BELIEVE

"It's all make-believe, isn't it?" ~ Marilyn Monroe

...well the thing is, it's not.


Belief holds much more power than we're giving it credit for.  Belief is a power you create.
Take the power, set YOU free!


We all have goals, and dreams....and at some point we've under-estimated them.  I've learned, and continue to learn as I live this life from my heart, that belief is essentially your god given right!  (if you don't get down with G.O.D, fill in the blank!)


We're not here to believe what people tell us, or what the media "reports" to us, or what some person or another is trying to sell us.  We're here to believe in every single thing that supports us on a daily basis.  I've learned recently belief goes beyond your family, friends, co-workers, etc that are supporting you...it's your truth that supports you.  If you live from that, there's no bounds...life is limitless!


Believing in yourself at the soul level, a cellular level is what I'm getting at.  Feel the things you believe in most with every fiber of your being.  Feel it, breathe it, smell it, touch it.  When your beliefs are found on this level....you will not falter!  Your truth, your friends, family, co-workers, and even your pets are supporting you in every way to transform your beliefs into reality.


Breathe it all in...the love, support, possibility, and expand...into this constant of believing in yourself!

MEA

My friend Mea started off my week with an invaluable lesson.

Before I shed light on the lesson, I need to shed light on Mea.  I've described her many times as being the most brilliant person I know.  She's this sparkling package of optimism, humility, spirituality, walking/talking brilliance...really any words I use to fill in the blanks will not do.  Mea is just SPARKLING.  Our friendship developed quite unexpectedly, but I can easily say she is my soulmate.  And I'm SO lucky to have her on my side.

Bottom line is, this week I was made to feel as though I had failed at something.  The word "ADVERSITY" came up...and I was "guided" as to how I should react in this "time of adversity".  I, on the other hand only applied the meaning of adversity to the fact that this Bonehead may get my foot in his...well...

I knew deep down, it was a matter of perspective....and mostly MOTIVE that lead to this disturbing conversation.   Meaning, I know the manipulation directed at me was dead-friggen-wrong.  Some of us have been through this, right?  Someone or something claims it's wrath on us...somehow making us believe we're accountable for something in some way.  We take on the brunt, load, weight of the situation....and in general just feel pretty worthless.  Here's where Mea and her lesson step right in!

I kept thinking about this word "adversity" and it's meaning....AND the fact that it wasn't a word/meaning I've come across often.  A conversation with Mea led to the discussion of our own inner power.  (Mea and I keep it really real, and really deep more often than not)  How our growth in our personal and professional lives through the current lifespan of our friendship has found us our inner expansion into the world we were meant to create for ourselves, and the POWER we hold in it.  I've decided, that's my meaning of adversity.  And that's exactly how I've taken this situation by the potatoes and translated it into something meaningful and positive.

THANK YOU MEA, FOR HOLDING UP THE MIRROR!

There are so many times in so many places in our lives a person or situation will attempt to get the better of us.  And it's absolutely fine...to feel the feelings connected to that.  When you come across this hiccup of life, talk to a friend/a loved one/your bartender...someone who really and truly knows every inch of who you are.  Ask them literally or figuratively, to hold up the mirror.  It's easy to lose sight within pessismism and manipulations.  But it's also easy to find yourself.  BECAUSE YOU'RE ALWAYS THERE!

 ...and just as I was brainstorming this blog earlier this evening, intuitively (as always) I received an "I Love You" text from Mea, as I frequently do.

Saying I LOVE YOU to another human being has never been so easy!

INSPIRATION

It's been HOT in NYC for the past...well...3 weeks.

So, while I'm sure there's been plenty of perspiration....I'm just not so sure about inspiration.

My new gigs have kept me out of Manhattan for the past few months, until this week.  As I hoped on a subway route that was all too familiar for as long as I can remember...I couldn't help but catch on to all the drained human beings in that subway car.  This drainage continued in the 59th Street station, past Bloomies, and all the way down 3rd Avenue.  People were just hot and sticky and not connected in any which way to any particular thing.

I mentioned this to my dinner date, citing that I don't miss that feeling at all.  And I certainly do not,  but I felt myself painfully aware of what everyone around me was not.

WHERE IS OUR INSPIRATION?

