Moving from Fear to Love: A Snippet on Spirituality

I've been thinking a lot about Spirituality lately.  I have been moved in so many different directions over the last few years with my car accident.  In some ways, I feel like I am trying to regain my footing because I fell over the proverbial cliff into a land of pain, suffering, poverty and the like; while other ways, I feel like I have expanded far beyond where I used to be.  I guess really it all depends on how I am feeling in that moment and perhaps what is going on around me.  So recently, as you may or may not know, I have been really been pulled/pushed into the direction of the political world.  My higher self has nudged me through messages, dreams and the like to get active in the political realm and I am.   I notice I am feeling the excitement that I felt when I went to school for Political Science.   Well, with that excitement I started to think about spirituality and what it means in terms of politics, then I came across this quote by Brother David Steindl-Rast,

"Sometimes people get the mistaken notion that spirituality is a separate department of life, the penthouse of existence. But rightly understood, it is a vital awareness that pervades all realms of our being."

The journey of spirituality means that you are awake-- aware of your entire being! It means you are responsible for your choices and actions and understand the consequences as well as the beautiful benefits of those choices and actions. Spirituality means that you can move to the beat of your own drum while being a spark of light on this planet, and making choices to live life from a place of love while moving out of the fear.  What you learn is that the process of living from a place of love and moving out of fear is a continual process that you face/confront everyday in your daily existence. It isn't running and hiding behind some outside source when we don't want to take responsibility, or choosing to blame the circumstances and situations on someone else for what is happening.  It isn't something you can go to church to receive absolution for--and not something that you experience on the holidays to receive extra grace.  We have long been taught on this planet that our relationship with spirit/God/higher self (what ever words you choose to use) is outside ourselves, but Spirituality is who you are and the answers, God/Spirit/higher self are all inside of you.

Spirituality becomes an inherent part of who you are, in every way.  It is a place that you live from each day:that is you live from a place of love each day working to overcome the fear of your past and removing all blocks and obstacles. Having faith and trust in the unknown rather than fear it. It is a beautiful journey if we let it be that way.  

Do you consider yourself a spiritual being? Or a temporary spiritual being when the going gets tough? Meaning when things are bad you cling to a sense of love and work on releasing the fear, but when things seem to be going well, you let go of the tools or work you have been doing and forget that living spiritually means daily practice.

Or is it a lifestyle you choose? If it is a lifestyle that you choose it doesn't mean you have to give up the fun parts of your life--it means you have to give up the self-sabotage, the inner critic, the negative thinking, fearful living and making choices from what you have known versus choices based in faith and trust. Are you ready and willing to do that ? Have you recognized the power you have within you yet?

For me it is who I am, it is the lifestyle I choose in every moment,  I have to admit in some moments it is easier than others, but with practice, focus and vigilance--it is a lot easier.   Bringing us back around to why the universe is nudging me into politics at this time, most of you know my background is politics and well perhaps my past experience is for this very moment on the planet, in the United States where a Love Revolution is truly taking place. Either way, my Spirituality is fueling my decision to become involved.  As I mentioned above it is a part of everything I do/experience/feel humanly.  As long as I am in a physical body, I have to remember to take part in the human world too as it does directly affect me.  The beauty of this part of my journey is that I get to bring my Spirituality with me and not hide it away to fit in.  This is the time for the Light to shine.  I won't go on my rant about how I feel and why I feel the way I do, but I will offer you these two final things. If you considered yourself Spiritual it would benefit for you to pay attention too.  And if you are interested in my thoughts and views of other like-minded individuals, please check out my group on Facebook called:  Lightworkers4Bernie.  Anyway, I send you love on your path and peace as you find your way.

Namaste.

Final Day of 45 Day Journey

Happy Last Day of Class Everyone.

