Often, when things in our life seem to go wrong, we feel as if it's the end of the world because we can't see further than what's right in front of us. It is only when we look back, after we've survived the storm, that we realize that those "broken" parts are actually pieces that make up the beautiful picture that is our destiny.
Five years ago, I lost my job. No, I did not quit, I was made redundant (which is just a pretty word for 'fired') from a job for which I worked so hard it almost broke me. Immediately, I tried to get back on the racehorse, so to speak, but in all the job interviews that I've had, I would always land at the top two and not get it in the end. In fact, there was one time that I was the only one left standing and still did not land that elusive employment contract. Going through rejection after rejection, my ego was hurt by others' blatant disregard of my self-worth and value. But it was not so much the losing the job that I mourned but the career I built; and interestingly enough, when I managed to turn off my churning mind and listen to my heart instead for reasons I could not understand then I felt a little flutter of something I could only describe as joy.
There's a common grumble, generally directed at the young, that they are constantly distracted by texting, video games, and other ways to stop paying attention. But few of us have truly mastered the skill of paying attention, or even realize that it is a skill. This is because we haven't looked deeply into how awareness works.
Attention, which is another way of describing focused awareness, is important because whatever you pay attention to grows in importance and significance. If you focus on your job, your relationship, or a favorite hobby, your attention nourishes a feedback loop--you become better at what you pay attention to. Your brain strengthens or weakens in specific areas depending on the input it receives, and paying attention provides concentrated input. Attention can’t be faked or forced. When a schoolteacher scolds an unruly class with, “Pay attention, people!” he may get results for a few minutes, but the demand loses its effect very quickly. Asking a restless mind to settle down and pay attention is even more futile. The secret is to know how attention can be mastered.
This is the way I look at life… everyone gets to choose what they want, and what they want has nothing to do with you… You will never be good enough, nice enough, rich enough.. to change someone else. It won’t happen. People change when they are ready to change… if ever. So, when someone chooses something different than what you think they should have, it is not personal.It is simply what they want, in that moment.Whether they are choosing what you feel is best for them or not, they are, at that time..choosing what they believe will “taste” good.
I love the metaphor of the message below. It is one of the ways I too, look at life so I wanted to share it. I believe it explains something complicated in a very simplified way.
“We want you to enjoy the contrasting experience, just like you enjoy the contrasting buffet. And we want you to reach the place that whenever you’re in front of a buffet that has so much that you do like to eat, as well as some that you don’t like to eat, you don’t feel frustrated that there are things there you don’t want to eat. You don’t feel compelled to put them on your plate and eat them; you just pick the things that you like. And the Universe of thought is the same way. You can choose from it the things that you like.” —Abraham
The longest, most challenging journey I have ever taken was the one getting home to my true self. It took decades to arrive and I willingly chose to make many side trips through roles, responsibilities, expectations, careers, and marriages where I had to work day and night to become something other than who I truly was. But when I finally found my way back to the real me, the honest me, the most authentic me, there was no greater joy.
I’m not talking about a perfect version of me. I’m referring to the me as I am right now. Comfortable in my 60s. Curly, messy hair. The butt and boobs of a real woman. Wrinkles around my eyes and mouth from smiling at my husband and laughing at my children. It’s me waking up at 3 AM and still worrying about finances. And it’s me dancing around with my iPhone plugged into my ears, joyfully singing Streisand’s “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” Like I said, it's all about being yourself.
The dangers of the corporatocracy and the Death Economy – a world created by economic hit men and now manipulated by many of our “leaders” – and the powers of the rising Consciousness Revolution: These were the topics of the three speeches and numerous media interviews I gave at the Melting Pot conference help within the Colours of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. It was attended by more than 50,000 people in late July 2018.
