There's a tiny ray of light desperately trying to break through the never-ending drab of Toronto's winter sky. I see a touch of beautiful blue, the smallest hint of it peeking out cautiously from behind a blanket of opaque grey.
I'm on the streetcar on my way to work, trying to ignore the sound of the woman on her cell phone behind me. Cantonese. Consonants.
Church Street. The streetcar grinds to a halt, the doors pop open, and I hear the ringing of the bells from majestic St. James Cathedral.
"For whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee. Ernest Hemingway," the driver intones over the streetcar's PA system. I smile.
We pass Victoria Street, screech to a stop at Yonge Street, "Yonge Street, home of the King subway." I watch as a new stream of passengers tiptoes through slush and mud, and up into the warm car.
Chug Chug Chug. Continuing. Cantonese. Consonants.
I ring the bell signalling my stop, "Bay Street, home of financial wizards and money moguls, streets paved with gold, known as Wall Street in New York..." the driver continues.
I get up, stand by the door, lean in as he whispers to me, "what are you? money mogul or financial wizard?"
I pause.
"Frustrated writer?" I say, with a question in my voice.
He laughs, a nice, big belly laugh, "take care and have a wonderful day!" The sky clears, and fills with bright sun, its splendid azure lifting my spirits instantly. I'm smiling all the way to work.
Now did I mean him or me?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Energetic Pathways: Part 2
Read Part 1 here.
Tabula Rasa: Latin for scraped tablet or clean slate, refers to the epistemological thesis that individual human beings are born with no innate or built-in mental content, in a word, "blank", and that their entire resource of knowledge is built up gradually from their experiences and sensory perceptions of the outside world.
If you believe, like I do, that life is images of the mind expressed, you can imagine how powerful this meeting with Josep was. It was as though my brain was turned inside out, fractured into a million pieces and totally reconfigured. The principles I'd been studying, the patterns of behaviour I'd been releasing, the new thoughts I'd been processing; well, they boiled over in my brain and crystallized into a single, brilliant point of focus.
My life could be whatever I desired it to be - unfettered, unhindered, unburdened - inhibited only by the limits of my own imagination, faith and certainty.
Tabula Rasa.
I was finally freed of the constraints I had placed upon myself all my life. The voices of my parents, societal expectations, the fears of well-meaning friends, cultural conditioning - all of these were wiped clean. The particular beauty of this moment laid in it's complete absence of fear. For the first time, I was totally unimpeded by any fear of failure. How could I be when there were no limits, no constraints and no expectations? I decided that I would be kind to myself. I would forgive myself. I would not expect "perfection." No. Instead, I chose to see my life as a grand experiment. Every event would be viewed as a valiant, imperfect, sublime attempt at creating the life of my dreams. One that could be continuously tweaked and refined. With Josep's help, I had shifted the lens. With profound implications.
And so, in this delightful vacuum of silence, I began to consciously create my life. What did I truly want? What had I not allowed myself to consider out of the fear that it wasn't possible? What had I avoided because I could not see "how it would be done?"
To be continued...
Tabula Rasa: Latin for scraped tablet or clean slate, refers to the epistemological thesis that individual human beings are born with no innate or built-in mental content, in a word, "blank", and that their entire resource of knowledge is built up gradually from their experiences and sensory perceptions of the outside world.
If you believe, like I do, that life is images of the mind expressed, you can imagine how powerful this meeting with Josep was. It was as though my brain was turned inside out, fractured into a million pieces and totally reconfigured. The principles I'd been studying, the patterns of behaviour I'd been releasing, the new thoughts I'd been processing; well, they boiled over in my brain and crystallized into a single, brilliant point of focus.
My life could be whatever I desired it to be - unfettered, unhindered, unburdened - inhibited only by the limits of my own imagination, faith and certainty.
Tabula Rasa.
I was finally freed of the constraints I had placed upon myself all my life. The voices of my parents, societal expectations, the fears of well-meaning friends, cultural conditioning - all of these were wiped clean. The particular beauty of this moment laid in it's complete absence of fear. For the first time, I was totally unimpeded by any fear of failure. How could I be when there were no limits, no constraints and no expectations? I decided that I would be kind to myself. I would forgive myself. I would not expect "perfection." No. Instead, I chose to see my life as a grand experiment. Every event would be viewed as a valiant, imperfect, sublime attempt at creating the life of my dreams. One that could be continuously tweaked and refined. With Josep's help, I had shifted the lens. With profound implications.
And so, in this delightful vacuum of silence, I began to consciously create my life. What did I truly want? What had I not allowed myself to consider out of the fear that it wasn't possible? What had I avoided because I could not see "how it would be done?"
To be continued...
