A safe harbor where beliefs are respected and kindness prevails.

What Was Special About The Last Two Weeks?

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Fotolia_4945175_Subscription_LTwo weeks ago I suggested that we each spend a little time at the end of each day to think about what was special about that day. I challenged myself to do it as a new habit.

What happened for me is that I started noticing things that I appreciated DURING the day, as they happened, taking note so that I would remember them at the end of the day! Wow. Not what I expected but was thrilled that it worked out that way! A discovery for me!

When you spend your day looking for what is right…what is “a good thing”….you will find them…you will find more goodness in your life than you realized when you weren’t looking. It’s a bit like being on a treasure hunt. So I am going to repeat what I wrote last time for you in the hopes that some of you might try it, and then let me know what YOUR experience was!

“As the sun sets, think back through the day and ponder what was special about this day, this one day of your life. It might be a very simple thing, like you got to pick your favorite new rose from your garden and put it on your husband’s desk. It might be that you wrote a supportive email to a friend. It could be that you had a happy conversation with a stranger in the check out line at the grocery store.”

I had a hair appointment yesterday and my friend and hair cutter remarked that I seemed to be over some issues that had bothered me for a couple of years! So I learned that I didn’t have to deal specifically with the issue, but rather spend more time each day feeling good. Wow, what a homework assignment!

Wouldn’t we all rather feel good than feel bad! If I hadn’t sat here and thought about it, the little gems of experiences I had on any given day would have floated right out of my existence without my receiving the benefit of them. Rather I might be sitting here worried about deadlines, paying bills, afraid about the snake (still not yet found), etc, etc, etc.

What really happens when you do something like this, when you stop to appreciate, is that you shift your energy, shift your “vibes.” For years we have been learning how “like energy” attracts “like energy.” So the more important result of this exercise is that you will, without conscious knowledge or control, attract to you more and more special moments.

Try it for just one week. Set an alarm on your phone or computer, or use the sun as your clock…as it sets, do this exercise. What harm can it do to try it? You don’t have to even tell anyone that you are doing it. I ask you again to give it a try, and then let me know if you had the same experience that I did! If you want to tell me how it worked for you, please email me at voiceofyoursoul@gmail.com

Can’t wait to hear how it works for you…and am thrilled about how it feels for me!

What Was Special About Today?

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Fotolia_61245786_Subscription_Monthly_MI started to write that I do this exercise every day…but I don’t really do it so it wouldn’t be honest…but I want to…and writing this will remind me to START doing it every day. Here it is.

As the sun sets, think back through the day and ponder what was special about this day, this one day of your life. It might be a very simple thing, like you got to pick your favorite new rose from your garden and put it on your husband’s desk. I did that today. I might be that you wrote a supportive email to a friend. I did that today. It might be that you had a meeting about an art show you are helping organize today and your ideas were well received. I did that today.

What else special happened today?

Our neighbors all came together to report a rattlesnake loose in our yards somewhere. Greater than the fear I felt, it felt good that I live in a place where people care for each other.

This morning when I took the dogs out first thing, I was able to sit by the pool and meditate for a bit. That was nice.

The painters are just about finished with the bathroom remodel painting today…BEAUTIFUL work on my 28-year old bathroom…I get to use it tomorrow!

It is a warm and sunny day with a beautiful clear blue sky.

Oh, and I am REALLY enjoying that I get to take the time to write this column today! How lucky is that!

Any one of those things would make today special…and look at how many things that I had to list! Doing this right now, made me feel good on this otherwise ordinary unremarkable day. And that is the point. Wouldn’t we all rather feel good than feel bad! If I hadn’t sat here and thought about it, those little gems of experiences would have floated right out of my existence without me receiving the benefit of them. Rather I might be sitting here worried about deadlines, paying bills, afraid about the snake (not yet found), etc, etc, etc.

What really happens when you do something like this, when you stop to appreciate, is that you shift your energy, shift your “vibes.” For years we have been learning how “like energy” attracts “like energy.” So the more important result of this exercise is that you will, without conscious knowledge or control, attract to you more and more special moments.

Try it for just one week. Set an alarm on your phone or computer, or use the sun as your clock…as it sets, do this exercise. What harm can it do to try it? You don’t have to even tell anyone that you are doing it. Try it along with me and I’ll report the results for me in my next column, two weeks from now! If you want to tell me how it worked for you, please email me at voiceofyoursoul@gmail.com

Can’t wait to hear how it works for you…and can’t wait to see how it feels for me!

Know Your Truth

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fotolia_8699262_Subscription_LOne very important way to get the most satisfaction out of your life is to learn to know YOUR authentic truth…not what you THINK is your truth. It is hard to see sometimes because we tend to pick up on what others see FOR us. In our need for approval, our need to be part of a “tribe,” we are often influenced by what others think we should be doing. They are eager to tell us because it validates their own choices…their opinions…THEIR soul choices. So how do you know when something is truly your truth? The easiest way is to notice how it feels in your gut. Does it delight you? Does it feel like something awesome and new?

If an idea, a feeling, a desire feels really good to you, you might be tempted to share it with others for validation. Sometimes in doing that our direction is thwarted because the person we are sharing it with doesn’t have the same feeling for it that we do. No one else can be expected to “get” what you are feeling because it is unique only to you. Sometimes sharing with others can crush a seedling of an idea before it is ready to stand on its own. Treat an idea that feels so good like a delicate sprout that needs to fill out before being put on stage for review. Don’t give up on it, just hold it close to the vest for a while and give it time to develop.

There are many reasons why people may want to discourage an idea you have…many of those reasons are good, some are bad.

