07.02.07
Posted in Gratitude, Paths to Bliss
at 11:53 am
In my last post, I discussed coming to terms with our drive to want more and being grateful for what we have now while we want more. Today I’m going to talk about money itself–what it is and what it represents.
If your family was anything like my family, money was a sore subject. Although we were always taken care of, we didn’t have a lot of money and there was always fear that there just wouldn’t be enough. The subject of money was weighted with heavy emotional baggage that centered around fear for the most part. That fear was something I inherited and has shaped many parts of my life. As a result, it’s something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about so I could shift from feelings of fear and lack to feelings of abundance and joy.
What is a fear about money?
At it’s heart, a fear about money is a fear of living without comfort. No one really cares how many green pieces of paper they have, what we care about is what kind of life we’re leading. Do we have housing that meets our needs? Can we buy the food we like? Can we have the things that bring us joy?
Fear about money is a projection into the future that we will not be able to have the things we need to live a comfortable life. It is expressed doubt about the limitless abundance in the Universe. I’m saying that without judgment–I have certainly been in a place where I could not feel the limitless abundance in the Universe. I would say to myself, “That’s all well and good, but where is it?”
What is money?
When I was asking where the abundance is, what I meant was where was the money and the opportunities for making money. The trick is that abundance is a feeling not a thing. Abundance is a surety that everything we need and want are at our fingertips available whenever we need it. Abundance is gratitude magnified by a sense of well-being. Abundance is recognition of the comfort all around us. Read the rest of this entry »
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06.29.07
Posted in Gratitude, Paths to Bliss
at 11:50 am
This is a two part post about money and abundance–something I’ve been thinking about intensely for the past couple of weeks. In Part I, I’ll talk about the idea of wanting more and how it can create emotional conflicts.
I’ve been thinking about money lately–how much I have, how much I want, how much I don’t have, how to get more, how to handle what I do have, how much other people have, how much I need, what I would do with it, etc. 
The more I thought about money, ironically, the harder it was for me to get in touch with Universal Abundance.
As human beings we are biologically and often culturally driven to have, do, and be more. That’s the nature of human existence and it’s a great thing. The drive to grow is how we learn and experience life. Internal conflict about wanting more arises when 1) We think it’s bad to want more and/or 2) Our drive to want more disconnects us from gratitude.
Is it ok to want more?
There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to that question. There’s the “a self-less and humble life is a good life” school and the “unlimited abundance” school. The answer to this (and to all things, really) is that it’s up to you. If you think wanting more is a bad thing, you will vibrate at a state that will not allow more into your life. If you think wanting more is a good thing, you can vibrate at a state that brings more into your life.
I personally feel that there is limitless abundance available in this world. That means everyone can have what they want without taking it from someone else. Living a life of abundance makes us available for others. When we are comfortable and secure in the knowledge that we can always have what we want and need, we can direct our attention to those who need us and what we have to offer.
How can we want more and be grateful for what we have?
The idea of being content with what we have while wanting more seems contradictory, and this is the area I have to consciously work on when my thoughts about money lead me towards negative feelings. Here is what I’ve discovered: being grateful for our current circumstances means recognizing that we are where we are for a purpose that leads us to our highest good. Our highest good is an ever-increasing state of being as we grow and develop who we are. In other words, we’re on a path towards where we need to be and we can simultaneously look around be grateful about where we are on the path now and still keep moving forward.
That said, there are more people in this world than not right now who can’t quite get themselves at the point of contentment. When we’re worried about paying our bills and achieving a certain quality of life, it’s hard to reach for a feeling of gratitude. In Part II, I’ll discuss what money actually is and give some suggestions for altering our perspective about it.
Money,Gratitude,Wanting More
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06.28.07
Posted in Our Bodies, Paths to Bliss
at 10:15 am
I’m still here, I promise. I’m working on a bunch of things!
I’m on a mailing list for an energy healer’s meetup group and this arrived in my mailbox this morning:
The body you are given will be yours for the duration of your time here. Love it or hate it, accept it or reject it, it is the only one you will receive in this lifetime.. It will be with you from the moment you draw your first breath to the last beat of your heart. Since there is no refund, no exchange policy on this body of yours, it is essential that you learn to transform your body from a mere vessel into a beloved partner and lifelong ally, as the relationship between you and your body is the most fundamental and important relationship of your lifetime. It is the blueprint from which all your other relationships will be built.
The challenge of the first rule is to make peace with your body, so that it can effectively serve its purpose and share its valuable lessons of acceptance, self esteem, respect, and pleasure. Everyone one learn these lessons before they are able to journey successfully through life.
–Andrew Adler
I love it!
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06.15.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 11:48 am
Today’s trick is about letting go of details. It’s time to stop worrying about what you did in the past or what’s going to happen in the future and start concentrating on what you can do right now to make your life better.
If you find yourself worrying about details on a regular basis, remember: The past and the future take care of themselves, the only thing we can really do anything about is right in this moment. All the work we do, we do to heal ourselves now. The rest takes care of itself. We notice the things we need to notice to do what we need to do and the rest doesn’t matter.
Ask yourself, “What can I do right now to make my life better?” Sometimes that’s something small like having a big glass of water or taking a break from whatever you’re doing. Sometimes it’s something big like signing up for a class or releasing old fear. There’s something extremely powerful in continually making decisions about how to make our lives better and then acting on them. The fun part is that the little things build up momentum so we can do the big things.
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06.13.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 4:15 pm
Today’s trick brings us into awareness of mother nature and the cycles of the moon to give us tools for change. Many spiritual traditions and rituals are tied to the phases of the moon and tuning into the goddess energy she provides can help our manifestation practices.
