Loss of Land Brings on Flood

Life has its disappointments. People let you down, circumstances do not lead you to your hopes and dreams, other's make choices that don't align with yours and so on. How do you roll with the energies that rise up from this place of loss? The way in which you respond can either help you find your way through or find you in a undertow that will cause you tremendous struggle. In a recent loss of a hoped for land to build our homestead on, I found myself in a flood of feelings to swim through.

While I try to live a life without expectations, it is not always easy. Our passions and our dreams often bring us to a place in life where we are filled with anticipation. All is well, if the next sequence of events unfolds in the way or at least somewhat like what you hoped for. But when they don't we find ourselves feeling a bit lost, maybe feeling a little empty or sad and trying to figure out what is next.

When this happens, I try to give myself time for pause. I need to be present with my feelings, rather than stuff them or ignore them. In the past, when I would do this, they would only surface once again, a bit later, often during a very inconvenient time, bringing with them a fury of energies that was disproportionate to what they originally were. Quite a mess to mop up. Eventually, I figured out I could save myself a good deal of clean up if I would just give them room right at the beginning of their bubbling forth.

Sitting in this place of pause I can grieve if I need to. I can also allow the disappointment to rise up and then release it. I don't hold onto it begrudgingly. I don't fester over it. And with time, I can look beyond. That is the beauty of feelings, they come and go, if we allow them to.

I picture myself riding the waves, rising and falling, sinking and surfacing, but always able to walk out of the waters of emotions. They are an important part of who I am, but they do not define me or control me.

Each time I can do this, I find a new depth has been reached within. I find a better understanding of who I am, why I do what I do, how I can evolve and where I am stretched. What a tremendous gift! Life brings us to these places for a reason. We may not always know why, but surely it serves us to be fuller, more aware, and closer to our truth.

So when disappointment washes over you, do not run and hide. Allow the shower to wash over you. Seek cover to wait it out. Pause and be. Feel and release. Open your heart and soul to the truth as it unfolds and embrace the gifts to be found there.

Blessings, Lisa

Listening to Your Own Truth

From a very early age we meet up with people who claim to know what is best for us. And, reasonably, when we were younger this was mostly true. But as we go through our life we are given ample opportunities to listen, to learn, to explore and to engage. From these opportunities we learn to listen to our truth.

The insights of others, though at times helpful, cannot compare to our own individual awareness and the answers that are within us. When we come into this world we come with our individual wisdom that is unique to us only. It is the perfect gift of energies, intuition, discernment and more. As we add life experience to this it grows more and more powerful. The more we use it and rely upon it the better it serves us.

Our truth fits only us all of the time. It does not let us down. It does not set us up. It is our universal connection. It bridges our soul's energies, our life experiences and our inner wisdom. It helps us to identify danger, to place focus on our values and to fuel our inspiration.

Our truth is one of our very strongest and most powerful tools. The better we get at using it, the more familiar we become at listening to it and the more confident we are in its authenticity the more it will serve us. As our consciousness grows and expands, so does our truth.

Blessings, Lisa

Lessons in the Experience

I have a weekly practice that I have been doing for over a year now. Once a week, usually on a Sunday evening when life is a little slower, I sit with my journal. It is during this time that I reflect on the previous week. I take time to walk through the previous seven days and explore my journey. What were my peak experiences? What were the challenges?

There are tremendous gifts waiting for me in these past seven days. Having a bit of distance from them allows me a different view point. Any emotions attached have settled down. Any distractions have usually moved away. I become an observer of my life in a very objective way.

Now that I can back away I see the entire week with a fresh perspective. The information and insight I gain from this practice gets carried into my upcoming week. I learn where I need to be more patient with myself. I see what is no longer serving me. I adjust in my plans or expand in my hopes.

My inner wisdom is invited to the practice as it has much to offer. It is able to be a witness to my life experiences. It engages my intuition and my insight and explores the possibilities of the week ahead. I become the creative director of what can be. I use my experiences to color and shade my future decisions with the palette of what I have learned, felt, witnessed and made.

I take mistakes and create magic from them. I take disappointments and open them to new awareness. I take celebrations and pull from their energies. I am able to take my own unique and personal experiences and bring the vibrations of my beautiful and vibrant life into the newness of the week ahead.

Blessings, Lisa

The Beginner's Mind

Do you remember the curiosity you had as a child? Do you recall the hours lost in playtime, the pretend friends, the stuffed animals that spoke to you and the fantasy land you would visit after reading a favorite storybook? As children we all had what Zen refers to as the beginner's mind. This part of our mind has not been lost, but for some, it does need to be welcomed back.

Over time our mind begins to fill up with logic, with theory, with facts. All important in the evolution of the mind, but not more important than radiance and vibrancy of the fantasy and pretend world. Both should be equally valued. But, in our society, knowledge seems to be favored as the more valued wisdom.

Wisdom can be found in the creative. We just need to be seek it! We need to value its unique flavor, it colorful perspective and its vital energy. Without this form of wisdom in our life we are only partially full with our gifts and only part of the way into our energetic resources.

The beginner's mind of a child means that we are open to the wonders of the world. We see life with awe and fascination. We truly believe anything and everything is possible. We embrace adventure, spending each day discovering and experiencing new things!

If we can remember to keep this wisdom alive in our lives and foster it, life is very different. Possibilities and opportunities surround us. The Universe showers upon us gifts and lessons that thrill our soul and bring brilliance to our life. Miracles are around every corner. We begin to see life so differently when we bring this form of our wisdom into our daily life.

Education is an important part of our society. It serves us well and allows us to be trained and in service to others. It creates solutions and asks important questions. It is highly valued. But look beyond this academic wisdom. Don't let it stile your beginner's mind from seeking the joy and appreciation of life. Don't forget to dream and be curious. Bring your radiant wisdom into your day and watch what happens. It is the juice of passion and the quickening energy of growth. If you want your life to expand to the far reaches of your imagination, show up with your beginner's mind, nurture and cultivate it and you will not be disappointed.

Blessings, Lisa