Tuesday, April 30, 2013

What did you say?

I never say: nothing bad happens to me. Instead, every day I say: everything good happens to me. I learned the hard way that my mind hears the main idea in my thought, either bad happens or good happens. I learned that I have to speak in the positive. My mind will not understand what I don't want. Neither will yours.

If you want to lose weight, think that you want to eat healthy and workout today, rather than I need to lose ten pounds. Otherwise, your mind will intend ten pounds on you. If you want to spend more time with your family, think of specific activities you want to do with them, rather than I never see my family. If you have been dating and it is not going so well, think that you want a healthy and fun dating life, rather than I am tired of dating the wrong type. 

Make your intentions positive. This, in turn, has a nice side effect. It positively influences your energy field which radiates outwardly affecting others in a good way. This reverberates back to you in a synchronistic dance, helping you manifest your intentions. 

Don't think about what you don't want anymore of. Today is a good day to think positively and only about what you want. Even better, say it, positively...that will be what you see more of. 


Monday, April 29, 2013

In your head...

We say we want peace, that we don't want any trouble. Yet we fill our mind with imaginary scenarios of an argument with another person. We imagine what someone will say to us as we walk in the door and we plan our comeback reply. It's a tennis match in our head. She'll say this. Well then, I'll say that. Then she'll say this and I will just tell her that! I'm tired already just thinking about it. It's exhausting. We waste energy on something that is not even happening.

We cannot have thoughts of peace and thoughts of conflict at the same time. If we have our mind busy with thoughts of disharmony, that is what we will come with and that is what we will receive. How about we come in empty? We don't imagine a reception. We busy ourselves with whatever is happening at the moment. This could change any conflict that might have been. It will also elicit a more honest response with whatever reception you get from the other person. If the greeting you get is contentious, you will be more apt to respond in a peaceful way and to change the outcome.

Today is a good day to put your imagination to good use. Do not occupy it with thoughts of an argument that may or may not happen. Instead, think thoughts of peace. Let go of conflict. It's in your head.


Sunday, April 28, 2013

Act your part

You know who you are. Right? You know what you want, what you like, how you feel in any given situation, what you think about specific things. Then, why do you act according to others? You either go along with others' plans or you continually defend yourself to others.

You are not alone in this. Many people feel that, in order to keep the peace, they shouldn't rock the boat. They agree outwardly with others following a different path than the one they would prefer–career paths, college plans, marriage, sexual preference, whether or not to have children. Then there are others who anticipate the difference of opinion and are always trying to prove themselves, defending themselves or constantly resisting authority. Either way of acting is fear-based and forgetful of our intrinsic value and purpose.

Today is a good day to act according to your life's path. Do not wait for others to tell you what to say, do, feel, believe or think. Act as the unique being you are–you have a calling and a purpose. Don't explain or defend yourself. Act your part. Act as yourself...




Saturday, April 27, 2013

Karmic bite

 ©2013 The Soulcerer's Apprentice
Photo: Natalia Ortiz-Cotto
nortiz.studio@gmail.com 
We tend to think of Karma as that force that avenges us, that gives others their due when they've done us wrong. Well, we are wrong. Karma takes no evil action on our behalf, we don't command it, we can't summon it.

Karma, basically, means action. It works on the principle of cause and effect. It results from our own thinking, attracting with our thoughts, words and actions results and effects that match them. In other words, karma creates our circumstances and it isn't fated. At any moment, we can change it.

Everything we think, say and do makes a difference in our life and the lives of others. We create our own experience by making  decisions that have either a positive or a negative impact. When we choose in a manner that blesses others, we are blessed as well. When we choose in a manner that hurts others, we receive in kind. Yet, we can pay karmic debts to undo transgressions. To know that when we have made a mistaken choice we can make new choices that create new outcomes is very comforting.

Since we create our own karma based on our choices, we have to be aware of what we choose–consciously and unconsciously. The key to our karma is to be aware of our decisions. Today is a good day to ask ourselves how our choice will affect us and others. What will the consequence of our choice be? So when you feel that karma bit you in the bum, know that you are not a victim, you have power over your destiny. We reap what we sow. We attract into our life what we think, what we do and what we say. Karma can be good. Make that choice.