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Valentine
Saint Valentine was beaten with clubs and beheaded in ancient Rome. Emperor Claudius II believed that soldiers did not want to leave their loves or families to join the military, and so he cancelled all marriages and engagements. Saint Valentine secretly married couples and for this, he was martyred on February 14th. Happy Valentine's Day everybody! I hope your life is abundantly full of joy, gratitude and bliss, and may your belief in beautiful, perfect-just-as-it-is love not cause your beheading!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Energetic Pathways: Part 1
I've been trying to write this post for a very long time. It's been saved as a draft for countless weeks, while I try to figure out exactly how to tell this story. I guess I'm afraid that I won't be able to imbue it with all the weight and feeling of grace and completion that it deserves. Still, it's something I want to share with all of you, so here goes...Everything happens for a reason. This little phrase is running constantly in the background of my life. Events happen. People come into my life. Some things are good. Some things are bad. But it doesn't matter. Because everything happens for a reason.
I always believed this to be true on some superficial level, or perhaps I convinced myself of this to soothe in troubled times. Who knows? I can say this though. The events of the last year have proven to me that everything does happen for a reason. Without a doubt.
This particular energetic pathway stretches way back to December of 2005, when I had a psychic reading at a restaurant. You can read about it here. It was just for fun, and honestly, I don't put too much stock in psychic readings. At best, they give you a snapshot of the future at a moment in time, but since we are constantly creating, evolving and growing, the reading is only valid for those particular circumstances and conditions. In the next moment, your life has shifted somehow, and thus, your future. So when the psychic told me I would meet someone named Joseph, who would be significant to my life, I locked it away in my brain and then forgot about it.
That is until I went to Miami in October of 2006, and met Josep from Tarragona, Spain. A bunch of things happened between December 2005 and October 2006 that laid the foundation for me to even notice these energetic connections, but that's a whole other story. The point is that there was a sequence to all of these events. One could not have happened without the other, and when you're able to observe an overarching energetic pattern that stretches across years, it's a true moment of grace.
Everything happens for a reason.
Yes, Josep and I had a lovely time together. Yes, we are still in touch. And yes, he was significant, but not for the typical vacation fling reasons. Josep was important because he helped me shift my thinking in a very profound way. Through him, I realized that I had a whole slew of limiting beliefs around money - how to earn it, career - how to create it, life - what was possible. Essentially, Josep functioned like an atom bomb in my brain. One that detonated and set off a whole sequence of serendipitous events one by one by one...
To be continued....
Monday, February 05, 2007
Open Your Heart
Relax your calves, relax your calves, relax your...
Thighs...relax your thighs, relax your thighs, relax your...
Hips...relax your hips, relax your hips, relax your...
Chest...relax your chest, relax your chest, relax your...
Neck...relax your neck, relax your neck, relax your...
Face...relax your face, relax your face...
The Bikram yoga instructor's voice lulls me into a meditative state. I'm half awake, out of my head and fully present. My brain waves slow down. Alpha. Beta. Theta. Delta.
OPEN YOUR HEART he commands.
Tears spring instantly into my eyes. This is a surprise. An unexpected gift.
Let go.
I lie in Savasana for another 10 minutes as tears roll down my cheeks. I can't stop it. Nor do I want to. I am filled with emotion and flooded with a feeling of peace and gratitude.
As I leave the class, the bells from the big, old cathedral on the corner are ringing. It's Sunday after all, and service is over. My eyes fill with tears again. The sound is so beautiful. I am overflowing.
My heart chakra is awakening, and I am overcome with a profound sense of well-being and ease. I feel blessed, awed by the innocence and interconnectedness of the world, the perfect way in which all things flow harmoniously together.
El Collie writes about The Open Heart, and explains it much better than I can. Here's an excerpt:
In many spiritual traditions, it's considered the greatest blessing when the heart chakra awakens. Many regard this the most important energy center of the human psyche. The heart -- or fourth -- chakra is located at the center of the chest. When this chakra begins to awaken, a variety of sensations and physical symptoms can arise...Often there is heat focused in this area when the chakra is awakening. This may feel like a warm, glowing sensation or a feeling of incandescence, with the chest blazing hot as a furnace. After my heart chakra awakened, I discovered that whenever I was in the presence of anyone who felt sad, I would feel a dark weight on my chest. And when I was with anyone who was directing love toward me, my chest would become very warm...As the heart awakens, profound emotional changes frequently occur. The heart seems to both literally and figuratively break, releasing torrents of sadness and grief...During this same period, I was often overcome with intense compassion for people. I would be easily moved to tears upon hearing of any adversity in my friends' lives. This was not maudlin pity, but a deep sadness at the spiritual opaqueness of the world. Everyone evoked sweet-sad, deeply affectionate and reverent feelings in me; I felt such innocence and beauty in them all. There are many transcendent states that can accompany the heart awakening. Numinous beings of love and light may appear. Deep feelings of gratitude, joy and bliss may arise. A sense of the incredible beauty of all creation can be staggering. Tears of rapture can flow as easily and uncontrollably as tears of sorrow. Realization of unity with the divine and/or with all existing beings is dramatic at this time. Tremendous feelings of appreciation and compassion arise. Every sentient being is felt as precious...
