Jul 072015
 

Loving Yourself to Great Health: Thoughts & Food--The Ultimate DietThis book, Loving Yourself to Great Health: Thoughts & Food–The Ultimate Diet by Louise Hay and Ahlea Khadro has a lot of meat to it! Or for you vegetarians/vegans, a lot of fiber. 😉

I was delightfully surprised at the wealth of information which I’d not heard or read before. It’s very up-to-date and includes a broad range of ideas.

As someone with a chronic issue going on, I found it especially helpful. It’s in no way superficial, but offers information and philosophical approaches to in-depth practices that can truly turn things around.

As with all Louise Hay books, it includes quite subtle — yet powerful — suggestions for you to apply. Examples are being aware of — and turning around when necessary — your thoughts, attitudes, and emotions, especially regarding yourself. (Thus the title, Loving Yourself to Great Health.)

It includes quite a bit about diet (one way to love yourself), including leading edge research and findings.

It steps very thoroughly through our bodily processes and I learned a lot about our physiology, even though I’m already quite knowledgeable about it. This was and is a very valuable aspect of this book to which I’m sure I’ll refer again and again.

And yet … As much information as this book offers, one of its most invaluable gifts is that it includes methods and exercises for you to tune into your own body to learn what it has to say to you in particular, thus guiding you to customize your very own healing journey.

About half the book is dedicated to recipes and lists of various foods’ qualities. What I like about this is that it’s a great cross-section of different kinds of foods that might be hard to find elsewhere under one cover.

If you’re considering buying this book, but are afraid it might be a bit “Micky Mouse”, be assured it is not! I can’t imagine anyone reading it who won’t get something valuable out of it.

Many thanks to Louise Hay, Ahlea Khadro, and Heather Dane. It’s quite the impressive collaboration!

Recommended!

Note: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for review purposes and this review reflects my honest evaluation.

Patti

 

Mar 202014
 

Power Words: Igniting Your Life with Lightning ForceI really liked this book. It’s made me so much more aware of my language, not only of the words I speak but also the words that appear in my self-talk (i.e. thoughts).

“Any word you use invokes the exact energy of that word from a very responsive world around you.”

~ Sharon Anne Klingler, Power Words

I’d have never imagined someone could write such a long book about simple words. But here you have it. At 236 pages (plus word lists) it’s not long because it’s full of fluff, it’s because there are so many ways to categorize and use words to take full advantage of their inherent power.

There are lots of exercises included. They provide you with experiential proof that each word has an actual, physical energy. Some words are negative and some are positive, and they carry their own, unique energy whether you’re using them consciously or not.

This book helps you make much more conscious decisions about your thoughts and words and since we use words almost constantly, can have a huge impact on your life and how you perceive it.

Everyday words create your daily reality—both for good and bad. In this sense, every word you use is a power word because each carries its own creative power.

~ Sharon Anne Klingler, Power Words

Word or Use Categories

A few of the categories I’m now much more aware of since reading this book are:

  • Words that trigger action, including commands, declarations, and proclamations
    These are extremely useful, and she gives you great ideas for using them for many different purposes — more than you would ever think of on your own, I guarantee it.
  • Words that uplift

Topics

Some of what she covers includes:

  • Breaking habits of negative thinking/speaking
  • Substitutes for swearing that turn your words into blessings which can effectively turn the blasted … er, blessed … situation around. (See how different those two words feel?)
  • Prayers and invocations, including healing prayers
    I don’t think this exactly fit the topic of this book — it could be it’s own useful little book — but it’s done well.
  • A few words to watch out for that most of us say all the time; yikes!
  • Lots of foreign words and phrases that pack a punch

A Bonus for Intuitives

A rather amazing section is where she shows you how to make decisions using word energy. It reminded me of techniques I learned when I studied with an amazing and well-known psychic (even deputized for her valuable work with a large city police force) to tap deeply and effectively into our intuition.

Within just this one section is almost a book in itself, so if you’re interested in tapping into your subconscious wisdom, this very thorough and detailed chapter alone is worth your time and money. (It wasn’t until after I finished reading and read “About the Author” at the end, that I saw she is one of the world’s leading intuitives. So you’re getting this from an expert.)

Highly Recommended!

In conclusion, this book raised my awareness of my habitual thinking/speaking and gave me excellent ideas for making improvements. With the many exercises and great real-life examples, it was engaging and fun to read. I’m also sure I’ll refer to it in the future for various purposes.

Note: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for review purposes and this review reflects my honest evaluation.

Until next time!

Patti

Feb 112014
 

Play Your Bigger GameThis is a review of the fun-to-read book Play Your Bigger Game by Rick Tamlyn.

