The Power of Attention: A Key to Happiness, Healing, and Creativity
On the practice of savoring, miracles and synchronicities, and turning everything over to Love
"Attention is the natural prayer of the soul." - Nicolas Malebranche
Welcome new subscribers! Thank you so much for being here with me. I hope you find tremendous value and inspiration here.
What’s true right now
I am walking hand in hand with my mortality. At the same time, I feel much more positive about the possibility of healing this body, primarily through the power of Mind aligned with Heart and Spirit.
What is a relief is that I feel this positivity without falling into hope. Hope kept me living for the future. Instead, I am right here, right now, feeling the aliveness in me and all around me, knowing the limitlessness of Reality.
I have chosen to embark on an intensive healing regimen for at least eight weeks, likely longer. It’s quite demanding to fit everything I’m supposed to do into my day, and I’m still adjusting to it. It’s also quite costly. So, I’m needing to reach out for support. If you are able and moved to make a donation to help cover the costs, I would be so grateful. Click here for my GoFundMe, where you can donate. If you’ve already given, thank you so much!
I love the way the universe keeps sending me encouraging messages. This week, in an astrology report I subscribe to: “To be practical from now on we must believe in miracles.” —Mark Borax
Many of us were taught that to believe in miracles is impractical or pie-in-the-sky. But that’s all wrong. Miracles are happening daily all around us, and we are so much more powerful than we think. Not the small self, but the true Self, which is magnificent and united with All That Is.
Outrageous Openness
Last week, in my post on Effortless Living, I shared several troubling conundrums that I felt were in the way of my healing. And then, miraculously, I was led—through Substack! (I love Substack)—to just the answers I need. Tosha Silver’s approach is exactly what I’m looking for in my life right now.
From Tosha’s website: “Many New Age philosophies say, ‘You (the small self) need to visualize and focus intensely to manifest your desires.’ But many of us have discovered the exhaustion and limitation of this approach. I sure did. Eventually I learned instead to invite the Universe’s Highest plan. And nothing was ever the same.” And this: “Our culture is so focused on efforting, chasing, and grasping, this is for people ready for another way: let Love lead.” Yes!
I ordered her book, Outrageous Openness, and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. If any of you want to read it along with me, let me know in the comments, and we’ll make a little, easy-going book group. I would love to discuss and practice the principles in the book with others.
Without reading the book yet, I have been finding a way to flow with Life and gently use my goddess-given powers of Mind and Heart to co-create without trying to control. It has to do with attention. Where we place our attention. For instance, is it on the disease, the aches and pains, the dire prognosis, or is it on wellness, vitality, Universal Love flowing through my body?
I loved Amy Oscar’s post on blessing everything, even the hard, unblessable stuff—turning that stuff over to Love to hold and bless. Yes.
I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude. —Brene Brown
Savoring: A Key to Happiness
I continue to practice savoring the small moments. This act of savoring has been studied as a key element to happiness. Savoring is a moment of paying attention and appreciating. It can come at any time—while flossing my teeth, sitting in the grass at the end of the workday, driving the car, or sipping tea. Anything I remember and choose to savor—this moment of aliveness—rather than living on autopilot.
It turns out this practice of attention is vital to creativity. Artists need to pay close attention to their inner and outer worlds to gather vibrant images from which to create. Particularly, we need to capture vivid sensory impressions because we all experience life through our bodies. Being able to make art from these impressions is a key to what moves our audience, what makes art come alive.
Weekly Wonders
The greatest wonders in my life lately are springtime’s incredible beauty and bounty, the simple pleasures of making art, and leading my Artist’s Way class—our deep conversations and the vulnerable sharing and transformations are astonishing, moving, and bring great fulfillment to my days. I’ll be offering a creative writing workshop soon. Stay tuned.
Most days, the highlight of my day is when I’m drawing or painting. The sensual pleasure of art-making, combined with paying close attention, and making something lovely—Georgia O’Keefe stated that her reason for making art was “to fill space in a beautiful way”—brings the best feelings. Even ten minutes of this in my day is a great uplift. And it’s addictive in the best way; I keep wanting to do more of it.
In today’s Wonder Sparks below, I’ll share some prompts to help you savor your life, plus an excellent practice for creative writers (and any artist). I’ll also share my latest poem.