Thighs...relax your thighs, relax your thighs, relax your...
Hips...relax your hips, relax your hips, relax your...
Chest...relax your chest, relax your chest, relax your...
Neck...relax your neck, relax your neck, relax your...
Face...relax your face, relax your face...
The Bikram yoga instructor's voice lulls me into a meditative state. I'm half awake, out of my head and fully present. My brain waves slow down. Alpha. Beta. Theta. Delta.
OPEN YOUR HEART he commands.
Tears spring instantly into my eyes. This is a surprise. An unexpected gift.
Let go.
I lie in Savasana for another 10 minutes as tears roll down my cheeks. I can't stop it. Nor do I want to. I am filled with emotion and flooded with a feeling of peace and gratitude.
As I leave the class, the bells from the big, old cathedral on the corner are ringing. It's Sunday after all, and service is over. My eyes fill with tears again. The sound is so beautiful. I am overflowing.
My heart chakra is awakening, and I am overcome with a profound sense of well-being and ease. I feel blessed, awed by the innocence and interconnectedness of the world, the perfect way in which all things flow harmoniously together.
El Collie writes about The Open Heart, and explains it much better than I can. Here's an excerpt:
In many spiritual traditions, it's considered the greatest blessing when the heart chakra awakens. Many regard this the most important energy center of the human psyche. The heart -- or fourth -- chakra is located at the center of the chest. When this chakra begins to awaken, a variety of sensations and physical symptoms can arise...Often there is heat focused in this area when the chakra is awakening. This may feel like a warm, glowing sensation or a feeling of incandescence, with the chest blazing hot as a furnace. After my heart chakra awakened, I discovered that whenever I was in the presence of anyone who felt sad, I would feel a dark weight on my chest. And when I was with anyone who was directing love toward me, my chest would become very warm...As the heart awakens, profound emotional changes frequently occur. The heart seems to both literally and figuratively break, releasing torrents of sadness and grief...During this same period, I was often overcome with intense compassion for people. I would be easily moved to tears upon hearing of any adversity in my friends' lives. This was not maudlin pity, but a deep sadness at the spiritual opaqueness of the world. Everyone evoked sweet-sad, deeply affectionate and reverent feelings in me; I felt such innocence and beauty in them all. There are many transcendent states that can accompany the heart awakening. Numinous beings of love and light may appear. Deep feelings of gratitude, joy and bliss may arise. A sense of the incredible beauty of all creation can be staggering. Tears of rapture can flow as easily and uncontrollably as tears of sorrow. Realization of unity with the divine and/or with all existing beings is dramatic at this time. Tremendous feelings of appreciation and compassion arise. Every sentient being is felt as precious...
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Glasshouse
I've been working on a new post for about a week. The topic is so complicated to write about, that honestly I'm having a lot of trouble getting it down in any understandable format. It IS a story I want to share with all of you though, so I'll keep plugging away at it. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some pictures of the new loft I purchased a few weeks ago, since it's actually part of the OTHER story I'm trying to write. Yes, this is an incredibly lazy post, but the other one, is taking up all of my energy.
The loft is pre-build, and will be completed in October of 2008. It's a boutique building in downtown Toronto with only 86 units. The finishings are absolutely fantastic! Quartz counters, wood floors, stainless appliances, tempered glass backsplash, fully tiled bathroom, ceiling heights over 9 feet, a gas stove, and would you believe a gasline out to the balcony for a BBQ!! Now THAT is a rare thing for a condo. I'm so excited to move!!
The loft is pre-build, and will be completed in October of 2008. It's a boutique building in downtown Toronto with only 86 units. The finishings are absolutely fantastic! Quartz counters, wood floors, stainless appliances, tempered glass backsplash, fully tiled bathroom, ceiling heights over 9 feet, a gas stove, and would you believe a gasline out to the balcony for a BBQ!! Now THAT is a rare thing for a condo. I'm so excited to move!!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Fertile
Emily and I went to a psychic fair in November, soon after we returned from our totally transformational Miami trip. We went mainly to get our aura pictures taken. Em's was blue, ALL BLUE (caring, nurturing, lives out of heart and emotions, difficulty saying no, intuitive). Mine was yellow, orange and gold (intelligent, sunny, creative, independent, spiritually minded, divinely protected).
