tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77270985375525122322024-02-07T22:23:57.412-06:00A Spark of Life TransformationsA Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-71462925227827985872011-01-30T10:05:00.003-06:002011-01-30T11:45:42.509-06:00A Dip Into The Akashic Receords<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9OJpV8VWDLdfyZJWi51qiQAMldvv3Dx_Rh4lfxegKD63F9Z-haicB5FEDM-U8jdpIgu9RQyH7cv_Ur26vk5KeC06H7DQDCFiQEDFoaR7cqSmMJMs1bheP297zRMnlJ5sErrpzTUN6kj1/s1600/Old_book_bindings.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9OJpV8VWDLdfyZJWi51qiQAMldvv3Dx_Rh4lfxegKD63F9Z-haicB5FEDM-U8jdpIgu9RQyH7cv_Ur26vk5KeC06H7DQDCFiQEDFoaR7cqSmMJMs1bheP297zRMnlJ5sErrpzTUN6kj1/s320/Old_book_bindings.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been fascinated with the Akashic records for quite some time, but only have a cursory knowledge of what they are, so when one of my </span><a href="http://www.deniselinn.com/What-Is-Soul-Coaching.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Soul Coaching</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> ® acquaintances recommended Juliette Looye for a reading, I went to her website to check it out. </span><a href="http://www.fengshui-transformations.com/aboutAkashicRecords.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check out Julie’s website for more information on what she does and the Akashic records.</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I read about the Akashic Records and what Julie does during a reading, I felt quite drawn to get a reading from her and promptly called her to make an appointment. I was quite pleased that she managed to get me in the next day and, as suggested, I wrote down a list of questions I wanted more information about: What is this low-level anxiety I often experience all about? Why has this dream I've had for a Healing Center for Healers for over 25 years not come any closer to fruition? I want to take more courses in the Healing Arts and have several that are calling to me, which ones should I consider? Then, a few minutes before I called her, I sat down and asked to have my heart and spirit be open to receive a reading for my highest potential. I asked that my guides and angels be made available to Julie for a clear reading. I took a deep breath and made the call.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Julie explained she would open the reading with a prayer and then I was to read her the list of questions I had written down. The Masters, Teachers, Guides and Loved Ones would then guide her to answer certain questions first, she explained. After the prayer there was a moment of silence while she made contact with my Masters, Teachers, Guides and Loved Ones. As soon as she began praying, I felt this rush of energy up my spine and my head tilted to the right. I was not concerned about this as this often happens when I am receiving spiritual information or during a healing, but I was soon to find out it had a much deeper meaning.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">She began by telling me she just had a curious reaction during her prayer that had never happened to her before and described that her head tilted to the right and when she asked about this, she was told that this indicated that I always had my ear turned toward heaven to hear messages from God and that she would learn more about it during the reading. When I told her I had experienced the same thing, she was amazed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Soon she uncovered a past life where I had been thrown into a ditch, landed on my side <em><strong>with my left ear turned up toward heaven.</strong></em> I had broken or dislocated my right shoulder and could not get out and was covered with dirt and left to die. I did not die quickly in this ditch and of course, it stank there and, I at first panicked and went out of my mind, but, I eventually began to make peace with where I was and the elementals that came to visit me while I was in the ground. (Is this why I am so connected to the earth now? I’m a landscaper – hello!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the reading continued, it was revealed that I was a king and not a very nice one. I was neither benevolent nor kind to my people and was, in fact, very detached and indifferent and I treated them like vermin. (Like ants under my boot, was how Julie described it.) There was an incident where the water supply was contaminated in my kingdom and, although I was repeatedly called upon to fix the situation, I did nothing to correct it and consequently many people died. My response was to tell them to dig ditches to dump the dead in them. One day I was out and about and verbalizing my disdain over the people, their complaints and their mess created by the dead bodies when a few who overheard my complaints attacked me and threw me into one of my own ditches filled with dead bodies and covered me with dirt.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can imagine the stench and the panic I felt as I laid there, angry at my situation and the cruelty of the people who had done this to me! After the panic and going literally "out of my mind", I grew to regret the cold indifference and cruelty that I had shown my people, and I began to accept where I was, the earth and all phases of life and death. It was a very comfortable peaceful place for me. The elementals and angels became my friends as my spirit left my body and I began to decompose.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why has this impacted me so much now? For one thing, I am to learn in this life to accept ALL people regardless of their path, stage of growth and station in life. That includes <em>myself</em>. I was shown that I have a great love for the earth and nature in this lifetime, but not so much for humankind. (So true!) I am intolerant of people who show cruelty and disregard for the earth and nature. I do not suffer fools gladly and find myself frequently angry over the disrespect and cruelty shown to the earth, animals and children. And, I have still not forgiven myself in this life for the cruelty and insensitivity I displayed while a king in that life. (Anyone wondering why I have attracted cruel, insensitive people that think first of themselves in this lifetime??) But, as Julie gently reminded me, everyone is on a path that is taking them one step closer to reuniting with God.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for the dreams of doing great things in my life during this lifetime: (i.e.: Having a large retreat center, speaking in front of large audiences and becoming a well-known author.) They are not so much my dreams and goals in this life as <em><strong>the memories from my past life when I did great things and held great power</strong></em>. To uncover this was so freeing. I stopped feeling so much guilt for not having accomplished these things in this life. It’s not that I cannot do them – and, I certainly may sometime in the future, I just felt so released to do and be exactly who I am, even if that is just keeping a garden.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I continue to review this experience, I find more and more connections to why I respond to certain situations and people in this life and am reminded to continually forgive, forgive, forgive -- myself as well as those I have judged. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What has your experience with the Akashic Records been like? What have you learned or would like to learn? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-76940281777281737202010-10-17T10:40:00.005-05:002010-10-17T16:04:42.904-05:00eHarmonious<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, I broke down and did it: I subscribed to an online dating service. Eek! I mean, I paid <em>real</em> money, not just the free subscription, you know, the ones where you can't see any photos or communicate with any of the inmates, er, members. I have done this under much internal resistance. <em>"I don't need a relationship right now. I'm very, very <strong>busy</strong>."</em> was what I told myself. <em>"I have a full life. I have my business(es). I don't mind spending time alone."</em> All true statements, but, I realized a while ago, that I had closed the door on new beginnings in relationships. Not only closed the door, slammed it, and nailed that sucker shut. Then bolted it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If I dared to look through the peep hole in that heavily barricaded door, I would have to admit that there is still a part of me that wants romance and companionship and yes, passion. Not to mention support and someone to talk late into the night with and share some laughs. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, I chose a online dating service that required a more in-depth analysis as I wasn't interested in having to screen through a bunch of Klingons: <em>Pleas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTX44z-5NLauvadZaZ2L1kKDefCWdvjUxrwzz-0BViNoNCdGoho5vJHGQFZjHir-5QSe86Ax3LZk3lDJRYyjaldOynmpWwfbaTrZWKY0AdGkGCo75fRbv2gu50Pyy3IAw0OKgFykzXroK/s1600/SuperStock_255-3793.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTX44z-5NLauvadZaZ2L1kKDefCWdvjUxrwzz-0BViNoNCdGoho5vJHGQFZjHir-5QSe86Ax3LZk3lDJRYyjaldOynmpWwfbaTrZWKY0AdGkGCo75fRbv2gu50Pyy3IAw0OKgFykzXroK/s320/SuperStock_255-3793.jpeg" width="252" /></a>e,</em> pick me! I<em></em> have so much love to give!!!!" aka: Mr. Emotional Black Hole or "Hi! Please send a full-length photo of yourself in your bathing suit, or less. (wink, wink) When can we hook up?" blech.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The truth is, I'm terrified of "getting out there" again. I'm fifty-four years old and have not become so spiritually evolved that I totally <em>love</em> the extra forty pounds I gained going through mental-pause. MOst of the time when I look in the mirror, I think, "Who is <em>that</em>?!?" In my mind, I still feel like I'm in my thirties. One of the reasons I appreciated Brad was because he accepted me for who I was, and was still turned on by me, even after I gained the weight. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then there's the fact that I'm more settled into who I am and less willing to morph into what someone else wants from me. I mean, that was one of the main tricks in my bag! I was an expert at intuiting what someone wanted or needed and devoting large chunks of time to fulfilling it. Now what? </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In spite of all this, I subscribed. I won't have to ever date or even speak to anyone, if I choose, and it will be a good exercise in opening my heart to <em>possibilities,</em> I reasoned<em>.</em> And, I can do it all from the safety of my living room.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, I took the time to fill all of the questions out truthfully. After all, I didn't want to give and false hopes. <em>I love to cook and hike and my family is very important to me.</em> and <em>I have only recently decided to consider being in a relationship again, so I tend to be cautious in my communications. I may elect to communicate via email initially before I venture further.</em> and, under <em>Something else you should know about me: I'm sparkely.</em> I included several pictures of myself from different angles plus a few of some activities I enjoy. Then, with a big sigh, I clicked the SUBSCRIBE button. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The next day I was surprised to find a dozen or so potential "matches". As I clicked on each profile I experienced a mixture of interest and dismay. Some of these guys looked really <em>old</em>! I mean, they were within the age range I had checked, but really, was I just delusional about the men my age? To be fair, some of them didn't look like they were already "circling the drain". Although none of them really struck a deep chord, a few looked interesting enough to want to know more. One guy lived fairly close by and, judging by some of his photos, seemed like he might be fun. He had a "cheddar head" picture, was originally from Wisconsin, something we both had in common. There were a few others I thought might bear more research, so, I clicked on a preselected set of questions and awaited their answers. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Soon I received some questions from other members as well, and I clicked on their profiles to learn more. Ack! Too old. Too sad. Too needy. I left their questions unanswered and ventured back to the COMMUNICATING tab to see if my requested questions from Bruce, formerly from Wisconsin had been answered. Nothing. Upong further exploration, I discovered that, with a click of a button, you could cease communication with another member with out having to go through all that direct messy, "I don't think we're right for each other" crap. I clicked on his mailbox and found this disheartening reply:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>bruce chose to close communication with you on October 16, 2010, 02:00PM PDT. </em></span><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Finding the right person always comes with some degree of trial and error. Move forward and remain focused on the matches that interest you.</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>To move bruce to your Closed folder, please close him. </em><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em>Really? </em>I was rejected by a man wearing a huge wedge of cheese on his head?! Hey, I <em>said</em> I was Sparkely! Closed, it is.<em> click</em>. This dating business is not for the faint of heart, I realized anew. No wonder I had avoided it for so long. After licking my wounds for a few hours, I decided, once again, that I needed nothing from these emotionally dismembered "members". I had a perfectly fulfilling life and I went off to furiously clean my kitchen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each day a few more "matches" find their way into my mailbox. I click on their profiles and check them out. I noticed, that, while I want to think of myself as "spiritually evolved" appreance is important to me. I mean, he doesn't have to be an Adonis (although I wouldn't turn one down), but he needs to have a twinkle in his eyes and be reasonably fit. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I've found more telling is the reasons listed under <span style="color: yellow;"><span class="title">The most important thing I am looking for in a person is:</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The number one thing men seem to be looking for is: Honesty. Along with Integrity and Fidelity. Have so many men been betrayed by sneaky, conniving, cheating bitches? Are we women really so deceptive? I have to admit, they are some of the same things I am looking for in a mate. And it is precisely due to my past history in relationships. What if I had the ovaries to simply state: "I really want someone who can be themselves."? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a great long list of attributes that I have posted on one of my vision boards. Ond of the things I advise those I work with who are looking for a prospective mate is, after you have made your list, make another with the attributes of the type of person who would attract such a mate. And, then another list that honestly assesses which of those attributes you already possess and what areas you need to work on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, here's what I need to work on: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I still need to be willing to open my heart for another. To make a place to welcome them in and to extend and receive love to another. I closed my heart to this years ago and have barricaded the door so rigorously that my chest and shoulders ache from self-protection.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part of my weight gain has also been from a need for self-protection. Not wanting others to get too close. To shield me from my own desirability. I don't need to access my passion I have a full life and I'm a very busy woman! I have been rebelling against more exercise and movement. I've never had to work at losing weight, being thin for most of my life and eating whatever I wanted. I'm pissed that I have to work at it now. But, I'm also sick of losing the strength and tone in my muscles and the continual ache in my left shoulder that makes my fingers tingle and my arm go numb.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today I started yoga. I realized I did not feel comfortable or confident enough to go to a class yet, so I downloaded a video and followed along in a "beginners" yoga stretch. I could barely do half of the moves, and there was absolutely no way my body was doing a reverse table pose. But, I felt myself open just a little. I felt some of that anger and rebellion rise to the surface. "Oh sure", I thought as I watched the instructor on my computer. "You can do this because you are a skinny bitch!" Oh, the hostility! I also went out yesterday and found a set of dumbells at a garage sale. I started exercising my shoulder and neck muscles. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I decided I wanted my passion back and all the felxibilty and strength to go along with it. I might even buy a Zumba! DVD. Right now, I need to go for a long walk and transform that hostility into desire and passion. I need to go be with my friends, The Trees.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOVLUADxpt3mo1Mlk4ZirsoYw-dhNbE3gPupfzVVTHKCd4N2V1y6P6mE8kKepZqSlhWVXLeKwd4Alx3A8x352u-IBKYVAv3oXX4mhrhvQI_F2rGJ2z6lNqXJqKhmeisrnfpDhTemVBjEz/s1600/DSCF3376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOVLUADxpt3mo1Mlk4ZirsoYw-dhNbE3gPupfzVVTHKCd4N2V1y6P6mE8kKepZqSlhWVXLeKwd4Alx3A8x352u-IBKYVAv3oXX4mhrhvQI_F2rGJ2z6lNqXJqKhmeisrnfpDhTemVBjEz/s320/DSCF3376.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em></em></div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-65023585982019890132010-10-10T14:10:00.000-05:002010-10-10T14:10:48.936-05:00Thank You, Dear Friend<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday I said good bye to a dear friend and former lover. Brad and I have known each other for ten years and have experienced many adventures and misadventures, both internal and external. Brad recently took a job in South Florida and left yesterday to begin a new chapter in his life. He has helped me grow and change in so many ways -- sometimes willingly, at times, kicking and screaming the whole way. He is unbelievably intelligent, insightful and wise. We lived together for six of those ten years, but, recently I realized it was time for us to both move on to new experiences and relationships. