It's easy to have hope when things are going well...

When things are going smoothly is easy to trust and have hope. The challenge comes when there is struggle.
It is difficult to feel hope, peace and trust when we are faced with problems, losses and pain. Fear may take over and paralyze us. Or we may go into despair or anger and not see the light at the end of the tunnel.
What to do in these situations?
Ideally we should stay calm and centered in the middle of a tornado. No matter what happens outside of us, we should be able to remain calm on the inside.
Easier said than done, right? 
How can we remain calm when our world in crumbling around us and we see no way out? How can we be centered when we have no way to change the situation or feeling?
One word:     HOPE
Hope is what keeps us going, what keeps us fighting despite the losses, what keeps us moving when we feel exhausted.

Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual teacher and poet, wrote:

"Life without hope

Is no life at all.

 

Hope passes beyond,

Far beyond,

The abyss of despair.

Our hopes

Should be as deep

As the Pacific Ocean.

Hope    

Is not just a word.   

Hope    

Is today's beautiful plant.    

Hope    

Is tomorrow's fruitful tree.

 

Hope is not a momentary flicker.  

Hope is Eternity's slow, steady,

Illumining and fulfilling height.

 

O hope, you are my treasure dear 

Of a long century.    

Because of you I see not the fear    

Of stark penury."

When we turn to hope, we can remove ourselves momentarily from the painful situation and become an observant. When we feel hope, we analyze the reason for the struggle, the meaning of the pain and the patterns of unconscious reactions. When we feel hope, we find the light at the end of the tunnel and walk towards it, knowing that there must be a reason for this challenge, a lesson to be learned or a skill to be gained. When we feel hope, we strengthen our faith and override negativity and helplessness.

Hope allows us to be conscious and aware as we explore the roots of our discomfort and try to find a way out. And sometimes there is no way out but through. Sometimes there is no way out but surrender.

Hope allows us to stop resisting and fighting so we can become more mindful of the present moment and what we are creating for ourselves. Is it possible to feel hope in the midsts of struggle and pain? I have seen it happen. It takes commitment to one self to observe curiously what is happening inside of us and to allow it to be. It takes courage to go inside and find the light. It takes strength to bring out the hope and light and not become overwhelmed by the chaos around us.

It is easy to be hopeful and excited about life when things go well, but it makes us grow as humans and as spiritual beings when we learn from our challenges, find our inner strength and cultivate hope for ourselves and the world.

In hope and love for all,

Nancy

Ok, Ok, I believe!

I don't know how many times I have received validation for my hunches and intuitions and I still doubt.
The good thing is that I made my soul in charge of guiding me and no matter what I try to do, my soul makes sure I go back to my path.
Let me give you an example. I made a commitment to follow my spirituality, to be more in my heart and soul than in my mind. Hard task for someone who has been in school for a long time and just finished a PhD. My soul path has led me to pursue things that are related to consciousness, awareness, soul searching and the like.
Not long ago I was notified of a training to review the new Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), a long test that defines people's personalities. Not the most spiritual tool to use in therapy but I thought it would help me expand what I had to offer to my clients (like I don't do enough!). I decided to go to the training, even though my soul had said no when I asked if it was in my highest interest.
The morning of the training I woke up to my daughter having a high fever and feeling sick to her stomach... Needless to say, I missed the training.
I set the intention to believe and trust more, thanking my daughter for her sacrifice so I could learn from this experience.

When I'm aligned and trust, things flow effortlessly. After all of the years of inner work, I don't need to bang my head against the wall; all I need to do is believe and trust.
I asked my soul today (I pendulum tested) if I needed to go to the library or to the internet coffee shop to do some inspirational writing (such as this one). I was guided to go to the library. I wanted to get a cup of coffee so I decided to go to the coffee shop instead and do my writing there (despite getting a clear answer not to...). After buying a coffee and pastry the lady on the counter informed me that the internet connection wasn't working!
Ok, Ok, I believe!
I'm glad I don't need a big slap in the face, an accident or an serious illness to learn to follow my inner guidance. I'm glad to have done (and continue to do) internal work so I can learn my lessons effortlessly and gently.
If you notice that your lessons are coming in through harsh, difficult events, perhaps is time to stop and listen and realize that perhaps some internal work needs to be done.
I'm here if you need my support and guidance.
In trust,
Nancy

Things happen for a reason

There are times we find ourselves wanting certain things to happen, so we try time after time to get the results we want to the point of almost forcing them to happen. We have the illusion in our heads that we know how things should be and we keep trying to make them be that. When things don't go as planned we keep resisting and blame others, including God for it. We don't understand why these things are happening and why they are not going as we thought they should. We resist the flow and forget to see the lesson.

It takes a lot of patience and faith to let go and let the lessons and opportunities reveal themselves, since they don't show up right away.