Included with our pictures was a psychic reading. What I remember most about the reading, was the psychic telling me that I was in an extremely fertile phase....mostly because my thoughts immediately jumped to unplanned pregnancy. Bad idea. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what he meant at the time...but let me tell you, I sure understand it Now.
It's been just over 3 months since I returned from Miami, and I can say without a doubt that this has been the most consciously powerful creative time in my life. I now understand that most of the experiences in my life, the connections I have made, the people I have met, have been leading to This particular Moment in time. I feel as though I have awakened from a long slumber to find that my world is ripe with possibility. Everywhere I turn, there are new opportunities, new people and new potentials. I am struck by lightning bolt ideas on a weekly basis that I MUST put into practice, right Now. I have the intuitive sense that I am planting the seeds that will grow into the vast, abundant forest of my future, as long as I nurture them with all the patience, dedication and love I can muster.
I am so blessed.
Have a great weekend everybody! I'll be tending to my garden...(and partying a little of course!!)
Included with our pictures was a psychic reading. What I remember most about the reading, was the psychic telling me that I was in an extremely fertile phase....mostly because my thoughts immediately jumped to unplanned pregnancy. Bad idea. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what he meant at the time...but let me tell you, I sure understand it Now.
It's been just over 3 months since I returned from Miami, and I can say without a doubt that this has been the most consciously powerful creative time in my life. I now understand that most of the experiences in my life, the connections I have made, the people I have met, have been leading to This particular Moment in time. I feel as though I have awakened from a long slumber to find that my world is ripe with possibility. Everywhere I turn, there are new opportunities, new people and new potentials. I am struck by lightning bolt ideas on a weekly basis that I MUST put into practice, right Now. I have the intuitive sense that I am planting the seeds that will grow into the vast, abundant forest of my future, as long as I nurture them with all the patience, dedication and love I can muster.
I am so blessed.
Have a great weekend everybody! I'll be tending to my garden...(and partying a little of course!!)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Gratitude/Appreciation List
To be truthful, I'm feeling kind of down in the dumps. I don't know if I am picking up on energetic frequency related to Blue Monday, or if this is the consequence of releasing a bunch of old stuff in my yoga class yesterday morning. Whatever the reason, I thought I'd write a gratitude/appreciation list to try to pull myself out of it.
I am happy and grateful because:
1. I am healthy, with full use of my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual capabilities.
2. I have a loving and supportive family that is 100% behind me at all times.
3. I have a beautiful condo in downtown Toronto.
4. I am surrounded by an abundance of beautiful friendships, both old and new.
5. I have a closet full of shoes!
6. I'm having a facial tonight.
7. My calling has recently been revealed to me.
8. Many things have miraculously fallen into place since that happened.
9. There is beautiful, soul stirring, gut wrenching music in the world.
10. I have 2 parties to go to on Friday night with many different friends.
11. I am re-starting taiko drumming classes tomorrow night.
12. I am blessed with constant opportunities for change, growth and evolution.
13. Of Lynne.
14. Westies are the cutest dogs on earth.
15. I'm having lunch in 5 minutes and I will get a nice hug.
16. There's chocolate on the table at work.
17. My friend at work bought my Americano for me this morning.
18. I can see the good in most situations.
19. That sometimes simple things touch me so much, I cry.
20. That I have this blog as an outlet of expression.
I am happy and grateful because:
1. I am healthy, with full use of my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual capabilities.
2. I have a loving and supportive family that is 100% behind me at all times.
3. I have a beautiful condo in downtown Toronto.
4. I am surrounded by an abundance of beautiful friendships, both old and new.
5. I have a closet full of shoes!
6. I'm having a facial tonight.
7. My calling has recently been revealed to me.
8. Many things have miraculously fallen into place since that happened.
9. There is beautiful, soul stirring, gut wrenching music in the world.
10. I have 2 parties to go to on Friday night with many different friends.
11. I am re-starting taiko drumming classes tomorrow night.
12. I am blessed with constant opportunities for change, growth and evolution.
13. Of Lynne.
14. Westies are the cutest dogs on earth.
15. I'm having lunch in 5 minutes and I will get a nice hug.
16. There's chocolate on the table at work.
17. My friend at work bought my Americano for me this morning.
18. I can see the good in most situations.
19. That sometimes simple things touch me so much, I cry.
20. That I have this blog as an outlet of expression.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Basketball
Perhaps this was only funny to me because I got 3 hours of sleep, and am teetering precariously close to the edge of delerium.Last night, I hit an "exclusive" club/lounge here in Toronto called Cache with a bunch of new girlfriends. I didn't even know it existed, and it's one of those places that's hidden in an alleyway between 2 streets, where you have to know the owner or security or be on some list to get in. Whatever. All I know is that hitting a club/lounge on a Wednesday night, having 3 shots and 2 drinks (when you don't normally drink), and then hooking up with The Boy, the night before a work day is not a very smart idea. I'm running on fumes here...and I fear, they are alcohol fumes.