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Although we have been living apart for the past six months, I still relied upon his support and companionship. While his departure has left me more than a bit lonely, I know he will be an asset to his new employers and to the future mate I know he so richly deserves. He has a delightfully wicked sense of humor and a smile that makes you want to know him more. He rarely gives up once he has committed himself and has a deep love and respct of nature and all living things.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDD7ycDmCm_46yjRHcxdLcDmxdNqZGMVjpzU0c0XSUC5OWtH5NDaeHa0XHU7j8s0ElrjN0EZFawXfeuAZ1RoPdRIfhWZUvWwNBKwNgo-RFYNpcCXuP2vV6I3HJybq5NIBIQ4hvKRSreip/s1600/Brad+creek1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDD7ycDmCm_46yjRHcxdLcDmxdNqZGMVjpzU0c0XSUC5OWtH5NDaeHa0XHU7j8s0ElrjN0EZFawXfeuAZ1RoPdRIfhWZUvWwNBKwNgo-RFYNpcCXuP2vV6I3HJybq5NIBIQ4hvKRSreip/s320/Brad+creek1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I wish him all the best. Here's to you, Brad.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With Deep and Abiding Love and Friendship,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Melody</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I0xrDjcakOJ2FZ0M0tssN5VpPpU1U6GXCthZhdgl4NdirbakExSU5KYGmqNOOHcFWtztuSUEqtBW8ZE9p6UlMBw5ggUKDP1TSee3QYuP-SCho0tbUTCNQJCw97CwX_Nr6clVWguMvPeQ/s1600/DSCF4221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-I0xrDjcakOJ2FZ0M0tssN5VpPpU1U6GXCthZhdgl4NdirbakExSU5KYGmqNOOHcFWtztuSUEqtBW8ZE9p6UlMBw5ggUKDP1TSee3QYuP-SCho0tbUTCNQJCw97CwX_Nr6clVWguMvPeQ/s400/DSCF4221.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLk8crW6Kjcs-fCSx_SMFOuFoZiXO62gT6vLZ_ILA7tbqVr0MnbVJTyTS01RQ0RSGSfsa8B_aWESkakYYevHcTVpyZa4Clgwegb4VL6H_M4fy8tWzAfvfYVJIuNcUO_jI7q8DhgRybP2w/s1600/DSCF4227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLk8crW6Kjcs-fCSx_SMFOuFoZiXO62gT6vLZ_ILA7tbqVr0MnbVJTyTS01RQ0RSGSfsa8B_aWESkakYYevHcTVpyZa4Clgwegb4VL6H_M4fy8tWzAfvfYVJIuNcUO_jI7q8DhgRybP2w/s400/DSCF4227.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6QCgdrrDbLZ9W_1iZlQykYN-FlSwxqn1hhIRusi-RF1Lb2jZwOnmXXhm8f-_esO1_7h58uxKOjao-w44L8qixpfsL1Kbr5WZxOpe4KFYj0XJee8pGM7_eBWPKTof9Z3p5grhNG8SmdIy/s1600/DSCF4207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ6QCgdrrDbLZ9W_1iZlQykYN-FlSwxqn1hhIRusi-RF1Lb2jZwOnmXXhm8f-_esO1_7h58uxKOjao-w44L8qixpfsL1Kbr5WZxOpe4KFYj0XJee8pGM7_eBWPKTof9Z3p5grhNG8SmdIy/s400/DSCF4207.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-31472583325095485432010-09-25T08:47:00.000-05:002010-09-26T16:43:39.269-05:00I met a Mad Housewife and now I need a new phone.<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">OK, first of all, let me say I am not a techno-phobe. While I don't run out and buy the latest gadgets, I do appreciate some of the little gizmos that make our lives a little easier. While I'm not that fond of my friend Brad's GPS and the woman's voice with the calm british accent telling me to, "Turn, right! Turn right!" (I call her The Direction Bitch.), I do enjoy my laptop. After all, it's what's allowing me to be writing this blog right now.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc6nTwFXyUXqWLq8a716iJOfgCxaPOvK4-uWNJrE19BjiI0vYBrGvbGFLXqCwe6V7Yo_1Hp_IvTiob1xUjzZX0O_S26dNPELi6kaxyFeA6DyU7d1Jn4vMx7HvSoGwkRHZx98covpD4VPx/s1600/Merlot_Front_highres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, back to my phone. I have an electric blue four year old Sanyo VI2300. I got it free when I signed a new contract with Sprint <strike>POS</strike>, I mean, PCS. It's not a fancy phone, by any means, but it has served me well and, in spite of leaving it outside in the rain a couple of times and dropping it on concrete more times than I'd care to count, it has proven to be quite durable. I still have the original battery and, although it doesn't keep a charge as long as it used to, it's still quite serviceable.</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Even though I have thought about getting a fancy new phone that has more functions than my laptop, I have stubbornly resisted since my current phone still works. I mean, do I need a phone that I can draw tarot cards on, really? I don't even text all that much. And besides, I don't like contributing to unnecessary landfill waste. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, about that Mad Housewife. So, a few weekends ago I went to a sleepover with a few women friends. I brought along bottle of Mad Housewife merlot wine. (I mean, how can you <em>not</em> buy a bottle of wine to drink with your girlfriends with a label like that?) We had a fabulous time, shared a lot of laughs and drank some delicious wines and had a fabulous dinner, plus I met a great new friend. (Hey Katy!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a lovely breakfast cooked by the hostess, I packed to go home and Terri insisted that I bring the remnants of the very drinkable Mad Housewife merlot home with me. After saying my goodbyes, I drove home and decided to take a nice long detox bath, a wonderful treat after a night of indulgence. If you've never had one of these, you must give it a try. It works wonders for clearing out toxins from over-indulgence and/or residual energies from emotional disturbances. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's the recipe:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In a tubful of whatever temperature of water that feels right for the situation add:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 lb. baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 lb. epsom salts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 lb. sea salt</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Stir until dissolved and get in and soak for at least 20 minutes. Perfect time to read a chapter in your favorite book or pamper yourself with a facial. Add a handful of herbs or a few dashes of your favorite essential oils, if you like.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, anyway. I decide to take one of these fabulous baths, right? I get the water running, shed my clothes and I'm anxious to slide into the water and soak when I realize I am out of sea salt in my upstairs bathroom. I dash downstairs with the water still running and reach for the sea salt from the cabinet. On the way out, the end of the sea salt bag catches the top of the Mad Housewife that was sitting on my kitchen counter. I am standing there in the buff, listening to my bath water run upstairs while watching this all happen in slo-mo. The bottle of merlot does a complete 360 and lands with an explosive blast on my beautiful, but unforgiving tile floor. I mean, it literally <em>explodes</em>. There is glass everywhere and dark purple droplets of wine cover the the floor, the face of my cabinets -- and my naked body.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I sputter as I look around at the tile floor littered with shards of dark green glass. Suddenly, the running bath registers again and I make an executive decision: I grab an old towel that lies nearby and throw it onto the widening puddle of wine at my feet. <em>I am <strong>so</strong> not dealing with this now</em>, I think and carefully back out of the room.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I dash back upstairs and thankfully realize the tub is not over-flowing, throw in the sea salt and sink in to relax. I feel a sting in my big toe and realize I have suffered a tiny cut from the broken glass. Not to worry, the soak will do it good. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc6nTwFXyUXqWLq8a716iJOfgCxaPOvK4-uWNJrE19BjiI0vYBrGvbGFLXqCwe6V7Yo_1Hp_IvTiob1xUjzZX0O_S26dNPELi6kaxyFeA6DyU7d1Jn4vMx7HvSoGwkRHZx98covpD4VPx/s1600/Merlot_Front_highres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; font-family: Verdana; height: 29px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 30px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.madhousewifecellars.com/Wines/wines.html">Mad Housewife Wines</a><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxc6nTwFXyUXqWLq8a716iJOfgCxaPOvK4-uWNJrE19BjiI0vYBrGvbGFLXqCwe6V7Yo_1Hp_IvTiob1xUjzZX0O_S26dNPELi6kaxyFeA6DyU7d1Jn4vMx7HvSoGwkRHZx98covpD4VPx/s320/Merlot_Front_highres.jpg" width="243" /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">After my lovely bath, I return to my kitchen and assess the damage. Wine is beginning to dry on my cabinets and the stained label with Mrs. Mad Housewife stares back at me from the floor. I get the broom and a bucket filled with soapy water and begin to clean up. When I say there is literally glass on every square in of my kitchen floor, I do not exaggerate. After sweeping and then mopping the floor several times to get the last of the wine up. (It thankfully doesn't stain the tile.) I set the bucket at the end of my couch in the living room and wait for the floor to dry. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">While I'm waiting for the floor to dry I sit down on the couch to relax and check my email. As I bounce onto the couch cushion, out of the corner of my eye, I see something fly off the end of the couch and hear a muted 'ka-thunk'. I look over at the floor, but I see nothing so I continue with checking my email and then, sleepy from the bath, I lay down for a quick power nap. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After my nap I wander to the kitchen and check out the floor, which seems clean, but my foot finds another tiny shard of glass and I limp back to the couch to examine the cut. I see a little blood, but can find no evidence of glass, but it's hard to see, even with my glasses. By now it's quit bleeding so I get up to empty out the mop water and notice, curiously, that there is a little black cord running <em>into</em> the bucket. Shit!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I yank the cord out of the water and unplug it from the wall when I realize it is the wall charger to my ancient cell phone. The end of it is hot and a bit of the sponge from the mop head has welded itself into the plug. Shit! I don't want to have to buy another wall charger, which will probably cost more than the phone is worth. I just wanted to limp along with my cell until it died and I had to buy a new one. But, even after I dry it out and clean out the little plug, I realize it's fried. Big sigh.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Just as I'm ready to make a trip to the Sprint store, Brad stops by and offers a converter so I can use the car charger as a wall charger. My day brightens. I can put off for another day that difficult long-term commitment with the phone company and agonizing over choices of multi-dimensional phones, all with the latest "apps". I sure could use that last glass of Mad Housewife merlot about now...</span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-7129047118874258362010-07-03T12:05:00.000-05:002010-07-03T12:30:26.201-05:00A Decadent Experiment<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have a confession to make. I did something this week that I would never have thought I'd do on a million years: I made love to money -- <strong><em>and I liked it</em></strong>. I know, I know! It seems to decidedly <em><strong><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">un</span></strong></em>-spiritual and is so unlike me. Or so I thought. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">First, a bit of my background concerning money: I come from very simple beginnings. My family was quite poor for all of my childhood. I was conceived into an atmosphere of the fear of never having enough. My mother had five children, close together and my father's employment history was spotty. So mom was overwhelmed a lot and worried about her survival -- something she also grew up with, and, my father, while a hard worker, had an attitude of doing enough to just get by. He was not driven or ambitious. He loved his family, but was just not cut from the cloth of the traditional ideas of being motivated for financial success.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Consequently, in relationships I chose men who were constantly worried about money, were overwhelmed by their financial responsibilities and usually had just enough to get by, or less. Sometimes a whole lot less than enough. So, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I spent a good deal of my life anxious about not having enough money.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">About fifteen years ago, I was in a very dark place both personally and financially. I fell into a deep depression that lasted for over six years. During that time I was unable to work more than a few hours here and there -- just enough to keep from being homeless. I made a decision somewhere in the midst of all that darkness, that, though I didn't know what the future might hold, I had to do something to get out of it, <em>even if it was wrong</em>. So, I began the long, slow road out of depression and destitution. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was painful and embarrassing and I had to let go of my pride and, in humility, ask for help. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckV0qBL4fApb-fDgwSmfEzCHRgHJ4Ds5gW_Cz2yCmqX9pX1XXpkUqc8cYRFMiR5aU59Zh7NDojGNP_ufit1GimvXM14Dlo1bUcDGvZWZTdHEPFDZ_7w1Cfjt2dQzhJ_1P6xYoc7s6UzjS/s1600/fruit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckV0qBL4fApb-fDgwSmfEzCHRgHJ4Ds5gW_Cz2yCmqX9pX1XXpkUqc8cYRFMiR5aU59Zh7NDojGNP_ufit1GimvXM14Dlo1bUcDGvZWZTdHEPFDZ_7w1Cfjt2dQzhJ_1P6xYoc7s6UzjS/s200/fruit1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I slowly recovered to a point where I became more financially stable. I led a very simple life and learned to live within or below my means. I regained my credit and, for the most part, remained out of debt. I got involved with a man who was much more disciplined financially that my previous partners and he also lived within his means. After working for several years at a "regular job", I decided I'd had enough of the stress and working for someone <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">else's</span> dreams and started my own landscaping business. It was a huge decision for me. It had been over twenty years since I last owned a business. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Initially, the landscaping business did well, but then, due to normal seasonal fluctuations, business slowed, then stopped. Completely. I watched myself become nervous, and then anxious, and then totally immobilized by fear. But, in the midst of this anxiety, I decided to confront my fears about money and my ability to support myself. So, since I wasn't working anyway, I decided to use my time revealing and healing my issues around money and my ability to manifest. This was not an easy choice for me to make. I quickly blew through my little savings and went into credit card debit. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">My significant other did not support my choice to focus on my financial healing as he was feeling the effects of my negative cash flow on his own budget. What I was doing seemed totally unreasonable to him. Friends and family thought I was floundering -- "doing nothing". But, I made a commitment to challenge these old, encrusted and debilitating beliefs. Perhaps I will go into the details of this process in another post, but for the purposes of this post, suffice it to say that it was a difficult, but rewarding process for me and I emerged more confident and better able to manifest financially.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">That was over three years ago. And, while I am not wealthy by any means, I was able to pay off my debts in full and have lived a comfortable life. Recently, As many of you know, and in keeping with my life-long need to push my comfort edges and grow, I realized that, though I had made some very positive changes in my financial situation, and was happily growing spiritually, I wasn't feeling the rich fullness in my emotional and sensual life. I wasn't overflowing with joy, and, while I had my moments, I wasn't deeply depressed either. I was stuck in a state of having "just enough" in my emotional life. (I am getting to the making love to money part, I promise!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">While at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span>, and actually prior to my Soul Coaching training, I had begun to realize how I had put aside my personal happiness and experience of pleasure in favor of becoming more financially and emotionally independent. I was really getting more than a little tired of not feeling my passion. At <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span>, I found a tremendous sense of peace while there and and many moments of great fun shared with my Soul Sisters, but, I had concluded -- <em>incorrectly</em>, that after the third major romantic relationship in my adult life had ended, happiness was a fleeting emotional state, that depended on life's circumstances and was not to be relied upon. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was what my mind had tried to convince my body of, anyway.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But, as I was awakening a richer, deeper spiritual life, filled with relationships with amazing women, my body also began to awaken. And, after such a long slumber, it wasn't exactly bounding out of bed ready to embrace the day. My body has been grudging, at best in my reawakening and downright cranky at others. <em>Maybe I wasn't <span style="color: yellow;">happy</span>, but I was <span style="color: #ead1dc;">comfortable</span></em>, my body reasoned to my mind. <em>Just let me sleep! </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>Fine,</em> my spirit whispered<em>, but you're the one who said you were ready for a new relationship. Do you think you're new partner will want to spend his time waiting for you to coax your body to wake up?? </em>Aw, crap.