Category: Blog-Creativity

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Breathing Love Meditation

Living in the world at large is extremely stressful right now.

The lingering presence of COVID, a terrible war with more refugees flooding into Europe, material shortages, and escalating prices. Your personal world of health, family, work, friends, and communities may also be experiencing significant challenges. This beautiful planet is in distress with continued consumption and destruction by humans creating a global crisis that will affect all life now and in the future.

My friend in Vienna sent me this photo of his local train station. “Give peace a chance.”

Austria has a “Willkommenskultur” or welcoming culture for refugees. Many people from Europe have shown up at train stations in Poland and other countries with signs indicating they can house and feed Ukrainian refugees.

Yet many people in the United States and countries away from this region have expressed feelings of helplessness, fear, anger, and deep sorrow.

Research has shown that when in a crisis if someone has the opportunity to act and help others, there is less of a chance of a lingering post traumatic stress response. This is why so many are moved to donate money, create peace ceremonies, volunteer, or collect goods for displaced people.

In my research I learned of the stress created by donated goods in the midst of humanitarian crisis.

In situations such as the war in the Ukraine, the influx of clothing and supplies requires a great amount of organization, money, and volunteers. They need to manage incoming donations, sort goods, identify and pay for storage so supplies are not ruined by weather, and see what may be distributed. The statistics show that these needs not only take away a focus on flexible purchase, delivery, and distribution of items of need, but that 70% of these donations end up ruined and/or in landfills.

That in itself is heartbreaking. All that good intent ending up as a pollutant for our Mother Earth.

Taking some time to research options for helping or donating is wise in any situation whether it is a crisis or a long term need. Yet, the helplessness remains even if you are donating or reaching out to friends affected by global or personal crises.

It’s helpful to tune into your inner wisdom for guidance. Always beginning with a check on yourself.

If you’re experiencing significant upset, as many people are, I’d recommend turning off the news and soothing your system. Unless you are in a coherent state, you won’t be of much help to others or the world.

My Self Soothe Strategy is one of my Free Resources available on my website (click here).

The PlayBook explains the importance of working flexibly with your mindset and stress response system. The recording guides you through a heart focused Energy Psychology practice which resets your nervous system.

Your energy system is the foundational architecture of your “body.”

As such, it holds all fear, helplessness, and grief from past situations that were overwhelming at the time. There are many ways to soothe the system and help these stored disruptions clear out of the energy field and body.

Clearing the way to dream a new future for yourself, your communities, and the global family.

First, you have to check in to see where your focus lies. For wherever that is, you’ll be creating more of it.

Are you envisioning a world of unified peace or living in a world of divided hatred?

 

It may sound like a fairy tale to envision Russian and Ukrainian children growing up in harmony, respect, and love for one another. 

Or to witness the Earth restore its oceans, rain forests, and gardens so humans and all creatures contribute well to the ecosystem. I don’t read this as a fairy tale, I dream it as a foreseeable future. Turn off the mainstream news (right, left, and center) and seek out the amazing miracles happening all around this planet. 

There are amazing, cooperative projects existing all over this world. 

Where people live and work in harmony with a creative focus upon sustainability, respectful empowerment of each other, and dare I say it, personal responsibility and a big heart focus on love. One of my favorite websites to visit is Reasons to Be Cheerful created by Talking Heads musician, David Bryne. 

Good news. Good projects. Good inspiration to become involved and grow into a better human being.

I’d love to offer you a guided meditation that I recorded for the Center for Conscious Living in New Jersey. Together, the group dropped into the process of cleaning up the inner world, strengthening the energy field, and breathing love to the world. 

“I Am That: Breathing Love” guides you through a gentle process which you can use to soothe and strengthen your system. 

To access the recording, click here.

Settle into a quiet space and recognize that all healing begins within. Peace on the planet begins within. So does every creative dream about restoring harmony, safety, plenty, and respect for all beings.

If you are feeling especially unsettled these days, I’m happy to help you.

Check out my offerings and sessions on my website to see what resonates.

 

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Are there Reasons to Be Cheerful when your home is falling down or your parent is experiencing dementia?  That answer is a big fat yes! Some of my favorite discoveries on this website include creative ways to restore dignity while offering help. One project had volunteers restoring homes of older African Americans in order to create safety, build equity, and slow down gentrification. In Holland, dementia patients are working alongside farmers to grow food and care for animals. Supporting sustainable farms and giving meaning via contribution to elders or disabled persons who often feel marginalized. More than kindness or handouts, these projects empower active involvement. Big hearted dreamers making change.

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What’s your Way into Deep Peace?


Sometimes the world feels out of control.

Your personal world. The lives of those around you. Your country. The ecosystem. When so much happens around you, a sense of powerless arises. Even when you identify actions to take or ways to help others, the muchness of this sorrowful world can get to you. Making it a challenge to navigate your days.

It’s helpful to remember that all worldly transformation begins within.

And that you have the power to generate the healing energy of compassion and wise, peaceful solutions.

If you have a personal practice of meditation, prayer or devotion, you know the comfort and potential when you plug into that which is greater than you. Your body breathes more freely, your wild emotions settle, and your mind calms a bit.

This settling opens a door within your heart where you realize this “something greater than you” is also within you. Intimately accessible.

In that moment, you remember that you are not alone. You are a part of this immense web of energy. Intimately connected. This greatness, however defined, offers refuge from the storm within which rages in response to the overwhelming news of your/the world.



How do you get there?

Turn off the television and take a break from the news that streams through your phone. Breathe a bit and take a walk. The world will still turn without your witness and upset.

Reflect upon what brings you back to center.

Explore what you’re already doing, a spiritual practice you’d like to resurrect, or a new venture into a type of meditation that feels right for you. No judgement or great goal setting here. Just ask the wisdom within what might be helpful for you now.

