What a tumultuous summer and early fall it has been as we continue to navigate the shifting energies on both a global and personal level. From whatever perspective we view it, such transformational shifts feel like we are surfers on our boards riding the huge waves. On the global level, we are experiencing devastating climate changes, stock market volatility, and political turmoil. Personally, many of us are struggling with work, financial, health, and relationship issues feeling fatigue, energy drains and deep-seated vulnerability.However, the good news is that this time is one of unprecedented transformation. And, how we perceive these … [Read more...]
Disengaging From Energetic Bullies
Everyday we come into contact with people whose energies are toxic, negative and drain our positivity. These "energy bullies" as I refer to them, often are family members, close friends, intimate partners and colleagues. These adult negative energy bullies have difficulty being accountable for own lives. Rather than taking responsibility for their own thoughts feelings and actions, they often become defensive, blame others, and/or play mind games that tries to protect their own ego. People stuck in these toxic patterns can be depleting to our positive energies and highly destructive to our self-esteem. When we simply interact or are in … [Read more...]
Tuning In To the Guidance of Spirit
Tuning into the inner guidance of our spirit helps us develop a more conscious relationship with our true being-the full expression of our soul's journey through our human experience. When we open our hearts and access our inner voice, we invite spirit to guide us, at which point its whisper provides a flow of spiritual information we can use to make better, more discerning choices in our lives. This interaction between spirit and soul originates in age-old distinctions between the two phenomena. In the fifth century BC, Socrates and Plato supported the premise that there is an individual human spirit and a collective soul, and when the … [Read more...]
A Time of Hope
"Hope Is a waking dream." - Aristotle As we witness the amazing events of the Olympic Games, we see that it is a time of hope. From an amputee's dream of running in the Olympics, to the courage of a sixteen-year old gymnast, each athlete inspires us with hope-hope for our world, for our country and for our own dreams. Hope makes it possible to not only endure any hardship, but to make the best of any challenging situation. Tapping into this resiliency of the human spirit allows us to transcend and transform even the most devastating circumstances in our lives. Hope gives us the spiritual resilience we need to heal the wounds of our heart … [Read more...]
Compassion and Love: Pathways to Inner Peace
"Compassion and love are not mere luxuries...they constitute non-violence in action." - Dalai Lama Compassion and love are our greatest pathways to inner peace and our true source of happiness. This past week, I had the blessed opportunity to hear the Dalai Lama speak on non-violence at a Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates at Loyola University. Although hearing him speak has been a lifelong dream of mine, it wasn't about checking this experience off my bucket list. On the contrary, it is about being in alignment with the universal principles of compassion, love and inner peace and practicing them in everyday life. What this experience revealed … [Read more...]
Are We There Yet? Spiritual Growth as a Lifelong Journey
There are times when we feel that we are spinning our wheels, going backwards, or stuck in terms of our personal/spiritual growth. How can it be that we work so hard on our spiritual development only to uncover deeper pockets pain in our hearts? Why is it, when we think we have finally cleared our "stuff," we find more subtle layers of patterns revealed to us? This begs the question so many of us want to know: Are we There Yet? and If not, When? However, we must realize that spiritual transformation requires a commitment for the long haul-constant personal evolution over a lifetime. Our spiritual transformation is not a goal that can be … [Read more...]
Disengaging From Negative People
Many people who we come into contact with everyday have difficulty being accountable for own lives. Rather than take responsibility for their choices, they often become defensive, blame others, and/or play mind games trying to protect their own ego. People stuck in these toxic patterns can deplete our energies, drain our resources and are destructive to our lives. When we interact or are in relationship with them, we think we have to play the same games to defend or protect ourselves, yet this only leads to deeper confusion, more conflict, and erodes our true sense of ourselves.The best way to detach from people who engage in such negativity … [Read more...]
Transforming Loss into Love
"Earth has one angel less and heaven one more, since yesterday." - Nathaniel HawthorneDespite the deep pain it elicits, loss teaches us about the delicate balance, intensity, and richness of life. We cannot experience the pain of loss without first having experienced the joys associated with what has been lost. In the movie Shadowlands, poet Joy Gresham, in speaking about her impending death to author C. S. Lewis, expresses, "The greater the love, the deeper the sorrow and the longer it will take to work through it. That's the deal." Simply, As I embrace the untimely death of my beloved soul dog, Cammi, I feel both a great love and a … [Read more...]
Finding Peace in Turmoil
Life presents us with the opportunity to find peace in turmoil every day. In such moments, we can feel anxious, unprepared, and even a sense of futility when faced with an unexpected situation. We may be struggling with work, financial, health or relationship issues, feeling fatigue, energy drains and disappointment. This is when we have to first recognize the opportunity in front of us to let go of our expectations and "go with the flow." By trusting ourselves and our inner power, we can remain open to this positive flow of energy and move through any challenge with grace, ease and responsiveness. First, it's important that we accept any … [Read more...]
Taking Charge of Our Destiny
Taking charge of our destiny requires us to nurture and sustain a more conscious relationship with ourselves by becoming accountable for our lives-every thought, feeling, and choice we make. Being responsible for ourselves means becoming aware of our negative perceptions, the dynamics of our current relationships, and our prospects for the future. The intrinsic power to realize our dreams begins with trusting ourselves and choosing to live fully expressed in every moment, no matter what is happening in our lives. It is up to us to fulfill our full potential as individuals and then attract, develop, and sustain the most inspiring and … [Read more...]