The moon is waning (getting darker) and Friday 6/15 will be a new moon. For people who watch the different phases of the moon a waning moon means it’s time to wind down and purge. A waxing moon (when the moon is getting fuller) is a time for regeneration and manifestation. It’s a time of building energy and momentum. The next couple of days are a great time to take stock of where you are and where you want to be. Spend some quiet time for yourself as the moon goes into hiding. This weekend would be a great time to start a new project or try something different in your life. You will have loving goddess energy to push you forward and support you.
Remember that the people and situations in your life are there to teach you something critical about yourself and who you are. Try and look on them with gratitude rather than frustration and use the moon energy to push through change. Remember that you have all the help you need available to you if you just ask for it.
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06.11.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss
at 10:21 am
Odds are pretty good that if you are on this website you’ve had someone in your life suggest you meditate. This post is for the people who think, “Yeah! I should meditate! That’s a good idea!” and then never actually do it because they don’t know how or they are unsure where to start or they never seem to find a way to get around to it. I am intimately acquainted with those circumstances because all three could have easily described me.
What’s so great about meditation anyway?
Scientists are studying the brain patterns of Tibetan monks when they meditate and are finding that deep meditation activates dormant parts of the brain, promotes happiness, and allows practitioners to actually control their body temperature. Cool right? But those kinds of things probably won’t actually motivate anyone to meditate because while we’re all for increased brain function and happiness it takes some hard-core meditation skills to perform feats that scientists actually want to study.
And for that matter, when people start going on and on about how great they feel when they meditate and how they just don’t feel right if they don’t do it, it makes us feel guilty when we sit there and our brains keep going on and on and we start to itch in random places and we wonder how long we have to sit like this before we can get up. We obviously must be doing it wrong, which feels lame when all meditating is is sitting quietly and focusing. The good news is you’re probably not doing it wrong, you’re just missing a step and most likely, practice–I’ll get to that in a moment.
People are going on and on about how great they feel, however, because meditation is a wonderful way to find our centers and get in touch with what is really important to us. When done consistently, meditation easily lives up to all the hype. Even at its most basic level, committing to spending some time alone with ourselves in a quiet space is an acknowledgment that our well-being is worth that time and effort. For some people, their meditation time is really the only time they take just for themselves to get in touch with where they are.
Common blocks to starting a meditation practice
There are several blocks I’ve encountered internally and that I’ve noticed in people around me. I’m going to preface this by saying I think these blocks are great. There’s nothing like resistance to show us exactly what we need to face. I’m going to leave out the “I don’t want to” block, because I’m assuming if you’ve gotten this far in the post you’re actually interested in figuring out how to meditate.
I’ll start with the things we tell ourselves:
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 8:23 am
Today’s trick helps us reflect on the mind, body, spirit connection and learn another way to appreciate what our bodies do for us.
Our bodies are amazingly literal and listening to yours could give you insight to what’s going on in your life right now. Lower back pain is often a sign that we don’t feel supported or are afraid about money. Cricks in the neck could be a signal that someone in your life is being a “pain in the neck”. Ankle troubles often signal difficulty with being flexible and moving on. Pay attention to what your body is cluing you into today. How are you feeling? What is it telling you? (A good book on this subject that can tell you what emotional issues different physical symptoms correlate to are: Heal Your Body by Louise Hay.)
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06.06.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 1:12 pm
I’ve decided to add the Quick Tricks from the iGoogle Gadget as a regular feature on the blog. I’ve posted all of them going back to the first one on May 18th. Enjoy!
Today’s trick is about using our emotions as a guide to point us to our greatest lessons and face our resistance.
Has something dropped into your life that makes you uncomfortable? Instead of being upset or afraid, think about why it’s there. Events and situations that elicit a strong emotional reaction (positive or negative) are our best teachers. Things that make us really happy are a great indication we’re on the right track and they give us a way to return to joy when we’re feeling low. Things that make us upset or scared show us what we need to work on and push through. They show us where our strongest resistance and deepest lessons are centered. Take a moment to tune into what has brought you joy or fear today and search for how and why it came into your life. This is another wonderful opportunity to TUNE IN to your life!
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06.05.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 1:06 pm
Today’s trick asks us to compile a personal status report. Are the same things true in our lives now that were in the past? Do we know where we’re going and where we’ve been?
When was the last time you checked in with yourself? You’ve been living your life pushing through things moving through the day to day, but have you sat quietly to tune in and notice exactly where you’re at? Sometimes we get so caught up in what we want or what we fear that we forget to notice if the stories we’ve been telling ourself are still true. Sometimes we get so involved with a goal that we forget to notice just how far we’ve come.
Take a moment to think about where you were 6 months ago, a year ago, and 5 years ago. Reflect up on the changes in your life and in what you want. Make sure to congratulate yourself for all the progress you’ve made and let go of the things that aren’t necessary for you any more.
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06.04.07
Posted in Paths to Bliss, Quick Tricks
at 12:51 pm
Sometimes when we’re ready to move on, we become more and more dissatisfied about where we are now. Ironically, being dissatisfied with the now only prolongs it. This trick is about practicing letting go with love and happiness.
If you’re at a place in your life where you’d like to move on, remember the fastest way to reach a state of allowing where you’ll let new things into your life is to really appreciate what you have now. Would you like to find a new job? Be grateful the job you have and do your best at it. When you put good energy into your current job, you’ll send that energy into the Universe to manifest a new one.
Would you like a new love? Love yourself first. When we are taking care of ourselves and content inside our heads and hearts we open ourselves up to someone who can value us for all that we are rather than for what we lack.
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