There is comfort in meditation, centered prayer, and sacred ritual.

Research points to the benefits these activities have for wellbeing, improved health, social connection, and positive mood.

Yet it doesn’t descend like manna from heaven.

It’s up to you to head in the direction of peace, healing, and clarity. It helps to bring attention to breath and focus strongly upon your intention to feel peace. When it’s hard to do this on your own, especially when unable to regulate your upset, joining with others enhances the potential of calm connection.

Using the group as a springboard to an organized, calm energy state makes sense.

Group devotion or a focus upon peace is contagious. Just like fear, hatred, and division. The good news is that you’re in charge of what you “catch.” The media thrives on creating fear.

Bad news sells. Good vibes calm. Your choice.

Groups that meditate, pray, and chant together report greater personal access to higher states of love, compassion, and beauty.

 

Benefitting the individual and radiating through the group to the world the energy of harmony.

It’s an energy thing, first and foremost.

When you understand that energy is your foundational architecture, you’ll pay more attention to any technique or intent that organizes your energy into a coherent state. All healing is enhanced with coherence. For you, them, and this beautiful planet.

You can’t tame the sorrow, fear, or sense of helplessness when you’re lost in the wild mind or unruly body.

And the world needs you. Calm. Coherent. Connected. Whether it offers great peace or just allows you to breathe easier, your daily practice is worth it.

I encourage you to explore the power of the group in shared practice.

There are many options live or online in a wide variety of secular and spiritual practices. Explore what calls you. They all lead you to the same calm center and depth connection with the beautiful Mystery.

We will be Chanting in the Light Cathedrals at Soul Sanctuary on Thursday, February 10th.

This devotional practice of singing the sacred prayers of the kundalini yogic tradition is only one type of chanting. Wisdom traditions around the world have sung, chanted, and danced their prayers out loud or silently as a means to connect with the Divine within and beyond.

If you are curious about what happens when you chant, you may join us to experience this directly. Details and link below in the blue box.

A 2016 research study at Macquarie University in Australia found that chanting of various types to contribute toward positive mood, improved attention, and increased feelings of social cohesion.

You don’t need any experience to delve into the great peace and beauty that always emerges when we chant our way into coherence.

You can do your own “research” to explore your movement into harmony within your body, energy, group, and vast cosmic ecosystem.

And some good news for those new to chanting: inexperienced participants who engaged in vocal chanting, as compared to silent chanting, demonstrated the greatest number of significant benefits. [More on this study in the HeartWarming News below.]

Since energy is nonlocal, you can also chant your way into coherence at home.

Tune in and join the group at Soul Sanctuary with your intent and practice in your own sacred setting. The Light Cathedrals (structures of energy) that descend around Soul Sanctuary as we gather can also surround your home.

How to do that?

Set the intent, say your personal prayer, and notice how it feels to be surrounded in these sacred structures of light which harmonize your whole being.

Healing this beautiful world really does begin within.

And when unleashed, this powerful healing energy of love and compassion radiates outward in every interaction.

May you discover how you can be a source of healing and optimism for this world so in need of uplifting.

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Researchers at Macquarie University also suggest that the benefits of vocal chanting may be mediated by three factors: group synchronization, which increases feelings of social cohesion; physiological changes (breath control and singing), which may contribute to increased positive mood; and focused attention, which may inhibit ruminative thinking and lead to increased positive mood. Do your own research. Chant alone silently and out loud. Compare that to chanting with a group. Silently. Listening to others. Singing out loud. This is playful research without the pressure to publish. Enjoy.

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What’s your Primary Stress Response?

A survey by the American Psychological Association found that the ideal level of stress is “below whatever level of stress is being experienced.” In other words, people experienced too much stress in their lives. I bet you didn’t need a professional to tell you that.

Yet, I wonder if you are taking stress for granted.

The “Stress Mismatch Theory” suggests that the body’s Stress Response System isn’t working for current humans. Arguing that it hasn’t evolved to meet the demands of the fast paced, complicated world in which you live.

Because fighting or fleeing is not typically appropriate for dealing with those modern day pirates and tigers found in traffic jams, pressure at work, a loss of the internet, or parenting challenges. It’s easy to believe this theory, especially on a particularly demanding day. 



Yet critics argue that this view limits understanding of the body’s intelligent, flexible stress response to only “Fight or Flight.”

Thus ignoring the “Tend and Befriend” and “Challenge” responses.

Each response produces different physiological changes which influence your thoughts, feelings, and actions. And lead to different outcomes. Understanding this variation gives you the power to observe your own response to stress and consciously make changes in your capacity to navigate life.

Remember this. When you are facing an actual tiger or pirate, your Stress Response of “Fight or Flight” is your best response.

You don’t need to calmly plan out your next step or consider the pirate’s feelings. You need to survive. And the powerful physiological response within your coordinated brain-body-energy system will make that happen.

But, let me ask you a question. How many actual pirates or tigers have you faced this week?

In your current reality, the multitude of stressors faced typically are not life threatening. When there is frequent activation of your Stress Response System, you experience the impact of lingering stress chemicals (eg cortisol, adrenaline), as well as incoherent patterns created in your brain’s neural structure and your heart rhythm.

Without intervention, it’s far too easy for your Stress Response System to become overloaded and resort to a limited repertoire of reactions. 



Most adults lose their emotional flexibility due to the accumulation of unprocessed effects of stress. Referred to as the “Stress Habit,” this rigidity creates additional stress which inhibits the higher order cognitive functions such as concentration, decision making, planning, and perspective taking. Making life that much harder.

You don’t have to live that way. 



Your amazing body system is primed to be flexible and adaptive. The brain-body connection allows for new learning and takes it’s instruction from the heart. Your beautiful heart is an intelligent system that communicates powerfully within your complex mind-body-energy system. 