I really liked it, and am eager now to play my own bigger game!

Here’s why.

[FYI, I’m not going to discuss the layout or the squares on the game-board. A lot of other reviewers have done that if you’re interested.]

What I find compelling — and will discuss — is some of the philosophy behind it and why I think that basis is its winning element.

As Rick says:

The Bigger Game is designed to create a paradigm and perspective shift.

It’s clearly not business as usual.

In fact, speaking of business, you can apply it to that, or to your life’s work, but just as easily to anything that holds meaning for you. This might include relationships, personal activities, or your interactions with the world at large. Just about anything, really, big or small.

Here are 3 of the main ideas that make it so different than a lot of the motivational how-to books I’m familiar with.

It’s About the Journey

One of the underlying philosophies of The Bigger Game is that goals are overrated.

Rick emphasizes over and over your enjoyment of the process itself. When you choose the right game, this includes enthusiasm that you evoke in yourself, the creativity you open to, and the rewards you enjoy as you move around the board.

So even though you have some objectives in mind (of course; it’s a game, after all), they are not the motivating factor as much as being in the moment, enjoying the moment, and being open to unforeseen ideas and opportunities.

You’re encouraged to remain flexible, inspired, and responsive to what unfolds.

Once you begin playing your own bigger game, something organic happens. You give up the need to control and strategize everything. It’s not that controlling and strategizing are bad and organic is good, but controlling and strategizing are tasks conducted from the left side of the brain (logic), and sometimes we need to lean a little more to the right side (creativity).

Your attention isn’t all focused on outcomes. You’re involved in the playing!

Since our experience of life is always in this moment, it behooves us to keep our focus there (or rather here!) instead of just looking ahead as we grind through necessary tasks simply as a means to an end.

It’s a Game, and You’re PLAYING

This idea in itself is very freeing.

Not only does it feel good, but the spirit of play opens up our innate abilities to imagine, be inspired, get creative, try things out, and most of all, enjoy the process.

This is a no-pressure situation. We play here. … When we play, we tap into our highest levels of creativity and engagement. … This is about finding your passion and purpose and whatever it is that so fully engages you that it never feels like work.

To me, this element is crucial and if not for this idea, I wouldn’t even want to involve myself in this process.

But because of the emphasis on play, I’m excited and naturally positive as I prepare to jump onto the game-board!

A Productive Flow

Be open, available, and in the creative state of flow—fully engaged and always aware. … Don’t try! Be! Let go and trust the process, for there are already forces in play.

By being a fully engaged participant in the game from whatever square you’re on, you automatically become more aware of being part of a bigger picture.

You’ll notice many synchronicities that not only create new opportunities but can even act as a guidance system.

A huge part of playing The Bigger Game is accepting that you don’t need the how; the game will take care of that.

Rick is so good at helping you focus on and uncover whatever is important at any given square.

You get the benefit of his and others’ practical experience with the game to such a degree that that you find yourself inspired as well as confident that his guidance will be beneficial.

For each square, he offers detailed ideas and suggestions, often in the form of questions to ask yourself, and often things you wouldn’t even think of but that could make all the difference.

It’s obvious how the resulting clarity will be a major element of what keeps you moving in a positive direction.

Recommended!

In summary, this book offers you an enlivening framework for making more conscious decisions that are in alignment with what has meaning for you.

Just as importantly, it offers excellent guidance culled from Rick’s own extensive experience. Priceless.

I highly recommend you get the book and play your Bigger Game! I’m going to!

And as Rick says:

Understand that you’re always on the game board. Instead of waiting for the future to come, why not make up your own life as you go?

[All quotes from Play Your Bigger Game by Rick Tamlyn.]

Note: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for review purposes and this review reflects my honest evaluation.

Thanks for reading, and have fun playing!

Patti

Jan 132014
 

Love Your EnemiesI was going through a period where I was working through some anger toward someone who’s repeatedly frustrated me with her power games.

I was eager to read Love Your Enemies by Sharon Salzberg & Tenzin Robert Thurman to see how effectively I could apply its lessons.

Well … In the end, I was a little disappointed but I still think this book has a lot to offer.

Anger

First, I didn’t expect it to be quite so focused on blatant anger, but it is.

If you have issues with “anger management” and letting it fly when you’d rather not, then this would be a great book for you.

It touches on some of the more complex and subtle forms of anger such as feeling victimized, jealous, frustrated, resentful, etc. but its focus is on anger as an emotional outburst.

I have to admit, this may have been my own misunderstanding about what it was about. The subtitle is “How to Break the Anger Habit & Be a Whole Lot Happier”, after all! Still, the description led me to believe it would have a more broad application.

I already knew that in my case, I needed relief more from my own thoughts and emotions than from the person with whom I’d been interacting!

