I have heard many times over that celebrating the Christmas holiday has become too commercialized, with stores displaying Christmas decorations well ahead of Thanksgiving, sometimes before the Halloween decorations have been removed. In past years I have been in agreement with this philosophy, wishing out loud that we could just skip right over the whole month of December. Looking back I am not sure what fed my disdain for Christmas. Perhaps it was feeling obligated to buy gifts for people I didn't really even like, or feeling the superficiality of the whole gift buying obligation. I recognized that many times people feel the financial strain of having to buy presents when they were having a hard time making their rent, or paying their electric bills, but for some reason there is this mentality that it is expected. I remember many years ago when I had no money for presents, I would give presents of things that I made myself, and I still find this a wonderful alternative for people with limited income. But this year something within me shifted. I found myself looking forward to the holiday season. In contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that this is what changed.
When we look at an obligation as an obligation, as a sacrifice that we are making that is taking away from us in some form, then that obligation becomes to us a burden. We feel we are losing something. This applies to gift giving but it also applies to anything that we do. If we feel that in the giving of a gift that we are sacrificing our hard earned income in order to give something to someone else, then that gift is a burden to us and to the other person it will be a burden as well, because even if it is a fine gift, that person will always feel the energy of our sacrifice.
If we look at Christmas as a time when businesses are all rallying to rid us of our hard earned money, then rid us they will.
If we think that the real meaning of Christmas is being lost, that there is no real Christmas Spirit left, that Santa Claus has replaced Jesus, then this is what will be true for us.
What I am suggesting is that the real meaning of Christmas cannot be lost if it is not lost within each of us as individuals. Gift giving is not a burden unless we make it one. Businesses are not trying to rid us of our money. Most of them are trying to make a living, just like we all are.
Why not change our perspective? Look at a gift we are giving to another as an extension of the love that we have within us. Look at it as a blessing we are happy to give, not a burden or an obligation that is somehow taking away something from us. Look at the different aspects of the holiday from a perspective of something that we want to do, not something that we have to do.
I have news for you. Jesus wasn't born in December anyway. I am happy to celebrate his birthday, but what if the gifts we give each other were one way of giving a birthday gift to Jesus? He is not here in physical form to accept a gift for his birthday, so the gifts we give each other are our way of giving him a gift. And for my non- religious readers, what if the gifts you give represent some aspect of the giving of the love you have within your heart? Fill your gifts with the energy of the love in your heart. Give with the attitude that you are just sharing of the abundance that is within you, not that you are sacrificing your hard earned income and that you really don't like so and so anyway, why do you have to give them a gift?
There was a movie out a few years ago of a girl who was a chef, and every emotion she felt would go into the food she prepared in such a way that the people in the restaurant would respond in direct response to the emotions she was feeling as she prepared the food. So if she was mad, then all her customers would be mad. If she was upset, those eating at the restaurant would all start crying. What if this was an exaggerated illustration of a profound truth? What if the emotions we feel really do go into everything we do and into the food we prepare and the gifts we give one another?
What if everything we did, we did with the attitude that we were choosing to do this thing, that it was something we wanted to do, not something we felt obligated to do? I think our world would change. If love went into all our activities, that we had the attitude that when we went to work that we were giving a gift to our employer, that we enjoyed working and even looked at our difficult bosses with the attitude that we were giving them a gift of love and blessing, and not obligation, not sacrifice, how would our days change?
Just for today, any time you think that you are sacrificing of yourself of that you are giving something up, change your perspective. Decide to think instead that you are choosing to do an activity that you would otherwise think of as an obligation or a sacrifice. Choose to give a gift to someone who you don't really care for. Instead of thinking about what you want, think about what you can give. Instead of thinking about what you need, think about what you have. Give to someone something that you would like for yourself. If you would like to be understood, give understanding. If you would like respect, give respect. Most of all, if you need love, then give love.
Put love into every gift you give this year. Remember that every thought you think in some way is transmitted energetically to those around you. Even that crazy driver who just cut you off. Even that ex that did this or did that. That boss who annoys you or that check out clerk who is rude to you. None of them can take from you unless you allow it. Choose to be a blessing. Go the extra mile. Send out the energy of love into every activity.