You can refer to the heart as an organ, a brain, energy, or the seat of intuition.

 

A coherent heart rhythm organizes the mind-body-energy system into optimal functioning.

You not only become calmer, as you expand your perspective, you have access to skills, strategies, and wisdom gained along your life.

Research has shown that an integrated heart influences an integrated brain. 



This has many benefits, including improvements in well being, immune function, compassion, and resilience. Brain integration increases your capacity for learning when new linkages form across brain regions (neuroplasticity).

Coherent heart rhythms support the brain’s ability for creativity, novel problem-solving, and regulation of emotion, attention, thought, and behavior. 


If you want to intelligently navigate the challenges you’ll inevitably face in life, coherence is a strong ally.

On the other hand, an incoherent heart rhythm inhibits higher order cognitive function, leaving you less able to take a step back and consider events calmly and with perspective, or access your strategies.

Research reveals that positive and negative emotions create distinct changes in heart rhythm. 



This makes sense, doesn’t it? When you’re calm or grateful, you feel organized, open, and loving. When you’re frightened or angry, you’re rattled in your body, thinking, and speech. Combining the power of positive emotions, calming breath patterns, and the heart’s intelligence will help shift how you respond to stress. At any age. 


What can you do today to create heart coherence and increase flexibility in response to stress?

1. Acknowledge life is stressful and give yourself some space. 



More than likely, the demands and pace of your days adds to life stress. You’re at choice to slow down and create some space in your busy day. Let something go until another day. Give up being in charge of the world (and your small world.). Build in Mindful Minutes to breathe and look around as you walk to your car or climb the stairs in your home.

2. HeartBreathing: 3 Minute Practice.

HeartBreathing is a core component of Heart Assisted Therapy (an Energy Psychology method created by John Diepold, Phd). 



Take one minute to cross your palms on your heart and breathe slow and deep. Switch your palms, HeartBreathe and focus on what you’re grateful for in this moment. One more switch of the palms and the final minute of breathing. Focus on sending love to someone or someplace on the planet. Check in with yourself. What does it feel like to be in your body now? You are the scientist and your body system is the experiment. [Just don’t do while driving.]

3. Learn the basics about stress, heart coherence, and simple Energy Psychology techniques.


I’m teaching a 3 week series at Soul Sanctuary on Energy Psychology Essentials. These techniques are easy to learn and apply in your daily life. They clear out stress on all levels: energetic, physiological, emotional, and mental. As well as engage the parasympathetic nervous system which is the body’s natural relaxation and healing ally. (You can also check out the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology’s website).

4. The Self Soothe Strategy


I designed The Self Soothe Strategy PlayBook to offer easily digestible information about mindset, stress, heart coherence, and Energy Psychology. With practices that are immediately applicable. The accompanying downloadable recording is well worth the 19 minute investment to drop into coherence and begin the deep restoration of your mind-body-energy system. It is free and available on my home page (scroll down to access). 

It’s important to recognize the benefit to others.

You are naturally broadcasting your heart rhythm as you move through the day.

Thus, you are influencing the environment around you with centered calm or scattered anxiety. You know what it feels like to walk into an oasis of relaxation and good will vs. a pressured meeting with criticism and competition. This gives you a hint of what is happening within the physiology (heart, brain, body, energy) of those in the room.

Stress, then, is not only an individual issue. It must be recognized as a systems issue.



You are a change agent. Not only for yourself but for those sitting near you. At the dinner table, in the office, on the train, and in the food store. Let that sink in. And take a look at HeartMath’s research findings in the HeartWarming News below. Your heart coherence, or incoherence, makes a difference for those around you.

Allowing you to bring peace to the world, one HeartBreath at a time.

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

HeartMath Institute has a wealth of research into the power of heart coherence. A measurable electromagnetic field surrounds each person, generated by the heart, brain, and other systems. HeartMath’s findings show that the heart’s electromagnetic field is approximately 5000x stronger than brain’s electromagnetic field. The heart’s electrical field has 40 – 60x more amplitude than brain’s electrical field. HeartMath has measured the heart’s pulsating influence up to 10 feet outside of the body. The brain’s electromagnetic field? Measured to extend a few inches outside of the head. Believe in the power of your heart.  

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Holiday Magic Brings Love to our Kids

I have some totally fantastic, unexpected news about Love O!

A friend of Gabriel and Ahaji who runs a local organization in Haiti has arranged for a shipping container of supplies to be sent from NYC to Haiti. AND he offered some space for Love O!

Oh, Holy Night! That got the Culture Camp elves singing!

The news arrived Sunday. The elves had 3 days to shop, organize, and pack. Lots of hustle and bustle. Other elves made the delivery to NYC on Friday and packed the containers.

Coming together as a team in a way that would make Santa proud.

In the past, the shipping container option was dismissed given the prohibitive cost. As were other means of sending goods to this small island in a big ocean. We always rolled suitcases full of supplies when heading to Haiti for Culture Camp and other visits.

You can imagine it was like the sleigh in the Grinch who Stole Christmas. Except backwards.

With bungee cords holding a tower of bulging suitcases atop our van.

You can see evidence of this good stuff in the photo of Wideline above. T shirts, bracelets, and paintings just give you a glimpse of the art, story telling, game playing, light bringing activities we’ve shared. Her smile is all her own.

As is her love and gratitude which is written all over her T shirt.

After 3 long years of being unable to visit due to disruptions in Haiti and our COVID world, this struggling family is getting a tangible breath of fresh air. In the form of school supplies and backpacks, clothing, medical supplies, toiletries, games, art supplies, sewing machines, and a computer.

