“In addition to creating happiness in our lives, we need to cultivate the spiritual practices that lead to joyfulness, especially gratitude. We need to live from a place of gratitude and joy.” Brene Brown
Happy New Year! Another whirlwind of a holiday season has passed. We try to catch our breath as we turn the page of the calendar to a new year.
We can sometimes feel conflicted declaring what we want in the new year. We want change and yet we resist it. Sometimes we like change as a concept rather than reality. We want to have something new in our lives but we don’t want to let go of the old way of doing things. We resist change because we don’t like to be uncomfortable.
What if we looked at change as an opportunity for growth and transformation, rather than something to be feared? What if we embraced the discomfort and uncertainty that comes with change, knowing that it is a necessary part of our evolution?
The new year is an invitation to welcome new beginnings and let go of the old patterns and habits that no longer serve us. The new year is an opportunity to open to new experiences and opportunities that come our way, even if they make us uncomfortable.
Gratitude is an important step in accepting newness. There is something powerful in appreciating the present moment, the journey that has led us to where we are now. We expand our awareness when we feel gratitude for the lessons we have learned, the growth we have experienced, and the people who have supported us along the way.
In this new year, l invite you to make gratitude your guiding principle. Let’s find joy in the little things, the simple pleasures of everyday life. And let’s remember that change is not something to be feared, but something to be embraced and celebrated.
So here’s to a year of growth, transformation, and gratitude. May we have the courage to embrace change, the wisdom to appreciate the present moment, and the gratitude to be truly happy.
“In the short term and in the long run, how we treat people is our legacy. We have a daily responsibility to stay conscious of that and show up in ways we can be proud of.” – Sam Horn, Talking on Eggshells
It’s holiday time! That exciting time of year when we navigate the emotional terrain of spending time with loved ones. Anxiety, anyone?
Some loved ones are a joy to be with. Others can be more challenging.
Here are some helpful tips:
It’s not about them. We often have attachment as to how we would like our loved ones to behave. In fact WE have lots of ideas about how they can live better lives. Breathe and step back. Practice letting go.
Respond not react. Our loved ones know how to push our buttons. Disable your button. Disconnect from your high mindedness. Dissolve the need to have the answers. Practice responding peacefully and not reacting to situations.
Claim your intention. Instead of imagining all the terrible, awful, dreadful things that the holidays might bring, practice visualizing what you do want. What is your intention? To have loving communication? To have peaceful interactions? To have joy-filled experiences? Set your intention before you venture out the door.
Remember to breathe. Conscious breathing keeps us grounded in our awareness of our divinity and our oneness. Allow your breathing to center yourself in love. Pause and take a breath.
Practice gratitude. Gratitude lifts us up to a higher vibration. In that vibration of love, all things are possible.
I am grateful for my many blessings… I bless my family…I bless my body…I bless my finances…I bless my home…I bless my neighbors…I bless my co-workers…I bless the economy…I bless our country…I bless my spiritual community…I bless the world.
“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong. – Barbie, The Movie
This is an except of an amazing monologue delivered by actress America Ferrera in the Barbie movie. We have all felt, on occasion, like we are doing it wrong. We have all struggled with the belief in not being enough.
Our worthiness may seem elusive if we look for validation from the outside world. Worthiness is not based on your financial portfolio, career achievement, or the car you drive. Worthiness is an inside job and a conscious connection we make knowing we are an extension of the creative energy of life itself. We are loved unconditionally just as we are.
Making that connection with worthiness lifts us into a sense of well-being. We have an inner knowing that each aspect of self— spirit, mind, body and emotions— is an intricate part of our wholeness. We have an awareness of this holistic nature and have an appreciation of how it all works together for our highest good.
This deep appreciation lifts us into the powerful presence of love. Love opens us to Infinite Wisdom available to us at every moment. Divine Wisdom is the creative spark, inspiration, illumination that shows up just when we need it. It can appear as needed information, project support revealed or simply a connection from a friend. Wisdom is inner knowing that all is well.
Yet this can all feel elusive when we are stressed, worried and hurried in life’s busy world. It takes conscious effort to stop, listen, and allow ourselves to be nurtured and nourished.