It was an amazing event, a happening of world-class musicians, quantum physicists, media giants, philosophers, economists, and thinkers from many walks of life. To me, the venue itself represented the transition from a Death to a Life Economy, our evolution into a new consciousness. A huge and once highly successful coal mine/steel mill that went bankrupt because it used up all its coal has now been converted into a magnificent series of stages and auditoriums. This symbol of the Death Economy now conveys inspiration, hope, joy, and – above all – ideas for catapulting humankind into the new era, a Life Economy.
I can’t begin to express the extent of my joy at how the teachings and prophecies of the indigenous people I’ve so often written about are being manifest in places like Ostrava. As the groups I take to the Achuar of the Amazon, Kogi of Colombia, and Maya of Guatemala learn, we all come from indigenous ancestors who are part of (versus “apart from”) nature. They know that a Life Economy that is itself a renewable resource is essential to the future survival of our species and many other species. They live in a present that supports the long-term, unlike the Death Economy that advocates a materialist, greedy and selfish present and insists on maximizing short-term profits.
Everyone wonders whether or not there is one great secret for truly successful living. There is. And it is not a secret. It has been quietly, steadily telling itself right in front of us all along. We just couldn't hear it over the clatter and chatter of our own secret demands. Listen quietly for a moment. Everything can change right now. Learning to hear this supreme secret is no more difficult than choosing whether to swim against a current or to let it carry you safely to the shore. Let it speak its wisdom to that secret part of you that can not only hear what it is saying but that is, in reality, its very voice. Listen to it now. It is saying, "Want What Life Wants." Think about it. Locked within these four simple words is the secret of an uncompromising power for effortless living; a new kind of power that never fails to place you on the winning side of any situation. Why? Because when you want what Life wants, your wish is for Life itself.
"What if I don't like what life brings to me?"
"Try to see that it is not what life has brought to you that you don't like. It is your reactions that turn the gift of life into the resentment of it."
This post begins a series on "skills in awareness." These are skills that anyone can learn -and benefit form. the more aware you are, the better you will be at making positive lifestyle choices, resisting impulsiveness, being triggered by stress and people around you, and finding out who you really are. These are the goals of conscious living.
Most people use the words "consciousness" and "awareness" in a fuzzy way. The average person might think "If I’m awake and not asleep in bed, I'm conscious." But to be aware is defined more accurately as not being unconscious in your habits, attitudes, and beliefs. Being aware isn't passive. It influences all of your mental activity.
To illustrate, we can begin with the most basic awareness skill, being centered. The experience of many actors and singers is that they suffer from terrible stage fright until the moment they walk on stage, when suddenly they fall into a groove - despite their nerves, great performers like Olivier and Pavarotti, two notable sufferers from stage fright, showed total command of their art before the public. What causes such an instantaneous transformation? A combination of things:
A few weekends ago, I went to visit my brother Bobby and his family in Wyoming. He left LA about two years ago, and at the time, his departure really hit me hard. I liked having him as a neighbor and so close by.
But my essay today isn’t really about why he moved or how his move affected me. Instead, it’s about something he said to me on my first day in his new home.
He said: “When I woke up this morning, I heard your voice downstairs and I said, ‘Everything is good.’ Your voice sounds like home. I’ve heard it my whole life and it makes me happy.”
I was taken aback by his words. The idea that my voice could make another human being feel content and feel at home deeply moved me.
A lot of people are asking me what prediction I can make about our world and where we are headed. For the record I don’t make predictions, I track energy, watch for patterns and choice points and share the prescription to empower people. Everyone is looking for answers, for support, to be told they will be ok, that they will be safe, get what they want etc. It’s always in times of great turmoil that people turn to an intuitive /psychic reading to make predictions to help them feel better. Certainty is a hot commodity right now but I say, buyer beware! If your motive is absolute certainty you run the risk of disempowering yourself, the opposite of what you need.
Over the years I’ve received tons of emails from people asking for my thoughts on predictions. Some of the common questions are: What do you do if you get a negative prediction? Are predictions absolute or can you change them? Why haven’t particular predictions from psychic readings come true yet? What about predictions (often doomy and gloomy) made about world events? I heard recently someone say with absolute surety we are heading to World War Three, and another person predicting aliens for sure will come to stop it.
