Soul Vibes: LoA Demystified
Below I am offering a synopsis of a recent presentation
and coaching forum for those who may not have been able
to attend. This has been a vision of mine for some
time, and it was an honor and a joy to see come to
fruition. The fact that I was offering the presentation
itself is evidence of its content! Enjoy.
This
serves as a great introduction to the Law of
Attraction, and how it informs SHiNE Coaching from a
“soulular perspective.”
Soul
Vibes: Vibrational Self-Mastery & The Law of
Attraction
New
Renaissance Bookshop, Portland, OR
Thursday, August 13, 2009
by Candice Schutter
This coaching forum focused specifically on a teaching
that has gotten a lot of mainstream attention in the
past couple of years – the Law of Attraction. It is my
hope that you will leave here tonight with a greater
understanding – not only of the Law of Attraction – but
of HOW it relates to a deeper aspect of who you really
are. We will explore the LoA from a soulular
perspective in order to make it a meaningful and
practical part of your spiritual practice. This
gathering is about self-directing your energy. It is
about consciously aligning with who you really are in
each and every moment.
I was first exposed to LoA in 2000, through a daily
martial arts (qigong) discipline. It was then that I
was first introduced to the idea that my thoughts were
powerful causal factors in my everyday life. I was
hooked on learning more! Since then, I have been an
avid student of metaphysics. In 2003, I was exposed to
new thought ministries, and I studied how modern
pioneers like Ernest Holmes created an philosophy and
spiritual way of life that put this awareness to work
through affirmative prayer. On my metaphysical journey,
I have cycled through seasons of passionate inquiry, as
well as times of intense skepticism and uncertainty. My
recent studies – namely of the leading edge work
of
Esther and Jerry Hicks
– have led me to understand LoA in a larger sense. Much
of what I will be sharing with you is inspired directly
by their work – along with my own experience and the
clients that I see applying these principles.
It is important to remember that the recent buzz around
the Law of Attraction in mainstream circles is only
hinting at a deeper pulse. We live in a marketplace. As
a result, media created to appeal to the mainstream is
often a watered-down version of the truth. I am
interested in expanding your definition of these unseen
forces, placing them into a spiritual framework that
can lead to a joyful and uplifting existence. Remember
to smile often and have fun!
What
is the Law of Attraction?
The Law of Attraction is based on a number of
progressing premises:
(inspired
by the teachings of
Abraham-Hicks,
among others)
1.
Everything is Made Up of Energy
The
universe is made up of energy – both visible and not
visible. Everything seen and unseen is energy. By
definition, energy is in a constant state of perpetual
motion - thus, it is also known as vibration. The
slower the energy is moving the more dense it is. The
more dense, the slower it is to change. For example:
thought is a faster moving energy than matter. From
this perspective, materialization is the slowing of a
continual vibration into form. Therefore, it is said
that there is a vibrational reality that exists,
proceeding all that we see in physical form. The
vibrational reality is real – it is just unseen until a
continuous holding of that resonance results in matter
(or evidence in physical form).
2.
Energy is Life & Life is Perpetual and
Expansive
Everything
in the universe is in a perpetual state of expansion
and growth. All living things move towards greater
thriving, and change form in order to do so. This
expansion is constant and all living things are an
aspect of this expansion. Since everything is energy,
it can be said that everything is one energy - one
pulsing, expansive force of life. Put in a spiritual
framework, it is Source expressing and evolving itself
through all form that it takes. It is all a part of the
overall expansion of life - even you. There is no
escaping expansion, it is an inevitable aspect of life
itself.
3. Expansion Happens Through Polarity &
Contrast
Expansion
happens through the law of polarity. The physical realm
is driven by contrast. And through contrast, all desire
is born. In other words, in order to become more, all
living things experience contrast – it is in the
not-wanting of things that a new experience is born –
when we have an experience of “no not that” we
co-create a vibrational version that is better – it
happens immediately, as the way of the universe it one
of expansion and continual creation.
The
Law of Attraction (mainstream, material
perspective):
We
have been taught, plain and simply:
like attracts like.
The Law of Attraction says what you put your attention
on will continue to evidence itself in your life.
