by Lori | Jun 2, 2017 | Blog
My sister, Vickie, is a chef. Her motto is why use five ingredients if four will do. Her theory is to use fresh, local, high quality ingredients to make delicious food and not get wrapped up in making something complicated as if complicated is the goal of haut cuisine. Quality and flavor is the goal of haut cuisine, which can be found simply, if you are willing to look for it.
I believe this is a good rule for life in general: simplicity.
I sometimes think we have bought into what the high tech marketing firms want us to believe. We need that next greatest version of everything and we need it now. Of course, electronics and gadgets can make our lives easier, but don’t they sometimes make them more complicated? Does anyone seem to have enough outlets any more to recharge all of our devices? Do we have enough bandwidth to keep up with the Joneses?
Recently, my husband and I were on vacation outside of the USA. We decided not to buy the wifi package at the resort because we wanted to unplug. It was quite refreshing to not know what was happening in the broader world on a minute by minute basis with updates and soundbites that only tell a part of the story. Once we were back home, we were able to catch up on the news of the world in summary which for us was sufficient. (We aren’t controlling policy, thus the executive summary is great for us!)
While we were on vacation, the simplicity of being in the joy of the moment was quite energizing. We talked to other guests at meals. We read books. We exchanged ideas and points of view with people from all over the world. It was refreshing not to be tied to the battery life and online news.
Our challenge is to not fall back into old habits of being attached to our TV or electronic devices as they keep us from experiencing the joy of just being: being in the now.
The question for each of us is how can we simplify our lives so that we are living in the now and experiencing what each moment holds for us instead of being dragged down by too much stuff, too much noise, and too much information. Some people may need to simplify physically or financially. Some may need to simplify emotionally or mentally. And probably all of us need to simplify spiritually. Ask if you might need to focus on BEING more and DOING less. Find the joy in simplifying your life.
by Lori | Apr 24, 2017 | Blog
Don’t let the title fool you, I am working toward being a Full Living Master (FLM), but there is still a ways to go on this particular journey for me!
In my quest, however, I realized that I had a certain image in my mind as to what a FLM would look like. I didn’t limit what gender, nationality, size, race, or creed that a FLM would be, but I was limiting his/her countenance. I believed that a FLM would exude wisdom, love, and joy. But, I found myself thinking that the joy would be of the peaceful kind, of the serene kind, not necessarily the passionate or hilarious kind of joy. Why would I believe that a FLM didn’t laugh?
Then the thought came to me – why would anyone want to be a FLM if the position – or more precisely the level of frequency – was so severe and serious that one couldn’t laugh. Did I have a false belief that Source / The All That Is / The Creation Energy doesn’t have a sense of humor or simply doesn’t want to have fun? Maybe I did. But, I don’t any more. Who do we think created humor?
I am reminded of the saying we teach in Standing in the Light®. “It’s not the What, It’s the Why”. Why are we laughing? Is it because we are sharing a funny and joyful experience or because we are making fun of someone else. If our “why” is joy, then we raise our frequency in the laughter. If our “why” is spiteful, then we may want to explore different forms of entertainment.
The tricky type of humor for me is humor that is all about the irony of the situation. If the irony brings to our attention inconsistencies, hypocrisies, or judgments, and sheds light on how these beliefs might be harming ourselves or our world, then the irony is probably doing its job to raise our frequency and allow us to rid ourselves of lower vibratory beliefs. If the irony is simply mean-spirited, we might want to look at whether that is truly moving us forward in our evolution.
I realize that I need to change my beliefs and stop projecting my old beliefs of virtue and righteousness on who or what a FLM is. By eliminating these judgments, I hopefully take one more step closer to that existence, myself.
May We All Feel The Love, Joy, and Laughter of a Full Living Master, always. Namaste.
(Artwork from Pixabay.com)
by Lori | Mar 29, 2017 | Blog
George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Can I get an Amen to that?
I think we all can come up with examples even when we are specifically trying to communicate with someone where we aren’t even sure if we are speaking the same language. There are times with our friends, family, and co-workers where the words we are trying to use to describe a situation or a set of feelings might as well be in Klingon for the amount of understanding we are exchanging. And this is when we are actually trying to be in clear communication.
