Heeding the Messages

The Universe is always reaching out to connect with me. I have learned to bring my awareness to this most important conversation that is often ignored by some. It is often expressed in subtleties and symbols. Guidance can come through signs. Encouragement often manifests through synchronicity. Beauty and inspiration shared in the silence found in nature.

The Universe does not always send out its conversation starters with loud booms or flashing neon lights, though it can! Sometimes it is in the whispers of the wind, in the gentle touch of an old friend, in the lines of a poem or a image within a dream. It will continue to try to gain your attention, to share its messages, and to honor your truth.

But as with any conversation, you must be present as well. Are you listening? Are you asking questions? Are you engaged? In the busy-ness of life sometimes people check out. They are asleep throughout their day. The wonders of the conversation pass by them and they miss it. Or they are so rattled by their own thoughts and the details of their story that they are unaware.

We all have the opportunity to be a part of this universal conversation. You simply need to find what works for you. Do you need to slow down? Do you need to be more present? Maybe you need to be more silent? What is distracting you?

Knowing how to be a participant of this conversation will open doors to your soul. It will bring inspiration to your day. It will invite creativity into your actions. The Universe will bring supportive energies to your lessons and you will find a flow to the steps you take. Being present to this conversation allows your receptivity serve you. Things fall into alignment. Your heart open. Your mind find peaceful thoughts. Your body resonates. And your soul sings!

Blessings, Lisa

Silence Seeks the Gold

One of the deepest skills I have worked on in the past years is that of silent listening. Creating sacred peaceful space for one to share in. Whether it be a story of pain or celebration, questions asked in anxious energy or demands made in frustration, or whispers spoken out loud of possible dreams or deep rooted fears, the blank space of silence is needed and appreciated.

My shamanic mentor, Robin Rice, taught me to add to this silence the meta skill of having no opinion. If you are listening to someone and find your self thinking of your answer, judging against your life experience, problem solving or offering sympathetic words of advice you are not only failing to bring your fullest attention to the one sharing with you, you are muddying the energies instead of keeping the vibrations clean and open to the easy and gentle flow. You can prevent the person sharing the opportunity to find their own clarity. You may be leaning against the very door that important lessons and messages are trying to come through.

As you listen with open ears, you listen with an open heart as well. You can be fully present, be of love, see beauty in the darkness, witness hope where there was thought to be none and so much more. As a shaman I have learned this is my most valuable skill I can bring to my soul mentoring. Serving as witness to someone is a sacred honor. Often it is the exact medicine that they need most.

The don't need rushing waves to come in and cleanse them. They don't need someone verifying they have been in the perfect storm. They don't need someone to help them bail the water out of their ship. They need someone to listen; deeply, fully and openly so that both the listener and the speaker create an energetic still canvas. Within this sacred canvas possibilities surface, wisdom shines, healing is accessed and life unfolds. The uncomplicated-ness of it holds tremendous beauty. Its blankness beckons new creativity, opportunities and choices.

Keeping perceptions and opinions out of the communication is vital for the potential treasure trove of gold to be found. In the silence one finds their answers, their insights, and their truth. In the energetic exchange of the speaker and the listener the soul's story is shared and witnessed. The guides visit, the angels bless, Spirit heals and the soul breathes it all in. The alchemy is pure magic. It has stood the test of time; our ancestors listened with very different ears than most of us do today. The silence seeks the gold and allows it to shine as brightly as it needs to.

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

Are You Listening to Your Body?

You receive many message throughout the day, some obvious, some subliminal. Some come from outside of yourself through media, friends, conversations, nature, Source. But one particular source that not everyone is accustomed to listening to is your body and the messages it is trying to send to you.

Your body will always tell you the truth. It may not always make sense to you. It may not always be what you want to hear. It often is not a loud broadcast, but it will be persistent. You cannot control the messages your body sends you, but you can ignore it. Or you can engage with in this conversation and listen.

Your body is a very wise source. It knows you better than you think you do! Many times seeking the messages from your body when you are going to make a choice or decision is not something that you do. But imagine this; there is a choice to make about whether to accept a new job offer. It will mean a change in your sleep cycle, your social life, your family connections and your eating patterns. It will also increase your finances and your responsibility load. You may consult your friends for their opinion, you may consult a coworker, you may consult resources or others in your field, you may pray, meditate or journey on it, but do you consult your body as well?

Imagine what your body would say? This conversation could go in many different directions, but to be sure if you honestly listen your body will have an opinion on how this choice will impact it, perhaps for the better or perhaps not. But given that you are in relation with your body every minute of every day, shouldn't it be one of the main sources that you consult?

Another way your body communicates to you may not be so topic specific as above. Instead it will send you message through its responses and reactions. Perhaps you are deciding about whether to move across the country. Whenever you think about this choice your body is speaking up. You just need to pay attention.

Does your body feel relaxed when you consider this? How is your breathing? Your heart rate? Do you feel inspiration, delight and enthusiasm or dread, fear and confusion? You see what I mean, your body is speaking to you, all you need to do is listen. Now, that is not to say that only your body has a voice in the decision making. But shouldn't it be considered?

You body is tremendous resource of inner wisdom and guidance. It stores your life experience. It is the temple for your connection to Source. It knows what it needs and will attempt to convey that to you. So, are you listening to your body?

Blessings, Lisa