Thursday, April 25, 2013

It's not me, it's you...

Same complaint, different day. Actually, same complaint, different day, about a different person. Could it be that it's not me, it's you?

He sat there and went over the details of his argument with his manager. She was wrong, he was right. His first wife was wrong. His second wife, too. His last girlfriend didn't understand either. His neighbor had no common sense. His nephews needed to learn a few lessons in life. I needed to change a few things as well, he said. His son was perfect, but that's because he took after him. At this point in the conversation his demeanor changed. His faced softened into a melancholic stare. He dropped his head and sighed. I'm tired of making bad choices. I can't keep blaming everyone and everything. I don't want my son to grow up to be miserable too. I have to change! 

I felt for my friend. He was tired of the way he acted. It was easier for him to turn to arrogance and be right all the time than to admit that it was him, not the world, he had a chance over. You don't have to change, I said. He didn't. He just needed to peel away at the layers of beliefs and a self-imposed false identity. He just needed to know himself.

Not knowing who he really was, he judged people and situations narrowly. He found conflict everywhere. He had set ideas about how events should be. He refused to see others as they were, expecting them to fill his ideas of how they should be and act. He was stuck in old beliefs and wanted to control everything. He projected on to others what he didn't want to admit of himself or that which he didn't understand. He tried to repeat experiences of the past–his and others.

So who is he? He is you. He is me. He is Spirit. He was created with a purpose and beautiful gifts and talents. He did not need to do anything, but simply be, to flow with life instead of fight against it. Self-awareness was the key that opened his outlook on life.

He has since exchanged many of his old habits for new ones. He practices what he calls "manly meditation" two times a day. And he listens with his whole being when we talk. He is softer, kinder and aware of who he is. He is also more successful and happy, quite happy. It wasn't our conversation that brought him to this point. It was his willingness that opened up the path for him. Once he was willing, the right information and the right people showed up to help him. There were signs everywhere. He paid attention and today he is who he always was–without all the struggle.

Today is a good day to let go of our ideas of who we are and find out for ourselves who we really are. This is a process, but we can start it today. Let's be aware of who we are and be it. When we are, we are loved, supported, lifted and guided by Spirit. When we let go of who we think we should be, we become who we really are.



Tuesday, April 23, 2013

High on purpose

At five in the morning, taking a cold shower is no fun. I had such a shower this morning. It wasn't really five. It should have been, but I woke up late. I didn't get to meditate...or do yoga. My morning started in a frenzy. I don't work that way. I don't play well with others either when I step on the day with the wrong foot.

My first meeting of the day was off my normal route. I got lost. My mood was definitely not improving. Fine. I got it. Pouting was getting me nowhere, at least not where I needed to be. After driving around in the wrong direction, I stopped at a red light and saw where I was sitting–on this beautiful hill in a city I have only visited once, recently, in the last twenty years. The view was spectacular. What a gift. The sun was shining over the city and between me and the valley below, there draped the most beautiful vegetation. Ok. I let go of my frustration and I found my way.

I got to my meeting just in time. A few minutes earlier I was tempted to cancel. I was tempted to think that getting up late, having no hot water, breaking my routine and getting lost was a sign that this meeting was not supposed to happen. I was wrong. All of these obstacles opened me up to uncertainty. Had everything gone as I had planned it, I would have had a set outcome in mind. Yet now I was open to ideas and creative birthing of solutions. We had an amazing brainstorming session. Inspired, we hopped spontaneously into our cars following a hunch, drove to and walked unannounced into the office of one of the hottest movers and shakers around. He graciously and generously received us, mentored us, directed us and has committed to continue to work with us. It was magic, the sort of synchronicity I have become used to.

My colleague and I started our meeting by becoming clear on what we wanted to accomplish and what our roles were in relation to the goal, to those we work with and to each other. Harnessing the power of our purpose, we worked it. The paths became clear. The resources appeared. We are serving our purpose. We got high on it.

Today is a good day to clarify your purpose. This may take more than one try, on more than one day. Try nonetheless. Once your answer is clear, stay on track. Happiness unfolds when you are where you need to be and do what you are called to do. The Universe fulfills your needs as you fulfill your purpose.