Whatever you focus on will expand. Therefore, the more
that you focus on “what-is”, the more of the same you
will get. So we are taught,
focus your attention on what you want
instead.
The
Law of Attraction (soulular
perspective):
Put
in a larger context, we can take the Law of Attraction
much further. (Or rather, it takes US further). The Law
of Attraction is working continually. We cannot apply
it any more than we can apply the law of gravity.
However, we can certainly understand it better! From a
greater context, the soulalar perspective says this:
Your desires are born of the polarity of life. When you
desire something (as a result of contrast), you become
a vibrational match to something greater. And
regardless of the form that it might seem to take, EACH
and EVERY desire that is birthed in you is a desire for
soul connection. No matter what desires that contrast
has birthed in you,
there is only ever one desire
at the root of it all – to become more of who you
really are. Thus,
when you experience contrast, you create a new version
of YOU
that simply must be experienced as a part of the
greater expansion of life itself. As soon as it has
been conjured, your soul begins to stir. Suddenly that
potential is ripe and ready in you, and
nothing less will do.
How
can I “use” the Law of Attraction?
It is a bit of a misnomer, for the Law of Attraction is
always at work in your life. In fact, IT is using YOU
in the greater expansiveness of life. What you can do,
however, is understand how it is working. You have all
the guidance you need, built right in!
YOUR
EMOTIONS – YOUR ENERGETIC GPS SYSTEM
You
are hard-wired for expansion. You can very easily learn
how to use the feedback of your emotions to understand
where your vibration is at any given moment. If we use
our earlier definition of energy, we are reminded that
as an energy is contemplated over time, it becomes more
and more dense. Until eventually, it will evidence
itself in our physical reality.
Thought >>>> E M O T I O N >>>>
Form
Therefore, emotion is the intermediary between thought
and form. It gives us immediate and undiluted feedback
about how we are vibrating.
The soulular LoA invites us to take this even further.
Remember, upon desiring something it has become a
vibrational reality for you. Not only that, YOU have
become a match for that (on a soulular level) and
nothing less will do. Thus, how you feel becomes an
absolute indicator of how close or how far away you are
from that NEW YOU that has become. When you feel “good”
you are right on track, in vibrational alignment. When
you feel “bad” you are holding yourself apart from your
potential in some way.
In summary, the LoA (material perspective) says...
think/feel/act in accordance with what you want. There
is wisdom there. Sure. Yet people get what they want
all the time, and then later wonder why it didn’t yield
happiness.
I invite you to evolve in your understanding of this
force of life. The LoA (soulular perspective) says...
think/feel/act your way into vibrational alignment with
who you have BECOME. Allow the perpetual expansion of
self to guide you towards true happiness. You can still
enjoy the ever-changing means through which ultimate
happiness comes. Yet, you experience the joy of
authenticity and soul alignment when you understand
that the physical pleasures of life - enjoy them! - are
wonderful containers through which expansion can occur.
Key Understandings in order to work WITH the
LoA:
You
Attract – The Universe Creates
It’s
called the Law of Attraction for good reason.
Let yourself off the hook when in comes to “creation.”
You attract a possibility through your desire and
subsequent ability to align yourself with it. Reality
is subjective, and you experience what you are
available for. Many different possibilities already
exist. It is really up to YOU which of these realities
you align with.
You Live In An Interdependent Universe
You
are not the only show in town.
Your thoughts are not the only ones out there, and your
energy effects more than just you. The possibility of
something is sometimes collectively determined... the
probability (in your reality) is personally determined
by your match to it. Likewise, trust in the unfolding.
Your good is a part of the greater good. The perfect
outcome is determined by a vantage point that far
exceeds your own, benefiting all involved in the
perfect way and timing.
Feeling
Matters More Than Thought
You
can affirm until you are blue in the face, but feeling
is seeing.
Therefore, it is MUCH more efficient to monitor your
emotions over thoughts. Use how you feel to determine
your vibrational alignment to your desires... then use
thought to re-direct towards better feeling sensations
(alignment). Here is a great tool for changing your
primary vibration on any given topic.
Click Here
to learn about the Focus Wheel Process.
Energy
Matters More Than Content
The
energy of alignment is the only thing that matters, It
matters far more than the content of your desire.
