Listening

Do you truly listen to others?  Here is a little exercise you may want to challenge yourself to.  It is a great way to sharpen your listening skills!

When someone is talking to you about a problem, issue or concern give that person the space to speak what is on their mind without interruption.  Listen closely to what he or she (from now on referred to as she) has to say, because the next thing you will do is repeat to her what you heard her say without any comment or judgement.  You are just making sure you heard what she was conveying to you correctly.

This is a bit tedious, but it has three great benefits: 1. It makes you really pay attention and 2. The person you are listening to feels good about the attention and space you are giving her and 3. The chance of misunderstandings and personal interpretation (where you mingle your story with hers) is minimized or at least reduced!

When I did this exercise for the first time, it was amazing to me that despite the intent listening there were still clarifications that had to be made and things I even misunderstood!  It is a great way to achieve more clarity and deeper understanding.  Give it a try!  You will be surprised at the results.

Cleaning Your Energetic Field

Your energetic field is exposed to many other energies when you spend time in public places that are frequented by many people (like an expo, a  show, a museum, etc.).  Even if you take preventative steps, it is always beneficial to take a few minutes when you are back in your sanctuary or in a peaceful place to cleanse your energy field.  There are many ways to do this and here are a few:

1. Pray to your angels and ask for an energetic cleansing.

2. Go for a walk in nature.  If you are lucky, the wind might be blowing!  The wind is a wonderful cleanser.  3. Do a breathing exercise:  Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.  Focus on + signs in and - signs out.  Or think: In with the good and out with the bad.  Use the words and/or images that work for you!

4. Physically cleanse your body - take a shower or even better an Epsom salt bath!

5. Use your focused intent and your hands to have all unwanted energies detached from you.  Fill the energetic gaps with Light and Love.

6. Use a crystal such as a smokey quartz or a dalmatian jasper to remove and transmute negative energy.

Are there any techniques you use that you would like to share?

Commitment

"Commitment is an act, not a word." by Jean-Paul Sartre

You can gain a lot from committing to an act that you believe in.  I have had to discipline myself to regularly blog.  Not always do the words flow.  At times I am also exhausted and can't find the energy to write about anything.

And yet, when those times come, I take a deep breath, relax my mind and body, and open to the happenings of the last 24 hrs or so.  I let images, events, words, whatever comes go through my head and trust that a topic will emerge.  I have learned that everyday is full of lessons.  We simply need to find the willingness to seek and understand them.  :)

The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto

Today I want to share the following text with you that was sent to me by a dear friend of mine.  My hope is that every parent in this world will embrace these words.  If every child gets to experience this, the world will truly become a better place.  Blessings to all children.

The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto
by Brené Brown

Above all else, I want you to know that you are loved and lovable.

You will learn this from my words and actions—the lessons on love are in how I treat you and how I treat myself.

I want you to engage with the world from a place of worthiness.

You will learn that you are worthy of love, belonging, and joy every time you see me practice self-compassion and embrace my own imperfections.

We will practice courage in our family by showing up, letting ourselves be seen, and honoring vulnerability. We will share our stories of struggle and strength. There will always be room in our home for both. 

We will teach you compassion by practicing compassion with ourselves first; then with each other. We will set and respect boundaries; we will honor hard work, hope, and perseverance. Rest and play will be family values, as well as family practices.

You will learn accountability and respect by watching me make mistakes and make amends, and by watching how I ask for what I need and talk about how I feel.  

I want you to know joy, so together we will practice gratitude. 

I want you to feel joy, so together we will learn how to be vulnerable.

When uncertainty and scarcity visit, you will be able to draw from the spirit that is a part of our everyday life. 

Together we will cry and face fear and grief. I will want to take away your pain, but instead I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it. 

We will laugh and sing and dance and create. We will always have permission to be ourselves with each other. No matter what, you will always belong here.

As you begin your Wholehearted journey, the greatest gift that I can give to you is to live and love with my whole heart and to dare greatly.

I will not teach or love or show you anything perfectly, but I will let you see me, and I will always hold sacred the gift of seeing you. Truly, deeply, seeing you.

Reprinted from Daring Greatly by Brené Brown by arrangement with Gotham Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Copyright (c) 2012.

Unknown

Instead of waiting for something to happen, what if you took some action, even if you didn't know the outcome?  What would it be like to step into the unknown as a regular practice instead of once in a while, if at all?  Would your life become fuller, more adventurous, more conscious?

What do you think?  This concept really resonates with me especially with respect to spicing up your life, breaking out of the doldrums and routines.