Imagine that this time tomorrow morning you woke up with everything you need and you didn’t have to do a thing other than go to sleep and wake up in the New Year?  Well, that is what you will have if you trust that everything you need is right there inside of you.  I know , I know some of you may be saying “I don’t have enough money to pay my bills.” Or  “I don’t have the love relationship I want.” Or  “I don’t have the health that I want.”  I hear you and I understand you loud and clear—believe me I have said those things and others too.  But what I know for certain is that the outside circumstances do not matter so much as what you are feeling inside of you.  Those of you following my journey must know that  it has been a constant struggle every day for me physically, mentally, emotionally, financially and even spiritually to maintain my beliefs because everything outside of me appeared as if it were against me; and believe me in many ways it was/is.  That being said, it was what I knew to be truth inside me that has kept me moving forward—surviving and not dive into a deep, dark depression when the reality is—it would be completely acceptable for me in a deep, dark space! The thing is that being in that energy for longer than a day or two is no longer in my DNA—not because someone removed it from me, but because I removed it from me several years ago when I began this journey of infusing myself with more light and more healing and definitely doing the work to fall in love with myself, connect with my inner little girl to find her needs and embracing change/my path rather than resisting it.   I changed my DNA and you can change yours too.  The one thing I learned over the last few years was another dimensional level of healing that has given me the opportunity to clear from my Ancestral, Geographical and Soul Lineages as well as my expanded soul groups.  It takes time to heal and remove pain, but it doesn’t have to! 

Take some time today to contemplate this past year, I know for many it has been difficult—and for myself included I started 2015 off in a hospital with my back in horrible pain, but even with that—I had a pretty amazing year.  I would say write in your journal for yourself, but some of you resist the writing of experiences, but I feel it may truly assist you to write down your experiences and really see what your year was like—a life review perhaps.  It will show you how far you have come even when things do not look as good as you would like them to.  This will help put you into a better energy before you decide to think about what you wish to create in the new year.   Every year, I write out a list of things (everything I wish to do) I would like to manifest, and that list is as long as the age I am.  This new year, I will be 44 I March so my list will have 44 things, some may be simple to attain while others may seem like a dream, but I believe they are all possible.  If you have watched my journey, you know that many things have happened to me that are unbelievable!!  (One day I will write more about that!)

I’d like to end today’s class with a few thoughts for you to ponder…

Are you willing to commit yourself to Love - the infinite presence of Spirit in your soul?

Getting in touch with the love within you is the most important step you can take on your spiritual journey. It will also be your most rewarding. Being in touch with the love within allows you to be accepting, understanding of yourself and others, vulnerable when you need to be. It allows you to look at your shadow and heal yourself while being supported by the love of Spirit and the soul within. It allows you to be truly who you are.     

Every guru of this earthly time that has the ability to channel and receive guidance about life on earth; has imprinted that this year is the time for the embodiment of our “Christed-Self”, that is the Christ Consciousness the energy of Love, Miracles and Blessing will be bestowed upon us because access to these things increases with your vibration. I echo that as well. I know I am ready to allow mine in, but I also know that it is not without work. But not work in the way we think of work; instead, it is about how we use what we have learned about living life in this time on our planet. It could mean going against what we used to know, leaving our comfort zone and entering unchartered territory.

Is this something you are ready to do? Are you willing to give up your attachment to how things have always been and see real miracles in your life and allow the blessings of abundance to fall upon you? If so, then this is the year for you to change your life to the one you really want to be living. Let go of the attachment to how things have been or how you think they should be.  Let things/experiences be just what they are supposed to be---just what they are in this moment. Stay in each moment as best as you can and don't cloud your mind with distractions and useless clutter, instead allow yourself to face things in your life as they may happen. We’ve allowed so much to clutter us and prevent us from going forward.  It is time to be present in our life, our community and the global world around us.  We are the light we have been waiting for…tt is time for us to speak our truth, lead by way of doing and join in the energy that is building the momentum of change in our country, our planet.  It is our time! 

Blessings of love and magic to you all and happy 2016!

