“They offer the bud of hope we are, and the bloom we will become.”
Oprah’s words last night at the Golden Globes were solid, important, full of hope and inspired. America hasn’t heard words of hope like these in a long while and we were comforted to listen.
Words have power. We give them power, perhaps they hold the truths of civilizations past — words, equations holding magical properties our ancestors passed along. The magic of our tribe — whole and not lost.
It feels good to hear our peers, our mentors, our brothers and sisters speak on our behalf and stand on behalf of a kind and loving world. It creates a safe space.
Isn’t it in the creating of those safe spaces that allows for each of us to speak freely — that allows for us to heal?
To heal from conditions, either chosen by us or chosen for us.
In our safe spaces, we can wander a little while in a place that allows the freedom for us to express and expand and explore. Through the expansion of our own healing, we move our kind and loving world forward on its evolutionary trajectory — one of peace and curiosity and awe.
Books move us forward too, nudging us further on our own evolutionary trajectory to be better humans. And often, they take us away from our hectic days or even our painful ones.
Several authors have inspired life-changing events in my life. Life-Changing because I took action from what moved me through the authors writing. Some of these books are:
1. Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet.
2. Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise.
3. Dalai Lama, An Open Heart.
4. Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love.
5. Wayne Dyer, There’s a Spiritual Solution for Every Problem.
Each spoke to a place in my life that needed to be transformed and were, through their words of hope and inspiration and wisdom. And I am so grateful.
Much of the world today seems deep in contradiction, and yet, budding with bright possibility. We need words, powerful words, that create spaces for us to heal. We need pages that allow us to become our authentic selves —to become our best.
I often recommend The Wisdom of Sundays by Oprah Winfrey and The Power of the Heart by Baptist de Pape, because they offer hope. They offer the bud of hope we are, and the bloom we will become. These books bring us peace.
I recommend them because each is a flora of words that lift, raise and inspire. They are collections of authors and artists, poets and politicians, philosophers and scholars.
The Wisdom of Sundays consists of life and spiritual lessons from guests that have been on the award winning show Super Soul Sunday — Oprah’s weekly 1-hour program intended to shift our thinking and raise the world’s consciousness. If you haven’t seen any of the Super Soul segments, I suggest watching those as well as reading The Wisdom of Sundays.
The Power of the Heart includes interviews from artists, writers, scientists and researchers about what the heart is and how can we live more fluidly through it — how we can “follow our aliveness.” Reading this book and watching the film, led me on a pilgrimage to New York City where I met the author, and many others whom came from around the world to view the film and participate in the heart—focused weekend. That weekend, I formed many heart connections that have literally transformed my life in so many ways.
So, books are powerful — and again, I’m truly grateful.
If this is our Golden Age of Love, meaning we the people, are open and hungry for the freedom to love — then let’s align ourselves with those freedom lover’s beside us offering to share their wisdom. Let us embody the freedom to love, create, express and to evolve wholeheartedly.
In my opinion, these two books hold keys to doorways that our predecessors and our ancestors have handed down to us. As readers, our respectful responsibility is to take their work further and transform our lives.
As Albert Einstein said and I feel so speaks to humanity today:
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” —Albert Einstein
If you are seeking higher truths or personal transformation — enjoy fully, my recommendations. For what we search for is alive on the pages in the words that have been called through the vessels that spoke them.
May we come to know that there is safety in these spaces, in these books, and that they wish for us, not just wellbeing — but all our dreams fulfilled! My wish, is for our 8.6 billion people living and sharing our planet to fully believe: We are loved, we are safe, we are enough — and we matter.
Imagine reading that.