So I’ve been in a thoughtful mood recently and here’s one of the musings I’ve been having. Thought you might enjoy.

Everything and everyone is connected. Everything is in a constant state of dynamics. So as we elevate ourselves, those around us also elevate after some time that the dynamic forces at work have been allowed to manifest. If we don’t properly care for ourselves, then as we are “down”, that energy will tend to create the dynamics to bring those around us “down”. It tends to depend on which energy is stronger at the time.

Recall a time when you were feeling pretty good, then you come home and someone else there is in a foul mood. Did they take it out on you somehow? Did you let it get to you? Did it affect you somehow?

Most likely it did. The same is with the reverse. It comes down to A) how present we are to be able to see what’s going on and then take the time to decide how do deal with it, or B) if we are not present and we tend to react instead of observe and decide. When we are present, we become aware of our choices. We have the power to choose how we want to deal with it.

It goes along what Eleanor Roosevelt said. She said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” That is one of my favorite quotes, and it’s true. There have been many times that someone has said something negative to me and it then brought me down. That is, I let it. Why? Ignorance. I didn’t know who I was and how it is God’s Spirit and God’s Love within me that is the true me.

I know that all pain expressed comes from pain felt. So I hold to the awareness that if the negative person wasn’t in the kind of pain they were in, then what they said or did would have been different. And it would have been positive, because their pain would not have blocked the path of God’s Spirit from shining through.

And I pray to God to help me continue to grow in that awareness that I may know it in myself and others. What better way to begin to help others than to see God, His Spirit and His Love as each person’s essence?

Blessings,
Irene

Resource Tip: Presence (being grounded/in the now/centered) is key to healing and awareness. Holistic healing therapies are great for helping one to gain presence as are being out in nature, some breathing exercises, some meditation, some kinds of exercise, various exercises in observation, and spending time with God. Feel free to share more if I missed any.

I was speaking to a friend today who seemed to have little understanding of exactly what intuition is. As I tried to explain it to him, I realized that my communication of it was inefficient. I know what it is and how to recognize it. But I’ve been developing it for so long now that I almost forgot what it was like before I began my training and I’m not sure how to explain it. Here goes attempt #1.

I’m well aware that the expression of intuition comes in many forms, i.e. gut feelings, visions, sensing when one decision is better than another without knowing why, etc. But the bottom line is that it is the communication of the Holy Spirit to us. Our sensing or “hearing” that communication is our sixth sense awareness.

As God’s children, we are spirit and inseparable from Him. It is God’s Love, the Infinite Consciousness that He Is, that makes it impossible for us to be separate from Him. Any sense of separation is an illusion and the reason for our pain.

But when we open ourselves to hearing Him, we open ourselves to All that He Is. That includes His guidance and messages that we can experience in so many ways. Gut feelings, instincts, dreams, visions, and sensing things that are intangible but real are all examples of the Holy Spirit letting us know something that is helpful if we listen.

Most of us can probably remember a time when someone told us something and it didn’t feel right. We couldn’t put our finger on it, but something just didn’t feel right. Then we find out sometime down the road that the person lied. Where does that sensation of something not feeling right come from?  It is God’s Spirit within us that is our life. Without It there is no life. Of our own selves we do nothing. It all comes from God as we are infinitely connected as One and His Love provides us the touch of the Holy Spirit. Our intuition. Our connection between the physical/limited awareness and the spiritual and unknown.

I think my friend is much more intuitive than he realizes. I think, rather I feel/sense that his lack of awareness is more about not knowing how to identify or be aware that many of the things he knows are intuition. He simply hasn’t been taught intuitive awareness. If and when he does learn intuitive awareness, he’s going to know a great empowerment and feel like he’s been invited to a party with God. It’s going to be a lot of fun! I know. I’m still there.

Let’s be open to hearing God by allowing our intuition to grow. Then more of us can party. The more the merrier!

Blessings,

Irene

Most people don’t like change. I completely understand because I used to be the same way. But I grew weary of stagnation and learned how to welcome change as opportunities. Sometimes it’s easy and other times I am breaking through deep held barriers within myself piece by piece. Very hard stuff but worth it. I know that it will lead me to something better, so I welcome it (although it may take me a while).

Once we learn that all opportunities/challenges are gifts from God, it becomes easier to let go of our holdings and let Him guide us to that something better. And that something better is always God’s Grace and Love encompassing all that we want and are becoming if we let ourselves. Within His Grace and Love is what our awareness of faith, trust, love, forgiveness, joy, compassion, and everything else beautiful comes from.