 

Day 38 of 45 Day Journey

Hello Everyone,

I’ve had a pretty emotional past few days.  It has taken everything in me to go about my life without tears.  Yet, I feel so much magic in the air right now.  The energy of this Solstice has been extremely powerful and inviting.  It anchored a lot of new light on the planet—putting us into a ripe and ready state for transformation.  The energy of release is upon us in a way I have not felt in the past at the end of a “calendar year”. I emphasize calendar year because I remember many times in my growing up I felt September was the beginning of the new year…at first I wrote it off that it was school, but that was not the case.  Actually, I would literally see a calendar in my head—the turning of the page began in September—then when I began this part of my journey I started to see my connections to Judaism and then to the lunar calendar so for me to feel closure at this time is more powerful than ever.    That being said---lots of pain, loss, grief, exhaustion being released and more.  Do you feel it too? I know I certainly do—but again I say I feel magic in the air too!     We did some deep work yesterday and before we go onto the next step of the faith/manifestation exercise, I feel the word Faith deserves some more attention, don’t you?

The word Faith comes up to my awareness almost more than any other word.  The last several years particularly, and even more particularly with regard to my beloved twinflame. Oh I need to shake that lack of faith at times--and I wonder what the blocks can be? Hmmmm...  When I moved into the apartment I am not living in, I was given a wall decoration which is/was a quote about Faith.  So that is when I really started to pay attention.  What is it we are supposed to have faith in?  Faith in another person? Faith that the bills will get paid even when you haven’t the money?  Faith that time is on your side?  Just to name a few things that come to mind this morning.  

This one word has so much power in my life and keeps coming up.   I am sure it is coming up for each of you as well and if it hasn't or if you have not noticed, allow me to bring it to your attention.  I have to side note—the word trust has now become synonymous with the word Faith for me…so you may have that peeking in to your life now.

I was given a present a while back, a book called Eat Your Peas and I opened to a page today and felt this would make for the perfect snippet to share....the following is the quote:

"Having faith means it isn't necessary to have all the answers.  Imagine what life would be like if you had all the answers to life's questions.  Do you really want to know the outcome of every moment, every joy and every challenge?  Having faith in God/Goddess and faith in yourself means trusting beyond explanation and logic.  While faith is unseen, it can be felt in the heart--a safe and loving place.  Let your faith rest there."

I love this.  And believe me as I type this to you, I thought to myself that yes, sometimes I would like all of the answers so believe me I understand you thinking that too!   But the truth remains that when I have faith it shows me how powerful I can be. Having faith is a difficult concept only for those who live in their head and not in their heart centers.  I, like many of you, have trouble of maintaining the faith  at times especially when I have such an attachment to the outcome of something and/or when I am around a lot of other people who are not able to stay in their heart. Other people's energy can influence our own which it is why it is so important to stay grounded in our body, but also maintain our balance by using the spiritual tools we have learned along the way.   When we allow our truth to come from within  us, the answers are there and the miraculous solutions to life's questions appear.   I can truly attest to this especially over the last three years.

My wish for you is to have faith in that the one thing that you may believe to be truth even when it doesn't appear to be so.  No matter what keep the faith. Never give up on what you dream/wish/desire and most importantly do all the work necessary to keep your energy clear/clean.  As you all know I keep evolving, I never stop.  One of the more recent discoveries that I learned about living on earth at this time—is not only did we all come here at this time on a mission to be light, but many of us are catalysts to heal/clear/remove blocks, obstacles, patterns that your DNA has been carrying around from your ancestry.  For some if not many of us, our job is to clear out the lineages of our soul, geography and ancestry.  IT sounds like a tall order, but it isn’t nearly as bad as it sounds.  But I promise you as you begin to move through some of this stuff—life that you have been living will begin to make sense.  So many of us have accepted what was sent out without question –here is a familiar phrase I am sure you all heard before: God only Gives you what you can Handle.  Well, I disagree somewhat with that statement—remember we are God.  We only take on what we KNOW WE CAN HANDLE.  Hmmmm..interesting perspective huh?    Sit with that one for a bit before going on with your day.  Oh and if you would like help with that kind of clearing—that is what I do, it is a newer aspect of my job and I would be happy to schedule a session with you and help you.  We can determine together what the best approach is.  The one request I have is to have an open mind and really being willing and ready to look at your stuff.

