Spiritual Art Blog - *Ed P

Inspirational Freedom Quotes

“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Nelson Mandela

“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.” 
Mark Twain 

“Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward.”
Patricia Sampson

“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labour in freedom.” 
Albert Einstein 

Reflections

Here is a person reflecting on their situation. Their thoughts are balanced between the dark and the light, night and day, good and bad. Click the image to see a larger version.

Friendship

Thought for the Week

One of the true treasures of life is friendship. There are many types and levels of friendship which we experience as we go through life. Some friends stay with us throughout our life, some are with us for a short but significant time and some float in and out of our lives at different stages. Our friends help to bring the flow of love into our lives. They can inspire, motivate and educate us. Friendships can be our link to love.

With our friends we can do a number of things like:
support each other, 
have fun together, 
play games, 
achieve goals, 
give guidance, 
listen to each other, 
talk together, 
explore things, 
defend each other, 
be with each other,
love each other.

Sometimes just being near a friend is enough to lift your spirits. Being near them brings a sense of joy and contentment. These feelings are different for each of our friends. No two are exactly the same. 

Old friends in a new life
Have you ever met someone for the first time but you felt like you knew them already? Have you experienced ‘love at first sight’ where you fall for a person the first time you see them? What is going on here? If you look at life as a once of experience, falling for a complete stranger doesn’t make sense. If you consider the possibility of past lives then ‘love at first sight’ begins to make sense. If you knew and loved the person in another lifetime, it is perfectly natural to continue to have the same feelings for the same Soul when you meet them again in this life. This understanding can give us insights and help explain a lot of our friendships. 

Animals
Some people have great communications with their pets and animals. These animal friends could be a pet dog or cat or even a farmer’s heard of cows. A pet can very quickly become part of a family. It has its own space and personality and its various relationships with each family member. The love between animal and human is similar to that between human and human. Love comes from the same source, it is up to us to let it flow to those Souls around us. Very often the animal is there to teach us how to give love, so that we can open our hearts and let love flow a little more. 

Plants
This may seem strange to some people but plants do seem to respond to affection from their minders. I have a lemon scented geranium (I have no idea of the proper name for it). I got it a few months ago as a single shoot of about 15 cm (6”) high. Now it is about 45 cm (18”) high and about 30 cm (12”) wide. I talk to it a few times a week and brush its leaves to release its lemon sent. It sits beside my computer screen. It is a friend to me when I’m on my own in the office.

I have friends who have similar stories. One friend challenges his plants by saying “You’re a beautiful plant. You grow so well. Do you think you could reach up to here?” The plant keeps growing to reach the height of the challenge, which is beyond its normal range for its species. Plants are Soul too.

Link to Heaven
One of the things these different friendships bring is the joy of love into our hearts and lives, be they friends, family, pets or plants. Our friends are our link to love. This love links Souls together. These friendships create the flow of love through us and to us. Friendships can be our link to heaven.

*Ed Parkinson

Inspirational Quotes

“Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

“All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon sand.”
Ella Wheeler Wilcox,

“To the soul, there is hardly anything more healing than friendship.”
Thomas Moore

“Friendship make prosperity more shining and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it.”
Cicero

God’s Gardens

God’s Gardens is just finished. I have to do a printout and then make any adjustments necessary, after that, it’s done. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The story of God's Gardens

Thought for the Week
You can look at this piece of art from two different angles. Like life, there are two sides to it, the physical angel which is obvious to our physical senses and the spiritual angle, which we can discover with a little observation.

The Physical Angle
From the physical angle this is a nice picture of interesting gardens. There are a variety of areas to explore with pretty flowers and streams. The streams flow into the garden to provide water for plants and trees. 

Working from the bottom up, there are some old buildings and a grave yard behind which are some steps leading up to the next level. On this level there is a file blazing to one side, but there is also a stream with fresh water to help bring it under control. On the next level above this, there are lots of areas to explore. Some may even bring us down memory lane and remind us of pleasant times spent in other gardens in the past. 

There is even an amphitheatre here and using the steps of it we can make our way to the next level. There are other steps too, one set has a golden book in front of it, which the visitor can leaf through and examine. When we get to the next level we find a mill with its waterwheel working. Nearby is a maze, which we have to find our way through, if we want to get to the other side. There are also some bridges over the streams and an interesting cross shape entrance into the side of the hill. The next level has wide open areas with a pond and a waterfall. In the distance there are steps leading up to a large temple. Beyond that there is a mountain range and a huge area to explore.

The Spiritual Angle
From the spiritual angle this art reveals the different elements within ourselves, which we explore and discover as we go through our lives. There are streams of spirit flowing into our garden to nourish and keep us alive. 

Starting on the lowest level, the graveyard is seen by some as the only way to move on from this world. That is, we have to die before we can move up the steps into the next level.