You see a friend with a split in their pants, a stain in an unfortunate location, their zipper down, or some kind of wardrobe malfunction…Do you tell them?
A potential business associate keeps mispronouncing your name in meetings…Do you correct them?
A fellow professional has misspellings on their website, social media posts, or blogs…Do you let them know?
An acquaintance or even a stranger at a bar has something green in their teeth…Do you say something?
Especially at this time when being “politically correct,” more accepting, and less judgmental is being emphasized, you can’t help but getting caught up in the quandary of “Do I say something or just keep my mouth shut?”
Now before I go on, let me clarify two things.
First, I believe there is a distinction in terms of situations that are matters of opinion versus those like the ones mentioned above which are black and white or “facts.” This blog is about those hard truths, the times you know when that person gets home and finds their fly down or the lettuce wedged in their teeth, a wave of embarrassment will wash over them as they try to trace who might have noticed and how bad it was.
And second, this blog is not about the person who is being told about their mistake or faux pas since everyone reacts differently to honest feedback. And it is their insecurities, wounds, or shadows which will determine how they process, defend, reject, spin, use, or integrate the feedback.
This blog is for all of us who spend the five seconds, minutes, or hours belaboring the question “Do I tell them or not?”
I recently had a conversation with a highly successful man who blew my mind.
We totally bonded over the fact that we are both happy users of the Heartmath technology, and as we talked he confessed something to me.
This tall, dark, and handsome retired NFL player and successful business owner with a beautiful wife and 5 children (living in the most expensive zip code in the country, had tears in his eyes when he showed me his Superbowl ring. He said it was the first time he had worn it in years because most of the time he doesn’t feel worthy enough.
What? This gorgeous hunk, who appears to have it all, has worthiness issues?
He had just completed some deep transformational work and was excited to be moving forward in his life now that he was finally dealing with his core wound issues.
If you want to receive big, you must dare to ask big.
But sometimes you might ask and still not receive.
There is an art to asking for help and what you want.
In order to manifest your dream or vision, you will need other people’s support. No one did anything great alone.
It takes real courage to ask for help.
Pretending you don’t need it is a sure sign of weakness.
When you are truly strong, you can allow yourself to be vulnerable.
Vulnerability is not a weakness, rather it is a strength.
It takes a strong person to acknowledge they need help.
It takes an even stronger one to ask for it.
It takes yet a stronger one to accept and receive it.
It’s often easier at times to be the one giving to others rather than the one receiving. To receive requires that you open your heart and let someone into it. To receive is to allow someone to touch you deeply.
Last fall, the house where my partner Anne and I lived in Massachusetts went up for sale. We knew immediately that that For Sale sign was also a sign from God: Time to move on! A door was closing, but another was so clearly being opened. Fortunately, we had a lease that allowed us to remain in our apartment for several months after the house was sold. We had plenty of time to make decisions and then step through that open door into new possibilities. As events unfolded, we felt guided to move to Florida, where we had a number of friends, and the winters did not include snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. Also (and this was key), we discovered that buying a condo there was less expensive than the rent we were currently paying in Boston. Neon signs pointing south…
As I prepare for my August Omega workshop Sacred Plants: Touching the Jaguar and trips that I guide where participants learn from indigenous shamans in Latin America, I think about the messages that nature and the immigrants attempting to enter the US and Europe offer.
Our first reaction to environmental problems and those associated with immigrants often is to cast blame:
Fossil fuels, mining, food production, etc. are destroying the environment;
Corruption and brutality in other countries, climate change, gangs, cartels, etc. trigger immigration.
We tend to avoid the tough questions:
Who uses fossil fuels, aluminum, plastics, sweat-shop made clothes, and food?
Who does the corrupting, supports brutality, causes climate change and drug use?
