"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."
The Serenity Prayer. I have been drawn to this simple prayer for many years... long before I had the spiritual awareness I have now. It was one of my early insights into a "higher power" beyond religion. All I knew was that it made me feel better to read it... and to say it out loud. It took weight off my shoulders and helped me to lean into Spirit as I understood it. I sometimes have a tendency to take on too much responsibility, for lack of a better word... like any outcome is all up to me. There seems to be a fine line between "doing what is mine to do" (which has more to do with purpose) and over-doing. And I know I am in this place when I start to feel pressure... anxiety... worry... resentment.
I have this really great book by Judith Orloff that I like to check in with from time to time called "The Ecstasy of Surrender". A "surrender bible", really. :-) Letting go... surrendering... is a life-long process. The word "surrender" can be unsettling because it implies that we just sit there doing nothing... letting everything just be... not making things happen. But it's really about recognizing and accepting Spirit's part in things... just like the Serenity Prayer says. It's about dancing and co-creating with Spirit.
Judith Orloff says in her book: "I'm tenacious in pursuing my goals, but I don't want to clog the flow of success by micromanaging or inserting my will into places where grace belongs. I feel successful when goals are progressing or at least when I know I've given them my all"... "For grace to enter your life, you must make room for forces beyond your control". Yep. The Serenity Prayer.
It's not that the work doesn't get done (because I am a firm believer in "chop wood and carry water"), it's that worry and anxiety don't get to take control. It's about trusting in Divinity. That is the serenity part of surrender.
Just this week I had my "official" CD release concert/party. What a wonderful and successful event it turned out to be! We spent weeks preparing... securing the venue, hiring the musicians, arranging sound needs, promoting, rehearsing, etc. My mantra became "Please get me out of my own way!" I had to curb stress and worry on more than one occasion, for sure. I did this by remembering Spirit's part in it and envisioning being up on the stage, revealing my heart and the music in my soul, and sharing it all with the beautiful people who chose to be there. It calmed me to remember this intention... what the "to do's" were all about.
I knew the event was successful when I received feedback like: "the performance tonight helped to lift me out of a depression" ... "My cheeks hurt from smiling so much" ... "I found myself tearing up all night... so moving". Yes, the house was full and everything went off without a hitch, but the real success was in how I and everyone in attendance experienced the evening... with love, joy, excitement, tenderness, and surrender to the moment.
I ended the evening with the ballad version of my song "It's Enough"... my own Serenity Prayer. If I do one thing in this life, I hope it's to be a spark of remembering. Essence made manifest.
Happy New Year, my friends... let's make it a good one! (or rather... let's surrender and allow the goodness to be revealed!). Namaste! <3
The Serenity Prayer. I have been drawn to this simple prayer for many years... long before I had the spiritual awareness I have now. It was one of my early insights into a "higher power" beyond religion. All I knew was that it made me feel better to read it... and to say it out loud. It took weight off my shoulders and helped me to lean into Spirit as I understood it. I sometimes have a tendency to take on too much responsibility, for lack of a better word... like any outcome is all up to me. There seems to be a fine line between "doing what is mine to do" (which has more to do with purpose) and over-doing. And I know I am in this place when I start to feel pressure... anxiety... worry... resentment.
I have this really great book by Judith Orloff that I like to check in with from time to time called "The Ecstasy of Surrender". A "surrender bible", really. :-) Letting go... surrendering... is a life-long process. The word "surrender" can be unsettling because it implies that we just sit there doing nothing... letting everything just be... not making things happen. But it's really about recognizing and accepting Spirit's part in things... just like the Serenity Prayer says. It's about dancing and co-creating with Spirit.
Judith Orloff says in her book: "I'm tenacious in pursuing my goals, but I don't want to clog the flow of success by micromanaging or inserting my will into places where grace belongs. I feel successful when goals are progressing or at least when I know I've given them my all"... "For grace to enter your life, you must make room for forces beyond your control". Yep. The Serenity Prayer.
It's not that the work doesn't get done (because I am a firm believer in "chop wood and carry water"), it's that worry and anxiety don't get to take control. It's about trusting in Divinity. That is the serenity part of surrender.
Just this week I had my "official" CD release concert/party. What a wonderful and successful event it turned out to be! We spent weeks preparing... securing the venue, hiring the musicians, arranging sound needs, promoting, rehearsing, etc. My mantra became "Please get me out of my own way!" I had to curb stress and worry on more than one occasion, for sure. I did this by remembering Spirit's part in it and envisioning being up on the stage, revealing my heart and the music in my soul, and sharing it all with the beautiful people who chose to be there. It calmed me to remember this intention... what the "to do's" were all about.
I knew the event was successful when I received feedback like: "the performance tonight helped to lift me out of a depression" ... "My cheeks hurt from smiling so much" ... "I found myself tearing up all night... so moving". Yes, the house was full and everything went off without a hitch, but the real success was in how I and everyone in attendance experienced the evening... with love, joy, excitement, tenderness, and surrender to the moment.
I ended the evening with the ballad version of my song "It's Enough"... my own Serenity Prayer. If I do one thing in this life, I hope it's to be a spark of remembering. Essence made manifest.
Happy New Year, my friends... let's make it a good one! (or rather... let's surrender and allow the goodness to be revealed!). Namaste! <3
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