Ahhhhhh. Put a dose of that happiness in your eggnog as you savor the miracles of this season.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to our Love Family in Haiti.

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Connection to Humanity Quiz. The holidays often invites you to give generously to the communities, projects, and organizations  that mean something to you. If you consciously choose who you are giving to, it is likely that such offerings align with your values. One question researchers at Western Kentucky University asked was how much kinship you feel to humanity. Near to home, within your country, abroad, or generally across all of these factors. Want to know where you land?  Take this Connection to Humanity Quiz which is a modified version of the research instrument. You may be surprised who belongs in your “Family.”

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Brain Stilling: One Minute Magic

What are you trying to accomplish today?

Take a breath. Just asking the question tends to rev you up somedays, doesn’t it? The revving up comes either from the anxiety of not knowing the answer or the length of the “to-doing” intended for your day. Or perhaps from being in the midst of a challenging time in your life where getting anything accomplished is the furthest thing from your mind.

Now is a good time to practice the art of Brain Stilling.

This is not “brainstorming.” You already have enough storm activity in your thinking. Stilling the mind, to whatever degree is possible in any moment, has plenty of benefit for your mental, physical, and spiritual health. You know this at the core of your being. And there is plenty of research and your direct experience to confirm the benefit of stilling.

When you get revved up, for tiny or huge reasons, stress chemicals flood through your body.

Your heart beats faster, muscles clench, skin feels hot or sweats, and thoughts race. Before you curse this stress response, reflect for a moment on how useful it was when a predator appeared unexpectedly in your cave and threatened to eat your food and your family.

Back then, your stress chemicals were the greatest thing since sliced bread …. or perhaps fire.

In the 21st century, this glorious response system fires up at the many perceived and real threats you face. And you do face them. Living in a complex society, life became complicated. The mind became busy in response. That’s why it is so helpful to take a breath and put things in perspective.


Compare the perceived and smaller stressors to a predator attacking your cave while you reach for your little spear.

Many mind made dramas and annoyances aren’t so bad. Most stressors you face can be managed well by your inner resources. If you can access them. Your stress response system was designed to be flexible and empower you to rise to meet the challenges in your life. It was meant to serve you beyond the simple fight or flight response by supporting skill development.

My Self Soothe Strategy Playbook has more to add about how to work in concert with this intelligent response system. Download it here.

Scientists have estimated that you receive 2 million bits of information through your sensory channels each second.

Every single second. They suggest that approximately 134 bits of this information is actually processed on the conscious level. The remaining information gets stored at the subconscious level. Beneath the tip of the iceberg.

All of this data is ignored as it doesn’t match the “programming” of your brain’s search engine.

This “Google” function of your brain is mostly unconscious and works in coordination with the search engine “rules” which were learned (conditioned) as you grew. These rules guide your focus and influence perception and response to your reality. Becoming aware of your unconscious programming – those rules that guide your search engine and allow the 134 bits of information into your awareness – will help you tweak the rules that govern your living.

Brain Stilling also shifts stress chemicals to feel good chemicals that increase comfort, peace, and enjoyment.

Meditators know this experience. When you quiet the outer noise, those unconscious “rules” bubble up to the surface for your review. Once seen, you have the possibility for transformation. The benefit of stilling the mind and nervous system is enhanced when this practice is integrated in your waking moments.

Choosing a minute of stillness multiple times throughout the day has great benefit.

It just feels good to sit still. To stop moving, put down the phone, and step away from the tasks of living. Choosing a beautiful, natural environment encourages this practice. It doesn’t have to be complicated. I often stand in my driveway before leaving for work. Brainstilling: One Minute at a Time.Or sit on my deck and watch the trees dance. I sit in the dark at the end of the day or spend a minute in a parking lot before entering a store.

These minutes of stilling add up to a quieter mind and a calmer nervous system.

Brain stilling and becoming quiet is a dedicated practice. It is so simple that it requires reminders for most people, including me. While there is a benefit of a once a day stilling practice, you’ll get a more sustained effect when you build in minutes (or more) of stillness throughout your day.

It goes without saying that stilling involves silence.

The mind doesn’t quiet, nor does the body, when you’re yapping away. Create some mini space where you won’t be disturbed. Keep your eyes open. Just notice how your body is breathing you. And where your eyes wander. Thoughts will come and go. No need to manage them or prod them with your tiny spear.

Stilling is simple: Breathe in life. Sit still and be quiet. Enjoy the peace.

A silent, stilling practice will enhance your mental awareness and support health within your body, mind, and emotions. It opens a way into exploration of your inner nature and the spiritual path that beckons. In this complex, contentious society, simplicity is useful. Allowing your discovery of what’s below the billion bits of data flowing through the mind.

Discovering that stillness is your essential nature.

 

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Stilling the mind allows for creativity to flourish. And good things emerge. Like Fugees Academy which began as a soccer team for refugee boys. Eventually the team expanded to tutoring, a summer camp, and then a small school. Recognizing that refugees are at a disadvantage in our school systems, especially for those age 14 or older, this creative school seeks to empower creativity, individuality, and academic success. Transformation emerges from the quiet, creative mind.

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True Confessions: I am an Amateur.

I felt like a kid in a candy store. 

Arriving to help my friend pack up her office in preparation for a move, I encountered two rooms with wall to wall book cases. This was my idea of heaven. My conversational skills receded as my head tilted to browse hundreds of titles lining the shelves. So much knowledge! My curiosity and delight threatened to take over.

I got a hold of myself. After all, I had a job to do.

I was there to corral a fellow book lover into letting go of a lifetime of really cool books. To release a multitude of journals, notebooks, and workshop notes. Ouch. That’s the thing about downsizing. You can’t take it with you. Well, you can take 10 tightly packed bankers boxes. A treasure trove of delight awaiting a new home.