Outer vs. Inner

The book begins by addressing outer conditions and our surface experience of them, and works its way more and more inward to those parts of our being that we’re not as aware of.

For the first half, I thought I didn’t like it because so much of the outer that I/we are aware of was not so new or revealing.

But the second half gets much deeper and is more what I was after.

Rather than looking at another person as the “enemy”, it helps you examine your own patterns of thought that result in your suffering through these types of experiences.

Thoughts vs. Exercises

Throughout the book there are many insightful statements that will be great for review. They offer new ways of looking at the situation(s) that can help you see from a new perspective.

But to get at the deeper more ingrained patterns, it takes more of an ongoing practice. Fortunately, this book offers many exercises and suggested practices; some presented as you go but most in the appendix.

And even though one exercise may take up just one page, if really practiced it can be very powerful! I know this from experience since one of Sharon’s exercises is a meditation similar to those she offers (along with co-author Joseph Goldstein) in her Insight Meditation Kit. The kit is not only potentially life-changing, but it’s so classy and beautiful that I’ve purchased it not only for myself but also as gifts. It includes a 240 page book plus 2 guided meditation CDs and a set of cards.

Two Voices

Love Your Enemies is written as an interesting collaboration in that each of the two writers maintains their own voice. On any given topic, first you hear from one, then the other. I actually liked this as they both approach things quite differently and this gives more ideas and options to consider.

Recommended … for Some

Just like most books, this one can be great for some and not so useful for others.

If you struggle with anger issues, AND are willing to apply some focused energy, then I think this could be a very valuable book.

If you want pointers as to how to love your enemy in general (or even to counteract different or more subtle issues than anger per se), OR if you don’t want to take the time to apply their suggestions, then this book is probably not for you.

Note: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for review purposes and this review reflects my honest evaluation.

‘Til next time: Happy reading, and happy life!

Patti

Oct 242013
 

Lotus openingAs you expand your conscious awareness, your intuitive faculties expand right along with it. It can’t be helped.

Everyone is intuitive to some degree.

We have so much information available to us all the time, but we just forget to pay attention.

Today we’ll discuss a few more ideas to help increase your awareness, and thus your intuition.

First, intuition is defined as:

  • Immediate cognition. The ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.
  • The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes.
  • The power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.

Notice how the definitions explicitly eliminate rational thought from the equation.

When we can be purely aware, without interference of the rational process either to figure out what something means or to rationalize why it can’t possibly mean what it feels like it means, our intuition flows freely.

And if you combine that with becoming more deliberately aware, your intuition goes through the roof – literally!

3 Tips to Increase Your Intuition

Here are some ways you can deliberately increase your awareness and thus your intuition.

1. Be Aware Both Deeply and Broadly.

a. Focusing provides the depth.

If you want to get an impression of something in particular you would rest your attention easily on that thing (or person or situation) and see what you notice. Stay open to anything. You can ask yourself pointed questions about it.

In other words, probe.

Allow your attention to go more deeply than your normal senses might take you.

b. Opening provides the breadth.

To do this you can intentionally expand your awareness to the peripheries and beyond.

For example, as it relates to sight, let your eyes rest on the wall (or area) in front of you and see what you might notice literally in your peripheral vision. (Remember Eagle Eyes?)

Here again, notice what you are physically seeing but also let yourself see with your mind’s eye. Do some areas seem “dark”? Especially lively? Icky? Attractive? Are any calling for your attention in some way? Notice all these things.

While practicing both of these, have confidence in your experience and above all, don’t judge it. Just notice it for now.

These perceptions are packed with information and making them conscious will help allow them to reveal themselves purely.

2. Open to Surprises

This can be practiced while you’re deliberately doing intuitive work, or even as you go about your day. (It helps to set it as an intention.)

Especially notice those quick little thoughts — and especially non sequiturs — that flit across your mind. They are often a message, and quite an obvious one.

3. Notice What You Notice!

This one can be powerful.

There is usually a good reason for you to notice one thing over another. It’s not always so apparent at the time, but if you make a note of these things, it’s not uncommon to later realize that it was relevant to something going on in your life. If you can catch the relevance at the time, all the better. (Remember my story about the ravens? Like that!)

So these are a few simple ideas for easily expanding your awareness.

They can greatly enhance your intuitive awareness by opening new channels in your habitual modes of experiencing.

If you play around with these ideas and activities enough, you will likely notice some interesting and applicable things right away.

Do any or all of these tips call to you? Then play around with it/them.

And enjoy!

Patti

Oct 092013
 

Interconnected OneLife has much more richness and depth to it when you can live it consciously. And a highly  rewarding and straightforward way of being conscious is to recognize the interconnectivity of everything.