Take a chance, make a change, wake up to new possibilities and fully embrace life.

Hand Chakras

Did you know that there is a chakra in each palm of your hand?  The hand chakras are mostly used for healing purposes once awakened/opened, though they can also be used as conduits.

In Tae Kwon Do we learned an easy technique to physically feel energy and it involved the hand chakras (though I didn't realize it at the time).  This is what you do:

1. Rub the palms of your hands together 10 times or so, as if you were trying to warm them up.
2.Then open the palms up so that they are still facing each other but are shoulder width apart.
3. Slowly bring the palms back toward each other and feel the energy.

Once you feel it you can experiment with it.  By moving your hands as if you were playing an accordion back and forth, you can feel it change.  It starts feeling like an elastic ball.

This is one way to start opening/activating your hand chakras.  They are both directly linked to heart chakra. I often use them to choose an Aura Soma bottle/essence for myself.  I "look" with my hand chakra.

Crystals can also help open these chakras.  I learned that the other day with the Mookite Jasper I was holding in the palm of my hand.  Now I only have to think of the stone and my left hand chakra energizes and heats up very significantly.  This energy is healing energy.  If I hover the hand over my heart chakra it feels very soothing. :)

What Would Make You Happy?

Today I was asked what would make me happy...  I had to stop and think about it.  What was interesting was that at first I tried to look into the future to see myself in a happy "state".  It didn't feel right though so, I decided to think about what would make me happy right now.

The answer came quickly to me:  What makes me happy is to be me, the true me without any masks.  No looking away and stuffing problems, no more avoiding conflict out of fear.  I don't know what the future will be like, but I do know what my now is.  I am alive now and I can only be happy in this space.  When I am centered, truly centered, I am happy no matter what happens around me.

So what would make you happy?  How would you answer this question for yourself?

Jasper

For the last half hour I have been holding a Mookite Jasper shaped in the form of a heart in my left hand.  I had a headache and was feeling drained when I started this process.  Now my left palm is feeling very hot (almost a burning sensation), my head is clear and I feel energized.

Jaspers are amazing stones.  Here are just a few key jasper characteristics as listed in the book "Love Is In The Earth; A Kaleidoscope Of Crystals" by Melody:

Supreme nurturer

Accepts responsibility to protect against negativity and helps grounding

Aligns chakra energies

Balances yin-yang and physical, emotional, and intellectual bodies with the etheric energies

Stabilizes aura

Facilitator for safe astral travel

Can help keep one’s energy high (sustaining stone)

Depending on the specific type of jasper other additional characteristics apply.  I held a Picture Jasper first, which primarily works on the first and sixth (root and third eye) chakras.  I couldn't feel a change so I switched to the Mookaite and I am glad I did.  Mookaite's primary influence is on the first 3 chakras (root, sacral and solar plexus) and it promotes intuition, awareness and healing, while the Picture Jasper promotes confidence, nurturing and creative visualization.

I can definitely attest to the stabilizing of the aura, alignment of all energies, healing (the headache) and the energy booster!  Very cool indeed. Looking forward to the astral travel...  ;)

Loneliness

When you feel lonely you are disconnected.  Disconnected from others, but more importantly disconnected from yourself, from your inner light, from your inner Divine spark!

Thus, when or if you should ever feel this way, stop and look/feel inward.  Go back to your inner haven and get connected again to yourself.  When you are connected to that inner space you are truly never alone.  Your energy will shift instantly and you will feel peace, connectedness and wholeness.  You are part of all and all is a part of you.

Giving And Receiving

Keeping a balance between giving and receiving is of great importance in human relationships.  It is about learning to give without expectations and letting love in, in whatever form it may come (help, prayers, physical assistance, hugs, a kind word, someone reaching out to you...).

Expect to give and expect kindness in return, not one for one, but view it as a whole experience.  Look inside yourself, become the observer and ask yourself:

How freely do I give?  How do I give?  Do I like it?  Do I do too much or too little?  Do I have barriers?

Am I open to receiving?  Do I let others help me?  Do I ever ask for help?  Can I embrace other people's love?  Do I believe I am worthy of love?  Do I have barriers?

And finally, am I balanced when it comes to giving and receiving?  Make it your goal to be in balance when it comes to giving and receiving.  It is a blissful experience.  :)

Emotions Pre and Post Operation

While sitting in the hospital yesterday, I overheard a nurse talking about how emotions are impacted before, during and after operations.  She said that they noticed a pattern.  People who go into surgery laden with worry and fear will reemerge out of anesthesia crying without knowing why.  Those who enter surgery with acceptance and in a peaceful state, reemerge calmly.

