aquamarine water, the pure white sand and the way the sky just smiled like it knew the view was out of this world.

 

The simple perfection of the ocean and the sea never cease to amaze me. 

The beaches in Florida are spectacular and it is such a delight to compare the Gulf waters with those of the Atlantic. I also visited Indian Rocks Beach on the eastern coast and it has it's own treasures.

 Namely, the beautiful shells abounding and the nearly empty shores.

Also, there is an amazing health food coop a block or two from the beach and they prepared this raw vegan sushi for me to enjoy by the water.

They also put together a box of organic goodies straight from the farmers'. Swiss chard, dandelion leaves, kale and pineapple all in one luscious box.

The mango literally blew my mind and transported me back to the joy of picking them from the trees in Jamaica. Hooray for Happy Healthy Human!

And here in Florida, you not only have the gulf and the ocean, but more lakes than you can name. Lake Eola is right in the middle of downtown Orlando and is brimming with its own beauty.

While lounging by the water, I had the opportunity to read, The Island Beneath the Sea, by Isabel Allende.This book is so brilliant. It's an historical novel that elaborates on the intricacies of the slave trade in a way I have not seen done before. Allende presents all the vicissitudes of man's inhumanity to man and how we fall into this, rise above it and continue to maintain our dignity, spirituality and ability to love. Again, it's the watercourse way.

Soul Mate

I believe in soul mates. Though I imagine we all have several in this lifetime. That one who fulfills our deepest call for love and union is actually a many. Within us is the eternal seed for growth and expansion in Love and we move through life planting this seed everywhere we go. Those out there who are in tune with our offering at any given moment will feel like a soul mate - a safe harbor for our seed, a fertile ground in and through which we can grow our Love. Even more, a soul mate is not outside of us to find. On the contrary, the mate of our soul is an expression of who we are right now in this very moment. We are the incubator for that which will appear before us in the perfect and right time. Rumi says it best,

Your task is not to seek for love,

but merely to seek and find

all the barriers within yourself

that you have built against it.

So, you ask, what can we do right now to be the soul mate that we wish to create? The simple answer is be who you are, your authentic self. The more you can be exactly as you are without pretension or self deprecation, the closer you come to being at one with Soul and hence, it's mate. In order for your soul to find it's home, you must allow it to flourish and shine minus embellishment and falsehood. Once home, your soul quickly flows into oneness with the great Love it came here to express and share. Again Rumi dances with truth in words-

 

The minute I heard the first love story,

I started to look for you

not knowing how blind I was.

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere,

they're in each other all along.

To prepare your mind, body and spirit to fully appreciate and honor your soul mate, who may be your current partner or a future love, you have to clear all the excess that only serves to dim your light. Fancy this, every person whom you meet, everyone whose path you cross is actually your soul mate to some degree. That is why we must do unto every other as we would have done unto us. Our love must go out in every instant, in each interaction, all the time. Think of the wide-eyed wonder, the awe of a newborn. Let this vision guide you as you relate with soul love to each and every one of your fellow beings on this planet we call Earth.

Warm Mineral Springs

Florida is home to a plethora of beautiful bodies of water. Filled with gratitude, I have been taking the time to explore as many of these waterways as I can. I love water and having the opportunity to experience it, warm and under the sun, feels like the ultimate blessing to me. At Warm Mineral Springs Resort, I was able to immerse myself in water that was not only warm and canopied by a sunny blue sky, but also enriched with natural minerals coming from age-old caves, deep beneath the surface. What a wonder this place was.

If you want to experience being in the primordial sea from which we all come, these waters are waiting for you. The temperature is always around 87 degrees and the healing affects can be felt immediately. Due to the mineral content, your body becomes buoyant and you can float and swim with an incomparable ease.

The spa services here are incredible and they use the water from the springs for many of their treatments. Nature is a wonderful resource for health and vitality. The earth is literally spilling forth with beauty, bounty and love. We need only open to receive.

After frolicking in the springs for several hours, I decided to venture to St. Petersburg in search of some organic raw food to feed my enlivened body. I happily found the Leafy Green Cafe!

They serve up some really ingenious raw food dishes here and of course, I was delighted! First, I had the Coconut Curry Soup. So scrumptious!

Then, I enjoyed the Raw Onion Bread and Cashew Hummous sandwich. Unbelievable good!

And for dessert! Chocolate and Vanilla Macaroons. All raw and so delicious! What a treat.

Raw food is not filling at all. It is satisfying, but it doesn't sit in your stomach. Because of all the active enzymes, raw meals are quickly and efficiently digested by your happy system. So, I danced over to Whole Food Market later for an evening snack, Al fresco.

Organic Rainier Cherries!

To top everything off, all the minerals from the springs and vitamins from the food, I was able to bring home a sample of the healing waters to tide me over until my next visit.

 

Cassadaga

Your home can become a sanctuary. The process is simple and effortless. All you need do is find only what you love and fill your space with it. It need not be much, just pure and basic things, but beloved. I had the pleasure of visiting Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp this past weekend and found some really treasured gems to enhance not only my home space but my inner-spirit space, as well. Cassadaga is a spiritual sanctuary where one can receive spiritual guidance and counseling, commune with nature and relish in the heightened vibration of this place that Native American healers named, "water beneath the rocks."

The community harkens back to an earlier time when neighbors were friends and the walkable village was an extension of home. I felt so elated moving about in this little town and the pure simplicity of it all was a balm to my soul.

The gems I discovered and took home were blessed by the spirit of the place and I feel joy as I add them to my sanctuary. This Buddha holding a rose represents such serenity and beauty to me.

As I love blue and I love candle light, this stellar topaz candle spoke volumes to me and so I brought it to sanctify my home as well.

I recently read that most U.S. flowers come from central american countries were pesticides banned here are permitted. These flowers are dipped in and sprayed with so many chemicals, that the workers are suffering from a bevy of diseases and disorders. Hence, I am a happy to have found these organic roses.

And I fell in love with this tiny winged fairy/angel wearing a turquoise dress and an apron full of berries.

Simple things chosen with love can bring so much joy and light into your home. Like water beneath rocks, the essence at the foundation of your possessions holds the true glory.