Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 3 Joy Quotes: How Does Practicing JOY Bring Order and Harmony Into Your Life? Also, Joy Contagious Lip-Syncing Cop Viral Video

From Denny:  Now if everyone in politics and every CEO in Big Business would read this, think how much people would quit hating their jobs, their bosses and their politicians!

Joyful X 2 Bathmat

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 3 Joy Quotes: How Does Practicing JOY Bring Order and Harmony Into Your Life? Also, Joy Contagious Lip-Syncing Cop Viral Video: From Denny:  Have you ever noticed that when you are filled with Joy that your whole world is suddenly harmonious and everything just falls into place?  Joy is contagious too.  When you feel good, everyone around you feels good too!

While not everyone is called to enter into the decades long rigorous training to become a mystic for the benefit of humanity, a lot can be learned and practiced in everyday life to better enjoy life's journey.  Practicing Joy is practicing healthy spirituality, regardless of religion or no specific religious preferences at all.

Joy is a central principle for the human spirit.  Joy sustains us through life's sorrows   and disappointments.  Joy acts as a counter balance while climbing out of depression or grief, dealing with past trauma and the ensuing PTSD, keeping us from sinking down further into negative emotions and thoughts.  Joy is important to safeguard not just our mental, emotional and spiritual health but it has a direct positive benefit upon our physical health too.

Adults often develop habits that steer away from Joy.  Babies laugh hundreds of times a day.  How much have you laughed out loud today?  How much have you laughed in the past month?  Do you find your world crumbling around you, feeling out of sorts and grumpy, thinking limiting thoughts, focused upon how little is going your way? ... Read more

Joyful X 2 Padfolio

Inspire: Keep your Joy up and flowing to attract order and harmony into your life all year long!  
Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com - see what's new!  Thank you to those who are supporting this effort.  You rock!  

Proceeds go to Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank (Louisiana) and to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital for all the awesome help they have given to the children of the Gulf Coast.  

Developing this online gift store is one of the ways of how I keep my Joy up, focusing upon creativity that creates proceeds for charities doing great work.

*** Joyful x 2 design found in the Denny Lyon Gifts store @ Cafe Press in these sections:  bedding, stationery and inspiration (plenty of style choices for women, men, baby and kid's t-shirts and hoodies.)

Poems From A Spiritual Heart: Legacy of Love

Cosmic consciousness by h.koppdelaney @ flickr

Poems From A Spiritual Heart: Legacy of Love: From Denny:   ... Mentoring others is important no matter what stage you are living in your life. You can be young or old. You can teach the young, those older, those your same age. Teach what you know and share your life experiences. You never know who you will inspire. And, as you teach, you learn from them too. Never feel what you know is not important enough to share. Never be too proud to receive knowledge from others eager to share what they have just learned or figured out. For today's shared knowledge just might answer tomorrow's problems - for them and for you. Mentoring: it's a fair exchange, don't you think? :)

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 5 Amazing Hope Quotes

Thank You cards @ http://www.cafepress.com/dennylyongifts.757042696

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: 5 Amazing Hope Quotes: From Denny:  Hope.  We all know what it feels like when hope blooms deep inside our hearts.  We all enjoy it when our minds turn to thoughts of hope lifting us up when we need encouragement.

Considering the tragic shooting of 20 little children and their 6 teachers in Connecticut this month right before the Christmas holiday, the economy and job worries of Americans, Hope seems to be in short supply this season.

Here are a few quotes to jump start your Hope again and pull you out of feeling blue or full blown depressed.  Sometimes, Life can get overwhelming.  Good people often wonder if all they do in the world and for the people in it is really worth it because it appears on the outside that little has changed.  That's why it's good to have a few strategies tucked away in your pocket for just those tough times when you need to pull yourself out of a negative spiral and pump yourself back up with some inspiration.

Music: The First Noel By Jackie Evancho

From Denny:  The mature pure talent coming out of this little girl is astonishing.  A beautiful voice matched well with this beautiful traditional Christmas song.  It's as if you are hearing this old standard for the first time.

The second video is her first audition on America's Got Talent where she swept away the judges.  Jackie began singing at age eight when her parents took her to see the Phantom of The Opera.  It inspired her so much she began singing around the house.  At age ten she auditioned on America's Got Talent - and the rest is history.

Take a listen:

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: Mothers Day Quotes: Rose Kennedy

Beautiful Illustrated Quotations: Mothers Day Quotes: Rose Kennedy: "From Denny: When you are looking for inspiration in tough times and wondering how to get through the trials of being a mother, look no further than to Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Her life often played out like an intense soap opera. She experienced the deaths of several of her children before their time, of which two were political assassinations. She lost her first son to war. Her husband cheated on her and yet she remained committed to the marriage.

Rose Kennedy was one tough lady you could not help but admire. She looked at her children as powerhouses that would influence others and change the world. And change the world they did. One even became president: John F. Kennedy.


No matter how dark times looked she looked up to God and kept her faith. She also kept her great sense of humor for she was a very intelligent woman greatly interested in social issues. She believed in a life of public service and remained steadfast in her beliefs and her commitments to others until the day she left this earth."

