Remembrance

I want to keep this feeling forever. It is pure bliss. My heart feels so full and happy right now. I look around and get teary eyed about the simple acts of kindness that I'm witnessing around me. I feel hopeful and encouraged. I am sensing the energy of the world changing and is making me feel high.
 
It is a bit hard to describe with words, but this feeling fills my entire being. It starts in my heart and, like an explosion, it extends to everything inside and outside of me. It is a feeling of hope, a feeling of love for humanity, a feeling of positive change.

How did it happen?

As I was walking to my car after a very powerful and transformative session with a client, I felt as if I was walking next to someone who had his/her hand on my back. It felt comforting and supportive. I was instantly filled with so many emotions and hopes for the future, it was hard not to smile and cry and the same time.

I don't know exactly how it started, but the feeling of love for the world was so intense that I could, once again, remember the wisdom of the ages, that we are all connected.

I want to stay in a permanent state of remembrance yet I know routine will set in and the mundane will catch up with me. However, it is up to me to keep this flame alive, to stay connected, to continue experiencing these blessed moments and remembering that we are all one.

The gift of this economy

A lot of people are feeling the financial hardship this economy is bringing us. For some, nothing has changed, for others, this cannot be a better time to invest, yet for most, this is a very difficult time. When our basic needs are not being met or we find ourselves under a lot of stress, especially financial, we lose focus of what's important. We walk around like zombies, with glassy eyes, tight stomach, scrambling, fearful, hearing but not listening, a millions thoughts racing in our mind, and simply not present. This pressure is more intense when other people depend on us.

And the worst part is that it doesn't seem like there is anything we can do to fix it or improve it. There is apparently nowhere to run to. We are driven by fear. Fear drives us to doubt ourselves, to experience lack of trust, to neglect or hurt our selves and our loved ones, to create more fear and stress, to create chaos and confusion, to live in the darkness.

What can the Universe be trying to teach us? Why are we going through this? Why all this fear?
My sense is that these obstacles are making us stronger. These situations are teaching us about the value of family, friendships, simplicity and community. We are forced to reach out for help, to count on one another, to share more, to build a conscious community. We are forced to simplify our lives and appreciate the little things that count, appreciate the things money can't buy. This economy is teaching us to believe in ourselves and rely on the love within.

For so long we've depended on material things or things outside ourselves to define us, to give us the appreciation we needed, the status, the honor, the love. We've experienced life through buying more and more things, filling up our garages with things we forgot we had. We've experience life without real joy because we had to work hard and had no time to stop and have fun. The Universe has given us such magnificent gifts -the sun, the sky, the ocean, the mountains, the seasons- and we are so busy building our material world that we don't take the time to enjoy what is right in front of our eyes. When was the last time we stopped to listen to the birds chirp in the morning, welcoming the new day? When was the last time we stopped to feel the energy of the earth beneath our naked feet?

I know many people who got laid off from their 9 to 5 jobs. They were devastated. They were not able to find comparable jobs that gave them the life style they were accustomed to. They were forced to look for alternatives and in their search, they found what they truly loved doing. They have simplified their lives, have accepted help from other people, and they are living life fully, enjoying the time they didn't have before because of their jobs. They are now doing things they've put aside or exploring their passions that were dormant inside themselves. They are exploring what is like to love themselves without judgement and to count on that love to keep them strong and positive.

Being forced to simplify, change, love, pursue our passions, and take time to enjoy life, is a gift this economy has brought for many. I know some are still resisting it, but with time they too will understand that things happen for a reason, and that an optimist always sees the glass half full and looks for opportunities in the midsts of chaos. I invite you to see the gift in your challenges and join me in appreciation and gratefulness for our gift of life.

Self-awaken

Lately I've been practicing waking up without an alarm. I don't know exactly how it works but when I tell myself that I need to wake up at a specific time, my mind, body -or my unconscious- make it happen. It could be that I just wake up naturally, rested, yet I've tested this on different ocassions at different times. It doesn't work if I have only slept very few hours, though. One time I tried to wake up without an alarm to go to the airport at 3am. Having gone to bed at 12pm, the only thing that could have woken me up after three hours of sleep was a startling alarm. 


When I have more time to rest, I can experiment with waking up on my own. One time I woke up at 7am and told myself I wanted to sleep a bit more till 8:30am. I went back to sleep without setting up the alarm. Right at 8:29am I woke up, feeling rested and wide awake. Another time I told myself to wake up at 5:00am and one minute before 5:00am, I woke up. It's not always a pleasant awakening. Sometimes I have bad dreams that wake me up right at the time I set, other times I need to go to the bathroom, and at times I dream I'm stepping on something and trip and wake myself up with the jerk of my leg. Yet most of the times is just feeling rested and awake. 


How does it work? It's not like I'm constantly looking at the clock checking the time. I sleep soundly and wake up one minute before the set time. My eyes cannot see the time, first because I have to raise myself from my bed a bit to see the clock in my nightstand and second because my eyes are closed when I'm sleeping! :) This is what I do: before I go to sleep I tell myself a few times, "I want to wake up at 6:30am" I imagine the time in my clock and go to sleep confident that I will wake up at that time. If I have something I cannot be late for, I set up my alarm as a back up, but most of the time I turn it off before it sounds. I wake up in such a good mood when I wake up on my own!