Unsurprisingly, I woke up late for work this morning. So, we jumped in a cab and hightailed it uptown. As the cabbie handed me back my change, I simultaneously reached forward to grab my receipt, accidently hit his outstretched hand, and watched as the twoonie arced gracefully towards the open ashtray and landed smack dab in the centre with a pleasing clink.
Somehow, this struck me as totally ridiculous, and I burst into gales of hysteria. Yeah, I know. It probably wasn't that funny. But like I said, I'm running on fumes.
Is it the weekend yet?
Monday, January 15, 2007
Images of the Mind
I'm having a day that is equally strange, and wickedly awesome. The coincidences, and examples of magical thinking just keep piling up. These incidents trip me out just as much as they confirm my belief that "life is images of the mind expressed." Why? Because it keeps happening, and I keep noticing. I suppose this is a by-product of observing my thoughts, and making the connection between what I'm thinking, and the manifesting of that thought soon afterwards.
Examples from today:
1. Before I left my condo this morning, I was listening to a song called 100 Billion Stars by Lux. I had to turn it off midway through because I was already late for work. As I turned it off, I was thinking, I really wish I could listen to that song again, it's so beautiful. Then I put on my iPod Shuffle headphones, and yup, guess what it shuffled to? 100 Billion Stars. Of course. That made me smile. Later in the day, I told a co-worker about this strange "coincidence," and when I returned to my desk, guess what song was playing on my speakers. Yup. 100 Billion Stars. Now that....that made me laugh.
2. Once I got to work, I headed to Starbucks for my daily Americano ritual. I had exactly $2.65 in my wallet which is enough for a Grande. While in line, I was thinking, I could really use a Venti today (didn't go to bed until 4AM!), too bad I don't have more money. Then I ordered, paid my $2.65, and waited at the barista bar. Lo and behold, somehow they screwed up, and I ended up with a Venti!!! Yeah, weird.
3. There's this guy at work named Robert, that is somehow on this strange Energy Meridian with me. Everytime I go somewhere, he suddenly appears or vice versa. It's really odd. It's happened so much that we have a running joke about, "get off my energy grid, you're sucking me dry," kinda thing. Today, he came over to my desk, and I said, "guess what? I bought another condo yesterday," and he says, "Yeah I know. I was just coming over to tell you that I saw you yesterday in a sales centre on Queen Street." He was driving by in his car, looked over for a split second, and saw me standing there. Ultimate weirdness.
I'm pretty tripped out, but hyper at the same time. Even though these are small things, they give me confidence that there is a link between what I'm thinking, and what's manifesting in my life. I feel like I'm on the brink of something huge. I haven't quite grasped it, but it's there. It feels like trying to remember a word, hearing it rattle around in your head, but not quite being able to articulate it.
All I know for sure is that I'm holding an image in my head of the life I wish to live, and it is exactly what I desire. Data collection is over for me. I'm in the creation phase. I have nothing to do but wait and be grateful. Because I already have everything I need.
Examples from today:
1. Before I left my condo this morning, I was listening to a song called 100 Billion Stars by Lux. I had to turn it off midway through because I was already late for work. As I turned it off, I was thinking, I really wish I could listen to that song again, it's so beautiful. Then I put on my iPod Shuffle headphones, and yup, guess what it shuffled to? 100 Billion Stars. Of course. That made me smile. Later in the day, I told a co-worker about this strange "coincidence," and when I returned to my desk, guess what song was playing on my speakers. Yup. 100 Billion Stars. Now that....that made me laugh.
2. Once I got to work, I headed to Starbucks for my daily Americano ritual. I had exactly $2.65 in my wallet which is enough for a Grande. While in line, I was thinking, I could really use a Venti today (didn't go to bed until 4AM!), too bad I don't have more money. Then I ordered, paid my $2.65, and waited at the barista bar. Lo and behold, somehow they screwed up, and I ended up with a Venti!!! Yeah, weird.
3. There's this guy at work named Robert, that is somehow on this strange Energy Meridian with me. Everytime I go somewhere, he suddenly appears or vice versa. It's really odd. It's happened so much that we have a running joke about, "get off my energy grid, you're sucking me dry," kinda thing. Today, he came over to my desk, and I said, "guess what? I bought another condo yesterday," and he says, "Yeah I know. I was just coming over to tell you that I saw you yesterday in a sales centre on Queen Street." He was driving by in his car, looked over for a split second, and saw me standing there. Ultimate weirdness.
