Appendix Thirteen

Here is a little about (me) grace

Here is a little bit about (me) grace and it’s about You too! Whoever you are, it’s about the miraculous world we live in and beings we are, the capacities inside all of us, no exceptions, no one left out; the choices and possibilities, available to each and every one of us, in every moment. We are All capable, able and powerful, with the ability to choose, change and create A World That Works for Everyone… 

i am drawn to light, to the miracle we live in, and the beauty in the hearts of all beings be they human or squirrel, the rhythm of the ocean, and the quiet light of the moon and the whisper of nature’s vast majesty. 

The squirrel i call chatters, she lives in the pine forest near my home in Maine.  I love walking in a nearby field. In the summer it is filled with wildflowers that glisten in the morning dew.

I journey through the field by the ocean at dawn and dusk to greet the sun’s first and last light.

I photograph at night too, traversing forest, soft moss, leaves splashed with the evening mist, wind whispering in the trees, the whole universe above, to my favorite spot at the edge of the ocean cove in the backyard, it’s one of my favorite places to listen to my heart. When i am not out walking or photographing you will find me listening to my heart for what’s next in creating change for all of our family who call earth home. It really feels like the world and the hearts of all beings in it have come to a place in time when for true change to occur, we must take a new route, one we have never collectively taken before, if we are to continue to have a home, for our and future generations, that is truly nurturing for the well-being of all life and all people. I’ve decided to spend my life, finding out where the possibility of change will take the collective us. I hope you will join us, in creating that change for All of us…

A World That Works for Everyone!

The Long Version…

Here is a face to put with the text.

I’ve decided to write a very different sort of introduction, one that stems from a more open and vulnerable space, that many of us have put a lot of effort into avoiding most of our lives. I see a lot of smiling faces with tears under it all. I see people in positions of all sorts, with a stiffness about them, as if they are cramped by the “shoulds” and ”should nots,” of many internalized voices and points of view they bought into, consciously or unconsciously, self-purchased restrictions on their hearts and souls;  under it all, the long ago buried freedoms they were born with. I see it everywhere, from schools to governments to the person you pass by on the street. When i see people delight in the face of a child, perhaps remembering who they once freely lived as before the “shoulds, ought-tos and musts” sometimes a longing comes across their face, a wish for the inner freedoms of a small child, or a softness, a light in their eyes, perhaps some part of them knows, small children do not judge.

It’s the same look i see often cross people’s faces when they see a baby animal.

 I feel it’s very important, for us to drop our “public” and self-assigned properness, discover who we truly are without the weight of such inner burdens and choose a loving space of more openness and vulnerability at least with ourselves.

And hopefully as we step out more into the world from the space of our hearts and souls, a willingness to be seen by others as well.

 A willingness to allow others to respond as they will, from a space of loving kindness, or judgment, knowing that their responses are about them, never about us, gifts us with a lot of inner freedom, to see people as they are at that moment; not their words, or emotions, but a bit deeper, where they are, no matter how much “stuff” they’re buried under, knowing all we can choose is how we are going to be today with others, ourselves, and this incredible planet on which we live.

 So, in the spirit of presence, loving-kindness, and some vulnerability of my own.  Here we go:

i’m grace m. smith, a Photographer; Access Miracle, A World That Works for Everyone; Creative Director of The Boothby Institute.  On The Council, A World That Works for Everyone. A Convener of What Every Person Can Do. Creator of Heart of the Moon© (Xīng-Yuè Nèi-Xīn©) Consciousness Practices (星月内心 意识训练©) for Optimal well-being; and am the Program Designer for A World That Works for Everyone.

And none of that likely gives you any feeling about the essence of who i am, so let me share a bit more with you. I began consciousness practices when i was about 4 or 5 years old without the guidance or suggestions of anyone. It was very much my choice, and in addition to the natural flow of experiences that often arose on their own that i learned from, i made up all my own practices. For as long as i can remember, i have been aware of and sensitive to the miracle in which we live, to spirit, to energy, the voice of my own heart, of my soul, of water, of every cell of my body, of nature, of the heart and soul of the world, of the presence of the vastness of the universe everywhere in every atom of everything; and of The Hearts and Souls of All Beings.