As books were being offered to me, I realized the book addict in me was being tempted.

I got my head clear and activated my purpose for being there. It wasn’t so I could “shop.” After two days of organizing, packing, tossing, and donating books, one room was clear. With a plan and a sprinkle of hope that one day those other shelves would be emptied, I headed home. 

Taking only 3 books with me. Wait, I meant 4. 

With one being mailed to me. Okay, 5. And 3 photos of books I have to order. And 8 books to pass on. A few things for Soul Sanctuary. One new journal for some special person. And a really cool workshop handout. That’s it. Scout’s honor.

Here’s the skinny on those 3 books.

I put the yoga book away. Very interesting, but I thought I’d wait ’til I returned to practicing yoga.  The Egyptian Goddess? I peeked, but I’m not so keen on diving in yet. That will take some attention. I have a pile on my shelf where she went.

Why put off exploring this beneficial wisdom? 

I discovered the answer by reading the third book cover to cover. 

Light bathing on my deck the following afternoon, surrounded by birdsong and breeze, I devoured this small gem. They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but I did grab this book because of its title.

The War of Art. 

Cleverness intrigues me. And it was a small book.

It was a good thing the sun was shining on my comfort and curiosity. Because the author, screenwriter Steven Pressfield, calls it like it is. He offers a map to bring creativity into form. Taking your art – painting, writing, musical composition, entrepreneurial pursuits, or [put your art here] – and bringing it out of the realm of idea into material reality.

He challenges the artist to create consistently and with a diligence I’ve never achieved. And now I know why.

Because I’m an amateur, not a professional.

 

Pressfield distinguishes a profession, such as me being a psychologist and a mother, from a professional approach to creating art.

Even reading a few pages about what this means is enough to offer a mindset intervention. Yet, perhaps not quite sufficient for changing a life long pattern of being an amateur artist. 

The magic word in this book? Resistance.

Page after page. Example after example, he describes the resistance which lies within each of us. Ready to strike with a healthy dose of self sabotage, distraction, doubt or any of those internal obstacles which inhibit success. 

Resistance crashes dreams. Sometimes before they get lift.

After a while, I stopped reading as an “artist” and saw the influence of resistance across so many areas of my life. 

This tiny book was a lovely wake up call. Kind of like an artistic bitch slap. 

It stings a bit, but it’s a good sting if your creativity longs to express more fully. 

Just when my cheeks were red and sore, I got to the good part of his map. I’d hate to spoil the end of any book. Let’s just say any artist who mentions resistance, resilience, and creativity along with angels and the muse has got my full attention.

I’m still a book lover. Piles tend to manifest in my home as if out of thin air. 

They are artistically arranged in every room, bringing me great pleasure and a nugget of wisdom any time I wander into the open page. I guess that makes me a “professional” book lover and seeker of knowledge.

As for the artist in me. Well, she’s still an amateur.

An amateur who is appreciating the artistry and creative capacity of my inner resistance. I’ve got a lot to unpack and toss here. Downsizing my resistance so I can upsize my professional engagement of the muse. Sounds like a map I can follow.  

Moral of this story?  Good things happen when you clean your room.

 

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Are you prone to procrastination? A recent study from Bishop’s University in Canada suggests that procrastinators may have higher levels of stress (no duh). And a potential for lower levels of self-compassion. Ok, that makes sense. Increasing self-compassion helps you recognize the downside of procrastination (and other kinds of “resistance”) without getting lost in negative rumination and emotions. Increasing self-compassion may help you decrease stress, disrupt negative self-view, and support positive behavioral change.Sounds like a map you can follow.

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Love’s Song

 

What if it was true?
That you were made of Love,
worthy of Love,
guided by Love,
empowered by Love?

What if it was true?
That Love Flowed Freely
as Life,
as Unified Consciousness,
as what is called
Angels, You, Them, Earth?

What if Loved simply moved?
All particles of Love
Aware as they
Danced the Light Divine.
Singing
I AM that Love.
I AM that Light Divine.

Let go the illusion
which leaves the ‘i’ 
separate, unworthy, afraid.
Longing to be
embraced
re-membered
sourced
by Love Itself.

Let go the false longing.


Witness the Truth of Love’s 
ever present movement.
Participate in the Song of Life.
I AM here. I AM available. 
I AM the Light Divine.

Gone, then, are the humans,
angels, earth forms.
Only Love moving 
as humans, 
angels,
earth forms.

Singing ONE song
which is 
Love’s Song. 

Let yourself know this is true.
This Song is What You Are.
Love’s Song
Broadcasting 
Beautifully
Always and 
Forever
Amen.

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

“Love is a lot like air. It may be hard to see, but it’s in you and all around you.” Psychologist Rick Hanson, PhD isn’t pulling this idea out of thin air. Many scientists believe that love, defined broadly, has been the primary driving force behind the evolution of the brain. Groups of early humans who were skilled at understanding and caring for each other outcompeted less cooperative and loving groups. They lived to pass on genes of empathy, bonding, friendship, altruism, romance, compassion, and kindness. Love is in your DNA.

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Clear the Cobwebs. Seek the Light.

Today the wind blows cold as the sun shines in a sky showing off a brilliant hue of blue.

This hasn’t been the norm for the dreary skies of New Jersey. The cloud cover, wind, rain, and vacillating temperature seems to mimic the fluctuations in mood during this lengthy influence of the pandemic. A peek of sunshine occasionally reveals the dust motes, the webs, and the forgotten places in our homes and our lives.

This year there are more cobwebs than ever. And they are the sticky kind.

When you experience higher amounts of stress for a long period, the vulnerable spaces within you are activated. The impact of large scale stressors, such as chronic illness, tragedy, loss, or unemployment, packs a double whammy.

Bringing to the surface past insecurity and the layers of protection formed to manage challenge.

