Author Archives: Dr. Crystal Grimes

Spirit Bright

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For the 2014 Be the Change Songwriting Challenge at SongU.com.

I don’t usually post lyrics and chords, because lining them up is a feat requiring great patience and a certain amount of insanity if you can’t see the screen! But this song is especially important to me, so I thought it might be to someone else as well.

Spirit Bright – Lyrics and Chords

Instrument: Cedar/rosewood tenor ukulele (linear/low G tuning)

3/4 time
Key of A

Intro:
A

1.
A7 D
We use our hands to meet demands
A E7
That people ask us to.
A A7 D
Not always well or in our plans,
A E7
But it starts with me and you
D E7 A A7
To let the Truth shine through.

Refrain:
D E7 D A
May your hands reflect your heart,
A7 D A E7
And may your heart be light.
A E7 D A
May your mind always come back to its part
E7 A A7 D
And follow your Spirit bright,
A E7 A
Follow your Spirit bright.

2.
Our hearts are touched by every spark;
Not one can pass us by.
To harden them would leave us barred,
Because even when we cry,
In Truth we never die.

Refrain:

3.
The mind, it spins and whirls around
With what was or what could be.
A F#m D A
By worrying it hits the ground
(cont. as prior verses)
And can’t look up to see
The Truth that sets it free,

Refrain:

Last refrain:
D E7 D A
May your hands reflect your heart,
A7 D A E7
And may your heart be light.
A D
May your mind always come back to its part
A E7 A A7 D
And follow your Spirit bright,
A E7 D A
Follow your Spirit bright.

Prayer Through Depression

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In light of recent events, I offer this meditational prayer treatment for anyone experiencing inner turmoil.

I am tired of the lists, the plans, the goals, the ruts, the failures, the decisions, and detours!

I can’t take any more of the feelings of low self-esteem, inadequacy, disconnect, and depression!

I desire to move beyond thinking, doing, feeling, struggling, striving, and trying to be fulfilled by outer things.

I give up my personal ego, that part of me that believes it is all I am. That part of me that sees problems, thinks it can solve them but falls far short, makes decisions out of fear and loneliness, and constantly repeats the same patterns and ways of being. Because this part of me is nothing; it is not who I am. It does not work for my good. It has no creative power, and it does not plan my life.

God is the only creative power! Through meditation I connect each day with the God-Presence within me. Through God’s power, I see negative feelings and experiences for what they truly are: Not as who and what I am, but as feedback, communication, and guidance to shift my awareness back to God.

Circumstances and events may seem bad. However, God is above, beyond and within all things. All-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful, ever-present God uses circumstances to work for His glory. Even through negativity, God is there, at the peaceful center of my being.

Every day I turn within myself, know God’s presence there, and realize that God creates and directs my life. For I am more than my feelings, thoughts, and emotions, and I open to this Truth every day of my life.

There is a conscious, Christ-Mind point of contact where my soul is one with God. I know this point in meditation, and carry that awareness with me throughout my day.

For this realization I give thanks. I let it be so. And so it is!

For further spiritual support, see Metaphysical Treatment Services.

What your Voice Reveals

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“I can hear it in your voice.”

Someone who knows you well has probably told you this. And you may have been happy, but you probably felt vulnerable, exposed, and uncomfortable.

Our voices reveal a lot about us! Our thoughts, opinions, beliefs, self-image, feelings, emotions, and more flow through our voices. Not everyone consciously discerns them, just as many people don’t consciously project them. Nevertheless, there they are! The voice expresses our overall vibration and harmony, or dis-harmony as the case may be. By noticing what the voice has to say, through its quality, tone, rhythm, pitch, how we use it, etc., we can direct our awareness inward to restore and maintain wholeness.

The physical voice alone has no power or creative force. But there is an essence, cosmic consciousness, God, or Spirit, a natural intelligence that creates and sustains the voice. Through contact with this Higher Self, we move into the voice God has for us!

I offer these posts for contemplation and meditation. Your own truth and voice will come into your awareness if you open to it!

As St. Paul writes: My speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, … Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.
–1 Corinthians 2:4,13, World English Bible (WEB)

May the Spirit also speak to, and through you!

Harp and Drum
Tune In!
I am a Godsong
Instrument of Peace
The Voice of God
Mindsong
Throat Full of Song
I Invoke
Prayer to the Subconscious/Namaste

Peace is patiently awaiting our discovery!

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purpleraysblog's avatarPurplerays

peace-stones
Photo credit: http://www.yourlifeyourway.net/2012/03/09/10-simple-tips-shortcuts-to-inner-peace-joy/

“The calm within the storm is where peace lives and breathes. It is not within perfect circumstances or a charmed life… it is not conditional. Peace is a sacred space within, it is the temple of our internal landscape. We are free to visit it, whenever we seek sanctuary. Underneath the chaos of everyday living, peace is patiently awaiting our discovery… go within.”
― Jaeda DeWalt
Source: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/serenity?page=3

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I Invoke

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I call upon the Spirit of All,
Welcome the Creator of Creation,
Channel the Love of Life itself,
Set upon the Universal Mind,
Cultivate the Consciousness of heart-centered Peace;
I invoke God.

From within me
And through me
God comes forth,
Flowing,
Showing,
Loving,
Knowing,
Making known,
And being known.

