Excited by Abundance

"It's opener there, in the wide open air." ~Dr. Seuss

When I ruminate on how many possibilities exist for this day or this life - my senses are no longer dulled. The longer I sit and quietly embody POSSIBILITY the more I cannot wait to see how this life will unfold. 

The vastness of trust that "all truly is well" wells up inside of me, makes my body tingle with excitement, and I have not even moved a muscle! 

I am vibrating forward from a NOW I am happy to KNOW. And I am moving easily toward a place I know I must go...

...wherever that may be.

What excites you?

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With Disorder Comes Grace

Strength comes from struggle. 

When you learn to see your struggles as opportunities to become stronger, better, wiser, then your thinking shifts from "I can't do this" too "I must do this."

~toni sorenson

I am seeing ahead of me another tumultuous time of change in this life of mine. "Tumult" is defined as "a time of confusion or disorder." And as I am more certain than ever that this is of my own making... here is what I am learning about tumult.

One can survive well and move with ease and with joy during tumultuous times.

Old friends are indispensable during tumultuous circumstances.

New friends abound during a tumultuous time. But you have to allow this.

It is not only possible for love to expand exponentially during tumultuous times, it is very often probable.  

Extra body/self care is needed, no matter how well you are supported through your own times of disorder because tumult is physically exhausting.

A tumultuous event may occur over a period of time or only within an instant. Either way, it's ripples will always be felt flowing outward as it dissolves. So becoming more kind and patient are the constant gifts of a tumult as it moves toward completion. The question is will you accept these gifts into your life?

And lastly, I have learned that within the greater scheme of things these times of confusion or disorder are only momentary and the larger Truth is All is Well.

So these are my new rules of engagement as I sit here amongst the growing manifestation I called into being - which appears as disorder, but I KNOW IS REALLY IN DIVINE RIGHT ORDER.


How do you handle confusion and disorder?

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Creating Freedom

"The spiritual journey is individual, highly personal. It cannot be organized or regulated. It isn't true that everyone should follow one path. Listen to your own truth." ~ram dass

I am involved in Trusting. 

This idea, Trusting that things are unfolding for the highest good of myself and others, requires my active participation. Especially when my thoughts and feelings start to try and bend my attention in another direction.

Trusting is a practice. Trust requires a willingness to open my heart wider. Trust requires letting go of the past and of judgments. Trust requires a deeper look into circumstances that arise, at my own inner workings, and my perceptions about it all. Trust requires questioning what is really True. Do these ideas, or Trust for that matter, create great difficulty for you?

If you grew up, like me, in an environment that pushed more toward chaos than order, or if you have had the very human experience of being greatly disappointed - Trust may be the very last thing with which you are willing to be involved! 

But what if, instead of creeping slowly toward a small amount of maybe trusting again, you started with a big fat notion of TRUST? Not a naive blanket of trust in all people. But a larger Trust - part of a larger vision - that the Wheel of Fortune spins in just one direction.  And that direction is entirely in your favor. What if you leaned into the idea of looking for the smallest kernel of a lesson in a disruptive, disquieting, or painful situation as an active choice? This is the way it started for me. 

Somewhere between the totally unexpected death of my husband and the healing of my wounded heart I decided to refute what appeared to be happening and began to hold space for the idea that all experiences had one single purpose - to help me grow in awareness.

And with each successive experiment in active-say-it-out-loud-to-remind-myself-to-do-it-Trusting I created "nowness and newness." And from that came aha moments and loads of gratitude. I hope these words offer some guidance so others do not have to rely on personal trauma or loss to get to these places within. 

I hope a path can begin to be struck where it is OK to let go of what is familiar. I hope you too can begin to embolden the curious child inside - the one that wonders about things instead of judging them. 

As I become more of a witness to events rather than the center of them I find my perceptions stretching farther than ever before into unknown territory. This is where I unhitch the trailer of my past and find freedom to move more freely forward.

Mine eyes are opener as my heart claims a bigger role in seeing what I am experiencing. And this in turn is transforming my world. 

I am not great at this all the time. But leaning into and learning to Trust has given me a way to negotiate life's ups and downs with more steadiness, confidence, and grace. Strange as it may sound - I feel more grounded and connected to the world and my place in it by letting go and Trusting that "All is truly well."

I am not sure about the specific ramifications of how getting involved with Trust might serve you. It is a huge issue for so many people. But I am sure it is worth doing the work!

Since I have begun to play with these ideas in my own life, organically in my own way, I am amazed at the surprising outcomes life is actually able to provide me! And I TRUST life still has much to offer you as well...

What are thoughts around Trust?

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Inner Wisdom

"My energy today, and every day, is favorable for letting go of what no longer serves and embarking on new and exciting journeys. And all I have to do is decide." ~lani chaves

So funny to quote myself, I know. Me, a budding painter now wants to he a budding writer. I want my passion to be creative to be of some use to others. But I have no idea what that looks like. I do not know how to begin, and I haven't a clue what I have that others may want. 

So I am submitting the most specific question I can think up to help move me along on my path...

"What is mine to do, be or say today that will bring me great joy and also serve well myself and others?

I now let this well considered question go - knowing that by merely asking this well considered question mindfully and with an open heart, the answer is on it's way to me. 