Best Intentions:

They want to protect you from embarrassment

They are concerned about your finances

They have seen you try something similar in the past that didn’t work

They don’t want you to push yourself out of your comfort zone

Not so great intentions:

They are jealous

They don’t trust their own ideas

They fear your success will take you away from them

Well enough of that! But how on EARTH do you learn to trust your own judgment about what is right for you…what is your truth, your soul’s purpose?

There are many exercises you can do to develop an improved dialogue with your higher self so that you can learn to better trust your own judgment. You may make mistakes in this learning process, but you will learn…and you get stronger for the effort.

Here is a process I have been doing myself for years and it has really helped me. At first, I recommend doing this simple process daily if you can. I developed this process when I came to understand that we are made up of several different “bodies” that either work together or against each other. After you do this simple exercise a few times you will get an idea of what I am talking about. The four bodies are physical, emotional, mental, and soul or spiritual.

  • First find a quiet place to either sit or stand for a few minutes. Then ask how your physical body feels, and what it needs … is it tired, rested, strong? Your physical body consists of your muscles, your bones, your organs, your skin…you get the idea. So ask how the physical aspect of your total self is feeling at the moment and wait a minute to hear an answer.
  • Next ask to get in touch with your emotional body. I usually start by putting my attention in the heart area, and then ask how you are feeling “emotionally” at the moment. Are you happy, sad, neutral, anxious, etc. Ask how the emotional aspect of your total self is feeling at the moment and wait a minute to hear an answer.
  • Next you will ask to get a reading of your mental body. That involves your mind and your nervous system. Is your mind working quickly today or are you a bit fuzzy? Ask how that aspect of your total self is feeling at the moment and wait a minute to hear an answer.
  • Then, finally, ask for your higher self or soul body to become fully engaged with the other three bodies and ask to bring all aspects (bodies) into focus with each other. I usually feel a deep sense of relaxation at this stage.

At this point, you can trust what you are thinking and feeling. You can trust your own inner voice. It may take a few days of trying this to identify your different bodies, and that is just fine. Simply ask, listen, and then move on to the next step even if you don’t hear anything.

The reason to recognize and honor each of the different bodies is really simple. We know that if we are emotionally upset, we might make bad mental decisions. We know that if we are physically tired, we may snap at someone emotionally.

Think of it as like when you go to the doctor to have your eyes examined. When they flip the different lenses in front of your eye, each layer improves or worsens your vision. When you are making decisions, ALL your bodies are involved in the process, and if one is out of whack, it will affect your decision-making process.

This is just one of the many things you can do to develop a trust in the wisdom of your higher self as your best councilor…to guide you to your own truth. There are many “roads to Rome” and I humbly present this as just one of them … worth giving a try.

Dealing With Loss

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Fotolia_1527412_Subscription_LThere is no easy way to deal with the loss of a family member or close friend. It just plain hurts and feels like it always will. Our family is going through this now and in pondering what I could write that would be helpful to others in this situation, I realized how many different aspects there are to this subject.

First, do you believe in some kind of “afterlife?” A very large part of our population walked away from traditional religion because much of it doesn’t “fit” with modern times. That was true for me when I couldn’t get answers that made sense … such as why native people’s never exposed to my religious teaching would not be admitted to “Heaven”… or even worse, if they were exposed and didn’t choose our version of God, they would go to Hell…where it is really hot and you suffer for the rest of eternity. Huh? But the fear of such consequences is so deep in us that, even if we walked away from our family’s teachings, on some level we are still subject to those beliefs. Most of the time it doesn’t matter what we have chosen to believe…until someone dies. Then, who does one turn to for an understanding of the process?

Many will share words of kindness. That is human nature and that is a lovely aspect of human nature indeed. But that doesn’t help answer questions about where your loved one goes when their spirit leaves the body. For me, even though I did walk away from my family religion, I never stopped searching for answers. There are many of us that have spent our lives doing that, with the sincerity of true seekers. So for all my research, I truly do believe there is an afterlife for the souls of the departed. I believe the soul drops the personality of the life they were living along with the body, and they become the essence of who they are … pure spirit in the process of evolving. I don’t believe that the “other side” is a place where you are rewarded or punished for your life’s deeds. I believe you connect with your soul family there. But how does it “feel” for them.

Next one has to try to understand the difference between the personality and the soul. Wow, that’s a big one, but lets give it a try. The personality is made up of many emotions and opinions…love, hate, passion, fear, joy, anger, revenge, pity, compassion, disappointment, frustration, etc. It is at the level of the personality that beliefs like “An eye for an eye” come from. Now try to image being in a state without such emotions … not emotionless, but rather being in a state of pure positive energy and viewing all human interaction from a higher place, your higher self, and without judgment about the behavior of others … sort of Saint like. That is the soul level in my humble opinion.

Finally, if you can believe that we each have a soul, that there is someplace for that soul to go when you die, a good and comforting place with family there to welcome you, it makes the personal loss of your departed loved one easier to bare. The loss is still real … they are no longer here to talk to, to plan things with, to see on vacations, or to watch grow old along with you. They are just plain gone from your life and the more you loved them, the bigger the hole they leave behind. But if you can consider what I have described above, perhaps at least that is comforting…knowing that they are OK, in fact, they are great. Then let your healing process begin.

I do sincerely hope this is helpful. It is meant to be. So many people are experiencing loss right now, with missing airplanes and sinking boats…tornadoes and mud slides. Their pain is so real but in time most will heal from their loss. I believe what I have written here to be true, not just a “feel good band-aid.” It is the result of a lifetime of study.

Now go out and hug someone you appreciate! It will make you feel better even if you haven’t just lost someone!

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