I was an un-schooler, i was gifted the freedom to choose my educational topics of study. In addition to the usual topics, i chose the traditional Chinese Internal martial art of Taijiquan, i began with Yang style but my heart fell in love with Chen Taijiquan and i haven’t looked back since.

 I chose my own creations for meditation and consciousness studies/practices from my experiences exploring energy, I also delighted in creative writing and poetry. I love Traditional Chinese Medicine, a variety of books on biomechanics, our bodies are amazing, reading about herbology, and a host of related material concerning overall well-being on every level.

I am a lot freer than i used to be.  Yet, lately, the more i have found myself and the more i interact in the world from my heart, the more i see the glimpses of something that seems to me to be buried and long ago forgotten, in the lives of many i’ve met. Many of us have lost touch with ourselves, our bodies, our emotions, our hearts, our souls; and the true essence of each other and the very heart of our world. And we’re in deep trouble if we keep heading down this path, of violence, ungroundedness and destruction, in our environment, with each other, and with ourselves. Our planet needs a major change, we need a major shift in the way we are being and what we are doing in the world on every level. It’s time, and it’s deeply needed…

Let me share some words and sentences:

Daring

Flowing

Wild

Strong

Heart centered

Soul stirring

Magical

Mystical

Graceful

Brave

Present

Listening

Sacred

Mystic

Awake

Loving Kindness

Open

Honest

Gentle

At Ease

Resting

Loving

True to Heart and Soul

Courageous

Tenacity

Free

Miraculous

Universe

Presence

Galaxy

Beingness

Light

Energy

Peaceful

Clear

Ground of Being

Inner Knowing

Determination

Persistence

Perseverance

Consistent

Create

Disciplined Aware Loving Present Consistency.

Awareness

Self-Care

Nurturing

Attentive

Energetically Balancing

Through All aspects of the day, Nourishing, Heart Centered, Listening, Loving, Soul Stirring well-being created time.

Expressing, Sharing from Experience.

Stubborn

Joyous

Delight

Blissful

Infinite Possibility

Natural

Focus

Choice

Context

Vibration

Consciousness

Focused

Vibrant

Feeling

Breathing

Intuition

Soul’s Laughter

Playful

Heart, Soul, Sun, Moon, Water, Earth, Fire, Vastness of Universe, Love.

When was the last time you experienced the essence of you?

I choose listening to the inner voice of heart and soul.

I Dance and Play in the Rain.

I love the feeling of inhaling the freshness in the air just after it has rained, the air smells of ocean, pine needles, rain and earth.

I run barefoot through the woods, dewdrops cascade across every blade of grass, sparkle in the treetops and kiss the bottoms of my bare grassy, muddy, and ecstatically delighted feet.  Immersing my entire being in the soft soothing glow of the moonlight, gazing up at the moon, the vastness of it all, the universe stretched before me beyond all imagining, i breath in deeply, here i am a little speck of the universe looking at itself, experiencing every moment, every breath, and soaking in the essence of the experience of what it is for me personally to choose to Be, present, here and truly alive.

I dive into the ocean with all my clothes on, who cares if i am drenched, the salty waves are deliciously incredible, laughter bursts forth from every cell of my being, such delight in the chilly, wildly wonderful rhythmic dance of the soul of ocean.

I climb steep cliffs, sometimes i get stuck, expansive views, the wind dances in my hair, it wildly spirals, whirls and greets me every inch of the way. The mountains and the earth nourish my soul. I am amazed by gravity, by life itself.

I disappear into the tops of ancient trees that blow in the wind.

I thank them with deep appreciation for letting me rest in their branches, listening, sharing and talking with me. I am blessed to share life with such patient, loving and wise members of my family.