Because the world is a marketplace, we are fed story
after story of people manifesting exactly what they
wanted. And you may just do that! However, the only
manifestation that is ever occurring is alignment with
true power (the soul) and how it can be best expressed
in any given moment. When you get too caught up in the
content, you MISS the point (and the power is lost).
You distract yourself from obvious goodness.
Action
is Essential on the Big Stuff
Action
can help to shift a vibrational pattern.
We have learned that action without alignment can be
futile. Yet on the big stuff, alignment without action
is a tall order! Action can be the missing ingredient
to truly place you in vibrational proximity to your
desires. Thus, action is not creating the perfect
outcome... it is placing you within the vibrational
vicinity of it. Likewise, if you don’t tend to your
vibration, action can be the one thing that is making
you a mismatch to the vibration that is at the root of
your desire. Therefore, action when in alignment is the
most powerful combination there is!
There
are No Absolutes in an Expansive Perspective
What
you don’t know can’t hurt you unless you pretend to
know it all.
This perspective is not meant to be all-encompassing.
We are continually growing in our understanding of this
force in our lives. Be willing to test it out and be
willing to expand and grow in your perspective. Take
what works for you, and leave the rest behind.
At the core of this message is this: follow your
soulular compass to the life that expresses the
continual you that is unfolding!
Do
you want the nutshell version?
Your dreams are drawn to you, if you allow them to flow
you in their direction. Embrace the moments of
discomfort for the clarity they bring, and then release
them by focusing on what they are birthing in you. Feel
good, relax, accept, and enjoy the expansion of life.
We all benefit from your willingness to smile.
Soul Light
April/May 2009
The
moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and
hesitate to tell the truth that is in us...the divine
floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.
Elizabeth
Cady Stanton
As a coach, I am privy to the themes of human
experience. While the stories of our lives take on
different shapes and characters, certain sensations are
common. Feeling stuck - either energetically or
circumstantially - is a common sensation that we all
face at one time or another.
Upon closer examination, "I feel stuck" is describing a
sensation of powerlessness. To feel powerless is to
lose connection to the voice of your soul and the more
of you that is longing to become. As a life coach with
a soulular approach, my job is to poke around in the
dark to help realign you with the light source
beckoning to you from within - reflecting itself
through your life experience.
Neale Donald Walsch cleverly describes the SOUL as a
Singular Output of Universal Life. So let's imagine
your soul is a light source through which a larger
intelligence speaks to you. Your soul light shines on
the fluid landscape of your life in order to guide your
way. Like a compass, it directs you to move this way
and that in order to connect you with the larger Light
of Source. When you yield to the trajectory of your
soul, you feel the bliss of Source shining upon you.
You feel powerful as you move towards more of you as an
outpicturing of this Larger Light. Your soul is
unfolding you through your experiences, and its job is
to take you in the direction of more of you becoming.
Yet, when you turn from your loving soul light - often
towards the directional light of what you think others
might want of you - you feel lost and disconnected from
joy. The light seems to elude you. Why? Your soul has
shifted its energetic focus in the direction of who you
have become, and you are not following along. You are
stuck being who you once were. Your discomfort is your
soul calling out your name in the dark, inviting you to
turn towards your future. Thus, the feeling of being
lost (or stuck) is good news! It lets you know that you
have developed into the new you, and that now is a time
to shift your vantage point and direction.
Living authentically is an internal gauge that can only
be read from within. When you are in alignment with
your soul light - your values, passions, purpose, who
you are becoming - you know it by how good you feel.
Authenticity is an continuous dance of keeping your
vibration (way of being) level with the next evolution
of your soul's unfolding.
When your soul light turns you in an unpopular
direction; you must go in order to realign. Approval is
fluid and co-creative - others reflect how much you are
able to accept your right to become. They give your
will something to push against in order to develop
strength and confidence in who you are. Yet, this
discomfort too shall pass. In the end, living
authentically is never about rebellion - fighting
against what others think of you only strengthens your
fixation on them as your gauge. Nor is authentic
living about isolation - to live in alignment with who
you are does not require abandoning the desires of (and
your commitment to) those you love. On the contrary,
you are more present and true in every relationship
when you are confident, secure, and walking in the
world as who you really are. You no longer confuse the
way you feel with outside causes; nor do you expect
others to be as you are. You understand that YOU are
the first cause of your greatest joys and sorrows, not
those around you. Because your joy depends on you
alone, the people in your life approach you eagerly.
