by Ginger | Jun 2, 2015 | Blog
Ever notice how a smile instantly lights up someone’s face? Details of physical appearance fade away and you just see the light within shining through. Definitions of physical attractiveness may vary between cultures, but smiles are universally beautiful. That’s because the love and joy from that person is reflecting out.
Recently, I was gifted with a very nice spa package. I’d never experienced a spa day, but I looked forward to the experience. When I arrived, the facility was beautiful, and I could tell that attention had been put into every detail of physical comfort. Later, sitting on a sun-covered porch, I listened to the soft sounds of a waterfall, watched the hummingbirds play around me, and took in the expansive view of a mountainside. I realized that everything I saw matched how I felt. Everything seemed so peaceful.
Yet, if I wasn’t relaxed and at ease on that sun porch, the tinkling sounds of the waterfall could easily have been annoying, the activity of the hummingbirds distracting, and the view of the mountain would likely have seemed not nearly so spectacular. But feeling beauty inside, I looked out and saw…more beauty.
I used to frequent a massage place that was located in an older building. It didn’t have the latest décor or all of the frills, and could easily have been termed “quirky” in its general appearance. But everyone there truly loved their work, and they were dedicated to supporting inner healing as well as physical healing. I loved going there because it felt so good. I saw beauty because that’s what was reflecting from the inside. So, what if we spent as much time polishing our inner selves as we spend polishing the outer? What if we focused on the beautiful mountain view within each of us?
Maybe it’s time to schedule yourself an inner “spa day.” Take some time to reflect on where you are in your life and what is beautiful about it. Make a list of what is beautiful about you (and let it be a long list). Then allow yourself to really feel the truth of that beauty and you’ll find that it’s reflected everywhere you look.
by Lori | May 31, 2015 | Blog
On this lovely Sunday morning, the last day of May, I watched CBS Face the Nation for the last time as hosted by Bob Schieffer. Known as a reporter that most people seem to trust for news and his seemingly non-judgmental attitude, Schieffer is just one of some highly recognized names that have signed off their television programs or are going to sign off over the course of 2014 and 2015. Others who have signed off are David Letterman after 23 years, Stephen Colbert after 9 years, Jay Leno after 22 years (slightly interrupted) and soon, Jon Stewart after 17 years. Besides, Colbert who will be taking over Letterman’s slot on NBC, they all seemed to be going into different directions, not necessarily just going into retirement.
I was trying to figure out energetically why all these long-time running hosts were leaving their shows and did it have an energetic meaning (or was a sign of our times) that we could all look at for our own lives. I will allow the media and entertainment pundits to determine the link for our television viewing audience. But, for the energetics of it, well, this is what came to me.
We all need to be prepared for change and the next steps on our path of evolution and self-growth, regardless of what we are leaving behind or moving toward.
What most of these television people have in common when asked why they are / were leaving was that “it was time”. All were still at the top of their game, not in fear of being canceled by the networks, and yet they were feeling like it was time for a change for themselves and for the next generation of reporters and/or comedians to take up the mantel. Again, Colbert may be the exception here, but even he is probably ready for a change from his “fake” entertainment persona to his “real” entertainment persona.
None of these people seem to be worried that they are leaving their audiences without capable replacements. That may be the biggest lesson we can all take from what they are modeling for us. Evolve yourself and be willing to allow others to evolve and grow into their next position. I heard one commentator said that the comedian set to take over the Daily Show from Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, would not be able to fill Stewart’s shoes. The commentator’s partner said that 17 years ago, Jon Stewart would not have been able to fill Jon Stewart’s shoes. That may be the whole point to this conversation; the need to trust and surrender when it is time to make a change even when the success of that change and the success of what is left behind is not guaranteed.
For the rest of us, is it time to look at what we have been doing for 10, 20, 30 years to see if it is working for us? Are we at the top of our game, and yet, it is time for our game to change? If we aren’t at the top of our game, what has been working for us and what hasn’t been working for us? Have we been kidding ourselves that we have been working our plan, but we haven’t really. Maybe we are more stuck then we realized and need to “phone a friend” for help. Or is everything in good order, and our only need is to allow and detach that those people ready to fill the gap in the path when we change our focus are really ready, even if they aren’t at the place we are now.