Give everyone the respect to celebrate the holidays the way that they decide to do so. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to deal with the holidays. The only thing you are responsible for is how you choose to live your life. Do so with abandon!!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
The Gift Within the Challenge
Last night my husband and I were watching a documentary about savants. Savants are people with tremendous disabilities that impair normal everyday functioning, but in turn they have some extraordinary capabilities in some field. One was a concert pianist who is about the age of ten or twelve I think, but is severely autistic and cannot communicate normally or perform any everyday activities. Another was a grown man in his fifties with another form of autism who did not realize that he was autistic, but had a tremendous knack in the field of electronics. He had quit school at the age of sixteen, due to his tremendous dysfunction in the area of socialization, but taught himself electronics and went on to make amazing advances in the electronics industry. It was only in recent years where he was diagnosed with Asburgers Syndrome and with the help of brain stimulation, has made advances in the area of socialization. In his interview he said that with every disability there comes a great gift, that it is just up to us to discover the gift. I thought about that and realized that it is also true with any challenge.
Last month I did a class on magical manifesting, and in the class we did rituals to bring about some change in our lives. So this month I asked my class how their manifesting was going. In the ritual, it is recommended that we spend time with our intention every day, to incorporate the energy of the new thing into our own energy field. At least one person had commented that it seemed that things had gotten worse. It seemed, she said, that she was getting the opposite of that thing she was desiring to manifest. I noted that I had detected a similar tendency. The temptation is to throw away the ritual, saying that it didn't work, and go on with living in our comfort zone.
At this point Spirit decided to cut in, and let us know that it is not unusual when attempting to change something in our lives, that we first manifest the opposite of what we are desiring. Anything worth having is worth the challenge that presents itself before that thing comes to pass. I remember recently in the lecture by John Tenney, that he was sharing that when he had been asked to be a third party at a Catholic exorcism, the priest had told him that just when he thought he was going to die, that is when the breakthrough would come. This seemed curious to me, but it bears some resemblance to this message from Spirit. Just when we feel like quitting, take heart. Do not quit. The breakthrough is right around the corner.
In studying numerology this point was taken, that when a person incarnates to learn a particular life lesson, that very often they will manifest the opposite of that quality until they learn to embrace it. Every number in our birth date represents some life lesson that we came here to learn, and until we realize it and start focusing on it, we often unknowingly manifest the opposite of that quality. It is the same with someone who engages in physical exercise. No gains in the area of your chosen sport are realized if no effort is made. You don't become a cross country runner by taking walks around the block. You don't build muscles by lifting one pound weights. Gains are not made if there is no resistance.
Let me expound a little on that thought. Is there something you are desiring to manifest in your life and it seems like you are getting the opposite of what you are desiring? Are you ready to give up? Let me say first of all that Spirit is not a giant Santa Clause in the sky dropping down our desires like candy canes to expectant children. There are steps we have to take to realize our dreams. If your desire is to pay off your mortgage, don't just sit around and wait for some big check to arrive in the mail. Start by paying an extra $10 a month on your bill. If you want to lose weight, push back from the table. Make a plan. Don't think that you can just meditate all day and one day you will just wake up and be living in a different house with a different spouse in a different state. It doesn't happen that way. The gifts we receive from Spirit come wrapped up in the challenges we face every day. Find the gift.
There was a time in my life when I lived for over a month on hot dogs because I couldn't afford healthy food. I lived in a house where all our furniture had been repossessed and we sat on lawn chairs and slept on the floor. I kept waiting for God to come and rescue me but he never showed up. One day I realized that if my life was going to change then I was the one who had to change it. It was no one else's fault, including God's, that I was living this way. I made a plan and changed my life. It did not come overnight. Contained within that challenging period of my life was the gift of empowerment. I had to learn to give up the feeling of victimization and take my power back. No I didn't wake up one morning and have a different life. But the day that I said, if I do not do something then I am going to die, then that is the day I made a change. Sometimes we have to get to that point. And getting there is a gift.
Today is the day to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and decide to move forward. Your breakthrough is right around the corner. Yes, there is Unseen Help out there just waiting to assist you. But contained within the gift of deliverance from your present circumstance is the gift contained within the circumstance itself. Find that gift. It is the key to your emancipation!!
