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 Love of Self

For many, the criticism and comments that are said in their minds to themselves would never escape their lips and be spoken of someone else. The inner critic has a sharp tongue. It cuts one off at the knees, it draws blood, it keeps long hours and it is the ultimate opportunist. If someone spoke to them the way they speak to themselves, they would leave the relationship. And yet, the inner dialogue continues. It does not like to let up and always knows the best time to strike, or perhaps that is the worst time.

The inner critic has the poorest opinion of you and you allow it. You allow the power of your thoughts to create these inner conversations and they influence your personal view of your body, your life, your choices and more. Your soul shrinks from its touch, your heart aches, your mind stirs with more negativity and your life suffers. You accept mediocrity.

The only way one can interrupt this cycle is to begin with small acts of kindness and self-love. Simple steps taken will eventually lead to major gains made. Start with a simple kind mantra that you can repeat throughout the day. Or perhaps a gentle cup of tea and some quiet time to think positive thoughts about yourself.

Keep a gratitude journal or a blessing jar. Make note of what you are grateful for in your life day by day or the blessings that shower upon you. With time your perspective begins to shift and the focus is far less on the negative and more on the positive. Life becomes a bit brighter. Finding beauty becomes easier. Embracing a bit of self-love is welcomed.

The only way one can find the love of self is by seeking it and welcoming it. There are enough voices and images, messages and lies as well as slogans and opinions that bombard our day that try to detract us from our love of self. We need to be committed to this act of self. It becomes a choice we make each and every day, but a very worthwhile one. With time, this self-love radiates out to those around us. We model it, we share it and we spread it. Love's energy is contagious and very effective. And it is cyclical. The beauty of loving self is that it vibrates out the the world around us and then opens us up to receive more back. What a wondrous and beautiful thing! All for the love of self.

Blessings, Lisa

The Unique of You

Society often is uncomfortable with those who do not conform. Conformity creates a sense of stability, order, and known expectation. Yet, if you were to ask anyone are we not all unique, don't we all bring our own personal gifts to this world, or are we not all beautiful individuals, we would get a resounding yes. So how do you thrive and shine within this paradox?

You have tremendous energies that have been passed onto you from your ancestors that shine brightly in your DNA and make you who you are. You carry archetypal vibrations that are as unique as your swirling fingerprints that are part of your beautiful and wondrous identity. And yet, you are encouraged again and again, from a very young age, to conform. You are told how things are, how they should be (if things have gotten out of order) and how you fit within it all. Everything from your looks, your roles, your living styles, or your beliefs are encouraged to fit within this definition of normal, acceptable, beautiful or correct.

But a dynamic force resides within you! It stokes your passions, it tickles your sense of wonder, it plays with your imagination and calls to you each day. This energy is uniquely yours and yours alone! It is the creative ingredient that you bring to everything. It is the powerful voice that you lend to conversations. It is the amazing special touch that you share with others. It is exactly what this world requires of you and longs for you to bring to the day. Your special one of a kind essence is what the Universe has been waiting for!

Conforming does not support this aspect of you. It does not encourage it to grow or expand. Following the standard just adds more of the same to what already exists. It keeps things constant, but it also keeps things from growing, evolving, spreading and reaching, from birthing and releasing....all things that the vibrancy of life needs. All things that you need to be your fullest self. Staying small, silent, and average does not bring your highest self to the forefront. There are times and places for that, most certainly, but it is important to not make that your norm. Find ways to stretch. Explore ways to share your voice. Encourage others to shine bright. Join forces with those who are ready to take on the adventure of newness and possibilities.

As more and more share the unique and amazing nuances of who they are, the more the levels of creative energies rise. Consciousness awakens and change occurs. Amazing acts of healing, teaching, beauty, giving and creating are waiting for your exclusive energy to step forward. Bring it on!

Blessings, Lisa

Finding Presence in Solitude

A day to myself! A rare thing in my life, but so valued. My husband and youngest son went to ski with our oldest son three hours from home. A full day to myself! What a treasure! What a treat! What to do?

I spent the morning preparing for a visit from a mentee later this week. She will be flying in from Hawaii and staying for a several days. We have so many delightful plans. I organized, gathered, grouped and prepared. I took great delight in making the space she will call home while here filled with beauty and comfort. I cleaned and primped the space. Washing the warmest of flannel sheets for her, knowing the New England temperature will feel fierce to her heat loving body. I set out candles and crystals to call in positive energies and peaceful moments. I gathered books to share, items to discuss, and mapped out activities we are so looking forward to doing together. The morning was quickly over as I delighted in my arrangements made for her visit. There was wondrous anticipation present in the joyful planning.

After a quiet lunch and a pot of Dragon's Well tea I read. Three whole uninterrupted chapters! I got lost in the pages, took notes, paused and re-read paragraphs and enjoyed the author's voice and vision. I then turned to my journal to capture my thoughts on what I had read and what inspirations were created. Curled up under an afghan with a cat sleeping on my feet, we both purred the early afternoon away. I felt connected to my soulful presence and my thoughts.

Later in the day I caught up on email and friend's messages. I looked up a few recipes for my mentee's visit. I then took stock of ingredients I had on hand and those I would need. I shared an hour long call with one of my daughters, exchanging thoughts about this and that and lots of laughter in between, missing her presence but feeling her essence through the phone lines.

As the quiet of the late afternoon descended I went into sacred space. It was there that I brought my presence and attention to next. I reflected deeply upon the past year and all its unfoldings. I looked inward to the ways in which I have expanded. I remembered the release of so many different aspects, beliefs and ways that were not serving me and realized that they were no longer missed. I appreciated those who are in my life, sharing of themselves, adding to my days, celebrating with me, challenging me, inspiring me and witnessing me and my work. I offered gratitude to the many ways in which Source allows me to connect, shows me light in the darkness, offers moments of encouragement and calls me further and deeper still. I wondered at the many possibilities that I have been exploring and felt a deep peace settle within me as I realized, whatever direction I choose, I will receive what I need from it, I will learn and grow in it and I will find beauty there as well.

After a simple dinner and a quick phone call from the men telling me they were heading home after a full day of skiing and male bonding, I found more presence. I sat looking out into the night sky. The full moon of yesterday, just a sliver shy. The gray sky of the day now filled with stars. The snow seeming to glow from the moonlight, with shadows of bare branched trees stretching over it. My heart and soul overflowing with the day's gifts and gentleness.

A day of solitude, full, varied and all mine. I brought my presence to each part of the day, finding in the layers much for me to honor. The abundance found, the gifts, the wonder, the reflections and the pause all swaddled me in a comfort much needed. It is a gentle reminder to me that days like today are a special necessity. Bringing presence in all its beautiful forms to my life allows me to step into the wholeness of my life and to feel my evolving truth in all its places.

Blessings, Lisa