Day 34 of 45 Days: Epiphany

Good Beautiful Saturday in CT.

Sun is shining after a few days of clouds and gloomy weather….I needed that when I woke up this morning—it has been a tough couple of weeks both physically, emotionally and mentally.  I’ve had very little sleep now in over a week and I am not used to this.  I am choosing to take it as a sign that I am getting better.  So onto today’s snippet.

Almost 25 years ago, I was doing some work on my spirit, but not completely in the way I do work on my spirit now. I was living at home with my parents and attended traditional therapy bi-weekly (haven't been to therapy in 22 years..now I have other tools). It was college break and I worked two part time jobs. My daily morning routine that summer (it took an hour and half to complete and I loved it!) was to wake up, ride my bike to a park in the town I lived in. I would pack with me a bottle of water, a piece of fruit, a book to read, a journal and pen. Sometimes I would take a yogurt too!  (Boy, thinking about it—some things never change—if you know me—I still take all that stuff with me, only exception is that I don’t take yogurt now!)  I'd park my bike and walk the park. After the walk, I'd make my way back to the bleachers to sit and relax. I would sit for a few minutes looking gathering in my "taste of sunshine". Then I would lie down on the bench and notice how good it felt to rise early in the morning on a summer day. After a few minutes of meditating, let’s face it that is really what it was, I’d sit up and say my prayers, eat my breakfast and decide to read or write in my journal. (As you can see I was always prepared.) It was so powerful for me-- I contemplated life...sometimes I did more writing than I did contemplating and other days I did more contemplating.  Often I would ponder bits of wisdom that would come to me; when I think back the wisdom I had as a 19 year old was far beyond my years—and quite honestly therapy wasn’t able to truly help me because I too was beyond what they could comprehend.  But I digress, I want to tell you about one particular day.  One morning I finally got it, I grasped very clearly a simple message that came to me.  It was so life changing and simple that most of us overlook this fact—believe me it was so profound that I would compare it to the message Yeshua gave me that summer day about “I am the Way”, the one I wrote you about early on in this class.  You will be amazed at how simple this is or you will be like “yes, I know”.  Well, either way stay out of your head with this one, step away from your ego that says yes I know, and open your heart  like that of the little child within you learning a new thing for the first time. The truth is—this is something we inherently know, but have forgotten and; even with the awareness, it gets forgotten at times as we get lost looking outside ourselves for the answers. You know what I mean, right?  Okay, okay onto it already:




No one can tell you they will love you forever because the only person in your forever is you. So you have to love yourself. -April Ann D’Amato

Do you we really comprehend it? Go ahead read it again.  Does it invoke in you the real meaning behind the words, not just the words?  Let your little child remember his/her first steps on the path of life when they discovered they can dress themselves, played dress up or got ready for the school play and looked in the mirror and felt true love for themselves for the first time; let me rephrase that, true “SELF-LOVE”.   It isn’t that you have to love yourself, but if you do, you will never really feel alone, you will always have love in your life, you will begin to make choices for your well-being not out of fear/patterning/loss.  There is so many doors that open when you love yourself.

To this day to read it...it pulls me back to the moment when I first discovered this all important truth. I remember I was walking on cloud nine when this came to me. So simple, so easy to comprehend or is it? So simple and real I should have known it, but I didn't feel it till that day. As much as I have felt it, reading that statement is just what I need to "remember" from time to time...I hope it sparks something in you too.   The point being you need to love yourself because you are truly the only one who will always be there for you.  Interesting thought isn’t it?  It is about ownership/responsibility/self-love and truth.   On that day, it occurred to me because my grandmother told me that she would be there for me at least until I graduated high school, but she actually died when I was 9 years old.  I was devastated and there started the fear of not being loved, the fear of abandonment and the patterns that needed to be corrected. It took me years to have this realization and I can honestly say I worked really consistently upon my self-love and there did come a time not too far off in the future after this epiphany that I had did I recognize I loved me, I value me and I am worthy and deserving of the life I desire.  It has empowered me to love me more, faith that what I feel inside of me is truth and courage to endure being single until the time is right for me.  (I say courage because my twinflame journey has taken a lot of faith and courage to keep on its path.  It would be so easy to give up and settle like most people do and not wait for real love, but that one phrase above propel me forward always.)  I hope this helps you too.