It seems that it would be simple to let ourselves trust God and the process of how things work in life knowing that His promises to us will be fulfilled. But often it is not. We’ve been hurt, disappointed, betrayed, traumatized, sick, and all the other “negative” things that cause us to put up protective layers within ourselves. These protective layers are walls that we cannot see through and they blind us from seeing God and His work in our lives. Many of us are completely unaware that we have these protective layers. So how do we let go so that we can let in the Love of God?

There is no easy answer for this other than it can be done. But it takes time and work. I have been making a conscious effort to grow and learn who God Is for 15 years now and on and off when I was a child. (I went through a period of 12 years of being an atheist so growth was considerably slowed during that time.) So the first step is wanting to learn and grow. The key is relating our trust in God to what we want.  In other words, know what you want (goal) and ask God to help you get it. It is the setting of a goal that gets the forces rolling, just like in business or an athletic endeavor or anything in life. When we have a goal, then the steps to accomplish it become more clear. Without a goal, we wander. (And there is a difference between wandering aimlessly where others control you and wandering with the intent to experience life.)

The second step is to listen. Listening is a skill that may come easy for some people, but it is a skill that many people lack or have a hard time learning. I used to be a terrible listener, at least by my current standards. And while I’ve improved my listening skills phenomenally, I still have a long way to go to be the kind of listener that I envision myself to be. So for some it will take longer than others. The key is being in a still place within yourself (Psalm 46:10) and opening yourself to “hearing” what God says to you. This might come as a body sense, or an image, or a word, or a feeling. Open up just like when we are listening to a friend or speaker or anyone that we want to hear what they have to say, but we don’t know what they are going to say. We must be open to hear what we are trying to listen to. Otherwise it is like learning from one of the primary colors instead of the clear white light information that is all encompassing and what we need.

And the third step is to then let it go (trust God) and let yourself live (trust yourself). You have asked God for help, so you can trust the Holy Spirit to guide you. Do what feels right to you so that you’re able to have a good nights sleep and have peace in your soul about whatever decision you make. Trust your heart and your gut. The Holy Spirit communicates to us through our bodies. What decision will give you the greatest sense of peace? What decision, when you look back on it later in life, would you agree was the right decision?

This listening and then trusting are what needs to happen for any real growth. Just like a snail in the water holds on tight so the tide doesn’t wash it away, we hold on tight to what we know out of fear of what might happen if we don’t.

We must be willing to lose sight of the shore in order to discover new oceans (author unknown).

So if we listen to how we feel ourselves guided, and then trust the process of letting God do His work through us by living our lives with conscious awareness of God, then things will happen in our favor. It is unavoidable. We asked God for help. If our hearts were sincere, the request cannot be denied because that would go against the nature of God’s Love.

Piece by piece things will happen that will guide you to what you want, knowing who you are, and help your relationship with God grow. As each piece that helps you grow happens, things change and prayers get updated and the cycle of growth continues. It is a lifelong process, dynamic, freeing, and empowering when aligned with God and His Love.

Blessings,

Irene

Back in the mid 90′s when I was recovering from my trauma and hospitalization, I was walking through the neighborhood deep in thought and connection with God. As I walked the words “What do you want?” came to me. These words have been a basic foundation of my healing process and clarity of direction.

Whenever I would start to feel lost and unclear about direction or decision, and I had been praying for His guidance, then at some point I would hear or feel the words, “What do you want?” It still comes into my awareness exactly when I need it.

Just like with anything goal in life, we need to know what our goal is to focus ourselves in that direction and make it happen. It is the same for anything, really. I need to ask myself, “What do I want” for clarity of purpose, direction, goals, personal desires, and personal growth. Since it worked for me, I’m sure that there are many others that it can also help.

And it’s not a selfish thing as long as there is no malicious intent. What I want may be a receiving desire and/or a giving desire. Neither is right or wrong, better or worse, because when I help myself I am also resourcing myself to help others. What matters is that we are honest with ourselves.

Many times we tend to get wrapped up in how we think we’re supposed to be, that we forget who we are or what our dreams were. I know that I have made many mistakes about listening to my preconceived notions and expectations instead of listening to my heart. Therein lies the key. The heart and heart of the soul are what tend to hold our passions, purpose, and dreams. It’s the Holy Spirit touching us. (The Holy Spirit communicates with us through our body sense. That will be in another post.) And when we act in alignment with those passions and purposes, then we become the Finger of God manifest. It begins with us asking ourselves, “What do I want?” and answering it honestly and in a positive framework.

