A NEW PERSPECTIVE
(Please feel free to copy, quote or use any of the following articles as long as you credit me for writing them - enjoy and pass them on)
A new year - a fresh start? Why does it take a new year to make changes? What about starting fresh every day?
The freshness and excitement of a new year gives us hope for a better life. We start out with anticipation which lasts for a few weeks to a few months and then it wanes. Why? Because we are not committed. We are not committed to, nor honor, our bodies enough to lose weight, get in better shape, stop smoking, or stop drinking. We are not committed to, nor honor, our families enough to work on the dynamic of it. We are not committed to, nor honor, our communities or our world enough to do what we can to make sure it sustains us.
Commit to your soul work. Everything you do comes from your soul. Everything you give, everything you commit to, and everything you are comes from your soul. Any resolutions you make will progress a little easier when you are working with Source; your higher power connected to your soul. Trusting that positive changes will be better for your soul, for your family, your community and the world makes it a little easier to continue working towards a better you.
Change will occur whether we participate or not but we can have a hand in the change. We can make choices about our life but when we trust our life to Spirit, it will flow. It is a fine balance between our being in control and trust in Divine. Just because a new year appears on the calendar doesn’t mean you give up on the remainder of the year. Your participation in life, in your life, is a conscious choice every day. Any day in which you decide to participate in your life is a good day. Any day you forget to participate in your life is only a lapse and you can begin participating any moment you choose.
Many start a new year as if they will become a whole new person but the reality is that you have to commit to change, one small change at a time. Commitment comes from within; it is not about will power. Commitment is honoring and respecting your choices. You can change your mind at any time, but make a commitment in the moment. You will never be a whole new person; you will become the person that you truly (and already) are – the Divine truth of you.
Commitment is difficult when things get tough. It gets difficult when the changes you are trying to make conflict with your desires. For example, if you want to eat healthier this coming year and you go on a diet, lose 2 or 5 pounds and then put it right back on, you may be disappointed. Your desire to eat whatever you want is stronger than your commitment. It is in these moments that your true commitment shines through. These are not moments to beat yourself up but to choose to step up in your life and honor it once again.
Whatever commitments you make this coming year, remember that you can make choices for your life each and every day. Wake each morning and set your intention for your day. Behind every commitment is intention – what are you committing to in your day and your life?
- Authentic Power
- Practicing Compassion
- Change the way you handle holiday stress
- Synchronicity
- Recognition
- Having Faith
- Give Yourself Permission
- Is Love Enough?
- Peace amidst the Chaos
- Commitment
- The More Light the Better
- In Appreciation of Silence
- Working from Within
- Demonstrating Love
- Making Room in our Soul
- When Spirit comes Knocking
- The Spirituality of Politics
- The Past Does Not Define Us
- Spiritual Marriage Counseling
- Trust
- Create Happiness
- The Four Agreements
- The Spirituality of Work
- Spirituality vs Religion
- Spiritual Counseling
- Surrender
- Picking Up the Pieces
- Energy Medicine
- Inner Power
- Lighten Up
- The Power of Intention
- Healing the Soul
- A Tornado and the Grace of Divine
- Every Day's a New Day
- Stillness
- Celebrating Divine Mothers
- Grief & Loss of our Precious Pets
- Living in Love or Fear
- Spiritual Emergency
- Making Assumptions
- For the Love of Animals
- Enlightenment
- Taming The Ego
- This Amazing Mid-Life
- The Spiritual Parent
- Taking Care of Yourself while taking care of others
- Our Bodies, Our Knowledge
- Relationships
- More Than What We See
- Balance
- Choice
- Fear
- Being Present
- It's All About You
- Forgiveness
- Breathe
- Addictions
- Gratitude
- Letting Go
- Power of the Body
- Body, Mind, Spirit
“There is a power which lies deep within us. It is a power that loves life, a power that does not judge and a power that perceives meaningfulness and purpose on earth. We align our thoughts, emotions and actions with the highest part of ourselves, we are filled with enthusiasm, purpose and meaning. There are no thoughts of bitterness. We have no memory of fear. We are joyously and intimately engaged with our world. This is authentic power.” – Gary Zukav, Seat of the SoulWe are taught that power is external from us. It is something you attain such as money, strength, or status. External power operates without emotion. It is that which we believe to push others around or impress beyond their comprehension. Power is intention. Your use of power is either gratifying or harmful.
There is perceived power which comes from the ego; the power we believe to be received from and dealt with in the external world. People who have been given positions of authority and that authority goes to their heads are in their external power. If they understand the difference between external and authentic power while in a position of authority, they will not abuse their power. They will use it for the good of all, not for their own gratification.
There is no power in fear. When you feel fear, your power leaves you and you cannot feel anything other than discomfort or distrust. Anxiety, for example, is your power leaving the center core of your body. It is a quick, massive loss of energy resulting in the quickening of breath and stepping out of the body.
You lose power when you rage. You lose power when you are threatened. You lose power when you detach from friends and family. You lose power when you envy another. All of these are fear based. Living in authentic power means you learn to pay attention to your ‘being’ on a moment to moment basis.
We must take care of our families, our communities and our world. We must take care of ourselves. We must participate. The road to authentic power is through your heart. You must recognize what you feel. This is the energy that moves you through each day.
Tapping into your authentic power does not constitute selfishness. It demonstrates stability. It demonstrates humility. Forgiveness is a virtue of an authentically empowered person. Forgiving someone and then expecting the other person to acknowledge the forgiveness is power of the forgiver over the forgiven. Forgiving from authenticity means you let go of the experience with no expectations. Use the present moment to stay in your power. You can focus on truth while being present and truth is power. You know your truth; you know what is right for you and what is not. When you live in your truth you live in your authentic power.
Discover your authentic power and trust it. Know when you have stepped out of it and bring yourself back to it. It serves you well if you understand its purpose. Authentic power is aligning with Source while integrating your mind, body and spirit. Living in your authentic power will strengthen you and give you your true voice; even if that voice is just for you.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” – unknownPracticing compassion means not only working with those who are poor, sick or homeless but working with yourself as well. Compassion is a very tall order. To the degree we have compassion for ourselves, we will have compassion for others. We all have a lot of heart. Learning to touch the soft spot in our heart has to be the starting point for compassion.
Wikipedia describes compassion as “a profound human emotion prompted by the pain of others. More vigorous than empathy, the feeling commonly gives rise to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering.” This interpretation defines compassion as being outside of the self. A spiritual perspective of compassion reminds us that compassion has to be directed towards our own souls as well as others.
Compassion is to be wherever you are with an open heart. We start with ourselves. It starts with learning to have a compassionate relationship with the parts of us we don’t particularly like. We draw people and situations to us that we need to heal within us, so noticing what we dislike in others reflects our own areas that need healing.
Compassion is the act of not having to be right. We learn that it is not important to make others right or wrong, or ourselves right or wrong. Is it possible that our hearts and minds are big enough to just hang out in the space where it doesn’t matter who’s right or who’s wrong?
Compassion is the act of not shutting anyone out of our hearts. Situations are always shifting and there are as many options in that moment as there are people in the situation. Attempting to always find the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ is a trick we play on ourselves. It is about putting yourself in the other person’s shoes; that whatever we feel about them, we feel about ourselves.
Compassion is the act of being there for others. It is the act of speaking and acting in ways that communicate acceptance. Acceptance for what is and for what they are going through without having to fix it. It is about learning to just be available and not needing to then take home their pain for them. We can listen, care and then let it go. This is compassion for ourselves and others; this is a very loving and kind way to live.
The more we practice compassion, our old habitual selves (our patterns) will soften. We will shift in ways we didn’t know were possible. We will begin to see the faces of those we greet. We will hear the words of those we speak with. This happens whether you are aware of the different parts of yourself or not.
The more compassion we have for ourselves, the more compassion we are able to have for others. Our circle of compassion will expand and we will accept the truth of who others’ are without judgment. We will learn to accept the judgments we make about our own behaviors, thoughts and feelings with more gentleness and kindness. When you become compassionate with yourself and others, your world becomes compassionate.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
Change the way you handle holiday stress
The holidays are here! The Christmas bells are ringing and the hustle bustle of shoppers are in the malls. Excitement’s in the air as Santa cries out “ho-ho-ho.” Children wait with anticipation to sit on Santa’s lap. Families are planning their time together, the trees are lit with Christmas decorations and houses glow with red and green lights, some with large reindeer on the roofs.Holidays are not always exciting for everyone though. The stress of the holidays can lead to depression. The stress of holidays can be unpleasant and many people do not enjoy them at all. The economy and the state of the world can have an impact as well. Some people may have lost their jobs, and some may have family members who are in dire straits. Some may have memories of unpleasant Christmas’. All of these can add up to a difficult time of year.
If you know that during a time of year you always feel sad, sick, or emotionally drained, do something different. You can change the energy of anything by going into it with a renewed energy of your own. It has to change because you are not participating in it the same way you always have.
The expectation of our emotional state of mind will set us up for failure once again. If, for example, your birthday month is a time that you feel depressed, you will anticipate the month and anticipate the same feelings. This doesn’t have to be. Honor yourself by choosing that you deserve to celebrate your life. Change it up. Go on a vacation, take a trip, or even meditate more. Do something different. Sitting around anticipating the month knowing you will be depressed or sad will only bring it on.
This holiday season, if the past was not so pleasant or current conditions are not so good, do something different. Treat yourself better this year. Honor yourself. If you are expected to be places or to be with the same friends and family, go for a long drive before attending, sing loudly, take a small trip and return refreshed and ready to face a new holiday season.
If drinking or over-eating is an issue for you during the holiday seasons, make sure you plan how you are going to handle this year better than prior years. Don’t drive to friends and families homes/parties if you know you are going to drink – make other arrangements for getting there and getting home. If you over-eat, plan exactly how much you are going to allow yourself to eat before you go, eat slower than you used to and learn to say “no, thank you” to seconds.
If family gatherings are times the family brings up old habits and everyone hears the same story of what you did when you were a kid, try changing the subject by talking about something you are doing now. Changing the way families and friends see us is not easy, but we are the only ones who can do that. We have to learn to step up and share new things we are doing and tell them how things have changed in our life – otherwise, how will they know?