So How Do You Measure Your Spiritual Progress?

*** A few thoughts about our spiritual journey and how to gauge our progress, especially for empathic people.




From Denny: Once you grow past the baby pablum spiritual food most commonly available in society, you begin to reach out for something more substantial. Then it's on to establishing yourself firmly planted on the intermediate spiritual level. The intermediate level of spiritual growth involves a lot of stopping to measure where you are as well as who you are now as separated as from who you were - or even who you thought you were.

If you are an empathic type like me you know that last part of the statement is a real mind-bender. Society and various cultures expend a lot of energy into demanding people fit their molds even when they don't. Empathic people often get pushed and shoved into categories that are not good fits just because other people are afraid of the indefinable. People even try to bully us into remaining if they were successful enough at trapping us there for a while.

That's the thing about Spirit, and the coordinating empaths, for as a pairing we are indefinable because Spirit is everywhere and everything. An empath is someone who is keenly aware of Spirit and the ebb and flow of the spiritual realm. That can be a real challenge for other people not so inclined or sensitive to Spirit. Then their fears and rejections often become a challenge for empathic people.

Empathic people tend not to hold onto ego issues as strongly as others. That is not to say developing empaths do not require dealing with their egos in relation to effectively following Spirit. It's just part of the growth process for everyone. It's a challenge to learn to pair our egos with Spirit, to learn to flow effortlessly with the moment and truly fear nothing. It takes time and training.

No matter who you are, where you have been in life, or where you are headed, it's always a helpful idea to take a measure of how your ego is doing on the spiritual journey. The more you gain your Life balance the more your ego is getting comfortable with Spirit and the world and is choosing to get in sync. Your ego is choosing to trust Spirit for - and about - everything.

When your ego is calming down you will find that Life is no longer like some fire drill, where everything is a big drama and has to be addressed immediately and with great flair. While emergency situations will always exist, and certainly require immediate action, you will do so with far more calm and deliberation. Your ego will have learned to act rather than react. Acting with methodical, calm deliberation rather than reacting with fear, chaotic action and emotions bouncing off the walls in all directions.

The spiritual journey we are walking is to retrain our egos. Our egos were trained by our immediate family culture, our religion and our country's culture. What Spirit does over a long period of time is retrain us to once again get in synchronicity with Spirit. It is so we can gain our balance and better understand how to flow through this life. In the end, toward maturity, our egos finally merge back into harmony with Spirit. And that's when Life gets really interesting...



Quotes

Kabbalah quotes (Jewish mysticism)


* The worst manifestation of egoism is arrogance and conceit. - Talmud

* Faith cannot manifest itself in a person without being accompanied by fear, for egoism bows only to fear. - Talmud, Shabbat

* An individual need not despair when, as he studies and works on improving himself in an effort to attain spiritual elevation, he comes to see himself as being in an even worse condition than prior to studying Kabbalah. The true nature of egoism is revealed to a person whose level is higher than that of others, and for this reason a person becomes worse in his own eyes, even though he has actually become better. - Talmud, Megillah

* The most important aspect of a person is his aspirations, rather than his achievements, because it is egoism that requires achievements. - Talmud, Yavamot; Talmud, Sota


Funny ego quotes from Oscar Wilde:

One of the world's best social commentators, that involved the struggle of the ego in the world - was playwright Oscar Wilde. It certainly is an amusing way for the ego to realize to lighten up and get serious about the business of developing into a partnership with our Spirit:

* Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. - Oscar Wilde

* Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much. - Oscar Wilde


*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!

*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:

The Social Poets
The Soul Calendar
Visual Insights
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations
Poems From A Spiritual Heart
The Healing Waters
Dennys Funny Quotes
Dennys Food and Recipes

How Does Tenacity Figure in Your Life?

*** Consider tenacity to help propel you through tough times.





From Denny: It can be easy to get discouraged in the face of severe adversity. Right now on the Gulf Coast we are facing what may turn out to be generations of adversity. The people here are a hardy bunch and will persevere. The one thing they share is a strong work ethic and a spiritual tenacity to push through difficult times.

This photo of the small child trying to climb that fence at the ocean reminds us of when we were small children. The memories of being so small in an adult world and the obstacles we had to overcome like climbing, sliding, crawling, bumping down stairs too high to conquer any other way. Now that was tenacity in motion every day until we grew stronger and larger, moving on to tougher life obstacles.

Tenacity is often overlooked by philosophers while they are constructing an eloquent argument or elegant vision. Tenacity is that strong drive that often can take our dreams and hopes and propel them into the future vision we have for our lives.

The following quote is from a former president certainly not well liked by history. It was this Republican former governor of Massachusetts who promoted the idea of small government after the scandals of his predecessor President Harding. Harding died suddenly and propelled VP Coolidge into the presidency in 1923. He won the presidency on his own in 1924.

He didn't believe government should invest in large government programs or regulate and have a hand in controlling the economy. Read that as an unrestrained and unregulated free market of greed and corruption. This attitude may have contributed to the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression. The man was a lawyer, not an economist.

He was known as "Silent Cal" since he was a man of few words and uncomfortable in Washington society. It was Alice Roosevelt Longworth who was quoted as saying, "He looks as if he'd been weaned on a pickle."