Your feeling good is up to you...they are off the hook!
This leaves you both present for authentic connection.
As a final thought: when you are feeling powerless, it
is important to note that your soul light only gets
stronger and stronger in your search for it. It is
there; always it is there calling out to you. In fact,
without this light from behind, you would not even be
able to see your shadow. Isn't that a grand design!
SIGN UP for
theMessenger
Our
FREE monthly eNewsletter
all
subscriptions are secure through Constant
Contact
View past issues of theMessenger to
learn more
From Breakdown to Breakthrough
December 2008
Sometimes a breakdown can be the beginning of a kind of
breakthrough, a way of living in advance through a
trauma that prepares you for a future of radical
transformation.
- Cherrie
Moraga
Life is a series of
breakthroughs.
Consider the way in which we come into the world. Quite
literally breaking through, we begin the cycle of life
as we know it. We are pushed into being by a force
beyond our control. What lies on the other side of the
trauma that we are experiencing is unknown, and is
therefore feared. Soon we learn that the same force
that pushed us into the world is the essence of
nourishment and safety. Nevertheless, in the moment of
birth and emergence, we cry out as the light pierces
the veil of darkness. Naturally, we wince at a power
that exceeds comprehension.
We spend the rest of our life re-living this birth
pattern, comforts followed by contractions. These
contractions often come to us as breakdowns - some
aspect of our life threatening to dissolve. Each time,
life is leading us to a new emergence (greater light)
so that we might experience more brilliance - of
insight, of connection, of purpose. Through each and
every breakdown - however dark it may seem - is the
womb through which more light will emerge. Thus, each
breakdown is a breakthrough - a state of emergenc-y in
the truest sense.
If we so choose, we may reframe our approach to the
emergencies of life. There is no denying that such
seasons of change can be painful and confusing. The
time spent in the midst of breakdown is a time of
contraction requiring strength and endurance, and can
be especially difficult if the light of breakthrough
cannot be readily seen in the distance. A breakdown
forces us from the comfort of the status quo so that we
might acknowledge what we have too long denied. We have
become dependent on habits that we have outgrown, and
we are being forced to take our life to the next level.
Generally, breakdowns are met with fear. (Just look no
further than current state of our financial sectors for
evidence of this on a cultural level). The natural
energy of fear is contraction, withdrawal, and
sometimes panic. In times of breakdown, we are
conditioned to feel smaller as we are faced with a
force beyond our control. We may feel defeated,
ill-equipped, and unsure of what is to come. In
essence, we ask the same questions that we did not have
words for as we emerged from the womb - where oh where
could these contractions be taking us?!
I suggest we approach this
time of contraction with consciousness, introspection,
and a certain degree of trust. Activate your inner
witness, and assess what is no longer in harmony with
your most heartfelt desires. Ask yourself:
What habits
have I outgrown? How am I being asked to change? In
what ways am I limiting the possibilities in my life?
And, what am I most afraid of? In this way, we consciously
engage with each contraction, willingly and openly
breathing through the waves of challenge in the hope of
greater insight.
Yet awareness, while most
essential, is only the yin of it. in the end - and only
you will know when it is time - you must be prepared to
engage the yang within...to push your way out.
Contractions get closer together; discomfort forces you
into action...and you facilitate your own rebirth by
taking courageous steps that align you with the
potential you are stepping into.
Listening to the wisdom of
breakdown, we learn from it, and thereby facilitate
breakthroughs in our own lives. Keep in mind,
reflection can be made easier in the company of a
coach, an ally, or a dear friend. When we are held in
the spirit of self-empathy, fear is transmuted into
power. When navigated consciously, fear can actually be
used as a wisdom that results in a more expansive you.
Just as contractions enable birth, if allowed, fear
enables new life. Contraction begets expansion.
Breakdown begets breakthrough.
