Letting go opens us up to infinite possibility

Yesterday I was talking to my Spirit Mother. Telling her about my frustrations about where I am going in my life or at least where I am not going. Lamenting about knowing what I want but not being able to get there. That what I am seeking seems to be eluding me. But what I am  not seeking seems to be finding me all the time. Forcing me to have to make decisions I did not think I would have to make at this point in my life.

She told me I am so lucky because at least I know what I want. So many people go through life not really knowing what they want. And I thought about our conversation all day after that. Went to bed with it on my mind. Woke up this morning to do Day 5 of the 21 Days of Gratitude  Meditation series and found a true gift from the Universe, an answer to my concern in Day 5’s meditation called, “Setting Goals and Letting Go.”

The daily thought alone sent chills down my back, “I set my goals, allow the power of the Living Universe to take over and I enjoy the ride.”

Followed by this gem of advice by Tao Te Ching, “When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be.” Wow, I thought. Wow.

And that’s when it all hit me. The majority of my life has been lived in the flow. Living by letting go and trusting in the Universe that everything is going to be okay. That if I wake up in the morning, I am being given the opportunity to live another day. Live my life to the fullest. Not dwell on what was or what could be but just to appreciate the moment I am  in.

And it all really started with the death of my mother when I was thrown into such a tail spin that I could not make out the difference between intention or expectation, light or dark so I decided to just exist. To just live. To just be rather than try to understand the unknowns. Rather than try to dictate where I am meant to be in life. To just enjoy the ride.

But then once I became a mother and I wanted so desperately to be the best role model I could be for my children and to be there for them every step of the way, I began to set goals and hold on to them thinking I would show them how wonderful I am and how I can manifest anything I want instantly. Frustrating myself to no end.

What I discovered even more so was when I returned to the work world after being absent for eight years was that people were very goal and task oriented. The business world had changed from the one I knew and loved where we established relationships with our customers to one of delivering results. So I, too, started thinking that way and found something was lacking within me.

Listening to Louie Schwartzberg this morning brought everything back into perspective for me and helped me to understand rather than trying to control every aspect of my life, I must go back to being the girl that knew it was wise to make room for what I do not consciously  know.  To embrace the unexpected surprises that may be waiting for me.

He reminded me that once we set our intention, it is  important to have faith that the  power of the Living Universe will bring us more than what we ever imagined. As has been the case for most of my life.

When I look back to the day I become a Motherless Daughter and the light seem to go out of the world and then fast forward to the present moment, I see myself as the woman of light I have become and am still becoming so much so that I am filled with gratitude and wonder.

Letting go of attachment for narrow specific results opens the soul, the heart and the true self to new heights. Allowing us to soar like the Phoenix. Rising from the ashes over and over again as one intention dies to give birth to another allowing my life to move in directions I never imagined.

According to Louie, It is “the mystery of the unknown that sets colour and dimension to our lives.” That statement is so true. So inspiring because it allows us all to move into that space of wonder and gratitude giving us all the ability to receive the gifts and treasures of the Universe when we have faith and trust that we are exactly where we need to be.

Practising gratitude daily by giving thanks for having the ability to not only dream our dreams but to  live them opens us up to infinite possibility. Being mindful of our thoughts so that when the path becomes rocky or takes an unexpected turn, we remember tot take a deep breath, stop and  listen to our soul’s message then repeat, “I set my goals, allow the power of the Living Universe to take over and I enjoy the ride.”

Releasing the need for control. Hard I know because we always want to know what is happening to us and those around us all the time. After all we are in an age of instant news. Instant results so we have grown to expect the same for ourselves.

We have become conditioned to believing that if we make a decision, instantly everything in our lives will change. Isn’t that what the Internet has taught us? Isn’t that what we see on our friend’s Facebook pages – these beautiful, colourful glossy lives captured in an instant?

But what we don’t see is all the production that goes on behind the scenes to get the glossy perfect pictures and stories out into the world. The mishaps, the unexpected detours that allowed the glossy pictures and tall tales in the end -  the process is not captured for us to see.

And that is what we must remember. What we see as outcomes are not indicative of the process that took place to get to the final result.

