Cord Cutting

Last night, during one of my workshops, I led a meditation on cutting the cords that attach us to people. Today, I find myself incredibly quiet. There is a stillness within me, and I don't feel the normal ripples of anxiety that seem to follow me around sometimes.

When I asked each student how many cords they thought they had attached, most of them answered with a low number. Surprisingly, after completely the meditation, they shared that there were many more cords than they thought.

I personally guessed at 400 plus, of my own. Today, it has been with conscious effort, that I have been pulling my cords in and NOT re-attaching them to the people that I am thinking about.

What a truly peaceful feeling it is to not have any attachments. I know that when I do think of someone, I can send an angel instead of my own energy. This seems to be a much more efficient method of caring for those that I love.

This is an oldy, but a goody. I first learned about this over 20 years ago, at The Center for Creative Learning.  It very much explains the Law of Attraction and the power of frequency through thoughts and behaviors.  Enjoy!
Lisa

The Hundredth Monkey

by Ken Keyes, jr. The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.
In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.
An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.
This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.
Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable.
Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.
Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known.
Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes.
Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.
THEN IT HAPPENED!
By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them.
The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!
But notice.
A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea --
Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.
Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.
Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.
But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!
(from the book "The Hundredth Monkey" by Ken Keyes, jr. The book is not copyrighted and the material may be reproduced in whole or in part. You can look at the whole book also.)

Publishing

Today I attended a seminar on 'how to publish and the publishing process'. I feel the need to explain my week before I go any further. I have been hanging onto a business card from Kira Henschel from HenschelHAUS Publishing, Inc.  for a few months now. This week, it was as though the card began to glow. It kept nagging me. Finally, I picked it up and called her. (I had literally been carrying it in my wallet and looking at it, daily, for weeks). After calling her, Kira told me that she had this great seminar coming up in 2 days, and that it would explain all of my publishing questions.

Well, the fee was $140 per person; but if I could find someone to attend with me, it would be just $50 each. I had 1 day notice, by the time I decided I was going. I had no idea where I'd find a person. I would have gladly payed the fee; as it was worth it, but I had to believe that if it was truly meant to be, I would find another person to take it with me.

That night, a student of mine, whom I rarely talk to, contacted me. Just then, I realized that she had talked about writing a book about surviving hospice 3x! She initially said she couldn't come, but I pulled the 'faith' angel card before I went to bed that night. The next morning she e-mailed me and said, 'It's a go!!' I KNOW her attending was pivotal for her life and this book. I can only imagine the lives it will inspire.

I knew I was in the right place because Kira embraced the fact that I brought my essential oils (it helps break up the energy when it gets intense), and she is also a Reiki Master. She appreciated and assisted me in cleaning the energy several times (this is normal when a group of 11 people are in a room for 7 hours-no matter how positive and inspiring the environment!). The dialog within the students floated often to 'The Law of Attraction' and energy healing. Truly, I was in the best possible publishing office in the city. I just can't imagine that most publishing places embrace the holistic the way Kira  Henschel and Steve Duncan did. I was completely comfortable.

As of right now, I believe that I am going to self publish and hire Kira as a consultant. It seems that I am well on my way with books and ideas, and marketing. Today was a birth of sorts for me, and I am eager to see where this path leads me.
Right now, I am working on publishing 9 Reiki Manuals and several other pieces including a couple's massage book. More than ever, today showed me that the difficult journey that I have been on for the past couple years gave me skills and experience that I really needed to be at this point in my life. It feels good, but a little daunting. Step by step, I'm moving forward into my newest endeavor; I'm going to be an author.

Making the most of the moment

This morning I was at a department store making a return. It was just a few minutes after the store had opened, but I could tell something wasn't right. There was a thick tension in the air.  I had a return, and no one was at any of the many registers lined against the wall. An anxious staff member approached me, "Do you have a return? You'll have to do it in the cosmetic department because all of our registers are down in the store; except for the 2 in there. I apologize for the inconvenience." 'Well, that's annoying', I thought selfishly to myself. Not because I had to walk a few feet from the registers, but because I don't care for the energy of that department. Nothing personal to them or the store; I just don't like it in there. Not my kind of vibes.