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One day a few weeks ago, while listening to Hay House Radio, I heard Dr. Christiane Northrup talk about how we as women deny our own pleasure and satisfaction, sacrificing it on the so-called alter of <em>serving others</em>. During her program, she interviewed <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Regena</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Thomashauer</span>, or <a href="http://www.mamagenas.com/">Mama <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Gena</span></a>, and she goes by. I checked out her website and the more I read, the more I was intrigued. She speaks some fabulously outrageous truths about women and our ability to change the world through experiencing and being in command of our pleasure.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, Mama Gena has written some fine books on women and pleasure and I ordered some of them that day. (Hey, it's <em><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">research</span></em>!) </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was particularly interested in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0743247981/qid=1063491312/sr=2-3/103-0012020-3579047?v=glance&s=books">Mama Gena's Owner's and Operator's Guide to Men </a>since I was preparing for my new romantic relationship. Even if you're currently in relationship, this book has some excellent ideas in taking responsibility for your own pleasure and for interacting with your partner.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On her website, one of Mama Gena's Sister Goddesses (Don't you just love that term?) Elvira was talking about her visualizations and exercise for bringing money into her life. (You can listen to it by clicking <a href="http://mamagenas.com/testimonials/playmedia.php?TestimonialID=16">here</a>.) Here was the idea she and one of her Sister Goddesses concocted: First they created a special ambiance in their bedrooms -- made it a sacred place of pleasure. Then they covered their beds in -- are you ready -- <em><strong><span style="color: #6aa84f;">cash</span></strong></em>. And then they self-pleasured in the middle of that pile of cash. Well, it sounded so outrageous I just had to try it! I went to the bank and withdrew a thousand dollars in cash. I decided on smaller bills so it would have more volume. You'd be surprised how little space $1000.00 takes up. As I was waiting for my check to be cashed I kept my head down, silently praying they wouldn't ask me what I need it for.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, let me tell you, this exercise challenged all my ideas about what money is and was used for. And, it challenged my <span style="color: red;">very <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">serious</span></span> image of myself as "spiritual teacher". I just could not bring myself to carry it out. What did this say about me and my ideals? What sort of images did I carry about money? (i.e.: Money is dirty and is connected with selfishness, greed and lust.) And further, if I had such negative judgments about money, wasn't I pushing financial away by not wanting to associate myself with those negative judgements? If I developed a more friendly relationship with money, wouldn't I just be distracted by having it instead of following my spiritual path? The money sat in the bottom drawer of my desk under a stack of envelopes and mailing labels for over a week.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">But, what I want to teach others, and women especially, is not only to be empowered, but how to have fun doing it. I knew that if I wanted to realize my dream of one day owning a retreat center for healers and to travel and speak around the world and assist others in their own empowerment and healing, it would take money. And, I could no longer remain in the dark about my judgments about it. So I was ready to play full out in this little experiment. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I decided to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">reframe</span> my beliefs about money and make it sacred and an energy gift that would allow me to better serve myself and others. I took a shower and carefully prepared my room. I lit a candle and burned some sweet smelling incense. I had my luxurious 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets on the bed. Selecting some soft, sensual music. I pulled back the covers then took the cash out of the bank envelopes and spread them across the top of the bed and stood back to look at it. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFKs-SdDzMacXOLHhGv-R5pklYTcW_Z96ZKx1CuA8WmkT1RpHBpIERH9fiXvMirC9Io3HWTRGST4XmdkSrC7v2hbrppC-1F5gEp4LAiu2y_YvjO5PluNJi3RTeOnsI3eH3gQoOtFOUbKa/s1600/money+bed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFKs-SdDzMacXOLHhGv-R5pklYTcW_Z96ZKx1CuA8WmkT1RpHBpIERH9fiXvMirC9Io3HWTRGST4XmdkSrC7v2hbrppC-1F5gEp4LAiu2y_YvjO5PluNJi3RTeOnsI3eH3gQoOtFOUbKa/s400/money+bed2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I noticed what I was feeling. First, I was grateful to be able to have enough cash to withdraw for this exercise, and I remembered that creative energy and sexual energy are intertwined in the body. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I found my body to be surprisingly responsive and in the mood of the moment. Holding out my hands, I blessed the money and all it had done and all that it would do. Then I slid into bed and laid there, noticing the coolness of the paper against my skin. I rubbed a few bills across my body and found it to be more pleasurable than I expected. I let the music wash over me and just stayed in the sensations of the moment, not judging or trying to reason what was happening. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVk9aNCwRQ5RgavsY_GZHLml1d_zTOeJxRVsT6kuSNSP-rCGSXwjeMfJNzn2HZOpq1bzyWFc7fIjXxJyIA_fNwcs6_tEigOILdxrCjmeA_wlfNHOU14rNDGCm5_BRwOJSWdRbrDnoE2iWa/s1600/flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVk9aNCwRQ5RgavsY_GZHLml1d_zTOeJxRVsT6kuSNSP-rCGSXwjeMfJNzn2HZOpq1bzyWFc7fIjXxJyIA_fNwcs6_tEigOILdxrCjmeA_wlfNHOU14rNDGCm5_BRwOJSWdRbrDnoE2iWa/s320/flower.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I continued with this delicious experiment, I remembered hearing of couples who, in creating a child, held the highest spiritual image for that child in their minds and hearts as they experienced their ecstasy. I decided to do the same, only with the image of my healing center held in my mind and my heart. As I touched myself and my sensual energy rose, I clearly visualized the beautiful land and buildings where people could come to learn and to heal -- a sacred and beautiful respite for the mind, body and soul. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlrZDQ_EcIBLCQmsxtys_fuIZ4os56R3X8nWs3G8oO8cdn-V5k85Gy9g9KM0P_hyeebUXMoUaI-enMp3nRj9j_NeyK-wpYM4zuCiDhJYRuN8enbQomvfHLzqUskCiEcF4mRgRV4G-wiB5/s1600/DSCF3376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlrZDQ_EcIBLCQmsxtys_fuIZ4os56R3X8nWs3G8oO8cdn-V5k85Gy9g9KM0P_hyeebUXMoUaI-enMp3nRj9j_NeyK-wpYM4zuCiDhJYRuN8enbQomvfHLzqUskCiEcF4mRgRV4G-wiB5/s320/DSCF3376.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: lime;">Denise Linn's Summerhill Ranch is a wonderful model for the retreat center I plan to create.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGdUQ1fOqdkNp_zgymYOhjXuiRkq-hvA4rg6s9TxuMXLZfBY8IYG73ALKjX6NlzxktBNZOjBv_6eW_K4fznwxgV2izBYF4HKXUapTBHoxFdshz-F8i2vz71zMibdfbehWG9VZs6_rArxm/s1600/setting+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGdUQ1fOqdkNp_zgymYOhjXuiRkq-hvA4rg6s9TxuMXLZfBY8IYG73ALKjX6NlzxktBNZOjBv_6eW_K4fznwxgV2izBYF4HKXUapTBHoxFdshz-F8i2vz71zMibdfbehWG9VZs6_rArxm/s400/setting+sun.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It is said that we are more closely connected to the Divine during sexual ecstasy. I truly felt connected to the Divine and I recognized money as part of that Divine flow of light. Not something to be worshiped or desperately sought after, but as one ingredient in the manifestation of my dreams. I saw streams of light coming down from heaven, through my body and into the earth. Entwined in these streams of light was money. I realized it was not mine, as in ownership, but to be used by me in service to myself and others. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I also learned that I had done the hard work of clearing out my fears of lack and unconsciousness attitudes and behaviors concerning money and <em><strong>I could be <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">trusted</span></strong></em> to be a worthy steward of financial reward. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I felt I had so changed my ideas about money that I left the money in my bed for the rest of the week, to surround myself with it's energy and possibilities. It was, for me, a terribly decadent and thoroughly enjoyable experiment. And I can't wait to see the results! Maybe you want to conduct your own experiment. Let me know how it goes.</span></div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-78460299500025744142010-06-30T09:10:00.000-05:002010-06-30T10:01:21.081-05:00An Amazing Past Life<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello there,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Part of the certification training I received at <a href="http://www.deniselinn.com/">Denise Linn's</a> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span> ranch this spring was for Past Life <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Regressionist</span>. I come from a fundamentalist background that had no belief in an afterlife or past lives. Basically, when you're dead, you're dead. So, I have had to break through this conditioning to accept and understand what past lives I have experienced and how they have affected me in this life. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span> we explored some of our past life experiences as we conducted regressions with each other. I had an amazing conclusion to a past life memory that had started at Denise's seminar at last November's Hay House <a href="http://www.icandoit.net/register/">I Can Do It conference in Tampa</a>. I'll tell you more about that in another post. In any event, I have had a few regressions in my life and some spontaneous past life memories.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Recently, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/lightworkerdenise">Denise <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Wigent</span></a>, a very dear friend and fellow <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">lightworker</span> offered a session where she combine her talents as a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">reiki</span> practitioner with <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">chakra</span> balancing and an archangel meditation by Doreen Virtue. Denise's sessions are always so healing and relaxing and I feel like I've had a full hour massage afterward, so of course, I said yes! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rh38nmregO3onMU2dU5QgtIDufqWY8CeQ_XGK9DTQgrdrV0pWVGxZ4xzohu2TaryDeE35koc1xqPNzAEpGsPE59_CUrACVwd8PoCWI1gIBO4De9fObr0MuEwOcYraspuY73VmY-Jrk16/s1600/m_06ece219a8a14b4d867a4f836129e9bd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2rh38nmregO3onMU2dU5QgtIDufqWY8CeQ_XGK9DTQgrdrV0pWVGxZ4xzohu2TaryDeE35koc1xqPNzAEpGsPE59_CUrACVwd8PoCWI1gIBO4De9fObr0MuEwOcYraspuY73VmY-Jrk16/s320/m_06ece219a8a14b4d867a4f836129e9bd.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Denise holding a gardenia from one of my gardenia bushes.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">After I laid down on the table, she checked my <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">chakras</span> and started the <a href="http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=3626">Doreen Virtue Angel Therapy meditation</a>. In this particular meditation, Doreen gently brings in the Archangels, one at a time, and asks them to conduct <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">healings</span> on your behalf. I found myself paying close attention to some of the archangels messages and drifting off on others. All seemed to flow perfectly as Denise lovingly gave me <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">reiki</span>.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">However, in one particular spot in the meditation, Doreen talked about past lives and allowed time to explore a past life. The most amazing vision came to me: I saw myself as a High Priestess in a land, many centuries ago. I was standing on a stage or platform, dressed in a beautiful flowing violet-blue gown, tied at the waist with a braided gold belt and wearing a gold tiara or crown. I was looking out over the sea of my followers. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8gXBrJoY_sI_4UXAFpJoWEFXI4mtRENtJESrRZvCX8udwdFRGhrBgd1uyVS3yJzPbCmfDaiGeqbbwgZ63JpB72FpP0GjiQCrwzbMDmT6P1a5-8Gh5kodMWZPSjCjYoZo8NN8jWRfzpYF/s1600/img271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8gXBrJoY_sI_4UXAFpJoWEFXI4mtRENtJESrRZvCX8udwdFRGhrBgd1uyVS3yJzPbCmfDaiGeqbbwgZ63JpB72FpP0GjiQCrwzbMDmT6P1a5-8Gh5kodMWZPSjCjYoZo8NN8jWRfzpYF/s320/img271.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the stage next to me were my two children from this life. They were young, about ten and twelve years old and they looked exactly as they had in this life. They were beau<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">tiful</span>. I noticed the tremendous love that flowed between myself and my subjects. They looked to me for guidance and wisdom and I loved them deeply and offered what ever I could in return. I wish I could paint this image as it was so beautiful. My followers were dressed in the same blue-violet robes and all were happy and content. It was a very peaceful and beautiful lifetime for me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">While in this vision, I wondered if I had a husband as, after all, I had two c<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">hildren</span>. Suddenly I noticed that, standing behind me were, not one, but <em>seven</em> men who were devoted to me, adored me and loved to serve me. Each of the seven men had particular strengths and talent in each area of one of the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">chakras</span> and were dressed in the color of their particular c<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">hakra</span>. They all smiled as I turned to look at them. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">It was the most amazing, beautiful experience and tears of joy came to my eyes remembering it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What I took away from this particular past life experience, was that a big part of my strength and purpose in this life came from that past life, and that knowledge has followed me through each lifetime. I also realized that as I explore and prepare for a new romantic relationship, I am to reflect on and appreciate the strengths of <em><strong>each man I meet</strong></em>, whether they are a potential interest or not. A<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">nd</span>, more importantly, to allow men to <em>serve me</em> in this lifetime, rather than losing myself in serving them in order to receive security and approval.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What a truly amazing experience. Thank you so much to both of the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Denises</span> in my life!</span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-686771484922362232010-06-25T09:23:00.000-05:002010-06-25T09:28:39.112-05:00Dancing!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wednesday was my first full dance instruction. I got all dolled up -- Loki, the instructor is <span style="color: magenta;">very</span> handsome. :) and even bought a new pair of dancing shoes. I was a bit nervous and self-conscious as I am working on improving confidence in my body. I arrived to the dance studio, clutching my new shoes only to find the door locked and the studio dark! Okay, I thought, he's stepped out for lunch and is not back yet, plus I was a few minutes early. I wandered into a nearby shop for a few minutes and then returned to the studio. Still no Loki. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was curious to see some of my insecurities rise to the surface and feelings of a fear of being rejected or forgotten. <em>My appointment wasn't a priority for him.</em> was the thought that surfaced. I was a bit surprised at my reaction, but realized how vulnerable I felt in taking these lessons. Dancing, for me, is the body expressing art and beauty in motion. It felt very personal.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxaUbUe6_rvkiqJYxf_P0OiMzr3AshRVehxL0uBkDUfF4fN0BlfHQYPTTuHCFMcl3wbSgwMSyWQGwzw0AmoS-5RxvFYASEU4cJ3_pO4i9CQfxsj9p4aQrZBNY3c33MTvfkqkh5pnQdSY1/s1600/dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxaUbUe6_rvkiqJYxf_P0OiMzr3AshRVehxL0uBkDUfF4fN0BlfHQYPTTuHCFMcl3wbSgwMSyWQGwzw0AmoS-5RxvFYASEU4cJ3_pO4i9CQfxsj9p4aQrZBNY3c33MTvfkqkh5pnQdSY1/s400/dance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: lime;">My Soul Sisters Tracy and Jane, dancing in the Dance Barn at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span> Ranch during the Soul Coaching workshop. You go girls!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I wandered down the street and checked into other shops before returning to the studio to find it still locked. Now I was downright irritated. It was hot out and I was sweating and feeling decidedly less enthusiastic and confident. I pulled out my cell phone and was about to leave a message on the studio's voicemail when Loki ran to unlock the door, apologizing profusely about not managing his time better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">"Why are you making me stand out here and sweat?" I tried to say it in a teasing manner, but I think he got that I was not pleased. I gave myself a moment while he turned the lights on and did a little self-talk. <em>You are here to learn and enjoy yourself and you can shift this mood.</em> I felt it lighten a bit as I put on my new dancing shoes. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Loki apologized again and said that today's lesson would be free as his apology for being late. I smiled. That certainly helped the shift. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Spotting my new shoes he said, "I am impressed! Buying dancing shoes is a <em>commitment</em>. I know when people are serious about dance when they buy a pair of shoes." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The lesson went very well and I had a lot of fun learning some of the steps of the more common dances with Loki smiling and encouraging me. He has a marvellous way of teaching that helps you understand the thinking behind the moves. I found my self-consciousness disappearing as we moved through the dances and, even when the next student arrived early and sat down to watch, I was undeterred. I can't wait for the next lesson.</span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-91670304148018678912010-06-23T10:26:00.000-05:002010-06-23T16:23:06.953-05:00Day 28 Final Day of the Soul Coaching Program & My Quest<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: magenta;">"I give love deeply and fully. I receive love deeply and fully. My essence is love."</span></em> - from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have to tell you that the 28 Day Soul Coaching Program was more powerful than I expected. Although I hit a few rough patches and skipped a few days, it didn't seem to matter as I felt I was being propelled toward my changes. I feel lighter, and blessed to have a marvellous circle of Soul Sisters to rely upon. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've taken some brave new personal steps (more about that later) and feel as though I'm on the edge of a new adventure. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One big "aha" for me during this time has been my realization that my experience of happiness if fully in my hands, and that I must <em><strong>decide</strong></em> when and where I want to experience it. I have put my own happiness off for a variety of reasons: <em>I have to get my work done first. (Ha! Like that ever happens.) I have to work through or "process" this problem first. Other people's needs are what is important now, not my own. I am being selfish. I need someone to share it with. blah, blah, blah...</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last week I took advantage of a coupon someone gave me for a introductory dance lesson. My instructor was a beautiful and talented man named Loki. He was patient, had a marvellous sense of humor and I felt like he could look into my soul. Our lesson was just for a half hour, but he spotted the drama queen in me and the part that loves being the center of attention. "Have we met?" I asked him. He just smiled and said, "I am very intuitive." Well, I just had to sign up for six one-hour private lessons. Today is my first full lesson! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At one point during the introductory lesson I nearly started crying as I felt my decision to take these lessons was a decision to live in my joy. It was also a decision to listen to my body better, and to<strong><em> trust</em></strong> and allow another to lead -- something I am not accustomed to doing. It is also part of my preparation to make myself available for a totally new relationship. I have a feeling I am in for a wild ride...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr3K7Wr96zxuVw5n1KaIxbKDvbTjjlddNuIryIXwv8DKOMHk2XllZtXwd8O3cQL5F4Q9mEc5nyNmihcg-pGr7Ik09Mf2yFlaHRYK8sZcgf4RMKi0zP0DafFZHtrsGi5vChCzm4BU7mVjb/s1600/DSCF4072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr3K7Wr96zxuVw5n1KaIxbKDvbTjjlddNuIryIXwv8DKOMHk2XllZtXwd8O3cQL5F4Q9mEc5nyNmihcg-pGr7Ik09Mf2yFlaHRYK8sZcgf4RMKi0zP0DafFZHtrsGi5vChCzm4BU7mVjb/s320/DSCF4072.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This last weekend I went on my Quest. A Quest is a journey you take to ask your soul to reveal what you have learned on your 28 Day Soul Coaching Program. The idea is to go somewhere you can quietly reflect and call on your Soul and guides to reveal whatever it is you need to see.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I decided to combine two adventures into one. I was going to meet my former significant other (and still great friend) as he was travelling on a soul journey of his own. An avid hiker and backpacker, he had decided to hike the entire Florida trail which runs 1100 miles from the Fl<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">orida</span> Everglades to Pensacola at the far western edge of the state. He had started out on his journeya few days after I had left for my Soul Coaching training at Denise Linn's <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span> Ranch in <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Paso</span> Robles, California. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last weekend was his fortieth birthday and I wanted to surprise B (as I will call him here) and meet up with him along the trail. He had been diligently planning his trip for weeks and I knew he would be at a particularly favorite camping spot of ours in the Apalachicola National Forest near Tallahassee, Florida. I packed up a few treats and a fresh change of clothes and set out to backpack into a place we had named "Cali Point". Cali Point has a beautiful story all it's own that I will share with another time.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had mixed emotions as I hiked back into the woods. We had ended out relationship over a year ago, yet were able to remain friends and stay in close contact with each other. We talked regularly via cell phone over the past few weeks where I received updates on his progress and experiences along the way. Although I planned to arrive at the campsite a few hours earlier than I expected B to arrive, giving myself some time alone there to reflect over the past month, I questioned my choice to combine my Quest with this reunion. Was I avoiding being alone? Was I creating a convenient distraction for myself? </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had had a very vivid dream a few weeks earlier where I was with B and my younger sister. In my dream, they were each going on a separate trip and I knew I would not be seeing them again for a long time, if ever. They both seemed at ease and eager to go on their respective trips, but I was sad that they were leaving and felt that loss quite keenly. I had been planning this trip for weeks, but suddenly I questioned my motives for going. Was I unwilling to let go of this relationship and move on, as I claimed I was ready to do? (Hey, I put it on my Soul Collage!) But, I looked into my heart and felt it was really what I wanted to do. I was so proud of B for making this trip. I admired the determination and stamina it took to do it, plus, I wanted to be there to celebrate his milestone birthday with him.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I thought about this dream again as I neared the campsite. It was hot and humid, as it is in Florida in the summer. I was perspiring profusely, but was not uncomfortable as I made my way through trails and forest roads I had travelled dozens of times. I found myself excited in anticipation of the look of surprise on his face when he saw the camp I had set up for his arrival. </span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwn5VvjLexZO2hvYdImnPpTAqa_TVYfSQ7QtI-ct9rz3v99m8rnXsVMNclkb-ueygUUtEOE3oEjSVYMn5gtijFb_Vxf3U8xVVfxonZtat9yZ0POo3YVegvO7OuWTa0mL1elSPMqknPkDL/s1600/DSCF4065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirwn5VvjLexZO2hvYdImnPpTAqa_TVYfSQ7QtI-ct9rz3v99m8rnXsVMNclkb-ueygUUtEOE3oEjSVYMn5gtijFb_Vxf3U8xVVfxonZtat9yZ0POo3YVegvO7OuWTa0mL1elSPMqknPkDL/s400/DSCF4065.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cali Point is an elevated peninsula between the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sopchoppy</span> River and Monkey Creek. Live oak, cypress and cedar trees line the river banks, along with long leaf pines. They form a beautiful canopy of shade over the spot where I would pitch my tent. I set up the tent and then strung up my new hammock, complete with enclosed screen and climbed inside. I looked up through the trees to the blue sky, took a few deep breaths and asked my guides to come to me with any messages or symbols I needed. The wind whispered softly through the pines and the creek gurgled in the background. Even the buzzing of the pesky yellow flies seemed music to my meditation. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I found myself keeping one eye out for B coming up the trail, afraid he would see the tent, presume someone else had taken his spot, and back away to find somewhere else to camp. I started giving myself grief about not being able to go deeply into meditation and receive a profound message. Instead, I decided to just be grateful for the experience of being there. Once I made that choice, I soon expereicned a wave of gratitude flood over me for everything B and I had experienced together. I was especially grateful that we had been able to maintain the best parts of our relationship. We share a deep love of nature and respect for the earth. We both love adventure and exploring and learning. We also have the same irreverent, sardonic sense of humor.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Then I realized that <em>this</em> was the message I was supposed to receive: <strong><em>To deeply cherish the blessings of the people I care about and to release the pain in order to experience my joy and happiness.</em></strong> I really felt so very blessed to have known B. He has helped me grow in so many ways. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Suddenly I heard footsteps and looked up to see B walking toward the campsite, slowing as he saw my tent. He stopped for a moment and peered at the hammock. It was a bit difficult to see through the screen, I imagined. Then I saw a huge grin of recognition spread across his face. </span><br />
<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">"I'm sorry, you can't camp here mister," I said with a grin, then shouted, "Happy Birthday!"</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">He laughed. " This is the best birthday present ever!"</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLwEz5s6vBaauLCSp1nD5q8PbTEIpqoFxB8Ji6UHnUQZzPIA2dPmgJGqU0qV1epanuOV53lMXvLIW1s_oibXc4ezowedvSHdmsRPEzDClITBuTWleFa2swvx8DDXXZWUPj6oS9gXU007k/s1600/brad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQLwEz5s6vBaauLCSp1nD5q8PbTEIpqoFxB8Ji6UHnUQZzPIA2dPmgJGqU0qV1epanuOV53lMXvLIW1s_oibXc4ezowedvSHdmsRPEzDClITBuTWleFa2swvx8DDXXZWUPj6oS9gXU007k/s320/brad.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I climbed out of the hammock and walked toward him. I was shocked and delighted to find that he had lost what looked like forty pounds since the last time I'd seen him. I gave him a big hug and told him how great he looked. He said that he had <em>hoped</em> I would surprise him on his birthday, but he tried hard not to expect it so he wouldn't be too disappointed if I wasn't there.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I couldn't stop staring at him. He looked absolutely radiant. He smiled all the time and seemed truly at peace. It was so great to see him that way. I felt myself attracted to him all over again. He unloaded his pack and we went down to the river to cool off as he told me more about his trip. He'd seen a yearling bear close up just the previous day who had just stared at him without running away. "You are one with nature now," I teased. "Besides, you probably smelled like one of his clan."</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">After cleaning up a bit he donned the tee shirt I had gotten for him in Sequoia National Forest, then</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> I took him into a nearby town to pick up a few supplies andwhere we had Mexican at a local restaurant. Back at camp we listened as a thunderstorm circled around us. There is nothing quite like being in a thunderstorm with nothing between you and the fury of the storm but a thin piece of cloth. I sat inside the tent and away from the biting flies as B prepared his pack for the next day. I commented how much more serene he seemed and just how much I had appreciated him being able to keep the good parts of our relationship without hanging on to the bitterness and pain. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We talked into the night and he read me a few pages from his journal that he had been keeping before we drifted off to sleep accompanied by the music of the cicadas and crickets. It was really a very lovely experience. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Although we awoke at six o'clock the next morning, we were slow to get going. We finished eating the fresh fruit I had brought along, then packed up camp. I took a few things with me that he no longer needed to make his pack (which averages about 55 pounds) a little lighter. We walked together for about .7 of a mile until the trail separated where he needed to go and where I would go back to my car. I knew he would have liked me to linger with him longer and I was tempted, but one of the lessons I am learning is taking care of myself, and I had made plans with some other friends for later that day.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We said an emotional good bye with more hugs and kisses and then we each walked our separate ways, I looked back now and again until he disappeared into the rows of slash pines. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9YnNKK9N_s_MW_4GW6SVPJEl0rMZmCesnCyHviRi-2YfYkmzC23AaxSOvIZ1uG-6Gwu-6_nlAi-XTsze3mt43W_jwV9mBRPI178PZ99S3NJUTeH6bTFffOzo57nmKD0k9bxgPmpQPBRg/s1600/DSCF4089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9YnNKK9N_s_MW_4GW6SVPJEl0rMZmCesnCyHviRi-2YfYkmzC23AaxSOvIZ1uG-6Gwu-6_nlAi-XTsze3mt43W_jwV9mBRPI178PZ99S3NJUTeH6bTFffOzo57nmKD0k9bxgPmpQPBRg/s640/DSCF4089.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I returned to my car, I noticed hundreds of beautiful, huge butterflies, mostly swallowtails flitting along the forest road. Here was my symbol -- it represented transformation!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I look forward to seeing him again in a few weeks when I will bring him more supplies and then will pick him up once he reaches the final trail head. He is a remarkable person and a part of me thinks about trying it again with him. A lot of the issues we both struggled with during our relationship have been healing since we separated. But, a part of me knows we each have our own paths to follow. My goal is to live in the present, so I try not to project into the future too much about what might be. All I know right now is that I am truly grateful to have known him and so glad I included B in my Quest.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blessings to all.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Melody</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-19070579390055088502010-06-11T09:06:00.000-05:002010-06-11T09:24:47.680-05:00Days 26 & 27 of the 28-Day Soul Coaching Adventure<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Good Morning,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This has not been an easy week for me. Heavy, dark emotions have been rising to the surface and I found myself zoning out on TV and other distractions. I mentioned earlier that I have had bouts of depression, and the truth is I have had them most of my adult life. Usually I either stay busy to keep them at bay or zone out at I earlier described. This week, however, I honestly became quite fed up with the depression and started talking to my <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">stov</span>e (yes, my stove) about how I felt about it insinuating itself into my life -- even (and especially!) when things were going well. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I cried and yelled at my stove as I cooked my dinner of green curried vegetables, as the waves of bitterness and disappointment at still having to dealt with this heavy energy that seemed to push against every thing I attempt to do rolled over me. I drank a good glass of home made wild persimmon wine and eyed the cake that had been given to me at work. I self-medicated for sure, but it was a conscious decision and I tried to go high-quality.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Anger at having to go through the tough time in my life alone surfaced as well. But then I realized I am not alone, but I often chose to deal with things alone because of the shame and regret I feel from judging myself for not having my shit together better. I thought of my dear Soul Sisters and my beautiful experience in California and decided to email them and -- <em>ask for their prayers and support. </em>Novel idea, huh? </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxa8uvYoZBJEGo9cZzJ1ZiuAkt7oeWJCqRBK4TDFivEoJx1DstpnorTIp_bp9BD-bEhmXE6efwIqyJbfWd5uJ0O3nh3cM4HXTq81fuT8qPhTu8zVA6akjsDRf4Ae4gj2jCTV5qo1P7A63h/s1600/DSCF3577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxa8uvYoZBJEGo9cZzJ1ZiuAkt7oeWJCqRBK4TDFivEoJx1DstpnorTIp_bp9BD-bEhmXE6efwIqyJbfWd5uJ0O3nh3cM4HXTq81fuT8qPhTu8zVA6akjsDRf4Ae4gj2jCTV5qo1P7A63h/s320/DSCF3577.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Well now, asking for help is not an easy thing for me to do. After all, I want at all times to appear competent, confident, and wise. Yelling at your stove and sobbing into your wine -- even if it is home mad wild persimmon wine, does not scream competent! But, one of the things I put on my Soul Collage was a picture that represented me forging new, healthy relationships with women. So now it was time for me to put up or shut up.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi68JrovL9oAYzboFtgRcNk87RKog6H3ulhqjU8_s9UNTxuEcM_tbVUNWhBuIS6_evWktMo4alYCyO57RQKI1xxia9j4VIIbBZA91C7-zf53bo2qhm-m8GKuJNW5taIsLK7_5Sy3St848/s1600/soul+sister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi68JrovL9oAYzboFtgRcNk87RKog6H3ulhqjU8_s9UNTxuEcM_tbVUNWhBuIS6_evWktMo4alYCyO57RQKI1xxia9j4VIIbBZA91C7-zf53bo2qhm-m8GKuJNW5taIsLK7_5Sy3St848/s320/soul+sister.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I sat down at my computer and poured my heart out to my beautiful sisters as I cried and ate my green curried vegetables and drank my home made wine. Even before I finished writing the email, I felt their love and support surround me like a soft comforter. And their responses lifted me even higher with their tender words of compassion and wisdom. I am truly blessed to have met these women. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Day 26: </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><em><span style="color: lime;">"I am at home, no matter where I am."</span></em> -- from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3MgpSc6QRHSYpysgOXmM2hDj58Jm6VnYdWWogb-J9GCtqMBkCFaQ33ecLmDTEZ-97fcN4F9ultg5z_uQjME5INp1BOsDdeFQin7WsFI0NVZAOkVZieLufNIWMliMrEV8mlhnPIh5vMJ9/s1600/rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3MgpSc6QRHSYpysgOXmM2hDj58Jm6VnYdWWogb-J9GCtqMBkCFaQ33ecLmDTEZ-97fcN4F9ultg5z_uQjME5INp1BOsDdeFQin7WsFI0NVZAOkVZieLufNIWMliMrEV8mlhnPIh5vMJ9/s320/rose.