It is important to have goals, intentions and an idea of who we want to become and what we want to do but it is even more important to let go of our goals, intentions and thoughts of who we are in order for us to become what we might be. If we are so rigid in our expectations, we lose sight of the paths that come our way every day. The detours that can get us to where we would like to be in the most unexpected ways.

When we close our eyes to the infinite possibilities because we have set our intention or goal because we believe the path we are on is the only way we will get to where we want to be, we may find we lost the opportunity to become something more than what we ever imagined for ourselves.

What a beautiful meditation this morning. What a wonderful gift from the Universe. “Being unattached to one specific form of any goal is how we leave room for wondrous surprises that may turn out better than we ever imagined.” Letting go opens us up to more opportunities than we ever imagined. Wow. And amen.

Ask for what you want

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” Maya Angelou

A wonderful and powerful quote I came across spoken by the very wise and timeless Dr. Maya Angelou. When this woman speaks, profound words usually roll out of her mouth. She is a modern day Sage to me.

When I saw these words and pondered on them for a bit, I felt them deep down inside. And thought about how often we ask for something and then when we get it, realize it wasn't what we really wanted in the first place. That we weren't ready for what we asked for yet or didn't really mean to ask for it in the first place. Or thought what we asked for would bring us instant satisfaction and happiness. Only to find ourselves disappointed. Tired. More stressed because with any change, there comes a period of discomfort and confusion. There is no such thing as instant gratification because life is a process.

We are constantly sending conflicting messages to ourselves and to the Universe. When we ask for a new job, a new relationship, or for anything that will deliver us from the oppressive situation we may find ourselves in, and then we get it, we discover it wasn't really the new job or relationship or anything but where we were, we were seeking, it was a basic desire we were lacking not really the situation change we got.

But what we attract with the new job or relationship sometimes turns out to be worse than what we had because we had not dealt with our own internal battles. Forcing us to discover our underlying desire still remains unfulfilled so we end up bouncing from one situation to another because we have not settled within ourselves what it is we truly want. 

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it”,  is very powerful because what it tells us is that the Universe always answers our strongest desires and requests in exactly the way we ask for it so we must always be prepared for what comes our way because we are the directors of the movie of our lives.

In order to get what we truly want and need, we must give ourselves the opportunity to be still, to be quiet, to walk in nature or whatever allows us to hear our inner voice, to hear our deepest desires bringing forth the truth of what we need and want. Only after these moments of quiet contemplation, meditation or prayer should we then ask for whatever it is that we want.

That way we will be prepared to get what comes our way knowing it may not manifest in the way we envisioned but we will be given our greatest desire in the form that will be best for us to handle. Allowing us to accept our gift from the Universe, the answer to our prayer with love and gratitude rather than with regret and disappointment.

Life is all about the messages we send out into the Universe. All about who we are because we attract who we are over and over again. And more importantly life is a process. Change after change. Decision after decision until we find the rhythm of our existence. The reason we are here because we always get what we ask for. The question becomes are we prepared to receive it?

The moral of the story is be careful what you ask for because you might just get it.....

As I follow my passion

“As I follow my passion the world becomes a better place.”

“As I follow my passion, the world becomes a better place.”

“As I follow my passion, the world becomes a better place.”

I heard this in my meditation this morning. A 21 day meditation experience about gratitude hosted by the Mentors Channel. And this was the message of the meditation this morning. And from the moment I heard it, I knew I was being sent a message by the Divine. I knew the Universe was speaking to me this morning.

This message was loud and clear in the last words spoken by Louie Schwartzberg, the presenter, before the meditation ended. “As I follow my passion, the world become a better place.” And when I opened my eyes, I totally understood what this message was telling me. Guiding me to accept.

If I am working within my passion, if I embody my passion then the world becomes a better place purely because I view it differently. I see life as a process, a journey. Not static. Not still but rather a moving and every changing dynamic that will place me in situations that seem untenable and unmanageable sometimes but if I am living a life grounded in my passion then I will accept that life is dynamic not static.

To know the darkness is as much a part of the process as is the light. Every person I encounter and who crosses my path is really an aspect of me that I am dealing with. No person is a stranger in my life. We are all one, of the Universal soul.