I walked into cosmetics, (bubbled up with white light energy) and joined the small line at the two registers. The teenagers running one of the registers (there were two of them) were extremely chipper. Maybe a little too chipper for me this morning (truth be told); but I could tell that they were trying to make the most of it. They added samples for each purchase, "That's right; you get a sample just for checking out in this department, even though your items aren't even from in here!"

The lady helping me was a little older, and I think she was a manager. She and another manager tried to do my tricky return. I could feel the tension mounting in the moment, from the ladies. The managers were simply consumed with stress.

After about 5 minutes of this, I finally said, 'I feel SO sorry for you guys. And it's only 10AM! At least it's not Saturday?" They looked at me in gratitude and one of them said, 'Well thank you for saying that! It's so nice of you to consider us.'

I said, 'I bet those registers will be up by noon." And they said, 'That would be great!' A customer commented that they have a huge sale today...and only 2 registers in the entire store...

Then I was inspired. I kept getting this feeling to do something, but I continued to let my fear of rejection get the best of me. Finally, after one of the ladies left to manage something else, I said, "I never do this, but you look like you will really need this after today. I am a massage therapist (as I took out a card and wrote a coupon on it), and I'll give you $20 off if you come and see me'.  I guess I figured she'd appreciate the gesture-and she seemed like a nice lady.  Well, to my surprise, the teenagers and all of the other ladies (4 total) cheered and gasped, 'WOW! That's so incredibly nice of you!' and so on. Who knew such a little gesture would make such a big reaction? She said to me, 'I have back and disc problems and I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. Thank you!"  I felt really good at that moment; like I did what I could do to shift the energy; with every tool I had.

As I was leaving, another sales person came from the back smiling, "Another register is up in the back of the store-we have 3 now!" There was optimism and hope within the staff-I could feel it. They were going to be OK.

I have to laugh because it's so small, and yet it's so big. Most times, we are so consumed by how we are feeling, that we don't stop to consider how others are feeling, in the very same moment.

I hope this post inspires you to do a nice gesture when there is an opportunity to do so. Even if it means stating the obvious; like, "This situation is really hard, and I feel badly for you." Sometimes, a little compassion is all you need to offer.

Dandelions

                                                                  (photo by Audiotribe)

It's all how you look at it.
Until recently, I never really liked dandelions.  I enjoyed the yellow flowers that dandelions produced, and the white puffy fluff that followed, but after that, they were always just an annoying weed to me. It wasn't until recently that I learned just how valuable and nutritious they are. Every day, I juice vegetables and fruits in my juicer. My friend Laura Hulke taught me how dandelions are an awesome liver and kidney detoxifier, as well as a powerful diuretic. It's funny, I find myself constantly looking for dandelions now. As a matter of fact, I worry that I will run out of them. I wonder if I'll go to the neighbor's yard and ask if I can have some? Surely they won't mind. But honestly, I would have NEVER thought a few months ago that these little weeds would become so valuable to me! 

A yard service salesman came to my door soliciting last week.  I found myself telling him, 'I'm sorry, I eat my weeds.' He laughed and asked me if I make dandelion wine. "No..not yet", I said. "But that's a good idea!"

Isn't there a show on channel 10 called 'I eat weeds and shrubs'? What have I become??!!

I was talking to my physical therapist today (I'm having some work done on my hips) and the first thing she said to me was, 'I will never look at a dandelion the same way again.' I laughed. I had told her my constant quest for 'perfect' dandelions during our last session. How I am in search of the ones that haven't yet developed their flowers because they aren't quite as bitter.

We talked about how all of life is 'perspective'. It's funny how one little piece of information can entirely alter a viewpoint.  Finding something new in something old, for example.  It's all how you look at it.  Now I see the value of dandelions; a once annoying weed that I completely took for granted.

I'm going to meditate on seeing the value of other 'weeds' in my life. Please share an example you have with this. I would love to hear about it.