Pardon me for the wordy snippet this day, but spirit tells me to write what I feel and sometimes my feelings can be wordy....

Some thoughts for you to ponder:

What does that one sentence mean to you?  Does it change you?  Will it change how you view the “wanting/needing/expectation” of relationships and/or love from outside yourself? 

Where do you feel what I wrote in your body? Do you have a physcial, mental or emotional reaction?

Day 20 of 45 Day Journey: Fear of The Future

Good Morning Beautiful Beings,

Today’s snippet is about Fear. Recently, there has been a lot of uncertainty about the future and it seems to only be getting worse. While it seems all the things we have come to accept as a sense of stability are being removed and light shed upon them, the future and fear of the unknown seems to be taking hold for many. 

While that may be the feeling that is coming up, it isn't a feeling that has to last and stay with you. Everything is changeable. EVERYTHING! 

This  snippet "Being with Uncertainty" is taken from the Daily Om with my own interpretations, questions and tips for dealing with fear. The Daily Om information is contained within quotes.

Being With Uncertainty: Fear Of the Future

"Though much human fear is based on uncertainty, foreknowledge does not always ease the mind. It is often when our futures look brightest that our resolve crumbles and we veer off course. "

Do you recognize this in your life? Whether it is a personal goal such as daily meditation or a goal toward obtaining a new job? Does it seem we let go of working hard or being consistent because it appears that we will have what we want? Take a few moments now to look back at times in your life when you were so close to your dreams, and suddenly you started to change your patterns, and not necessarily ina good way. (Ever notice it is almost a form of self sabotage?  Did you know that self-sabotage is a form of misdirected self-love?)

"We can recognize that success is on the horizon, but we cannot discern how it will impact our lives. Because success can affect us in complex and unpredictable ways, taking us out of the status quo and pushing us into new circumstances that test our limits, the mere idea of attaining the life of our dreams can shake us to the core. Fear of the future is often closely intermingled with the fear that growing into your own potential will both change you irrevocably and force you to face situations that you aren't ready for. It is normal to unconsciously project ahead into the future and see success as a great weight bearing down on you. It is important to remember, however, that all the life changes the future will bring will be implemented into your life slowly and gradually."

This is sometimes how hard to recognize because it often happens on an unconscious/subconscious level.  But often with anything in our life, once we head in the direction of our dreams and really begin to remove blocks, the floodgates of love, support and light come in our direction making it possible for success to happen.  Now, it may appear that things are moving too fast, or too quickly, if that happens you can ask your  Angels or your Guides to slow it down and make it more comfortable for you...they can only help if you ask.  Don’t forget that this applies to your healing journey too!  So most people think of success associated with specific goals such as I mentioned above, a new job or a practice of daily meditation, but it has to do with your own healing journey.  Sometimes we can begin to clear out the old, outdated beliefs and it gets scary and begins to move too fast for us.  We often project out into the future that we want to heal, but underneath it all we are not quite ready to do the work. And hey, that is totally okay, but it is far less painful  to learn to recognize that about yourself. I often talk about removing layers when we are healing. Sometimes after several layers get removed, we may need integration time which could be days, weeks, months and even years.  It is completely unique to each individual. Think about different areas in your life where you get “scared”, again you may mistake that fear as if someone/something outside of yourself is triggering you, but trust it is your internal guidance system asking you to slow down. 

"When we visualize the future, we tend to focus on outcomes rather than the steps we will take to reach those conclusions. Thus, we may forget that growth is progressive. Your soul longs to fulfill its purpose-a purpose you agreed to in the timelessness in which you existed before your birth. Because of this, neither you nor the universe will set any circumstance before you that you are not capable of handling."