I live in a pine forest.

I love looking into the eyes of all beings. The hearts of people are under their “stuff,” soul, energy, heart and life are under all that “stuff” and it’s incredible.

I love gazing up at the starry night skies. The vastness of it all leaves me in awe, breathless in its majesty. Listening to the whisper of the wind in the treetops, brings about a wordless peace. The sound of the ocean’s rhythmic dance, deep rolling whispers of life, stirs my heart.

The world is full of the voices of life, you can hear the soul of all if you listen long enough. It’s there, waiting for you, even in the spaces which you may have perceived as voiceless, being-less.

I’ve never experienced “alone.” Consciousness surrounds us all, even when we perceive ourselves to be dis-connected from life, life is always awaiting our presence to it, to the heart of life and to our own heart and soul.

I can hear the voice of water and answer, images, feelings, words, water is conscious. i feel, hear, answer and am made of all the elements.

I wonder where is consciousness not? Nowhere, that i have experienced.

I can hear the voices of the very stones themselves.

I know the song of the ancient forests in every fiber of my being.

Some of my best conversations are with trees, they are wise, and their words dance in my heart. The stones are friends, their energies ripple through my entire being. I listen to my soul, it speaks when my mind quiets. I’ve felt the essence of all around me, and it felt like everything was made of the very essence of love itself. I get visions, sometimes the entire room vanishes for a moment to my physical eyes. I have met my soul vibration, it felt like nothing else i have ever experienced.

The rocks speak in knowings, vibrations, feelings, words and visions.

The water works with me, filling my physical body, soothing, clearing and healing my body.

I can see the tiny channels of light in my arms and legs. I see many channels of light through my entire body. The cells are light as well.  Where does light vanish? Let me bring consciousness there and alight it anew. We are light. I vibrate love through every cell, every atom.  As i let go of resistance to my true nature, i experience my essence, i am love.

I still struggle in many areas of my own. I am alive, evolving, learning and it can be rough as well as magical, beautiful and miraculous. The rough moments are not without their own gifts and blessings to discover.

I can feel the top of my head open to the energies of life, the vibrations rush through my center. Light fills me. The vibration is strong.

I can see the light in every cell, the body is made of cells, the cells are made of light, the walls that i once perceived fade. I am light, the body is not a house nor a shell i live in for a time. I am the body, the body is a layer of me. The body is vibrant light shaped into a human form.  The borders i once perceived are gone.  I can hear the voice of every cell. All the cells of the body are wise.

I talk with them. They are me, they answer my deepest questions.  The body is alive. I am many layers, one layer is body. It is made by soul, it is part of soul.

When it is time to cross over into the ethereal completely. How will you choose to leave this place? Perhaps a body of slower moving light, transforms into faster moving light. Perhaps you vanish. Perhaps you pass through the gate, with a withered form, and as you leave, the energy drains from each cell and that layer of you simply dissolves back into mother earth as you soar onwards. It’s a mystery, perhaps we all cross over in our own way.

Who knows? What a journey life is, in every facet, in every phase of life.

The body is incredible, the more i work with the body the stronger my access, the more the veil between the thinking mind and the me that’s always been lifts. Visions, hearing, sensing, knowing, communication with The All of The All that Is, that includes me, that includes you. You are part of The Heart, you are The All of The All that Is.

Do you still crave an out of body experience? I Love my body, my heart and my soul!

The body is magical.  Life is magical. We are miraculous. We have forgotten who we are. It’s time to remember. And do you know, i felt nervous about sharing myself with you all in this way. I’ve spent much of my life, quietly being in a space of loving-kindness, and yet, sharing with very few, how i have experienced this world since childhood. So, why share so vulnerably now? Consider it my gift, to all of you, a fellow traveler, in the universe, being willing to be, vulnerable, to be seen, just as i am. I see so many introductions people write, and few are actually about the human that writes the introduction. They are often about “doingness” and very little about “beingness” if at all.