What happens when we have the filters of anger, spite, deception, getting even, or the need to be right? What happens to our communication then? It either becomes non-existent or actually becomes so dysfunctional that it is harmful.
Do you suppose that our communication (or lack thereof) with others individually and the discourse we see on TV and in the political arena is really a mirror for the lack of communication with our Souls, with the Spiritual Hierarchy, and with ourselves as Source? The image of us taking action on such dysfunctional or unaligned communication seems a little bit frightening.
In the Standing in the Light® Program, the first technique we teach to help us know ourselves as Source is how to be in clear communication with our Souls / our inner-selves. The Christ has guided us to use a specific meditation including the Unified Chakra mediation to open and unify all of our bodies – the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bodies – into unity and oneness of being. (The Unified Chakra meditation can be found in An Ascension Handbook by Tony Stubbs/ Ascended Master Serapis and in What is Lightbody? by Tachira Tachi-ren/ Archangel Ariel.)
Once we are in the meditative state, from this open and unified place within ourselves, we can start to learn when we are channeling and listening to our inner self and inner wisdom and when, as we like to say, the lower self ego has grabbed the microphone. As with all things were proficiency is sought, we must practice this technique and this art until we can tell the difference between when we are in clear communication and when we are in discord or not in alignment with our Soul. This is really no different from when you are communicating with a business partner, friend, or loved one. If we are being mindful, we know when we are in clear communication and when there are road blocks being thrown in our path. The difference, however, in communicating with your soul and another human is sometimes the discord between you and another human could be on either person’s side or both. When we are communication with our soul, it is the lower self ego that is putting up the road blocks. What can we do about these self imposed road blocks?
Clearing through these road blocks is another technique that the Christ has guided us to use in order to help remember who we truly are. I discussed the topic of clearing issues that no longer serve us a few months ago in this blog. You can refresh your memory here. https://iamstandinginthelight.com/are-you-ready/
For more hands on discussion of both of the techniques of being in clear communication with your soul and clearing any road blocks in your way, my colleague, Ginger Withee, is teaching Standing in the Light® Level 1 classes in Louisville, CO, two weekends in May. Contact her at Ginger@iamstandinginthelight.com for more information. Or check out descriptions of the class with this link. https://iamstandinginthelight.com/classes/
In this time where our outer world communication seems like mis-communication more often than not, take the opportunity to enrich your own internal communication to ensure you are access all the wisdom of the universe which is at your disposal. Namaste.
by Lori | Feb 28, 2017 | Blog
What a great question to ask ourselves throughout the day! Does this help me heal?
In the Standing in the Light® Program when we ask for guidance from our higher self / soul, The Christ teaches us to ask questions in the form of “is this the highest plan.” Is it in the highest plan to go on this trip? Is it in the highest plan to have eggs or cereal for breakfast? Is it in the highest plan to take a new job? We are guided to use this phrase simply because why would we ever want to do something that wasn’t in the highest plan for us?
However, sometimes our lower self gets befuddled with the concept of the highest plan. Maybe using the phrase highest plan seems too far in the distant future for us to be willing to move toward that goal. Maybe the term highest plan seems above our ability to reach it. Mind you, when we ask about the “highest plan” we are asking about what is in the highest plan right now. But still, the lower self might find the term “highest plan” too ethereal, too distant or too hard to obtain.
I was having some of these thoughts when I distinctly heard simply ask the question: “Does this help me heal?”
Does eating the extra helping of chocolate cake help me heal? Does watching another movie tonight help me heal? Does going to bed tonight by 10 help me heal? Will bringing in higher frequency resonances help me heal?
If we are being honest with ourselves, phrasing these questions with this simple wording will work wonders. We all have heard that the body knows how to heal itself. Asking and then following through on these type of questions will set the stage for the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies to heal themselves without as much effort as when we go against the common sense answers that these questions elicit.
Did reading this blog entry help me heal?
by Lori | Jan 30, 2017 | Blog
Feeling stuck? Not sure how to move forward? It may sound like a simple question, but are you ready to move forward? Are you willing and able to move forward?
In the Standing in the Light® (SITL) Program, we look to clear issues and situations that no longer serve us. Using simple techniques, we ask to clear the blocks to what we want to manifest (e.g. abundance, health, Christ Consciousness) or we ask to clear the reasons and causes that we have attracted to ourselves something we don’t desire (e.g. illness, relationship troubles, discordant emotions). If the issues are willing to be cleared, then we take the simple approach and allow the clearing to happen. We may track the situation to ensure that the clearing is happening, not wanting to just assume that it is.