Regardless, taking the next step in our own evolution may come at a time when there is or isn’t someone ready to take our place. That should only be our concern, until we are guided that it is no longer our concern. If others are unwilling to take up the mantel, it does no more good for us to mourn that then it does to stay holding the mantel far too long after it is no longer ours to hold.
Since it seems like the energies all around us are helping us take the opportunity to determine what needs to be changed, what we need to leave or what we need to take on as our next challenge, let us all be willing to perform the proper introspection and then be willing to take the appropriate action steps to say “farewell”, if necessary, and say “hello” to the next chapter or book in our lives. In the words of another great reporter, Edward R Murrow, “Good Night and Good Luck”.
by Ginger | May 3, 2015 | Blog
Most of us have a lot of ideas about what makes us successful. Some are more concrete markers, and others are more intangible. Whether we’re conscious of all of them or not, those thoughts guide our direction and choices in life so that we can meet those goalposts.
I’ve recently experienced some successes in several areas of my life, meeting several milestones which I’ve been working toward for quite some time. At first I allowed myself a pause for some celebration. It’s perfectly divine to acknowledge our accomplishments! And then I got back into the flow of my life, encouraging the momentum of my accomplishments as they continued to unfold. I was really enjoying myself and the ease with which everything flowed.
However, after a while I began to feel a sense of anxiety and pressure. The joy in my successes was fading. The momentum seemed to be ebbing. I felt a little directionless and unsure of my next steps. I realized that I’d been operating by the old goalposts for so long, I hadn’t really taken time to set up any new ones. My mind began to race about future possibilities, new projects I felt that I should be working on. But that didn’t relieve the anxiety or bring back the joy. Instead of inviting creativity, it just created pressure.
As always, the key was to go within for guidance. The answer is always there when we open up to our inner wisdom. And my answer to the question of what my new goalpost should be: there is no new goalpost. My new goal is to let go of my need to have a new goal and allow myself to enjoy the flow!
There will come a time when it is appropriate for me to have a little more structure about my direction again and follow some concrete action steps. But if I try to force that now, it will come from a place of frustration and it won’t take me forward. In truth, the real success all along was the joy and flow I was feeling. The goalposts were just a means to get me there. And from that continued place of joy and flow, my new vision will naturally take shape and carry me forward to new successes.
by Lori | Mar 30, 2015 | Blog
I was using some great hand lotion the other day – Everyone Lotion – and I just happened to notice the directions. It said, “Use Freely and Enjoy”.
How do you think our current world vision would look if one of the Ten Commandments was – Use Freely and Enjoy?
What a wonderful outlook for life that would be. No – “thou shall nots”, No – “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain”, But instead – Use Freely and Enjoy.
Regardless of which version of the Ten Commandments you look at, the majority of them have a “shall not” in it. In the Catholic Version, which is the one I was originally taught, only two don’t have the word “not” in them. (Keep holy the Sabbath and Honor your father and mother.)
Would it be easier to take the underlying message and good ideas of how to live in a society and how to have self-growth if the suggestions were written in a positive way? That way the focus would be on the positive actions instead of restricting negative actions.
If the commandment of “Thou Shall Not Kill” was instead “Love All” how would we react when faced with the situation where we were debating an action that might seem like killing someone was justified. If you are in the situation where you are trying to justify killing someone, would you be less likely in that situation if the other person also had as her commandment “Love All”. Can we change the dynamic and change the energy if we focus on the things we want to create instead of restricting the things we don’t want to create? It goes to the old saying of it is easier to get bees with honey than with vinegar.
With that as the idea, I believe we would have a much different world if our Ten Commandments were more like life suggestions on the ways to improve ourselves and improve our world. I would rather use the name “Ten Suggestions” to take away the judgment and punishment aspect of the energy associated with “Commandment”. Again, I believe this “lighter touch” will pay dividends in the execution of the suggestion.
So let’s try these alternatives on for size.
The Ten Suggestions
- You are part of a wonderful loving and powerful universe. Use freely and enjoy.
- Know yourself as peace and joy.
- Know all intelligence and all beings as wondrous and abundant. Speak of all of creation well.
- Every day is beautiful and wonderful. Be in gratitude for it and keep it holy.
- Honor your father and your mother, in whatever form they take.
- Honor and love all humans. Hold them in the highest regard just as you view yourself. (Yes, this is a paraphrase of what Jesus taught. He is right. We should live this more!)
