"There are days that define your story beyond your life." -Arrival (the motion picture)

How can we discover and live our greater story? How can we live into the fullness of our true selves? I invite you to read more...

“There are days that define your story beyond your life.”

Louise Banks, “Arrival”

Have you ever had one of those days--a day that seems to crack you open to bigger possibilities and deeper realities regarding who you are and why you are here? Perhaps you’ve had an inkling about these wider, denser truths...maybe they have been like a promise hanging just beyond your reach. Then, something happens and your story begins to crystallize before the eyes of your heart, like a water droplet transforming into a beautiful, patterned ice crystal, illuminated by the light of the sun.

I recently had one of those days--actually a series of days, seemingly combined into one. Away from my familiar surroundings, I wandered over northern nature trails, soft with fallen pine needles. The scent of evergreen began to awaken something in me. The far-reaching pine trees were my guardians. I imagined their roots plunging deep into Mother Earth. I peered up at their great height. They seemed to be saying, “We love you. You are safe. And you, like us precious one, are a bridge between heaven and earth.”

I had come to Portland for a spiritual retreat. At this gathering I found a wonderful, safe holding environment of other men and women like myself, seeking the Divine, and longing for the So Much More. I felt held and connected. The teacher’s words struck a deep chord of truth inside of me, “You are the beloved.”

And then there were the soul friends….the divine appointments, the fellow human beings that I kept “accidentally” running into. There was laughter shared, an easy flow of conversation, and a powerful felt-sense that divinely designed, crucial exchanges were needing to happen. We understood. With tenderness we gently touched places in one another’s hearts that needed to open and ignite. For me, the embers of creativity were fanned into flame.

"A veil seemed to be lifted and clarity broke through like the bright sun emerging after a dark storm.”

As these events unfolded, I felt that I was in a living sculpture triptych….I was living (alive) art. The Divine Creator Artist had Her/His hands upon me--forming, taking away, and forming again. I was a piece of clay surrendered to the Divine Creator’s touch, being revealed and coming to life in a new way.

Layers of fear, smallness, hiding and insecurity fell away. Wonder, joy and passion filled my newly expanded self to the edges of what I could hold. A veil seemed to be lifted and clarity broke through like the bright sun emerging after a dark storm. A realization came to me that I am a generative and magnificent force called to create beauty and purposed to usher myself and others into union with the Divine ….

Thank you Divine Creator for this living triptych.

Thank you for cracking my heart wide open.

Thank you for allowing me to see

my story

beyond my life.

Each of us, whether we know it yet, or not, is a beautiful work of art--an exquisite masterpiece. There is a bigger story, beyond what we are living in the day-to-day. Part of our journey here on earth is to uncover and step into our greater story. And part of our purpose is to see, claim and live into the masterpiece that we are. If you sit in stillness for a moment and take in this thought....what do you notice? You might feel something gently, or forcefully resonating at the deeper level of your intuition. Yet, the question may arise, “HOW? Even if I want to uncover and live into my greater story/self, how can I do this?

If you are desiring and asking, “How?” you are already on the journey. Tuning into our desire and longing for More is a huge part of getting there. I truly believe that what you want, wants you. So the more you can be aware of your desire and create internal space for it, the more you keep it alive, and the Divine sees and honors the desires of your heart. Sometimes we human beings wait for a crisis to “crack us open,” and push us into growth and greater possibilities. Yet, connecting with our longing and allowing it to pull us can be a gentle and rewarding way to step into our “So Much More.”

Some questions to contemplate, as you commit to keeping your longing for More alive are: What relationships, books, movies, art, environments/settings inspire me and keep me connected to my longing for greater intimacy with God and my soul/true self? Can I create more space in my life for these things? Can I (and will I) settle myself regularly through my own unique practice (meditation, regular walks in nature, yoga, journaling, etc…)? We tend to have more transcendent experiences and “ah-ha” moments when our nervous systems are settled and we are not wrapped up in business and constant doing and over-thinking.

Setting a clear intention can also, over time, be a powerful way to open more to the Divine guidance and intervention you are longing for. Write your intention down and acknowledge it on a daily basis. Some examples:

I receive clear inner guidance and express it in the world with heartfelt love.

I see and feel myself as spacious, loving and compassionate--I am joyful radiance--True Nature incarnate.

I peacefully flow with the river of Life. I am guided and grateful.

And then, after you have set your intention, try to stay watchful and wakeful for the story beyond your life to unfold!

May you find great joy in the journey,

Mari