At the same time, even  saying “every-thing”  implies that there are separate things — and of course, there are, in this dualistic dimension.

Interconnectivity & Oneness

But a better way to approach this idea is  to recognize that  everything is not just connected, it’s all one.

At that level, there isn’t even a thing and a no-thing, it’s all just one. One whole thing.

So it’s great if you can recognize at least the interconnectivity of everything, and better yet: the oneness.

And this means living in a holistic manner.

Knowing vs. Believing

It also helps to keep in mind that this doesn’t mean just thinking it’s likely so.

It means re-cognizing it, or “knowing it again”.

When you tap into the feeling and/or knowingness of this reality, of oneness, you can’t help but be more consciously aware.

Your antennae are on the lookout for connections.

And then, as you actively look for connections and interrelationships, you’ll notice that you have greater access to your own intuitive wisdom.

It means that those birds up there are not separate from what’s going on with your upcoming party. Hunh?

A Lesson from the Ravens

A few years ago, I had invited a group of people for a dinner party.

I was providing all the food and had been preparing for days. 7 people had RSVP’d, and I had planned accordingly.

But that morning, I was sitting in our outdoor jacuzzi, and suddenly there was a ruckus overhead. As I looked up, I saw 4 ravens flying right overhead.

Something about them seemed significant. Suddenly, I just “knew” what it was.

“Only 4 will be coming for dinner!” I gasped. Intellectually, I found it hard to believe — but I trusted that intuitive message.

And sure enough. 3 of the 7 people were no-shows. Didn’t even call!

So yes, those birds, and me, and the party, and the future, were all connected. Were all one.

Of course, holistic applies in other areas as well, or rather — framing that in a holistic way, where there are no “other areas”.

It applies everywhere to everything.

So, the whole supports being whole!

Holistic Health and Well-Being

We especially see this idea applied to health. And no accident, since both words, health and holistic (which has a related form, “wholistic”) come from the same root: whole.

It behooves us, when encountering any kind of health puzzle, to expand our vision from the part(s) to the whole. Open to what is going on in the entire system (i.e. body, emotions, environment, etc.) and often, just this opening reveals all kinds of ideas about how to make corrections and adjustments.

(I’ve got a great example I’ve been applying recently with what could have been a very serious health condition — but one story is enough for one post. I’ll just say that to my delight, I’ve confirmed that working with it holistically has turned it around 180°!)

Today:

Recognize, i.e. know again, the wholeness that is inherent in all … or rather, in the one. Allow (or even request) that knowing to reflect back to you whenever it’s helpful; whenever seeing the “whole” picture will benefit you.

You might even look for ways to apply this idea, for example: health conditions, situations that are occurring in your life, etc.

NOTE: I wasn’t even looking, but I just went for a short walk and couldn’t help but notice the ravens are super active today! I think they’re trying to say hello, and/or it’s the universe reconfirming today’s idea of its holistic nature. Anyway, so that you can be a part of it, I did a quick little one-minute video of some of their activity around here today. It will also give you a little taste of New Mexico. Enjoy!

So please take a look at how wholeness and/or oneness shows up in your life – and notice how that idea can be useful to you. 🙂

Until next time!

Namasté.

Patti

Sep 252013
 

FocusSo, recently we talked about Eagle Eyes and expanding our attention out past what we might normally notice.

If you took part in the 30 Day Conscious Living Challenge at OM Times, you may remember that on day 2 of my challenge “The ABC’s of Actively Being Conscious”, we talked about what you can think of as:

Two axes of awareness,
vertical and horizontal,
or depth and breadth.

Conscious means that you are aware of and responding to your surroundings. In other words, awake! We all know the meaning of the word “awake”, including that it’s sometimes used to mean spiritually awake, or self-aware.

Over the next 29 days you’ll experience various aspects and levels of consciousness, awareness, and being awake.

You can think of these literally as dimensions of consciousness; as two axes that we’ll be playing with. There’s the horizontal, or breadth; and the vertical, or height and depth.

That means that on horizontal days you’ll expand your consciousness or awareness into what you perceive as the world, and on vertical days you’ll “raise” your consciousness or experience it more deeply by being self-aware in various ways.

Well, Eagle Eyes increases your breadth, and focus is definitely one of the better tools for increasing your depth.

Now here’s something kind of funny, which happens to also be a great example of focus. In considering what to say about focus, I was aware of all the practices that are available to help improve our skills in focusing — meditation being one of the most powerful of all, by the way.

I also became aware of a lot of ways to apply focus in order to actively be conscious.

And as I suddenly felt overwhelmed with so much to tell you, I had to laugh.