We look for band-aides to stop the bleeding; we turn a blind eye on the virus that opens the lesions.
The fact is that most environmental degradation is the result of predatory capitalism. Most immigrants are people who are miserable, desperate, and fearful for their lives.
It’s been a hot one here in Arizona … 117 degrees the other day when my hubby and I had an adventure on the lake when a monsoon “haboob” hit us. Yes, that is a real word, look it up if it’s new to you … kind of a funny word
Anyway, we made it back to our camp … with a lot of paddling effort on our parts and a little help from our friends
And all was well…
Although unexpected as it hit soooo fast, it was a fun little adventure.
But I was thinking afterwards…
Life is meant to be an adventure, right? It’s a journey of joy and pain and exploration and excitement and grief and peace and everything in between. Really, it’s a constant journey of expansion and contraction.
I’m writing this on the New Moon in Cancer, and I’m intimately aware that things are about to change for me. New moons are about setting intentions and this one is particularly meaningful for me as I am about to cross a threshold that stretches out across the sands of time. I am accepting an invitation to move into something unknown, new, and powerful. My intentions are clear, and so is my vulnerability.
This week I turn 60. Yes, it’s a strange number for me, but the power is in the meaning I assign to it. It is decidedly not going to mean the same thing that our culture has conditioned me to believe. Yet it is beyond that, a sacred journey marker in time, that represents something important for me personally but also symbolically for all modern women who have lost the way to recognize their milestones as representing a sacred quality.
Have you ever felt that sense of deeper meaning as you approach an important milestone in your life? Outside of births and deaths, or religious ceremonies in western culture, we don’t make sacred the rites of passage when a girl begins to menstruate or mark the phases in our life as women as we move from maiden, priestess, queen, then crone. How do we know what these phases mean? It’s not enough to see that there are the decades marked in fashion magazines with suggestions for how we should appear. Our milestones are those of the soul, the mystical, and markers of the maturation of experience as we travel and write the stories of our lives.
They’re idiots if their driving doesn’t suit me. Hey, salesclerk, are you here to serve customers like me or to chat, you slovenly beast? I’m walking here, if you’ll let me, you mob-thinking plebes. Aww, go to hell !
I’ve overcome what I wanted to in terms of judgments, and substituted Discernment.
“Real magic means an absence of judgment of others.” ---Wayne Dyer
How I Overcame My Judgments
There are 3 components to my moving away from judgments: Gratitude, Humility and Acceptance.
If everyone was able to understand exactly what you were trying to say each and every time you were communicating, you would certainly encounter less friction in your interactions. Unfortunately, clear,effective communicationisn’t always as simple as we take it to be.
The good news though, is that, like anything else, communication can be improved to help strengthen your relationships, your business partnerships, and your social interactions.
Effective communication is one of the cornerstones of a lasting relationship. Without it, you will inevitably find your relationship on troubled waters.
In order to improve the communication that takes place in any relationship, try these following things.
Unfortunately, we all experience hard times in our lives. Life hits us hard when we least expect it.
You may be facing a divorce. Your home may have been hit by a tornado, earthquake or some other force of nature. You might have been stricken with an illness that keeps you from working or operating in your day-to-day life. Or maybe, the people around you are breaking off or looking to change their relationship with you.
Change is an unstoppable force in all of our lives. Sometimes it hits us so hard and fast, it feels like our heads are constantly spinning. And when we’re not prepared for it, we feel victimized by forces that seem completely out of our hands.
We all go through difficult times, when things don’t seem to work out.
It’s easy to lose hope and feel like you are facing bad karma or luck during these moments.
Your karma is the result of the sum total of your actions. For every cause there is an effect.
If you are going through tough times right now, remember that it is only a season, and no season lasts forever. Even your most difficult time will pass.
Trust.
Your challenges are gifts in disguise sent by the universe to strengthen your character. Your dreams chose you for a reason. And your dream will take you on a journey of having to become the person who is capable of fulfilling the vision.