Have a great day,
Lisa

Learn something new

I just learned about tread wear bars on tires. Wow; I never knew about those. The mechanic showed me what mine look like. I now feel empowered to make a choice about when to purchase new tires.  I LOVE learning new things-it's always inspiring. Every time I learn something new, I grow and change.

My personal definition of getting old is "when I cease to change". Change is what life is all about.  Ironically, it's what people fight the most.  I think the idea is that one should be grateful for what they have, at every moment. Enjoy what you have, who you love, what you know, and what you feel because it will change eventually. Doesn't everything change? Isn't that the inevitable? I don't state this to set a tone of anxiety within you, but gratitude.  Just for today, allow yourself to fully absorb all of the wonderful things, feelings, and people in your life.

The best way to ensure that I continue to change is to continue to learn.  There is SO much to learn and know, and experience in this world. Fortunately, too many interests capture my attention. For me, it's all about staying balanced and focused.

At some point this year I plan to work with an astrologer to further develop my skills. I guess that learning astrology and running charts for people will be my version of doing cross word puzzles when I'm older; something to keep me sharp.

If you haven't yet signed up for something new this summer, let this post be an inspiration to you, to do so. Community centers, and the YMCA have multiple choices, for dozens of unique classes, at reasonable prices.  I enjoy hosting my weekly insights and other classes because I always learn from my students. People are our mirrors. If you aren't meeting new people, you are limiting your own personal growth.

Have a great day, and enjoy everything in your life to the fullest. If you are up to it, learn something new. It might just become the new inspiration that you've been searching for.

Lisa

P.S. Please comment on this post if you do sign up for something new to do this summer. Your responses are always inspiring; and you can leave your message anonymously.

Be still and listen....

During my quest for healing over the past year, I explored HeartMath; a scientific technique to calm the mind, body, and spirit. Arleen Hollenhorst, RN-BC, CEH hooked me up to a computer and had me hold a devise to monitor and control my energy. After learning about what my heart does (scientifically) when I experience negative emotions, she guided me to bring my energy and emotions into a calm and meditative state. I am sure most people experience this calmness and enjoy that feeling, and that is enough. For me, I realized that I if I can calm myself and my spirit quickly, I can channel (hear God/Spirit Guides, etc) almost immediately. And as you know, channeling and receiving spiritual insights is what I am all about!

To practice this on my own, I spend hours during the day in the quiet, or listening to the frogs gently chirping outside my windows. Living in the area that I do, the energy feels pure and alive. It recharges me, and I have come to depend on this to hear my intuition clearly. I must be still, and I must be calm to hear it properly.

A few days ago, I put one of my cats outside. His name is 'Truth' and he is our 'miracle' cat. He was gone for nearly 8 months, and was returned to us on a day when I needed a big miracle (My sister lost her soul mate that day, and it was very traumatic and painful for all of us). Well, a few days ago, I decided that Truth should go back outside. My other cats are indoor/outdoor cats, and Truth had gotten a bit chunky over the winter. Some might question why I did this, and my only answer is that I felt it was simply time for him to go back outside. He had dabbled with going out for a few seconds; but always ran back inside. A few days ago, I put him down and shut the door behind us. He took off running, and he didn't come back. I felt really bad. What had I done?

I made my mind and spirit still and asked, 'Will he come back?' The quiet but direct voice of my intuition answered 'In 2 days'. Well, 2 days later I pulled angel cards in the morning, and the last card I pulled was 'Tenderness' (The last card is meant for the last part of the day). There is an angel petting a cat on that card. Well, Truth did come back at 9pm that night-2 full days; almost to the hour, after he ran away. Why do I share this story? Because I believe that everyone can do this. How much easier life is when you can just ask, 'What is going to happen?' and trust the answer that you hear. Although I was anxious for Truth's return, I knew I could trust my intuition.

So today I ask you; are you trusting and listening to your intuition? What is it telling you? Might your life be easier if you acted on what you are hearing?

I this post finds you peaceful yet inspired. Have a beautiful day.
Lisa