There was no light in this city of all cities (sorry, I'm biased.  Deal.)  There was no buzz....barely a hum stirring in the people I encountered.  Which brings me to this.... A few years back I really and truly felt like I was done with NYC.  Somewhere around 2 years ago I began to rekindle my love affair.  Not just with New York, but with MYSELF!  I found the light in me...and just carried it around.  Sometimes in my back pocket, and sometimes in every single fiber of my being.  And by light...I mean soul.  My soul was connecting to something entirely grand which led to my own grand expansions.  Whatever it connected to is quite honestly 100% irrelevant.  The relevancy lies in the connection itself.  In the fact that I was driven, guided, and entirely motivated.

Take a minute, preferably in the comfort of some air conditioning, and remind yourself of the things you love.  Allow yourself a handful of moments to connect with what makes and continues to create you.  Stop moving forward, just be still.  Breathe it all in, and uncover these bits of yourself.  Hold it close to your heart, and make a deal with yourself.  Make a deal to connect in this way, or other ways...just a bit more frequently.  It's okay, I promise.

In this bustling world where we're literally working our asses off just to survive, find survival in what inspires you.

Namaste, lovey loves!

SOLSTICE

Sol - Sun
Sistere - To stand still

Today, June 20,2012 marks the start of our splendid Summer!


The Solstice is an auspicious time to honor the sun and allow the welcoming arms of nature to embrace you. Summer makes me think of dancing in lush grass with bare feet, or a sandy beach....lakes, rivers, oceans...or splashing in puddles of warm June rain.


Mostly during these summer months I think of how easy it is to live from a place of inter-connectedness with nature. I think of animals in nature that signify this time...and for some reason I always think of a butterfly. To me, it represents beauty, creativity, and endless freedom. Then I think of how that all relates to...life.


We're all so open and free during this time of year...enjoying time outdoors with friends and family. Playing games outdoors, bbq'ing, soaking up as much sunshine and fresh air as we can. Smiles are plentiful and our hearts are radiating with warmth.


Take this sense of warmth with you as you celebrate your Solstice and enjoy this time of year. Like a butterfly, take flight in the direction of your dreams.


~Namaste~

DETACH

Emotions...swirling all around.  

Something, someone, somewhere always makes you want to lose yourself.

Emotions are tricky, and feeling them is an open invitation to reacting to them.  Actually, scratch that!  Just their presence alone sends out the invite!  Control isn't always an option when it comes to emotions...because first of all, you  need to know what each one means to you. 

I've met people who are unable to identify emotion (me about 7 years ago).  Then, there's the crew that are deeply terrified by emotions, either theirs or someone else.   More human beings than not are just...ya know...a little stuck on the control part of emotions rather than letting them run it's course.  Control is what turns into reaction.  Why?  Because emotions are our own personal tidal waves...and they're not MEANT to be controlled.

So...here's this novel concept.  Detach.  

Very, very, very, very, very simple, no?  No.

More times than not, the emotions and the drama they bring with them don't even belong to you!! Human beings are sensitive to other human beings moods.  And we get caught up.  Good, not so good, or indifferent somehow these emotions become ours and we find ourselves in a reactive phase.

Detachment for me always meant distance.  Running far, far away from emotions...only to have to deal with them at some point in the future.  What detachment means is, really, observance.  Simple observance of what's swirling about in it's natural state. 

When I found myself getting caught up in anothers emotions...I'd mentally pull myself out of the equation.  I'd then imagine all the emotions and drama swirling around a particular person or event swirling away in a cloud of dust blown by the wind.  Sometimes I'd imagine containing the drama in a jar, or a box, or anything that once was closed could never be open again.

By imagining these things, I'd bring a sense of grounded sensibility to MYSELF in the situations I'd find myself in.  No more reaction...just plain ol' clarity!!

Slowly I'd start asking myself about my own emotions and drama's...

*  How is reaction helping?

*  How is it hurting?

*  Is there a pattern?  (am I reacting to the same thing in different clothing)

*  What is it that I'm REALLY reacting to?

And just as slowly as I started to ask myself those questions (...and I mean SLOWLY!  My reaction cycles were vicious until I REALLY started giving them the attention they needed)...a clearer sense of detachment FROM reaction started to occur.