- Create what you need from the abundance of the universe.
- Know yourself as Love, Loved and Loving.
- “Be impeccable with your word.” (To quote don Miguel Ruiz from his book The Four Agreements. He is right. We should live this more, too!)
- Be abundant and compassionate with all you meet.
Try these Ten Suggestions for a while. Use them freely and enjoy!
by Ginger | Mar 29, 2015 | Blog
Got projects? These days, it seems like most of us are juggling several balls in the air in various areas of our lives almost constantly. The reality is that with nearly instant communication available 24/7, the pace of modern life is just fast. So how do we, as Lightworkers, balance the need to still operate in this world without getting caught up in it?
I recently took a trip to downtown Denver on the I-25 corridor and that gives new meaning to the word fast. The road twists and turns through the center of the city with at least four lanes of traffic all jammed next to each other and just about everyone seems to be traveling at least 10mph over the speed limit. I don’t make the trip often, but it’s a great opportunity for me to practice being slow while traveling really fast.
As I drove, I noted my tension rising (and my grip on the steering wheel tightening!) I kept wanting to drift over into the right lane where the entrance and exit ramps were slowing down traffic. But a little voice suggested that I didn’t need to go slow, just to feel slow. So, I did some deep breathing and re-focused, so that I cleared my mind of anxious chatter. The inner peace and calm became my experience, and the speed of life around me became mere blips on my radar screen. I no longer felt fast (even traveling at 70 mph) and the pace of life felt calm and relaxed because what I was feeling came from within.
My little car trip reminded me that I can apply this same principle anywhere else in my life. I realized that I had allowed all of the projects that I am currently working on to create feelings of stress and a desire to constantly put on the brakes by delaying and even canceling some of my projects. But the projects weren’t the problem. By getting caught up in my anxiety over deadlines, I had allowed my inner speed to match the outer speed of life, which felt too fast. I was trying to slow down the outer by putting on the brakes instead of focusing on the inner.
Once I began approaching my projects from a place of inner slowness, I found I could still work through them very quickly and make rapid progress. I was able to get back in the fast lane, while still experiencing life from the slow lane. I still feel as if I have all the time in the world, while outside life is speeding up all around me. Now I’m back to asking my Soul with confidence, “Got projects?”
by Ginger | Mar 8, 2015 | Blog
Many Lightworkers hold a vision for achieving Oneness, but have you ever asked what that really looks and feels like? Recently, I’ve been involved in group projects in several areas of my life, each requiring all participants to come into consensus before we move forward to the next step. Working on these group projects has really just been practice for coming into Oneness! I’ve enjoyed the camaraderie and community spirit of collaboration, but I have also struggled with differences of opinion on how to work together to accomplish a project. How do you move forward when you don’t agree?
During this process, I’ve realized that one of my greatest fears about coming together in Oneness is that we’ll all end up being the same; that in order to work in unity, we’ll have to meld together into a bland, cohesive blob without creativity or originality. And yet, the ocean of Oneness is not a lifeless blob at all. Each drop in the ocean is indistinguishable from the others when merged as one body, and yet they are expressing very differently. Drops at the bottom of the ocean express themselves as slow motion in the cold and dark, while drops near the top are often dancing around in a frenzy of activity. They all carry the same properties of the ocean, while manifesting those properties in unique ways.
So, the question of how to be “we” and also be “me” is best answered by looking within to the “why.” If you ask a group of people the best way to get to the top of a mountain, one person might say Route A since it’s the most scenic, while another might suggest Route B as the most direct, and a third might prefer Route C because it’s the safest. When we are working toward the same goal, such as reaching the top of the mountain, we can see that how we get there is really a matter of stylistic difference. Attachments to how we do it fall away when we focus on why we do it. Because in the end, the “why” is what really matters.
True consensus is about following a common inner vision. That common goal still allows for creativity in how to express the vision on the outer. Android is currently showing a fun television ad campaign that illustrates this concept. One ad shows unusual pairings of animals who have become close buddies- such as a dog and an orangutan hanging out together. Another ad shows people of very different backgrounds giving each other versions of a “high-5.” They are all celebrating their originality while honoring their commonality. When we work together in Divine Consensus, we can work in harmony and cooperation while still being unique. As the tag line for the ad campaign says, “be together. not the same.”
