What I Found In The Preparation

In just a couple of days the doors to my home will open wide and be ready to embrace. It shall be filled with the laughter of soul sisters. Several women gathering from across the states and Canada to have a few brilliant and rich days together. During this time we will celebrate, we will honor, we will learn and we will explore. There will be releasing and healing. There will be witnessing and allowing. There will be connection and awakening. During the three days time we will share together our souls and combine energies. Our hands will be busy making shamanic tools. Our bellies will be filled with delicious homemade meals of nurture and comfort. Our minds will be delighted as stories are shared. And our bodies will be flowing with vibrant energies.

In these days proceeding our gathering, I am in preparation. There are linens to be collected. Supplies to be laid out. Food to be made. And space to be created. The busy-ness fills my days with delightful anticipation. I love these gatherings. My soul is singing.

Within all this preparation I find myself counting. I count the many blessings these women bring to my life. I count the number of times we have told one another that we simply cannot wait; feeling childlike and giddy with excitement. I count the offerings that I will be sharing, each designed with at least one of the women in mind. I find in the preparations a wondrous caring that fills my soul as I choose the just right plates and bowls for our feasts and as I lay out throws of jewel toned colors for the autumnal chill that is in the air. As I  choose the candles to be lit I think of the light in each of these precious relationships that I share.

Preparing for gatherings, to me, is like a gentle unfolding ritual. I fill each act with gratitude. I plan with anticipation of bringing pleasure and delight. I look for ways to ensure comfort and ease. As I prepare, I listen to my soul as it suggests, guides and reminds me of all the little nuances of each relationship and how to highlight the parts that I cherish the most.

One can get caught up in preparations. It has happened to me in the past, stressing if there will be enough, worrying over the timing, concern for what may not go accordingly. But I have learned that if I prepare with loving intentions then all flows as it should. The tone becomes set, just as the feasting table, with delicious presentations of my love and admiration of all. The "work" becomes acts of loving appreciation. There is little I am not doing with joy and consideration.

How do you prepare for your events and gatherings. What intentions do you bring to the hustle and bustle in the days beforehand? How do you hold the energies in your heart of what you hope for and what you expect? What I have found in the preparations is that there is greatness in the smallest of details and wonder in the gathering and placement. These energies are the ones I choose to embrace. Letting go of any stress or any worries and instead dancing with the energetic flow that radiates from the loving care.

Blessings, Lisa

Awaken Your Awareness

We all have our unique way of awakening our awareness. For some it is a sudden moment or event in time that everything seems to change. We see things from a new perspective, we feel things differently and we find ourselves reacting in new fresh ways. For others their awakening of their awareness is more subtle; a slow and gradual shifting, a graceful blending of beliefs and focus.

There is no ONE way to find one's personal spiritual practice and path. As children we are exposed to the beliefs of those around us, we may participate in traditions and cultural ceremonies and we find our own unique ways in which it all resonates. We carry these observations and ideas into our adulthood and with time put them to practice and to test.

Life brings our way trials, struggles, leaps of faith, celebrations, losses, and more. Each of these present the opportunities to practice our awareness. Some people shut down or go into auto pilot, or some take a long and trusted approach. Other may see each opportunity as a new window to look through. They may ask themselves how can I do this differently this time. Often this type of perspective evolves from the awakening of our soul, the clambering of our passion or the inspiration of our dreams. We want more, we are need a shift, or we are answering a call to go deeper.

Our inner guidance can lead us to where we turn next. It will challenge us if we are open to its messages. It may point out that if we are not happy with the status quo ... that we need to do things differently. It may remind us of the excuses we tend to hide behind when we feel anxious or overwhelmed. But if we remain awake and open to our truth, we begin, step by simple step, to move into the direction that is right for us in this moment.

