Inspiration of RocksThe Inspiration of Rocks comes from lessons that can be learned from nature. Even if you don't enjoy gardening you can learn a lot from the metaphors on this page. This is so true. Nature is a gentle teacher. She teaches through touch, smell, sound, and taste. It's gentle growth and the cycle of life so obvious in the seasons beckon one to journey ever more into her classroom. When you give the difficult memories of the past a great amount of attention they grow into boulders. Focusing on these negative thoughts will begin to give you the same feeling as if you are surrounded by boulders and nearly unable to see the sunshine that is on the other side. 
When you chose to give your energy to one pebble(a small painful experience) and then the next pebble pretty soon you become weighted down with various sized rocks. You see when you put energy and attention into watching pebbles grow into rocks you have no energy left to live. You must find the inspiration of rocks in order to heal.Rocks are unique. Their shapes are all different. The weightiness versus size is also different. Some are smooth as silk. Others can cut your skin if you aren’t careful, and some will take your breath away with their beauty. There are rocks with hidden treasure that you won’t discover until you break them open. You will first have to strip away the ugly outside crust, then cut the stone, polish it, and finally stand back and drink in the pure jewel that is left. You are the jewel beneath the crusty exterior. The rocks covering you have shaped you into a unique and shining spirit. They are your inspiration of rocks.
Nature shows that when light is shining behind the rocks everything on this side is in shadow. To reach the light you need to remove the boulders in your way, building them into an inspiration of rocks to lift you out of the shadow. Rocks as a BurdenTake a rock into your hand.It will soon get in your way and you will stick it in your pocket. But with a rock in your pocket you don’t have room for your cell phone or house keys. You have to choose between the rock and your life. Picture a city full of people forced to leave their homes. The survivors begin with all their prized possessions as they start down the highway. As the walk lengthens they choose to stop and re-prioritize what they need. They leave more along the highway the farther they go. It’s all good stuff. In choosing to leave their burden behind them they have taken their memories for inspiration and their rocks have become an inspiration of rocks.
When you choose to lighten your burden you have received the inspiration of rocks. Horses and rocks
Horses are herd animals and all follow one leader. The herd stallion is the decision maker and disciplinarian. All the horses look to him when danger approaches. So a horse owner must consistently be that leader. A lot of horse training takes place on the ground so that once you get on their back they know you are the one in charge. A horse should instantly respond to your requests. Signals and voice commands are used to make a request. In one method of training when the horse does not respond a small rock is tossed toward the horse. The rock is not thrown to inflict pain, but rather tossed as an annoyance. If the horse does not respond the annoyance continues until he does. Then he is rewarded with praise. The annoyance has become an inspiration of rocks. You have annoying rocks placed in your path, also. It's the stuff you trip over, the natural consequences. With each choice you make a door is opened. Some doors lead to a short hallway with no other exit. What Gifts?If you are wandering through life lugging your baggage (rocks), chances are you won’t see the gifts you are tripping over. And you sure as heck can’t reach down to pick up a gift and take it with you.
Your path is liberally sprinkled with free gifts, but when your pockets are full, your arms are full, and you are lugging a huge pack of rocks, that is all you can see. Your negative past is filling you up and hiding the gifts you are supposed to receive today. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Building blocksRocks easily become reality. Your memories may be seen by someone else as distorted. They are your reality, and the point is that rock as you see it is what has effected your life. When you choose to see it you can begin to mold it into part of your path and move on. That's the only way a boulder can become a stepping stone.The inspiration of rocks, built from these stepping stones are your foundation. They can used for good. Once you are able to put your rocks into their proper place they become the essence of who you are in this world. To do this you must look at each rock and find it's lesson. What did you learn and how can the lesson be used to make you a better person. The painful experience is no longer your burden, but your foundation. When life overwhelms you and you need to sit, relax, and breathe you can safely rest on your foundation. That is your reference point. These foundation rocks also make excellent stepping stones into the light. "From rock to creek bed"Rocks can be a huge pain, quite the opposite of an inspiration of rocks. 
Have you ever tried to dig a hole or plant something? Often you will have to dig through a million rocks. Those racks can become an unsightly pile or a beautiful part of the landscape. But it takes planning. An acceptance of the rocks as part of the process.When you can see the rocks as a free opportunity you can decide to make a path, a water feature or a dry creek bed. Just deciding what to use them for doesn't get them out of your way. You must create the structure you want them to become. Then you have turned an irritation into a creation of something larger that will build into an asset. They have become an inspiration of rocks.
If you can identify a rock, then examine it, maybe dig it away from a root or weed, and take it one step at a time the sudden rock can become part of your own inspiration-of-rocks. Taking the panic out allows your brain to work. You can then sort out the steps that will turn the rock into a piece of the stream bed, turn the painful experience into a pearl (see "Sand or Pearl); an irritation into a learning experience that will shape you into a better person. That is the gift of the inspiration of rocks. Sand or PearlA grain of sand is a very small rock. If you leave it in your shoe it will rub against your foot, and if you continue to leave it there is will create a blister or an open sore. But an oyster is much smarter. He takes that same grain of sand, and instead of allowing it to become something bad, he turns the sand into a pearl.What if you could turn your rocks into stepping stones? By embracing the lessons you have learned you can take the grain of sand that is in your shoe making a blister, and instead of ignoring it and watching it turn the blister into an infection, take that grain of sand out and see what it has to teach you. So with each rock you examine you can choose to leave it an ordinary stone or change it to a beautiful pearl. That grain of sand is different from every other grain of sand. What made its shape? Why is this grain of sand colored brown? How did it get in your shoe? This inspiration of rocks teaches that when faced with a rock you have the opportunity to learn from the pain, changing the irritation into a pearl. What burden are you carrying today? Calmly inspect it, perhaps it is a good candidate for turning into an inspiration of rocks. You may return to
Daily Spiritual Inspiration
here.
|
Consider the analogy that past hurts and guilt are like rocks in nature. Each lesson is based on the concept that the negative things in life are symbolized by a rock. 
Like a rock you stumble over, the natural consequence is meant to get your attention. The smart thing to do is to stop and evaluate the situation. Do I want another rock coming at me or do I want a hug and praise? What was the decision that lead me to this dead end? How can I turn this into an inspiration of rocks? 
Remember its all good stuff to build with. All the rocks in the stream are different. They are large, small, squarish, perfectly round, and all different colors. Some have rings around them,and some are more than one color. All are different. All are unique. And together they work to build the stream bed from your inspiration of rocks.