The worldwide shared experience of a pandemic layered the normal challenges of living with extreme loss across the board. You know the cost of this year for you individually, a cost shared by your worldwide human family. The challenges were personal, social, economic, spiritual, physical, and cultural.

Sure, there were gains and opportunities, gifts and unearthed treasures.

This you acknowledge. Offering praise and devotion to that Source in which you believe and gratitude to those who helped you – known and unknown. Strangers helping strangers, gathering together to lift one another out of fear and insecurity. This continues out of necessity and as one of the beautiful benefits of an overwhelming shared experience.

Yet vulnerability travels with you now. Like a pebble in your shoe. Or a cloud upon the horizon.

When experiences and emotions are not processed fully, your intelligence creates protective barriers, complex stories, and clever defensive structures. All in the interest of helping you manage that which feels unmanageable and with the aim of protecting you in the future.

This past year has raised these fault lines of past insecurities, challenges, and traumas closer to the surface.

The energy of Spring brings a promise of rebirth with blossoming trees, warmer temperatures, and more hours of light. Igniting the potential for optimism and growth even after the darkest winter. The natural rhythm, even when disrupted by global warming or worldwide hardship, remind you of the potential to clear out those proverbial “sticks and stones” from your past challenges.

“Weeding the garden” is a metaphor for deep cleaning of your layered body system.

When Spring as a season or an idea arrives on your doorstep, you have a choice. You may join this innate potential to clear the tangles in your energy, emotions, mind, and body. While Spring only comes once a year, the invitation to clear the cobwebs and shine more light into your life is a perennial process.

Here are 4 simple ways to seek the light and weed the garden.


1. Head into Nature. 

The natural world holds its own healing magic. Stepping outside to sit in the sunshine, wander through the forest, or dig in the garden, you enter a healing space. Set an intent for healing your trapped emotions and stuck beliefs as you spend time in nature.

Leave the phone and music at home and let the natural harmony of the outdoors soothe your system into resonance with the healing frequency of the planet. 

If the wind blows, open your arms and let it “blow” blow through you – intending your very own Spring cleaning. When the sun shines, let the alchemical fire gently dissolve those calcified spaced within, allowing the light to move gently once again. You may invite the natural world to partner with your healing in any way you choose. Be creative and enjoy the process.

2. The Practice of Stilling

This simple practice counteracts the tendency of “doing” at a hectic pace. It helps to “undo” the machinations of the busy mind and soften the guard of the stress response system. Choosing a quiet space where you are comfortable and won’t be disturbed, you keep your eyes open and breathe. Noticing your environment – inner and outer – as you breathe.  When your mind wanders into list making or the body wants to get up and explore or “do something,” you breathe deeply.  And return to noticing. Letting your gaze move around the room or the natural setting.  

Breathing. Sitting quietly.  All of this signaling the stress response system to down regulate into quiet.

It helps to do this daily and increasing time whenever you feel it is beneficial. There are no hard and fast rules here other than breathe and notice. Letting go and sitting still is not an easy thing to do. When you do, your own healing system gets the message to clear the cobwebs and let the light in.

3. Energy medicine and Energy Psychology

Many modalities assist you in clearing all layers of your body: energetic, mental, emotional, and physical.  When you understand that healing and growth occurs within the interconnected layers of your body system, you may seek techniques that address all part of you.  There are plenty of modalities available. You may explore your favorite or try something new.  

I offer two free energy practices on my website in recorded format so that you may learn basic techniques to soothe your stress response system and keep your light field clear.  

Listen to these recordings daily or whenever you feel you are ready for a tune up. Eventually, you will discover that you have learned these techniques on your own.  You may find the Self Soothe Strategy on my Home Page and the Light Globe Meditation on the Angelic Immersion Retreat page. 

Spring Cleaning: April Specials  

These are no longer available as April has moved on. You can take a look at these lovely and powerful processes and explore the modalities you like best anytime. Choose one or I’ll intuitively guide you into a path of clearing that is most beneficial at this time.  Choose single sessions or the Soul Guide bundle on my Spiritual Mentoring page.

Angel Healing Journey

Your Journey is a unique experience offering a combination of energy healing and loving guidance showered upon you from your Angels and Wise Guides. Every Journey is unique and speaks to your mind and heart in response to your questions. The Angels also clarify your energy so you may open to new information and vibrate at a higher level, supporting the changes that are perfect for your life at this time. Sessions may be held via telephone or remotely with recording sent following the session. 

InnerSpeak™ Session

Developed by Jean Adrienne, InnerSpeak™ is a system for clearing energetic, karmic and ancestral blocks, and limiting beliefs which may be impacting life situations. Guided by Archangel Michael in the creation of InnerSpeak™, Jean has trained people around the world in this energy modality. I witness the benefit for clients as current patterns and blocks are understood from a multidimensional viewpoint and practical internal and external shifts are experienced. Sessions may be held via video.

The Body Code and the Emotion Code 

Developed by Bradley Nelson, DC, these sessions provide a map to follow as we work with your inner wisdom.  Working on all levels (physical, emotional, mental, energetic, and relational), your inner wisdom guides the clearing and rebalancing of the factors which underlie and contribute to current symptoms and issues which interfere with your wellbeing. Body Code session include the Emotion Code.  

The bonus Emotion Code session (* available with purchase of 3 session Bundle) will focus upon a specific issue or address clearing of the Heart wall which is the energetic field storing trapped emotions which interfere with an open hearted approach to life. Sessions will be held remotely with notes emailed after completion.