It seems that while under the influence of the anesthesia, the emotions are simply put on hold until the mind 'wakes up' again.  As you are coming out of your chemically induced sleep, the body releases the tension through tears.

I have seen my son go through surgery three times now, and can attest to the truth of these observations.  One time he was literally panicking right before he went to sleep.  When he woke up he cried uncontrollably.  The last time he was anesthetized, he was worried but not panicked.  His eyes got moist once when he woke up but it was truly minor.

The lesson here is: if you need to go into surgery do all you can to be emotionally ready for it.  Emotions run deep and the more at peace you are with the process the better for your whole body and that includes the recovery process.  A positive attitude is a high vibrating miracle in itself.  :)

Support System

When you are going through a tough time, where you have to be the strong one for everyone else, a loving support system is an invaluable gift.  It is soothing and comforting when you know there are others who are there for you too and who have your back!

Their prayers, loving thoughts and good intentions make a world of difference, in that they increase your vibration and clear your aura.  They also make you feel connected and connect you to the Universe in turn. All of this gives you the strength you need to get through.

Be sure to ask for the support when you need it!  You will be glad you did on so many levels.

Thank you to my loving support system that carried me and my son through his surgery today.  :) 

Dream again

When you are young you are full of dreams that you want to realize.  As you get older life changes and many people fall into a routine and forget to continue dreaming.  There are responsibilities, bills, children, pets, etc. to take care of.  The personal focus has shifted to family focus.  It becomes so easy to loose yourself in that role and to give it your all.

In the process you may loose touch with who you are, what you want and what your deepest dreams and wishes are.  It is important to eventually start dreaming again. Dreams lead you back to who you are at the core and put you back on your path if you strayed. :)

Details

Details are important...  Detail plays a role in everything.  In several blogs I mentioned how Spirit's communication is subtle and the way to start detecting it is to pay attention to details.

Nature's lessons are also embedded in the subtle details of its glorious composition.  Every leaf, pebble, stream or snow crystal is unique.  The closer you look the more you see.  The more you open all of your senses the greater and deeper your experience.

When creating new jewelry and getting into what I call my creative "zone", I notice how much attention I pay to the littlest detail.  Every bead I choose, every stone I set has to be just so, it has to feel and look right.

It is amazing how closely linked creation/creativity and detail really are.

Listen To Your Body

Your body talks to you every day.  How often do you listen to it?  How in tune are you with your body?  Is it on equal footing with your mind, spirit and emotions?  Do you feed it good food and plenty of fluids?

By the time your body gets ill, you more than likely have been ignoring it for a considerable amount of time.  The signs are there, at first subtle and then more persistent.  The sooner you "listen" and respond accordingly the less likely it is to develop into something more serious.

Mind, body, emotions and spirit are all interlinked.  Honor, respect and tend to them equally for your balanced well being.

Expect The Unexpected

When you are working on manifesting something, letting go of the outcome is a very crucial aspect of this process.  This means that you see and feel yourself manifesting, but the how it happens is a mystery.  

This also means that you need to release all fear associated with and that could hinder the manifestation.  When doubt enters your head, spend the time needed to remove it.  You do that by looking at what the root of the doubt is.  

When you can feel your energy flow freely then you know you are in the right space to manifest.  Trust that the process will happen and release any preconceived paths that you think are necessary to the manifestation.  Then watch it all happen.  :)

Action and Stillness

Action needs to be balanced with Stillness.  Action focuses your life and moves it forward.  It has a purpose and is vital for growth.  

Stillness gives you the space to download, regroup and set/reset your goals. It is the time to connect with your Higher Self, time to ask for guidance, time to dream, time to open yourself to new ideas and approaches.

This has been a very physically busy week for me, with not a lot of time for stillness.  Invariably, I was so tired today that I took some time to rest.  Though I couldn't sleep, I did end up in this state of stillness, where I was able to come up with new action steps and new ideas.  And I also rested.  I feel refreshed.

I was not thinking non stop.  I laid down, closed my eyes and made my mind go blank.  It just felt that after a while ideas came into this space of stillness.  I had wanted to sleep, but instead this happened, which is fine too.  :)  In a way the process of falling to sleep is similar to meditating.  

The Path

We are a spark of God (or fill in the term you feel most comfortable with), and God is Love and Peace. Thus Peace and Love are within us all.  Our experiences, emotional layers and thoughts are what stand between us experiencing this state of  bliss and joy.