You are not the only person who doesn’t like particular times of a year whether it’s a holiday season or a birthday month or a month you lost a loved one. You are in charge of your life; the events of life are not in charge of you.
Smile more, even if you don’t want to. Volunteer somewhere. Go on that hike or camping trip you’ve been thinking about. Do something different – it will make you feel good and change the old way you’ve dealt with holidays. Blessings to all and Merry Christmas!
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
The Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, coined the phrase “synchronicity.” He described it as “meaningful coincidences.” He states that “it is a perceived connection between two or more objects or events or persons without any recognizable cause.” Co-incidences are incidences that are happening at the same time.An example of synchronicity is when you are thinking of someone, the phone rings and they are on the phone or you are thinking of someone and the doorbell rings and they are standing there. A more subtle example of synchronicity would be that you are thinking of something your mother used to say to you and then you turn on the television and there is a program with the same message on. These incidences can seem like minor events or to the extreme of those having a profound impact on your life.
Synchronistic events show us the alignment of the universe and our connection to a higher source of consciousness. We do have free will though. We can ignore these events, we can pretend they don’t happen at all but this would be like ignoring our inner calling, our inner partner. Meaningful synchronicities happen to everyone and more often than we realize.
Are these just coincidences? Are they accidents? I don’t think so. If you begin to notice how often these occur you may realize how profound they really are. These events cannot be happening again and again without some deeper meaning.
Synchronicities can lead to life changing events. You may have self-discoveries about who you really are and what you are here for. They may seem irrational and illogical. When you pay attention to synchronistic events you may notice that the right person shows up at the right time, that you end up at the right place at the right time, all seemingly at strategic moments. These events seem to make your life feel magical.
Synchronistic events are miracles. Watching the universe work for us and through us is delightful. Knowing that everything happens exactly as it is supposed to helps us to understand our place in the workings of the universe. If we move ourselves out of the way and allow the universe to do its work, we can experience this amazing phenomenon.
Being aware of synchronistic events awakens our spiritual instincts. The events, if viewed as guided by a source bigger than us, can sometimes help us gain deeper insight into what we intuitively know to be true.
Every person will have a unique experience with synchronicities. It is up to each person to: 1) recognize a synchronistic event, 2) notice what ideas, symbols are being shown, 3) what do these mean to you personally, and 4) notice how these events make you feel.
Your consciousness is constantly interacting on all levels. Some synchronistic events will have more meaning than others. You will be able to gauge how important an event is in your life by feeling how you respond emotionally or physically. Whatever your response to a synchronistic event, it is important to take a moment and feel gratitude for the event and gratitude that you recognized it. The smallest of miracles deserve gratitude as well.
Now that you understand that synchronicities come from your source, guiding connected events in your life, you may notice more of them and appreciate them. They are always happening – allow yourself to be open to them, feel gratitude for them and know that you are never alone in this amazing, enormous universe.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
Everyone wants to be acknowledged. Everyone wants to know that they matter. Acknowledging another human being is the simplest form of appreciation and gratitude that they exist. From the best friend and family members to the person begging for money on the street corner, they deserve recognition.With the holidays upon us, have you turned to those you know and those you don’t and honestly said “hello, how are you?” No matter what your life situation, you can take a moment to acknowledge those around you. When you walk in to WalMart you are greeted (usually) with ‘welcome to WalMart’ because they understand the need to recognize each and every person. They understand that all people like to be acknowledged just for being alive.
When was the last time you truly appreciated the fact that we are all here for a purpose? Every person, every animal and every tree is here to co-habit ate. Appreciation of all living beings is essential for the preservation of our humanity. YOU are a child of God. YOU are the Buddha. YOU are perfection. And so is everyone and everything else. There is no difference between you and me other than obvious physical characteristics and the choices we make from the personality (ego). To remember that we, and all others, are the Divine and perfection is not arrogant, it’s humble. To believe that you and others are anything other than Divine is arrogant because it implies that you are something other than a creation of Spirit.
We are all the spokes of the wheel. We radiate from the same center and create this amazing thing called humanness. No one spoke is separate. The love in one of us is the same love as in the rest of us. When we believe we are separate we believe we stand alone, that we are different. Understanding that everyone deserves recognition acknowledges that we are one indivisible divine mind.
Children love to be recognized. When you see a baby and they smile at you for no reason, they are seeing you as one of them. They are not seeing what you’ve done in your life. They are not seeing what color you are or an illness you may have. They are recognizing the soul within you because that is the only place they know to live. The beauty of children is that they are still so close to Source and can connect with it easily.
Acknowledge those around you and smile, say hello or at minimum, hold the door for them. Expect nothing in return. Giving from your understanding of our connectedness requires nothing back. It is a gift to your own soul to know that we are all one and that all deserve recognition.
With the holidays upon us, be grateful for the connection of humanity. Be grateful for the fact that we are all here to help one another. When loneliness feels like it has a hold on you, remember that you are never alone. Our connectedness and the fact that we are one with Source never leave us separate. Recognizing another person’s existence may just help with their loneliness or separateness. It could be the best gift you ever gave.
Enjoy this holiday season and carry the energy of love, compassion and acknowledgement into the coming year. Try compassion – it’s a beautiful thing and so is everyone and everything around us.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
When your activities and actions are gratifying, when you become engaged in what you are doing, when what you do serves you and others, when what you do does not tire you, you are doing what you are meant to be doing. When we are doing the work of our soul, there is no fear, there is no tiring, there is no negativity. There is a feeling of purpose and meaning.Every challenge, every obstacle occurs to have us take a look at who we are. These are not to disappoint us to the point of feeling failure or shame; they appear to have us move into awareness. Each challenge is an opportunity to take a look at what lies beneath it, the fears behind it and choose to learn its wisdom. In the midst of the challenge this may seem impossible, but the ego-mind is the only thing telling you that it’s impossible. The soul will be asking, guiding you to move forward into awareness. We can’t change what we don’t recognize.
Whether you listen to guidance from Spirit, God, Buddha, Divine or whatever works for you, you have free will to make your own decisions. Your decisions may guide you to the right of Spirit or the left of Spirit. There is no “standard” path of spirit. You choose how you learn and Spirit will give you the freedom to do it your way. The personality may be in control and not allow the guidance of Spirit, which in metaphysics is the hard way. You will always be battling your desires over that of your souls desire. You may continually feel like something is missing or that everything is always hard. This is the personality at work.
Let go of thinking you know how to do it better. Trust. Have faith that you may not know it all and that maybe, just maybe, there’s another way. What if you let go and trusted? What if you did and things went smoothly and you actually felt better about who you are and how things are unfolding? Doesn’t that sound easier than the battle of your own will?
The ego, you, the personality does not need to be the driver of your bus. Take your hands off the wheel. Thy will be done. Consider this statement for a moment. Releasing your control and trusting a higher power of wisdom will guide you towards your authentic power. If what you are doing now in your life isn’t working, what harm would it do to let go, release, take your hands off the wheel, to trust? Trust that the faith you are allowing yourself to have or believe in is working. Do not get caught up in the “what ifs” of your life; you lose your power in the what ifs. Keep your power in the now. You will always remain conscious of the outcome of your choices but you will be more present in every situation today.
Do what you need to do. You need to be involved in your life. Allow your intuition to guide you to appropriate timing and clear motivation. This way you will trust that what you are doing is right because it will feel right. You will be moving through this earth plane as an empowered spirit.
Trust allows you to follow your feelings, bringing them into consciousness and letting them be directed, by what feels right to you, by Spirit. Follow your heart, not your mind. The humanness in us will appear, the mind will take over, but we have choice in every moment to recognize it and say “stop,” then take a breath and return to and trust the Divine guidance of our hearts.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
It is important to learn to give yourself permission – permission to heal, permission to feel, permission to experience, permission to love, permission to disagree, permission to move, permission to live. How can giving ourselves permission help with anything?It is rare for most of us to have been taught to truly feel whatever emotion is rising in any given moment. If we got angry our parents may have told us to “go to our room” or “settle down” or “what’s wrong with you?” There may be shame around anger, for example, if we were not taught that it was okay to be angry. If we felt joy we may have been told to calm down after a short period of time as well. Just as often when we feel emotion we tell ourselves to settle down or calm down or we ask ourselves “what’s wrong with me?”
Allowing ourselves to feel whatever is going on is important. Because you decide to feel the emotion rather than push it down or cover it up, you step right into it and allow yourself to fully feel it.
The conversation within our minds may be that of guilt, shame or doubt when we push our emotions down. Pretending the emotion doesn’t exist or isn’t important only exacerbates the emotion.
Giving ourselves permission allows us to truly experience what it is that we are feeling. Emotions that are ignored feed on themselves – getting bigger and seemingly more important. When an emotion shows up our natural tendency is to pretend we don’t feel it; that it doesn’t exist. We want to walk around with a smile on our face showing the world that all is well.
Depression can be an example of an emotion/energy feeding on itself. Because we don’t give many of life’s issues permission to Be, they grow within themselves. This means that without acknowledging them, they can spiral out of control. Many life issues that are not dealt with become depression because they spiral on top of themselves. Spiraling energy is hard to stop and can feel overwhelming.
Try this experiment: The next time you feel sad, for instance, look at the clock. Give yourself 30 minutes to feel the sadness. Keep glancing at the clock. You will find that within about 15 minutes, you will be bored. The reason the boredom comes into play is that you are now experiencing the sadness completely and not pushing it down. In a short time, you will be bored of the emotion and would rather be doing something else. It will not be able to spiral into itself and become bigger. The sadness may not completely go away but you will make a different choice for the moment and the sadness will settle. You will find that whatever issue the sadness is about may eventually need to be worked on with a good friend or a therapist, but for now it is not out of control.
Spirit, our soul, does not live in or with suffering of any kind. The ego-mind is the place where suffering exists. This is why if we pay attention to our emotions and allow them to Be, just for a short time, they can become less intense. It is the work of the ego that wants to hold on to emotions until you believe they are your truth.