Keep in mind, most
breakthroughs happen in stages. Each and every
contraction bringing more awareness of how we must
continually move and grow. Take it one step at a time,
and know that the joy of a new path is emerging:
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS
by Portia
Nelson
Chapter
I:
I walk down the
street.
There is a deep hole in the
sidewalk
I fall in.
I am
lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes
me forever to find a way out.
Chapter
II:
I walk down the same
street.
There is a deep hole in the
sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see
it.
I fall in again.
I can't
believe I am in the same place
but, it isn't my
fault.
It still takes a long time
to get out.
Chapter
III:
I walk down the same
street.
There is a deep hole in the
sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I
still
fall in ...
it's a habit.
My eyes are
open.
I know where I am.
It is my
fault.
I get out
immediately.
Chapter
IV:
I walk down the same
street.
There is a deep hole in the
sidewalk.
I walk around
it.
Chapter
V:
I walk down another
street.
Seeing The Light Ahead,
Candice
SIGN UP for
theMessenger
Our
FREE monthly eNewsletter
all
subscriptions are secure through Constant
Contact
View past issues of theMessenger to
learn more
Light From Within
November 2008
Cowardice asks the question, Is it safe?
Expediency asks the question, Is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, Is it popular?
But, conscience asks the question, Is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position
that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one
must take it because one's conscience tells one that it
is right.
Martin Luther King, Jr
Courage is be true to what
is in your heart, even in the face of potential
backlash. There is pressure in our culture to be
politically neutral in the arena of business. Like the
separation of church and state, we often keep our
principles and politics out of the workplace and
confine it to our homes. In many instances, there is
wisdom in such intentions. Too often, personalities
become intertwined in political debates and everyone
loses in the need to be right. For some reason we find
cause to argue, caught in the out-dated illusion that
in order to be for something we have to be against
someone.
Nevertheless, tonight I challenge the status quo. I
step out of the box. I become transparent in my
principles because, for the first time in my life, I
feel the emergence of a leader who echoes my
conscience. My business and my practice are really a
reflection of who I am, and an aim to share my gifts
through the way I am designed to serve. And so, with
joy and an unprecedented feeling of my own ideals and
truths reflected, I share my unabashed joy at the
election of Barack Obama as the new president of the
United States. In doing so, I take the risk that some
of you will confuse my principles with political issues
and turn a derisive ear on my musings. It's a chance I
am willing to take; as I believe that truth and
transparency always lead us closer to what unites us in
the end.
Hope is the voice within, that in the absence of all
evidence insists that Light is still present.
Hope, a fundamental SHiNE
Principle.
I can't ever remember
feeling connected to a political leader who lived and
drew breath in my lifetime. I have yearned to feel
inspired by, not only a personality, but a message that
resonates at the core of who I am. My life has been a
bumpy journey guiding me towards the ideals of truth,
humility, grace, compassion, and most of all, hope.
I so often looked around at the world in which I lived
with confusion, wondering if the unity, diplomacy, and
promise that I know is possible might ever be reflected
back to me on a large scale in my lifetime. As a child
who moved from small town to small town, I felt
isolated from the world of stability and abundance. As
an adolescent I was baffled by my small but powerful
reality that demanded an offensiveness of me that I
didn't inherently possess. As a young college student,
I dove into philosophy, religion, and ancient texts as
substitutes for the leadership I yearned for in my
coming of age. And as a young adult, I have often felt
I am designed to live in a different world than the one
reflected back to me in our cultural habits and
expectations. Nevertheless, I have fought to live the
life of hope through my choices. No matter what safety,
expedience, and vanity might have to say...inner
authority matters most of all. And there is a light
inside of me - however dim it may seem at times - that
says it is possible to be who I am in this world. It is
indeed possible to recreate a world in which everyone
feels he or she has a place and a significance.
