When the grass is greener on the other side...

Greetings my dear friends, visitors and residents of The Light Planet! I hope you are all well in every possible level.


Recently on a trip to Paris, in the middle of a friends reunion, everyone was asking me how things are going here in Los Angeles, and how life is in general. They all seemed fascinated with the idea of the American Dream and the life in this side of the world. During a brief moment of silence most of them stood looking up as if to some invisible point on the horizon, yearning to be in L.A. and one of them broke the silence with a toast to Los Angeles, to which we all joined.

As this unfolded in front of my eyes, I sensed a bit of irony seeing how all this Parisians who, live and experience on a daily basis one of the most beautiful cities in the world, were yearning to be in Los Angeles. I instantly remembered having experienced the exact same reaction when I told my friends in Los Angeles that I was traveling to Paris; they were all yearning to be in Paris.

Right after this, I suddenly felt conscious of the phrase: “The grass is always greener on the other side”.

I found myself witnessing a perfect example of such phrase.
Those who are here yearn to be there, those who are there yearn to be here. And so we are constantly yearning to be "on the other side", having all that which we don’t have and so we forget to touch base with all that which we do have but start taking for granted.

When we are not able to appreciate what we have, we slowly stop seeing all that which is good in our life, we lose perspective and get into the game of looking for validation elsewhere, to be told that “everything is OK” and we feel the need to feed off of external elements that can help us feel that we are indeed “well positioned” in life.

We fail to remember that everything is well in the universe, in its own balance even when we might find it hard to understand and that if we really need to touch base with the essence of the life we’ve created; a simple inventory of the big and small things we can easily identify becomes the fastest reconnection and the only compass we need to put us back in track.

Let’s maintain and walk barefoot over our own grass, let’s appreciate and enjoy it for it’s the only one we have, let’s turn it into the garden of our dreams and then there wont be any garden "on the other side" that we fancy more than our own.

Alone or By Yourself?!

Greetings my dear friends! Welcome once again to The Planet Light!

In the southern emisphere we are enjoying summer and vacations time, free time, beaches, sun, fun, time to release all the tensions we have accumulated during the year gone, whether due to our job or studies. Many of you may be wondering what to do with this time, if you don’t have a plan already.

Surely all of you have a long list of pending things, all of those things you have been wanting and meaning to do but you have not had the time to, nevertheless, I imagine that very few of you have added "Spend some time on my own" to the list. This is probably because 'Loneliness' is not very much appreciated, many actually fear it and run away from it, however Loneliness can be very beneficial if we take it in moderation.

To spend a reasonable quantity of time on your won, whether it is to think, clear up your mind, get away from the noise and the influences around us, maybe to simply enjoy a beautiful day in the open, to do nothing at all and just enjoy BEING here and now. This is something we should all be capable of doing. Being with yourself is not really being 'Alone', you can have hundreds of people around and still feel alone. Taking some time by yourself benefits your internal communication, your capacity to to listen to yourself, to your feelings, heart and body, all of which are always sending signals, but we hardly ever hear them because we are always distracted or busy with something else.

The time spent on your own can bring wonderful moments, moments of clarity, brilliance, answers to questions you kept unanswered, and ultimately; the satisfaction of knowing that you are capable of creating an internal dialogue and be with yourself without despair and without feeling depressed. A wise one said: "The only person who stays with you for the rest of your life is yourself", hence the relationship with ourselves should be the best kept relationship of all.

When we speak about Loneliness, like many other things in this world, the reaction will be directly linked to a matter of concepts. What does it mean for you to be Alone?, is it perhaps the same as being on your own?. Personally, I think we are never really 'Alone', whether we notice it, whether we see it (or want to see it) or not, there is always someone ready and willing to listen to us, to be there for us. We can alone due to many factors, situations and we might perceive it as something negative, but we are never truly alone. However, from my perspective, 'on your own' is more of a choice, its to decide to be with yourself or spend some time on your own for whatever reason, and we might perceive it in a positive way, as the desire of being with yourself and be willing to appreciate it.