Monday, April 22, 2013

Mirror, mirror...

I have a beautiful family, amazing friends, a lovely circle of creative types and I work with very intelligent and dynamic colleagues. This enriches my life in many ways. In fact, I find that I have a great life. I work in what I love and I have a great lifestyle. However, I do have in my life some difficult people I have to relate to, and others that I simply don't understand. Then there are some areas that I still struggle with. I meditated on this considering that we attract what we are. Oh boy. The areas and the people I struggle with are quite frustrating, even hurtful. What does that make me?

The law of attraction explains that we attract everything, obstacles and all, not according to what we want, but according to who we are. Then there's the law of reflection which explains that everything around you is you. We reflect back to ourselves. Once we realize this, we become more self-aware.

If we look around us and we see that which we enjoy and appreciate we can can continue to offer that part of us to the Universe. Yet if we find ourselves in situations we don't like or dealing with people who are difficult, then we have work to do. Once we start working on those areas that are being reflected back to us that are not what we wish for, we can attract better situations and relationships into our life. First, we reflect, then we attract.

To change our reflection, we have to work from the inside out. It is inner change that we need. If we are reflecting doubt, fear, insecurity or anxiety then we have to look at what we are rooting our faith in–is it outside sources? Then we should root ourselves in our intrinsic worth. If what we are reflecting is stress, then we should take steps to reduce it by meditating, exercising and rethinking the activities we have decided to take on. If we are reflecting toxic and negative behavior, then we should work on releasing anger and frustration. If we are reflecting lack, then we should reconsider our beliefs about abundance and be more generous. Whatever we see in the mirror of our life is what we are. If we want to improve on that or change it, then we should do what it takes to change it.

There are three things we can do regarding what we see reflected in the mirror of our experience. We can accept it, we can fix it or we can walk away from it. Today is a good day to make that decision and be happy with what we see in our mirror.


Sunday, April 21, 2013

Healing what hurts

Your heart aches. You are upset. Something did not go right. Someone hurt your feelings. You are right, but then, you are wrong. You are right to recognize that you are hurt, but you are wrong to think that something or someone hurt you, for nothing outside of ourselves can hurt us.

What hurts us emotionally is our reaction, our perception, our thoughts and our judgment of things that happen in our life. Yet the things that happen to us are only triggers, they can't hurt us emotionally. We hurt because we hold on to what we perceive causes us pain.

We view life through the lens of our experience, our beliefs and our expectations. If we've been lied to in the past and we are lied to again, we hurt. If we belief that cheating is wrong and our spouse cheats, we are hurt. If we expect to a particular reaction from someone we love and we don't get it, we are hurt.

All feelings are valid. When your heart aches, don't judge your feelings as good or bad. Don't ignore your feelings either. What could they be telling you? Accept these feelings as something running through you, something that is not yours. Remember also that this is only a moment of your life, it will soon be the past. You live in the present. Decide that from now you will respond differently by making new choices.

Today is a good day to find quiet time to shift your thoughts away from what you associate with pain. Let go of your assumptions and expectations. Let go and let the healing begin.


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Losing weight

I am lightweight. It has taken a few years to get to this point. I am speaking about my physical, emotional and spiritual heft. In the past few years I have lost about thirty body pounds and kept them off. I didn't make any major physical or dietary changes for which I could attribute the weight loss, but I did make one big change–a change that took courage and strength, a change that I struggle with everyday: forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the deliberate choice of seeing beyond a person's hurtful action. When we judge something that someone does that we perceive is wrong or hurtful, we are judging from the ego. The ego wants justice, revenge, to be right, to be righted. The ego ignores the fact that what someone else has done to us is a past action, and it is that–action, it is not who they are.

Forgiveness is a choice of our Higher Self which knows that all actions are rebalanced according to right action and right timing. Forgiving allows divine unfolding of ourselves, others and relationships. Forgiving releases emotional burdens that keep our hearts heavy, our minds in the past and our peace disturbed. As we forgive, we not only forgive others, we forgive ourselves and we give way to extraordinary changes in our soul and our body.