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of today's exercises was to bring nature into your home in some way. I have to admit that although I did not read this exercise until the day after, I found that I had already done it. Ever since I got back from California, I have been bringing in cut flowers. Gardenias, hydrangeas, roses, black-eyed <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">susans</span>, sunflowers, lilies. Even when I was feeling the worst of my emotional state, I could look at them and feel a small sense of peace.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAyt65-YjiV_-IJP4jpnBfIu563Qac8rejA20Hi0s_8QCPAaB45pFZyPhOxtqOErJNdZ6mMBeCk_HkLAm34Py5lwVNufG9H70kG-616K9eWMtk0fV-qObkoUZOy6-S-AOI0IJAARIyPt_/s1600/sunnie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAyt65-YjiV_-IJP4jpnBfIu563Qac8rejA20Hi0s_8QCPAaB45pFZyPhOxtqOErJNdZ6mMBeCk_HkLAm34Py5lwVNufG9H70kG-616K9eWMtk0fV-qObkoUZOy6-S-AOI0IJAARIyPt_/s320/sunnie.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 27:</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="color: #ffd966;">"My future is filled with love, joy and peace."</span> -- from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong></span></div><strong></strong><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today's <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">execise</span> is about envisioning yourself in a future filled with your heart's desires. I have to admit I feel a bit challened by this exercise today with the daily reports of the impending oil slick coming ashore. I took a dive down to the beach and walked out to the shoreline to see if I could find any evidence of tar balls. And, while I found none, I did find the water to be as thick and green as pea soup from algae and seaweed. I don't think I have ever seen the algae that thick.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gWBYCgh1OIeJQAJrTlUft644-Ih1Im73hrPjp8ZXZ22RCEIZ-K_btTmzE-3APUuWiL9X2tP1inF3hPvfVLAYNKng__jqsfN1IXbwwjEc5TzvxUsA1dj5H7HbGfNF0Y4ZE5yZ7jlio6kT/s1600/DSCF4033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gWBYCgh1OIeJQAJrTlUft644-Ih1Im73hrPjp8ZXZ22RCEIZ-K_btTmzE-3APUuWiL9X2tP1inF3hPvfVLAYNKng__jqsfN1IXbwwjEc5TzvxUsA1dj5H7HbGfNF0Y4ZE5yZ7jlio6kT/s400/DSCF4033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I sat on the sand for a while and looked out into the ocean and sent out love and healing. But the beach was unusually still and, at first I the only wildlife I saw was a few pigeons and some terns, who have a protected nesting area nearby. I couldn't shake the feeling of death in the air. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Eventu</span>ally, I saw a single osprey circle overhead and dive i<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">nto</span> the sea, but came it up empty. I watched him circle over the beach and fly back toward the rising sun. I sent him love and protection. A little while later a lone, tattered-looking seagull also flew overhead and down the beach toward the sunrise. I felt a tiny ray of hope from these lonely creatures.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtYDSF1F8ZenQJ9-Atvi08FdJkRTECOTaedzXxVZOQsgQVeEqZPdrejj9uQLb7YAVgGqp6yng5pAGeHVfJum57nJ_N-YLTSfg4FETs6N0GKfmTp0ZlgnF1xyKqGlspnN5uuNNHy4r5-yS/s1600/alone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtYDSF1F8ZenQJ9-Atvi08FdJkRTECOTaedzXxVZOQsgQVeEqZPdrejj9uQLb7YAVgGqp6yng5pAGeHVfJum57nJ_N-YLTSfg4FETs6N0GKfmTp0ZlgnF1xyKqGlspnN5uuNNHy4r5-yS/s320/alone.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I will check in later with the further results of today's exercise</span>.</div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-86985897326267514762010-06-09T12:50:00.000-05:002010-06-25T16:11:21.690-05:00THE BIG PICTURE: The oil spill and our current state of affairs<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Big Picture in all of this mess is that it can be a huge wake up call for all of us. People are understandably upset because their way of life has been changed in a moment -- possibly forever. The fishing ban area is widening daily. Tourism has slowed to a trickle. Businesses that have been going for generations have ground to a halt. Life as we have known it forever will change. But, maybe that's not all a bad thing.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R2inLIL9WK0nC0cS2J21Z6Va3aFs-P9NvGR9HYa2ErmW2XrsaJ9FAjiucXoCzRgh-iFQ8PnfrjAiIqNZfI-fuKswxyW7O7YABSZYreGgEhR9eUYqmi07KOumMOe6eK-XAacj6QUIhjS6/s1600/DSCF4025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2R2inLIL9WK0nC0cS2J21Z6Va3aFs-P9NvGR9HYa2ErmW2XrsaJ9FAjiucXoCzRgh-iFQ8PnfrjAiIqNZfI-fuKswxyW7O7YABSZYreGgEhR9eUYqmi07KOumMOe6eK-XAacj6QUIhjS6/s320/DSCF4025.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like the financial market degeneration and the health care system, these enterprises have been infused with fear and fueled by greed. Over the years they have become top heavy and unsustainable. There were opportunities in the past to change the direction of these systems, but greed won out over common sense and integrity. And, I am not just talking about the greed and fear of the financial institutions or health care providers. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As consumers, we are responsible for where our dollars go and with whom we invest our trust. Have we been diligent in asking the probing questions that would reveal the nature and integrity of those in whom we have entrusted our livelihoods and health care? Do we take responsibility for our own health and health care or do we trash our diets or live lifestyles that deplete our bodies and then expect drugs or doctors or hospitals to "cure" us? Do we make conscientious choices about where we spend and invest our hard-earned dollars or do we want the highest return for our dollar and turn a blind eye to how that rate of return has been created? </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And now we have the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico -- another unchecked industry fueled by greed. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHmhxpQEGPo">It's <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">deja</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">vu</span> all over again</a> Instead of a demand for alternative fuels that have a reduced impact on the environment, we complained about high gas prices and pushed for expanded oil exploration in some of the planets most vulnerable areas.</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay, I hear you mumbling --<em> more negativity about a negative subject. What good does that do?</em> But there is a ray of hope in all of this, really there is. I honestly don't see a repair of the current system, the tipping factor has been reached, and unfortunately, lasting collateral damage is the result. BUT, we now have a tremendous opportunity now for restructuring our economy, our health care and the way we meet our energy needs. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_-r6rdPxbgR57FHA1GxBrPJPlKnMZcIy15GtluDdhhZv2wKcKIdHCJsnMh885CP_kI5b257X-98lAb1XkOTV_W2S6iY_WC5D5D4lgDW0kc88HCeJbrutK5m0Z9Adm51LepU5D5VWpXo3/s1600/DSCF3289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_-r6rdPxbgR57FHA1GxBrPJPlKnMZcIy15GtluDdhhZv2wKcKIdHCJsnMh885CP_kI5b257X-98lAb1XkOTV_W2S6iY_WC5D5D4lgDW0kc88HCeJbrutK5m0Z9Adm51LepU5D5VWpXo3/s320/DSCF3289.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We can take more responsibility by reducing our spending and consumption on items that pollute our water and clog our landfills and generally damage our planet. See the <a href="http://www.storyofstuff.com/">Story of Stuff</a> Drive less, walk more. Eat (real) food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (To paraphrase Michael <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Pollan</span>) Hug a tree. Get out in nature. Pick up your trash. Learn to plant a garden, maybe even a <a href="http://www.communitygarden.org/">community garden</a></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvInhcInbY0C4Ls142PemyPzao9LQ2Q_QvzKPx3PQAFB7tVgez9ZRzd1MZnBHZnGMb3O1LNLqZ-9cTB-dHy95hhPIKpY4bdTN7T2Y0RR3U_KuZt-bJgsVD_o6vIBP93hgk5ePETTc15MgH/s1600/DSCF3304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvInhcInbY0C4Ls142PemyPzao9LQ2Q_QvzKPx3PQAFB7tVgez9ZRzd1MZnBHZnGMb3O1LNLqZ-9cTB-dHy95hhPIKpY4bdTN7T2Y0RR3U_KuZt-bJgsVD_o6vIBP93hgk5ePETTc15MgH/s320/DSCF3304.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">GOOD NEWS! When we change our habits <em>the market will adjust to our needs</em>. When we demand integrity and quality, and refuse to settle for less, <em>the market will rise up to our level of integrity</em>.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we band together and</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> join our single voice with the voices of the many, <em>the market will adjust to our demands.</em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Doubtful about your affect on machinations of giant corporations or your government? Look at what has happened in the food industry over the past few years. When I owned my health food store back in the 1980's, you'd be hard pressed to find many products on the grocery store shelves that were free of hydrogenated fats, MSG or high fructose corn syrup, let alone gluten free. Now you can find a huge selection of these products because consumers stopped buying these products and went elsewhere to shop.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">We can and will affect a change. What that change is, will be dependant entirely upon our choices. Reclaim your empowerment. Make your voice heard. Buy less. Recycle and reuse more. Mostly local. Vote with your dollars. Support products, businesses and individuals whose ideals and integrity reflect your own. </span> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltuNsWcFshzSLMUrg3FvfKUjikl9MCTnt_DdyeLtEjWo1yNp-Woy48UXxyShSIX1rJZfuM7R355l4qy0mLECEKH_De271r027Z4RcHkorvnkpDHiseffIXGQO7lsnfvo0KvOJo3Jh4_zY/s1600/DSCF2747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltuNsWcFshzSLMUrg3FvfKUjikl9MCTnt_DdyeLtEjWo1yNp-Woy48UXxyShSIX1rJZfuM7R355l4qy0mLECEKH_De271r027Z4RcHkorvnkpDHiseffIXGQO7lsnfvo0KvOJo3Jh4_zY/s320/DSCF2747.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The antidote for greed is the Grace of Reverence. When you treat yourself and your body with sacred reverence, you will have reverence for your family, your community and the earth. It's no coincidence that the most loving thing you can do for this planet just happens to be the most loving thing you can do for yourself. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Many blessings and grace,</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Melody</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Sugge</span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sted</span> Reading:</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Reclaiming Our Democracy by Sam Harris</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Defy Gravity by Caroline <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Myss</span></span></div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-87620215536007787532010-06-08T07:26:00.000-05:002010-06-09T12:07:05.023-05:00Days 17 - 21 of Fire Week 28-Day Soul Coaching Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_JByvq_vmoLE2Zy1aszqLxcyx1_Y5k7S2QKXqkCSuAxuwfzHCU0BHODv5pRuVjneISaERKLDwKRo0q3emo3LO0Vf6j2qXWWrrUSQLPK1j4Sx-0LAfMvt0bt4yN_qVT4xqtCsarnL34K5/s1600/DSCF4022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_JByvq_vmoLE2Zy1aszqLxcyx1_Y5k7S2QKXqkCSuAxuwfzHCU0BHODv5pRuVjneISaERKLDwKRo0q3emo3LO0Vf6j2qXWWrrUSQLPK1j4Sx-0LAfMvt0bt4yN_qVT4xqtCsarnL34K5/s400/DSCF4022.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whew! It's hard to believe it's been over a week since I last posted. There was a lot of sun here in Florida and it's been hot - August hot. Heat indexes have been in the triple digits. I have to constantly remind my self to re-hydrate and to replace my electrolytes. Landscaping has been a challenge and when I get too hot I get cranky! I was a bit disappointed that I did not follow the exercises for each day faithfully, but I remembered Denise said there would be days like this and just to move on to the next day and don't look back. </span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-55028456394322620532010-05-31T11:18:00.000-05:002010-05-31T11:19:32.547-05:00Day 16, Fire Week -- 28 Day Soul Coaching Program<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: cyan;">"I am free to experience joy in every moment... no matter what is happening in my life."</span></em> -- from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Today we are challenged to take a risk and step out of our comfort zone so dug out a flyer I had been holding onto for months and made a phone call. I left a message to enroll in dance lessons! I love to dance and have always wante to take lessons but had always felt too self-conscious to do it. Now I am excited to get started.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Oh yeah, I also finished reassembling my Soul Coaching Collage. It's almost as I first created it in California, but I put it on black poster board. I think it makes it stand out more. What do you think?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4O8cO-30KnhQ8IDj6AtXAsMNBf0wJDMcnOR9-Ewjo8Oc1b4YTnF0R3dDj5xQ-ojXFhiG-hcZN9jEmJXaV0_tIfgOrKOoLaVwhTg1LlSMHSzwUjGD518K0eJX0Rlr8B3bILy6GVKxjly3W/s1600/Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4O8cO-30KnhQ8IDj6AtXAsMNBf0wJDMcnOR9-Ewjo8Oc1b4YTnF0R3dDj5xQ-ojXFhiG-hcZN9jEmJXaV0_tIfgOrKOoLaVwhTg1LlSMHSzwUjGD518K0eJX0Rlr8B3bILy6GVKxjly3W/s400/Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-13922155271270123252010-05-31T09:41:00.000-05:002010-05-31T11:05:26.678-05:00Day 15 - The first day of Fire Week, 28 Day Soul Coaching Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapbz60hp-4DA1Ng-GZ9HNUwFCx8e9FZV-DzS12-MiAVSOininzX2Y_p7ACRZcjy-0ShAteJnil1ijM1uW76NHCo2Pu6eGeEAuyUUIcm-pe0uJEwT0Fkp7axKJmIce9HotPwLV9naCHawA/s1600/DSCF3648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapbz60hp-4DA1Ng-GZ9HNUwFCx8e9FZV-DzS12-MiAVSOininzX2Y_p7ACRZcjy-0ShAteJnil1ijM1uW76NHCo2Pu6eGeEAuyUUIcm-pe0uJEwT0Fkp7axKJmIce9HotPwLV9naCHawA/s640/DSCF3648.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: red;">" I am safe."</span></em> -- from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The element Fire represents Spirit and this week I will be cleansing my spiritual life. Today we examine the fears and shining the light on them, we lessen their power over us. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here is a partial list of fears I find lurking beneath the surface:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Loneliness</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Being overwhelmed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Abandonment</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Being criticized</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Being wrong</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Being unloveable</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Not being enough</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Being undesirable</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">At the moment loneliness seems to be dominating my consciousness. Normally I enjoy spending time alone. I like moving about my house in the morning, making coffee, catching up on my email and listening to the birds sing outside my door. Lately however, I have been overcome with incredible bouts of loneliness, especially this holiday weekend. I have no family nearby and with Father's Day coming up, I've been missing Dad.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, my challenge is to name this fear and then imagine the worst-case scenario and then list how I would not only survive, but thrive in it. OK, here goes:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><em>My deepest fear is that I will be alone the rest of my life, without a spiritual and romantic partner to share my life with. No one to laugh and sing goofy songs with. No one whose shoulder I can cry on or give me a hug when I feel down or lost or overwhelmed. No one to share my bed with. No one to cook for. No one who will be there, supporting me and encouraging me, both in my successes and challenges.</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Whew! That feels so heavy in the pit of my stomach and I feel a tightness in my chest. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Now, <em>how can I survive and even thrive being alone?</em> Well, I certainly know I can survive being alone. I have a very full life and have interests and a list of projects and ideas to work on that will carry me into the next lifetime. I have dear friends and my sisters (and Soul Sisters!) that I can call on when I need support. I love and enjoy food and art and nature and beauty and I have people who are ready and willing to join me in the experience. The truth is I am without a romantic partner and I am thriving now. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I used to have a sign posted over my computer that read, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">"Anxiety is just frozen fun -- so defrost yourself!"</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">I think I will make another one and post it today.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Today I racked some home made wine (<em>fire</em> water??) that I had started months ago. I love making wine and when I rack the wine, or siphon it off the sediment or "lees" into a new container, I always get a generous taste to see how it's coming along and today it warmed me nicely. If you come to visit me, I'd be happy to share a bottle with you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With Grace and Gratitude,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana;">Melody</span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-65725655336466340612010-05-31T08:51:00.000-05:002010-05-31T08:56:03.746-05:00Days 14 of Water Week - 28 Day Soul Coaching Program<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">"Who I am is enough, just as I am."