Permission is so important. Don’t push down or pretend you don’t have feelings. You do have feelings – allow them to arise and to Be because they are a part of who you are.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
Is love enough to keep a marriage, friendship or other relationships together? Is it possible to love your partner enough that things get back to the way they used to be? Can you love your friends enough that differences and hurts are forgiven? Is love enough to make it through and strengthen issues you may be having at work? Sometimes it just seems like love isn’t enough. You love and you love some more. You think you are doing everything possible to keep your marriage alive, or at least, keep it together. Is ‘loving more’ the answer?Your friends seem to be doing things without you. You feel like if you say no to their invitations then they won’t ask you again. As you do more and more with your friends to stay connected, you find that you are not taking the best care of yourself. Is loving your friends more and spending more time with them the answer? You have issues at work. The boss is always criticizing you which make you feel unimportant and maybe useless. Can love help this situation?
Yes, love is enough. Love is enough when it is the force or the heart from which you act and speak. Love is enough when it is from truth and not manipulation. Love is enough when it comes from the soul and not from the ego-mind; it can transform your world.
The love of self is essential. Martyrdom will not work here. Martyrdom believes that you give everything you have to someone or something with expectation of getting something back. This is not loving; this is love filled with what is missing within you, an unfulfilled need.
When you love yourself you can give healthy love back. You will then love others without desperation. This is true love. An empowered person lives in love. Where does love reside? It resides in the soul. There is nothing that cannot be healed by love. Love is an active force. Love brings harmony. To heal violence there must be love. To heal discord there must be love.
Love is always enough when you love self and express it to others and in every situation. But can love save a marriage where you are the only giving love and tapping into the love within. What if your partner doesn’t think it is necessary to love themselves? What if your partner doesn’t think things need to change and grow? How does love help this situation?
Love may not be enough if you are the only one giving. A decision may need to be made if the situation you are in does not bring balance to your soul. As humans we tend to try and make situations work whether they are right for our soul or not. This causes stress and discord within oneself and within our external relationships. Ask for love. This replenishes the soul; gives energy to the soul. Ask for love of self first. The more empowered your soul feels, the more you will not have the need to control the external world by “loving it” so that you feel you are getting something back. Love must emanate from your soul, empowering you, strengthening you, balancing you. This is the energy from which all love is given.
Love without boundaries. Love you enough that it is okay to move on if a situation is not in alignment with your soul. Love the other person or the situation enough to let go so they or it can find peace as well. Love is richness and fullness of your soul flowing through you.
Choose peace. Live in peace. Trust. Relax. Breathe.Where is the chaos in your life? Where is the peace? We can learn to be peace amidst the chaos. With everything going on in the world these days, the elections, the economy, war, job lose, stress, anxiety and life in general - how can we be peace?
The first place to notice the chaos is within our own minds; the private, continual conversations we have in our minds. These are the first line of chaos to learn to tame. There is always some conversation going on. Are they peaceful conversations? Or are they full of anger, judgment, despair or worry?
The mind-chaos can be worse than the chaos in our environment. The discussions about life, our past, our future, who said what, the things we said and did, who’s wearing what and how they look, who’s angry and how it affects us, can cause stress, lack of sleep, anxiety or even illness. We drive ourselves crazy with these internal conversations.
There is the chaos in our immediate world; in our family, work, school, and friends. There is always something going on in everyone’s lives. The chaos extends to the greater world as well. Defense is fear. War is fear. Hate is fear. Fear is chaos. Life is falling apart! Just when you think things are going well, they fall apart again. Life’s challenges (the chaos) will always appear. Within the same day you could have good or bad day. When you find yourself attaching, identifying with or becoming the chaos, there are reminders in our mind and in the world to remain peace. You may hear something on the radio that helps you remember that it is up to you to change your perspective about what happens in your day, your week, in your head, in your environment and in the world. Or, you may read something that reminds you that all is well, even amidst the chaos.
How do we remain at peace amongst the internal and external chaos? We breathe. We connect to our Higher Power. We trust. We allow ourselves to let go. We choose to not attach to the chaos. We choose to move our energy from the negative to the positive.
Breathe more. Meditate more. Feel a moment of peace. Each moment of peace relieves stress. In the midst of what seems like the darkest hours may come a light of hope to remind you to hang on. In the midst of suffering, there is a reminder that we should learn how to appreciate the brighter days.
Here are some suggestions to help you relieve the chaos:
1 – Breathe/meditate – remember to take deep breaths – move the energy from your brain through and out of your body
2 – Take breaks throughout your day – be present
3 – Don’t compare yourself to others – take care of you first – no one walks in your shoes
4 – Find good things in your day
5 – Don’t get caught up in the drama
6 – Slow down and stop runningMoments of true silence and relaxation are few and far between. These are rare breaks from the chaos of our minds and of the life around us. Our perspective about life is a choice. Deciding that you will do everything you can to be peace is a choice for your soul. Recognizing when you are attaching to chaos and choosing to take breath, meditate and relax are simple tools. Practicing these simple ideas in the good times will help you when things get challenging – amidst the chaos.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“It is better to become a Buddha than to study Buddhism.” — Jack KornfieldIt is better to merge with your Higher Power than to engage in endless discussions about it. Are you committed to your spiritual work? Are you committed to your soul? Are you committed to making whatever changes you need to make to feel better, to make your marriage work, to change an addiction or to do one small change so that your life is easier?
Commitment is not easy. Commitment to change is challenging at best and difficult at worst. Before we make a commitment to change something in our life, we need to take a look at our fears and expectations. Once we make a commitment to our life and realize that things will be different, we have a tendency to be afraid. Who will we be if we commit and then things change? Change can be scary.
Committing to spiritual development is necessary if you want things to be different. If what you are doing now or how you are living isn’t working, then it’s time to jump in and commit to trying something new. A commitment to one part of your soul could change your whole life in a beautiful, loving and peaceful way. It doesn’t have to be as hard as your ego tries to convince you it is.
Commitment to your soul work is one of the most beautiful, selfish and inspiring things you will ever do for yourself. Beautiful in that you will find your truth and learn to love it. Selfish in that you will learn to always take care of your soul first and foremost before just giving parts of yourself away. Inspiring in that you may just feel so good that you choose to feel that way more and more throughout your days.
You may notice that you feel challenged to change something in your life. This challenge is the trigger we need to move forward. If we face this challenge with fear and stubborn indignation, not much will happen; we will remain right where we are. If we face this challenge with courage, we may discover a clearer view of our lives.
We have to commit to the change. Commitment is the key. You must commit to change anything in your life. It will not happen just because you think it is a good idea. You have to implement the change into your life and learn to live the change. You need to choose this new way and live it in each moment you can until it becomes you.
Last is ownership of the change. This is the change that you integrate into your life. You must own, accept and become the change. This is harder than you think but without owning it, accepting it and becoming it, your ego is trying to hold onto the old you. Change requires that we tame the ego and allow new parts of us to be exposed.
Owning the change may shock your friends and family because they are used to your old ways and now you may be showing a change of pace, but they’ll get used to it and they may like it. If they don’t, you have to remember that it’s not about them, it’s about you; you have to like yourself first and foremost.
Commit one day at a time, to do more, to give your soul attention and to learn to honor changes as they occur — one by one. Work daily on the commitment and learn to appreciate the small advances. Make a commitment to your soul and be the observer of your life.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“The Light and the Breath is home. It is where everything manifests from and everything returns to.” – The Tibetan Book of the DeadThe Light is peace. The Light is Divine. The Light is God. The Light is Buddha. The Light is Universe. The Light is Love. The Light is compassion. The Light is Breath. The Light is kindness. The Light is soul.
The more Light the better. How do we get the Light? We already have it. We just have to remember that we have it and learn to pay attention to it. The Light exists within each and every one of us all the time; even, as I always say, those who make you mad. While they are living in their personality which may be filled with anger in the moment, they are still filled with the Light.
The personality is filled with ego, it is important to remember that. The personality is what reflects our soul and our ego. It is the part of us that shines our Light, our soul, into the world and it is also the part of us that shows the world our dark side and the part of us we think people want to see.
The Light is the place within us of the unknown. It is the area that the cognitive part of us cannot comprehend. Our minds want to understand and know what the unknown is; this is makings of inquisitive and researching minds. Your Light vibrates to your consciousness. If you meditate or breathe into your Light throughout your day, your Light will expand. If you believe it does not exist, it will not expand (at least not with your intention) yet will always be there.
The Light within us holds peace, compassion, kindness, grace, gratitude and love. The personality, when reflecting our ego, reflects who we think we are in the world, our thoughts of anger, hatred, jealousy and fear. These are lower frequencies of energy. When we pay attention to our Light, our soul, we begin to raise our frequency to a higher level. If you are around people who you think “drain your energy,” it means that you have let your own energy lower to match theirs and it drains you. If you learn to keep your vibration higher, keeping your Light full, you will not take on the lower energies.
Light is consciousness. By choosing your level of consciousness, by choosing what emotions serve you, by choosing what you will allow in your life, you determine the quality of your Light. The speed of the Light that emanates from your soul is instantaneous. The energy of the physical body does not vibrate in the same speed as Light travels. If our Light is strong, we will vibrate that Light from within into the world.
Every decision you makes moves you toward your soul or toward the ego personality. Do you choose to learn through love, through the Light or do you choose to learn through the pain of the ego? This is your free will. This is your choice. It is so freeing to learn through your soul. Moving your ego out of the way and trusting the Light within expands the Light. It is like exercising, the more you do it the healthier the muscle gets. It’s the same for your Light – work on giving it attention and intention and watch it expand. Your soul will thank you and you will benefit from your own Light.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
Awwhh — the silence! No ringing phones, no television noise, no children playing or crying, nobody talking. All I hear is my breathing, the sound of the leaves blowing in the wind, the sound of my heart beating, the sound of a car driving by. This is silence. This is being at peace. This is so lovely, why don’t I do it more often?You never realize how much you like silence until life seems to take it away from you, like having a baby or getting a puppy or having roommates. Silence is golden. Some of us like noise all the time and enjoy the laughter of children, the playfulness of a puppy and good conversation with friends. These are wonderful things, but not giving ourselves a moment of silence in our day denies us a sense of peace that we deserve. Silence is good. In silence we can actually listen — to ourselves, to spirit, to the voice of the body.
It is important to find a place where you can be in silence. A few minutes of silence helps you to create the cave of the heart, the oasis of quiet, the inner sanctuary, the sacred center where God dwells. It provides a way to periodically withdraw from the world.