Living a life of passion helps me to see that the world is a great and abundant place, it is our projections  on it that make it seem inhospitable and dangerous. To live a life of passion, is to open ourselves to creativity which allows us to grow and expand because each one of us was sent here to create.

When we see life through the eyes of children, we see the world truly is a place of abundance and possibility. Children live passionate lives every single day because they are not jaded as we, adults, have become by projecting ourselves into a future we have no control over because it never comes or by living in the past which no longer exists. They recognize that the only moment they have is the one they are in and nothing else matters.

Living a life of passion helps us to find purpose and meaning. My writing every single morning brings me closer to the passionate life I am meant to be living as it helps me to dig deep and to explore who I am and what I am allowing to derail my viewpoint on life, my outlook on the world. It allows me to create, the desire we all carry within us to create something every day. 

This morning's meditation helped me to understand because I begin my day from a creative space that I am able to view the world as a wonderful place. Allowing me to be grateful that I am here experiencing this journey, this process.

Living a life of passion allows me to see the world through rose coloured glasses because it grounds me to the now. Allowing me to be grateful and receptive to everything that comes my way. Giving me the ability to feel and know gratitude and love. Opening me up to possibility. Tapping me into the infinite power of the Universe.

Allowing me to fully embrace the thought of the meditation today “As I follow my passion, the world becomes a better place” because I become a better person. More willing to share. More willing to give. More willing to open my heart and soul to the pulse of the heartbeat of the Divine. Namaste.

We are here to share

We are here to share

To help

To be of service

To each other

To pull each other up

When one is down

To lift each other up

When one’s spirit

Needs lifting

To honour each other

When the time is right

To praise each other

When the time is right

To support each other

Always

In times of good

And times of bad

But sometimes

We get so caught up in self

That we neglect to see

How interconnected we really are

Truly are

We neglect to remember

We are 

Of the One Source

Of the Divine Spirit

Emanating from the same soul

So instead we become

Selfish

Self centered

Hoarders

So afraid 

Of tomorrow

That we forget 

To live today

We store

We hide

We lie

We cheat

Keeping us mired in the darkness

In the dungeons of doom

Busyness distracting us

From being who we are

And what we are meant to be

We look up

Through the iron grates

The iron bars

Up high

So high from where we sit

Mired in darkness

And see those on the mountaintop

Claiming all the light

And then we wonder

And lament

About

How they got to the light

When we are still struggling

On the treadmill

And no matter how hard 

We push

And stride

We remain stationary

Standing still

Not moving

As life 

And they

Pass us by

Breathless

Resentful

Angry

Until we stop

And look

At ourselves

And see

It is because

We have put self first

Ahead of helping

Instead of supporting

Instead of present moment living

Instead of being grateful for

All that we have

All that we are

All that we have experienced

Stopping us from seeing

We are just as capable

Just as fortunate

As those on the mountaintop

But we are stopping ourselves

From getting there

Because we refuse to share

Refuse to help

Refuse to promote

And assist

Unless it serves us

Keeping us down in the dungeons

Chained to the rock

Until we shift

Our thinking

To one of abundance

And gratitude

We see the climb 

Was never

Too steep

The grates

The bars

Had no key

That they were

Self imposed

By us

By our own

Limitations

Realizing all at once

The only thing stopping us

Was us

Not being thankful

For every experience

In our lives

Not being grateful

For every person that crossed our path

Not seeing that

We are evolving

As we imagine

Because

We are products 

Of our imagination

More so than our circumstances

Because

It is our imaginations

That create our circumstances

And if we don’t like our circumstances

We have to either 

Move away

Change

Or accept them

100%

As they are

Because we are the masters

Of our destinies

Dreamers

Of our dreams

And that’s why

There are those people

Who could be us

High up on the mountaintop

Basking in the light

Not because

They are selfish

Or self-centered

But

Because they recognize

They are the light

As are we

Because we are all

Of the Universal Soul

Of the One source

Here to share

Not hoard

Here to teach

Not to block

Here to learn

Not stagnate

Here to prosper

Not starve

Here to grow

Not wilt

Here to explore

Not hide

Here to live

While we can

Not wither

And

Be exactly

Who we came here to be

Sharing

Loving

Supporting

Spiritual beings

Having

A human experience

At the same time

In the same dimension

Of the One Source

Of the Divine Spirit

Of the Universal heart beat

Namaste

A purposeful walk

Yesterday I did it and I am so proud of myself! Thanks to the circle of women who surrounded me in spirit and cheered me on. Who claimed my story as their own. My story where I exposed my vulnerable self who is ashamed of her body. Who was too full of ego to hit the streets and walk. Too fearful to go out into nature because I was afraid of being outed for the weight I have gained.