</span></em> -- from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Today is the last day of Water Week and it has been an intense emotional week. On this last day we are challenged to look at our "<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">victimhood</span>" thinking and to look at the types of questions we ask ourselves on a daily basis. Questions such as, "Why can't I lose weight?" or "Will I ever find a partner?" When we recognize that we are thinking these self-defeating thoughts, we can change them to what Denise terms a "noble question" such as, "How can I experience more, love, joy, vibrancy... ?"</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I was afforded a very vivid look at some of my dark, defeating thoughts. In the past, I've been given to bouts of depression and anxiety and today I saw the deep feelings of fear and unworthiness that was at the core of these thoughts. I had a fairly unstructured day where I napped and played computer games. When thoughts like, "Why are you being so lazy, there's so much to do here?" I made a conscious choice to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">reframe</span> those thoughts into, "How can I rest and nurture myself today?" I watched a movie and made a delicious dinner with a salad with fresh spring greens, sweet grape tomatoes and goat cheese and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ramen</span> noodle soup, a dish I've always associated with comfort food.</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">When I felt overwhelmed by my emotions, I remembered the quote we learned at Soul Camp; "It's just stuff, and it's just leaving!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"> I also remembered something I really "got" while sitting at the foot of a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park, <span style="font-size: large;"><em>"<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">FO</span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">CUS</span> ON THE DESIRED OUTCOME, INSTEAD OF THE PROBLEM."</em> </span><span style="font-size: small;">I think I'll print that statement out and hang it on my wall.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blessings and Grace,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Verdana;">Melody</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpFDPnccesG8z_Df_eI_pao07zHawf2k2ygCMdZsx0LI44qhyphenhyphenkddeo-QaDLF_KHptqNmOOsInJ9ACpRtUXW22pcAWF0eHF-Z3Ygaxv16btOoPivGXceblOjlCi6Kp3QVNW82yGhbMHYl4/s1600/DSCF2567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpFDPnccesG8z_Df_eI_pao07zHawf2k2ygCMdZsx0LI44qhyphenhyphenkddeo-QaDLF_KHptqNmOOsInJ9ACpRtUXW22pcAWF0eHF-Z3Ygaxv16btOoPivGXceblOjlCi6Kp3QVNW82yGhbMHYl4/s640/DSCF2567.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>The amazing ocean at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Kona</span>, Hawaii.A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-37110287599157220352010-05-30T08:29:00.000-05:002010-05-31T08:56:21.404-05:00Days 13 of the 28 Day Soul Coaching Program<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day 13: <span style="color: lime;"><em><strong>"My life is blessed and I am so grateful."</strong></em></span> <strong>-- from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Today's excercise was about developing an attitude of gratitude and I have so many things I am grateful for. Imstead of listing all of them, I thought I would post some pictures of some of the things I have been gratedul for in my life. These pictures are in no particular order or time.</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmd1aBXDdsU0udMDl81PGyInhn387NLj7K5z4TLCLMZ6vdI_-6tg6N1VzmVy4wFQIEQj1z_Oy6naKlaxHszT1JmF2FtVPCEcrEpcpWW_mqa5yWwr2koj-PWNQoa8M9q8VOfx5vrKgCqG-/s1600/Smilebox_266474986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmd1aBXDdsU0udMDl81PGyInhn387NLj7K5z4TLCLMZ6vdI_-6tg6N1VzmVy4wFQIEQj1z_Oy6naKlaxHszT1JmF2FtVPCEcrEpcpWW_mqa5yWwr2koj-PWNQoa8M9q8VOfx5vrKgCqG-/s320/Smilebox_266474986.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My Parents</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd7NGWFis13cE5dhREtd3P7I13BrbRoBsKPqc4udBK0OMTSE_a6qHkTCZnPKUpcRFbyrlFj6WmG9-sU8JZgnT8jxdMex091fagEzHk-wfDTpkZJfvwf59Qs6JrL9VEETJM05Xz73M2LVy/s1600/DSCF2604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfd7NGWFis13cE5dhREtd3P7I13BrbRoBsKPqc4udBK0OMTSE_a6qHkTCZnPKUpcRFbyrlFj6WmG9-sU8JZgnT8jxdMex091fagEzHk-wfDTpkZJfvwf59Qs6JrL9VEETJM05Xz73M2LVy/s400/DSCF2604.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My trip to Hawaii last summer when I became an Angel Therapy Practitioner and met so many amazing people.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EHrYRMYMV0r_G2-l4kdJSN2Y24-tOTC0ncxTfg5iK1ARfn8631nrG8NK1k0g0uUrEyj739_XVHwXeudYw_XJcMcVi185sDaT4kwZgBHcbKeVpF7WJQcuyJMOUM0QFfRcoMSMUX-MYkQi/s1600/Denise+n+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EHrYRMYMV0r_G2-l4kdJSN2Y24-tOTC0ncxTfg5iK1ARfn8631nrG8NK1k0g0uUrEyj739_XVHwXeudYw_XJcMcVi185sDaT4kwZgBHcbKeVpF7WJQcuyJMOUM0QFfRcoMSMUX-MYkQi/s320/Denise+n+I.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Meeting Denise Linn at the Tampa I CAN DO IT Conference, November 2009. It's where I signed up for the Soul Coaching course that has changed my life. Yay!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDvuZNORRlcWdsEDqOq2TsI1aTCKC8qs_5j-8pR1-VYeABYI1v1oxx8AllrqR0h5KOrCUs6No7c9rTfGnEn3K5ymgymUQLqQbh5o93XG_JbSyNGZBjRqvTLQ0C6ZGIyxK1xQaig1wSbHU/s1600/Gangsta2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDvuZNORRlcWdsEDqOq2TsI1aTCKC8qs_5j-8pR1-VYeABYI1v1oxx8AllrqR0h5KOrCUs6No7c9rTfGnEn3K5ymgymUQLqQbh5o93XG_JbSyNGZBjRqvTLQ0C6ZGIyxK1xQaig1wSbHU/s320/Gangsta2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">These two tough guys are my grandchildren Harlon and James. The Meade Boys.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6S5ugUzGzsws8Hr2tD3_AiZHg0XflMYYxJBbn57YgaNvLmBjYVt7I_9uhvgOmvXtRfMVtB6YZ-OVRCDw2tm3qIZXr78S0JkOsx-gRBpa_-bq1aa-DZvAZN4dFuvl_A44Xf29IAKpOPnL/s1600/DSCF2830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6S5ugUzGzsws8Hr2tD3_AiZHg0XflMYYxJBbn57YgaNvLmBjYVt7I_9uhvgOmvXtRfMVtB6YZ-OVRCDw2tm3qIZXr78S0JkOsx-gRBpa_-bq1aa-DZvAZN4dFuvl_A44Xf29IAKpOPnL/s320/DSCF2830.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My granddaughter Ellie Mae (don't you just love that name?) and her sweet mom, Sarah.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwT1F8g4Sz0CVFyGyynLxan83RTh8jpqhaU38K-ty6pHC3IYHnTdmziwcRNbpyWKkF-6CVOgqemyk8b8feqLIj0Cjyv8chZO8RPMu2o3REFR5ENTrm2P2yQYg8hk29HEyFtXBw2jzFSl6q/s1600/DSCF2779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwT1F8g4Sz0CVFyGyynLxan83RTh8jpqhaU38K-ty6pHC3IYHnTdmziwcRNbpyWKkF-6CVOgqemyk8b8feqLIj0Cjyv8chZO8RPMu2o3REFR5ENTrm2P2yQYg8hk29HEyFtXBw2jzFSl6q/s320/DSCF2779.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">One of my favorite spots to canoe off the Yellow River in Florida.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_LVaOvs6kEYEoqHPVehZedztqNVVKsnblZQob2UJ5gr41v12E6OsY4inkrbXdUtaoBc_l-m1sLpQ4Z4VtjlUUigbVPycp1WNaIKznuZqquzNZFc30fW9FGZyX0K2w7Ng8WZ9s5c1bFPf/s1600/DSCF2815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_LVaOvs6kEYEoqHPVehZedztqNVVKsnblZQob2UJ5gr41v12E6OsY4inkrbXdUtaoBc_l-m1sLpQ4Z4VtjlUUigbVPycp1WNaIKznuZqquzNZFc30fW9FGZyX0K2w7Ng8WZ9s5c1bFPf/s400/DSCF2815.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Some of my landscaping handiwork. I love my job.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mVj5nrGCLz8-eaO6FjTfHhx2VRKq0ewd1-CUy7_Q3ixHAK9soAqC1bPBJ_9AG9171BuOFTWPcI88bQenqTc5nZJbj0uHQZC6Jcr2528sgfj8-CSP5t44aARM0Uvq1OJuPSWV3KQHLqR1/s1600/linda+%26+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mVj5nrGCLz8-eaO6FjTfHhx2VRKq0ewd1-CUy7_Q3ixHAK9soAqC1bPBJ_9AG9171BuOFTWPcI88bQenqTc5nZJbj0uHQZC6Jcr2528sgfj8-CSP5t44aARM0Uvq1OJuPSWV3KQHLqR1/s320/linda+%26+I.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My sister Linda who came to visit me this spring and nurtured me through a busy time.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVaaP4RSvl3dNwNd_f3um75-gLbO_svYmQRqF7o6eEJIyH_x_6g44rcaED4jovsTDOGhEfrVv_kjqhLtdWLUHKbGJcAKmgPCpDUFLIk7-yLnGrOd-5tCndqhxspHbLcJdaRVhiIi_gBLJ/s1600/l+and+r.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVaaP4RSvl3dNwNd_f3um75-gLbO_svYmQRqF7o6eEJIyH_x_6g44rcaED4jovsTDOGhEfrVv_kjqhLtdWLUHKbGJcAKmgPCpDUFLIk7-yLnGrOd-5tCndqhxspHbLcJdaRVhiIi_gBLJ/s320/l+and+r.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My talented and loving sisters, Rosemary and Linda</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-KmcMhMckC5cgkHcx3kFmkBYtDortOrwo0cjMkJ3KG8oRfYloX0iDeN1xelMfmW102Kn0qpi0m_RHGI4ScoJgnnh6CSzBISu7es8X2xjXDeIZOvhFD0SFsWXPmHhOI3lUiSb2XegDL75/s1600/kids+3d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-KmcMhMckC5cgkHcx3kFmkBYtDortOrwo0cjMkJ3KG8oRfYloX0iDeN1xelMfmW102Kn0qpi0m_RHGI4ScoJgnnh6CSzBISu7es8X2xjXDeIZOvhFD0SFsWXPmHhOI3lUiSb2XegDL75/s320/kids+3d.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My daughter Jessica, Sarah (my DIL) and son Aaron enjoying a 3D movie.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ9YTEvksaxYTnjHo29_MM3jItcmZ0AebjdeMDQw6PoOSWrBleX4nAQKvRdFPEJ5XmqUePjPQu5z7qxxdbdPoM8xGL3GwNA0QW3Tei8oauOzYn2kQ-GzVQw-5-8Rhqlu_fhTuOAColZN8/s1600/DSCF4001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGQ9YTEvksaxYTnjHo29_MM3jItcmZ0AebjdeMDQw6PoOSWrBleX4nAQKvRdFPEJ5XmqUePjPQu5z7qxxdbdPoM8xGL3GwNA0QW3Tei8oauOzYn2kQ-GzVQw-5-8Rhqlu_fhTuOAColZN8/s320/DSCF4001.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My little house here in Northwest Florida.</div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-87358700615934504892010-05-29T18:41:00.000-05:002010-05-31T08:56:42.601-05:00Days 11 & 12 of 28 Day Soul Coaching Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Day 11: <em><span style="color: #ea9999;">"I am loved and I am loveable. " " I love deeply and fully, and I am loved deeply and full."</span></em> -- from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn.</strong></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The exercise for today is to examine our relationship and emotional habits and patterns. My interactions in my relationships has changed over the years. Today I am more thoughtful about entering into relationships, cautious, and protective of my heart. I have recently divided to think about engaging in a new romantic relationship. No, there are no current prospects, nor am I seeking, just being open to the idea of it. In the process of becoming more open to the idea, I found crusty layers of self-protection formed under the tectonic pressures of my last relationships.</span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had been happily preparing my new home and working and engaging with friends and told myself (convincingly) that I was really quite all right not being in relationship for a while. Then I got a reading from a dear intuitive friend. I broke down as she began to speak of the love my heart longed for. Of my desire to be cherished and nurtured and respected for the glorious woman I am. She saw right through my brave front and spoke to my heart. It was freeing just to admit it was what I yearned for. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">She gave me an exercise that I found it curious, sometimes challenging and a lot of fun: 'Sing in the shower,' she commanded. 'Sing to your future lover. Sing about all of the amazing qualities he has. Tell him what you need and how you will love him. Tell him all your desires. Sing as if he has been away on a long journey and is now returning home to you, at last. Sing, even if your heart is breaking.' I smiled. I could do that.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggW43wTTk_kKsJlUwVlPuxanBvqMRCnGyOt0GAyCZZ5vbzmPEKY7AawOC6ORk2ofO4Mzrc2o6_o8EZ9pHqP4fAV3xAFn1ioBdGwNLxbGOoSsVKy-6_zKcl8EyZfQqsfYPAzzm2HDNK0xMQ/s1600/DSCF3999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggW43wTTk_kKsJlUwVlPuxanBvqMRCnGyOt0GAyCZZ5vbzmPEKY7AawOC6ORk2ofO4Mzrc2o6_o8EZ9pHqP4fAV3xAFn1ioBdGwNLxbGOoSsVKy-6_zKcl8EyZfQqsfYPAzzm2HDNK0xMQ/s400/DSCF3999.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So I have been singing. Sometimes in tune, sometimes, not so much. "My man is coming to me," I sing. "He loves me endlessly. He treats me tenderly. He can't stop caressing me..." Sometimes I giggle coming up with words that end in -<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ly</span>. Sometimes I shed tears as the deep longing washes over me. But I feel comforted in knowing he is coming across lifetimes to me at the right and perfect time for us both.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Day 12:<span style="color: #e06666;"> <em><span style="color: #f1c232;">"In the center of my being, there is always stillness and peace."</span></em> </span><span style="color: black;">-- </span>from the book Soul Coaching by Denise Linn</strong> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today is about being still. Sometimes being still is so easy and sometimes excruciating -- usually when I look around and think of all the things I <em>could</em> be doing... Today, the last day of water week I started out feeling anxious and depressed. Two states I am quite familiar with. But, today I decided I had had enough and I cried out to the angels, "I am finished with this! Whatever it is, whatever I need to know about it, you will have to show me." I was tired of living in fear and feeling like I have to shoulder it all alone. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The message to me was, "Movement!" After finishing coffee out on my back porch and listening to the birds I went in and opened up the quartz crystal root <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">chakra</span> singing bowl I had ordered and started to make it sing. I let it reverberate throughout my body and the house until the sound evaporated into the silence of the morning. I went to get dressed so I could go out and pick dewberries. Dewberries are luscious purple-black berries resembling blackberries in taste and look. They grow wild on vines that trail along the ground. They have a fairly short harvest period and I knew they were ripe and I had been itching to get out and pick some before they were gone. As I was getting ready to go out, three dear friends called and brightened my morning. We made plans to get together soon. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xAPHo7R6RIC6P-gJnj87SZA2ZCAS3AS_zod0ltaYPgP6iVUiSC6sLLpZIlyNA9c-9y_Xq2lSX1u8GHpWF5FIXiB5fY1oX3ZBBBREpebC6DxUczNPK7D71hIapuevrbeOp-6b6kq3_60G/s1600/berries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xAPHo7R6RIC6P-gJnj87SZA2ZCAS3AS_zod0ltaYPgP6iVUiSC6sLLpZIlyNA9c-9y_Xq2lSX1u8GHpWF5FIXiB5fY1oX3ZBBBREpebC6DxUczNPK7D71hIapuevrbeOp-6b6kq3_60G/s320/berries.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I decided to allot one hour for picking as I haven't been doing so well in the heat this week. I went to an empty lot near where I live and picked about four quarts in an hour. They were sweet and juicy from all the sun, turning my fingers blue as I picked - many of them, <em>'big as the end of my thumb</em>' as my father was fond of saying. It was actually rather pleasant out as I was shaded by the tall long leaf pines that also grew in the lot. I listened to the birds singing overhead and my mouth watered as I thought about the dewberry pie I would make later.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">After I finished picking berries, I decided to surround myself with beauty in all my senses and I picked fresh flowers to make several bouquets. I picked deep pink hydrangeas and heavily scented gardenias along with white yarrow and black-eyed <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">susans</span>. I also cut some grasses that looked a little like miniature bamboo and so bright green fern fronds. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">At home I took a lovely cool shower. Feeling clean and much cooler, I made the dewberry pie thinking about how much my dad would have enjoyed a slice with a cup of good, strong coffee. Dad was known to have pie for breakfast. I'd thought of Dad as I was picking berries and later making the pie. Father's Day was next weekend and I still missed him, even after nine years. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOa8GEFcAm9vw4kmGs1kDpKVuSMDKD7zc73LyF-UMykXU2W2OzRCltgFGHsVkEV-lplKDQlUNGgaH1_Z2Gnp79dQH57hcCzLbilYUMrxehZ1U_d8xIggQYq5WP4Pej7sJSIa1w83sEqIvu/s1600/DSCF3982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOa8GEFcAm9vw4kmGs1kDpKVuSMDKD7zc73LyF-UMykXU2W2OzRCltgFGHsVkEV-lplKDQlUNGgaH1_Z2Gnp79dQH57hcCzLbilYUMrxehZ1U_d8xIggQYq5WP4Pej7sJSIa1w83sEqIvu/s320/DSCF3982.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I waited for the pie to bake, I made a sandwich out of organic salad greens, goat cheese and the first ripe tomatoes of the season. Yum. I even tossed a handful of dewberries into a glass of crisp white <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">muscadine</span> wine I had made from last years' grapes. I took the pie out of the oven and waited impatiently for it to cool. I arranged hydrangeas and gardenias, black-eyed <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">susans</span> and white yarrow went with the orange-red Lucifer's lilies in a bouquet for my bedroom. The ferns looked great all by themselves, so I placed them on the mantle.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I write this I hear thunder rolling softly and a light rain begins to fall. It is a welcome sight. I think about how different the day had ended up, considering the state I was in earlier. I feet alive and at peace and fully enjoying the beauty and abundance of the earth. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I cut the still-warm pie and savoured the delicious sweet-tartness of the berries and the crunch of the crumb topping. Wish you were here to have a slice with me. I'll probably have a slice for breakfast too, with a cup of good, strong coffee. Here's to you, Dad.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkEeq6YEddk-Fl533w5ab4wUi0hv5Cg0QJ93cZ0zQP14k6GQ7xbeXGoB60M7afHLTt3UWM-EILHtlgkT2P4raA5DehAH6Fge4RNxzEAf20rZW2sc3YSOeyuCVWeJZFoTHScX636nAXU3y/s1600/DSCF3983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkEeq6YEddk-Fl533w5ab4wUi0hv5Cg0QJ93cZ0zQP14k6GQ7xbeXGoB60M7afHLTt3UWM-EILHtlgkT2P4raA5DehAH6Fge4RNxzEAf20rZW2sc3YSOeyuCVWeJZFoTHScX636nAXU3y/s320/DSCF3983.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Here's the recipe for my Dewberry Pie. Worth every thorny scratch!