"My angel, my all, my very self - Only a few words today and at that with pencil... Ah, wherever I am, there you are also..." 
~ Ludwig Van Beethoven
Quote Excerpt from Beethoven's Immortal Beloved Letters 

An affair that arouses, exhilarates and awakens can depict the spirit of a model summer romance, yet it is prone to be as fleeting as the flame which incited its arousal.  Even so, it may act as the kindle of a deep and long-lasting love affair.  Fortunately, the time is lush and ripe for you to rekindle a deep affectionate and meaningful romance... a romance with you. You are your immortal beloved.  

An encouraging way to start is by beginning a new ritual of romancing your true self in noteworthy ways.  To fall in-love with yourself you must actually re-acquaint your self with your heart.  Strengthen the bond so that love can flow freely. The rhythm of your emotional heart beat will passionately energize, intensify and enliven... the nature of true-romance.  
                                                                 Click "read more" to continue reading love letters to the self

A feeling of excitement, mystery, entwined with uncertainty; a scene of roses with its scent filling the air; violins and cellos playing in the background; all invoke a picture of romance. More so, romance is meant to re-awaken passion in your life by igniting the fire within.  The fire can burn steadily and strongly when desire stems from self-love as adoration.  True romance begins with falling in love with your self – especially the deepest part of you – your intimate self.  To accomplish that you must have a deep relationship with your
inner self. 

The power of your own words can truly deepen the presence of love in your life, which emerges from the words that originate from you - to you - about you.  It is then when power turns into presence -- when you know you.  What’s more, you learn how to truly communicate those words about you to others with clarity.  Attained in an intimate setting, your presence becomes perspicuous.
An excellent, yet enjoyable way to strengthen your expression in an intimate way is to compose moving love letters evoke your emotional inner self.  Your true romance starts here.

"When you open your heart and talk from a place deep within you, the usual issues that bog down a speech simply vanish.”
~Saskia Shakin
Quoted from More than Words Can Say – the Making of Inspired Speakers

(I loved this inspiring,insightful book and recommend it to anyone wanting to speak from that deep and authentic part of you)

The emphasis: knowing that the time is right to retreat and reflect on our feelings to create a more heart-felt communication with ourselves will really move us forward in living our most authentic self… our true self.  Community comes from communication and from the act of communing with oneself, as well as having the ability to communicate our own understanding of ourselves to others.  Taking action in this process will catapult us to living in right relationship with ourselves and being in right relationships with others.  Now is the time to clear away anything that is holding back your voice and keeping us from our true heart’s desires.  The purpose is to evoke emotion.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowldeges the past's influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to trueest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates her body's rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

The expression of sensibility transmits the ability to appreciate, receive, and respond to intricate emotional or aesthetic influences -- deriving simplicity from complexity. Through grace and presence, the feminine essence embodies and exudes the receptive flow of sensibility. To start, presence emanates from connecting fully with our senses.

The gift stems from invoking the senses to align with our feeling perception. The nature of the feminine principle is receptivity, being open to receive stimulation in a responsive manner. Your well-being benefits if done in a nourishing way, so in turn you may give from that resonance -- the sensible and natural flow of giving and receiving.

My intention in creating this article was to share with you a few fun ways that you can tap into your feeling through sensations. Putting it together I remembered a scene from a movie that will better "show" you what I mean. The famous scene from a "Scent of a Woman", the 1992 movie with Al Pacino & Chris O'Donnell...  

In the defining Tango Scene, Frank (Al Pacino) glides across the floor impressing Donna, (Gabrielle Anwar) the young lady, whom he escorts to the dance floor and gracefully dances the tango to the song "Por Una Cabeza" by Carlos Gardel. 

The scene starts when both Frank and Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) are sitting at the upper balcony table in the fancy hotel where they are staying. The orchestra is playing tango music to set the mood when Frank detects a scent... a scent of a woman:

       Frank:  I'm getting a nice soap-and-water feeling from down over there.
       Charlie:  Ah... female.
       Frank:  Female?  You're callin' her female, must mean you like her or you wouldn't be so casual.
       - Is she alone ?
       Charlie:  Yeah, she's alone
       Frank:  Things are heatin' up.
       - Chestnut hair ?
       Charlie:  Brown... Iight brown.
       Frank:  Twenty-two?
       Charlie:  Wh-- What am l, a guy at a carnival.      
       Frank:  The day we stop lookin', Charlie, is the day we die.
       - Move.
       Charlie: Where ?
       Frank:  You know where, son.

(They start walking to the young lady's table - Charlie guiding Frank by the arm)
       Frank:  Don't be coy, Charlie.
      - This woman is made for you... I can feel it.
      - Goddamn beautiful, isn't she ?
       Charlie:  She's not bad.
       Frank:  Whoo-bingo! The boy's alive.
      -Come on, son, Perambulate. 
      Frank to the young lady:  Excuse me, senorita, do you mind if we join you ?     

The conversation goes on when Frank asks her (Donna):    
     Frank:  You know, I detect... a fragrance in the air.                
     -Don't tell me what it is... Ogilvie Sisters soap.
     Donna:  Ah, that's amazing.
      Frank:  I'm in the amazing business! 
     Donna: It is Ogilvie Sisters soap.