I'm pretty tripped out, but hyper at the same time. Even though these are small things, they give me confidence that there is a link between what I'm thinking, and what's manifesting in my life. I feel like I'm on the brink of something huge. I haven't quite grasped it, but it's there. It feels like trying to remember a word, hearing it rattle around in your head, but not quite being able to articulate it.
All I know for sure is that I'm holding an image in my head of the life I wish to live, and it is exactly what I desire. Data collection is over for me. I'm in the creation phase. I have nothing to do but wait and be grateful. Because I already have everything I need.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Intention and Clarity
This is from an eNewsletter I receive. I wanted to share it with all of you. Enjoy.
Question: How do I break out of this negative cycle and step into the prosperity of life in my marriage, finances, emotions. Heck, just all of it? I would like to believe that it is in front of my face. I need to know what to do to make it happen so I can see it, feel it and taste it.
Answer: Thank you for bringing forth such a delightful question. Your question is one that may contribute to many because we all live in this world and exist within the polarity of positive and negative vibration. Giving you a place to begin, recognize that within an environment, a city, a home, or a business - within any type of environment you'll find a spinning of energy. This energy is a mixture of spinning emotion, thought or collective vibration. When you step into any place or environment this collective vibration combines with the spinning of your vibration. If you are not strongly rooted in your sense of yourself, with a strong definition of where you want to point your attention and your intention, you get sucked into the vacuum of the collective vibration of what you have just stepped
into. Then your vibration weakens in its energy and the collective vibration begins to strengthen in its energy.
I am pointing you in a direction to gain understanding of the dynamics of collective energy. This way you can understand that some of the things that have occurred in your life that feel negative are not necessarily from your direct intention. Rather they are related more to your lack of intention. If you do not have a direct clear plan, and if you have not specified where you would like to direct your thoughts, life, dreams and visions what happens is you emerge with the spinning vibration around you. You become that to which you connect.
What I would do if in your being is gain clarity. Look at what is in your environment. Specify all your environments including your home, your city, your family. Examine all of them and ask yourself who around you is supportive, who around you is understanding and has compassion, and who around you is not. Begin to create clarity within these relationships. Perhaps what you could do is define those who are not supportive and ask them to be supportive. If you recognize that their nature can not be supportive then you need to strengthen your vibration when around them. Become clearer about what you wish and turn towards your intention. You may begin to notice the dynamics of the relationship begin to automatically balance itself. This is a result of your clarity. Others become more supportive because they sense your self-definition.
You can also do this with any area of you life. Take your job, career, dreams, visions and desires for abundance. Begin to fuel the dreams connected to all of these areas. When you have doubt say, "Oh doubt has come into my nature. What is it wanting to point me to?" Notice where your fears lie and then gather them and place them into your heart. Use your thoughts to place them within your heart. Say to your fears, "Ok, doubts or fears, go ahead and blend in my heart. Take a nice deep breath and release. Next, invite in possibility. Begin to visualize. Think about what would bring you happiness. Now turn towards those thoughts and images. Turn towards that which you choose to create magnificently in your life and give those thoughts power. You now are creating attention to an intention. This becomes fuel. You are creating a velocity. You are creating a vibration. You are creating a tornado of energy within the nature of your intention. Now, when you step into a room, instead of that room consuming you, you will draw to you whatever is in the room that matches your vibration. Assistance will come to you and it will build with your energy. You will find the results that you wish to create.
Your question is really about intention. It is really about attention and it is about becoming clear.
Question: How do I break out of this negative cycle and step into the prosperity of life in my marriage, finances, emotions. Heck, just all of it? I would like to believe that it is in front of my face. I need to know what to do to make it happen so I can see it, feel it and taste it.
Answer: Thank you for bringing forth such a delightful question. Your question is one that may contribute to many because we all live in this world and exist within the polarity of positive and negative vibration. Giving you a place to begin, recognize that within an environment, a city, a home, or a business - within any type of environment you'll find a spinning of energy. This energy is a mixture of spinning emotion, thought or collective vibration. When you step into any place or environment this collective vibration combines with the spinning of your vibration. If you are not strongly rooted in your sense of yourself, with a strong definition of where you want to point your attention and your intention, you get sucked into the vacuum of the collective vibration of what you have just stepped
into. Then your vibration weakens in its energy and the collective vibration begins to strengthen in its energy.
I am pointing you in a direction to gain understanding of the dynamics of collective energy. This way you can understand that some of the things that have occurred in your life that feel negative are not necessarily from your direct intention. Rather they are related more to your lack of intention. If you do not have a direct clear plan, and if you have not specified where you would like to direct your thoughts, life, dreams and visions what happens is you emerge with the spinning vibration around you. You become that to which you connect.