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Dewberry Pie with Crumb Topping</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1 - 9 inch pie crust, hand made or frozen shell</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">4 cups fresh dewberries (can substitute blackberries)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2/3 cup unrefined sugar mixed with 2 tab. all purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1/2 fresh lemon</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Pick over berries and place in unbaked pie shell. Mix flour and sugar together and sprinkle over berries. Juice half lemon over all.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Crumb topping:</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">In small bowl add:</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">1/4 cup unrefined sugar</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 tab. all purpose unbleached flour</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">2 tab. butter</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Cut butter into sugar and flour with fork or pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie and bake at 375 for 50 minutes or until bubbly. Excellent when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of good, hot coffee. Enjoy!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakCVNd5BI2Ghyphenhyphen7Q4drG0_gl4bk3OjMkisTXPBais0UPgPHy55ykmt9X5NWkaqduQQHEGX-zKSUve9HTMNasZzMmlGpUVpuvRtZff5kyrbHDuvC-3Pv2HCG0z44ytZucmqktmS9doBHnDS/s1600/Smilebox_266474985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakCVNd5BI2Ghyphenhyphen7Q4drG0_gl4bk3OjMkisTXPBais0UPgPHy55ykmt9X5NWkaqduQQHEGX-zKSUve9HTMNasZzMmlGpUVpuvRtZff5kyrbHDuvC-3Pv2HCG0z44ytZucmqktmS9doBHnDS/s320/Smilebox_266474985.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My Father, Glenn Sharpe</div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-70685828665900615862010-05-26T12:20:00.000-05:002010-05-26T12:20:48.851-05:00Days 9 & 10<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Water Week continues... The Exercise for Day 9 is about more clearing -- and to sanctify each step of the process. I started this when I began cleaning off my office desk last week and the change was amazing. The whole room felt transformed. Today I will finish my desk. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Day 10 Excercise is about Energy Drainers and Juicers. I had several examples of energy drains and juicers this past week. One thing that drains me is the heat. Temperatures here in north Florida have been in the upper 80s with the heat index near 100. Humidity levels are high and working outdoors in this environment totally drains me. I am spent by the end of the workday. I have worked to minimize this effect by keeping cool and hydrated as much as possible and replacing electrolytes. This definitely helps, but I realize I may need to move into a more managerial role in my landscaping business and save the hands-on work for the cooler months. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Another big drain has been an employee who lacks integrity. I had first thought about keeping them on until I found a replacement, but then I became very clear that it would be better to handle things myself than to let this continue another week so tomorrow will be his last day.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Some energy juicers have been time spent in the woods and at the beach. The trees are my friends and the cool salt water seemed to drain all the tension out of my body. I also had a great session with my acupuncturist, Rebecca Freeman. Her office is in Shalimar, Florida and she has a remarkable intuitive and healing talent. She said she saw some very sticky energy around me and I recalled a couple of people I had been working with a few days previous and had felt a real energy drain while around them. I had done some cleansing after, but obviously not enough. After our treatment I felt so much better.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Other juicers are: Seeing what's new and blooming in my garden. Writing. Listinening to good music and watching a good movie. (check out Georgia O'keefe and Up In the Air)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsidm1x66tFJidE3z0_O78T5sXTN4dpkqUlY2rmT66PNPWRT2hHuA4yQUY71uny4xSp4vDrNYfcnF0aismez5GVu43ZYqzzGxEScRfaYxv77lHZw4yr_uIH0J42TexktjEcvOiL2PNS2c6/s1600/2010Head+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsidm1x66tFJidE3z0_O78T5sXTN4dpkqUlY2rmT66PNPWRT2hHuA4yQUY71uny4xSp4vDrNYfcnF0aismez5GVu43ZYqzzGxEScRfaYxv77lHZw4yr_uIH0J42TexktjEcvOiL2PNS2c6/s320/2010Head+shot.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Another big juicer for me was getting my hair cut this week. With work and the heat, I don't have time nor the inclination to fuss with it, so I had it cut short yesterday. What do you think?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">What are your Juicers?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blessings and Grace,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Melody</span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-39539484423738541542010-05-23T17:33:00.000-05:002010-05-23T17:35:48.859-05:00Day 8 - Starting Water Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjVKs9Wctk57ujfmFin0ur7wIJLedjzD_hl2cVWsE0uNd5dCAzHl0x5ZjVZvLtWWlmh60ne4AlCNfBMo0YX7iIkiUN3ZgNVO-ZTSiwlR01jlGI6DUchnkcP-9gpLErVqf1QG3K_sxWbuf/s1600/hand+gulf.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjVKs9Wctk57ujfmFin0ur7wIJLedjzD_hl2cVWsE0uNd5dCAzHl0x5ZjVZvLtWWlmh60ne4AlCNfBMo0YX7iIkiUN3ZgNVO-ZTSiwlR01jlGI6DUchnkcP-9gpLErVqf1QG3K_sxWbuf/s320/hand+gulf.jpeg.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We are starting the second week of the 28-day Soul Coaching program today and the focus is Water and the emotions. It seems from my last post (see Day 6 & 7) that I have already started this cleanse! I went to the beautiful Gulf of Mexico at Navarre Beach, only 10 minutes from my home and spent about 45 minutes playing in the warm emerald green water. It was so healing and I felt the last of the emotional heaviness I was feeling yesterday leave my body as I dried off in the sun. Here is a picture of my bracelet against the beautiful waters of the Gulf. </span></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-27WWBkssrd0nvWvahDMJUKJtr-SBNzT5X1YJOizrQsVHPNZKNzxhc3JEedzCXLeSIA683GMg2zKA827e71M3Ci4pR1grkYxM3yub4yTtXBxcKpfyzURkKmS6krDPEdeGWdhdlPlcvpDf/s1600/DSCF3955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-27WWBkssrd0nvWvahDMJUKJtr-SBNzT5X1YJOizrQsVHPNZKNzxhc3JEedzCXLeSIA683GMg2zKA827e71M3Ci4pR1grkYxM3yub4yTtXBxcKpfyzURkKmS6krDPEdeGWdhdlPlcvpDf/s320/DSCF3955.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Last night I was feeling a bit low so I decided to self-medicate with food. (Hey, it could be something worse!) Instead of the buffalo wings and beer I was tempted to pick up, I decided to make a nice pasta dish with sauteed fresh veggies and a white wine reduction sauce with a bit of creamy goat cheese and fresh lemon juice squeezed over the top accompanied by a spring green salad with home made croutons. It was yummy and did make me feel better. They don't call it comfort food for nothing. Meadow Linn has inspired me to cook gourmet meals for myself, and not just for others. Thanks Meadow! You can see her excellent blog with fabulous recipes at <a href="http://www.savortheday.blogspot.com/">http://www.savortheday.blogspot.com/</a></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blessings to all, Melody</span>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-63786557820461745092010-05-23T10:35:00.000-05:002010-05-23T21:21:57.070-05:00Day 6 & 7 - Soul Coaching 28 day program<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two nights ago I had a vivid dream. My most recent significant other (SO) and my sister were both in it. In the dream, and not too unlike their current situations, they were each going on a long trip that would take them far away from me. In the dream I was helping them pack and crying at the thought of how much I would miss them both. I awoke with a start and realized this was connected to the deep loneliness I had been feeling.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, I continued in my intention to be The Observer in this. I decided to go spend the night with my sister, who lives about an hour away. While our relationship has had it's up and downs, she has been the family member I have remained the closest to in my adult life. She was having a porch sale to lighten her load of material possessions and to help raise money for her move to south Florida. I brought my computer and showed her the pictures from my trip to California and my experiences at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span> and Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks and she showed me her pictures of her adventure sailing around the peninsula of Florida from <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Destin</span> ending in Jacksonville where she had an accident on the boat and dislocated her shoulder. She had remained unable to work for the last two months. We had a great dinner, some home brewed beer and shared a few laughs.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kxHfRX1M37YtHztW6Pe59MYqgD-Gy9UJ2DdVecZgC6rjv4drlOL0k71QXvhs3nH4wVebqvUAf1ZRScUkSdeDlWedXoJG1O7HQf66jO7h1kMuuVaVnIRtQ8MrxDTwuVu4HITVRuBaDfHh/s1600/DSCF3924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kxHfRX1M37YtHztW6Pe59MYqgD-Gy9UJ2DdVecZgC6rjv4drlOL0k71QXvhs3nH4wVebqvUAf1ZRScUkSdeDlWedXoJG1O7HQf66jO7h1kMuuVaVnIRtQ8MrxDTwuVu4HITVRuBaDfHh/s320/DSCF3924.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">In the morning I helped her with her porch sale for a while and bought a number of things for myself. I noticed that, while previously I might have felt sad for her, and she might have felt sorry for herself, and victimized by life's circumstances, neither of those things were happening. She seemed genuinely at peace with her decisions and ready to move into the next phase of her life, as uncertain as that might be. It was really good to see her in such a good frame of mind as she has struggled for years, carrying the weights and worries of life heavily upon her shoulder. I left her to finish with her sale, good-<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">naturedly</span> bargaining with prospective customers with the objects she had surrounded herself with in her life. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the drive home I felt grateful to have spent that time with her and reconnected in a way that perhaps was deeper and more pure than before. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">At home, I still felt this nagging heaviness that I had attributed to the loneliness and started to cry as I unpacked some of the things I had purchased from my sister. Realizing that I had entered a grieving process for the two most significant relationships I'd had in the past 10 years. My inclination was to crawl into the cocoon of my home and isolate myself there until it passed, or I had to go to work. But, since <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">decluttering</span> your life is the theme for the 28-day process, I decided to honor a commitment I made at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span> and go out into nature at least once a week.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sewz1VODy5J7rd4SaD5G59i-oTxysHDWCXuWo3a71zvYGM_APL7C629vdW6S27tieipeWcH5nARaNdNOJnbdLJQGQJx3t4g4Q_ZGgcMdGyR97iVvvR6U3a7BeLsrj_CYHqhbzenPNVhM/s1600/IMG_3933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sewz1VODy5J7rd4SaD5G59i-oTxysHDWCXuWo3a71zvYGM_APL7C629vdW6S27tieipeWcH5nARaNdNOJnbdLJQGQJx3t4g4Q_ZGgcMdGyR97iVvvR6U3a7BeLsrj_CYHqhbzenPNVhM/s320/IMG_3933.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, I packed up a small back pack and started off on a trail my SO and I had made that started at the back of his property and led to the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Eglin</span> Air Force Base reservation. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Eglin</span> owns the better part of three counties here in the Florida panhandle and has allowed people to camp, hike, hunt and fish on many areas, with the proper permits, of course. Most of the reservation is wilderness area, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">criss</span>-crossed with forest roads, a few primitive campsites, numerous wildlife trails and the Florida Trail, part of the National Scenic trail, and a maintained hiking trail that starts at Big Cypress in south Florida and travels north, nearly to Jacksonville and then west to Pensacola. It come to within 10 miles of where we live and we have spent countless enjoyable hours hiking and camping along it's length.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I love being outdoors and in nature, I am not a big fan of going out alone, but I made all the necessary preparations and pushed myself out the door in the very warm noon day sun. While in Yosemite and Sequoia, I had visited often by crows. It seemed no matter where I went, within a few minutes a crow or two would come and circle over my head then fly away. I looked up Crow in the Animal Totem book when I got home and crows represent change and are symbolic of the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Shapeshifter</span>, an archetype I identify strongly with. And there certainly has been a lot of change in my life in the past year, or twenty. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQuNgvMS5W6QF-FPR1-LgylfkxTydL2YaFngwfkpI0J86hqvodE64QUz2ag8VcSaKEkRZKYLEoQzvo1qjWIB6i6U0smK7TITefuXvcQZry5pjBalRxLWbNarrSLyvzcEBFXU8HdzpWqyh/s1600/DSCF3928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggQuNgvMS5W6QF-FPR1-LgylfkxTydL2YaFngwfkpI0J86hqvodE64QUz2ag8VcSaKEkRZKYLEoQzvo1qjWIB6i6U0smK7TITefuXvcQZry5pjBalRxLWbNarrSLyvzcEBFXU8HdzpWqyh/s320/DSCF3928.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I thought of this change as I made my way through the narrow trail. We had considered this trail to be "our" trail as we had painstakingly cut it through and around long leaf pines, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">titi</span> trees, sensitive ferns and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">hypericum</span> that all grow wild in this area. Several downed <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">titi</span> trees hung low over the path and I noted that they would have to cleared. I tried to think now in terms of not "our" trail, but "the" trail, but the idea seemed foreign and awkward. The plan was to walk back to the East Bay river that runs about a mile and a half in and sit by the bank and journal.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMZQ-ZipBZky5a2t1a6psDb5p0AICXMONsdHZlqcomax0EyKWoevzVhyWmWNYMtfhFZYw8eLfxCGw07pSUcdnZJZlfL6DBphM0R2eVUF_UhoaQZoRnCA_cJ3Oi3jGVenDnSwdpb_gvmqH/s1600/meadow+beauty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMZQ-ZipBZky5a2t1a6psDb5p0AICXMONsdHZlqcomax0EyKWoevzVhyWmWNYMtfhFZYw8eLfxCGw07pSUcdnZJZlfL6DBphM0R2eVUF_UhoaQZoRnCA_cJ3Oi3jGVenDnSwdpb_gvmqH/s320/meadow+beauty.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I soon broke out of the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">titi</span> thicket and into a more open pine woods area. I realized why I had been reluctant to make this trek. Every thing, every plant, every turn in the trail reminded me of our relationship and the happy hours we had spent together in nature. I walked past the still green woolly huckleberries we were fond of picking in the late summer when they turned black. Past the the Carolina Meadow Beauty, whose buds were beginning to form into what would be blossoms so shocking a pink that never failed to delight me. Past the fresh, lemony-scented false rosemary that I had used to season our Thanksgiving turkey and had a beautiful vi<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">olet</span> bloom in early spring that never failed to inspire a photo. Past the twisty blades of the yellow-eyed grass and through a carpet of dwarf live oak, whose plant stand barely a foot high, but whose underground root system is hundreds of years old.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I cut through to the wildlife trail that ran along the front side of a thicket, picking my way through the clumps of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">wiregrass</span> and sweet <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">gallberry</span> that was now in bloom. Past the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">yaupon</span> holly, <em><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ilex</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">vomitoria</span> </em>name for it's purgative qualities. The native <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">indians</span> would use a tea made from the leaves, "white drink", as a cleanse before a big hunt, but the early settlers learned to toast the leaves to make "black drink" which contains caffeine. Their brilliant orange-red berries will often brighten my day in the drab winter months.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I came to the forest road that runs past an collection of AFB buildings, encircled by a tall chain link fence. The equipment it housed emitting a electrical hum that could be heard from my house on a quiet night. Past the spot where we had come upon a beautiful <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">florida</span> black bear in the morning mist that had stared at us for a brief moment before running into the woods. Past the tracks of coyote and raccoon and what looked to be a yearling bear cub embedded in the sand of the road. Tracks we had studied and identified countless times. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Past dewberries, whose juicy black berries grew on vines that run along the ground and a taste that rivals blackberries, in my opinion. Berries that we had picked to make jellies and cobblers and pies and to add to home made wines. Past <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">redbay</span> and wax <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">mrytle</span> and sweet bay magnolias, whose leaves we had crushed on countless walks to release their amazing scents. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I began to cry for all the things our relationship was and is and could not be. I wanted to be with him and to move on. I wanted to say, "Let's try again. There is so much good in what we had." but realized the differences, though few, represented places we could not go together. Places I must now go. I walked past the place where he spotted a bear, deep within a thicket, thrashing about, and took a short movie of it that he showed me at home later. Past the dozens of tire track we had become more dismayed to find on these roads which had been all but abandoned when we first started walking here years ago. We lamented about the destruction of the habitat and discarded trash we would find.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT0by03SggcR52wEmtu7jEWlOlq3yr17gZF7W9Xb2flBhZHkNNSonc7i_DtBnbP_kfv2bMlmMeu4iivuEvTSBLQ4qqkAHvKL8JS0_mEie5umNBc6-iKOisJ66VHHuYPwvM5liRrWg2mnf/s1600/DSCF3933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT0by03SggcR52wEmtu7jEWlOlq3yr17gZF7W9Xb2flBhZHkNNSonc7i_DtBnbP_kfv2bMlmMeu4iivuEvTSBLQ4qqkAHvKL8JS0_mEie5umNBc6-iKOisJ66VHHuYPwvM5liRrWg2mnf/s320/DSCF3933.JPG" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;">As I came to the clearing where the road ended at the edge of the river, I was disappointed to find a pickup parked there. <em>Probably destroying some white top pitcher plants or any number of endangered plants that grew in abundance in this particular <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">section</span></em>, I thought with contempt. I'm not too tolerant of the needless destruction of wildlife, as you can see. I approached the river cautiously, stopping frequently to listen for talking or anything that would indicate <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">another's</span> presence. I heard nothing and stopped momentarily to wet the back of my neck. It would have been nice to take off my boots and wade int the cool water before sitting down to journal for a bit, but I did not want to be interrupted or even seen, for that matter so I made my way back along the road and cut across the the place where my SO had witnessed the bear. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vKpZkshy0wlScrToui3tuN69cg4gb51bwAlzFOnZ1ktrm7T7whSxpmcSARAgwPfXRK_tMA6Z9TLUM4bF520MDhnBTbY3oSpp-BXoRP-z5B512h3muvZVNTobMVKHEoHAc0IIf5aU-Ciu/s1600/DSCF3951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vKpZkshy0wlScrToui3tuN69cg4gb51bwAlzFOnZ1ktrm7T7whSxpmcSARAgwPfXRK_tMA6Z9TLUM4bF520MDhnBTbY3oSpp-BXoRP-z5B512h3muvZVNTobMVKHEoHAc0IIf5aU-Ciu/s320/DSCF3951.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">He had taken me over to it last year and we were delighted to discover three different varieties of wild pink orchids growing around the perimeter of the area. I picked my way through the snarls of smilax vines, who we had affectionately referred to as "thorny flesh-eating vines". We'd borne many a scratches due to these vigorous and prolific vines, but had also learned that their tender tips tasted remarkably like fresh wild asparagus and were a favorite of deer. Now they were blooming, their tiny, nondescript green flowers exuding the sweetest perfume.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB331uH5AUmDuc0U0jRI5qOUiw3_8o5p5h43Pv9WDtig_TLIpRmuYaRBqubdPypADy2OozULj3K5by7QUIzGd0Rbru2bFhAT8XrsFvupUN26tispUh0AD2_y9abs_ypptj_sBA2CjomIP-/s1600/white+top+pitcher+plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB331uH5AUmDuc0U0jRI5qOUiw3_8o5p5h43Pv9WDtig_TLIpRmuYaRBqubdPypADy2OozULj3K5by7QUIzGd0Rbru2bFhAT8XrsFvupUN26tispUh0AD2_y9abs_ypptj_sBA2CjomIP-/s320/white+top+pitcher+plant.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Past huge swatches of the carnivorous white topped pitcher plants, mouths open to catch unsuspecting insects, their blooms have an other-worldly look.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxOKuf3MfzUKYJtZQwNKurx-7FO0LM92UTSgj3I1Db-CdDDrgZL6AvSmkNWQz1qlO5TP0o8Aj-o4bm7LMyK2MrRz_y6YvtEgPXLdqtr8yMMUCCJ8rSzTARZMSv1Tb_l_7yM08snEQX5tK/s1600/DSCF3939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoxOKuf3MfzUKYJtZQwNKurx-7FO0LM92UTSgj3I1Db-CdDDrgZL6AvSmkNWQz1qlO5TP0o8Aj-o4bm7LMyK2MrRz_y6YvtEgPXLdqtr8yMMUCCJ8rSzTARZMSv1Tb_l_7yM08snEQX5tK/s320/DSCF3939.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkDXwnK0otmDO-2TqRyMu4sIEK42aErCkBv6d6HwU2yalmgwZFY_ZzLTmZuBNx6SDNcdXUfXu1LuXJkrVtzEnPVo1_Cgm6_SSR4FZ6HGSqRQ_Pmdjw6rt3RHBFGraJaHTMysvz3ahsgXn/s1600/calopogon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkDXwnK0otmDO-2TqRyMu4sIEK42aErCkBv6d6HwU2yalmgwZFY_ZzLTmZuBNx6SDNcdXUfXu1LuXJkrVtzEnPVo1_Cgm6_SSR4FZ6HGSqRQ_Pmdjw6rt3RHBFGraJaHTMysvz3ahsgXn/s320/calopogon1.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last year was the first time in all of my hiking in north Florida that I had actually seen wild orchids. It had been an exciting find. This year, however, I found only two small orchids and wondered if I was too early or too late, or perhaps this just wasn't a good year for them. I moved on and cut cross-country, heading south and a little east where I would join up with another series of forest roads that would take me to a large patch of blueberries, nestled amongst the long leaf pines that we had discovered on a hike one day. The sun was hot and my arms glistened with sweat that had mingled with sunscreen and insect repellent. I came to a place in the road that filled with water and formed a small temporary pond when it was wet. Last year, we had seen millions of tiny tadpoles wiggling about and surprised a water moccasin sunning himself at the edge of the warm water.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJ_BHEKlPsfmv4rSK7d3jsLvM3QrtRV1oF14n8fWS6_H5gYlX9gMikv6qIaHE8d275voqBYCIzJsGs77K2Ho6kg4-ksOmE02fHcbFqKihJhstqldrA5CFg1HNRsacsqEjcp0rtpFdkCQQ/s1600/DSCF3947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJ_BHEKlPsfmv4rSK7d3jsLvM3QrtRV1oF14n8fWS6_H5gYlX9gMikv6qIaHE8d275voqBYCIzJsGs77K2Ho6kg4-ksOmE02fHcbFqKihJhstqldrA5CFg1HNRsacsqEjcp0rtpFdkCQQ/s320/DSCF3947.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I crossed a narrow spot in the water and continued along the road past blooming green eyes and the pretty white flowers of the stinging nettled that would leave ferociously itchy welts that would last for hours, if accidentally brushed against your skin. Past more animal tracks around the corner to join yet another road and past another small pool of water. Suddenly a white feather laying in the road caught my eye. I picked it up amazed. We didn't have many white birds in this area, maybe on occasional egret, but I'd never seen one back here. I remembered reading in my Soul Coaching book to look for signs from the universe and that Denise talked about a white feather while we were at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Summerhill</span>. I made a mental note to look up it's significance when I got home.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> and then into a dense, brushy road that looked like it had been cleared out recently by people who like to ride their four-wheelers back along the trails. We hadn't been too happy about this development as we liked to think of the blueberry patch as our little secret. But, perhaps they'd be too busy whizzing past on their machines to notice the deep blue-black gems that tasted like all the sweetness of sun and the rain had pressed itself against your taste buds.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybt7dYjIB9asJC3PP9sBl5moT5DERj6KoTXfJJeR6MiiB9KkzEy9fBvxxxFlRQE891UGJe48TCtiS3rm0lXoN6eWus50G3Sl0ySPTF0zzIt61-PxhS4zFbnt2pfuRQheHJvbQ7UNgCBBW/s1600/DSCF3952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybt7dYjIB9asJC3PP9sBl5moT5DERj6KoTXfJJeR6MiiB9KkzEy9fBvxxxFlRQE891UGJe48TCtiS3rm0lXoN6eWus50G3Sl0ySPTF0zzIt61-PxhS4zFbnt2pfuRQheHJvbQ7UNgCBBW/s320/DSCF3952.JPG" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">The brush opened up after a short while to the pine woods and I saw that there would be an abundance of berries for picking later in the summer. Last year we had only picked a few berries as <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Eglin</span> AFB had done a prescribed burn in this area the previous winter, much to our dismay, but the blueberries had come back, as full as ever. I sat for a moment on a log that had fallen across the road and enjoyed the sounds of the dozens of birds that would eat a large share of these berries, when ripe. We'd also be competing with the bears who were fond of sitting down on the middle of the bushes and eating to their heart's content.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZtVsgj2QDJsjBGsqb-HOfbOe_Cain-EjWm_pQhllc8-FRH2fGOPYMQ0fuqo0L0bIdMFlMOvalnk1gfVj2D1bg8FRA39qOObsawX9mXFGuKZpfe6W9xzs3E064pKJOC5w-2m6uiGIs9a3/s1600/Dallas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZtVsgj2QDJsjBGsqb-HOfbOe_Cain-EjWm_pQhllc8-FRH2fGOPYMQ0fuqo0L0bIdMFlMOvalnk1gfVj2D1bg8FRA39qOObsawX9mXFGuKZpfe6W9xzs3E064pKJOC5w-2m6uiGIs9a3/s320/Dallas.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana;">When I had first hiked in this area, I had yet to come to appreciate the beauty and abundance of wildlife that inhabited the thickets and swamps. However, each time we had hiked here, we had discovered something new and beautiful and came to have a deep love for this unique habitat. I got up to go, giving thanks to the Creator for such a wonderful symbol of abundance and made my way back along the forest roads. Past the young live oak where we had stopped to rest and cool off after a long day of picking blueberries. I was so tired I forgot to apply a fresh layer of insect repellent and afterward spent some long days furiously scratching chigger bites. Past the small ponds again and another small live oak where we had once crawled into the shade to rest on a blistering hot day. We had gotten up to leave after a few minutes, but Dallas, our border collie had refused to leave the cool shade and stared at us with a look that said, "crazy humans". She came trotting home later, when the day was cooler, like any sensible animal would.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_X3yTWDx5zcbvAP06ZKfuZt8cU79W7BxcLqtNwIGbQnrKYRxpEAd1bDwb-d7VQPZSzbf-pW_d_NPIbtTs2_-c5e0lqnMfeiNPHRPMdCOcbE-PsYvHiC4CeTVrKTievNkIeV4xlvtHsTM/s1600/DSCF3931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_X3yTWDx5zcbvAP06ZKfuZt8cU79W7BxcLqtNwIGbQnrKYRxpEAd1bDwb-d7VQPZSzbf-pW_d_NPIbtTs2_-c5e0lqnMfeiNPHRPMdCOcbE-PsYvHiC4CeTVrKTievNkIeV4xlvtHsTM/s400/DSCF3931.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I came upon some prickly pear cactus in full bloom. I never failed to marvel how their brilliant and delicate yellow blooms contrasted with their thorny pads and how they withstood the harshest of conditions. We had braved their tiny bristles that would become embedded in our fingers as we harvested the brilliant deep pink fruits.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I continued along the roads this time, instead of cutting through the wildlife trail and along the firebreak. A large swath of vegetation that had been cut to the ground and ran behind the homes at the edge of the AFB boundary. Past the masses of wild fox grape wines that we had spent hours and hours picking for eating, making jellies and including in some of our favorite wines. Past the beginning of wildflowers; swamp sunflowers, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">rayless</span> sunflowers, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">liatrus</span>, p<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">olygonella</span> and dozens of others that would begin blooming in June and go through late October. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Back through the short trail that led into the back yard of the property that I used to live on and care for. The property that is now only occupied by my former SO, now dear friend. The two and a half hour journey had been a sort of wonderful funeral of sorts. I felt <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">muc</span>h clearer, but spent and eager to take a long, cool shower and rest. My heart will always treasure these experiences, even as it moves toward a new creation. There is much to be thankful for.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Blessings, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Melody</span></span></div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-15269563289473017422010-05-21T06:59:00.000-05:002010-05-21T08:40:53.549-05:00Day 5<em>Here </em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIPuQ9Vzc0KGyPvCwi-Gv288Zj4dt_45zCKCOfg9aoAXEjiJTStlIhO7q5RHAoLKSexbbT6pTrF0qo-g4EkpFObRkRifEeNc04mRwRTm7fdob0XSjuXKTxfJYI4kXCMFdO8xqxQdsislv/s1600/DSCF3613.JPG"><em><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473697635333740002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIPuQ9Vzc0KGyPvCwi-Gv288Zj4dt_45zCKCOfg9aoAXEjiJTStlIhO7q5RHAoLKSexbbT6pTrF0qo-g4EkpFObRkRifEeNc04mRwRTm7fdob0XSjuXKTxfJYI4kXCMFdO8xqxQdsislv/s400/DSCF3613.JPG" /></em></a><em>I am sitting on Beetle Rock in Sequoia National Park. This is what it feels like when I declutter - like I can breathe freely.<br /></em><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>In Day 5 of the 28-day Soul Coaching program we are challenged to look at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">decluttering</span> our lives and specifically our homes. I went through the check list on Day 5 and found some good news, and some bad news: The good news is that I moved not that long ago and have already purged a lot of unwanted, old things or items that held sad memories. I realized it was hard to let go of some of the letters cards and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">journaling</span> I had done because I had put so much of myself into them. I had really struggled to express the deep emotions I was feeling back then, but it was time to let them go. So, I built a bonfire outside, poured myself a nice, strong drink and, one by one, tossed them into the fire and watched their glowing ashes float up into the night heavens. It was actually quite freeing and not sad at all.<br /><br />Now for the bad news; even though I have moved and took care to put things in my home that are meaningful to me, I still have some pockets of clutter and two big ones are <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">my</span> office and my garage. For some reason, they have been daunting to me. I especially need to clear my office as I need to use that space nearly every day and get frustrated at not being able to find things. The garage holds things that need something done to them before I can bring them into the house; sanding, a new coat of paint or varnish, cleaning up in some way. Some stuff I am just going to give away.<br /><br />Today, I am going to start on the desk in my office and get that cleaned off and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">usable</span> and will let you know what exciting things happen as a result. Onward!<br /><br />Blessings, M</div><div></div><div>PS: It seems as though in preparation for this process I have been decluttering my relationships as well. Anyone else find that to be true? It is also freeing, but a little scary and it brings up loneliness. I have decided to be with this loneiless today and see what it has to tell me.</div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-6508591793112365632010-05-19T07:50:00.000-05:002010-05-21T08:40:21.427-05:00Good Morning All!<br /><br /><br /><br />I am on Day 4 of Denise Linn's 28-day Soul Coaching Program. Earlier this month I completed the Certification for becoming a Soul Coach and had such an amazing transformative experience while at her Summerhill Ranch in Paso Robles, CA. (More about that later.) Today's lesson is on becoming The Observer in your life. What does that mean? Think of The Observer as an objective bystander that simply notices what is happening without judgement. I have done this process many times and it can be extremely enlightening. I actually started this process yesterday when I noticed that I had hired someone that had some of the same qualities as the last employee I had to let go: Lack of attention to detail. Unwillingness to follow instruction, etc. What I noticed about <em><strong>myself</strong> </em>in all of this was that<em> I had allowed my emotions to influence my decisions</em> instead of relying on my knowing that there was something not quite right when I hired this person. Everything checked out in their references, etc. But there was one statement he made that caught my attention. <em>But</em>, my mind rationalized, <em>I will give him an opportunity -- I will help him start over</em>, (because I know what <em>that</em> is like) and he will be grateful and be a wonderful, hard-working employee!<br /><br /><em>I made a decision based on my emotions and then used my mind to rationalize my decision.</em> The truth was, that this person could work hard and was knowledgeable, but lacked integrity and honesty. I had been judging myself rather harshly and my failure to read my own clues, but then I was able to simply release that judgement. And, I wasn't getting any clear insights with all the heavy guilt and resentment, anyway. I also noticed something else; I no longer felt anger and resentment toward him. I am now learning to trust my instincts and inner guidance. My next employee will be the BEST EVER!<br /><br />What about you? What has your Observer taught you?<br /><br />Have a deeply meaningful day,<br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;color:#ffcc00;"><em><strong>Melody</strong></em></span><br /><strong><em><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;color:#ffcc00;"></span></em></strong><br /><strong><em><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;color:#ffcc00;">For more information about Soul Coaching and Denise Linn go to : <a href="http://www.deniselinn.com/">http://www.deniselinn.com/</a> </span></em></strong>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727098537552512232.post-64914651156293236202010-05-18T20:44:00.000-05:002010-05-18T20:50:26.174-05:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQq7Op6ZxqHHWlLA31pTMWcC4t6yACQ35B_RhAy0inwg5YNjYYCp0IqVbJrHLCrD0EWzeOHGmGC5aYjgkDLr-X-9JJTU8gtaZwb4lX7ae1d0d2YwrQa3QjcvHyd-lK6YI70g8sV6Kf0TDY/s1600/DSCF3900.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472792084191742658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQq7Op6ZxqHHWlLA31pTMWcC4t6yACQ35B_RhAy0inwg5YNjYYCp0IqVbJrHLCrD0EWzeOHGmGC5aYjgkDLr-X-9JJTU8gtaZwb4lX7ae1d0d2YwrQa3QjcvHyd-lK6YI70g8sV6Kf0TDY/s320/DSCF3900.JPG" /></a> This was the amazing sight I woke up to the last morning I spent in Yosemite Valley. Even with two inches of snow in May, it was breathtaking.<br /><div></div>A Spark of Life Transformationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12963222274519759894noreply@blogger.com0