The more you work through your layers and shed them, the closer you get to feeling this internal happiness, this unconditional state of Love. You experience it more often and it becomes easier to access.  You feel its presence: you are a part of it and it is a part of you.

I believe the trick to achieving this goal of happiness/love/joy/peace is not the goal, but the journey.  It is about working through the illusion of good and bad.  And the embracing of what is, no matter what. To have no secrets from oneself, to have clear inner vision.

Fingers Follow Up

Yesterday's blog talked about fingers.  The same principle applies to the toes.  So check them all out!

When you know what finger or toe is "out of balance" and the general topic is represents as mentioned in the previous blog, ask yourself the honest question of what you feel and think about this topic as far as you are concerned.  Honesty is the key!  This whole exercise becomes pointless otherwise.  

Once you identify your feelings and thoughts ask yourself:  What are you willing to do about it?  You may find that the one thing you need to do is the one thing you don't want to do.  Either way identify what you can or could do and then make a conscious choice.  :)

Fingers

Here is a little tidbit I learned in Italy from a healer/masseuse:

The thumb represents power.
The pointing finger represents judgement.
The middle finger represents sex.
The ring finger represents marriage.
The little finger represents children.

Whenever you have an issue with a particular finger, whether it is a cut, a sprain, a deformity, etc. it is indicative of an imbalance in your life and the list above shows you the area in your life that the imbalance is taking place.

Today I got a small cut my my thumb.  When I thought about my power and whether there was an imbalance, I came to realize that there was.  Coincidence?  Maybe, nevertheless this is an interesting curiosity. I'd like to hear your experience with this. :)

Exuberance

Today I had the privilege to watch a youth's exuberance on the tennis court.  What a gift!  It was the highlight of my day.  He was clearly enjoying the game and was non discriminant between teams, cheering everyone on.  His positivity and liveliness was contagious.  Though the other team ended up loosing, I believe it was the most amicable game I have ever witnessed.

This freespiritedness, this exuberance is joy in pure form.  How do you achieve this state?  Good question!

Here are some tips:
1. Win or loose, accept it all equally.  It really doesn't matter in grand scheme of things.
2. Put all thoughts aside.
3. Be in the moment, in the Now.
4. Love life & people.
5. Have fun!  Child like fun in its pure form.

In addition, when you are in that state, others can't help but be pulled into that space.  So not only is there joy in you, but you are spreading the joy. It is like the cup of love that overflows.  :)

Pets

I love my dogs.  Everyone knows the therapeutic benefits of pets.  Thus I have been resisting stating the obvious.  Today though, while I am sitting here waiting for inspiration to hit for today's insight, I keep looking at my dogs sprawled out all around me and my heart fills with love.

Eckhart Tolle calls cats and dogs The Guardians Of Being, which is also the name of his book.  It is a lovely, easy to read combination of wisdom and cartoons, in which beingness is described and how our pets embody the simplicity of it, teaching us everyday how to simply BE!

Their unconditional love is endless.  Through their happiness they lighten our hearts, through their endless giving they fill our hearts.  Their gifts to us are priceless.  Have I mentioned?  I LOVE my dogs!  :)

Family Patterns

Over the years I have observed patterns repeating themselves across multiple generations.  It seems like life lessons are not just for you to learn.  Your ancestors worked on them too and your children will continue the work.

I also have seen subtle and significant shifts from generation to generation.  Depending on how deeply the previous generation worked on the life lesson, the further along the next generation is in the process of mastering that lesson.

There is a deep interconnection between generations.  I can see where in a way we are all one.  I have a new and deeper appreciation for why Eastern cultures revere their ancestors.  They have done the best they could to help us be where we are today.  And likewise it is up to us to do what we can by working on ourselves for the next generation and the future world at large.

Every single person counts as does every single step towards expanding your awareness, no matter how small.  Keep the light in your heart shining bright.  It will show you the way.  :)

Take a break!

Giving yourself permission to take a break is very important.  It is not that we never take breaks, but often times we feel guilty about it because "we have so much to do".

Make sure that when you do take a break you do it consciously and let everything else go.  Give yourself full permission to do or not do whatever you want!  If it  makes you feel better set a certain amount of time for it.  And then revel in it fully!!!  Guilt-free.  :)

Resilience

A human's resilience is an amazing, even awe inspiring quality to me.  While volunteering at funeral dinners, I observe the way people handle the passing of a loved one.  It is a mix of quiet acceptance, bewilderment, numbness, sorrow, loss, grief, support and the love.  People reaching out to each other for comfort, compassion, reassurance and hope.  You also see bravery and the celebration of people that were deeply loved.