Last month I did a class on magical manifesting, and in the class we did rituals to bring about some change in our lives. So this month I asked my class how their manifesting was going. In the ritual, it is recommended that we spend time with our intention every day, to incorporate the energy of the new thing into our own energy field. At least one person had commented that it seemed that things had gotten worse. It seemed, she said, that she was getting the opposite of that thing she was desiring to manifest. I noted that I had detected a similar tendency. The temptation is to throw away the ritual, saying that it didn't work, and go on with living in our comfort zone.
At this point Spirit decided to cut in, and let us know that it is not unusual when attempting to change something in our lives, that we first manifest the opposite of what we are desiring. Anything worth having is worth the challenge that presents itself before that thing comes to pass. I remember recently in the lecture by John Tenney, that he was sharing that when he had been asked to be a third party at a Catholic exorcism, the priest had told him that just when he thought he was going to die, that is when the breakthrough would come. This seemed curious to me, but it bears some resemblance to this message from Spirit. Just when we feel like quitting, take heart. Do not quit. The breakthrough is right around the corner.
In studying numerology this point was taken, that when a person incarnates to learn a particular life lesson, that very often they will manifest the opposite of that quality until they learn to embrace it. Every number in our birth date represents some life lesson that we came here to learn, and until we realize it and start focusing on it, we often unknowingly manifest the opposite of that quality. It is the same with someone who engages in physical exercise. No gains in the area of your chosen sport are realized if no effort is made. You don't become a cross country runner by taking walks around the block. You don't build muscles by lifting one pound weights. Gains are not made if there is no resistance.
Let me expound a little on that thought. Is there something you are desiring to manifest in your life and it seems like you are getting the opposite of what you are desiring? Are you ready to give up? Let me say first of all that Spirit is not a giant Santa Clause in the sky dropping down our desires like candy canes to expectant children. There are steps we have to take to realize our dreams. If your desire is to pay off your mortgage, don't just sit around and wait for some big check to arrive in the mail. Start by paying an extra $10 a month on your bill. If you want to lose weight, push back from the table. Make a plan. Don't think that you can just meditate all day and one day you will just wake up and be living in a different house with a different spouse in a different state. It doesn't happen that way. The gifts we receive from Spirit come wrapped up in the challenges we face every day. Find the gift.
There was a time in my life when I lived for over a month on hot dogs because I couldn't afford healthy food. I lived in a house where all our furniture had been repossessed and we sat on lawn chairs and slept on the floor. I kept waiting for God to come and rescue me but he never showed up. One day I realized that if my life was going to change then I was the one who had to change it. It was no one else's fault, including God's, that I was living this way. I made a plan and changed my life. It did not come overnight. Contained within that challenging period of my life was the gift of empowerment. I had to learn to give up the feeling of victimization and take my power back. No I didn't wake up one morning and have a different life. But the day that I said, if I do not do something then I am going to die, then that is the day I made a change. Sometimes we have to get to that point. And getting there is a gift.
Today is the day to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and decide to move forward. Your breakthrough is right around the corner. Yes, there is Unseen Help out there just waiting to assist you. But contained within the gift of deliverance from your present circumstance is the gift contained within the circumstance itself. Find that gift. It is the key to your emancipation!!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Adventures in Healing
Yesterday I was privileged to be a practice patient for a good friend of mine who is in school getting certified to do energy healing. She is already a wonderful reiki master teacher but this just adds to her qualifications. So she needed a practice patient and I volunteered.
I will first say that I went with no expectations. In my mind I had no issues to confront, other than my tendency to over extend myself. I have been a bit burned out, but I keep pushing myself on and on. There is always something to learn, something to teach, someone that needs healing or comfort or advice, or someone to join in marriage, not to mention my full time job. To my surprise this issue did not even come up, until the end when Spirit said to me that I need to rest. Yes I know.
To my surprise when she did my energy assessment my issues had to do with my throat chakra. What? I give messages from Spirit. I teach spiritual classes. I would have thought that my throat chakra would be wide open. Well, Joy, when are you not speaking up for yourself? Are you telling the people you love what you need?
