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.
Desire: Friend or Foe?
August
2009
It
is never the idol that you want,
but what you think it offers you.
A
Course in Miracles
Desire. Friend or
Foe?
Let's face it: desire has gotten a bad rap for
centuries. With roots in both eastern and western
religious traditions, renunciation of desire has
penetrated the collective psyche as a noble aim in an
ever-expanding material world. We are taught - through
an onslaught of psychological, sociological, and
spiritual influences - that desire is selfish and
fleeting...and that the ego (desire's vehicle) must be
defeated in order to experience true happiness. Yet
despite our best intentions, desire remains a human
epidemic we have yet to overcome as a species. Some
might wonder, if we are truly evolving, why are we
still yearning?
Humans are a species mesmerized by dichotomies. We
continually do the dance of extremes in order to propel
ourselves forth. Desire is a force hard to deny; thus,
when renunciation of the material world wages a war
within, we turn to consumption. After feeding impulse
after impulse, we find we are still left empty. We
pretend our hunger means nothing...we pretend it means
everything...and now we are ready to stop pretending.
Every human longing points to a potential within. Our
minds are magicians, continually whipping up potions
that we think promise us the end we are seeking. We
spend time and resources casting spell after spell in
hopes to manifest the IT that will deliver us the
sensation we so long for. Time and time again, the
end-result is short-lived. Thus, we blame desire itself
for leading us astray.
Yet, what if we are simply missing the point? What if
desire is not the problem. Perhaps it is our approach
to it that needs to be re-evaluated. I have come to
understand that each and every desire (without
exception) point us in the direction of a
universally-desired sensation. Thus, at the heart of
our desire is alignment with a potential that is
seeking to be born through our life experience.
What You Really Want is
YOU
The object of your desire is not the problem; the fact
that you want IT is not the source of your mood swings.
It is in the misunderstanding of these impulses that
you find cause to suffer. Put simply, desire is an
indicator that something more is calling to you. Life's
struggles aren't a result of the cycle of incessant
wanting. Suffering may be due to attachments to the
many forms that your physical creation has taken, or
may take in the future. Or, perhaps more commonly in
our western culture,
suffering is ignoring oneself and never fulfilling the
potential buried beneath surface
longing.
What you really want is to E X P A N D - to express
more of your evolving essence. The objects of your
desire are simply things that you believe will deliver
the goods - the goodness that it your birthright.
Desire is the eager whimper of a more expansive YOU
that is currently hidden from view. To deny it is to
deny your innate tendency for growth and expansion.
Paradoxically, it is the denial of our deepest desires
that causes the ego run amok. Anyone who has ever
stayed the course of a circumstance (or way of being)
long-outgrown knows the blessed tantrums of the ego.
Interestingly, when we finally let go and yield to what
would feel better - in thought, word, or action - the
tempest fades. Alas, could the ego be an ally on this
journey?! Oh yes, indeed!! An
ego-soul alliance is pulsing at the core of
this message.
Metaphorically speaking, your soul is in a state of
perpetual rebirth. (I mean, in this life, you are meant
to evolve continually). Your ego and the world of form
offer vessels of gestation through which you are meant
to grow in and out of. And, it is the contractions of
desire that deliver you forth. They ensure your
expansion by pushing you towards greater degrees of
love, joy, freedom, and well-being.
Expansion through
Form
Some spiritual teachers have told us to seek the
medicine from within. They say that if we sit still
long enough...if we dive deep enough...and if we resist
the dream of the physical world around us, we will be
rewarded with limitless joy. Yet, is the point of this
physical dimension simply to deny it? Or, can we have
both? - the boundless joy of expansion and the
pleasures of human existence? Rather than enlightenment
in spite of the physical world, could this planet of
ours become the container through which we express our
collective enlightenment?
Every aspect of the living world is in a state of
perpetual expansion. Growth and evolution of form is
the way of the physical domain. At the root of this
propulsion forth is - you guessed it - desire. The
longing for something better. Desire is the catalyst
for change. Change is a means for personal expansion.
