With the holidays upon us there are  increased demands on our time, energy, and pocketbook. It can become overwhelming resulting in short tempers and slipping into default mode of what is expected of me. There is a disconnect from your true north and the things that really matter to you.

When giving becomes a chore, a should, a ‘have to’ , it drains the joy out of giving.   The true spirit of giving comes from a full heart. It’s harder to access that if your feeling tired, drained, and unappreciated. It’s a good time  to take a minute and connect with your heart. Move some energy to recharge and refill your cup so you can enjoy the holidays in a way that feels good to you.  Here’s a quick  way to connect below. (and really a minute does make a difference but you can do it longer if you want )

• Close your eyes, put your hand to your chest.
• Take a deep breath directing the breath to your heart, allow the breath to fill your heart
• On the exhale imagine water washing away all the grit….tension, stress,
• With each inhale imagine love, compassion, peace, energy whatever feels depleted to flow into your heart from the breath and from your hand.
• Each exhale washes away  as above.

Connecting with your heart is a beautiful way to stay grounded in your truth and keep your energy flowing. Hoping you have a joy filled holiday.

As I sit here in this cafe people pass by sit, converse and leave. I hear  snippets of conversation sales pitches, friends talking, students studying. Today I’m noticing the common thread is struggle.

I’m sitting alone by the fireplace sipping my coffee and writing for my blog. This is very enjoyable for me, as I write, I can see my community connecting with what I’m writing and it makes me smile.  People walk past and look at me, some smile, some hurry past as if I am a bit crazy, one woman stops and openly stares but when I say hello she stammers “I thought you were someone else.” and rushes away.

Two women take up a booth across from me they keep glancing my way somewhat suspiciously, I smile and nod, they glance away. I hear one say “I’m struggling all the time” and the other replies “We’re all struggling” she glances my way and adds with irritation in her voice “not her apparently”.

I put down my writing, allowing this to sink in. Have I done something to offend them, something wrong?

Almost as if in answer to my thought the student behind me whispers(presumably into her phone) “There’s a lady here writing with a big smile on her face I’m so curious about what she’s writing”

I chuckle and go back to my writing, this piece specifically, it never occurred to me that the unfettered visual expression of joy would cause this reaction. I wonder what this  says about the society we live in if this  joy is a looked at as a freak and then on to ponder why I immediately jumped to think I had done something wrong.  This definitely something to explore.

As I ponder the energetics of this it is apparent that I was very much attracting attention, people unconsciously drawn to look or stare and having a reaction to me. This  is unusual in that most often someone sits with(a stranger), me even in an empty cafe, I almost always have a table mate and people then talk to me telling me all sorts of things.  Mostly I enjoy this.

Today was very different, as if I had turned up the voltage and people were drawn yet didn’t know what to do. It was different that I was writing, a very joyful experience for me rather than doing admin work(not so joyful) and that I have been actively observing the energetic interactions in the physical. I do know that it provides me with plenty of food for thought and fodder for my book. What are your thought? Ever have  a similar experience as the observer or the ‘freak’ ?

Have you noticed lately the abundance of spiritual buzzwords that are being used to describe many offerings? Initially I got that “Oooh good! Here is someone who’s on the same page as me” feeling only to discover much to my dismay that for many  the words were the only ‘spiritual’ part of the product  or service.

As we evolve consciously, ushering a new paradigm more and more people join the tribe. They are willing to share their truths and experiences, the spiritual  or woo-woo taboo is being lifted.  People are actively seeking ways to expand and apply spiritual principles in a grounded practical way.

During a conversation with friend and colleague Lissa Boles a few weeks ago , as both consumers and providers in this ever growing field, we explored  what Lissa dubbed the Spiritual Super Mall. The good thing is that it’s no longer a one size fits all field. There are options for most everyone, and you can access many virtually leaving the travel to a desolate mountain top optional.

Yet there is an ever growing pool of, as Andrea J Lee puts it,  ’infocrap’ out there that really has  nothing to do with conscious evolution or new paradigm thinking. So what do you do? How to sift through the many options to find one that works for you?

As Lissa and I tossed our thoughts around we  came up with a couple of guiding points for spiritual pioneers. First and foremost tune in to your own inner wisdom. We all receive guidance, but we discount it in preference  for what someone else says is best, be it an expert, friend, or spouse. Gathering information is an important step but the decision must come from inside. Trusting in your own inner wisdom is a critical tool needed to navigate the  Spiritual Super Mall and the new paradigm in general.

The next point is to keep an open conversation flowing. We are conditioned to keeping these conversations in the spiritual ‘closet’ so much so   that we ignore the elephant in the middle of the room. An open honest respectful dialogue is imperative to adjusting course as we need to. Many of still feel  isolated and stuck in ‘lone ranger’ mode.  Reaching out, connecting, and communicating with the many other spiritual pioneers out there who are navigating the new way of being as well.

It’s also worth noting that  we are charting new territories here, be gentle on yourself as well as the teachers you choose, while staying true to your values and integrity. Old paradigm ways are falling away and we are replacing them with new ones…there are bound to be  a few hiccups in the mix.

I would love to hear your thought and experiences  ushering the new paradigm.

Wow! What a great call with Marie Diamond. I loved that fresh flowers bring good energy…they are so beautiful and inspire me so a triple positive.  Marie had so many great tips it’s hard to pick  my favorite but if I had to it would be using your LOA number to personalize Feng Shui to your own energy.

I’ve been applying the suggestions the one that really hit home was the vision board layout simple changes yet a noticeable shift in energy. Oh and the reminder that times they are a changing and 5 minute meditation breaks can be just as effective as 2 hr marathons. What was your take away? What resonated for you?  (Or not)

I heard this beautiful song and video and had to share it. I’m ready to spread my wings and fly are you?  Enjoy.

Make me a Butterfly