Keys

        "A key locks and unlocks. One direction opens, another direction closes. We take keys for granted but sometimes they get stuck and sometimes they are lost. Have you ever really looked at a key? There are so many shapes and sizes. There is a similarity to many of them, but one slight variation and it doesn't open the same door. There are a few places where keys are not necessary, where one does not have to lock to be safe, or lock to protect that which is within. It would be a much calmer environment if that was possible.

        Life needs keys, but not keys that open doors, keys that open the mind and inspire the spirit. You have heard the expression 'closed mind,' but what does it take to open a mind? In and out - information pours in daily. There is a constant barrage of visual and auditory impressions that the mind must handle each day. It is, in some instances, constant and non relenting. It is not news to realize that this contributes to stress. It is as if the mind gets stacked up with so many vibratory 'sounds' that at some point, the mind shuts down as an instinctive protective device. If each person had a continually open mind, the load would be quite heavy. Fortunately, the mind is agile and can repair itself from stress and overload with quiet time and sometimes a change of scene.

        We open our minds to that which interests us or that which is necessary for education or perhaps a job. We close our minds to that which is painful, uncomfortable, and difficult to comprehend. We are constantly turning our mind on and off, opening and closing, choosing and discarding or turning away from that which we don't want to think on.

        Peace is a key. It is a key that opens. Anger is a key that closes. Disharmony is the result of the imbalance of emotions and thoughts that need to be balanced with the key of Peace.

        Love is a key. Misused and misunderstood, it is a key or a connector to all things. It is a key that has many variations. We will at some later time discuss love in its different aspects, but know that it is a key.

        Patience is a key. This is an important key in life that is not truly understood. It cannot be taught in its entirety and must be developed over a period of time. It can be practiced in small ways that seem insignificant, but pieced together, can provide a pattern that can be strengthened with use.

        Trust is a key. This is a key that must be handled wisely. Too much trust and we have gullibility. Too little trust and we have skepticism. Again, balance is needed. And, something to think on, do you trust yourself?

        Light is a key. Inner light. The 'glow' of knowing the rightness of something, the 'glow' of being who you are, the 'glow' of spirit communicating with self.

        Sound is a key. We 'sound' ourselves each day with what we speak and how we speak. And those who have no voice sound their energy with their fingers. We 'sound' with our bodies, and that is a subject to be discovered. We 'sound' with our eyes, and we 'sound' with our minds. What kind of 'sound' are you making?

        Perception is a key. To perceive is to understand beyond the obvious or the not so obvious. Whatever contributes to understanding sows the seeds of wisdom.

        Can you use these keys?"