When we release the need to control everything, we live in peace, we live in trust. That is not to say that we don't have free will to do as we please, but when we make a soul commitment to learn our life lessons, everything is arranged with that purpose in mind, including the obstacles in the way. It could be months or years later when we learn why it wasn't supposed to go a certain way or why certain things didn't happen. We notice and give thanks for those obstacles that "forced" us to go a different way. Things happen for a reason.

It's like an internal GPS, you input the address and no matter what route you take or what mode of transportation you use, it'll always point to that destination. Some routes are easier than others as some experiences are. In the end we need to trust that we are guided in the right direction and perhaps that detour on the road was there to help us gain better knowledge of the path ahead.

Earth Shaking Meditation

Things shift rapidly when we are aligned.
In order to experience what is truly there for us, we must release attachments and flow with the change.

I've been doing internal work on my beliefs and my role in this earth/time. I've been avoiding fully embracing my spirituality for one reason or another. Fear of being rejected, fear of not knowing enough, of making mistakes, and so on. I also found it difficult to manage the mainstream world combined with the spiritual world. I felt like I had to chose. In the past I have chosen following the mainstream but now it was different.

I chose spirituality. 

I made the decision to connect with my spirituality fully. I decided to let go of the mainstream requirements and just follow my spiritual path. 

Things began changing rapidly. 
Things that were not possible before, became doable. Places where there were obstacles before, opportunities came to the surface. The strangest thing was that the mainstream world was opening up for me. 

What was the Universe trying to tell me?
Was it that I needed to make a conscious decision to follow my spiritual path and release expectations as to how that was going to work? 
The truth is I probably wouldn't have made the decision to fully embrace my spirituality have I fought against the obstacles to force an outcome; have I succumbed to the mainstream without achieving balance. 

I can see now that it is possible for me to live in both worlds, I just had to give it equal value and release expectations, release control.

Perhaps this change came after an interesting event that happened yesterday. I was meditating mid afternoon in regards to my decision and its implications. I visualized a red cord coming through my body and into the core of the earth, attaching itself and connecting with the earth's force and vibration. 

Not long after I connected the cord the earth started shaking! A 5.9 earthquake developed! I opened my energy up to receive the change and transformation and allowed myself to be in this space without fear (in previous earthquakes I've been the first one to run out the door!). What perfect timing! 

Did the movement of the earth shake my limiting beliefs and stagnant energy away? I wish to believe so. Perhaps we all need to be shaken once in a while to remember to trust and be in peace in the midst of change. We need to be reminded that change is good and that we are loved and cared for. 

I hope you find what you need to make things work for you too. 
You are in my thoughts and blessings.
Thanks for sharing your journey with me.

With much love, appreciation and respect,

Nancy

Guidance

I read back my journal which I have not touched for three months and I recall the words that I wrote then. I had told myself that I needed to be more connected to spirit, to meditate more and receive more guidance. And I’m sure I wrote about the same thing six months ago too. Why is it so hard to stay spiritually connected and so easy to get distracted? I know how great it feels to meditate and receive guidance. When I meditate frequently and then stop, it’s like I stopped charging the batteries. I can feel the difference. But then, why is it so hard to commit to a continuous practice? Perhaps it’s the whole thing of feeling guilty for not doing “anything”. Perhaps it seems better to occupy ourselves with mundane things in order to seem busy and productive.

When my mind is full of worries, it doesn’t let me meditate. It doesn’t want me to do anything but waste time doing things that are not guided and do not take me anywhere. But to the ordinary world, that seems more productive than taking 30 minutes a day to really listen to guidance.

Let’s define some terms first before we continue talking about this topic. When I talk about meditation, you must understand that it is not just the kind that you see the monks do. Meditation can be walking, exercising, dancing, love-making, sitting in silence, journaling, or emptying your mind. The goal of meditation is to be able to still your mind enough that you can hear beyond your thoughts. It is not about stopping your thoughts completely, because that is definitely an almost-impossible task, in my opinion. It is about acknowledging your thoughts and letting them pass quietly, so that you can access the gap between them, the silent part.

The body is also a great way of connecting with guidance. By following your body, you can receive loads of information. The body expresses itself through movements, spasms, pains, diseases, etc. If we pay attention to our body and try to understand its language, we can discover that it is always trying to communicate information. For example, I may be experiencing a headache. I could choose to take an aspirin to numb the feeling, to make it go away. Or I can choose to sit with the pain for a moment and explore what is trying to tell me. Perhaps I’m invalidating myself, perhaps I’m trying to receive information but it’s being blocked. It is crucial that we listen to what our body tells us.

Guidance can be defined in many ways, God, Guardian Angel, Spirit, Universe, Ascended Master, Spirit Guide, Jehovah, or any being from the light coming to help. Many people connect with the Buddha, with Jesus, with Sai Baba, Krishna, Archangel Michael, and others. These are what I call guidance yet I might switch between that name and Universe. Everyone has a special guide or guides. They are here to help, protect and of course, guide us. We can have access to them 24/7 and they will always be there to assist us.