What I would do if in your being is gain clarity. Look at what is in your environment. Specify all your environments including your home, your city, your family. Examine all of them and ask yourself who around you is supportive, who around you is understanding and has compassion, and who around you is not. Begin to create clarity within these relationships. Perhaps what you could do is define those who are not supportive and ask them to be supportive. If you recognize that their nature can not be supportive then you need to strengthen your vibration when around them. Become clearer about what you wish and turn towards your intention. You may begin to notice the dynamics of the relationship begin to automatically balance itself. This is a result of your clarity. Others become more supportive because they sense your self-definition.
You can also do this with any area of you life. Take your job, career, dreams, visions and desires for abundance. Begin to fuel the dreams connected to all of these areas. When you have doubt say, "Oh doubt has come into my nature. What is it wanting to point me to?" Notice where your fears lie and then gather them and place them into your heart. Use your thoughts to place them within your heart. Say to your fears, "Ok, doubts or fears, go ahead and blend in my heart. Take a nice deep breath and release. Next, invite in possibility. Begin to visualize. Think about what would bring you happiness. Now turn towards those thoughts and images. Turn towards that which you choose to create magnificently in your life and give those thoughts power. You now are creating attention to an intention. This becomes fuel. You are creating a velocity. You are creating a vibration. You are creating a tornado of energy within the nature of your intention. Now, when you step into a room, instead of that room consuming you, you will draw to you whatever is in the room that matches your vibration. Assistance will come to you and it will build with your energy. You will find the results that you wish to create.
Your question is really about intention. It is really about attention and it is about becoming clear.
Friday, December 29, 2006
2007
I gave up on New Year's Resolutions long ago. Why do we, as a human race, continually set ourselves up for failure? What is, is what is. This mode of being may seem circular, however my peace has come from accepting that what is happening in the moment of Now, is exactly what is supposed to be happening. No questions asked.
2006 was a year of huge challenges, growth, beauty and joy. And as 2007 dawns, and I look backwards, I feel so blessed. I am in a state of pure gratitude, and I wonder how I could ever have doubted anything. My life has been full of gifts, the obvious and not-so obvious...if only I had paid closer attention sooner. But no regrets. Accept what is.
I wanted to share some of Louise LeBrun's thoughts. They are full of wisdom and simplicity and I intend to integrate them more fully into my life in the coming year. I hope you are as touched by her words as I was.
On Creativity and Daily Living
Imagine what your life could become if you got curious - about yourself, about your world-view and about your motivation for making the choices you make. Suddenly, life would be filled with astute observations and their corresponding, life-expanding insights. The next time you find yourself in that same old __________ (you fill in the blanks: conversation, relationship, job, problem, etc.), instead of looking around for someone to blame for keeping you there, get curious! Let yourself notice you, for a change, and ask yourself the following questions: Isn't that interesting! Every time x happens, I do/say/respond with y. How come that seems like an intelligent response? How does it serve me to continue to do that? When was the last time that I actually chose my response instead of just acting out of habit? What is it that always doing x allows me to continue to not pay attention to? What would happen to the quality of my life if I did something else instead? Who would support me and who would be angry/sad/disappointed/frustrated with me? How much more of my life do I want to live like this? What am I waiting for to be able to choose differently? Whose permission do I need to be able to begin to live my life in a way that leaves me feeling alive, dynamic and energetic? Who do I need to become to allow myself to claim a joyful life?
On Abundance
We tend to seek to fulfill our need or desire for an experience of abundance from the outside. We look around us; or beside us and rarely ever inside us to find what we're looking for. We defer to external standards to tell us what we should want; how much and when we'll know that we've gone as far as we need to. Rarely do we move into those still, silent places inside of us and ask: what do I really want? If I were to die tomorrow, how will I know I've made a difference? How will my presence have enriched my world? What will really have mattered?
Sometimes, in our frantic search for more and bigger and better, we overlook the possibility that the roots of abundance lie in what we give and not just what we get. We forget those moments when we could burst – from the inside out – with a sense of joy of accomplishment or contribution or simple satisfaction from a job well done … and with an attitude of grace and elegance. Ironic, isn't it, that the more we give to others, the greater our sense of having received.
As the summer months unfold and offer up their bounty of cool, refreshing swims and BBQ's with family and friends, Mother Nature offers up an abundance of opportunities to feel the wind and the sun; to hear the delight of water-logged play; and to see the glorious moment when the sun drops below the horizon, holding the promise to come again. If we let ourselves pay attention, we begin to notice that the absence of the sun is always followed by the gentle offering of the moon. Where else in our lives have we perhaps not yet noticed that when one gift fulfills its time, another will always come to take its place – if we pay attention.
On Celebration
What is often overlooked in the small silence of its expression is that moment – or those series of moments – that fill us from the inside and happen frequently, from one day to the next.