I did a five-day silent retreat a year ago. It was a wonderful experience. I found that not telling anyone who I was or what I did for a living was a wonderful change of pace. Not worrying about who my roommate was or what she did for a living was refreshing. I could just be with myself, with my soul and with spirit for five whole days. I found it to be calming, introspective and helped me get closer to my higher power.
The soul is stillness at all times. In the midst of the chaos in the world or in our minds, the soul is always in stillness. This is different than silence. We create silence. Creating silence allows us to give recognition to the stillness of the soul. It’s from this place that we give the best of who we are in every situation. In silence is where we recognize how amazing and divine we are.
Being silent is hard for most people. I love to talk. When I was a child, I didn’t talk much, so those who know me well, know that I’m making up for it now. But, being silent is so important. Not just for those around you, but for your soul. It is important to know when talking and noise is good and when you need that precious quiet.
Taking one moment in your day to sit in silence will regenerate your life. There is chaos everywhere — in our heads and in the world. Take a moment to sit without noise, conversations, crying or ringing phones (turn your cell phone off or leave it in another room). Everyone has a place and a moment to be silent; in the bathroom, in the shower or in the car, to name a few.
Everything you give comes from the stillness within you, so allow the silence of a moment to give you the peace and strength to be the best you can be in everything you do. Practice one moment of silence after you finish reading this column. Take a deep breath and listen to your heart beat. Just one moment can change your day, and who knows, maybe the rest of your life.
(To contact Cathy, please email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“We work so hard to bring health to our bodies, to bring prosperity, to bring happiness, to bring success into our lives; to bring artistic or literary gifts or talents within our grasp, to bring great new ideas from the outside; and, of course we continually fail, because we cannot “bring” a single one of these things from the without to the within. “ - Emmet FoxOur work, our practice is about learning to work on and from the ‘within.’ This is not about being selfish, it is about learning that what you do in this world and what you give in this world comes from within. From this place, we will not tire. From this place, we will speak truth to ourselves. From this place, we can heal. From this place, we are connected to all. From this place, we are safe. From this place, we are creative. From this place, we are cared for.
The more we understand that our gifts are within, our self-esteem is within, our compassion is within and that our success will come from within, we can let go of trying to find these things. This world is full of ideas and inventions. The idea or invention may have come from an inspiration from an outside source, but then it is turned into an idea (or dream) from within.
The journey of enlightenment involves shedding, not collecting. We want to learn to disrobe our stuff, let go of old stuff until there is nothing left but the truth of who we are. If we disrobe, then immediately throw the robe back on, we have not truly let go. We are then still holding on – holding on to possessions or to the past.
Clean out one possession today. Clean out a drawer or a box or a closet. Let go. If we can’t bring releasing to us, we have to participate in it. Do your possessions provide you with security and happiness? If not, let go. If so, put them on display – make sure you get good use of the items that you hold onto.
Clean out one thing in the body today. If you drink, stop for a time – clean your body. If it’s food, eat only that which serves your body, letting go of anything that causes toxins. The body is our vessel which carries the energy of our life and of our soul. Take good care of it.
Allow only that which serves your soul into your life. Meaning – be that which you want to see in the world, then it will come to you as well. We can let go of our success as well as our failings. We can let go of our sanity and our confusion. Letting go creates a lightness of being. Being lighter within serves us and serves the world; the chaos within and in the world doesn’t serve anyone.
Try to just be for once in your life. Try not pushing and forcing things to be what you want or what you think they should be. Release old things. Release things that don’t serve you. Work from within allowing the truth of who you are to shine out into the world. All that you desire will be given to you if you let go of trying to make it all happen. Trust this and have faith. Why not? The world is waiting for the divine within each of us to shine through and it has to start somewhere.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
If you want people to be different, you must demonstrate what that looks like. It is up to you to be the best you can be and not expect others to be anything other than who they are. If, for example, you want your husband or wife to be more spiritual, you be more spiritual. If you want your friends to be more balanced, you be more balanced. If you want your children to respect, you respect.We must demonstrate what it is we want to see in the world. If we expect others to do what we think should be done or be what we think they should be, we will forever be disappointed. You are the channel through which Divine action takes place. It is through you that others understand grace. You demonstrate.
Demonstrating love is the act of being love, loving oneself, having respect for you and then being these in the world. No one has to know, you will just be these things and those around you will begin to emulate your behaviors. They will not ‘follow’ but like what they see enough that they may decide it might just work for them too. It begins a string of compassion and generosity that may or may not have been in the world otherwise.
Demonstrating love does not mean that you run up and hug every person you see as nice as that might seem. It means that you be your truth first and foremost. You don’t brag about being love, you don’t brag about being compassionate and you don’t brag about being kind, you just are these things because you wouldn’t have it any other way.
There doesn’t have to be an explanation for your behavior. You know that how you live and what you live is your truth and it is what is right for you and you just do it. There will be those who disagree with demonstrating love as they may believe “to each his own” or that no one’s behavior can affect another or that it’s silly to think that their behavior towards themselves affects the world. That’s ok. It is not up to us to tell them they could do it differently, it is up to us to demonstrate through our own actions – that’s it.
Here’s an example of demonstrating love. If someone comes into your home with very dirty shoes and leaves mud on your carpet – you have two choices, get mad at them or know that it‘s just mud and it can be vacuumed up. If you understand that things happen and you are working on learning to let go and not sweating the small stuff, by not getting upset over the mud on your rug, you are demonstrating letting go. You are demonstrating that not everything that happens is important, that you choose what is important in your life to get worked up over.
This example may seem like a small thing compared to life’s big events, but the small stuff is where we get caught up in life. If we learn to manage the small stuff by making better choices, we will handle the big stuff better. When we demonstrate love, compassion and kindness with ourselves, we will demonstrate it towards others and their behaviors as well.
This is the art of demonstrating love. This is the art of infinite compassion, of infinite joy, of infinite ease in the world. We are how we act towards ourselves. We are what we bring to the world. Begin today with one small step and then expand as it feels right. If everyone took a minute to understand that how they treat themselves gets demonstrated into the world, would it be a better world?
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe” – Emmett FoxWe don’t need to hold onto every experience we’ve ever had as though it is who we are. We hold onto thoughts, looks, ideas and the past all the time. How much do you carry? Is what you carry really that important? We cannot live in the present moment when we remain connected to the old story. We believe that our experiences or the things someone did to us or said to us define who we are today.
What does it mean to let things go? How do we let go of a thought or of a situation from our past? How do we let go of anything? When we are told to let go of something we being to wonder who we will be if we truly let go of this thing we think defines us or that we think is so important. We get so caught up in our story about a situation that we forget that the story is not our truth. The story is what we can learn to let go of. When we hold onto our story the experience of the story remains in our minds and the energy of the story remains in our bodies.
What if you made a choice to today to let go of one story, one experience, one look that someone gave you, one comment someone made or one situation you were involved with? When you choose to truly let go of something, deciding it doesn’t benefit you in this moment, you release the energy of it from your body. You will energetically lighten your being; your body and your mind. Don’t we have enough stuff in life to work through, work out and live then to carry useless stress, thoughts or stories?
Ask yourself how important something is. Make a choice right now about what’s important to you – what’s important in your life and what’s important right at this moment. If everything in your body relaxes as you decide that something does not benefit your life at this moment, then you are listening to the answers held in the body. Take a breath and choose to let it go – it doesn’t benefit you. If you feel like you get an answer of yes, that this feeling or thought does benefit you, decide what you want to do with it. Whatever you do, do it without judgment. Do it, live it, without beating yourself up.
Take a moment and imagine how you will feel the more you learn to let go of things that do not benefit you. What an amazing thought! Who will you be? You’ll be lighter and freer. It truly is this simple. The only thing that gets in our way of choosing to let go or actually doing it is our ego. There is nothing, there is no one other than you, making the choices in your life.
Letting go is work. Learning to let go as you move through the moments of your life is a practice. The results as we learn to let go, slowly, piece by piece over time, is worth the practice. We’re so full of our “stuff” in life; we need to make room for new and exciting ideas and thoughts. We create each moment so make each moment count and let go of all that takes up space in your soul.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
When spirit comes knocking, are you listening? When spirit comes knocking, are you paying attention? When spirit comes knocking, are you conscious of it? The use of the word “spirit” here can be interpreted as God, Creator, Buddha, etc. – whatever works for you.Spirit has a way of making sure we’re listening. It may appear as a song on the radio that has a message about something we need to hear or helps us with something we’re working on in our lives. It may appear as a friend showing up just when we need them. It may appear as someone we don’t know helping us in a moment of need. Or, it may be an email that introduces us to someone, their work or information they may have that we need at that time.
These are all indications that spirit is trying to helping us out. Spirit knocks and if we’re paying attention, we will be given exactly what we need. We have to be open to the incredible possibilities of spirit and trust in it as well. Spirit will help us in ways our egos couldn’t possibly imagine. Once the ego gets involved, it will decide how the help should look and then we miss the opportunity that is being given to us.
Learning to let go of our expectations of how help comes to us allows us to be more open to the wonders of spirit. Trusting that we are being taken care of and that all is well is a more peaceful way to live. We can learn to get ourselves out of the way and allow spirit to work through us. This is not to indicate that we should just sit on our hands and do nothing. Spirit likes to know that we are participating in our lives. The more we participate yet let go and trust and the more we learn to pay attention when the guidance shows up, the more spirit will guide us.
You may feel that if you are participating in your life it means that your ego is involved. This can be true and not true. It will be true if you believe that your ego is your guiding light. You may not even be aware that your ego has so much control but, as we say in metaphysics, “never underestimate the power of the ego.” Ego is described as the place where fear, anger, judgment, doubt, etc. resides. It can rule your world.
Participating in your life with less ego means that you put out to the world what it is you think you need or want and then let it go and trust that what will benefit your soul will be the only result. The ego will always be there, but when you let go of the expectation of the outcome, the ego is tamed.
The perfect result in any situation will be that which benefits your soul. You can let go of all other results and trust that what you are given is the voice of spirit knowing what is best for your soul. Pushing to make things happen that are not of the highest purpose for our souls creates suffering. We push and push and suffer and suffer. Then we wonder why things just don’t work out for us.
Let go and trust that you are guided. Ask spirit and then listen, pay attention and be in awe of the results. Move yourself out of the way and trust that you deserve the best for your life and for your soul. When spirit comes knocking, who’s listening?