And personal expansion is the key ingredient in
collective evolution. Accept and embrace your desires
as reflections of latent potential within all of
us.
Join the Dialogue
Those of you in the Portland area, join me this
Thursday, August 13th at New Renaissance
Bookshop. I am honored to be
leading a coaching forum that will shed a new light on
desire, the ego, and the metaphysics of creation. We
will explore and evolve the Law of Attraction through
the lens of the soul. Questions, comments, and
contributions are welcome. Hope to see you
there!
Click here to sign up.
Note: CLICK
HERE for a follow-up post on the Soul Vibes
event.
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Inspired Action
June/July 2009
Action
may not always bring happiness,
but there is no happiness without action.
-
Benjamin Disraeli
What should I do?
It's a common question. I come face-to-face with it
often - in sessions with clients, and in my own
personal life.
At the heart of the question is disempowerment. It begs
for a prescribed to-do list that will help to sooth the
feeling of disconnection. However, acting from such a
desperate space rarely feels good. Rather than
approaching the situation with immediate action, I find
it to be far more efficient to focus on clarifying
desires. When we do this, we address the feeling space
directly, and then let the to-do list emerge from the
space of inspiration.
Inspiration is alignment with the best of
you.
For the most part, I tend to follow my bliss where it
takes me - which means shedding old skin (ie. labels
and livelihoods) often. I have been told I am being
'impulsive' and 'unreasonable' more than once. If
following my impulsive whims makes me appear flighty
and without rational direction. So be it! The compass
that I follow is Happiness Itself...and it always
points toward my greater good. I can honestly say that
I get happier and happier as the years pass. There is
nothing more fulfilling to me that riding the waves of
inspiration. I do what I love; I love what I do. When
that statement no longer applies - and I have learned
this the hard way - it is time to make a change. And
when I do, I feel a surge of inspiration and
opportunity that defies description. In short, letting
go of what no longer serves me makes me available to
what does. Thus, in response to what should I do?, the
primary and immediate action that is required is to
stop doing that which I feel I am no longer a match
with.
Having said that, living an inspired existence is not a
lazy affair! On the contrary. It takes dynamism,
energy, and stamina to ride the waves of inspiration as
they come. Taking inspired action lends itself to a
life of courageous self-discovery. And while it may
mean taking a scary leap or two (or twenty-two!), the
payoff is bigger than any other. When you are feeding
life with what sends your heart soaring, it rewards you
with life force energy and opportunity beyond measure!
How does it feel?
How do you know what constitutes an inspired
action? Use the compass within to direct your
sails.
You see, at its best, action is fueled by inspiration
and passionate self-discovery. At its worst, action
holds us in stagnant defiance of who we are longing to
become. When you are reaching for something in your
life, action is futile without right alignment. Actions
that disallow your continual expansion create dis-ease
in your world. Simply put, they are inefficient,
energetic leaks that need addressing. You recognize
them for the strain and discomfort they bring about. On
the contrary, ease can be found through inspiration.
Sometimes it is found in pushing edges that propel you
forward. The sensation is one of freedom and
exhilaration (sometimes confused with fear). Yet, the
cliff-diving leaps of creation become easier over time
as you learn that what moves you to jump has the power
to send you soaring.
Look at your to-do list for the week. What do you see?
Responsibilities? Inspired Ideas? For most people,
responsibility takes the cake. Indeed, our daily
comings and goings are important. Many of your daily
tasks make you available to the peace of mind that
invites inspiration. Yet responsibilities become
liabilities when they keep us apart from ourselves.
Action is inefficient when it holds in fearful
stagnancy. The way of humanity (and all of life) is one
of continual expansion and transformation. Inspired
action means taking a risk...and moving towards what
moves you in the moment.
Therefore, consider taking less action...and
allow inspired actions to take you (further).
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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!
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