For example, say there is someone at work that is making your life very difficult. As you ask yourself the question “What do I want?”, you might find yourself answering that you want them fired. What if you framed the answer as a positive solution such as, “I want him to learn what he needs so he’ll not need to be such a jerk, but instead more helpful.” This is something that you might be able to help with. Does the person need a compassionate shoulder or does the person need to be stood up to and told point blank what the deal is? Our choices create our reality. That’s why first knowing what we want and then deciding the best way (in alignment with God) to get it is the growing process.

Honesty is key. Getting trapped in how we think we’re supposed to be instead of being true to ourselves is like trying to grow a tree by planting a rock. The message does not get through and true beauty lies dormant. And so the guidance of the Holy Spirit is also blocked from getting through. There are people who may try or pretend to be positive and helpful because they think that’s how they’re supposed to be. But in reality, they are angry. God gave us our feelings for a reason. They are tools for us to learn from. If you are angry, be aware of it. Notice it like an observer. Ask yourself, “Do I want to be angry or do I want to have this issue resolved?” Trust the process of learning. If you are honest with yourself and you find that you want to be angry, then be aware of that. Let yourself experience your anger. That does not mean lash out and cause others to be angry or harmed. It means to sit back and observe your anger. Be with it. If need be, push ups, jumping jacks, or other vigorous exercise might help. The key is to be its observer. Don’t “be” the anger. Your spirit is of God. Let your spirit hold the awareness that this is an experience that will also pass.

And pass it will. When we let ourselves be with our experience, then it’s like when we listen to a friend tell us their troubles. We listen, they vent, and things move on to the next step.

In my experience, the next step will be the honest wanting of resolution. When we let ourselves be the observer of our experience, it moves through us like a train going by. We are aware of its power as we watch it go by, but since we are watching it and not on the tracks, it can’t hurt us. Once it passes by, we are free to cross or walk the track.

So by observing our anger we learn how to have the time and space to make choices that we want instead of reacting to our situation as though we have no control. This is key to self-growth because in order to grow we must know in what direction we want to grow in. We need to have awareness of our choices available to us so we can make the best decision for ourselves. But before our decision, our heart begs the question, “What do I want?”

As loving friends, we do not turn our backs on friends who ask for our help or a listening ear. Why then do so many of us turn our backs on our own hearts?

I hope this awareness of mine helps you in some way. Either way, I will keep asking myself what I want.

What do you want?

Blessings,

Irene

I begin with prayer.

I’m feeling gratitude today. Things are challenging, but at the same time I feel resourced, confident, determined, and joyous in my awareness of my relationship with God, my family, and the world.

My daughter is dealing with one of life’s difficult challenges and I was able to be there for her as she needed me to be. It feels wonderful to have the love and skills and resources to be able to be there for her and anyone that God guides me to.

One of the skills that makes it easier to be there for someone as they need us to be as opposed to our own agenda getting in the way, is presence.

Presence is being centered in yourself and aware of the space around you. It’s our natural state when we are in the present moment and unafraid. When we are present, it is easier to hear how God is guiding us and what God is saying to us.

When we are not present, we are in a sense, outside of ourselves. People who talk so much that it’s hard to get a word in edge-wise, or tend to frequently bump into things, or say the wrong things at the wrong time are a few examples of people that are not likely to be present. And if we are not present, we cannot be aware. That doesn’t mean that once we learn to be present that we are at all times. It’s like anything else, it takes practice. I still have times when I’m not aware or not as aware as other times. But not nearly like I used to be as early as in 2000.

Awareness is what allows us to feel truly alive. Otherwise, without awareness we are reactive to our surroundings and situations instead of being an active participant in our lives. With awareness we learn how we have more control in our lives than we previously have thought and God’s Graces become more evident in our lives.

Presence is about the awareness of being. In other words, presence is about being aware of ourselves and that includes our thoughts, feelings, and actions. The awareness from the Power of Presence empowers us to be the spirit that God created us to be instead of blindly having knee jerk reactions to the things that happen to us in life. God wants us to be present because He wants us to hear His guidance. How much easier would life be for us if we have the awareness of how God is guiding us? I can tell you that from personal experience, not only does it make life easier, but it also makes life more joyous, more gracious, more peaceful, and more open to love.