Shame, blame, pain from the past, grievance, anger, resentment, bitterness and hostility are all inflammatory emotions that wreak havoc in our body. When we feel these negative emotions, our body produces adrenaline, which keeps us revved up, and cortisol, which suppresses our immune system. Not forgiving causes emotional and physical stress. When we let go of all toxic emotions, we return to wholeness: calm mind, peaceful heart, healthy body.

Everyday forgiveness means choosing not to be angry at the driver who cut you off, at the coworker who talks too much, at the client who makes you wait, at the colleague who talks self-importantly, at the friend who is always twenty minutes late. More difficult forgiveness involves seeing beyond a daughter's lie, a friend's betrayal, a husband's infidelity, a business partner's embezzlement, a mass bomber's actions. We can forgive someone even if that person is not aware that we have, for forgiveness is not about the other person, it is about us. Forgiveness does not mean that we condone wrong or hurtful action. We can forgive while refusing to accept someone's behavior. We can forgive and release that person from our life.

Forgiveness is not easy. We may have to forgive someone more than once before we are finally able to let go of the emotions in our heart. Yet once we are willing to forgive, a shift starts to happen. We are released to love and be loved able to enjoy people, the present, and ourselves.

Today is a good day to practice forgiveness and start to lose weight in our mind, our heart and our body. Let go...let go of the grudges, the toxicity, the heavy burden in our heart, the weight.



Friday, April 19, 2013

Message in a bottle

It's Friday. The day started off for me. For a few days I have been feeling someone else's sadness. It's a bond I haven't been able to break. I have diverted my attention, focused on my writing, my relationships, my goals, but I keep coming back to thoughts, melancholy and frustration that are not mine. It's an intimate psychic bond that permeates my waking hours and my dreams.

Early this morning I went to a bookstore/coffee house on the other side of town. I wanted to write, quietly and in an anonymous corner for a while. I wanted to feel well and concentrate on what I have going on in my life–all good things. I got my wish. I got more than my wish. In my quiet corner, a man who was staring at me while I wrote, interrupted me to give me a poetry book. Read the marked poem, he said. That was all he said. It was beauty. It was a gift.

A while after, one of my closest friends met with me. Shortly after, my friend and owner of the bookstore joined us. This is a gift in itself...to meet with people you love and respect to talk–current events, literature, arts, politics. Yet I got more than that. I got a small bottle of perfume. Another gift. The smell is delicious. As I sprayed it over the perfume I had already put on earlier today–how else do you appreciate perfume?–all the sadness I was carrying lifted. As I released the new smell into the air and onto my skin, I realized that I too must release that which I unconsciously carry that doesn't serve me or those I love.

The message that I received with this bottle is that our love is action, it must act like love. The sadness I have been carrying belongs to someone else. I can't change it. I can't help it. I can't carry it. Our friendship has been interrupted by time, space and fear with only a supernatural link and no reciprocity. It will fizzle under the absence of love in action. The message is that I must be love, act like love and release. Breaking the bond will help us move on. Breaking the bond is my act of love.

Today is a good day to release, with love and into Spirit's light, those who you can no longer love in action. More importantly, today is a good day to release, with love and into Spirit's light, those who can't, don't or won't love you in action. Spirit will bless your efforts and carry you through, helping you channel your love where it can make a difference, where it is needed. Start with a fearless willingness to release and let love take over. That's the message in the bottle...


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Gridlock

Two days ago I was stuck in traffic for two hours. It was the end of the day, it was raining and it was tax day.

Because of my flexible work schedule and ability to work wherever, I am hardly ever stuck in traffic. I can bypass the most congested areas and times of the day. Being stuck in traffic sucked. Fortunately I had fantastic company in the car, excellent music and conversation. We were stuck in traffic right around the corner from one of my favorite restaurants so we seized the opportunity and stopped for an amazing dinner. Over mediterranean food and red wine we went back to the topic of the traffic jam. The city was gridlocked. The city was gridlocked and drivers refused to budge. Gridlocking was their exercise, their statement, their element of control.

We do that in other areas of our lives too. We gridlock. We refuse to cooperate with ourselves, each other and circumstances. Nothing and no one moves. We come to a point where we are so tired, so uninspired, where we feel we've had enough that we decide not to collaborate. We decide we will have our say, we decide we will decide whether it is right, wrong or indifferent. Do you ever feel that way? I have. I did. For years.