Imparting in Silence,
Seeing in Sight,
Focusing Thought,
Speaking in Word,
God invokes us,
Calling us forth,
Higher, deeper, wider…

For as we invoke God,
We are invoked by God,
Eternally one,
In Spirit,
Soul,
Heart,
Mind,
Body,
And Voice,
Invoked by the Spirit of All.
–And so it is!

About Singing

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Barbara McAfee’s book, Full Voice, has been an uplifting, entertaining, and informative resource on more than the act of singing! Thank you, Barbara! To you, me, and everyone else, may we all sing our hearts open!

Barbara McAfee's avatarFull Voice -- Barbara McAfee

“I’m the world’s worst singer.  Can’t carry a tune in a bucket!”

“I used to sing. Then I stopped.  Went to school, got a job, had a family, got busy.  I sure miss it.”

“The only reason I go to church, confidentially, is for the singing!  Where else do people sing any more?”

As a visible singer in the world, I hear a LOT of stories about singing.
Some are tragic.
Some hilarious.
All touching.

Mostly I hear about why people don’t sing.
They’re waiting for a better time, the right teacher, or – heaven forbid – the perfect voice.

Here’s what I have to say about singing.
Want it to sound beautiful every single time you open your mouth?
It won’t happen.
Want to quit your day job, be “discovered,” get a recording contract, make a ton of money?
Don’t hold your breath, Sweetheart.

Music is not a commodity.

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Prayer for Peace

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I recognize that Peace is my natural state. By the Power and Presence of God within me, Peace is my divine right. It’s not something I have to work for, have certain material things to claim, wait for, or otherwise struggle or strive to achieve. There are no dues to pay; Peace is simply there for the realizing. And on all levels of my mind and being, I realize Peace now.

In my heart there is a center, that place that is virgin, untouched, unaffected by human experience. This is my place of Peace, my Christ-Mind conscious point of contact. Here, my soul is one with the Mind and Spirit of God. In this place I reconnect with God who is always dwelling there, no matter what outer appearances seem to say.

This Peace of God that passes all understanding radiates outward, upward, deeper and deeper. And I realize it, knowing myself as Peace, in all areas of my mind and life.

Peace is unchanging, because God is unchanging. As my life shifts to better express the Peace of God incarnate, for this is what I truly am, I notice the constant God-Presence that is powerful, peaceful, loving and lasting. This lasting Peace guides my life.

By giving up my personal ego and its expectations and activities each day, I re-establish my awareness and experience of true Peace. This Peace is beyond anything the personal ego could generate. Peace is real, while the personal ego is an illusion. Peace is eternal, while everything else is transient. In acknowledging this, I let go of the ego’s attachments to activities, needs, objects, states of mind and being, and relationships and conditions.

With God I co-create a peaceful state of being. By meditating on this peaceful Presence and experiencing it in the quiet, I carry it with me and express it in my daily life. I know that at any moment, I can turn within and declare, “Peace, be still, and know that I am God.” I choose this path whenever needed, as the Peace of God is with me wherever I may be in mind and body.

For this realization I give thanks. I let it be so. And so it is!

—
A Metaphysical prayer treatment.

My Writing Process

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I found these questions on author Abbie Johnson Taylor’s blog. I wasn’t part of the tour, but wanted to answer the questions.

1. What am I working on?

Dissertation for my first doctorate (Msc.D, Doctor of Metaphysical Science). This “counts” not only because it’s a big undertaking that requires determination, commitment, and trust, but also because the subject is music. I’m writing songs as well, some to accompany the dissertation, and others for an album called “The Shoes we Think God Wears.”

Plus the usual, i.e. poetry, prayer/treatment, and the occasional story or article!

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

I don’t know. Comparison has never gotten me good results, because I’ve always judged myself short! So, I don’t do that anymore. Others’ work is their own and contains their spirit and unique resonance. My work contains mine.

3. Why do I write what I do?

I write what I reach for. In other words, when I seek comfort, love, peace, even escape, I look for God through prayer, poetry, and most of all, music. I write to bring my own awareness back to God dwelling within. It’s a form of meditation for me. The genres are just those I find most comfortable, and I know that’s no coincidence!

4. How does my writing process work?

The whole process is God-inspired and directed. For something like the dissertation, I use an outline. But even that is written through me. I receive the gift of writing the points, the aspects, the truth that comes through me. I’ve tried other, more traditional processes of writing, revising, and editing. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it is that God leads better than the intellect alone ever could!

I have a proof-reading process. However, the ideas and concepts always stay the same; only the presentation and some grammar may change from the first stream of consciousness draft to the final version. It’s not my process, and believe me, it’s better that way! It’s God’s process!

For more, see
What is Self-expression?

Gratitude Quotes # 2

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purpleraysblog's avatarPurplerays

rose_petal_pink_238738
Photo Credit: http://www.all-free-download.com

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us – and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.
Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.”
― Thomas Merton
http://www.goodreads.com

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Truth in Humor

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Three more Limericks,
because humor often contains truth!

O just look at the glorious sky
Streaming beauty that money can’t buy!
We are not here to trade
Any gift God has made,
But to praise him for all he supplies!

There was a young someone from Mars
Who came to Earth looking for stars
First you and then me
And with each person seen
The creature proclaimed, “Here they are!”

Bless’d Spirit of things metaphysical!
And the mind with its limits, so quizical!
Now the spiritual gift
To the mind is a lift
And the breaking of chains analizical!