This asking well considered questions and easily receiving answers, has become part of a practice of living a life of JOY & EASE. For I have discovered we all have exceptionally easy access to our own questions. And within every well formed question, asked with an open and receptive heart, exists hidden within it an answer perfectly taloired to our specific need!

What is your well considered question, the answer to which will change your life forever for the better?

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Energy Work

"Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth,"You owe me." Look what happens with a love like that, it lights up the whole sky." ~ Hafiz

Energy. 

Can you feel it inside you? It is always there, usually very subtle, but always there. I am feeling great gobs of it right now because big changes are happening all around me! 

Tuning into your own energy has got to be a good thing. Awareness of any kind is a good thing, but energy awareness is really a good thing.  It is not your mind. It is you in a purer form. It is one of the most subtle forms of communication. It is a very real, deep, and wordless thing. I was never taught this. It was not an option growing up. But I know it now and it helps to guide me.

Energy has no words, but it communicates just the same. When I tune in, sit quiet and still, I am practicing the art of feeling the flow of energy. A natural river inside me, it connects me to energy all around me. The more I consciously make time to practice, do energy awareness work, the easier it becomes. 

I am not going to say what it means or how it works or why it is, or where it comes from. It has no words - remember! But I have found that because of my work - my energy awareness work - when I am not practicing, just living my daily life, I pick up quicker on things important to me because I am so much more closer to the surface of my authentic life. I love this accessibility! I trust it. It grounds me. It informs me…all without words. 

Energy has become a silent place inside me that feels like home. For this ever deepening awareness of my own inner compass I am so grateful.


Could you use an artisanal compass personally crafted by time, energy, and awareness? Isn't this work worth doing?

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Manifesting: A 1-2-3 Primer

"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for – and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool – for love – for your dreams – for the adventure of being alive."

~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Don't be trapped by what you see all around you. Be informed by it. Look all around you and you can see what your beliefs truly are. Look even closer and you can see what displeases you. This part may feel painful, but it is the first step. 

The contrast between what you see and what you want to experience is the cause of the pain. 

Now that you have become aware, you can make a new choice. You can decide how you wish to feel. You can choose your next experience consciously. This is the second step.

Once you commit to having a new experience manifest, you must use every tool you have to make manifest your new more soul satisfying life. This is the third step.

The Tools:

1) Your words are tools. Pay attention to what you say. What is your "I am" experience? Listen to yourself as you claim who you are. Recognize the old and create a new "I am" experience. Words are some of the most plastic and flexible tools we have. When you become more aware of the words you say, you can easily manipulate them as you like. This is the first lesson in manifestation.

2) Your thoughts are your tools. Pay attention to what you are thinking. You are not your thoughts. Your thoughts are almost as flexible as your words. When you recognize a thought that creates a low or negative vibration you are on your way to the second manifestation lesson. Become a witness to your own thoughts. Make an exchange, like clothes that don't fit any more. If your old thought does not match the new experience you wish to have, choose a new thought more in alignment.

3) Your commitment or intention is your tool. As you become increasingly aware of your words and your thoughts it will be your new responsibility to corral, brand and tame those words and thoughts that are out of alignment with your intentions and to change, create, and manifest words and thoughts that completely and holistically align with your new way of being.

None of this happens overnight, but if you are willing to do the work you will find the life you are currently living easily transforming into the life you choose to live.

One final note: You are working with feelings, vibrations, and experiences; NOT bank accounts, materials things like cars, or relationships. Leave those things for another time. This is all internal work. And by the way, when you do this internal work all those other things somehow organically change as well!


Are you ready for a change?

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Newly Minted Butterfly

"The people of this world are like the three butterflies in front of a candle's flame.

 The first one went closer and said, ' I know about love.' 

The second one touched the flame lightly with his wings and said, ' I know how love's fire can burn.'

The third one threw himself into the heart of the flame and was consumed. 

He alone knows what true love is." 

~rumi

The yellow splashed monarch girl swirls back sideways then across and down and I wonder what it is like to be a newly minted butterfly? Seems she is both aimless and joyful as she flits past me on her first butterfly day of this almost springtime. Is she missing her multitude of caterpillar's feet bouncing on air trying out her new wings? I wonder if she still has her caterpillar eyes; if this is her maiden voyage out and about? 

What is it like to know so well how to slink, crawl and stick slowly forward from branch to leaf and have new 'fucking' wings to deal with at the same time? I know something of losing my footing. But I know little about finding out I have wings. 

How is it to awaken from a long cold dark night, unfurl your sails, and let the wind catch them and carry you away. That effortless first flight must feel so abnormal! Can a butterfly scream? Can she fly and see herself flying at the same time? 

I wonder what it is like to be a newly minted butterfly letting go of her past and floating on air? She doesn't eat the same things she used to eat either. Munching leaves seems to be impossible now. Is she worried she will starve to death right before she accidentally bumps into her very first flower, proboscis extended, having her first taste of nectar so sweet?

It must be a time of great confusion and amazing discovery all at once... I guess I do know a little about what it is like to find out I have wings. And, now that I think about it - yes I can fly and see myself flying at the same time. For this awareness I am grateful. It helps to carry me higher and farther than I have ever been before. And I scream a lot less now!


Have you ever experienced the awkwardness of finding out you've got wings?

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