However, if the situation is stuck, we may need to explore further why the situation won’t clear. Sometimes the solution is that we don’t know what the alternative is to “this is how I have always felt” or “this is how I have always done it”. In these situations, we ask for education and wisdom from our souls / our god-selves as to how the higher frequency situation is possible and how it might manifest.
In addition, we can look at these three questions. 1) Am I able to clear the issue? 2) Am I ready to clear the issue? 3) Am I willing to clear the issue?
Some people may think these questions are the same question, but they have slightly different nuances. Let’s take each one separately.
Am I able to clear the issue?
This question – Am I able to clear the issue? – is aimed at determining whether we have the skill, talent, technique or knowledge in order to clear the issue. In the SITL program, we have two different classes that teach techniques to help a student be “able” to clear the issues. Even without these classes, however, simply asking our souls / our god-selves sincerely for something to clear might be enough of an “ability” to start the clearing process.
Speaking metaphysically, the ability to clear something might rest more on whether we have empowered ourselves or given ourselves permission or authority to start the clearing process. If we only believe that someone outside of ourselves – our multi-dimensional selves – has the right to forgive us or to give us permission to heal ourselves, then we might have a false belief that we are not able to help clear or heal the situation ourselves. If we believe that only a priest can absolve us of our discordant energies, then we might find ourselves unable to clear a situation. Ask yourself if you have false beliefs that might be holding you back from your own innate ability to help yourself.
Am I ready to clear the issue?
The question – Am I ready to clear the issue? – asks us to determine if we are completely prepared for or duly equipped for the immediate action to clear something you do not desire or to clear the blocks to something you want to manifest.
Maybe there is an action step that is necessary in order for you to move forward with the highest plan for you. Let’s say you are being guided to volunteer on a search and rescue team for your county. You may have an action step of taking a Wilderness First Responder class in order for you to be ready to fulfill this part of your plan.
Again, on a more metaphysical note, if I have been holding the false belief that I am dependent on someone else to determine my own level of self-love, I may not be ready to fully love myself unconditionally. Maybe I need to clear my old patterns of co-dependent love prior to truly being ready to clear blocks to my own unconditional love of self. What is holding me back from truly being ready to love myself? What is holding you back from being ready to move forward on your path?
Am I willing to clear the issue?
Finally, let’s discuss if we are willing to clear the issues we face. When we are not willing to clear the issues, we may need more education and wisdom regarding the alternatives, as discussed above. We may need to raise our frequency with resonances like divine love and divine power to help us with our willingness to move forward. We may simply be stubborn and do not want to move on the topic.
Sometimes we humans just need a metaphorical swift kick to the backside to get us moving! In the SITL classes, if we are unwilling to clear an issue, we teach to ask for spiritual education and nudges to get us over the hurdles. If we are guided, we might move up to slightly more pronounced spiritual urgings like spiritual raps and kicks. These are just allowing ourselves permission for the help, the motivation, and the faith to jump the expanse in front of us until we are willing to move forward with clearing the situation. We might also be guided to ask for divine intervention to help our willingness, as well.
You might come up with some other terms or techniques to help increase your willingness to move forward. Remember, however, that having compassion and gentleness for ourselves will probably win the day more easily than being harsh and unforgiving of our stubbornness or unwillingness.
Follow-up question
With all of these questions regarding ability, readiness and willingness to move forward, there is a follow-up question. Not only do we want to ask are we able, ready and willing but how willing, how able, or how ready we are to clear the issue. Sometimes we might not be 100% willing to clear a situation, but we are 85% willing. Start to clear the parts that are willing and ask what still needs to be done in order to get the percentage higher. Maybe we need to bring in a divine love or divine wisdom to increase our willingness. Maybe we need to find another underlying cause that we haven’t tapped into yet to increase our willingness. All of these questions will help increase the willingness, the ability, and the readiness to move forward.
We have the ability to know who we truly are. The energy of readiness is upon us. Let’s be willing to step up to the next level. Have faith and belief in ourselves. We can do it. Namaste.