Tonight, I shed tears of joy as I witnessed a crowd of
hundreds of thousands of people like me (young,
diverse, and full of promise) with light and
possibility in their eyes. While I have confidence in
Obama's principles and what he represents, I did not
vote for a man, an issue, or an icon. I voted for a
message of hope and unity. I have no doubt that as a
president he will face challenges, and I pray that as
Americans we offer he and his family the grace of
humanness. However, it is the premise of possibility
and common purpose that inspires me beyond he, the
person. It is what his brilliance elicits in others
that matters most to me. It's the look of
determination, inspiration, and strength that I saw
reflected in eyes of so many in the crowd that gathered
all over the country that moved me to tears. You see,
as a coach and teacher, I know the power of a will
driven by purpose. Nothing stands in the way of the
promise of possibility when the will is self-initiated
and encouraged.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person
or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting
for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama
I have never felt more
certain and motivated in my work and in the potential
of a new world. Tonight, I cried for the child inside
of me - and the ancient archetype inside of so many
around the world - who never thought someone like her
could ever be fully accepted by the world in which we
live.
Regardless of your political affiliation, may you have
the courage to look beyond division and find a way to
unify and align with the greater good that we all seek.
I respect you fully for your beliefs, your principles,
and your vote in any direction. May we embrace a world
where we can all be honored and listened to in our joys
and successes, and more importantly in our
disappointments and frustrations.
Personally, I see a universal victory in the outcome of
this election. In this season of long days of darkness,
we are forced look to the light within - the spark of
potential felt, yet unseen in the absence of sun. It is
from that prick of light inside that spring is seeded.
In actuality, potential for change comes not from an
outside source, but from our own conviction and inner
compass in life. May we all tend to the hope within in
order to unite in a common purpose. After all, in the
end, it is our differences that empower and enable us
to experience deep love, living in a symphonic harmony
that sameness simply cannot express.
Yours as a New American,
Candice
SIGN UP for
theMessenger
Our
FREE monthly eNewsletter
all
subscriptions are secure through Constant
Contact
View past issues of theMessenger to
learn more
Embracing The Many Paths
September 2008
Many
are the names of God and infinite the forms
through which He may be approached.
- Ramakrishna, 18th century Indian Sage
When we hear the word yoga most of us think of
conscious movement, repetitions of downward facing
dogs, sweaty palms, and deep breathing. I find it
inspiring that so many in our culture are inhabiting
their bodies more, and channeling the built-up stresses
of a restless spirit into conscious mind-body practice.
Even as a practitioner myself, I have always known that
modern-day yoga is a secular by-product of a spiritual
tradition that dates back centuries.
In my recent studies as an enthusiastic grad student
(see announcement about AIHT!), I have been skimming
the surface of my coursework. I was immediate drawn
into some writings on Hinduism and the origins of yoga.
Simplified, "yoga is a method of training designed to
lead to integration or union." And while we are
accustomed to a practice designed to unify body and
mind through movement (making it more marketable and
accessible to a secular world hungry for fitness and
stress-relief), the origins of yoga reveal greater
depth and meaning.
To simplify, four paths are available to actualize the
human potential through yoga. Raja Yoga (the way
through psychophysical exercise) is what many
modern-day practices have been derived from. Other
paths include: Karma Yoga (the way through work and
action), Bhakti Yoga (the way through love and
devotion), and Jnana Yoga (the way through knowledge
and wisdom). The Hindu faith believes that all paths -
yes, even those of other religions - lead to the same
ultimate destination: integration with the Infinite
(spirit by any name is one and the same). The four
paths of yoga acknowledge that different human
temperaments approach their relationship to the Divine
uniquely. Peering more closely into yoga as a
multidimensional practice has opened my eyes to what it
means to be a yoga practitioner and a human.
Too often we reject the most wonderful aspects of a
spiritual tradition we know little about because we
have an all-or-none mentality. But what if we replaced
that with an
all-is-one mentality and embraced the brilliance
ignited within as the truest teaching, while learning
from a variety of sources?
If you feel so inspired, join me this month and expand
your practice as a yogi or yogini to "embrace the many
paths." Simplify the essence of each and then choose
the medicine that speaks to your need in the moment.
Maintain awareness of your mental and physical energy
and keep movement alive through life as a meditation
(raja yoga). Allow more of your actions to become
thoughtful and a selfless expression of the Life moving
through you (karma yoga). Express love and devotion
towards the form and formlessness that Spirit takes in
your life (bhakti yoga). And intuit and discern between
that which is real and lasting truth and that which is
the illusory and fleeting dance of the ego (jnana
yoga).