In putting my story out there, so many women came forward and said they feel the same way and they are so proud of me for validating their feelings as well. Telling me. Teaching me. Showing me  that when we are honest about where we are in life. When we are brave enough to speak our truth. What we end doing is speaking the truth of many who are on the same journey. What we do is validate each other. Letting us know we are not alone.

So I say thank you to my sisters from wherever you are for cheering me on. For giving me the power of the Universal sisterhood to don my exercise clothes and go out into the world yesterday - excess weight and all - and just do it.

And I have to tell you, it was painful at first. I had to do a lot of inner talking to hear your voices. To embrace your voices. To take the first step. And when I did, I started slowly and with lots of trepidation. Hoping I would not see too many people I knew. Not on my first day. And the journey was tough. All uphill so my legs were burning but I kept going, slower than I had anticipated to ease the burn in my legs.

I was also overwhelmed and surprised by the heat of the morning. Thinking it is November right so how can it be so hot. So humid.  I wasn't sure if it was my hot flashes or if it was just the heat of the blazing sun, burning through the thick heavy black exercise long pants I had on. Making me question why I had chosen to wear those thick pants in the first place. Particularly when I saw the true exercisers strutting by in their light weight gear. 

But once I made it to the beach, I was so thankful for walking. So grateful for getting up off my behind and getting out in nature. As I neared the beach, I could hear the sound of the ocean calling my name. Taking away some of the pain I was feeling. Even before I could see it, I could the rhythm of the ocean deep down in my soul. Soothing my nerves. Relaxing me.

And then as I got to the beach, I saw the power behind each wave. The water almost milky from the ferocity of the waves. The beach almost nonexistent in some parts because of the high tide and the large waves. Each wave crashing then retreating. Making me realize just how powerful the ocean can be as I watched it reclaiming the sand it had brought there before. Washing it back out with it as if it were reminding me that we are only here temporarily. Brought here for a purpose and it is up to us each day to be grateful for the purpose we came here for. To live our lives until we find that purpose. Then we must embrace it with all of our might. Because just like the ocean was reclaiming the sand it had brought with it; so too. will we be reclaimed one day by the Divine. To go back to the place from whence we have come. And on that day , we will either be happy for the lives we have led or sad we never did what we thought we were here to do.

I walked along the beach and up the next hill,which was just as steep as the one before, and felt pure joy in my heart for walking. For pushing aside my shame. For hearing the voices of my sisters supporting me, telling me I could do it and I did. I walked with purpose after that. With the purpose of being grateful for being given another day to take one step at a time toward the life I am meant to be living. Building on each experience with gratitude.

Knowing sometimes I will experience pain and hurt but if I keep moving, keep going and not stop, the pain will subside and life will show me the way. Clear a path for me as my walk showed me yesterday. With gratitude. Namaste.

Overcoming my image issues

November already! 11 months into the Year and it feels like it just began for me some days and other days I feel like it has been a long year.

As I reflect back over 2013 it has been a year of a lot of endings and beginnings. Revelations and eye opening experiences where I have had to make some major decisions to protect myself, my family and my dignity. To be a role model to myself and to my family as well as to others to help us to see how possible it is to make decisions whether they turn out good or bad but to just keep going even when life does not give us the sweet lemons to make the juiciest lemonade.

To know that sometimes the lemons will be bitter in order for us to learn to turn that bitter into something sweet.

My own lesson for this morning as I woke up with the call of nature ringing in my ears. Willing me to come outside. But all I could think about was my weight and how I am embarrassed to put on exercise clothes and walk the streets. Ego stamping out the light side of my being. Shame. Humiliation and fear taking over the possibility that existed for me in a morning walk.

