Integrity and Energy

People step in and out of integrity. It is not always an easy path to travel. Our emotions, our ego, our pain and our fear can often cause us to misstep. I have found, though, that when I am not in my integrity I feel more strained than the effort it takes to stay in it. Energies, it keeps coming down to that. Have you noticed when you are in a bad mood it is so easy to think negative thoughts about this or that? And if someone does just one thing that is not in line with your intentions, your needs or your way ... well, enough said ... we know what kind of thoughts you will have about them. You step out of your integrity and think negative and ill intentioned thoughts. Integrity and energy.

Have you noticed when you do not practice good self care, making sure you are in balance with body, mind and soul that you begin to cut corners, make exceptions and rationalize your ideas, your excuses and your efforts? You end up wasting a good amount of energy to try to cover up your missteps, your mistakes and your misunderstandings. You lose integrity with yourself and the honoring of your body temple. Integrity and energy.

Have you notice when you are out of control, filled with angst, worry or fear, the drain it puts on you? You are exhausted by it. It becomes part of a daily struggle. It impacts your relationships and the energies that are a part of them. You find that the bonds that connect become weaker. You lose sight of the integrity that created your relationships, with the best of intentions and heart. Integrity and energy.

Learning the connection between your integrity and energy you can begin to pick up on the red flags, the warning signs and the identifiers of imbalance. You are being of immeasurable energy. Everything you do, think, say and are is a part of this energy. Your energies flow with the intention that you bring to them. If you are bringing negativity, fear, blame, shame, judgment or anger to them the end result will be an energy that mirrors that. This then shadows over your integrity. So if you are able to look for these early signs, you can bring yourself back into alignment. You may have to develop skills that will support that, but half the battle is won simply by seeing the energies shift.

What signals do you recognize in you when your energies are moving away from your integrity? Make note of them and when you start to see or feel the shift, check in with your soul, listen to your heart, talk to a respected friend, get quiet and listen to your truth...find a way to re-direct your energies so that this effort saves you from the enormity of undoing the wrongs that will eventually result. You are far more powerful than you know, and with these efforts, your path of good intention and your walk of integrity will be that much brighter and lighter.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Cleansing

Many times the change of seasons inspires me to do a physical cleanse of my living space. A good cleaning, a removal of what does not serve me any longer, a reorganizing of space and a redistribution of belongings to awaken energies and to bring brightness into some dark spaces is important. So it is also with my soul space. My energetic fields benefit from being cleared of the old, releasing what is no longer of any need and making room for what is to be brightened. This means taking the time to recognize what thought patterns need to be refreshed, any baggage that needs to be released and any fears, worries or pain must be swept away for the freedom of my energies to circulate again and my consciousness is able to grow. It takes awareness of what is authentic to my truth, my story and my vision.

There are many methods that can be used to cleanse one's energies from breath work, cleansing of the chakras, drumming, power dance, chanting and more. How you choose to do so is a personal choice. I like to switch it up and do not use any one method. I have also learned over time that certain cleanses work better for me depending on what needs my attention. But regardless of the way in which you do it, the important fact is that you do it!

Deliberately setting the intention and creating the space to cleanse one's energies is an important part of one's spiritual practice. We all need to be attentive to our soul's needs. Remembering that we are faced daily with outside influences, other energies, challenges, conflicts, and relationships, not to mention the ongoing world wide events that surround us, we have a responsibility to our relationship with Source and our soul to be mindful of its needs. Once done, everything feels lighter, more vibrant, in alignment and free. I feel open to what is next on my path, I have the room to receive it and the clarity to see it.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

Grace Filled Blessings

Of all the different things that we share with each other grace is one of the most beautiful. Each of us is bestowed with grace. It does not need to be earned, it is not gifted due to favor, it is not based on our spiritual practice, our good deeds or our sacrifices. Grace is a blessed upon all. How we choose to live a life that is grace filled becomes our most important daily choice. To be filled with grace in life we need to be aware and present for it. By doing so, we then see opportunities where grace is present or can be surrounding us. What are examples of grace that may be manifesting in our life that are going unnoticed? Grace is the customer in front of us in the check out line allowing us to go ahead of them and we get to our appointment on time instead of late. Grace is the beautiful gentle rain that waters our garden. Grace is the friend calling us that we have missed dearly on a day when we are feeling a bit down. Grace is hearing about a perfect job position from a neighbor that we bump into at the library.

Grace is also found in forgiveness, in releasing resentment or bitterness. Grace is found in the love of a family. Grace can be felt when we enter a home and there is respect, appreciation and compassion for those that reside there. Grace flourishes when we give unconditionally of our self, our time or our belongings. Grace can be found within us when we learn to be present and authentic. We are always able to access our grace. Each day we can make the choice of how we will live a grace filled day.

When this choice is made, we accept the fact that we have all been blessed by this grace. We begin to live a life that is filled with compassion, we become more generous, less stressed, more flexible, even more resilient. Living this way allows us to trust more and worry less. We see the good in others. We find our relationships expand and grow. We are able to release and let go with more ease. We find the beauty in life and in those around us. Our perspective changes, our actions respond and our life becomes full of beauty, wonder, softness and awareness. When we embrace our grace we cannot help but make choices that will reflect it in all the fibers of our being and in all the layers of our life.

Blessings ~ Lisa ©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade

The Power Behind the Red Flag

We are such a mind oriented society. We believe the more we know, the better we can influence our course of direction, the better we can avoid failure and the better we can map out our future. But the truth of the matter is that we are in far less control of what happens outside of us than we want to admit. Fortunately for us, our souls and the Universe have an ongoing conversation. Because of this conversation we are often given signals, red flags, gut feelings and an inner knowing. We have to simply be open to receiving them and learn to trust them. This can be challenging because these messages that we get are often not based on any particular fact or theory, so our mind wants to try to negate them or brush them aside. Others, if we share with them these messages, may try to rationalize or question their validity. Our thinking gets in the way of our knowing.

Over time, if we practice following this intuition, we realize that we are given time to pause so that we can hear clearly the message, see the red flag and know that there is a warning coming through. This pause gives us time to reconsider. The Universe wants to support us in meeting our needs and to offer us protection from that which does not serve us. Now that does not mean that we won't have struggles, lessons to learn from or obstacles...but these are often gifts in disguise and will help us grow and expand into our higher good. But we are able to gain from the protective energies of the Universe to keep us safe or to keep us from wandering too far off course.

It is never wrong to take time to reconsider. It is always a good idea to pause to listen to that intuitive feeling. The more we do this, the more comfortable we become with it. We learn to dance around any expectations or pressures from others or their need for expediency. I have gotten really good at listening to this intuitive voice. I have practiced telling others, "I will have to get back to you on this," or "I need to seek some clarity first." If there is a request for an immediate answer and I am feeling the need to pause, I say "No."

I usually don't find myself in such immediacy. Usually people will give me the time to be in my pause. Their impatience is usually their issue and not part of the actual situation. Their need to know takes the back seat.

Trusting that when something feels off, when you get that hesitant feeling, when you feel your soul asking you to wait is an important skill to develop. In the long run, staying in alignment with the Universe's direction, listening to the whisperings of your soul and following the call of your authentic truth will allow you to engage in the life that is designed for you, with all its wonder, beauty and lessons. You will be feel and experience the difference.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2013 Lisa Meade