When I was 6, I had a pet shark. I loved that shark. The shark may have been dead, and he was my pet for only a day before the smell began to get strong that my parents got rid of him. But that shark made me feel special. I don’t remember much except that I dragged him by the tail everywhere I went and that I was filled with a sense of joy and strong sense of connection. It was a fulfilling experience. (I don’t remember the kind of shark but it was about 4 to 6 feet long.)

I was present with that experience. I may not have had the awareness to articulate presence back then. (I don’t think it was even part of cultural vocabulary back then.) But the presence that I had with that shark made me feel connected in a way that it filled me and I can use it as a resource to this day.

About a year ago I was closing up the back of my car after taking my dog for a walk and I was in a state of presence. I was calm and open and had a wide sense of awareness ( about the size of an average room). As I was finishing up, because I was open and had a wide sense of awareness, I sensed a presence that came up suddenly and startled me on the inside. I calmly and quickly turned to see what I was sensing and it was a man going to his car nearby. He happened to have a quiet walk that I did not hear him, but because I was present, I sensed him. That sensing is the Holy Spirit communicating.

How can we “hear” the Holy Spirit if we are wrapped up in our own thoughts or perceptions or drama? It’s akin to when we listen to someone speak. If we are present, we may not know what they are going to say, but we do hear them. I may not know what the Holy Spirit is going to communicate, but if I’m open to God’s messages, then I will hear them, however He communicates them.

I used to have noticeable control issues, although I only recognized it since I’ve learned presence and have healed myself of much of them. I’ve used my skills and training in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and worked on my solar plexus, which is the center for control issues (for the most part). As I was holding myself in awareness and presence, I allowed myself to settle deeply and opened myself to God. I asked for His help in my healing process with my control issues. As I settled deeper into stillness (Psalm 46:10), I allowed myself to be the observer and waited. After a while a new awareness, an epiphany, came through. It is one of my favorites. Surrendering to God is not about relinquishing power. It’s about letting the power of God flow through you.

While I may still have some control issues, it is no longer an issue. It is no longer baggage. When that awareness came, I had a huge physiological and emotional release from my solar plexus. My faith, trust, and sense of empowerment soared and has been growing since. The stronger I am, the more I’m able to be there for others. The same goes for you and anyone. Pain expressed comes from pain felt within. The more healed we are, the stronger and more compassionate we are. Blueprints for being able to be there for others in need.

There is training that allows for the practice of presence to be made stronger and at different levels of awareness. But the basics that one can start with and grow from are simple. The basics are also beginning steps to enter meditation. Greater details on how to learn presence will have to be on another post, but the basics begin with breath. Sitting comfortably, become aware of your breath. Close your eyes and allow yourself to watch your breath. Observe it as it goes into your body and out of your body. Just be with it for anywhere from several breaths to several minutes. This helps to calm the system and thus makes it easier for one to become aware.

And awareness is the next step to letting ourselves open to God’s Love in our lives. After all, all any of us truly want is love, even if we don’t know that’s what we want. Love is our spirit’s DNA. And we can’t know it if we are not aware of it. And becoming aware of it starts with asking our Lord and Savior to teach us presence, to fill us with love, and to guide us to learn as we need to know Him.

Blessings,

Irene

While mentally I knew that I would get through it and would feel strong and clear again, I had difficulty connecting my mental awareness with my body awareness. Eventually I would have settled enough to take care of myself, but in the meantime, I wouldn’t have been as productive or present for everyone around me. I needed help. That was my resource. I called a peer who practices Matrix Energetics and he had an opening. (I expected that he would since I needed help. God knew I was going to need help so he made sure the time slot was open for me.) The Matrix Energetics did the trick. It was beautiful. I feel that I’ve gotten to a deeper layer of some similar issues I’ve been trying to work through, and now have a sense of feeling stronger at those deeper layers. I don’t quite feel strong at those layers yet, but I do feel like I can handle the kind of issues that I’ve been trying to work through.

As I continue to process the changes happening within me, I continue to have the mental awareness that I will work through my “stuff” and that I will become stronger and wiser.  This is the same for you too when you want to heal and grow. When we ask for help, it comes our way one way or another. That which we focus on is what attracts the forces that work in our lives. Hmmm, I just realized something. I sense that I need to ask myself the question;”Why do I tend to focus on what I don’t want instead of what I do want?”