So I sit here this morning flummoxed about why I can’t motivate myself to exercise as I see the layers appearing on my body in places I never knew layers could be. I had put on my exercise clothes to go out into the fresh air but I just could not build up the nerve to do it. All I could think about was how horrible I look in exercise clothes. Beating myself up rather than accepting myself for who I am.

Weight is a reflection of where we are in our lives and as women who are ageing we have to accept that unless we completely deprive ourselves of food that tastes good, we will not have the figure of the girls we were in our twenties.

Writing this is allowing me to change my message. To adjust my thinking to when I look in the mirror to appreciate that  I am seeing a mature woman looking back at me. A woman who has lived, loved and grown. And continues to do so.

Each layer a reflection of the miles around the track of life I have walked, run, avoided.

Reminding myself about the bitter lemons and that it is up to me to turn them into sweet lemonade and to stop wallowing in the fact that they are not as sweet as I would like them to be.

Life need not be about obsessing as we do about our physical state unless it is a serious impediment to our health and well-being. Instead life is about exercising our mind and spirits to make sure the person we are taking out into the world is one filled with love and light. One that can counter the negative energy that surrounds us - always trying to pull us down into the darkness. As is this obsession of mine about weight making me want to hide from the world rather than being out in nature smelling the fresh air and looking at the trees.

Tomorrow morning I am telling myself will be my day when I take myself out into the morning air and let the beauty of nature embrace me regardless of what I look like just as long as I am full of gratitude for being me. Accepting I am where I am meant to be, look as I am meant to look at this time in my life and who I am meant to be.

Turning those bitter lemons into sweet lemonade is totally up to me and me alone. Namaste

Accepting the power of the Universe

Yesterday was one of those days that was off the charts. A day of beginning and endings. Of hand overs and hand offs. A day of openings and closings. A day of renewal and rejuvenation. A day of possibility so exposed that I felt like I was vibrating with the Universe.

I took the day off from work thinking I would relax but ended up doing several things that felt like I was working but for the better good. Work comes in many different forms. Sometimes we are doing things for the betterment of mankind. For the betterment of our human race. But always we are doing things for the betterment of ourselves and in doing so it translates into the betterment of everyone.

 When we work on ourselves, we work on the Universe. When we give from our hearts, our actions have a ripple effect on the whole entire Universe. When we love, our love radiates out into the world. Making life seem less threatening and opening us to receive more love.

Life is full of opportunities to give and receive. To teach and to learn. To be open to the Universe and to feel its rhythm deep down in our souls. And sometimes when we are at the right vibrational level as I was yesterday, we can feel the actual vibrations that occur every single day – the pulse of the Universe. The rhythm of Mother Earth’s heartbeat.

Connecting to our own. Reconnecting us to the One Source. To the place where all is known. Where we emanate from. Where the spirit permanently resides. And when we do, there is nothing but bliss, harmony and understanding as well as acceptance and love. Allowing us to be. Just be.

When we do, we know from a very deep place, we can face anything, do anything because we accept whatever comes our way is for us to learn or to teach. Life is always pulling us, prodding us. To remember who we are and what we are capable off. Strip us of the protective armour we layer on to shield ourselves from hurt, pain and mistakes. When in fact, it is the hurt and pain and mistakes that lead us to our inner most selves. Our core selves. Our vulnerabilities and sensitivities. Our inner child crying out for attention. The child in all of us that never really becomes jaded by mankind but sees the love and light in everything. And wants us to as well.

Yesterday was one of those days when I felt like I was on top of the world because I connected so deeply with the resonance of Mother Earth, with the depth of Father God, with the Eternal flow of the Universe. Opening my mind, body and soul to all that is, was and ever will be. Accepting there are no mistakes, only lessons to be learned.

And when I am truly living, truly growing, truly exploring, I will fall flat on my face time and time again. Only to rise up again as a better and stronger person. If I so choose.

Taking away the fear of living and replacing it with a joy of living. Of being in the pulse and vibrating to the heart beat of Mother Earth

Loving that all of this happened because I started the day full of gratitude, love and light. Allowing me to receive them back in turn. Allowing me to receive back the power of the Universe because I accepted the power in me. Namaste.