Where are you stuck in life? Is it work? Is it a dream or a goal? Is it your relationship? I dare you to move. Move sideways, out of the way, behind, forward...just move. Move and inch and allow something to happen, someone to help, someone else to be right. Allow the air to circulate with new ideas, new hope and a new path.

A few years ago I budged. I released my grip on my idea of a marriage and a life path. My move began with moments of silence. In those moments of silence I softened. Spirit led me. Letting go of my ways, my ideas and old beliefs released the gridlock and the road became clear. Today my path is still clear. The Universe constantly reminds me that I have a choice to love all as it is, as they are...that I can cooperate with others on their journey. Today is a good day to move, even a tad, to help free the traps we have locked ourselves into.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Terms of endearment

I had to rush out of my office a little bit ago in the pouring rain. I grabbed my essentials and ran out the door and into the car which I had left out of the garage this morning. I was wet and out of sync. As I was driving out of the complex I reached for the remote control to open the exit gate. I pressed on the button. Nothing happened. I pressed again. Nothing. I pressed one more time. You guessed it, nothing happened. There's a red indicator light that came on telling me the battery is fine.  Was it a problem with the signal? Not exactly.

In the rush, I grabbed the wrong remote. It is identical to the one I needed, but it is different nonetheless. It emits a different signal. It is different on the inside.

I think about the ways in which we claim to treat everyone the same. We don't. We can't. We can't treat everyone the same because people are not the same.

In all of my relationships I have developed a special language with the other person. I relate differently to each one of my friends and each one of the people I love. In my romantic relationships I have never called two people the same term of endearment. I haven't done it purposefully. What I call them to demonstrate my affection developed naturally from the chemistry of the two. I sense that the people who have terms of endearment for me naturally think of me in those terms, but, more than that, they treat me different, because I am different. It shows in the way they speak to me.

Much like grabbing the wrong remote, the people in our lives will not all respond the same to our words, body language and tone of voice. Today is a good day to listen, see and feel the other person...to speak to them in a language that you both relate to. I am not saying you need to call them babycakes. I suggest full attention, eye contact, and a genuine smile. The language will develop naturally. Being wet and out of sync can sometimes make us forget how to love and relate to the other. But treating each other in a way unique to the relationship can soften hearts and make the relationship stronger.


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

One thing at a time...

This is an amazing era. Technology allows us to do so many things in such short periods of time. We can call a friend in Sydney, while texting our sister Happy Birthday! and checking the value of the stocks in our portfolios in the web browser of our smart phone. Technology allows us to multi-task. Yet, just because we can doesn't mean we should.

Our conscious brain cannot multi-task. Neuroscientists have found that the brain can focus on only one thing at a time. Our unconscious brain is another thing. It can regulate our body with many processes happening at the same time–it's our automatic nervous system working. When we divide our attention, we are unconscious to what we are doing. It might as well be a bowel movement.

Focus on one thing at a time giving it your full attention. How? Set aside time for what is important to you. Decide on time for work, exercise, meditation, family, entertainment and such. If you ask me to coffee, then let's do coffee, but let's put our phones away.

I am a recovering multi-tasker. Since dropping the habit, my stress level has diminished considerably. In addition, I enjoy what I do, my family and my friends even more. I feel my life is more balanced. I plan, I organize and I achieve more–all while keeping calm and focused.

You can recover from multi-tasking too. Your brain is neuroplastic. Your brain has this amazing ability to restructure itself and form new habits. You can tell your brain who's boss. You are not your brain. You are the one who gets to use it.

Today is a good day to mindfully focus on one thing at a time, enjoy more of what you do, achieve more and stress less.


Monday, April 15, 2013

Shifting into a miracle...

One of the most quoted teachings of A Course in Miracles is the basic definition of a miracle. I love the way it sounds in Marianne Williamson's voice. She says, quoting the Course, "a miracle is a shift in perception from fear to love." What a simple and palpable definition of a miracle. This puts miracles right in our hands.