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
I once participated in a 6 week tele-class from a popular, spiritual speaker which started just before the 2004 elections and ended shortly thereafter. There was no discussion of the election until the night of the election results. There were statements made by many in the Teleclass about how horrible the results were, how life would be ruined from that day forward, etc. Even the teacher participated in the feelings of ruin. I was disappointed that there was no discussion of hope or acceptance for what is.Every election year tensions rise. People argue about which party is right and who the perfect person will be to run our country. There will always be those who are disappointed in the results of an election. But, the results will be the results. The reactions vary but what good does it do to run around being angry?
Let’s take a look at how we can view our politics with a spiritual mind. All things happen for a reason. There are things that we will never understand why they happen as they do. If this is true that all things happen for a reason, then we must believe that this person was placed into office for a reason. The reasons can be that the country is to learn something from this person, or this is what the country needs for a reason we are not aware of yet, or maybe this person will do some amazing and wonderful things for the country.
Once the votes are counted and the new president is chosen, all we can do is move forward. We can ask that the new president is surrounded in light, the light of Divine, of God, of Buddha, of whatever power is bigger than all of us. We ask that this new person who will be running our country and affecting our lives is surrounded and protected by the same higher power that we are.
We ask that the new president make choices that are good for us and for our country. We ask that they be guided by the light and not by their ego. We ask that they follow their spiritual path. We ask they hold the light within.
Now that we’ve done everything we can to assure ourselves that our new president is well taken care of in respect to being filled with light and support from all of us, we can move on in our own lives. If we sit around and feel angry and disappointed, possibly betrayed, then we are not serving ourselves or our country. We are stopping the flow of light by remaining angry.
If the world were to come to an end tomorrow, would you want to be surrounded by the light of Divine or by the darkness of fear in your last moments? There’s no comparison of a new president to the end of the world, but I’m using this as an example of how serious many take the elections. If we hold the light in every situation in our lives, then we are doing everything we can to assist and support what is. This moves the energy of anger into the light where the anger cannot reside or survive. We will then exist in more light and have less darkness such as anger. Anger sits in fear. Light sits in love. Which are you sitting in?
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
”Nothing from yesterday’s experiences can change tomorrow if we decide to make each moment new by being as present as possible” - Catherine ZeebWe are not our mistakes. Our past does not define us. It might feel like our mistakes define us because we remember them or we may still be talking about them, but the fact is, they are not the truth of who we are. What happened to us in the past is not tattooed on our foreheads. We make each moment and each moment can be better than the last.
Right now as you read this column, how is this moment feeling? Is it a feeling you want to feel later? Is it a feeling you have had before? Are you living today as if it’s a new day or are you stuck in the energy of yesterday? Are you thinking of events from the past and feeling like they are as fresh today as when they happened? We all make mistakes and we all beat ourselves up for them. We have a tendency to believe that once we made a mistake, it will forever haunt us. Families always seem to remember our “mistakes” and don’t let us live them down. They forever remind us of them; like we have forgotten them and need to be reminded.
Someone may have done something to us in our past, things happened that were unpleasant, or we did things that weren’t of the highest ethics, but we can’t change one thing that happened; it already happened. We can’t change the past. There is nothing we can do about anything that happened (barring a legal incident, of course).
What we carry from the past is the energy of it, i.e. anger, guilt, judgment, fear, etc. We think we carry the story of it and that the story defines us, but that is not true. If we learn to understand and release the energy we carry, we begin to heal.
All energy can be shifted and released. The energy we carry in our bodies creates our thoughts and thoughts are energy. If we understand this, we can shift almost all energy held within. Releasing the energy which does not benefit us allows us to have room to grow and open up to other possibilities in life. We do not have to suffer to live this life and living in the past is suffering. The energy of the past does not benefit you and does not help you move forward in your life.
What is a mistake anyway? It is a lack in judgment, an error, a sidestep in our life, a mis-step. We’ve made a few in our lifetime but hopefully we’ve learned that not every mistake is a disaster. Some are mis-judgments and do not seem to linger. It’s the ones that we make important that hang around and get activated when another life situation comes up. It’s the ones we tell everyone about or it can be the ones we never tell anyone.
Learning to forgive yourself is important. We only did what we knew at the time. Now that you know different or better, you can do different and do better. You have the opportunity in each moment to forgive yourself and to move forward. It is not being asked of you to carry the burdens of yesterday. Only you decide what you want to carry within your body, mind and spirit. You decide each moment so decide to be clear and to be free of old stuff, old pressures and old judgments. Move on and move forward. Don’t sit around worrying about things you can’t change. Decide what defines you today.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see them, you will see yourself. As you treat them, you will treat yourself. As you think of them, you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in them, you will find yourself or lose yourself.” -Marianne Williamson.Marriage as we know it has to change. The divorce rate says it all. The basis of a spiritual marriage is a commitment between two people to assist in each other’s spiritual growth. When spiritual partners marry, they begin a journey of souls, not just a journey of a marriage. They realize that their own spiritual development is essential and that they came together for that purpose.
Having a conscious marriage requires each person to learn to view marriage as a new dynamic. The partners realize they are in the marriage to further their spiritual development, not just to create financial security or to buy the perfect house in the suburbs. A spiritual marriage is a commitment to each other’s spiritual growth and everything within the relationship serves that.
Traditional marriage counseling works with the dynamic of the couple. The counselor will make suggestions like “have a date night” or “go away together.” Not bad ideas but if you’re not communicating, what good would a date night be?
Spiritual marriage counseling works with the dynamic of the individual. Each partner may work with the therapist for two to four sessions before coming together as a couple. The marriage is hurting because the individual is hurting, not the marriage itself. The marriage is only as good as the individuals involved in it.
The dynamic of marriage is complicated. People feel an attraction for each other, marriage follows, then children, and more. It’s obviously been done this way for centuries. Sometimes the marriage lasts, most times it doesn’t. There comes a day when one partner wakes up and realizes they don’t know who they are let alone who the other person is. Communication is lacking and they become no more than roommates. Once each person learns why they entered into the relationship, once they learn what they are lacking in themselves, and once they learn new ways of communicating, the relationship can change. It will grow if both people decide that they are worth their own growth, first and foremost.
Pre-marital counseling is essential. It will help each person to take a close look at why they want a relationship to begin with, why they want marriage, and what their expectations are of the other partner and of marriage. The dynamic of relationships should be taught to our youth; more people might enter relationships with open and clear hearts.
Changing the way we view marriage is so important. If you truly want a spiritual relationship or marriage that will last, here are some things to think about and to work on:
1 – Know who you are before you enter into any relationship
2 – Be clear about what you want in a relationship
3 – Know your boundaries and don’t be afraid to express them
4 – If the other person doesn’t like that you know who you are or that you have discovered and express your boundaries, then let them go
5 – Be clear about what you want in a partner and except nothing less
6 – If you wouldn’t allow a friend to treat you badly, don’t allow an intimate partner to do it
7 – Don’t be afraid to do your personal healing work
8 - Being alone until you’re ready for a spiritual relationship is okayMay your relationships and marriages be filled with laughter, truth and open communication. May you find your best friend and marry them, in absolute clarity of feelings, truth and emotion.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
There once was a man sitting on the roof of his house after a flood took out most of his town. As he sat there, he prayed and prayed to be saved. Along came people in a boat and told him to get in. “No,” he said, “I’m waiting for God to save me.” The water continued to rise. Along came a helicopter. The people in the helicopter said, “Get in.” “No,” said the man, “I’m waiting for God to save me.” The water rose and the man drowned. When he met God in heaven, the man asked, “Why didn’t you save me?” God responded, “I tried; I sent you a boat and a helicopter.”Do you trust that you are taking care of? Do you believe in miracles? How about synchronicity? Do you trust yourself?
When you believe that the ability of your personality is what determines what is best for you, you stand in the way of a richness that is waiting for you. If you remove the stops you place on miracles, how do you know what the universe will provide? Let go. Trust.
Let go of your control of everything. Trust that you are taken care of. Believe that you are supported and that you are not alone. Completely let go of how you think things should be or look. Just assume you live in the company of the Divine. Relax and live in the present moment. Don’t always try to maneuver tomorrow.
What if there truly are miracles and you are a part of them? The universe does not work the same as humans. You may not understand the workings of the universe, so let go of trying to make it work your way. If the events of the universe surprise you, these are miracles. If you enjoy the ride then you are a part of the miracle of the moment.
Things will not always work out the way you want them too and rather than be upset over them, let them go. Trust that things will happen just the way they are supposed to and that you cannot always create the outcome.
Trust allows you to give freely. Have faith in the fact that all you give will be returned triple-fold. If you demonstrate love and compassion to others, love and compassion will be returned to you. If you demonstrate criticism and fear to others, criticism and fear will be returned to you.
Trust allows you to laugh at life. You can choose to live this life in laugher or tears. You can take it lightly or feel overwhelmed. The evolution of your soul depends on your outlook and commitment to growing and development. You choose either love or fear in every moment.
You can choose that your soul will develop from a conscious choice or an unconscious one. Either way you will continue to evolve; you get to choose which way it happens. Choose to be positive in each moment. Choose behaviors that reflect the truth within and the trust you have that you are okay just the way you are.
Trust that you are not alone. Trust that the universe works in miraculous ways and let go of the fact that you will never completely understand it. Lighten up and trust the flow of life.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
Happiness isn’t something that just appears or disappears. It is something we have to create. We tend to wait for something to make us happy – happy when you get a promotion, happy when you meet the right person, or happy when you lose weight. We are forever waiting for that external thing to awaken our joy and happiness. The waiting is actually what keeps us lacking in joy and happiness. Happiness is a choice we make and we must continue to make repeatedly.If we continue to live in our unhappiness, that’s where we’ll be. You can make the choice to be happy. Even if you don’t feel like it, you can do a few things to change the energy of unhappiness.
• Smile more
• Go for a walk and put an extra spring in your step
• Say thank you more often
• Tell yourself that you are happyThis begins to shift the energy of sadness. We can choose to sit in our sadness or not. That’s it. Doing these steps will not change your sadness or the event(s) that caused your sadness, but it will begin to shift the energy around your sadness. Practice makes perfect. The more you put yourself in a better mood, even if you don’t really feel like it, the quicker you’ll be in a better mood.