In my head, I was expanding my options, not focusing on one!

Expansion is wonderful, but without the ability to also focus,
we end up with a sort of spiritual ADD, right?

We find ourselves bouncing around all over the place without settling long enough to really experience something fully.

So let’s focus on just one way of focusing. 😉

Focus “Inside”

This exercise is especially useful when you become overwhelmed.

It’s what I did–what I applied–after realizing I was expanding out into all the possible topics related to focus and I wanted to reel myself in.

1. Close your eyes. Do what you can to minimize the “outer world” from getting your attention.

2. Drop into your heart space. (Read my 3-step how-to, or use my 3-minute guided audio.)

3. As you experience this still, quiet place, know that this is you. You are the “I” of the storm, the vortex of the wild, swirling energy that is our wondrous world.

“This is the beginning of your natural state of felt oneness with Being, which is usually obscured by the mind. With practice, the sense of stillness and peace will deepen. In fact, there is no end to its depth. You will also feel a subtle emanation of joy arising from deep within: the joy of Being.”

~ Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now.

At this point, if you’re trying to decide among many options, you can ask yourself:

What is my most authentic activity?

What will express best who I am and feel good in the process?

You’ll notice the dance between your head and heart as your answer bubbles up. And as that dance continues, you’ll get clarity and focus regarding your next one thing.

The Synergy of Expansion and Focus

Just like in the act of breathing, we benefit from the rhythm of expansion and contraction, or expansion and focus.

Both are important and necessary.

1. Notice how, at some times, you expand, and at others, you focus in.

2. Also notice, as in our specific application/exercise above, how sometimes your attention is “out there” in the world (scanning that horizontal axis), and at others it’s “in here” (on the vertical), deepening your experience of the immortal you.

3. And finally, notice how one or the other might serve you best in any given situation, and that you can now make a more conscious choice as to which one to apply.

Can you see the value in being aware of these two dimensions? How each has its value in making us more conscious?

Here’s to our breadth and our depth!

Patti

Aug 282013
 

Eagle EyesYears ago, I was introduced to the “eye-opening” concept of seeing with Eagle Eyes to expand your perception.

You see differently, and you see more.

This leads to enhanced creativity and intuition, among other benefits.

And although this concept is related to sight, it can really encompass all your senses, including your 6th sense.

Here’s the idea.

Latent Inhibition

In his book Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality, Dean Radin discusses the idea of latent inhibition. It’s an unconscious brain process that degrades our ability to pay attention to stimuli that have had no consequences in the past.

In other words, we automatically ignore things that are not critical to the task at hand. It’s what enables us to focus without becoming distracted and overwhelmed with all the millions of pieces of information in our perceptual field at any given time.

Healthy people tend to have high latent inhibition, since the more our sensory awareness is suppressed by what the brain considers irrelevant, the more we remain stable and focused.

Openness & Creativity

However, low latent inhibition is associated with the personality trait “openness to experience”, which in turn is associated with divergent thinking and creativity.

Tests done on Harvard graduate students showed that those with high creativity had significantly lower latent inhibition scores than those who were categorized as low creativity.

This underscores the idea that highly creative people have greater access to more of what the world presents.

Expanded Perception

So creativity requires “perceiving outside the box”. This is different than “thinking outside the box”, unless you experience thinking as perceiving a new thought. In my experience, thinking is often directed and active whereas perceiving is receptive. But in a creative state I notice that my thinking goes back and forth between being active and actually receiving ideas.

Creative ideas often come in a flash, and long ago I realize that they are much akin to intuition. In fact they’re so similar that being in a creative or intuitive state is almost — if not exactly — the same thing.

From this perspective, we can better understand why creative people report more psychic experiences. … Most people who believe in psychic phenomena are not ignorant or mentally deficient. They just see farther into the depths of the world than other people do.

~ Dean Radin, Entangled Minds

How to Enhance Your Creativity

Can you choose to lower your latent inhibition and thus expand your levels of perception and creativity?

My experience is definitely yes.

The more I do it, the more information I have conscious access to. My intuition is constantly getting more active and reliable, and I get so many creative ideas I can’t hardly keep up with them.

And all it takes is intention and practice.

And this is where the idea of Eagle Eyes comes in.

Eagle Eyes

Eagles fly high above ground. They have a bird’s eye view. And even though they may be looking at one particular area, they’re ever alert to anything at all that might move or otherwise catch their attention.

A super easy and fun way to practice expanding your perception is this:

1. Choose an object in your vicinity.

2. Look at it. Now soften your vision so you’re gently gazing at it.

3. Notice, while leaving your eyes there, all the other phenomena in your peripheral vision.

4. Allow your attention to focus on them even as your eyes remain gently focused on the initial object.

You can do this with all your senses. While holding mainly on one particular item (sound, sensation, etc.) allow your attention to roam, noticing even more with that same sense.