Remember, what moves you at your deepest core is what
matters to your life most in the moment. Claim your
personal practice of growth and transformation. Stay
alive and open in the now. And embrace all paths that
bring you home to the Universal Divine. Take what
speaks to you, and let the rest go by.
Honoring All As One,
Candice
SIGN UP for
theMessenger
Our
FREE monthly eNewsletter
all
subscriptions are secure through Constant
Contact
View past issues of theMessenger to
learn more
Inner Authority
August 2008
At
the deepest level, the level of the soul, you are the
author of everything that happens to you.
- Deepak
Chopra
Inner Authority. It is an
essential component in following one's own path of
brilliance. The word "authority" implies both a sense
of sovereignty and, perhaps less obviously, the ability
to author and/or create an outcome. Inner Authority
(Mahatma Gandhi called it soul
force) places the power to
create back in your heart and hands. Soul Force is
hard-wired to override evidence (or opinions) to its
contrary. It is a knowing that, at times, defies
reason. And due to its unreasonable and unworldly
nature, it brings you closer to the Divine.
Through experience in working with my own internal
guidance and authority, I have learned to trust it.
When I resist the guidance that I receive within
(usually due to fear of failure or judgment), my outer
world begins to express symptoms of my soulular
discomfort. If I push my limits, my body may begin to
shut down or pack on the pounds. If I continue to do
something that no longer inspires me, conflicts may
begin to emerge or money may stop flowing freely. All
in all, my life seems to be divinely orchestrated; I
only need have the courage to respond to its cues.
In this month's recommended reading, Deepak Chopra
lists what he calls the Three Requirements to
be Happy on The Soul Level. He invites us to ask the
following questions:
Do I act without effort?
Do I feel joy in what I do?
Are my actions bringing results?
He very plainly put into
words the process that I have been going through over
the past few months. I am delighted to report that I am
taking steps to shift the order of my everyday so that
I can again answer an emphatic YES! to each of the
above.
Now what about you? How is
your soul represented in your everyday? Your physical
reality is a reflection of your soulular
alignment...yes, at all times. Are you making choices
that are in integrity with the truth of you, the
highest expression of who you can be at this moment? If
so, Grace will walk alongside you as an ally. Or it may
be that you are ready to make some space for your
soul's deepest truths to emerge with more ease.
Choices, one at a time, are all that stand between you
and the deepest level of joy and fulfillment you could
ever know.
Saying Yes Now,
Candice
SIGN UP for
theMessenger
Our
FREE monthly eNewsletter
all
subscriptions are secure through Constant
Contact
View past issues of theMessenger to
learn more
Metamorphosis
July 2008
If
you receive guidance that compromises your
physical comfort,
would you be willing to follow it?
- Caroline
Myss
The translucent butterfly
(pictured above) has become a mascot for my own path of
trusting the promise of brilliant living. Allow her
journey to shed some light:
One day a lone
caterpillar was suddenly called. She was told by the
force of her very nature to retreat into solitude and
containment in order to experience a death of one self
into another.
In saying yes, she was called to a resting place -
suspended in thin air. There she began to shed her
skin. It was frightening! Who would she be without it?
The form she once knew was replaced by a shell and she
was enveloped by darkness and paralysis. She couldn't
move. Where exactly was she? And what had
happened to all the light?! She hung, suspended between
two lifetimes within one. She waited in the dark, at
times feeling very afraid and alone - wondering why she
had agreed to such a calling. Yet all the while, she
felt a spark of promise whispering from deep, deep
within.
Over time, the light inside her very core - once faint
- became a wellspring of divine light. It kept her warm
and safe as she felt who she once was dissolve and
transform. It was scary to be stripped of her very
caterpillar nature and all that she once knew. She
wondered what might become of her...and what would be
her place in the world? At times she fought the urge to
break free from this cocoon that surrounded her. To
squirm back out into the world as she once was. Yet
each time she tried, the path was denied. She knew that
in heeding that first call, there was no turning back.
In time, a potential deep within her pushed its way to
the surface. She was ignited by possibility and an
outrageous freedom to take flight. And all in one
miraculous instant she felt death and new life merge.
She pushed, she squirmed, and she broke free - soaring
into the unknown.