What a revelation. That someone like me who continually is listening to Spirit and giving messages may have trouble speaking up and voicing my own needs. So I thought that maybe if I have trouble with this that there are most likely more people out there who may benefit from my discovery.
Those of us with spiritual aspirations may have a tendency to put aside our own needs with the noble intention of helping someone else with their needs. But at some point our own needs have to be addressed! If someone is continually expecting us to solve their problems, to heal them emotionally, to hear from Spirit for them, or even to fulfill some empty place inside themselves, there comes a point when a healer has to say, okay, now it is time to learn to listen to Spirit for yourself. Spirit wishes to communicate with us directly.
It seems a trend in the medical world that it is okay to keep people addicted to medical treatment. This assures that the doctors will have repeat customers. Keep them drugged up and coming back. Don't address the real needs that will cause them to not need to come back to the doctor anymore. Not so with my kind of work.I want the people who come to me to experience healing after the first visit. I do have repeat clients because there are many layers to healing. But at some point it is time to take personal responsibility for our healing process. No, after one session you will not be cured of stage four cancer. Or maybe you will. But hopefully you will be in a place where you can face whatever it is you are facing with more of a sense of self empowerment.
One of my specialties is reuniting people with their Power Animals. Power Animals are Spirit helpers who come to us in animal spirit form. Usually the Power Animal that comes to us is one whose qualities we may be missing in our lives. For example, I recovered a Mother Bear with two cubs for my daughter. At the time she only had one child, but this Bear came to me with two cubs. Obviously Spirit knew that she would have two children and that she needed some extra- ordinary help with the task of raising children. Mother bears are known to be very good mothers, and extremely protective of their cubs. When we are united with a Power Animal, it is our own job to connect with the power of our spirit animal and access the help it is there to offer.
My purpose for sharing my experience is to ignite within each of you the idea that yes, help is out there. Issues that are buried are known to Spirit and at the right time will come to be faced. Are there issues within you that are not being addressed? Are you not voicing your needs to those with whom you share your life? It is time for us to face those things that need to be faced and to move forward in the business of experiencing our lives to the fullest extent. Even to those of us who think we have our lives completely figured out, there are things still to work on, issues to face, mountains to climb. Life is an adventure!! Let us be willing to open ourselves up to some real work, and get on with the business of living.
I will first say that I went with no expectations. In my mind I had no issues to confront, other than my tendency to over extend myself. I have been a bit burned out, but I keep pushing myself on and on. There is always something to learn, something to teach, someone that needs healing or comfort or advice, or someone to join in marriage, not to mention my full time job. To my surprise this issue did not even come up, until the end when Spirit said to me that I need to rest. Yes I know.
To my surprise when she did my energy assessment my issues had to do with my throat chakra. What? I give messages from Spirit. I teach spiritual classes. I would have thought that my throat chakra would be wide open. Well, Joy, when are you not speaking up for yourself? Are you telling the people you love what you need?
What a revelation. That someone like me who continually is listening to Spirit and giving messages may have trouble speaking up and voicing my own needs. So I thought that maybe if I have trouble with this that there are most likely more people out there who may benefit from my discovery.
Those of us with spiritual aspirations may have a tendency to put aside our own needs with the noble intention of helping someone else with their needs. But at some point our own needs have to be addressed! If someone is continually expecting us to solve their problems, to heal them emotionally, to hear from Spirit for them, or even to fulfill some empty place inside themselves, there comes a point when a healer has to say, okay, now it is time to learn to listen to Spirit for yourself. Spirit wishes to communicate with us directly.
It seems a trend in the medical world that it is okay to keep people addicted to medical treatment. This assures that the doctors will have repeat customers. Keep them drugged up and coming back. Don't address the real needs that will cause them to not need to come back to the doctor anymore. Not so with my kind of work.I want the people who come to me to experience healing after the first visit. I do have repeat clients because there are many layers to healing. But at some point it is time to take personal responsibility for our healing process. No, after one session you will not be cured of stage four cancer. Or maybe you will. But hopefully you will be in a place where you can face whatever it is you are facing with more of a sense of self empowerment.