AngelicEnergetics™ Session

I created this restorative method of healing in partnership with the Archangels of the Seven Rays. Surrendering your intent for healing at all levels allows the Archangels and your personal Angels to offer Divine Light transmissions to restore the harmonious flow of Life Force energy (qi, chi, prana) throughout your being. Each unique Divine Light transmission generates a release of energetic interference within your subtle energy system. Each session is unique as the Angels work with your higher wisdom to guide the release of old energy patterns, balancing of your energy, and attuning you to new levels of functioning. Sessions may be held via video or telephone.   

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Thinking outside of the box (or the ER)! A Columbus, Ohio hospital spent $80 million to build and repair homes in its neighborhood to create healthier places to live. Recognizing that lower income families have less access to health care, they have greater health issues (kids included). When they improved housing, there were less respiratory symptoms, reduced risk of lead poisoning, and fewer ER visits and hospitalizations. On top of the health benefits, improved housing also led to higher rates of high school graduation, reduced crime, and increase in jobs. 

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Life is Easy

“Life is easy.” This isn’t a statement I hear very often. Do you?

Not in my mind nor in conversations with friends, clients, or strangers. Certainly not in blogs, podcasts, books, or snatches of conversation I encounter in the world. More frequently, I hear the following.

“Life is hard and let me tell you how ….”

I’m not challenging this premise. Certainly not this year of all years. Not with everything you are encountering in your life, influenced by your history of struggle and triumph, and spiced up by the pandemic. Life IS hard.

Personally, I had no intention of challenging this premise.

I’ve been immersed in hard. So has everyone. And yet, something grabbed hold of my attention and then infiltrated my perception this week. Challenging this premise with gusto. I went along for the ride and discovered something quite amazing.

Life is easy. So damn easy.

Before you stop reading, hear me out. There is a benefit to “rethinking” a position. It allows not only for cognitive flexibility and emotional agility, both of which influence your life and relationships in positive ways, it allows you to discover something new.

Turns out there is no end to new ways of “rethinking” your position.

This is what leads innovators, scientists, children, and mavericks in all professions to discover what is new and possible. For me, this shift in premise began with a drive into Philadelphia to visit someone in the hospital. I’m not a city person and don’t particularly enjoy driving in traffic on tiny streets seeking unfamiliar, overpriced parking garages. I’m happy to brave the city given the purpose of my visit, but it activated my bias that traveling to this destination involved hardship. (Sounds dramatic, but the word ‘hardship’ may be applied to minor and major experiences).

As I approached the Philadelphia Convention Center, I noticed lines of people outside.

Really long lines. I was stopped at the light, so I took a good look. There were blocks of people in the cold standing together in their masks. I realized this was the line for vaccination. I drove slowly past cars dropping off elderly passengers with their walkers and wheelchairs. And hundreds of people standing outside in line. Hundreds. There wasn’t enough room for social distancing. It was quite the crowd.

I was struck then and there by the contrast with my experience.

In my neck of the woods, people drove to the local mall, parked their vehicle and were immediately ushered into a vaccination setting housed in the now defunct Lord and Taylor. For some suburbanites, getting vaccinated was simple, efficient, and pleasant. Dare I say, it was easy.

In the space of two city blocks, I received a “mindset” intervention.

Mindset research indicates that single brief interventions are sufficient to make changes in perception and physicality with long lasting results. Such interventions may involve a simple reframing of an idea or a 3 minute video highlighting a specific mindset. That’s exciting because a small tweak in your perspective may have a large positive impact on your life.

In my case, in a few short minutes, I was shown the ease of living made possible by the availability of a plentitude of resources.

I recognized how very easy it was to journey into the city. I was comfortable in my car, listening to my music, eating my store bought breakfast, driving on paved roads, following map quest, certain of my safe arrival. I was protected from the elements, the exhaust of so many vehicles, and the crowds. I pulled into a parking garage, credit card in my wallet, sipping my spring water, while safely transporting my laptop.

The ease of my journey, and the wider ease of living, was shown first in comparison to those around me.

Simple comparisons like seeing people waiting for public transportation, lugging multiple shopping bags, bundled up in the chilly weather, or maneuvering with canes on crowded sidewalks. Driving in traffic, behind buses that couldn’t maneuver due to double parked cars, I went around the block a few times navigating one way streets.

This seemed harder than suburban living (to me), yet perhaps that wasn’t the case.

I watched people, used to living the city life, who strolled, walked fast, biked with confidence, ran for the bus, or meandered with their dog. Carrying coffee cups or water bottles, eating fast food, or cueing up at the food truck. Alone, busy on the phone, or talking and laughing with others, they flowed with the red and green lights without incident.

Life is easy when so many resources are available.


Like a slideshow, I was shown places that had few resources.

Like poorly developed roads, limited transportation, food they must harvest, unstable communication, and scarcity of money. I saw primitive health care, unstable living structures, limited commerce, an absence of trash collection, harsh work conditions, and difficulty accessing clean water.

The hospital I was circling took up many city blocks. A city within a city of healing, science, and care.

I entered this haven across a conveniently covered walkway where I was greeted, secured, dispatched to my location, and kindly guided when I was lost (twice). I passed the brightly lit cafe, the well stocked gift shop, an abundance of staffers in scrubs, and unit after unit dedicated to healing. The structure was enormous. The science was in evidence. And the sheer volume of dedicated staff, who were educated, employed, and seemingly enjoying their work caught my attention.

Illness is hard. On everyone. 



Health care is expensive or out of reach for many. The anxiety, grief, and pain is hard to bear no matter where you are in this complex city. Passing room after room, visitor after visitor, I witnessed hardship as I steadily walked upright within my healthy body.

I walked through so much real estate filled with monitors, medicine, medical expertise, and compassionate care.

The layers continued to reveal themselves as I walked past units dedicated to healing cancer, neurological disorders, surgery recovery, psychiatric illness, intensive care, and more.