Emotional Fire
On the next level we can see where our uncontrolled emotions have caused a fire and will destroy part of our garden if left to burn. However there is plenty of spiritual water, which flows from the higher and more spiritual parts of ourselves, to help calm this fire. 

As we move up we can gain new insights into old situations, especially if we can see them from a higher viewpoint. These insights can lead us to thinking about things in a different manner. With our new thinking we discover new ways to make progress on our path.

Our Ego’s Theatre
The amphitheatre is the place where we put ourselves in centre stage. We are the main act, the star of the show, the hero of the day. This is where our ego would like us to be all the time but if we look at the audience, there is often only one person there and that person is us. If we spend our time here, for too long, we miss the rest of the gardens, we forget there is a world outside the walls of our ego’s theatre.

Wisdom
The study of holy books and wisdom, can help us progress in our pursuit of questions about our higher, inner worlds. We need to be careful with the mind, as it can lead us to a place of anguish with its presentation of only logical solutions to situations. From the mental level there only seems to be a logical way of dealing with things. We have to work our way through a maze of logic to reach our mental goal. 

The next level, in the garden of our being, is more subtle and open. It is a garden of quiet messages, hints and intuitions. From here we can take steps to move into the temple of our true selves, Soul. In this temple we can gain wisdom into the gardens of our lives and our path through them. From this temple, Soul, we can explore the mountains of God which lie beyond our simple garden of life.

Like Adam and Eve
So now we’ve had our tour of God’s Gardens. At this point, we are like Adam and Eve, having taken a bite of the apple of awareness, we realise there is more to explore than just our own little garden. As we go through life there are points where we discover something new about ourselves or we come to a new realisation, these are the points where we move into a new part of Gods Gardens. 

While we may in be different places in God’s Gardens, we are still surrounded by flowers and beauty. Let’s try and keep these blessings in mind as we make our way through life. 

*Ed Parkinson

News

Exhibitions over the June Weekend
I’ll be exhibiting my work at these two shows over the June weekend.
Sunday 31st May
Ballinasloe Holistic & Psychic Fair, Carlton Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe Co. Galway.
Monday 1st June
Holistic, Psychic & Fortune Telling Fairs, The Springfield Hotel, Leixlip, Co Kildare

Both shows are open from 11 am until 6 pm. Hope to see you over the weekend.

Inspirational Quotes

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon-instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.”
 Dale Carnegie 

“To love is the great amulet that makes this world a garden”
 Robert Louis Stevenson

“The kiss of sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's Heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth”

 Dorothy Frances Gurney

“To cultivate a garden is to walk with God”
 Christian Nevell Bovee 

God’s Gardens

I’m still working on God’s Gardens and the details. This week I installed lights in the temple, grew a hedge maze, built an amphitheatre and planted some flowers…

Make a Happy List

Thought for the Week

Lets see what we can do to counteract the recession and the associated depression we experience because of the constant reminders of it in the media. How can we find some happiness? Lets make a Happy List of the things that add even a little happiness to our lives. There are lots of sources of happiness around us including; people, our work, our surroundings, things we do and things others do.

People That Make You Smile
People- our friends, loved ones, family, work mates, team mates, neighbours, helpers, carers, and anyone who brings a smile to our faces. As we think of these people they will bring warmth to our hearts.

There are a number of such people in my life. One is a woman who looks after a retail business. She always has a smile for everyone she meets. Her joy of life is infectious, it is always nice to be around her. Another woman who works in a bank where I sometimes go, adds a bit of joy to my life. She really isn’t a friend, as I only see her in the bank, but she is so friendly that I’d be happy to meet her at any social occasion. She always greets people with a smile and by their name. She will often go out of her way to help a customer and has a knack of getting things done efficiently. How many people can you think of that make you smile?

A Sense of Achievement
A sense of achievement can boost our level of confidence and self worth and along with that our happiness. What things have we completed recently which gave us the satisfaction of a job well done. For some people it can be getting out of bed, for others it can be the completion of a project, big or small. This sense of achievement is also present in seeing our family or friends make a significant step in their lives. For example, when a friend passes an exam, graduates, moves ahead in their career, sport or past time. 

The Secret Joy of Service
Being of service to people is also an area of potential happiness. We sometimes get compliments from the customer, client or boss, we have done a job for. More often it is one of our secret joys within ourselves. Knowing that the job we have done, is exactly right for those who required it. Another secret joy can be helping someone as we go through life. This could be helping an older person in a shop or on the street. It can also happen through replacing a fallen product on to a shelf, doing a good deed or some charity work.

