Four years of Blogging; a letter from the author

Hello, readers!

In February, we celebrated the Shanti Universe blog's fourth birthday. This means that the author has been trying to blog for four years now! 

Every year around the birthday of the blog, the author shares a personal message. So, in today's post, the 'me' and 'my' and 'I' will appear again, and will hopefully only resurface around next year this time.

With that said, please allow me to share a little bit from my side.

Settling down

In the last year, I did not write as much as I wanted to. In last year's letter, I mentioned that I have been living without a home and without a base for a year. After publishing the previous letter, I remained homeless for another four months, until my wife and I finally found a beautiful home. 

Surrounded by mountains, forests, and beautiful nature, I feel really grateful and I realize the importance of having one's own space, routine, and silence. This has a direct impact on one's well-being. More and more, I realize what a big blessing it is to have one's own home. Considering all the people that have been displaced in the last year, due to wars and natural disasters, I am extremely grateful, every day, for this big blessing.

I know that a time will come for this home to dissolve again, and to move on. Nevertheless, I am deeply grateful.

Taking distance

I would like to share one of the most valuable lessons that presented itself in the last year. I am sure many of you can relate, or maybe just by reading this, you can become aware of your own situation.

When we are very entangled in a situation, such as a relationship, a job, a project, a problem, or whatever it may be, we often become "too close to the tree to see the forest". Do you know that saying?

This also happens when we have been very closely involved with something for a long time. We are so involved, that we are unable to see what is really happening. We cannot see the situation clearly, and we cannot see the bigger picture. 

It is only when we step away from this situation that we start to see a different perspective. Once we start to see this different perspective, we may realize that certain things have been unhealthy for us, and that it would be better for us to let go of it.

Let's consider this...

Of course, taking distance is not always easy and we may not feel like taking distance from something we feel attached to. But, when we stay entangled in something that is not healthy for us, our Divine Mother will step in and force us to step away and take distance, offering us an opportunity to check up.

This is the Love of our Divine Mother.

Fear

In my case, I was very entangled in something that became unhealthy for me, on many levels. It had already been unhealthy for a long time, but I was unable to see the extent of it. As mentioned earlier, I was without a home, and without one's own space and routine, it is not always easy to check up. There are so many things happening simultaneously, and one has to keep planning for the next move, the next destination, and the next unexpected event.

So, even though I did intend to step away from a specific unhealthy situation, I kept postponing because I had other fires to put out. 

Suddenly, I fell very sick and I was unable to do anything for a long period. The overpowering sickness was unexpected and happened without notice and without any logical reason. One moment I was completely fine, and a few hours later I was out! 

Falling very sick may sound unfortunate, but in fact, this was a blessing. It was served by the Loving Hand of the Divine Mother.

Being forced to do nothing, I got disentangled from my normal lifestyle, tasks, work, relations, and thought patterns. Slowly but surely, things became clear. It is like a glass with muddy water. As long as we stir the water, the water remains muddy and unclear. When we leave the water and don't stir it, the mud settles at the bottom and the water becomes clear.

I realized that unknowingly, I had been holding on to a situation, because I was afraid of change happening. I was afraid of the unknown. Afraid of how life will be, if it is not the way that I am used to it being. This clinging has been going on for more than a year, but I was so involved in it that I was unaware that my clinging was driven by fear.

The moment this became clear, I could let go of the situation, immediately. 

See, fear is not in line with our True Nature. Fear has no place in truth. When we aspire to live a life in truth and in love, then we will not allow our lives to be dictated by fear.

Knowing this, it is easy to let go of something that is not healthy for us. Our True Nature gives us the courage to step into the unknown and to be fearless.

When we let go, our hands become free and open to receive new blessings.

Endless learning

One clear thing, is that life's challenges and lessons never end. There is always something new to learn, we just have to remain open to learning and growing. 

Living a life in God, or living in harmony with our True Nature, does not mean that challenges and learning will stop. It merely means that we can go through challenging times while still having peace of mind and peace in our hearts. When problems present themselves, we can deal with them peacefully, from the impersonal viewpoint and standpoint of Consciousness. 

Yet, we have to be kind to ourselves and care for ourselves. Taking time for ourselves to reflect and to check up is not selfish or egoistic. If we neglect ourselves, we will eventually start to neglect our friends and family too. It is a snowball effect.

Let's be kind to ourselves and let's love ourselves.

With that said, I would like to thank everyone who has been reading and sharing the articles on this blog over the last four years. Thank you for the encouragement to write and for the support you give, behind the scenes. 

Thank you to everyone who tolerated my limited capacity throughout the last year and who supported me in so many ways. I look forward to another year of writing, learning, and sharing, together.

With love and appreciation.

A recent photo, appreciating a beautiful sunset in Granada, Spain.

Three years of Blogging; a letter from the author - 22 March, 2023

Two years of blogging, a letter from the author - 18 March, 2022

One year of blogging, a letter from the author - 25 February, 2021

Introduction to this blog and the author - 20 February, 2020