Another way to practice expanding your perception is this:

When you have a free moment, simply ask yourself

“What am I not noticing?”

If you want more direction than that, then use all your senses, inner and outer, to

a. first check your environment

b. then your body

c. then emotions

d. then thoughts

e. then vibrations.

You’ll be amazed at how many things suddenly come into your awareness!

Some will be things that could be obvious to anyone but some will be very subtle things that you may wonder if you’re really even perceiving as opposed to just imagining.

Trust that you are.

And if you practice these exercises regularly, you’ll start to do this naturally, and you’ll notice that you’ve become more creative and intuitive, sometimes startlingly so.

Here’s to your expansion!

Patti

Jul 182013
 

Do you believe? In something? In anything?

“Believe!” seems to be a popular maxim these days.

But let’s think about it a minute.

What is a belief?

It’s something that one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction.

Yes, firmly held.

There was a time when it was a commonly held belief that the world was flat. People felt they “knew” this. But was it true? We know now that it wasn’t, contrary to all evidence.

Is this computer screen you’re looking at solid? Not really. It’s composed of much more space than solid matter. In fact, it’s up for grabs whether anything solid actually even exists at all.

A lot of people don’t believe in psychic phenomena, or energy healing, even in the face of proof. So even if they experience it, they’ll write it off as something else. Do you see how they are limiting their experience of life? And limiting their options?

And we actively reinforce our beliefs.

It’s human nature to look for proof of what we already believe. How many politically active people do you know who read the columns of those on the other side of the fence, with an open mind? Typically, we read or listen to those whom we’re already in agreement with, to reinforce our “proof” that our point of view is correct.

Now, it’s apparent that some beliefs can be truly helpful. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t have such helpful results as are provided by the placebo effect, for example.

But a lot of beliefs are harmful. If you believe in something negative, you’ll continue to strengthen that reality’s likelihood of showing up in your life. You’ll see what you expect to see. This happens even with subconscious beliefs, such as “I’m not good enough”, or “I have bad genes”.

These beliefs become rigid patterns at our energetic levels and then they manifest difficulties.

But in either case, positive or negative, whenever you believe in something, you’re strengthening duality, not one-ness.

It’s like you’re drawing a circle around some part of what you perceive of as reality, and declaring that everything outside it is not true, or can’t exist. Ever.

By definition, belief is limiting.

And if we believe there’s no such thing as — for example — magic or miracles, we’re not as likely to experience them.

But wouldn’t you rather have a mind opened by wonder than closed by belief?

Can you see the value in opening to new possibilities?

Today, let’s open our minds by playing with the concept of belief a bit. Let’s loosen its hold on us.

Things change. We change — if we allow it. Maybe something’s shown itself to seem true in the past, but what if we open to a new possibility?

What if we allow this moment to speak for itself, without any restrictions? And if we must believe, then let’s at least allow for some free play.

Loosen your grip on belief … or rather, its grip on you!

Today, see if you can catch yourself whenever you think or say or write “I believe …”.

Or notice if certain reactions or actions you take are based on a belief.

If you do spot a belief, be aware that at some level you are choosing that belief.

Is that belief helping you? Is it limiting you?

Are you still open to ideas that might not fit that belief?

If so, take a moment to see if you can loosen its hold on you.

Instead of “I believe …”, say to yourself:

  • “I choose to think …”
  • “It’s possible (or probable) that …” (and here, include the opposite as well; see if that makes sense)
  • “I choose to act as if … “
  • “I theorize that … “
  • “Right now, it seems to me that … “
  • “This isn’t serving me or anyone. Maybe it’s possible that …”

Any of these will help you be open in the moment.

You’ll often find that you don’t really see it to be true right then.

Loosening its hold or actually questioning it opens a space for a new possibility.

Best of all, you’ll be willing and able to see something new.

So, why not let your NOW be alive, to reveal what it will?

Why not open yourself to its gifts?

Patti

Jun 292013
 

Awareness + IntuitionOne of the main elements of being conscious is that of awareness. And it’s not any special or tricky kind of awareness. It’s simply awareness.

And here’s the best part: We obviously all have an ability to be aware, at least those of us who are conscious beings (and I assume you consider yourself a part of that group)!

In fact, we cannot help but be aware — of something!

By refining and expanding upon this one simple quality, your consciousness — and intuition, too — will grow exponentially. Yet if it goes unnoticed, you’ll manage, but without the benefit of an integral part of your inborn guidance system.

We can even go so far as to say that operating without a broadened awareness is a handicap that most people are living with.