When you smile the muscles in your face contract, endorphins are released into your blood stream, giving you that good feeling. Try holding a pen in your mouth, it will make you smile. The body will believe that you are smiling. The only thing that tells you that you’re not smiling is your ego-mind.
Picking up your step when you walk helps move the energy within the body. If you sit still and sit in your sadness, how can you experience anything else but sadness? Moving, picking up the pace, sends more oxygen to your legs, arms, torso and brain. You can’t be in sadness in the moment you are in movement.
Gratitude is a wonderful way to beat sadness. What are you grateful for? Sitting in sadness expresses that which we are experiencing and we don’t think there’s a way out. Sitting in gratitude expresses things that we love in the moment or things that we loved in the past.
Tell yourself you’re happy. Why not? Sadness doesn’t feel good. Unless you’re in grief and need to experience the grieving process, sadness doesn’t feel good – period. It’s easy to stay in sadness because we’re not taught that it’s okay to not be sad. If you tell yourself that you are happy, you will act happy and begin to feel happy.
Make the decision that you are not going to allow problems, challenges or obstacles to interfere with your happiness. Only you can decide to be happy. Only you can decide to be sad as well. What’s your choice today? What if you walked around smiling? What if you felt better? What if you were just happy each day? We feel waves of serenity, acceptance, and joy as we relax into the flow of our lives.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
This simple, yet complex book is one of my favorites of all time. I highly recommend it to everyone. I thought this would be a great avenue to tell you more about the principles held within. Principles that no matter what your spiritual or religious beliefs, when put into practice can help you create a more peaceful life.The author is don Miguel Ruiz. The principles in this book are the teaching of the Toltec. The Toltec were scientists and artists who formed a society to explore and conserve the spiritual knowledge and practices of the ancient ones.
Agreement #1: Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
Your words are powerful. Your world is created by your words. Your word can create beauty or destroy everything. Being impeccable with your word means that you use your energy towards truth and love. That what you say comes from the love of self and that is what you wish to express to the world.
AGREEMENT #2: Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
No matter what someone says, especially if it’s negative, it is not about you. Realize that it is their own emotional baggage they are dealing with. They are trying to hook you into believing something negative about yourself because they think it will make them feel better. It is not about you. Let it go. Don’t attach to it and don’t engage.
AGREEMENT #3: Don’t make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
When we make assumptions, we are asking for problems. We don’t know anything; especially about other people and we can create drama for nothing. Clarity is the key. In relationships we tend to make assumptions. Our partner looks at us a certain way and we immediately think they feel something negative towards us, for example. We will cause all sorts of drama in the relationship if we stay in our mindset of assuming what the look meant. Ask questions and look for clarity, you will both be released from any drama when everything is understood.
AGREEMENT #4: Always do your best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.
If you do the best you can in each moment without stressing over whether your best is good enough, you will live without feeling so tired. You will not deplete your energy by worrying whether or not you did your best or not. Know that the best you do in each moment stands firm.
Take these principles, these four agreements, and try them for one week. Try just one of them. If the results feel good, then keep on using them in your life. Things really can be simple if we allow ourselves to let go of trying to make this life so difficult or always controlling it to be what we think it should be. If what you’re doing now isn’t working, why not try something new?
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in ways that served others” - Marianne WilliamsonWork, your job, your career – no matter what you call it are areas where you can do the best spiritual work. No matter what your work situation or the people in it, you can see it from a new perspective. You work to spread love. The key to success is to realize that what you do for work is not separate from the rest of your life. Business is not usually associated with kindness. It is thought to be the tool for making money. If we view what we do as our ‘mission,’ then everyone we meet, every item we sell, every account we sign, will become a blessing. You have served this person, this situation, through love. We study about how to run a business and don’t take the time to look at why we are in business; what is the soul purpose of our business.
Many people have told me for years now to stop doing one part of my business; that it doesn’t fit into what they see in me. I love what I do. I love that each time I teach and spend time with a group of people, I am spreading love. I may be teaching a particular subject, but it’s being done through me. My voice and the words are expressed through and with love because I believe that each person sitting in front of me is a Divine being, no matter what their life situation. I see my work as an extension of who I am, not what I do.
We can’t care what others think about what we do. Nor do we walk around telling everyone that what we do is of love. We demonstrate this. We live this. We are this. We don’t need to tell anyone, it will show in our smile, our laughter, our joy and those around us will feel good to be in our presence. Can you imagine what your workplace would be like if everyone thought this way? That what you do for a living expresses your love of service to others. You will reap the benefits back to yourself one hundred-fold.
We all have the potential for greatness. It is trained out of us at an early age though. Think about this: what is greatness other than you knowing that you already are. It is not the ego expressing itself to the world saying, “I’m great.” It is you knowing quietly and confidently that you are an incredible soul.
We are as important as we think we are. How does playing small serve us? If you shrink, at work or in your life, so that others won’t feel threatened by you, how does that serve you? How does that serve the world? Do not fear your power and your greatness. You walk on this earth to serve and you will benefit from all that you do. Do not see your job, your work or your career as dull and mundane. See it as a thriving, living extension of you.
Radiate the light from within into your work and into the world. Experience the light within you and then shine it out for all to see. They may not know what’s hitting them but they will like it. They don’t have to know where it’s coming from or why but they will like it. Go now into service. Smile, laugh and know that everyone, everything you touch is enlightened by the light from within you.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
We hear and read the term ‘spirituality’ or ‘spiritual’ everywhere these days. What does this truly mean? Are those who call themselves spiritual, religious, and vice versa?Wikipedia defines spirituality as “concerns with matters of the spirit, a concept tied to religious belief and faith, a transcendent reality. Spiritual matters are thus those matters regarding humankind’s ultimate nature and purpose, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond both time and the material world.”
Religion is defined as “a set of beliefs and practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality, the cosmos, and human nature, and often codified as prayer, ritual, or religious law. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction.”
Those who believe they are spiritual but not religious are still seeking their connection to all that is greater than themselves. Those who believe themselves to be religious are doing the same. Spirituality allows for exploration of all possibilities with no boundaries; religion usually discourages exploration and defines the boundaries. Neither is right or wrong.
Spirituality encompasses the whole soul’s journey. It explores that which is immortal within you. It connects the metaphysical reality that is greater than oneself, which may include an emotional experience of religious awe. Spirituality is concerned with matters of psychological health and to activate the higher potential of the human being. One working in a spiritual practice seeks to become free of the ego and more in tuned to one’s true self.
Spirituality asks you to explore and believe in the vastness of the answers. People who are spiritual may or may not use the words of religion writings such as God, Jesus, etc. They may find these words too confining in a world of exploration. This does not indicate that they don’t believe in God, Jesus, etc.; the words do not define their beliefs.
Religion is often described as a belief system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Religion generally refers to organized gatherings; a coming together of communal beliefs. It defines morals, practices, values, institutions, tradition, rituals, core beliefs and scriptures. It is defined as a ‘way of life.’ Religion asks you to believe in the written word and doctrine – to follow the path or way. People who are religious may or may not use words of spiritual writings such as intuition, other realms, etc. Since these words do not have a definite answer, people of religious beliefs may find the words of a spiritual practice to be too undefined.
These two beautiful and complimentary practices allow us to blend our questions of the unknown into a practice of belief. Spirituality is about being open, exploring and learning to ask questions. Religion is about understanding the provided (written) answers to our questions. Neither is right or wrong – it is about personal choice.
Wars are fought over who’s right and who’s wrong when it comes to religious beliefs. Enjoy who you are and enjoy your search for answers to the unknown, however you choose to do it. Being spiritual or religious doesn’t matter – the fact that you’re studying or examining something to connect to is more important than doing nothing.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Teilhard de ChardinWe are crying out for a new model of psychotherapy; a new choice of spiritual and intuitive therapy. The spiritual and intuitive therapist is the next wave in healthcare; someone who understands your dreams and inner visions and blends them with psychological expertise and knowledge of the body into a comprehensive picture of who you are.
What is spiritual counseling? It is not standard psychotherapy. It is not religion. It is not hocus pocus. It is the art of learning to surrender things that disturb our peace. It is healing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects. It is working with the depth of ones’ soul. It is the beautiful experience of looking at our light side and our dark side. It is unmistakably hard work surrounded by the grace of Divine.
Spiritual counseling is: body/mind/spirit integration; transpersonal psychology; learning to connect to a higher consciousness; breathwork; meditation; retraining our thinking; coming back to our truth; learning new ways to deal with old habits and patterns; opening ourselves to new thought; releasing energy that no longer serves us, and so much more.
How does spiritual counseling differ from standard psychotherapy? Spiritual counseling works with the mind/body/spirit connection. This integration is a relatively new concept in our Western culture. The body is the domain of the physician and the emotions that of the psychotherapist. The Body/Mind/Spirit counselor seeks to unify the concept of being One with Spirit. Spiritual counseling does not allow the client to participate from the mind only; the client is taught to listen to the voice of the body as well.
The understanding of the spiritual aspect of the being is important. Spirit comes from the Greek word for “breath.” It is by breathing and listening to our bodies that we locate ourselves and can transcend old, restricting forms of consciousness. By aligning ourselves through our bodies we can balance our flights of fancy our thoughts are inclined to take. We see the body as a temple; a sacred place. Humans are unique energy systems. Energy is the form and expression of aliveness. All energy of thought manifests into our lives and into our environment. Learning to tame the ego voice, listen to the voice of the body and voice of the Divine within us can align our energy and clear old patterns and behaviors.
Our thoughts are not just events of the mind, but are also physical events that take place throughout our bodies. Along with the practitioner’s guidance, ownership of emotions and choosing to heal are the most important decisions the client may ever make for themselves.
A safe place is created between the practitioner and the client to open up and explore the parts of ourselves we don’t usually want to see. This is done in the presence of a higher power or higher consciousness, even if just on the part of the counselor. Even if you don’t believe in a higher power or have any source to connect to, you can still experience spiritual counseling.
We have things in our life we regret. We have incidences in our lives that we wish had not happened, either by us or by others. These events remain within our thoughts and remain in the energy held in the body. The spiritual counselor will understand this. The events in our past can never be changed, but the energy that is held can be changed or released if one chooses. We become attached to our energy like an old sweater. We get used to wearing it and may feel lost without it.