Coolridge was a quiet guy playing opposite his vivacious wife Grace. He always considered that being president was important and his words brought great weight. "The words of a President have an enormous weight and ought not to be used indiscriminately."

People wrote him off as one stiff guy so he decided to cultivate it. Hey, when you know you can't be a superstar then work with what you think you have. "I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President," he once told Ethel Barrymore, "and I think I will go along with them." In spite of his quiet status, as president he held a stunning record number of press conferences: 520.

One funny story about Coolidge in one of his uncomfortable social situations where he was often the butt of jokes: He was seated next to Dorothy Parker who leaned over to him and said, "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you." His famous reply? "You lose."

It seems that those who gravitate to the Republican agenda often do not possess the best people skills - and weak social skills as they are usually uncompromising. Many do not subscribe to education to improve their attitude toward others. Many are very rigid emotionally and mentally, even fearful of change and lacking a good sense of humor.

The one thing these people rely upon, often too much and out of balance, is tenacity. Tenacity is great when tempered with sensitivity, education and a willingness to be open to others. Tenacity is a great team mate, and, if used well in combination with other attributes can help propel us through difficult situations. Coolidge used his tenacity to survive uncomfortable social situations as he was an introvert by nature.

One good thing about his presidency is that in the 1920's he actually promoted civil rights for African-Americans and Catholics. This was especially important as the Ku Klux Klan had a large following nationally at this time with over four million members. Under his administration, he did not appoint any known KKK members and the Klan lost influence rapidly. It was amazing the man was not assassinated by the millions of racists in the country at the time who howled at his promotion of non-Protestants and other races. Even today, America is over 50 percent Protestant to 25 percent Catholic.

Coolidge was controversial when he granted full American citizenship to Native Americans in 1924. He allowed them to retain tribal lands and full cultural rights. Not exactly the Republican Party of today that is homophobic and excessively racist and gender biased about equal work should get equal pay.

You can analyze presidents and presidencies for years, finding the good, the bad and the ugly. This man had his good moments and his bad just like everyone else. Perhaps he did not fully realize the impact decades later his economic policies would have on generations of Americans.

What we can learn from him is his focus upon tenacity to help win the day, acting as a mighty force to solve problems. The spirit of tenacity has a way about it that gives us courage to move through difficult situations to achieve our goals.


Quote

* Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. - President Calvin Coolidge



*** Photo by Victor Bezrukov @ flickr


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How Are Hopes, Dreams and Reality Related?

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*** The pressure of Life tests can act like an alarm clock awakening us to act.





From Denny: Sometimes, we can feel like Life is raining on our parade. The goal is to keep looking ahead for the light to guide us - or in funnier terms, "Look for the exit sign!" - especially when you are in a tough life test that feels like you are trapped in a maze. Life puts pressures on us all. It's that uncomfortable pressure that gives voice to the fact we need to move on from where we are because we are not growing. Those pressures act like a loud alarm clock to startle us fully awake to act.

The beauty of this quote is that it addresses being fully conscious, fully present, fully awake. These are the hallmarks of having achieved a deeper level of spiritual development: when you are aware every moment. The entire process of true spiritual development is our everyday conscious mind merging gracefully with our eternal spiritual mind, working in harmony each day.

Hope is a friend. Hope is a vehicle to take us to that greater state of development. Hope delivers us from only a dream into a beautiful reality worth staying awake to enjoy.


Quote

* For Hope is but the dream of those that wake. - Matthew Prior


*** See Also: Hope Transforms poem - Libations Friday 11 June 2010 - A poem about how Hope works to transform our lives.

*** See Also: Where Does Hope Guide Us On Our Life Path?

*** See Also: Hope: Unborn Baby Grabs onto Doctors Hand in Surgery

*** See Also: Does Hope Touch Your Soul?


Photo by Attila1000 @ flickr


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Step Out into the Unknown with Ease

Dr. Martin Luther King quote.
From Denny: This photo and quote reminds me of the ancient mystery schools where the spiritual path was taught over decades. Students did not expect to learn spiritual principles in a few months of study. Students did not expect to interact with spiritual energy on the highest levels within a few years. Students did not expect to wield spiritual power until their egos were well disciplined, honed into perfect obedience to Spirit.

A true student of the spiritual path accepts early on that Life is truly a journey. This journey involves the unexpected and the unplanned. Life is not always as orderly as our emotions and left brain sense of the world would prefer. :)

In order to maintain our balance - or regain it quickly - it's important to root ourselves in the present - the Now - and not focus upon even what happened a few moments ago or what might happen in our future.

What was it Einstein taught? When we focus upon those subatomic particles they actually move in relation to our thoughts and expectations. That observation from a mathematician and physicist should make us aware of how much our expectations affect our daily lives.

It's those expectations and emotions that get in the way of being able to see clearly down our path. Leave them on the side of the road and your journey becomes more joyful as you glide from one moment to the next with ease.

Read what Dr. Martin Luther King had to say on the subject of courage and faith.




Photo of lighthouse stairs by eschipul @ flickr

Quote

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!