Understand Your Intention

Do you understand your intention? The one you set today, this week, this month or even this year? Why are you seeking this intention? Why are you doing what you are doing? What is your motivation?

Usually we set an intention because of necessity or inspiration. Knowing this has much to do with how we approach our intentions and how we embrace them. We need to know the energy we are bringing to our intentions in order to become effective in manifesting them. Knowing if we are setting these intentions to be in service, to be better liked, or even for "selfish" reasons...the energy is very different for each reason. Whatever the reason. Now we have an understanding of our underlying motivation for this intention and how to approach it, what to bring to it, what to let go of that may get in its way. We now have a fuller understanding of the flow of this intention.

Also, knowing the motivation behind our intention gives us a broader understanding of our intention and our energies. When we know our motives we then can reflect upon where we are in the relationship between our soul and out intention. Are we in the way, creating the perfect block? Are we uncommitted? Have we not shown up? Or are we open, receptive, and attentive?

All this insight is an important part of the recipe of living mindfully, setting intentions and trusting. If we do not recognize or are not being honest with our motivations and energies between our intentions and our dreams we are not fully present to the unfolding. Showing up, being authentic and remaining flexible adds to the fluidity of the energies. It also incorporates our personal power in the equation. And when we do this we have a very different ownership of our intention.

It now breathes in our passion. It now dances with the music of our soul. It now inspires our actions. Our intention becomes alive to us; vibrant, awake, and resonating. Suddenly we become our intention!

Blessings, Lisa

The Artist Within The Chaos

There is a quote by Nietzsche that I so understand and appreciate, "One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star." I love finding the creative energies of thinking and living outside of the box. I love the challenges and newness that is found there. It is where I grow. There is an abundance of wonderful to be found there!

So much of our day is organized, scheduled and planned. We fall quickly into habits and patterns. Some that serve us, but some just because it is comfortable and familiar there. Sometimes these habits and patterns keep us from exploring and wondering. They can limit us from experiencing life fully.

Whenever I begin to feel a bit stuck or a bit disappointed in the way my life is flowing I stir up a bit of chaos. I begin to rid my life of aspects that no longer serve it. They may have made sense at one time, but when it is time to be rid of something...it is time. I also begin to seek new and fresh perspectives. I have "what if" conversations with people whose opinion I value and with myself. This helps my mind stretch a bit and my soul dances through with its creative juices. The depth of my soul's resources goes beyond time. It reaches into a universal resource of opportunities and a vast scope of energy.  I challenge the many possibilities. I expand the simplest of idea and build upon it. I recall dreams and see them as reality.

When life becomes too routine, I order up a dose of chaos. I live outrageous dreams. I step outside of the normal habit or expected thought. I awaken my inner artist and bring new colors into the picture. I try out new theories and practices. Creativity blossoms within the chaos and a freshness gets added to my life.

Blessings, Lisa

The Detachment Factor

So how detached are you? I don't mean distant, cold or uncaring. I mean how well contained you are. How good you are at boundary setting. And how present you are.

This skill took some time for me to develop. My emotions and feelings would get the better of me. Contrary to what was in my heart, the desire to help someone and show compassion, I would get wrapped up in the drama of the emotions, pulled into the feelings and actually become far less present in the situation. That is because when I allow my ego to drag me into the emotions and feelings of a situation I am contemplating on my stories of the past or my projections for the future. I am anything but present.

It seems that the more and more I chose to live in the present, my perspective shifted and became more and more impersonal. AND that was a good thing. To be effective as a shaman, a healer, a teacher and a woman in service to others, this skill needed to be honed.

Learning this detachment factor allowed me the grace to not get hooked by others feelings or emotions; necessary for the work I do. I could still maintain my compassion for others, but have clarity on what I could offer, what work needed to be done and how I would be present in the situation.

It also eliminated the need for me to have others in my life be a certain way for me to get on with my day. This detachment factor was huge! If someone was angry, frustrated or down in the dumps, I learned that I did not need to react or have it impact my day negatively. I just moved around it, took the detachment detour and got on with my day. I certainly could understand their feelings, their situation, but it did not become a part of me.

Actually, I was better able to understand what was happening to them. I could see it more clearly. My understanding expanded and so my services were more and more spot on, direct and effective. Being objective does not mean being uncaring. It actually affords you the distance and viewpoints to care in the best possible way, not a reactionary way.

Detachment keeps me clean. I don't pick up the energies of those I am working with. I also don't mistakenly place my intentions upon others, even the best of intentions. It allows my heart energies to be of love, not of expectation. It allows my soul to bring its beauty and essence to the equation without old stories or labels. It allows the situation to unfold in truth instead of confusion. Bringing detachment to my day gives me so much more room to be present, in tune with Source, in alignment with my truth and authentic.

Blessings, Lisa

The Power of Dream Time

I use my dream time to help me solve problems, explore concepts, entertain ideas and get guidance from the wisdom that resides in the realms outside of my every day. Often during that time just before falling deeper into sleep, or just upon waking, but still lingering between the sheets of the dream world, I will begin my dream time journey. My mind is not awake enough to offer criticism, rationale or opinion. Perfect! I want this time to be able to reach far, explore deep, discover the unknown and uncover the possibilities.

As I recline in comfort and relaxation, I let my questions bubble up and my ideas flow. I open the door to the messages, metaphors and images that play like a vibrant movie on my dream time screen. Over time I have learned the patterns of my dreams. I have discovered the meaning of colors. I have recognized the significance of situations, items, and places that I may visit. I have heard the messages that come through from my guides. Not all of these "clues" come through with defined clarity. Sometimes I have to sit with them. Sometimes I have to follow the breadcrumbs through the days following to see their significance and understand their meaning

Dream time is now a part of my life tool kit. It fuels my creativity which I have grown to appreciate as a tremendous and potent source of energy, magic and beauty in my life. Dream time allows me a fresh perspective that does not always present itself in my logical moments. It has expanded my work that I bring to the world, it has added new dimensions to my relationships, it has empowered my self-beliefs and it has brightened my passions.

In a world that often likes to present itself with choices that are black or white, I cherish the brilliant colors that my dream time brings to my world. A shaman knows that energies hold great gifts and seeks them out to bridge the worlds, to build opportunities of healing and insight and to explore the beauty of the soul. I honor this energetic usefulness and how it serves me. I value the wisdom that trickles in and the expansive thinking it encourages in me. I listen closely, use my insight, trust my truth and sit with my soul's messages. Recognizing the value of dream time has brought dimension to my days from the energetic realms beyond.

Blessings, Lisa