Spiritual counseling teaches us that all things are in constant motion, constant change. Nothing has to remain the same unless we choose it to be so. All things change whether we want them to or not and the spiritual counselor will teach you to understand this. Without your permission and willingness to take a look at the energy held within, things will remain, seemingly, the same. As they say in AA, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”
In addition to talking with the client and depending on the experience, training and innate intuition of the counselor, spiritual counseling can also involve energy work. Energy healing is also unique and relatively new to our Western culture. More and more it is becoming a part of mainstream medicine as an added alternative resource for healing. Energy healing can come in many forms such as Breathwork or Illuminous Energy Healing; all of which are integrated into the therapeutic envelope for healing. There are practitioners who specialize in one or another type of energy healing work. No one practitioner can do it all, nor should they, and a good spiritual counselor will resource out work they may feel a client will benefit from.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
Let go. What you’ve been doing isn’t working. Let go of the control of every situation and outcome. You really can’t control it all. Surrender to the idea that you don’t have to know everything, control everything and have everything your way. You’ll feel like you’ve released 1,000 lbs off your shoulders when you realize you don’t have to do it all, have it all and control every situation.Do you try to control your mate, your work, your relationships? Is the outcome you expect better because you control it or would it turn out just as good if you let it go? We cannot live in the present moment when we believe we can carry the weight of the world. The thought that we can change the past or the future will begin to drive us crazy. We can truly only live in the present moment and be with it as it changes moment by moment.
The moment seems so important and if you surrender it, how could it possibly turn out okay? Surrendering means you understand that you can’t do it all. You give up your control to your higher power and trust that all will be taken care of and turn out just as it is supposed to. You learn that no matter how hard you try to control the outcome, you just can’t. To surrender the outcome to something bigger than you is such a relief.
When we are told to let go of something, we begin even if unconsciously, to wonder who we will be if we truly let go. When we surrender something, deciding it doesn’t benefit us in this moment, we release the energy of it from the body. Energetically your being will lighten as well as the body and mind. Don’t we have enough stuff in our daily lives to work through, work out and live than to carry useless stress, thoughts, etc?
Make a choice right now of what’s important to you - what’s important in your life and what’s important right at this moment. If everything in your body relaxes as you decide that something does not benefit your life at this moment, then you are listening to the answers held in the body. Take a breath and choose to let it go – it doesn’t benefit you. If you feel like you get an answer of yes, that this feeling or thought does benefit you, decide what you want to do with it. Whatever you do, do it without judgment. Do it, live it, without beating yourself up.
Who will you be if you really surrender this thought, action or situation? You’ll be exactly who you are, just lighter and freer. Take a moment and imagine how you will feel the more you learn to let go of things that do not benefit you? What an amazing thought! It’s actually simple. The only thing that gets in our way of choosing to let go or actually doing it is our ego. There is nothing, there is no one other than you, making the choices in your life.
Surrendering is work. Learn to surrender as you move through the moments of your life. The results as we learn to let go, slowly, piece by piece over time, is worth the practice. When we’re so focused on our “stuff” and controlling it all, we have no room for new and exciting ideas and thoughts. Try it. One day say “I surrender this” and see what happens. Just see if it turns out okay despite your not being as involved.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“Every challenge, every obstacle asks us to take a look at who we truly are.” – Catherine ZeebThere are times in our lives when everything falls apart. There are times when the way we shield and delude ourselves no longer works. The image we project doesn’t fit either. The bottom falls out.
This is when the pain settles in. It may feel like the world is crashing down on you. You may wonder who you are. The truth of who you are is being exposed and it doesn’t feel good. You look in the mirror and see, what you consider to be, your flaws.
When things fall apart we need to pick up the pieces. It is a test and this test can also be a kind of healing. We think we need to fix the problem and the truth is we can never really fix the problem. It will subside then show up again; subside and show up again. Life is like this.
The healing comes in learning that we can allow the flow of life; things happen, sadness or grief comes in, happiness moves through. The healing comes in learning to allow these things to move through us and through our life. The attachment to these things is when it feels like things are falling apart. Allowing them to show up, recognize them and then move through them is when you heal.
Expectations of how something will feel will cause suffering. Letting go allows us to experience, then move on. When we have expectations of what is to be or what is to come of something, we can get very disappointed. Things don’t always work out the way we think they should. Things will work out the way they’re supposed to though. Buddhism calls this cycle of hopelessness, samsara. The cycle goes round and round. We have an idea or an emotion, then we have expectations of how that is supposed to turn out or feel and when it doesn’t we have disappointment. This is the cycle of samsara. These times are when we can choose to either wake up or put ourselves to sleep.
When things arise for us to deal with and take a look at, whether these are things in our minds or things of the world, we can learn to make room for all that is happening. Making room means that we don’t ignore, “cowboy up,” or pretend it’s not happening. We allow ourselves to have the experience. In doing so, the pain, suffering, etc. will not linger within; it will be experienced and released. The old way must die when things fall apart. The challenge or obstacle is calling for a change; calling for things to not be the same. It is asking you to look at who you are, what you are doing and how you can step up in your life.
This is when tenderness comes in to play. Faced with a change, especially one within, we may not like what we see. Like any obstacle that is arising, allow yourself to experience this change, allowing the old way to die. Be gentle with yourself. Love yourself in times of change and challenge. The fear is that we don’t know who we will be when we come out the other end. You might just like what you see.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
We are our own healers. Our high tech, stressed out lifestyles has thrust many of us into chronic physical, emotional, and spiritual depletion. We suffer from overload. Most of us tolerate tired joyless states as normal. What good does it do to tell someone to get more sleep if you haven’t shown them how to relax?Energy medicine views our bodies and spirits as manifestations of subtle energy or life force. It focuses on the importance of balancing our body and spirit to prevent disease. This is missed in mainstream health care but it is becoming more accepted and recognized.
Energy medicine asks us to look within. There are many alternative practitioners who treat the whole person with energy medicine. There are acupuncturists, kinesiologists, homeopaths, chiropractors, Reiki masters, and masseuses. There are those who help with diet, food supplements like vitamins and minerals, exercise and health maintenance programs. There are those interested in shamanism and other ancient forms of healing. And, there is spiritual healing.
Energy medicine works on the commitment of coming to terms with light and dark forces that shape us, excluding nothing. It is total healing with compassion. The most important thing to remember about healing methods is that there is no one way to heal. There is only one that is best and that is the one that works for you.
As in any form of healing or practice, seek out those with the most experience. You will benefit greater and learn more from one who has years of experience over someone who is book learned. Like any profession of healing, education and experience has its place. An experienced energy worker will teach you how to help yourself. Where there is experience there is, hopefully, the best of intention and capabilities for your healing.
Don’t be afraid to ask a practitioner what they do for their personal practice, how long they have done what they will be doing with you and what they will be teaching you to do for yourself. If you are seeking out someone to do ear candling, find someone who has years of experience. If you are seeking out Reiki, find someone who is a Reiki master and has years of experience. If you are seeking out Spiritual counseling, find someone who knows what spiritual counseling is and has years of experience. If you are seeking out an acupuncturist, find one who is licensed and has years of experience. This will help you feel safe and open in allowing this person to guide and work with your inner most pain, life situation or illness. Don’t hand over your healing to just anyone, take charge and ask how you can participate. Ask the practitioner to teach you how to heal yourself, or at minimum, how to maintain your health. Ask them to teach you how to manage or balance the subtle energies that reside within. Energy medicine is not just reserved for ‘special’ people – it is for all of us to experience and practice.
I predict (and hope) that within twenty years there will be complete integration of science and holistic healing; combining spirit, intuition and technology. When modern medicine realizes it cannot heal everything, especially the spirit, it will begin to utilize alternative healing methods. It has been shown that when patients are involved in their own healing, they heal faster.
Get involved with your body, mind and spirit. Healing can be done with compassion and grace. No matter what your life situation or your health, you can learn to feel better, to function better or to accept what is and live in grace and peace. That’s what Energy Medicine can do for you.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
Inner power is not an exertion of your physical strength. Your physical strength or force will diminish in time. Inner power is not speaking a truth which harms another person. Inner power is not pushing down feelings and pretending they don’t exist. It is not playing small. It is not your stories. There is no power in fear.Inner power is our source, Spirit, our connection to higher consciousness. When you find higher consciousness you find a power which will help you move chaos. There are many challenges and obstacles in life that ask us to step into our higher consciousness and take a look at who we are. Tapping into your inner power will help you. Knowing what your truth is will help you.
Your inner power is available in your distress and in the good times too. It is your truth. It is what you know to be true and in that knowledge, all is well. Even if others are trying to damage you or talk about you or make your life miserable, you know your truth and that is your inner power.
Your power is within. It is the connection to Spirit. It is the connection to your heart. It is the connection to your truth. The stories of your life are not your power. If you are so absorbed in the thoughts of your story, your thoughts cannot be directed toward your higher consciousness or your higher power. Your energy will wane and your personal power will be lessened.
We must learn to come into our inner power with our whole body. To come to our power with only a touch of our consciousness would be a shame. It must be done with the whole body. When you do this, everything is One. Wrap every conscious thought to the level of your higher consciousness. When we are in fear, anger or worry, instead of flowing, our Divine Energy becomes damned up inside of us.
We all have issues. If our health is good, then it may be that we have financial difficulties. If our finances are good then our relationships are bad. Issues cause frustration and frustration can turn into a sense of despair. We all work to bring prosperity, happiness, wealth, new ideas to our lives to which they usually fail. The reason for this is that these things need to be released from within instead of searching for them. This is the work of inner power; learning to release instead of forcing.
If we learn to let go, connect to a source larger than us, have faith in the power within, we can find our true place. The actions that cause our issues in life become less important and the work/practice of connecting to the power within and its beautiful consequences become much more important and much easier.
You may feel discontented with your life. This is a good thing. It is the discontentment which will help you find harmony and happiness. If you don’t like your life situation, then change it. If you don’t like your mind situation, then change it. You deserve to be happy and powerful. You deserve to feel that power and joy in each moment of each day. You deserve to live in your truth.