By the time I reached my destination, I was no longer focused upon hardship. I was not brought down by suffering. Instead, I was focused upon the availability of a wealth of resources that create ease in living and healing.

Even in the hardest of times and the most difficult places.

As I drove home, my mind was fully focused on the ease of living. My mindset tweak afforded me the opportunity to “rethink” not only my journey to the city, but my journey through my life. I could return to the normative thought bias that life is hard and succumb to this societal broadcast and conversational currency. Or I could venture into a new idea.

The benefit of a mindset tweak or the art of “rethinking” is that it removes blinders that led to your original bias.

Once removed, it takes effort to replace them. That sounds like hard work. It’s easier to go with the gratitude that spills over when I reach for my spring water, use my turn signal to safely change lanes, and sing off key loudly in the privacy of my lovely vehicle.

“Life is easy” does not diminish hardship nor invite the denial of magical thinking.

Rather, it invites gratitude and honest recognition of these amazing resources of modern society along for the ride. I’m listening to my thoughts, words, and approach to my day more carefully now. Ready to catch the old habit of “hardship” so I may look about me to notice the “ease” that is everywhere apparent.

I’m surrounded by luxurious ease. So you are you. For this, I feel a deep, heartfelt gratitude.

PS   If you’re interested in a Mind Set tweak about stress, download my Self Soothe Strategy. This 60 page PlayBook and guided meditation will naturally help you adjust your approach to the stress of living. “Stress is life enhancing.”  Imagine that. Scroll down on my Home Page to access this free resource. It’s a game changer.

Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Psychological research has revealed how bias drives our behavior, decision making, and manner of relating in the world. Adam Grant, author of Think Again, explores the benefit of reconsidering your beliefs about the world and your place in it. Turns out that the smarter you are, based on intelligence tests, the more you may struggle to update your beliefs. To put it another way, being good at thinking can make you not so great at “rethinking.”  Written like a curious child scientist, Grant started his research with questions. The art of “not knowing” is powerful indeed.

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At Home in the Midst

This warm winter morning beckoned me for a walk, surrounded by woods, fields, and nature’s creatures.

I noticed a thick mist ahead and felt the pull of my desire to be within the white. Lost in thought, headed into the milkiness, I approached my destination only to discover that my sight was clear. The experience I expected did not manifest.

In momentary confusion, I looked back to see that the road upon which I travelled was now obscured. 



The mist touched every place but the circle in which I stood. I paused for a moment to breathe in the moist, still air. I engaged the present moment and the clarity it offered. Blind to what was behind or in front of me, I realized the benefit of clear sight when I was present, aware, and engaged with my body and my environment.

When I consciously joined the moment I was standing in, clarity arrived.

I’ve heard that sage advice many times: “be here now.” Yet, how often have I traipsed through my days trailing behind my mind which was peering into a murky future? Or getting lost in the mental mist of memory reconsolidated?

I took the opportunity to look into the forest, alive with a melodic stream, busy birds, and scampering squirrels.

Apparently, while I was cocooning indoors, the natural world had been actively preparing for Her perfectly timed reemergence. I don’t know why I was surprised that tiny seedlings had grown into small pine trees. Or by the evidence of greenery, flowing water, and new life everywhere. Perhaps the snow and persistent gray February skies in New Jersey had dulled my senses and distorted my memory.

Nature has always demonstrated how capable She partners with the evolutionary impulse.

Years of sitting, playing, and meandering in Nature have revealed so many wisdom lessons. I never had to look far to witness the emergence of Her latest work of art. Throughout cycles of seeding, nourishing, emerging, blossoming, and deteriorating, the natural world’s creative unfoldment has always been trustworthy. Laying down a Map of Wisdom for those with eyes to see and senses to clearly perceive the harmonious movement of Life.

Yet, Nature doesn’t need an audience to do Her thing.

She seeds, grows, dies, and rests to a rhythm so persistently harmonious. Nature’s emergence isn’t dependent upon social media “likes” nor does it require those seeking fresh air to stop and smell the roses. That’s why Nature’s wisdom is easy to miss. Especially when closed away in our homes, busy schedules, and distracted lifestyles.

As I walked, I pondered Life’s innate potential for perennial growth and the creation of beautiful spaces.

My sight was clear, as was my mind. Walking with my body, rather than racing ahead or lagging behind, a revelation emerged. It seemed new, like a seedling breaking through the soil, rather than an old intellectual understanding.

I, too, was a natural phenomenon.

 

Imbued with an innate ability to grow effortlessly and create beautifully in every cycle and season. 

Alert and aware, I recognized that I could walk blindly through the obscurification of a distracted life. Or choose to pause within any moment and breathe myself back into my body and the space it inhabited. I felt a subtle shift with that awareness.

As if my quantum substructure rearranged into new flowing patterns of harmonious light.

Honoring my innate trustworthy nature would allow me step out of my murky mind mist and show up within the midst of this Holy Moment. With Nature’s gentle reminder, I became more aware of myself as a trustworthy participant within this evolutionary process.

Relaxed and aware, I walked slowly within these natural, magical surroundings.

Gazing at the milky whiteness before me, I stayed present to the crisp clarity all around me. With ears to hear, I enjoyed the rustle of the wind and the crunch of tiny feet upon the leaves. I imagined tiny shoots of green just below the surface, biding their time and gathering their energy, before sneaking up toward the light. And I remembered what I have known all along.

I was at home in the midst. 


Peace be with you and with all.  No exceptions. 

HeartWarming

 News

Nearly all of Ethiopia’s old growth forest has disappeared. This film tells the story of Ethiopia’s church forests.  They are pockets of lush biodiversity that surround hundreds of churches. Consciously created with people working to protect them. This short film tells the story of The Church Forests of Ethiopia. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fGe-CPWZlE&feature=youtu.be