The Beauty Surrounding Us
Other joys in our lives can come from our surroundings. The perfume from flowers in a garden or from a tree as we pass, can add a hint of sweetness to the moment. The beauty of a scene in the country or city, can enlighten our outlook. The way the light shines through buildings, trees or plants, can brighten us. The way water reflects the light and flows on in its journey, can add a sparkle to our day. The songs of birds and animals can lift our hearts. 

Inner Peace and Joy
Another source of joy can be found during contemplation or meditation, where we discover a hidden truth or gain a new insight into some aspect of our life. We can also achieve an inner sense of peace and joy while we reconnect with our true selves, Soul, in contemplation. Our imagination can also bring us to places of beauty and peace. All we have to do is a little bit of daydreaming. Any spiritual or religious connection we have with life is usually a source of peace for us.

Entertainment
There is happiness to be had from the work of others in the form of entertainment. Some of us get great joy from books, movies, television, games, sport, concerts, theatre, poetry, art, etc. Songs from the radio, TV, internet and music players can bring sweet memories or open us to new hope. Art can reveal new visions or stir the imagination to explore new areas of thought. Good books and movies with a positive message can inspire and motivate us make a step in a new direction in our pursuit of happiness.

Happy List
Now we have a recession beating Happy List. Here are our main sources:
People who make us smile
A sense of achievement
The secret joy of service
The Beauty Surrounding us
Inner peace and joy through contemplation and imagination
Entertainment

What can you add to this list? Click on ‘Comments’ below and give us your ideas.

Make your list and be happy now.

Ed Parkinson

Inspirational Quotes

“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living!”
 Amanda Bradley

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” 
Helen Keller 

“Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us.”
Henri Matisse

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date.”
Dale Carnegie

God’s Gardens

The overall picture hasn’t changed that much since last week, as I’ve been concentrating on the details. Below are a few details from around God’s Gardens.

Be here, not there

Thought for the week
One of the tricks of living a happy life is to be here, not there. That is, to live in the moment here and now, not in the future or the past, where we are concerned about what did or didn’t, could or couldn’t, happen.

We can sometimes get ourselves into a mess by worrying about what may happen in the future or regret something that did or didn’t happen in the past. When we arrive at the time in the future, which we were worried about, it is often not as we thought it would be or it is completely changed. So what were we so worried about?

I was recently talking with a friend and who was telling me about how her husband, who works for himself, has only got enough work to keep him going for a few weeks. Then in a moment of clarity, she said "Well at the moment we have all we need, we're healthy, have food and a house, we'll deal with the future when we get there”. It is always good to talk to her, she is a happy and bright Soul, and with an attitude like that, it is no wonder.

The Worry Habit

Worry can become a habit and will take a bit of work to get it out of our system. We need to watch our thoughts and how we talk to ourselves. If we keep the words and sentences we use positive, we can begin to move out of the worry trap. If we can just focus on what we are doing now and deal with the other stuff when we get there, we’ll begin to gain a little more peace and happiness.

This blog could become a worry to me, if I were to be concerned about next week or next month. I have no idea what I'm going to write about, I let Spirit lead me to a subject and with a little work, the blog appears every week. If I was to worry about the topic for next week, now at this time, this article wouldn't be so good or should I say it could be a lot worse.

Living in the moment

By living in the present moment we get the most out of our life, now. We can focus on where we are, who we are with and why we are here. In this moment we can receive guidance about where to go next, how to get there and the steps necessary. As we travel along this journey we become aware of things around us and how they affect our life. We adjust them and our direction of get the most out of our life now.

If we can be here now and not there, we are living in the moment. We can then get to the point where we are constantly living in the moment and our life becomes one long moment, one long now. It gives us a lot of peace as we become content with where we are now. We no longer strive for something in the future or worry about the past. We realise that if we aim for a goal in the future, we may indeed achieve it but we are open to changing our goal or how we get there as we proceed along the journey to it. We also realise that unresolved events and items from the past will present themselves at some stage where we can resolve them and correct our error. 

Using our imagination

We are not limited to our physical world by being here and now. As mentioned in last weeks post, Life is real when we are here, dreams are real when we are there, it depends on where we have our attention or focus. If we are contemplating on somewhere else, then that is where we are, as far as our attention is concerned. This can be a great way of achieving some degree of happiness in a tough life. Using our imagination we can travel to other places, visit people, explore different realms, and have experiences there. Depending on how deeply we participate in the event, of our contemplation, our reality can move to that point, so that our complete focus is on the object we are contemplating and our physical is disregarded. When we return, we bring the experience and the feelings back with us. If we note them in a journal they can become useful and informative for our physical life.

Our time is now, so don’t spend your time there, spend it here, wherever ‘here’ is for you. Be here, not there.

*Ed Parkinson

Inspirational Quotes

“Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.”
 Henry Miller

“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.”
 Voltaire

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
 Oprah Winfrey