The scene goes on when Frank asks Donna to dance. The rest is history....

So, to start off, Frank is able to detect her scent from a distance, farther than where  Charlie can notice her scent. Later, he taps into his intuitive or 6th sense when he tells Charlie "This woman is made for you... I can feel it". Also, his sense of smell is so keen that he is able to detect the name of the fragrance Donna is wearing. To top that, he is able to elegantly and skillfully listen to the tango tune and translate it into his dance. Consequently, Frank's other 5 senses have acutely developed from losing his sense of sight -- the purpose of my story and the premise of your sense and sense-ability.

The sense of sight may be the default sense often used to discern stimuli. So, naturally we become dependent on visual information to help guide us or observe our environment around us. Here are a few tips that you may like to try out to help strengthen and fully engage with your other senses. In boosting the connection to your senses, discernment is refined to sharpen the understanding of your own personal feeling sensation within your body. Practicing connecting in this way can also renew and reaffirm your intuitive or 6th sense by way of your bodily sensation -- your sense-ability and sensibility.

A fun practice to tap into your feeling sensation:
Start by creating a safe and comfortable environment in a private setting in your home. A large bathroom or bedroom will work well. Dress in a cozy, soft or silk-like robe. Sit in a comfortable position, preferably the floor with a plush blanket or towel. Tie an opaque or dark-colored scarf around your eyes, one that you will not be able see through. Center yourself and take in long and deep breaths throughout this exercise. Take pleasure in evoking the sense.  Watch for any sensations that come up in your body, any emotions or changes.
(You may try one or all of these suggestions)

• Sense of Taste: Prepare a bowl of fruit with a variety of likable choices. Cut the fruit up into similar shapes and sizes. Add a whole banana if available.  Maybe also prepare a bowl of ice-cream or chocolates. The purpose is to put together a delectable dish that pampers your taste buds and are full-bodied and flavorful. Take one bite at a time, tasting every morsel and exploring the texture. Take your time to savor every bite to tingle your taste buds. Breath deeply and allow the smell to appetize you even more. Watch for any sensations that come up in your body, any emotions or changes. Do this until you feel satisfied.
• Sense of Hearing: Turn on beautiful music that you really enjoy; music that has no lyrics, like the instrumental pieces or nature sounds work best (check out the lily blog frog soundtrack for ideas). Then really take in the sound vibrations.  Allow the music to really to go through you and experience the sounds throughout your body. Listen for the different aspects and the layering of the sounds. Try to distinguish to the dynamic parts of the music:  the melody, harmony and any other layers. Do this for as long as you feel comfortable, maybe 15 to 30 minutes depending on your own sensitivity.
  
• Sense of Smell: Aromatic flowers work exceptionally well with sense. Pick out an assortment of fragrant flowers from a florist, specialty shop or farmer's market.  Bring the bouquet home and place in vase with. The fresher the flowers the better. Maybe incorporate essential oils, like lavender or rose, into this step (depending on availability and your sensitivity).  To start off this step, have two vases next to you, one with the flowers and one without. Move the vasess close to you to facilitate the process. One by one sniff in and take in the scent of each individua bud. Feel the fragrance wash over you and inside of you. Allow the aroma to linger before moving to the next flower. Experiment with a small bowl of coffee beans. Lightly sniff the beans to help clear the scent in between each flower.  Take notice the effect on your mood. Do the same with essences if accessible.
• Sense of Touch: Prepare this step by gathering a small towel and either massage oil or lotion, unscented if possible. Start at the bottom of your feet. Massage gently yet firmly stimulating your muscles. Work gradually up the legs and around all areas of the body that you are able to reach. Take pleasure in touching your skin as you move up, work in circular motions.  Engage intimacy with your body and take your time with this step.  Massage your scalp and rub your temples. Feel the gratification of releasing any stress and tension by rubbing those sore spots with delicate motions. Finish this step by lightly stroking one of the flowers on across your skin. Gingerly twirl the flower up and down your body.
• Sense of Sight: Now close your eyes and remove the scarf from around your eyes. Open your eyes slowly and take your time to readjust to the light. Look first to the floor and then at the items around you. Take in the visual information as if it were new to you. Take notice of the colors and shapes and experience their vibrancy. Lastly, move your eyes around the room and observe what grabs your attention.

Take the opportunity to record your experience for each sense.  Allow your creativity to flow and journal, paint or voice record your observations, awareness and insights.  Please feel free to share with us here.