I invite you all to consider Loneliness for a moment, as to identify what sort of definition we have given it within ourselves and our lives, identify is we perceive this definitions are 'negative' or 'postive'.

Finaly, let's not forget that nothing is really 'postive' or 'negative', everything just IS, and its us who are used to catalog everything that comes to us, to put labels and judge. Perhaps we could experiment to acept that everything is in a pure and neutral state, treat things as row material, give it shape with our best intentions and see what we are capable of create.

I send you all big warm hugs and we will meet again soon!

Light, Camera, Action!

My dear friends, welcome once more to The Light Planet!

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year celebration to give the warmest welcome to the starting year.

As a new year starts we renew our expectations and create new ideals about life and about ourselves. We wish to start the year well and so the first days we endeavour to be “better”, hoping to keep our renewed attitude during the rest of the year.

But many times our endeavours do not succeed, as the time goes by we tend to forget about our new year resolutions and we fall back to the same old routine, that which we promise ourselves we would change, that which we feel should be the reflexion of the path we want to follow, yes, that one which never really supports the vision of the life we wish to create.

At which point do we let go of that happy vision of ourselves?, what makes us forget out resolutions?, can we stop it?

If we are able to find the answers to the first and second questions, then we have already half the way in. It is important to identify the source of any action that creates a reaction within us. Each and every one of us is responsible and owner of him/herself, and therefore, the only Director of one’s life. The Director that is capable of change the script at his wish and desire, the one who plays in the constant search for characters and tools to recreate the situations he crafts in his mind, with which he can give birth to his master piece.

Just like this movie director, we are able to modify anything we wish or need to change. We can not change others, for each is owner of him/herself, but we can definitely change our attitude towards them, which modifies the dynamic of the interaction with others creating a new way of communicating and completely changing the outcome of our actions without trying to change them.

If we are not happy with the script, let’s change it, let’s give it a new sense, let’s change the characters if necessary, let’s play! Keep in mind that nothing else directs your life, not the stars, not the movement of the planets either, for that job is entirely yours and so your will shall overcome.

So, are you ready? Light, Camera, Action!

The Treasure Map

Welcome once more to The Light Planet! May the regenerating and energizing light of this planet which you and I have created, enfold you to renew your energies!

We are getting close to the end of yet another solar cycle, the end of another year alive. Its always a nostalgic event, but it is also an opportunity to take a look at our life, to look at the way we react in front of difficulties, the way we treat ourselves and others. It is also a good opportunity to check how close or far we are from the path we have set for ourselves.

For me, 2009 has been an excellent year. I have learnt so much, I have met wonderful people, I have been to places I had never been before and re-visited some dear places. I have laughed, I have cried, I have danced, ran, jumped, worked, travelled, I have been sure, I have doubted, I have lost and found myself, I have watched, and I have closed my eyes, I have spoken and I have silenced myself. This 2009 I was able to explore unknown facets of myself , this year was a real adventure!

As usual, at the end of 2008 I made a list of all the things I expected of 2009, and I have been able to make a happy revision, watching my hopes materialize, seeing how I was able to overcome the obstacles and so, I reached the end of 2009 with a smile on my face.

With all this, I have realised how important it is for us to know what we want, what we wish to create in our lives. Even if we are sure of almost nothing, even if we don’t really how to get the tools we need or how to reach our goals; the most important thing is to know what we want, for only then we can start moving forward, identifying and grabbing those opportunities which arise and might help us to reach our destination. Only so we can hope to be closer to create what we wish for ourselves and, eventually reach it! Otherwise, life merely passes us by and we wonder from one point to another waiting for some sign to show us the way, a sign that may or may not come, and if it doesn’t we end up feeling we have been living in vane…

Only the one who seeks finds! Only the one who sets a destination eventually reaches it! If you may, please do consider these words for a moment.