Take time to step away from your calendar, computer and commitments. Schedule a time and place where you can renew and replenish. Hone your spiritual practice in on your sacredness. Celebrate your Oneness with the Divine.
You are worthy and powerful. You are amazing. You are loved.
P.S. Please consider joining us October 22-25, 2023 at our Wisdom of the Heart Women’s Retreat at Alton Collins Retreat Center in Eagle Creek, OR. Our all-inclusive retreat is exactly what you are looking for. Click here for details.
“As I become conscious of my Oneness with God, I am filled with enthusiasm and a sense of energy and vitality.” – Ernest Holmes
Feeling tired lately? You are not alone! Vitality seems to be in short supply these days. There are so many challenges that drain our energy and can leave us sleepless and exhausted.
Vitality Is defined an exuberance; living with purpose. But some days it can be quite a feat to move from exhausted to vitality. It takes practice to take a breath, take a pause, and let go of our self-imposed demands. It often takes courage to ask for help and compassion to release our need for perfection. When we practice letting go we open the heart to more love, and we naturally feel more enthusiasm and vitality for life.
I feel vitality when I am in nature, at the ocean, forest, or desert, I feel a newness and freshness. My friend feels it when she is with her granddaughter. The world seems to stop and she is completely in the moment and in a state of unconditional love. Another friend feels exactly the same way when playing with her dog, feeling immense love and joy.
When we tap into vitality we are tapping into our connection with the divine and the life force energy. We feel an aliveness and appreciation for life itself. Eric Butterworth describes vitality as “All the the attributes of the Infinite are in focus as you, flowing forth through you. You are this flow.”
Pay attention to what makes you feel energized. You may not feel it every day and that’s okay. If we are willing to recognize vitality and pay attention, it happens more frequently. To some it may show up as an abundance of energy and to others it may be a quiet sense of purpose and gratitude. Wherever we are, we are connecting with the frequency of love.
“Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.” — Marianne Williamson
Have you ever held a grudge against someone? I did and noticed it was keeping me pretty occupied—avoiding them, trying not to think about them, trying hard to pretend they didn’t hurt me. It was exhausting.
When we don’t forgive, we stay in the struggle. We are in bondage with anger, bitterness and resentment. When we don’t forgive, we find there is a wall that separates us from love and keeps us from moving forward.
Forgiveness is an opportunity to let go. Forgiveness puts an end to the illusion of separation. It takes courage to let go. And when we do, it is one of the most important processes that brings harmony to our life and peace to our soul. Forgiveness sets us free to express love into the world.
In “This Thing Called You,” Ernest Holmes writes, “It may seem strange that the law which now holds you in bondage can as easily give you freedom. But this is the truth.”
Who are you willing to forgive?
Affirmation: I am willing to forgive and allow love to be expressed in the world.
“Your own consciousness is always creating thoughts, and the more you energize those thoughts, the more they come into being, good or bad.” – Paul Selig
Do you ever have those days where you wish for a magic wand—just for a moment to wave over life’s troubles and make them magically disappear?
If you’ve been on the spiritual path you’ve come to realize that change doesn’t come automatically. If I want my life to be different, I have to change my thinking, attitude, and perception. I have to be the one to initiate the change. There is no magic to it. Just consistent, dedicated practice to shift my thinking from wishing to doing.
In I Am The Word, Paul Selig writes, “This is not something that can be done once. This is about a new pattern, and like any new pattern it needs to be ingrained in consciousness and in behavior for it to become fully realized in your life.”
No one can do our work for us. We can’t will it or wish it away. There is no being in the sky that grants wishes for us. Each of us has to do our own work and look at old patterns, old beliefs, past experiences and take responsibility for them.
Responsibility is the ability to respond. We have the opportunity to bring conscious intention to whatever we are engaged in.
Ernest Holmes reminds us, “Realizing that all action starts in and is a result of consciousness, prepare your mind to receive the best that life has to offer. Become increasingly aware of the one Presence, the one Life and the one Sprit which is God. Drop all sense of lack or limitation.”
Affirm: I am willing to receive the best life has to offer me.