To conclude this entry, I leave you with this quote by the screenwriter, George Bricker

"When you've been blind as long as I have, you learn to see through your senses. I can't explain it exactly, but you get a feeling about people when you meet them. You see a picture of them in your mind. 
Not just what they look like, but what they really are. 
You see them much more clearly than you do with your eyes.
 Maybe that's why they say looks are deceptive."
~ George Bricker

This article resonated with me because it highlights the role that punctuality can play in interpersonal connections:  being on time is equivalent to being considerate.  This may hold true in reverse, in that being late can demonstrate disregard for the other person(s) involved.  The accompanying message suggests that self-reflection can help in making necessary changes.  I agree—understanding one’s own tendencies and internal clock is part of the process.  I also felt the importance of offering another perspective.  A pattern of consistent lateness reveals the possibility that a person’s underlying nature is a factor.
In the work that I do, one of the things I try to determine when working with a client who struggles with the issue of chronic lateness in his or her life is whether the person contains the element of water in his or her energetic makeup—a “water” person, so to speak.

"Water" people have their own sense of time based on their own personal cycles and rhythms, and as a result may have difficulty adhering to the classic "9 to 5" schedule of daily life; they need to flow from their own energetic time systems.  Knowing this may help them to make better choices on what type of career or job works better for them, in particular trying to find one which has more flexibility built into it or even allows for the option of working from home.  It is more difficult for a "water" person to fit into a planned 24-hour cycle; it is better for him or her to understand his or her own essence and create a schedule that works around and reflects it.  For instance, establishing functional habits better suited to the individual, such as scheduling an appointment at a more suitable timeframe for one’s typical cycle (such as 1 p.m. instead of 9 a.m.) is helpful, as it would complement one’s personal energy (chi).

Furthermore, a “water” person can approach relationships in such a way as to adapt a more flexible sense of personal timing.   If these “water” characteristics seem to describe you (or someone you know), it may mean that you express water in your own innate nature.  In this case, for instance, you may address this with a significant other in this way:  tell them you love, respect and regard them and your time together so that they understand that you are not acting out of inconsiderateness but that you want to work on creating flexible "dates” or appointments that will support both you and them, showing up in a way that works better for both of you.  This way they understand that saying, for example, "Let's meet at 5:00 pm,” might mean 5-ish in your inherent "water" ways of time.  They would expect you perhaps closer to 6; in knowing your tendencies, they can set a later reservation and in turn show up later themselves to coincide with your likely arrival or plan accordingly.  As a “water” person, you can understand that if you do make it ahead of time and have to wait on them a bit, it is a reasonable outcome and part of the flow.  Although doing this may seem dishonest and complicated, it is instead understanding and making allowance for the “water” nature.  This is one way to assist the ‘water person” in adapting within the 24-hour framework.  Allowing for this will help release stress and tension in any type of relationship and clear the way for when a “water” person has to draw upon his or her energy reserves for more demanding, fixed, or required time commitments like a court date or wedding.  : ) 

I’m expressing this not to release “water” people from the responsibility of not being on time, but rather to help them take responsibility in learning about their own nature and working effectively with this insight by establishing ways that will work better for them and their life situations, especially by communicating more effectively and forthrightly with others about his or her inherent nature, and thus the apparent effect on timing. 

I hope this made sense and has been helpful.  Good examples of people who have "water" in their make-up are artists, creative types, musicians and Healers! 
~Marcela Lily 

If you are interested in learning more about the DailyOm, see my LilyPool page under the “Other Resources” heading.

Today, 2/22 expresses the universal power of 2 in its fundamental form and in its highest octave.
The spirit of 2 exudes the power of relating and the essence of coupling -- conjuring a visual of the yin and yang connected at its heart center, creating wholeness through it's complimentary dance and holding the other's awareness in its heart... 

Or may produce a visual scene resembling 2 spiral dna-love strands connected at the heart, winding up towards the sky or down towards the earth, moving to the melody of their heart strings. The 2 resonates with receptivity as revered in the ancient wisdom text of the I Ching. Resounding with the most feminine in nature, it is the most yin in the foundation of it's expression. The receptive force attracts exceptional results trough the natural responsiveness of the feminine principle. The strength of the grace of this power is sensual and guided by feeling, which nurtures receptivity allowing the flow of natural response.

On this day, the 22 is a Master number of this higher purpose of sharing universal wisdom with other- a healing number. 22 is the expression of purpose through grace and beauty. As conveyed in the "I Ching: The Oracle of the Cosmic Way", Grace shows success when one gives full expression to it's uniqueness -- it shows as beauty. One's uniqueness has come successfully to expression. In this sense, it also means the fulfillment of destiny in revealing one's unique design while being - creating in form.

My emphasis is on finding grace and beauty in the full expression of your unique essence by "inspiring women to reveal and realize the natural elements of their unique design".

Please join me on Friday, March 11th for a special session revealing my new Star programs based on Radiating Your Star Quality - unique essence design. Today's Lotus Love Note is a dedication from my profound appreciation to the feminine principle, which forever dances with the light of the masculine.

  In love, grace and beauty
,~Marcela Lily Veron

A little fun side note on intention versus randomness. There is much vital force in purposeful, creative intention using the power of timing. With that said, March, 11, 2011 carries the, vital, creative, communication (March/3); the power and ode to the 222 (11=2, 20=2, 11=2 - all higher expressions of 2). The intention is furthered on this day falling on Friday, the day of praise and admiration of Venus, the Goddess of Love and beauty. 


(Post reproduced from Lotus Love Notes: Community Connections 2/22/11)