One of my specialties is reuniting people with their Power Animals. Power Animals are Spirit helpers who come to us in animal spirit form. Usually the Power Animal that comes to us is one whose qualities we may be missing in our lives. For example, I recovered a Mother Bear with two cubs for my daughter. At the time she only had one child, but this Bear came to me with two cubs. Obviously Spirit knew that she would have two children and that she needed some extra- ordinary help with the task of raising children. Mother bears are known to be very good mothers, and extremely protective of their cubs. When we are united with a Power Animal, it is our own job to connect with the power of our spirit animal and access the help it is there to offer.
My purpose for sharing my experience is to ignite within each of you the idea that yes, help is out there. Issues that are buried are known to Spirit and at the right time will come to be faced. Are there issues within you that are not being addressed? Are you not voicing your needs to those with whom you share your life? It is time for us to face those things that need to be faced and to move forward in the business of experiencing our lives to the fullest extent. Even to those of us who think we have our lives completely figured out, there are things still to work on, issues to face, mountains to climb. Life is an adventure!! Let us be willing to open ourselves up to some real work, and get on with the business of living.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Evening with John Tenney
Saturday night I was privileged to meet and spend some time with John Tenney, a paranormal researcher and lecturer. He has appeared on such shows as Paranormal State, and spent the last twenty years or so researching anything thought to be out of the norm. Over 45,000 people have attended his lectures over the past two decades. He was a researcher for the long running television series Unsolved Mysteries and has extensive knowledge concerning conspiracy theories, cryptozoology, and UFO phenomenon.
What fun!! John Tenney met all of my expectations, and more. Not one of those guys that hangs out in his room until the lecture, he loves to meet people and talk, sharing his thoughts and observations. After the lecture, John sat around in the restaurant/bar area for hours just tossing around ideas to those who had questions.
I love his answer when asked does he believe in ghosts. Despite the fact that he has had experiences that would make even the biggest skeptic a believer, John Tenney maintains that he doesn't believe in anything. Believing in something causes any other possibility to be out of the question. When you believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are right about something, then you cease to question. You cease to seek for answers. You cease to look for other possibilities. Question everything, he suggests.
There is always someone out there who has an idea or a philosophy that they are trying to get you to latch onto. There is always someone who is changing facts so that they can manipulate your feelings or beliefs. The truth is, nothing is black and white. For centuries we have believed philosophies just because we did not know that there was any other way to think. The most important thing we can do is educate ourselves, ask questions. Don't believe something just because I say it is so or someone who has some clout says it is so or every generation for the past thousand years says it is so.
Is an orb a camera flare or is it a spirit? Are there UFO's? Are ouija boards evil? These are some of the subjects John touched on in his lecture. If you would like to hear his take on these or some of the other subjects regarding paranormal activities, you can purchase his books or check out his website, or even find him at different events around the country.
Check out John Tenney via his website, realmoftheweird.com or http://weirdlectures.com/
What fun!! John Tenney met all of my expectations, and more. Not one of those guys that hangs out in his room until the lecture, he loves to meet people and talk, sharing his thoughts and observations. After the lecture, John sat around in the restaurant/bar area for hours just tossing around ideas to those who had questions.I love his answer when asked does he believe in ghosts. Despite the fact that he has had experiences that would make even the biggest skeptic a believer, John Tenney maintains that he doesn't believe in anything. Believing in something causes any other possibility to be out of the question. When you believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are right about something, then you cease to question. You cease to seek for answers. You cease to look for other possibilities. Question everything, he suggests.
There is always someone out there who has an idea or a philosophy that they are trying to get you to latch onto. There is always someone who is changing facts so that they can manipulate your feelings or beliefs. The truth is, nothing is black and white. For centuries we have believed philosophies just because we did not know that there was any other way to think. The most important thing we can do is educate ourselves, ask questions. Don't believe something just because I say it is so or someone who has some clout says it is so or every generation for the past thousand years says it is so.
Is an orb a camera flare or is it a spirit? Are there UFO's? Are ouija boards evil? These are some of the subjects John touched on in his lecture. If you would like to hear his take on these or some of the other subjects regarding paranormal activities, you can purchase his books or check out his website, or even find him at different events around the country.
Check out John Tenney via his website, realmoftheweird.com or http://weirdlectures.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)