I didn’t used to experience myself in as free or open a way. I have been raped, more than once in my lifetime. I had a lot of emotion and seething pains stored in my body that i cannot find words adequate enough to describe.

I chose to go into the deepest depths. I worked through each and every emotion. I loved, listened to, talked with, soothed, freed emotion, and with gentle, loving, listening, presence cleared out all the stuck areas in every tissue.  I found all of the spaces within my body and heart where emotion and pain were stored.  I decided the only way to aliveness, openness and freedom was to dive in with every ounce of courage, love, persistence and determination i “thought” i could muster and then when it seemed unbearable beyond belief, i accessed aspects of myself i did not know i was capable of accessing, my heart and soul were right there, supporting in unimaginably powerful ways. I am blessed to have my consciousness practices and my stubbornness, they both surely were of immense assistance in finding my way to uncovering the loving spaciousness of my heart and soul again.  I feel blessed that the heart and soul never gives up, no matter what our minds do, if we give our heart and soul a chance, there is always a way through, even if in the moment the situation looks unimaginably bleak.

With such beautiful experiences and very painful ones, what am i to make of life. With the stark contrast of such pain and ungroundedness in the world. What i make of it, is there is an opportunity for change, and it begins with one choice after another. I know it may look daunting at times, but, it’s worth it, we are all worth it. And the possibility of change is in the hands of each and every one of us. Together change can happen. And not through this girl typing about it. Through what we do and how we choose to Be with each other and ourselves.  Through who we are individually and as a family.

When i was a teenager, i wanted to assist people in opening their hearts, i decided the best way to start was with my own heart. My journey spiraled deeper into my own awareness of who i am, the deeper i went, the more i realized how vast the universe of heart and my entire being truly is, i had no idea what i was getting into when i first began. What i can tell you though, in my experience, is your heart, your entire being is a universe of such vastness that once you think you know, hold on to your seat.  It’s a wide open sky, it’s never ending, and the deeper you go, the more you realize how little you know.  You can experience your vastness, your pains and the entirety of the universe, The All of The All that Is, of which we all are and you are made of. There is no part of you where it does not exist, read that just one more time, of which we all are and YOU are made of. You are made of Universe, You are, We All are made of Miraculous. It doesn’t mean we always make Grounded choices, we are not our choices, we have the opportunity in every moment of every day, to choose. What a gift!

How are you going to choose to Live and Be in this moment?  Every day we are gifted with 86,400 seconds, that is a lot of opportunity for change and choosing how we are going to live, to be with each other, ourselves and what change, impact, influence, we can choose to have with each and every choice.

It’s a humbling journey.  I still have much to learn and am always unveiling layers. Just when i think, i know myself or know the universe, what i thought i knew, dissolves, the sky opens above me, and i see a whole new galaxy of miraculous mysteries unfolding. I am not sure if it is truly possible to share who one really is or to fully view the true depths of our heart and soul.  I, like you, am always unfolding, and unveiling more details, as i journey through space on this planet we call earth, in a universe that is estimated to be expanding at a rate of between 100,000 and 2 million miles per second, together with my family of 7 billion humans and my family of countless other beings that share this beautiful magical, miraculous place.

I am not my titles, or books, or my interests, job, or my life’s history.  I’m just like you, my experiences may differ, but like you, i am a heart and a soul, a part of your family here on earth.  I have chosen to make my life about creating A World That Truly Works for Everyone.

I have chosen to make my life about the lives and hearts of all 7 billion of us and all the other beings that inhabit this beautiful blue green world. I hope you will join me. Let’s remember our sameness, that which connects us all, embrace our beautiful colorful magnificent differences and choose to let go all that needs to be released in order to create A World That Works for Everyone. Together we can do this, if we choose to work together as a team and remember who we all are at our core.

Infinite Blessings and Love to You ALL!

Namaste!

grace