In the Mornings I go to the beach to pray, meditate, and give thanks. I often time sing songs of praises to the Ocean and Goddess of the Sea Yemaya. I asked for clarity and direction on my next steps. As I shouted out affirmations and prayers I asked for cleansing to wash away any doubts and confusion that I may have. The more convicted I was with my words the closer the waves came. It was that moment I remembered the Earth is alive and will respond when we a address her as a living BEing. I asked for her to come closer to me and she responded by gracing my feet with her salty waters. After I communed with the sea I looked across the street where I was parked and saw a yellow piece of paper. I thought for sure it was a parking ticket. That quickly shifted my mood and something that was a beautiful moment for me turned into negative talk "Damn this sucks" "I Shouldn't have came today" "If I would've went straight to my destination I would've avoided getting a ticket" Let me remind you, that all of this was being said from across the street because of a yellow piece of paper on my windshield. As I walk towards my car what looked like a ticket from a far grew to be something much more. As I grabbed the piece of yellow paper more beauty unfolded. It was a note from someone who watched me during my communion with the sea. The letter said "That was beautiful, Thank You!" I read it and with tears of joy I received these messages: 1. When you are committed to feeding your soul, loving yourself, and give thanks for the the life that you have, You will be rewarded! 2. Integrity is key. Do good when nobody is watching because someone is always watching. 3. Our gifts are meant to be shared and will inspire others. 4. When you do things for yourself, you're doing things for others. 5. Don't assume the worse. Even if something looks bad it might very well be a blessing. 6. Don't allow something that is perceived as negative shift your mood. You have the power to choose Joy in every situation! 7. The universe is alive and communicates with us daily. We just have to be present enough to listen.
The Story of Narcissus
“The alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus. The alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth who knelt daily beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty. He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called the narcissus. But this was not how the author of the book ended the story. He said that when Narcissus died, the goddesses of the forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears. 'Why do you weep?' the goddesses asked. 'I weep for Narcissus," the lake replied. 'Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus,' they said, 'for though we always pursued him in the forest, you alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand.' 'But... was Narcissus beautiful?' the lake asked. 'Who better than you to know that?' the goddesses asked in wonder. 'After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each day to contemplate himself!' The lake was silent for some time. Finally, it said: 'I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected.' 'What a lovely story,' the alchemist thought.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist