Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Let go, let in

Something happens when we let go. We make room. When we release our hold on attachments, we make room for peace, understanding, growth, awareness. Letting go of our bonds frees mental, emotional, physical and psychic space.

We hold on to relationships, ideas, beliefs, habits, thought patterns, fears, people, identities, pain, struggle, failures and other convictions that keep us stuck. We hold on to places, jobs and things. We hold on when holding on no longer serves us.

Holding on is important. It is important when we know with a deep belief that a great idea has been born, that a relationship is just going through a rough patch, that our teenagers are making mistakes and need our attention and affection. But when our points of view, our stances, our obsessions and our hoards keep us from learning, growing, moving, creating, forgiving, advancing, contributing, sharing, loving and expanding, we need to let go.

Mystically speaking, when we have the courage to let go of something we have held dear, we are provided not only with the wherewithal to do it, but we are rewarded. The room we make when we open up our hearts, our minds and our spaces fills with all new possibilities, opportunities, community and things. All we need is the willingness and the followthrough to let go.

Today is a good day to let go of that which is taking up our hands, our emotions, our thoughts, our rooms, our sights. Let go and welcome the possibilities of newness into your life.

Image found at cargocollective.com.



Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Typing slowly

I am typing slowly.

We can tell the difference between a frantic call or email and one that isn't. I am not talking about an emergency. I am talking about those calls we get loaded with urgency, tension, burdens and pressure. We become, in an instant, part of the drama. The intention, whether deliberate or not, is to pass on the energy. This energy then affects every action, response, reaction, feeling, thought and emotion stemming from it.

Artists, teachers, lawmen, secretaries, yoga instructors, baristas, leaders, copywriters, preachers, nail technicians, volunteers and others pass on their energy to others through their work, their art, their output, their speech and their attitude creating a wave of charged energy that affects others. It may not be obvious, yet it happens. This energy may be one of creativity, cooperation, enjoyment, camaraderie and excitement or it may be the low-dragging energy of desperation, discouragement, worry, distress, fear, doubt, mistrust and panic.

When I relate to others with a sense of urgency, what I receive comes with an energy that is frenzied, disturbed, worried and agitated. When I remember the difference between the frantic and the not, I type slowly, I speak slowly and I breathe slowly. I don't pass on the agitation. It changes what I receive and what I receive is usually more than what I expected. It's all about being mindful about what I do. I have learned that doing things in a hurry does not make me accomplish more.

Today is a good day type slowly, speak slowly and breathe slowly. Go ahead and smile slowly too. Uplift your energy before you do anything and raise the frequency of the collective energy. Whatever we have to do today we have to do anyway. Why not do it in a spirit of tranquility, equanimity, purpose, esprit de corps and appreciation?

Image found at fc01.devianart.net.

Friday, January 16, 2015

The glass egg

Many years ago I came across a glass egg. It was about the size of my palm. In fact, it nestled there perfectly. It was heavy, solid, crystal clear and had a vibrant-blue spiral running through its center. It was a beautiful piece you could get lost in.

A few weeks ago, end of the year reports met with holiday parties, school breaks, christmas shopping, a bout of walking pneumonia and government agencies' recess. Everything felt complicated. I was overwhelmed. I was feeling anxious, frustrated and angry. I stopped what I was doing and recalled the image of the glass egg. I shut everything off and out and became the glass egg. I imagined myself strong, solid, beautiful with a strong spiral core...

Find yourself a quiet spot. Take a seat. Be comfortable.

Relax your shoulders, close your eyes and take a deep breath in. Count silently 1–2–3. Breathe slowly out. Take another deep breath in. Breathe slowly out.

Breathe normally for the rest of this exercise.

Visualize yourself as a clear, dense glass egg. You are unbreakable.

Light comes in, streams through your strong, blue spiral core. You radiate light.

You spiral light in. You are stronger.

You spiral light out. You radiate strength and confidence.

Light spirals in, spirals out. You know what you need to know.

Light spirals in, spirals out. You let go of what does not matter.

Light spirals in, spirals out. You are balanced.

You are centered in your core.

Light through your core. Strength through your core.

Stay here a few more moments. Continue to breathe.

You are strong, light, and ready. Go.

Image found at eyeinvent.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Lie to me

What a fantastic show. We are now hooked on Lie to me. We recently found it on Netflix and now, one night a week, we curl up on the couch to watch an episode...or two. In the show a human lie detector solves all sorts of cases for different clients. Dr. Lightman, the main character, also mentors and teaches others under his wing how to detect when a person is lying. He looks at body language, speech, micro expressions, spontaneous reactions and general gestures to determine if someone is being truthful or not. These observations can be studied and memorized making anyone a capable of detecting lies in another person. There are some basic indicators that can be learned easily online or in a library. Yet most people don't use them. Why? Why don't more of us figure out, in an instant, if our friends, wives, neighbors, boyfriends, bankers, coworkers or children are lying to us? Because we are too self-absorbed, self-conscious, afraid and angry.

We are too concerned about ourselves, our needs, our wants, our reputation, our identity, our self-image and what we want to say next to pay attention to the person we are speaking with. Our fear and our anger blinds us. Some of us are forever trying to outwit the other and cannot see beyond their scheme. We also tend to see what we want to see. Actually, we don't see–we perceive out of our feelings, our thoughts, mental and emotional states and our moods. That perception could be wrong and can lead us to misread the other person. Add to these that fact that we don't listen. We prepare our comebacks while superficially hearing.

Today is a good day not to catch someone in a lie, but to see their truth. Let go of your expectations and presumptions. See, listen. Allow a deeper connection between you and another. Foster truth in relationships by observing what is real, by not assuming, by really beholding another–noticing, seeing, listening. Foster true relationships. It is also a good day too to let your guard down. Don't lie to me, let me see your truth.

Image found at dreamstime.com


Monday, January 12, 2015

Happy New Year!

My year begins today. Oh, I know it's the 12th. Great things have been happening since 2014 turned into 2015. But I have remained quiescent, slowly emerging. Today I venture back, fully, into the business world. I come rested, recharged, focused and optimistic. I come wholly.

I have not made any resolutions this year. I never do. Yet I do bring a deeper awareness and a renewed commitment to stay aligned and connected to Spirit, to my Higher Self. This commitment is all it takes to manifest the life I want. Each morning it is all I need to remind myself of the life and the world I want to experience. Staying connected and aligned helps me remember what is important, to stay cool under pressure, to enjoy life, to be grateful, to know what I need to know, to find my way, to put things in perspective, to get out of my own way, to joyfully serve, to be confident, to be a channel of goodness, to share in the joys of others, to act from my inner purpose and not to react to the needs and wants of others, to see with kindness, to make healthy choices–physically, emotionally and spiritually, to make better decisions and to be present. I achieve all of this and more through my daily practice of meditation. I renew daily in stillness, silence.

Today is a good day to begin. Declare today the first day of the new year. It's a fiscal year. Make this a no-big-deal year in which everything great happens. Start by getting still, getting quiet. Go to your Self. Connect to who you are and what you want. Do this everyday and start to experience subtle shifts, fulfillment, deeper awareness, equanimity and a sense of clarity. Tell no one. Just be.

Happy new year!

Image found at pbase.com

Monday, January 5, 2015

Payday

I got a text message late in the day. It was from one of my clients. He had amazing news. Two days before the end of the year, he asked me to call him in the morning. He had a check for me – a check for a book I have not yet finished, a project that began a year and a half ago and has a few more months in its timeline. The text came unexpectedly. I did not foresee this. Not like this anyway.

I wanted this opportunity. I submitted my proposal for the book and let go. I went about my other business. And then I got the call. I got it. Yes! I started to work on the book, enjoying the research and the process. I submitted my draft and let go. My client and his client were thrilled with the material. This is it, I thought. And then there was a delay, a long delay. I kept coming back to let go, let go, let go. I did. I didn't let go of the work I did, my wish for the project to bloom completely or to be paid for the manuscript. What I let go of was my timeline, my way of doing things and my expectations. I didn't forget about the book, I just didn't think about it. I didn't hold my breath.

I didn't hold my breath and payday came early. I am starting the new year debt-free thanks to this opportunity. I am starting, too, with a deepened belief that we control nothing, that birthing our creations requires a letting go, that after we have done our due diligence, watching over the process is obsessive and thwarting. More so, I believe more deeply in one of the teachings of A Course in Miracles: Infinite patience produces immediate results.

As we begin this new year and we intend goals and dreams, it behooves us to let go of specific outcomes, of our insistence on our way, of doubts and fears. Payday will come to all of us as we intend with clarity, are open to possibilities, enjoy life and let go.

Image found at behance.net







Friday, January 2, 2015

Christmas gift

© 2013 Camilo Torres Gómez
One of the blessings of living in a tropical island is the warm weather we enjoy all year long. Our winter may mean a light jacket during early morning hours–in the mountains. During the rest of the time, the temperatures are moderate, pleasant. This means that we are able to spend Christmas at the beach. So we did.

The day was spectacular–the water, the sun, the pelicans. We were in awe, thankful. Well, we two adults were in awe. My son was not feeling it. We pointed out how beautiful it all is. "Well, I have a beautiful PS4 at home." I could feel his polite sullenness. He didn't want to come with us in the water so I stayed behind with him. After a few quiet moments I asked him if he wanted to meditate. "Sure."

Using terms that a 13-year-old gamer who is hooked on old episodes of Supernatural could relate to, I asked him to lay down like a corpse. I then guided him through a short breathing and visualization exercise in which a golden sphere spun on his solar plexus. This golden sphere beamed light and this light destroyed any annoyance, curse or ill-will in his midsts. This light also attracted everything that was good, fun and enjoyable. We breathed together for a while and then I left him to go in the water.

After being in the water for a while, we decided to go for a walk. My son remained camped under our beach umbrella. As we were coming back, a glowing teenager walked in our direction. He was cheerful, energetic and back to his witty and sarcastic sense of humor. He joined us for the rest of our walk, in great conversation that lasted long after we had left the beach and headed back home.

After his meditation, my son turned his focus from what he was missing to his present moment. His attitude and his mood lifted. He was happy...and then he was thrilled for we got home just in time for him to play a few rounds on his beautiful PS4.

Our shared Christmas gift was that nothing changed, but everything was different, for both of us. During our meditation we both gained a different perspective. He stopped focusing on what he was lacking and I stopped focusing on his pout. Our Christmas was one full of laughter, joy and love. Such is the power of meditation. Something so simple has the power to remove our obstacles to a good time, to enjoy our families, our loved ones, ourselves. It has the power to remove the obstacles between us and love, the fulfillment of our dreams and happiness. Such is the power, such is the gift.