I found it – or rather it found me – one day, while I was shopping. I was glancing at a display that held about 30 coffee cups of varying shapes, sizes and colors, when my eyes were instantly drawn to this very seductive mug that I could swear winked at me. And that thought made me giggle inside. Not only because here I was flirting with a coffee mug in the middle of Home Goods, but because it brought a smile to my face on an otherwise not-very- happy day.

I won’t go into the details, but the simple truth is the day by itself wasn’t unhappy, just my thoughts and preoccupation with a situation in my life that made the day unhappy. And yet in one enchanting and miraculous moment, an out of the blue thought moved into that space of doom and gloom, settled in and coaxed the other thoughts aside.

What had happened here? Since I believe in a universe that is..well you  know..miraculous and symbolic and one that is always communicating to us… sometimes in the oddest ways… it was no surprise to me that flirty mug was telling me three things: 1- Not to take things so seriously. 2- That I was beautiful inside and out and 3- To please love myself more. Yep, all of that from one brief encounter with the coffee mug that opened my heart.

Did I buy the mug? Yes, of course!! –along with two others that were hanging nearby which became gifts for two of my closest friends.

Now every morning me and “mug” filled with a steamy, dark and delicious brew hang out on the patio reading, watching the birds at the feeder or maybe just listening to the silence.  And every morning he greets me with “Good Morning Gorgeous” and my heart just melts. Nice way to start the day.
How open is your heart? When our heart is fully open love flows freely to us and through us to others. Opening your heart is always, unequivocally, the way to peace and love. Many people ask me “how do you open your heart?” My guess is you do it a lot more than you realize; like when you hear a beautiful piece of music or when you hold a baby, a child or lover in your arms. Maybe it’s watching a sunrise or sunset. There are a myriad of ways to open your heart, but if you would like a specific exercise try the following. Read the entire meditation first and then if possible close your eyes to do the meditation.

Sit quietly and take a deep breath in and then letting it out with a loud “Ahhhh.” Do this three times. “Feel” or focus your energy on your heart center. Now imagine your heart as a lotus blossom or rose opening up and expanding with love.  As it expands visualize the colors pink and green emanating from the center of this flower, moving downwards and upwards at the same time, filling you with so much love that it envelops your entire body. Feel the love…. breathe in the love.  At this point you may even feel tearful.. .. a very good sign.  Now see this beautiful wave of love move out ward from your body all around you sending love to all the people you know directed towards their hearts and filling them with love.  And then picture this wave of love flowing out to all the people, animals, plants and even the minerals of the world. Watch how it creates an all encompassing wave of love embracing the universe and then watch as it flows back to you creating a cycle of love flowing endlessly in and out. Stay with this feeling for as long as you like and when you feel complete, bring yourself back with three more deep breaths.

And just to keep the energy going a little longer I’ve attached two links below. One is another guided meditation and one is the song named appropriately enough “You are so beautiful to me.” Enjoy  them both Gorgeous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK68Dxw57d4 THOMAS MOORE- ROSE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bor44-RK44U You are so beautiful to me