If you begin to play with being aware, it will become blatantly obvious that there is a lot of information available to you all the time that normally you simply just don’t notice. Or if you notice it, you don’t pay it any mind.

We are often so focused on the task at hand — which usually involves thinking about something rather than participating in the moment — that there is not even a little crack for awareness of anything else to enter.

3 Steps to Expanded Awareness

Here are 3 simple steps you can do immediately that will help you expand your awareness.

1. Intend

Intention goes a long way. This is such a simple and easy action that it’s easy to overlook the power of it. But taking a moment to set an intention can make all the difference.

So, intend to be aware and intend to notice. This will help whatever’s relevant come to your attention even when your attention is on other things.

Hint: It sometimes helps to set your intention to notice something that serves a purpose. So, for example, you might say “I intend to notice anything that might be helpful to me today”, or “I intend to notice something that will delight me today”, etc.

You can repeat this periodically but even once is better than not at all.

2. Notice deliberately

Short practices expand your consciousness and strengthen your intuitive muscles, too.

Take time periodically to:

a. Notice that you are aware, and

b. Notice what you are aware of

This will be interesting in itself, but you’ll also find that you will now be more consciously aware even when you’re not doing this noticing intentionally.

This brings what you are already aware of at a subtle level into the foreground. When we don’t do this, the awareness remains at a subconscious level, where it can do things like make you feel uncomfortable but you don’t know why.

Some of these new awarenesses will be practical observations that you would otherwise miss but which you can now tend to. If your body is cramped, get up and move around or take a good stretch! Thirsty? Get a drink of water! Slightly upset? What’s going on?

3. Remain open to surprises.

The more aware you are, the more you begin to notice things that you’re not expecting at all.

Staying open to surprises will help you not simply see only what you would expect to, but also those new things that your mind would automatically dismiss.

Expect the unexpected! It helps you notice it, which is half the fun.

So these are but a few of the many exercises you can do to increase your awareness.

They’re intended to open some new channels in your habitual modes of experiencing.

You may not get any big a-ha‘s at first, but if you practice them enough, you’ll find your awareness and intuition opening up in exciting, new ways.

Here’s to your expansion!

Patti

What did you intend to notice? Did you? Any surprises? Or what’s YOUR favorite way of expanding your awareness? Do share!

Speaking of intuition …

One of my stories is included in Angela’s post today over at Powered By Intuition.

You can read it here: Intuition: Miraculous Stories of Following Intuition in Everyday Life

May 232013
 

Wow. I have been on quite the writing frenzy lately. You wouldn’t know it from my blog … But you will be able to access all the “good stuff” that I’ve been preparing in just 9 short days.

It was an interesting experience. I had an intense schedule which is unusual for me.

Stress!

Partway in, I was fortunate to notice that I was not approaching my daily tasks with a sense of joy. I mean, I was excited about all I wanted to share but I fell behind almost immediately so there was an overlay of pressure, and because of that, the dreaded “S” word: Stress.

For some reason — I can only call it grace, with a bit of conditioning thrown in — one morning it dawned on me that I didn’t have to do it that way. That there was a much MUCH better way!

It was time to practice what I preach — and ironically, exactly what I was writing about!

A Conscious Approach

And so, I backed off.

I took some time to BE.

And BEing is so powerful! This only took a few minutes and I knew what I had to do, or rather “how” I wanted to do!

Each of us will have our favorite ways of being conscious about what we’re doing (or how we’re doing it), but here are the 3 things that helped me the most.

1. Ritual

This sounds so simple but made a huge difference. I did all my futzing, and when I was ready to sit down and focus for some period of time, I rang my chime. (You could just as easily light a candle, say a prayer, or anything else you feel called to do.)

It signaled that it was time to focus and be purposeful. It was a boundary of sorts, and I honored that.

Just as importantly, it sounds beautiful and I always love to ring it. That alone calls in nothing short of a sacred space that feels wonderful!

As I listened to its vibration fade away, I essentially set my intention to express what it was that wanted to be expressed through me.

2. Touch In

So what was it exactly, that wanted to be expressed through me?

I touched in with my essence and explored that question.

I always got an answer. Note that this is very different than thinking about it or figuring it out. It’s not a (predominantly) mental process.

There were often several options and they always felt good.

3. Play

This one was important!

And again, ironically, you almost have to let go of “importance” in order to play!

By this I mean a “lightspirited” approach. Allowing the energy to flow, and at the same time letting go of a need for any particular results.

When I had two (or more) ideas for the same concept, I would choose the one that felt the most fun.

This is not frivolous. To the contrary, we’re paying attention to the “voice” of the light and the life within us, indicating our best path. It will be the most rewarding and the most effective.