I wonder if this a symbol of what I'm trying to accomplish in my life, to be awaken, or in my case, self-awaken. I'm trying to find within myself ways to awaken to spirituality without looking for things outside of me (validation, degrees, material things). One of the ways to experience awakening is by listening to my body's wisdom. Our bodies posses immense information about what is beneficial for us and what is not. We tend to ignore it or mask it by neglecting ourselves, over-working, over-indulging, over-everything. My intention is to listen more to my inner wisdom and trust that I will wake up without stress when the time is right.

Impatience

One thing I realized in my journey of personal growth is that my lack of patience has not allowed me to fully enjoy life. I want things to happen now and I cannot wait to know where I'm heading, why, in which way,etc.
In my journey inward I've discovered that I am very fortunate to have everything I have and be where I am now. However, I tend to reach for more, which is not a bad thing, it's just that it seems like I am never happy with what I have accomplished and don't have the time to enjoy it.

That is changing.  

My awareness increases all the time and with that my appreciation and gratitude for where I am and have, even if I want more, or want to achieve more. My goal now is to continue evolving, changing, improving, learning, dreaming and above all, enJOYing life and love, despite the adversities, challenges and pain.

I'm ready to live fully.

Sea Glass

I went to the beach to meditate, with the conscious intention to make time to increase my spiritual connections. I found a spot with no one around so I wouldn't be disturbed. As I was beginning to relax, a bearded man appeared from the rocks. He did not look homeless or dirty but his sudden appearance startled me. He was wearing a baseball cap, a cut out shirt, wet jeans from the ocean waves, and tennis shoes. His arms had some kind of tattoo and he was carrying a bag full of little rocks.

My antennae immediately went up and I could relax no more. All I did was watch every single one of his moves and prepared myself to call 911 if needed. He was minding his own business, looking for certain kind of pebble to add to his collection. I was supposed to be meditating, but who could? with a strange man lurking around? I asked my spirit guides if this was a test, to see if I could meditate even when on guard. The answer that came was, maybe he's an angel sent to you. I tried to calm my self down as I reassured myself that angels sometimes come in different forms while I recalled the looks of those not-so-nice men who have hurt girls in the recent years.

Moments later, the tattooed man seemed to have finished his search and began walking back... my way. I was watching every move and planning my exit in my head. I was preparing myself to run, scream, call 911, whatever it took. OK, maybe I was not that tense, I just thought I should be prepared, jic.

On his way back, the man stopped to show me a couple of green sea glass he had collected and wondered out loud what they were. My anxiety went down (but not my guard) as I commented that they were probably seven-up glass bottles. He looked at me and asked, "do they really get like that? how?" It sounded like a little child, wondering why the sky is blue. I answered shortly, "tumbled." "Oh!" he answered. "I found some amber ones too" he added as he resume his walk back. "Have a good day!" was his comment as he walked away.

I resumed my meditation with no further interruptions. During my meditation I felt the need to open up my heart and had a vision of a Native American man with a large headdress. I was puzzled as if that was a shaman or a king. I felt complete and decided to go home. The first thing I did upon my return was to look for this image on the Internet. The image that came closer to what I had envisioned came from the blog of Charles Peden, a psychic man who can communicate with spirits, especially of animals.

Needless to say I devoured the information, as his blogs were very simple and easy to read. He wasn't talking mumble-jumble, he was so clear I felt like I was reading a friend's blog. I went to his website where I found out what he used to do for a living previous to his re-discovery of the gift: Sea Glass Association Founder...

Can you connect the dots? My guidance had some strange ways to show me what I needed to see. Nevertheless, I feel aware and connected and this experience validates it. I had set the intention to make time to connect more spiritually and I was already experiencing it.

Thank you.

I feel blessed.

A Community of Holistic Healers

Holistic healing is healing of the entire body, mind and spirit. Many people work on one aspect of the body only, according to the symptoms they are experiencing. If they feel anxious, they might take a pill or go to a mental health practitioner; if they have stomachaches or headaches, they might go to a medical doctor or take medication; or if they are feeling afraid or doubtful, they might go to their religion or self-medicate.

A person who is a holistic health practitioner has the duty to continuously learn about the different types of treatments that are available in the community in order to help others. Yoga therapy might work wonders for Mary and Paul but it might not for Daisy or George. Daisy might require traditional medicine while George might need flower essences. It is only the patient the one who knows what resonates with his/her body.

A typical example of how only a patient's resonance determines the type of treatment needed is a patient who goes to a psychiatrist for depression. The psychiatrist begins by giving the patient a dose of medication. If the patient has taken medication before and it worked well, then the psychiatrist prescribes the same medication. If the patient has not taken meds before, then the psychiatrist has to try different ones until the patient reports positive results.

Unfortunately there is a big gap between traditional medicine and holistic medicine. Despite the large amount of evidence that proofs the benefits of using alternative methods of healing, many people are stuck with the belief that a single cure-all treatment is the way to go. The forget that when they treat the body for illness, they mind and the spirit are involved too, therefore a single pill will not resolve the problem.

I'm not advocating not using medication; I have seen it worked on people when nothing else did. However, medication is like putting a band-aid in the wound if it's not combined with other treatments. Alone it does not heal it and does not prevent from getting hurt again. Many medical doctors focus on treating symptoms and they do not to focus on preventing illness.

I advocate for a tighter community, where we can integrate the use of different methods to find the one that resonates with each individual personality and make up. I advocate for a community where we can offer all these resources without feeling like one is better than the other yet appreciating and using what each has to offer.

If we can work together, each practitioner can offer a piece of their wisdom to create a healthier community of people who are in tune with their body, mind and spirit and can honor it and treat it with respect and love.