In my case I have some diffiiculty working or thinking in positive terms when it comes to myself, even though I’m a very positive person. Wow, I must be screwed up to be experiencing this one . In other words, I’ll tend to think, ” I don’t want to be afraid” framing my thoughts in the negative instead of ” I want to be courageous” which in framing my thoughts in the positive. Framing in the positive attracts the positive forces to heal in the direction of courage. Otherwise, my subconscious is still holding to the negative forces of fear.

Looks like I’ve got a new step to climb. This will be an interesting experience to work on.  Whew. And here I thought life was about to get boring….NOT.

How about you? Do you need to ask yourself a question? Do you want to? This is something you tune into your inner wisdom, the touch of the Holy Spirit within you. Easiest way that I know of is to say a prayer for God’s guidance and help, and then just let yourself be open to what comes. Make sure you are relaxed. Watch your breath go in and out of your body until you feel yourself settle and you start to have a wider sense of awareness, such as that you have more of a sense of the space that fills the whole room. Then follow your breath into your body and remain there and listen. This whole process may take anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes or so, depending on your experience with meditation or body awareness exercises.

Tune your intent to the Holy Spirit and open your mind like you do when you’re are listening to someone say something interesting. Just hang out there and wait. Hold your intent on what question you need to ask yourself, hold yourself open, listen, and wait. Something will come. You will know it’s it and that it’s right when the awareness of it gives you a sense of peace or an enlightened epiphany that you can use wisely.

I’ll keep doing my part to grow and heal from this past Friday’s experience so that I may be there for others. Hopefully, this past Friday’s (Nov. 7th) challenge will also help you.

Blessings,

Irene

Lord, by your Grace, Love and All that you are, let your Love and wisdom flow through me to whomever needs and wants it. Thank you.

Trusting in God is the first step in any decision. The final is is it based from a place of love. I remember when my children were very young. I read a wonderful book called Positive Discipline by Dr. Jane Nelson. In it she said to make sure that in whatever our decisions are to discipline our children, to make sure that the message of love gets through. I love that so much! It is true with any decision really, just some more than others. When our decisions are based on love, and not our own ego-driven or selfish reasons, then that is letting God work through us. Of our own selves we do nothing. It is through the love of God that all is and happens. It is because of His Love that we can trust Him and let Him play His creative Hand.

Trust is like the ocean waves and love is its depth. They are both separate and one. That is how we are with God. As His children, the connection is always there. When we lose the awareness of that connection, we feel lost, afraid, and angry, like our first day of kindergarten or after waking from a bad dream. Mom comes to pick us up, and we’re ok again. Dad comes in to comfort from the bad dream, and we are safe again. Our Lord is always there for us, just like the light of the sun. Even if we can’t see it because it’s nighttime or because we’re down in the basement, the light is still there on the other side of the world or just waiting for us to come up to welcome it.

God is always there for us. We just have to open our little children arms to Him and let Him pick us up. We need to understand that even as adults, we are His children. And He is our perfect parent. When we let God take us by the hand and lead us, we can know that He will also keep us safe. Just as any loving parent wants the best for their children and for them to be safe, so then how much infinitely better is the care and safekeeping provided by God, our perfect parent? So it is ok to let God into our hearts and lives. It is ok for us to let go of our “stuff”, and let God have it.

That does not mean that we sit back and do nothing. Not at all. Listening to God’s guidance may mean that it’s time to rest or it may mean that it’s time to take action. It’s about what FEELS right. Not what we may think. Our ego can get in the way of a clear thought process. But how does our body feel when faced with a certain choice. Which choice gives you the greater sense of peace? Which choice allows you to sleep better at night? Which choice, when sometime down the road and you’re looking back, would you happily repeat again?

The most direct way that God communicates to us on a conscious level is through our bodies.  When we truly listen from our hearts, and not from a place of fear or anger or other negativity, we open ourselves up to His Love and guidance. Practice from a relaxed state, where your breathing is comfortable and you’ve opened your heart to God. Ask about your choice A, and tune into your body. Is there a tightness or sense of difficulty breathing with a choice. Generally that’s a good indicator that that may not be the best decision. Is there a sense of calmness, peace, a sense of space within, or a deep relaxing breath? That is usually a good indicator of the best decision. Repeat with choice B and notice the difference between the two. This is what I have found that works in my life. The decision with the greater sense of peace has always been right in my life.

How our bodies guide us is the touch of the Holy Spirit. Working with my body awareness instead of ignoring it, allows me to connect with God. It allows me to take His hand that he always has outstretched to me. As I trust this Divine connection, I am letting myself be one with God. With the Divine connection, I am safe to let go, and let God.

Blessings,

Irene