Right now it is almost two in the morning. I sleep for health. Sleep keeps me rested, healthy and in a good mood. It restores me. Sleep is one of my forms of meditation. I had a bout of anxiety about an hour ago just thinking about the fact that I am not sleeping. I can't bring myself to do it. I am not an insomniac, so I don't have experience with not being able to sleep. I started to fret. I went over my agenda for tomorrow, well, for a few hours from now. I felt trouble coming. Without sleep, my to-do list is not possible.

That was true until I shifted that thought from fear to love. 

What will my miracle be? I don't know exactly. I don't want to limit the miracle with my answer. I am open to it. I know it will come. I have released my fearful thought. 

In more difficult circumstances, the process is the same. You shift your thoughts from fear to trust...to love. In distress, let go of what scares you. Holding on to that fearful feeling blocks creative thoughts, intuition and vision. 

Today is a good day to release the thought that you will not get what you want, that you will not be loved, that you will not have enough, that you will not know what to say, that something will not go right–knowing that Love will provide, maybe not what you want, but exactly what you need, that you are already loved, that you live in abundance, that creativity comes to you, that mistakes add to your wisdom and that you will overcome them. Shift from fear to love and into a miracle.


Sunday, April 14, 2013

Light and love

Light and love. This is what I pray for every morning. I pray this first for those who I know are going through a difficult time, then for those who I don't understand, love or even like and those who feel the same way towards me. I then ask the same for my family, my friends and other loved ones. Of course, I pray this for myself.

I am a very visual person and I came to understand the vision of love through a painted scene. Total darkness can exist. Yet even the smallest particle of light negates the darkness. What you see, what your eyes are drawn to, is that speck of light. In my darkest moments, my eyes are drawn to specks of love–the smiles, the unexpected call from a friend, the gentleness of family members, laughing out loud, the warmth of a hug, the inspiration to write...

Light and love carry me through. In the middle of a busy day, when frustration threatens, I focus on the light. In the middle of difficult times, I focus on the light until the darkness dissipates. We have that choice–to focus on the light, on what is possible, what is good in our lives, what we can offer others, what makes us happy, what interests us...rather than what is difficult, what is not working out, what takes away our inspiration to breathe and create.

Today is a good day to shift our focus from confusion, anger, sadness, and anticipation to a simple visual concept of light. The word itself–light–conjures up a feeling of weightlessness, grace and tender brightness. Let that feeling take over...it grows, it heals, it transforms...it lightens up the dark.


Saturday, April 13, 2013

Ego? Really?

I attended a meeting/get-together last night. I planned on being at the site earlier than everyone to meet with a friend. He was dressed in yoga-wear when he got there which prompted me to ask what the outfit was all about. He was going to try to go to a yoga class nearby later that night.

We walked into my office where my yoga mat was laying in the center of the room, incense was burning and meditation music was playing. I suppose the mood allowed him to relax into a conversation about the way he feels most of the time–everything is a big deal. It's your ego, I said. Ego?, but I am not that way. It's true. He is nice, funny, helpful, and puts everyone else first. This is far removed from our version of ego. Yet it is ego that is keeping him from feeling happy.

This is negative self-centeredness. We think egotistical people are those who walk into a room and suck all the attention–conceited, big-headed, selfish. However, egotistical people are also those who feel victims of the world. Ego is at play when we are in our glum states. It is there that we feel that no one understands us, that we are to blame for the negative feelings of others, that we are responsible for letting hurtful things happen. It is ego that keeps us feeling guilty, sacrificial lambs. That is ego–this presumption that we have any control over the way others feel, think or act, that we have any control over events. It is ego that concludes that we are the reason for bad things happening.

Today is a good day to let go of our codependence on others' hardships and negative feelings. Realize that ego is what separates me from you, from peace, from happiness, from love.


Friday, April 12, 2013

On insistence...

The meme we have learned is that we try, and try, and try until we get it. We insist on what we want. We go after it, because the alternative is to quit. I propose something different.

When the job you want doesn't seem to materialize, when a dream doesn't seem to become real or when a relationship is over, reach inward to find the strength that has been built-in to carry you through to the next job, opportunity or love. It is in difficult moments that we lose sight of our path and our purpose. Yet it is in difficult times that we need to reach in rather than reaching out.