I invite you all to make a summary list of your life during 2009, your experiences and lessons and then, create another list with all of the experiences and lessons you wish for yourselves on 2010, and all of your goals, whether they are material, spiritual or a mixture of both. The important thing is to be able to identify your soul‘s desire, listen to your heart, and soon this list will become the Treasure Map for 2010, kept it close to you, check it from time to time during the year to get you back on the path towards your treasure, the one you have buried for yourself, to be found during 2010.

Big hugs to you all, until our next encounter!

A Memory Exercise

Hello my dear friends, residents of The Light Planet. I hope that you are all well and full of joy, enjoying your lives.

Today, while talking to a dear friend of mine -also an occasional resident of this planet-, I became aware of the huge amount of energy and time that we all spend criticizing ourselves, preaching and punishing ourselves because we feel we are not “good enough” and that we are not accomplishing or obtaining all that we wish for ourselves. But, How much time and energy do we spend congratulating ourselves, giving us a gift, or a nice pat on the back saying “well done”?

Why are we so good at criticizing ourselves, but when we do something right we merely accept it and soon we forget it?

I really believe that we should all do a memory exercise here, by looking back at your life 10 or 5 years ago, look at what your dreams were then, look at the things you wanted to accomplish or obtain, look at your hopes… I bet that you actually accomplished or obtained most, if not all, of the things you wanted then, which are now part of your present life. So, How many times do you remember this and you congratulate yourself for it?

Of course, I understand, perhaps all of that which you once wanted, is no longer what you currently want, but then; why punish or push yourself for not having NOW that which you NOW want?, why not simply trust that you are currently working to SOON obtain that which you want NOW?. If this little Memory Exercise proofs that you have actually obtained or accomplish some or most of that which you wanted at some point, what makes you think that you shall not continue accomplishing and obtaining anything you may want for yourself?, why should it be different now?, why don’t you just trust yourself?

Give yourself time, and please do give yourself a bit more credit my friend!

When facts prove effectiveness, you must trust that the results will continue being effective.

TRUST YOURSELF!

With this, I would like to invite you all to do this little Memory Exercise, to congratulate yourselves more, to be more caring, more loving, more patient and more compassionate with YOU.

Autumn Tree Leaves

Good day!
How are you? I hope its all well.

Here, at the southern hemisphere, we are starting to feel the arrival of the autumn, mornings are cloudier, the nights are cooler, the leaves of the trees are losing their green, and changing to a brown colour instead. Soon those leaves will depart from this life, to adorn beautifully our landscapes and open the door for the winter to come. In other words, we know those leaves will die, but the truth is that they are just closing a cycle, giving the next step, because life flows, everlastingly so, just as it should be.


This has got me thinking about all the things that die within us when summer is over. For many, the autumn and winter are sad seasons, during which they allow themselves to fall into deep depressions, for others these are periods of introspection, to spend more time at home or with their loved ones, and yet for others, this is simply another season, a new landscape to enjoy and experience in life.

If you could choose which “leaves” shall die from you “tree” during this autumn, to open the way to new branches from which new leaves shall be born; new talents; new dreams; new goals; new hopes; which “leaves” would you choose? Perhaps the fear to the new, or sad memories from the past, maybe those dark feelings for that one who made you suffer, the sadness you keep for those things you never got or achieved, or maybe to let go of those things/people you lost…I believe that, as the big, unique and beautiful trees we all are, we have way too many leaves, and perhaps this is the perfect timing to get rid of some of them, as if we do this, we will be able to create new, more colourful, lighter and more loving leaves for spring.

With this, I want to invite you to open your windows, allow the breeze of change to blow while we select those leaves, which have been with us for so long, half dead and finally let them go. Lets allow the autumn breeze to push them loose and take them to decorate new landscapes for as long as they last, creating so the room within us to create new beautiful leaves to show in Spring.

A BIG hug to each and every one of you, and tons of light to illuminate your path!