The more and more that we do this, then the more we become attuned to what is right for us. What has worked for someone else may not look anything like what will work for us. We can become our own inspiration. Our consciousness will create opportunities for us to see things differently, respond in a new way, change course or embrace what we have turned away in the past. As we awaken our awareness, life begins to look a bit different. It begins to reveal all the gifts and truths it has been holding for us. We let go of our worries about what others will think or say and rest in the beauty of what is waiting for us in our day and in this moment.

Blessings, Lisa

Finding The Treasures That Surround You

We often find ourselves stuck in ruts. The mundane and ordinary that fill our day are because we have stopped seeking newness, the wonder, the different perspectives that are all around us.

Think about Nature and the perspectives She gifts us with. Go to the ocean on a brilliant sunny day and what you see may be very different from that of a cloudy stormy day. Still the same ocean, just a shift in the perspective. Go out into the forest at dawn and stand still, listen, look about and feel. Now revisit again the same forest at night and stand still, listen, look about and feel. What has changed? Same forest, just a different perspective.

Now lets take it a bit deeper. That ocean may be vastly different to the gull that soars above it compared to the crab that crawls upon its sandy shore. That forest will be a unique play land to the deer who travels across its ledges and feeds upon its meadows compared to the beetle who scurries across the branch of a tree...the forest is its Universe!

If we are willing to see the varied perspectives of our life and if we encourage and teach ourselves to do this, life can be fuller and richer and far less ordinary and mundane. The willingness to see our struggles from different perspectives affords us possibilities and solutions. Our flexible view point can create change when we feel stuck.

Being willing to explore the landscape of our life can create wonder and magic. It can also help us to find places to grow in and aspects to release. It can be the dose of encouragement we need to break out of our stagnant ways and into the beauty that awaits us. Life is meant to be full. We are meant to be engaged and to do so we have to be observant and open.

Learning to view from different perspectives can be fun and not daunting. Think of how a child would view the situation. Think of what your favorite role model would see. Perhaps approach it the way your most inspiring friend would. Even look at it from an animals perspective. You will be surprised at what is revealed by seeking new perspectives. Often our answers to our queries are right in front of us, we just cannot see them, but with a subtle shift, the treasures await us! And we cannot ignore them.

Blessings, Lisa

Within the Simplicity Greatness Is Found

I have long done a simple act that keeps me connected on a very conscious level with the energies of those around me. In a recent conversation with a client I was reminded that many do not have this interconnectedness in their lives.

Each day I spend a few moments recognizing both in my heart and mind those that I am connected to daily, face to face. I picture in my mind's eye family and friends, pets and local animals that visit my life, all those who cross my path regularly. Then I picture those who I have in my life daily that I do not see face to face, but certainly interact with regularly. All my friends on social media, relatives and friends that live at a distance, teachers and mentors, students and clients. To this I then recall those who I interact with that no longer live in this realm. I often will converse in my heart and soul with loved ones who have crossed over, to my spirit guides and angels, my guardians and soul friends. From here I go to all those who I do not personally know, but certainly am connected to. I recall the farmers who have grown the food I honor my body with, the artisans who have created treasures in my home that I cherish, the authors of books that I love, and the potter who crafted the tea cup I drink from daily. Each connection adding energies and gifts to my life.

From here I extend my connections even further. Out to the beautiful sun that shines upon the plants that produce my food, the rain, the wind, the rich soil. I connect to the energies of the Universe that cradles this wondrous Earth and so on.

In a mere few minutes each day this simple act of weaving my thoughts and energies together with the energies and offerings of all the touches my life brings a tremendous acknowledgement of the interconnectedness my life has with others. As I breathe this in a beautiful flow of gratitude envelopes me. My heart expands with a love of life and others. My soul sings in the rich resource of all this beauty, vibrancy and wonder.

It takes a mere few minutes, a cup of tea, a stroll around the yard, or a few moments standing at the stove stirring the pot of soup I am preparing for dinner. I send out with each breath gratitude. I breathe in all the vibrations of connection that are present. Prayers of well being form in my mind and travel through my soul. And in this gentleness I find simple abundance. For within this simple act so much greatness is found!

Blessings, Lisa