This is not about giving up, but about giving ourselves the opening to see that each job, each opportunity, each lover gets us closer to where we need to be, what we need to do and who we need to love. If we insist on what is already telling us no, we block ourselves from greater possibilities.

Today is a good day to stop insisting on broken paths. Let go and open your heart to see, hear and feel not for what you insist on, but for what insists on you.


Thursday, April 11, 2013

The wrong answer

I thought I understood. I was getting answers to my questions, signs and messages too. But something was not right. Things were going in a different direction. My body felt the tension and things became difficult, confusing, hurtful even...for everyone involved. But I was going with the flow! I was going with the wrong flow.

I was meditating, keeping in harmony and giving all I know to give while asking Spirit for answers. The problem was I was asking the wrong question and so getting the wrong answer. I am not alone.

I had lunch today with three particularly intelligent and beautiful women at a lovely restaurant. I sat and listened...and observed the scene. Here we are, smart, attractive, sensible, accomplished women with the blessing of being able to gather for a two-hour business lunch on the touristy side of town. Between the laughs and the banter I gathered that we all had the same grievances. It was then that it hit me: we are all asking the same questions, the wrong questions.

I couldn't wait to get home tonight. I knew what I had to do. I needed some quiet time to ask the right question. Do you know the right question to ask? I don't. So I asked Spirit for one thing: may I know what I need to know. I feel peace already settling around me. I am confident that the right information, answers, signs and messages will appear.

Today is a good day to let go of what we think we need to know and ask for what we need to know...and then wait for the right answer to appear.


Wednesday, April 10, 2013

So you want to be spiritual?

I have good news for you if you are asking yourself how you can be spiritual. You already are. You are in fact spirit in a human body. Perhaps the more appropriate question is how do you feel more spiritual? Then there's an even better question. It is, how do you connect to your spirituality?

To connect to our spirituality there are only three things to do. First is to be willing, letting our egos lay down and opening up to Spirit. Second is to pay attention. Once we allow Spirit in, signs, messages, synchronicities starts to appear everywhere, all the time. Let's listen to these messages. Let's be aware. The third thing to do is to be present. This is when we do something with our willingness and the messages received. 

Today is a good day to be willing to see things differently, to open up to Spirit and to bring our full attention to life for being more spiritual is about being more alive. 


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

On assumptions...

How many times have you had an argument with someone because of something you assumed? I know. Me too. Many times.

Assumptions abound around us, yet it is in our close relationships that they are most troublesome. In relationships, we assume that our partner knows what we think, what we feel and what we want and so we don't communicate. We then get hurt when we don't receive what we expect. 

Why do we assume? We assume because we are afraid to ask questions and because we want to understand everything and thus create explanations for others in our heads. We also tend to assume that everyone sees life the way we do, that everyone thinks as we do. All of this assuming leads to misunderstanding, frustration and suffering. 

Today is a good day to value our loved ones and our relationships with them. Do not assume based on appearance, silence, body language, tone of voice or attitude. If you do not understand something, ask. You may be surprised at what you learn. 





Monday, April 8, 2013

It's not yogurt...

In the movie Notting Hill, there's a scene I love. The dialogue goes like this:

               –Spike: There's something wrong with this yogurt. 
               –Will: It's not yogurt. It's mayonnaise.
               –Spike: Oh, right. There we are then. 
                               Mmmmm.

Silly moment. I know, but it is so full of wisdom. It expounds on the wisdom of changing the way we look at things for if we do, the things we look at change. Spike didn't change yogurt into mayonnaise, he changed his perception of what he was eating from something gross into something delicious. My dad has done the same thing with guacamole, but that's another story. 

In our lives there are situations that may be causing us pain. We can change the way we view them and thus change our experience of them. We can change the way we see a situation from failure to knowledge gained, from loss to opportunity, from a mistake to a lesson. Focusing on what is wrong will keep us on a negative track. Yet shifting our thoughts to curiosity and creativity about the situation will take us along new paths.

Today is a good day to view things in a new light. Open up to new possibilities and let go of what you perceive is a failure, a mistake or a loss. This new perspective will yield new chances for you, a reduction in stress and an uplifted spirit. As you cooperate with the Universe, the Universe cooperates with you by changing things as you change the way you choose to see them.