This is a good reminder when we are faced with life's obstacles...remember to breathe. And recognize that you ultimately are the creator of your reality.  And focus on the next step rather than the final outcome. Now this doesn’t mean you are meant to control the outcome.  But it does mean that you focus on the next step. So for example, you want to make cookies (it is the holiday times so I am thinking of baking)?  The first step is look at the recipe.  The next step is how many do I want to make to determine if you are doubling the recipe.  The next step is making a shopping list for the items you will need to buy.  (Notice I didn’t say the next step is to bake them? We can’t bake them if we don’t have the ingredients.)  And so on.  The point here is that there are steps to that which we wish to manifest and have happen in our life.   We can’t get from point A to point Z without B through Y.  Know what you want to manifest, know your goal, but bring your focus daily on that which you need to do next. 

"Fear of the future can paralyze you, preventing you from living in the moment and from working toward your goals in a mindful manner. The key to conquering this fear lies in awareness. When you can identify the irrational thoughts that frighten you, you can replace them with logical, self-affirming ideas."

Do you recognize your fears with regard to your future?  Again, future can mean many things to

many people: the new relationship that you wish to manifest, the job change that you are looking for, the thought of being physically healthy and able or others.  I remember a time when I had, had a car accident in 1998 and I was put out of commission for a long time—difference between then and now—I had proper care right away, I had health insurance from the beginning, I had a job that provided disability, etc.  (Mind you, I had none of that , this time around; I digress.)  Back to my point, I remember when I was working, I would get up go to work and literally come in the door at night, and strip on my way to my bedroom and go to sleep until the next day—that is how much pain and how tired I was because of the pain; then I would get up and start all over again the next day.  This was my norm.  Then I started all kinds of alternative healing things, including Reiki and boy did my life start to change. I started to feel better and I started to have more energy.  So I would come home and now stay awake until 8 and not longer in bed at 6; and then I continued to get better.  What was scary to me at first was, what the heck do I do with myself ?  My life was changing. I had gotten really comfortable in my discomfort of being in pain and not living; now here I was living. It was a little scary to say the least, but what is interesting is that no one would actually suspect that because why wouldn’t anyone want to get well?  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get well—it was that I didn’t know what to expect anymore.  That is when my life really started to change when I realized wow, I don’t have to be afraid—I can be excited for the future and anticipatory.  With all that being said, look at your life and recognize times and even now when you have fears coming up to plague you?  

What thoughts are you allowing in that fuel your fear? 

"If you are afraid that you won't be satisfied when you accomplish a certain goal, remember that no one achievement represents an end in and of itself. And if you fear recognition or feel unworthy, consider that even now you are deserving of praise.  Should fear of the future strike you as you strive to create, to excel, to grow, and to evolve, assert your courage. Assume that your fear is based on a false assumption and quell it with facts. Try to disregard past patterns and focus on the present by stilling the inner voice that comments critically on all you do. Tell yourself that the inevitability of your success is based not on luck or a universal mistake but on your already established talents, drive, imagination, and inner strength. Each time you overcome your fear of the future, you chip away at its very foundations. Eventually, you will clear a gap through which you can gaze upon the future with unhindered optimism."

In what areas of your life do you notice your greatest fears? What are the fears that come up? How can you alter that thought process?  Do you recognize patterns/behaviors/thoughts/discomforts that you experience or perform during those times of fear? If you don’t recognize them (we all have them), then it is time for you to start to pay more attention and become aware.

Some tips for working through the fear of the future:
1. Remember to Breathe. Always an important shift in your energy when you stop and take three long breaths in and out.
2. Live in the Moment. This will give you the ability to make decisions in the moment and not get caught up in the past or the future..it will simply allow you to take life as it comes. (Not always the easiest one to do, but it gets easier the more you practice it!)
3. Simply live. When the fear creeps up, choose another train of thought, one which will make you smile and feel a little bit of happiness. It will raise your vibration and keep you out of the fear. Each time you practice this it will get easier and easier.