Like the caterpillar,
sometimes we are called to be born anew - towards the
next grandest vision of how we might best serve the
world. Our interconnectedness to All That Is becomes
apparent - if we are humble enough to heed the call.
Paradoxically, with each of our mini-incarnations we
come to understand that to live and make choices in
authentic self-love is far from a selfish pursuit. By
following the compass of our soul, we give our best to
the world around us.
For some of us, it is a call we will receive many times
in our life. Letting go of what was once a comfortable
existence and accepting the promise of something that
requires we change who we think ourselves to be. And it
usually requires we (temporarily at least) surrender
the physical comforts that we once knew (relationships,
career paths, and sometimes the approval of friends and
family).
In fact, one of the most challenging aspects of a time
of transformation is the potent force of the unknown.
We wonder, "where did the light go?" as experiences
that once inspired us no longer ignite our soul...or as
those who once held us in high opinion question our
path of change. Yet the darkness and self-containment
is the greatest gift of all. It is by experiencing this
season in which we are cut off from the light sources
in our external world that we learn to tap Brilliance
and Guidance from within.
I encourage you to the heed the soulful call that comes
your way. A calling on the modern spiritual path is not
a booming voice from beyond. Instead it creeps in
through the cracks of our daily existence - through
physical or emotional imbalances that threaten us to
grow and change or continue on suffering.
And may more of us emerge from our cocoons with the
promise of the transluscent butterfly. May the wings
that carry our brilliance out into the world be clear
and transparent so that the glory of the True Source
might SHiNE through in our everyday flight.
Cracking Through My
Cocoon,
Candice
Click here to see a caterpillar's
journey to butterfly on
YouTube.
SIGN UP for
theMessenger
Our
FREE monthly eNewsletter
all
subscriptions are secure through Constant
Contact
View past issues of theMessenger to
learn more
The Power of Choice
June 2008
It's
choice...
that determines your destiny.
Jean
Nidetch
As a coach, I come across
people everyday who are in a season of transition.
Often I sit with a client as she weighs her options in
regards to the various aspects of life. Be it venturing
out on a new career path, taking a relationship to the
next level, or rising from a season of depression,
people come looking for a container of grace in which
all facets of a situation can be seen more clearly.
Through experience, I have learned the power of
language as a tool for transformation. The simple act
of attending to our inner dialogue has the power to
change the course of our thinking...and of our lives.
When teaching exercises in conscious communication
(stay tuned, workbook coming soon!), I suggest we flag
certain words in order to shift the flow of energy in
our minds and hearts. This creates a reset function in
regards to our thinking and can be the key ingredient
to shift a mental construct for good.
Make Choices vs. Decisions
When I hear a client
say..."I need to decide, and I'm just not sure what to
do." It is then I know that choice is the medicine of
the moment. To decide in a moment of ambivalence forces
a false sense of finality to the present moment. I
invite us to honor the now of our reality, rather than
focusing on the how (which is a function of the future,
taking us out of the moment). Sometimes when we feel
pressure to make decisions (knowing how), rather than
choices (knowing now), we inadvertantly disempower
ourselves. We make assumptions about the future and add
unnecessary weight to our choices - assuming we know
where each will lead us over time. We bind ourselves to
a way of being that may serve us in the moment, yet not
necessarily long-term. And, most of all, we rob
ourselves of the freedom to experience the miracle that
is a change of heart.
Choices are authentic, in-the-moment, and ever-changing
- as are we! To choose is to evoke the essence of self
acceptance and allows room for growth. Choice is a
priviledge meant to evolve us towards more responsible
expressions of who we are in the world. The highest
choices are those that create more peace, love, and
harmony in the world around us. We can decide to change
the world, but can only happen one choice at a time.
So this month, practice
presence. And if and when you feel the weight of
decision upon you, choose what feels right in the
moment instead. Respond to the now and release the how.
Thanks to inspirational singer and songwriter, India
Arie, we have the perfect anthem for this month's
focus:
I
Choose,
by India Arie
listen to it
now
SIGN UP for
theMessenger
Our
FREE monthly eNewsletter
all
subscriptions are secure through Constant
Contact
View past issues of theMessenger to
learn more