It's been hard, hard work to get to a place where detachment is almost natural (I did say "almost", right?).   But the point is pretty much to START the observations....start the end of the vicious cycle.  If I had to put a couple pennies on it, I'd bet that NONE of us like ourselves in our various reactionary phases, hmmmm?

Take a look.  Take an example....maybe your reactions are mostly at work, directed towards your mother, or a spouse, or a pet, or an ensemble that's making you look fat, or just a flat out bad decision.  Ask yourself the questions above and any others that come to mind.

Once the clouds of judgement and reaction clear....you'll learn a bit about your emotions but in a completely detached state.

...and then a welcomed change.  Peace.

SIMPLICITY

sim·plic·i·ty

[sim-plis-i-tee]
noun, plural
1.  the state, quality, or an instance of being simple
2.  freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts:  an organism of great simplicity.
3.  absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc; plainness: a life of simplicity
4.  freedom from deceit or guile; sincerity; artlessness; naturalness:  a simplicity of manner.
5.  lack of mental acuteness or shrewdness:  Politics is not a field for simplicity about human nature.

...even as I type the word....the world starts to melt away.

All the self created clutter in my mind toward any given person/place/thing is always illuminated when I allow some SIMPLICITY to expand into the situation.

No worries...it's simple to just..ya know...TALK about simplicity!  I know you're hovering over there in a dark corner...guilty of letting daily additives ultimately affect your decision making. Guess what?  ME TOO!  

Come out into the light, and bring your complications with you!

There's plenty of reasons we get carried away and let the simplicity drift out of any given situation.  Fear plays a role in that, doubt, insecurities, and conditioning also play a role in it.

But....WHAT IF WE SHIFTED TO A SIMPLER PROSPECTIVE?  Where we allow only FACTS to outline our current situation?

Nothing but the facts...simplicity gives big ideas BIGGER meaning.

The truth here, though, is...it's easy to get caught up.  I realize that more than anyone, but I also realize there's always a element of simplicity at play to the things we humans complicate.  If you ever look at nature or animals or what have you and think they have the "easy life"...well so can YOU!  Nature, animals, etc aren't using thoughts to cloud their judgement.  What is, is.  Simply and effectively.

As a culture, we live in our heads.  Simplicity does not.  Simplicity EXISTS.   In every situation, every day, all around us.  To find it...we're not going to go through a mental checklist.  No way, Jose.  Put your good ol' pen to paper and simplify what it is your working on.  After you do, go back through and weed out ANYTHING that's not fact.   Then, after you're done impressing yourself with the ability to see the simplicity, identify some simple action steps.

At some point you're going to want to spend some time with the complications and why they're present in the first place.  While you identify simplicity, you may also start moving on from some conditioned self-sabotaging habits.  You'll start moving with a clarity, but more importantly....an ease.

See?  SIMPLE!

HEART

It's certainly been a while.

Through death, and life, grief, and celebration....I've been living from the HEART, lately.

How connected is your Heart?  What is it connected to?  And connected to again?

I capitalize Heart, because to me, it's a state.  Not like...Kansas, or Kentucky.  It's one of the states you pass through in order to get to FREEDOM!

Living from your heart isn't necessarily easy....especially in the cerebral type of culture we live in.  That seems to be changing with the various movements and demonstrations happening at various times in various places for various causes.  People are deciding to move, literally and figuratively straight from the heart.  Straight from what connects them to their truth.

I realized my Heart is where I live...and started to be truer to it.  As I started to feel my world shift, I realized it was the 21st of April....a New Moon.   A moon my teacher says, was designed to bring us back to our truest nature.  Our home.  I found it all so....aligned.  And all I had to do was listen.  There it was.....EXPANSION!

Living from your heart will set you free.   

Fears, doubts, guilt, wonder, overwhelming selfishness, and even the unpleasant affects of the outside world seem to dissolve as your world expands into exactly the places you're directing it to go.  Freedom lies within the Heart.  Living from it gives it the space to grow.

The unfortunate thing is I can't give you a road map to your own heart...or even a tutuorial on how to get there.  If the heart feels right for you, you need to connect yourself.  Start with some deep breaths directly into your chest.  Feel that small expansion, and check out what you find.  Breath into that, and go deeper.  See what else exsists.  CONNECT to whatever it is you find.

Do not judge this expansion.....and do not fear it.

Simply feel it, and your Heart will lead the way.

Namaste, my loves!