Like a fine mist, easily overlooked unless you're watching for it. The smile from the gas station attendant. The concerned and thoughtful questions of the pharmacist. The patience of the traveler behind us as we return from our daydream long after the light has changed. The waitress in the coffee shop who remembers how you like your bagels. The receptionist in the dentist's office who takes a moment to explain to you that your dentist will be late, and offers you a magazine. The stranger in the hospital waiting room who entertains your energetic and restless youngster while you await the results. The pedestrian who stops and makes it possible for you to dart through, just ahead of the endless line of cars.
These too are celebrations. Frequently occurring moments that – if we pay attention to them and honor them - fill our hearts and touch our souls. Moments in which whatever we're wearing, whoever we're with, is just perfect for the occasion. Moments that invite us to feel what it is to be one human being, in our ordinary-ness, in the presence of another equally ordinary human being, in the creation of a magical moment. If this is not cause for celebration, I don't know what is.
2006 was a year of huge challenges, growth, beauty and joy. And as 2007 dawns, and I look backwards, I feel so blessed. I am in a state of pure gratitude, and I wonder how I could ever have doubted anything. My life has been full of gifts, the obvious and not-so obvious...if only I had paid closer attention sooner. But no regrets. Accept what is.
I wanted to share some of Louise LeBrun's thoughts. They are full of wisdom and simplicity and I intend to integrate them more fully into my life in the coming year. I hope you are as touched by her words as I was.
On Creativity and Daily Living
Imagine what your life could become if you got curious - about yourself, about your world-view and about your motivation for making the choices you make. Suddenly, life would be filled with astute observations and their corresponding, life-expanding insights. The next time you find yourself in that same old __________ (you fill in the blanks: conversation, relationship, job, problem, etc.), instead of looking around for someone to blame for keeping you there, get curious! Let yourself notice you, for a change, and ask yourself the following questions: Isn't that interesting! Every time x happens, I do/say/respond with y. How come that seems like an intelligent response? How does it serve me to continue to do that? When was the last time that I actually chose my response instead of just acting out of habit? What is it that always doing x allows me to continue to not pay attention to? What would happen to the quality of my life if I did something else instead? Who would support me and who would be angry/sad/disappointed/frustrated with me? How much more of my life do I want to live like this? What am I waiting for to be able to choose differently? Whose permission do I need to be able to begin to live my life in a way that leaves me feeling alive, dynamic and energetic? Who do I need to become to allow myself to claim a joyful life?
On Abundance
We tend to seek to fulfill our need or desire for an experience of abundance from the outside. We look around us; or beside us and rarely ever inside us to find what we're looking for. We defer to external standards to tell us what we should want; how much and when we'll know that we've gone as far as we need to. Rarely do we move into those still, silent places inside of us and ask: what do I really want? If I were to die tomorrow, how will I know I've made a difference? How will my presence have enriched my world? What will really have mattered?
Sometimes, in our frantic search for more and bigger and better, we overlook the possibility that the roots of abundance lie in what we give and not just what we get. We forget those moments when we could burst – from the inside out – with a sense of joy of accomplishment or contribution or simple satisfaction from a job well done … and with an attitude of grace and elegance. Ironic, isn't it, that the more we give to others, the greater our sense of having received.
As the summer months unfold and offer up their bounty of cool, refreshing swims and BBQ's with family and friends, Mother Nature offers up an abundance of opportunities to feel the wind and the sun; to hear the delight of water-logged play; and to see the glorious moment when the sun drops below the horizon, holding the promise to come again. If we let ourselves pay attention, we begin to notice that the absence of the sun is always followed by the gentle offering of the moon. Where else in our lives have we perhaps not yet noticed that when one gift fulfills its time, another will always come to take its place – if we pay attention.
On Celebration
What is often overlooked in the small silence of its expression is that moment – or those series of moments – that fill us from the inside and happen frequently, from one day to the next.
Like a fine mist, easily overlooked unless you're watching for it. The smile from the gas station attendant. The concerned and thoughtful questions of the pharmacist. The patience of the traveler behind us as we return from our daydream long after the light has changed. The waitress in the coffee shop who remembers how you like your bagels. The receptionist in the dentist's office who takes a moment to explain to you that your dentist will be late, and offers you a magazine. The stranger in the hospital waiting room who entertains your energetic and restless youngster while you await the results. The pedestrian who stops and makes it possible for you to dart through, just ahead of the endless line of cars.
These too are celebrations. Frequently occurring moments that – if we pay attention to them and honor them - fill our hearts and touch our souls. Moments in which whatever we're wearing, whoever we're with, is just perfect for the occasion. Moments that invite us to feel what it is to be one human being, in our ordinary-ness, in the presence of another equally ordinary human being, in the creation of a magical moment. If this is not cause for celebration, I don't know what is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)