Several of the ladies I work with have lost their husbands very recently.  Their steadfastness and commitment to continue helping others who loose their loved ones, moves me deeply.  It is an exhausting job and I see a lot of them in physical pain by the end of the dinner, but none of them ever complain.  They just keep going.  

One lady in particular just lost her husband two weeks ago.  Yet she was there today, ready to help even though I could still see and feel how raw she was inside.  Her quiet dedication and presence showed me her resilience and bravery.  She is not shying away from life nor death.  She is facing her reality and accepting it one baby step at a time.

I simply felt moved to write about this today.  This blog is meant to be a tribute to human resilience, to the strength that is within all of us, to the acceptance of life and death as equals, to the dedication and commitment of these ladies, and to the love that is in all of them and all of us.  May God bless us all.

Signs

Everywhere I turned today, the word 'Art' seemed to be following me.  At first I didn't notice, but after a while it was hard to ignore.  When something like this happens, I do believe that Spirit/God is trying to tell me something, which in this case was a quite insistent reminder to be creative - at least that was my interpretation of it.

Signs, signals, reminders, answers are being given to you all the time by the Universe.  They are subtle though and it is up to you to become aware of and sensitive to these signs.  In the example above it was the random, repeated appearance of the word 'art' in 'non-artsy' environments.  Other times it is an unexpected turn of events or anything that is not the norm.  It can come in a peculiar/unusual phrasing out of a loved ones mouth.  And so on.  Again, the key word is 'subtle'.  You need to pay attention to the details and open your heart.  As everything, it takes practice.

I do believe prayers are answered.  Often times it doesn't happen the way you expect it to, but if you are able to let go of the how, you might be able to see/hear/feel the answer that is being given to you.  Be aware, be open and expect miracles to happen.  :)

Go With The Flow

Sometimes, no matter how well you plan something, things just go differently.  The trick is to surrender to the moment and go with it.  Embrace the flow of life.  It is teaching you something.

You have prepared the best you could.  Your knowledge is your surfboard.  Then all you have to do is feel the wave and ride it!  You will have a great time and achieve more than you expected!

Giving Thanks

Today I was reminded of the importance of giving thanks while feeding 25 high school kids.  Every single one of them very freely expressed and showed their gratitude for the meal provided.  Their enjoyment was so obvious it simply seeped all the way through me.  Though the preparation was a lot of work, I felt so elated after it was all said and done that I wouldn't blink an eye to do it all again.

It reminded of how important it is to SHOW gratitude and what a difference it can make in a person's life.  By saying 'thank you' you are acknowledging another person's effort and letting them know that the deed was noticed and appreciated.

Everyone of us wants to be seen and appreciated.  So how about it?  Take time out of your day today to give thanks to someone you take for granted, to someone you think could benefit, to anyone for that matter.  Bring some joy to another person's life.  It'll make your life brighter too!  :)

Perseverance

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of the hard work you already did." by Newt Gingrich

Perseverance is a wonderful thing.  It is the magic ingredient you need when you feel like you can't take one more step.  It takes will power, utter conviction and trust that what you are doing is the right thing and that it will make a difference.  

Perseverance comes from deep within you and thus has its roots in God/Spirit/Allah/etc.  It goes beyond thinking.  It is the helping hand that leads you to taking one more step.  It is within us all and we all have access to it.  It helps us reach beyond and become more.  :)

Starting Point

When a day comes that you suspect or even know that your life cannot go on the way it has, but you don't know what will change or how it could possibly change, what do you do?  Indeed, what do you do?

I believe the most important thing in this situation is to first find hope within you, hope that there is another path (and there always is), hope that things will change (and they always do), hope that you will find your way through (and you always will).  Believe that things are happening for a reason and that eventually you will be able to see the big picture.

Once you start feeling hope again start wondering...

What if the answers are all within you?  What if you do know?  If you were to guess, where would you start?  What would be your first step toward your new life?

Realigning

"When you are off track there is nothing like a good friend to put you back on track."  by Bettina  :)

When walking your path, invariably there will be times where you may step off the path or even head back the way you came.  Old patterns and habits are hardly ever changed instantly.  The trick is to recognize you are heading off course.  This is usually easily done since you won't feel elated, confident, sure of what you are doing, nor happy like you are when you are in alignment with your soul.

When this happens and you can't find your way back on your own, turn to your believing eyes or your coach, in short someone who can guide you back onto your path.  It will make a world of difference and save you a lot of time and heartache!