How do we connect with our guides? Let’s say that you are sitting at the beach one quiet afternoon, meditating, being in silence. But you don’t seem to get any guidance at the moment. Time passes by and nothing. What do you do? Strike up a conversation! You can do it without talking out loud, if you are afraid of being sent to the psychiatric hospital. Start a conversation and listen for the answer. In the beginning it may seem as if you are imagining the answers and you are making them up. Keep going. Keep talking and listening to the answers. Do not judge it, just play with it.  Talk about anything and listen to the answer, ask questions and just receive the answers, without judgment, even if you think that you are making up the answers. Have fun with it and keep talking until you are satisfied.

I’m starting a group where I can keep practicing and I can stay connected with like-minded people. I want to be a part of a community where we can support each other and share what we have and know.  I would like to meet in person and online as well. It is important that we find support in our journey and we don't isolate ourselves. We have a very important mission to fulfill and the best way to do that is with friends.

If you would like to join me, please send me an email and let me know. I'll email you the dates and location of the meetings.

In prayer and meditation for all of us to remain connected to the Universe, as one,

Nancy

Manifesting and connecting with your inner wisdom.

In Quantum Physics, scientists talk about the power of thoughts and intentions to manifest whatever we desire. Movies like What the Bleep Do We Know, or the Secret talk about this; research studies like Messages of the Water, or The Intention Experiment prove it; and books like You Can Heal your Life or the Spiritual Warrior have shared this amazing gift we all possess.

It is easy to connect with this gift and easy to forget it too. Many things can distract us from connecting with the gift of manifesting positive things, especially when the majority of people around us is struggling in this economy. Many of us are feeling the stress and anxiety that lingers in the air and unknowingly take part of it, forgetting our ability to create what we desire. Perhaps we believe that we can't, that we are not capable enough, not young enough, not good enough, not smart enough, not beautiful enough, not whatever enough. And those beliefs turn into manifestation of what we carry inside.

But how to manifest positive things in the midsts of all this chaos?

By staying true to yourself and your purpose. In other words, do what you love with passion and fun.
At times we need to release what we've been holding on for so long in order to make room for the new. That includes our thoughts, limiting beliefs, attachments to material things, and expectations of what life should be like.

How many times have we heard about living in the present moment? This is also called releasing expectations and worries about the past or the future. It is called trusting. The present moment may be stripping us from all the comfort we thought we needed, it may be leaving us without a job, or may make us have a hard time paying the bills. However, the present moment is trying to show us that we need to change, that something inside us needs reworking and that we need to stop for a moment and be present in our lives.

Being without a job may lead us to rediscover our passion and have time to follow it. Not having enough money may help us appreciate the things we took for granted before and may push us to be resourceful and creative. Losing material things may help us release our attachments and connect deeper with our spirituality. All of these things can help us realize that perhaps we were living in fear and that we need to love ourselves more. These tough lessons move us to change our limiting beliefs and expand, reach out for help, learn to receive and give, and love deeper.

We can connect with the gift of manifesting by working on our limiting beliefs, being in the present moment, following our intuition, love more, following our passion, and taking the time to connect with your inner wisdom.

A Shift in Consciousness

I'm not sure when or how it happened but it's as if manifesting just became easier. And it's not just manifesting, it's also predicting events, seeing things clearly, and getting messages clearer. Maybe something in the Universe opened up, everything is in alignment, or simply we are more conscious and aware.

For me is simple things like, I want to make new business cards, and I get an offer in the mail for free ones; or not feeling ready to attend an event and the event gets cancelled; or thinking about opening another office in another city and a friend asks me to share one. Perhaps I'm much more aware or perhaps it's getting easier. Either way I feel we are fully supported.

Lately, in my practice, I've been able to perceive much more clearly and accurately what a person is experiencing (thoughts, feelings, pains, concerns) even without knowing the person. I tune in into their energy and I can pick up feelings, sensations, images, words, people in their lives and other things. When I describe what I perceive to them, it matches almost 100%. I was able to do this before, but now it's enhanced and even more accurate. I also have been noticing more how I know when things are going to happen, for example, in a game, when a team is going to score an unexpected goal, or what a person is about to tell me.

In manifesting, we have to be careful with what we ask, even if it's unconscious. For example, one day a friend was coming over to visit and I had no energy left to share. Even though I did not ask for anything, I was imagining something holding her back from coming so I could rest. Not long after, I get a call from her saying that one of her children was sick and she needed to reschedule. I'll be more aware next time to ask for a harmonious outcome.

What shifted? Was it our consciousness? Was it something that was always there but we never noticed it fully?

I am definitely grateful for the opportunity to explore these gifts and to be aware of them.

Do you notice the gifts in you? Do you recognize and give voice to your intuition? Have you noticed a shift in your consciousness too?


Happy Mother's day to all the mothers in the world, including Mother Earth.