Your inner power is the voice of the Divine, God, or whatever your higher source is. Listen, have faith and trust that all is well because you are being called to listen and sooner or later you will.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“Craving happiness will not bring it to be” – Catherine ZeebThere are two parts to us: the soul which is the Light connected to God, Spirit, Buddha, Nature, the Universe, or Mohammad and there is the ego which convinces us that suffering is the way of the human condition.
What is the definition of suffering? Suffering is pain, struggling, negative thoughts, cravings, desires, addictions, the desire to be better, struggling for power, belief that you are not good enough, etc. Learning to let go of these things will create a more blissful life. If you can create your pain then you can learn to create your happiness.
It’s hard to stop struggling. We believe that we are ‘a separate self (the self not connected to a higher power) which suffers.’ Most people identify with and are addicted to this separate self. The drama that surrounds this separate self becomes reality. People tend to see themselves as the victim, have low self esteem and believe they are the definition of suffering.
The separate self that struggles always feels it has to defend itself. People struggle as a way of fighting against the unknown. We cling to what we know even if it’s painful and confusing. If you decided to let go of struggling you would feel lost and that would feel scary. The truth is that you wouldn’t really be lost, but you would feel lost. This is because we’ve not been taught that pain can actually serve a purpose.
With an understanding that pain or suffering serves a purpose, comes an understanding that your soul is worthy of evolution. The truth is, though, that you don’t have to suffer. Pain asks us to pay attention; pay attention to the fact that you are disconnected from your truth – that you believe you are a separate self. At this moment of recognition, you may choose to release the boundaries that hold you to the pain.
We are given the opportunity to choose to learn through wisdom or fear and doubt in each moment. Choosing to learn through fear or doubt creates pain. The lessons will be hard and fast and usually repetitive. When we choose to learn through wisdom, we release patterns of negativity that no longer serve us. The line between the personality and the soul becomes clearer. Choices are then made by recognizing that either the personality or the soul is making the decisions.
Buddhism holds the Four Noble Truths about suffering: identify the presence of suffering, determine the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and charting the method for attaining the end of suffering. For the sake of limited words here, suffering is desire and ignorance. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material good, and immortality, all of which can never be satisfied. Ignorance relates to not seeing the world as it actually is which leaves an opening for vices such as greed, envy, hatred and anger.
Lighten up, let go and live. This life is so short and we think we can take it all on - that is suffering. If you think about how miniscule we are in the realm of the universe and think about how much we think we ‘have’ to handle, it’s overwhelming. Let go of the things that are truly not important. Let go of the things that do not serve you. Live this life as though your only purpose is learning to focus on the things that are important. Just think of all the room that would make in your life and your soul for the spaciousness of the Divine within you.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“Where you put your attention and intention, there you are” – Catherine ZeebWhat is intention? What do you intend with each action, word or thought? Your intentions drive the outcome in situations. If you are aware of your intentions, all outcomes will be filled with compassion and grace. If, on the other hand, you react to each moment unconsciously and then wonder why the outcome didn’t come out the way you planned it, you were not connected to your intention.
All intention comes from your will. Intention is that place within you that fuels all that you do and all that you are in the world. If you are not aware of your intentions, the strongest unconscious ones will win.
If you are having trouble at work, let’s say, and your intention is to have things get better, you would need to set the intention of change. The desire alone for work to be better will not change anything. If you are not clear with your intention, you will feel torn. If, for example, you want work to be better and on the other hand you want to quit, you will be torn because your intention is not clear.
Your intentions create the reality you experience. It provides the lessons that you have to learn; through wisdom or pain. Every word you speak, every action you take has an intention behind it, whether conscious or unconscious. When you align your soul to your intention instead of your personality, your soul will be reflected. Intention = truth. The deep truth of what you are getting at in any situation, if you are consciously looking at your truth, is your intention. You know what it is. In any situation you may be upset by an outcome, but you know from the moment something arises, what your intention was. In truth, you know. It may feel like you don’t know only because you have not practiced paying attention to intention. But on the soul level, you know.
Practicing your awareness, being present in each moment, and not being afraid to look at your shadow side is one way to begin to understand and know your intentions. If, for example, you are speaking with a loved one and you bring up the subject about something they did years before, is your intention truly to ask about the old situation or is it to, by some old desire within you or habit, make them feel less or unworthy by bringing up this old situation again. Only you know what the intention is behind the question.
This happens quite a bit in families. When you get around your family, they always seem to remember the things you did wrong. Many families don’t sit around and talk about the joy you bring or the qualities you have. This is usually done under the guise of humor. But think about this – in that moment the old memory/situation is brought up, are they not putting you right back to the energy of how you felt then or how they felt then? The old feelings come rushing right back in. You can laugh about it, but you never forget.
Our intentions are not to make us feel bad. We need to be aware of what our truth is behind all words and actions. If you know something you are about to say or do will show someone else’s weakness, then don’t say it. What would be the purpose in it? We can practice and learn to reflect the beauty in ourselves and that in others just by paying attention to the intention behind our thoughts and actions. Speak well, speak clearly and speak truth for the alignment of your soul and to honor the alignment of others’ as well.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
“The healing of the body is essential; but the thing that really matters is the spiritual development of the soul.” – Emmet FoxA physical healing is the outer evidence that a step in spiritual development has taken place. Physical healing is one of the most miraculous manifestations of Spirit, but it is not everything. If a physical healing is to take place, a spiritual healing must take place. This is not to take away from medical miracles and cures; this is healing through energy, or Energy Medicine.
Many have asked their Higher Power why they are ill or in distress. The answer is that we have free will. We must consider what is required by the soul in order to be healthy. We need to be prepared for the change to happen on the soul level and in this, all healing can occur whether in the physical or in death – there will be a healing.
Modern psychology is beginning to understand the significance of spiritual healing. It does help, though, if a therapist is doing their own spiritual work in order to teach others. Otherwise, the process is only book learned and the therapists themselves may be in need of their own healing. An understanding of what spiritual healing is, is essential to teaching others.
Spiritual psychology understands that a thought is not powerless. It is understood that a thought is not destroyed because we suppress it, but that it compresses into untapped energy in the body and will release one day – through depression, physical violence or illness. Spiritual psychology also understands that in order for the spirit to heal, we need to examine our shadow side, both of thoughts and of actions. We can begin the process of healing the spirit by learning how our thoughts create our behaviors and our world. Once upon this path, troubles and difficulties will still come to us. The troubles and difficulties will come up from within to be released and dealt with once and for all. In the releasing is where most healing takes place. The soul’s healing is the acceptance of what is to come. Once spiritual healing begins, what is to be, will be. Not in complacency, but in deciding which fight in life is the best for you.
Spiritual healing is the healing of the soul. It is inner work. It is an understanding that our physical, mental and spiritual health all begins with believing that you can heal and that you deserve to heal. Physical illness can be a source of attention and it becomes a way of life. As harsh as this may sound, from a spiritual perspective, it can be truth. If we learn to not identify with our illness, not have it be the first thing we tell someone when we meet them, then it does not get the attention it needs to grow or remain and we can focus on our spiritual healing. The physical healing will happen, if it is supposed to, when we’re on our spiritual path.
Healing the soul means understanding, in truth, why an illness (physical or mental) benefits you. Once you understand the energy of the illness, you can begin the process of physical healing. Healing the spirit is the beginning of a beautiful journey. It is the release of the old and an understanding that everything can change in each moment. It is not easy. It takes work and it takes a practice to maintain a new/different balance in your life. Enjoy the journey and find good teachers to assist you on the Path.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cathy@healing-spirits.net or call her at 970-376-6660)
A Tornado and the Grace of Divine
I was watching television - a huge tornado was heading towards Windsor! My son and his family live there. I called and called to find out where they were. The news was saying the tornado would hit Windsor in less than 20 minutes and I couldn’t get a hold of my kids. Where were my son, my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter?The news was getting worse. They were warning people to take cover. This was serious. My daughter-in-law finally answered her cell; she and my granddaughter were at WalMart in Greeley. I asked her to stay there because of the tornado which she didn’t even know was about to hit. My son was at work in Greeley.
Within minutes and earlier than the news predicted, the tornado hit Windsor; a one mile wide tornado. There was nothing I could do but watch the devastation on TV. I saw the building where my daughter-in-law works completely demolished and know they live just a few blocks from there. I couldn’t imagine what happened to their home and their animals.
I tried to call the kids again – no answer. Two hours later I got a hold of them and they were heading back to Windsor to see if their house was still standing. My son called me to say their house was relatively ok; minor damage compared to houses right next door. The next block and quite a bit of the surrounding area was almost completely flattened.
My granddaughter graduated kindergarten that morning. Everyone attended including her other grandmother. Afterwards everyone left for their respective activities. My daughter-in-law took the day off work to celebrate with my granddaughter and decided to go with my son to Greeley while he got in a couple hours of work. She and my granddaughter hung out until he was done. She said she wasn’t sure she wanted to go to Greeley but decided to instead of going home.
Think about the grace of Divine. Had she gone to work, she would have been in that building that was flattened. Her daughter would have been at a home in Windsor for daycare. Had they gone home, they would have endured the tornado and the fear. My son would have been in a world of panic not knowing what had happened to them. BUT – that didn’t happen. They made choices on an unconscious level that saved their lives. Their house is standing and habitable. No one got hurt and damage was minimal. My son said that on his way to Greeley, he saw a large blow-up kid’s toy blowing over in a yard. He realized there was a child in it and pulled over to help the mother get her son out. He said, “Maybe by stopping to help out we were paid back with our house and lives saved.” These are things we will never know.
Why that large of a tornado happened is a mystery in itself. There hasn’t been that large of a tornado since around 1987. Why it happened mid-day with most people at work is the grace of Divine. Why my son and his family were out of town on that Thursday is the grace of Divine. Why there were not more people injured is the grace of Divine. Why these things happen the way they do, we will never know.
These are the mysteries of the unknown. To believe we are cared for and graced in good times and in bad is called faith. I’m sure there are so many stories of choices that saved lives that day. Having faith in the midst of your child in trouble and not being able to do anything is the grace of Divine. It’s never easy to think your child or others are ill, lost or suffering, but I am so happy I have faith.
(To contact Cathy, please go to her website at www.healing-spirits.net, email her at cat