Pretty soon, I was in a rhythm, and an enjoyable rhythm at that.

It wasn’t long before I was not only caught up, but even ahead of schedule. I ended up submitting my 30 articles a day ahead of time, and in a relaxed, easy frame of mind. Yay!

Here’s to living consciously – the only way to be!

Patti

So, how do you turn it around? From stress, to joy? I’d love to hear!


And that project I was working on? It’s the OM Times 30 Day Conscious Living Challenge in which I’m delighted and *honored* to be one of the experts!

The challenge I’m hosting is The ABC’s of Actively Being Conscious. We have fun going through the alphabet, each day learning one more conscious living skill.

A very cool thing about this — besides that it’s FREE — is that it’s all interactive! I’ll be on hand to answer any questions and/or work with you on an individual basis as you proceed through the challenge. You can also interact with others doing the challenge as well as other Experts and people doing their challenges. (In fact, you can do as many challenges as you have time and energy for!)

Click on the image for more information and to sign up to be notified when all the goodies are accessible.

Thank you, and I hope to see you there! (Starts Saturday, June 1!)

OM Times 30 Day Conscious Living Challenge - Spiritual Expert Patti Foy

And There’s More!

In case you didn’t know about it, the Hay House World Summit is almost upon us as well – another fantastic online offering.

It’s free, but you’re also able to purchase the audios/videos to have forever!

Click on the image below for more information. (It’s my affiliate link and I’d be ever so grateful if you use it in the event you decide to purchase. Thank you!)

Hay House World Summit

Apr 212013
 

Life is your playground!This really is the most important thing I could possibly say.

But bear with me, as it’s a whole different paradigm than most people live by.

When you know who and what you truly are, in your essence, you will realize that you are not at stake here in this life.

That frees you to simply enjoy it, challenges and all.

I know. I’ve been through some major challenges, the most recent being a major financial loss. It could have been devastating but for this new way of BEing that I picked up along the way.

Presence, or the Open State

It’s about living in Presence, one experience of what I call the Open State.

If you’ve followed Eckhart Tolle, you may have an idea what Presence is.

But I also think that many of us (because I did it in the beginning, too) have a shallow understanding of what Presence actually is.

It’s NOT simply being in the moment in the sense of experiencing what’s in front of you right then, although that’s a helpful way to finally get to it.

It’s not even just about practicing mindfulness – that’s more a way to enjoy and “play” (which I’ll talk more about below).

It’s about going a level deeper than that.

It’s about BEing in that moment fully and to such a degree that you are aware of your immortal nature.

You become aware of the space or silence or stillness that Eckhart refers to.

You become aware of the still field that is omnipresent, existing throughout all things.

The field that you ARE.

The awareness that you ARE.

Once you’ve experienced this, you just know that you are not threatened by anything happening “out there” (more on “out there” later ;-)). You are not helped by it, nor are you harmed by it.

And then, as you experience it more and more, this knowing becomes a part of who you are as a personality, and you begin to live much more in peace.

In joy, ease, and lightness.

Fear begins to melt away.

The love that you are in essence begins to express, naturally, as compassion for everything and everyone, for you know that it is all YOU.

And you don’t just know or believe it intellectually. You know it through and through.

Then you’ll begin to see that this you, this essence that exists prior to manifestation, is what unfolds or emerges AS as your life, including you as a thinking, acting human being. (This is the level at which we work and play during a Holographic Emergence™ session. This you, and these subtle layers that are the blueprint for what manifests.)

But still, YOU are not affected by it in any way. Not really.

And you know this.

Which frees you to play with it, no matter how your mind might judge it.

You get to fully experience lila, or Divine play. (For you are Divine! :-))

And you experience your life as one giant playground, full of all kinds of new experiences!

Help Along the Way: Amazing Resources

I’ve come to this over time primarily with the remarkable guidance of 2 enlightened beings.

1) Eckhart Tolle. I can’t recommend his work enough. I’ve read his books several times, each time getting something deeper and richer. I listen to his audios over and over, again hearing or absorbing exactly what’s needed to keep me moving each day toward this state of BEing.

2) John Sherman. His work at River Ganga is extraordinary. Without him, I don’t think I’d have really gotten even what Eckhart offers. His teaching is one-pointed, i.e. Look at Yourself. It’s through this extremely simple practice that I have really grokked who/what I am. I mean really, really got it, to the core. I no longer simply experienced the stillness. It became clear that that is what I AM, and that stillness is ultra-aware. It’s pure consciousness. It’s awareness. It’s me.

Both Eckhart and John illuminate in a new and accessible way what the Eastern Masters have been saying for millennia. I spent quite a long time immersed in Eastern philosophy. The world they so beautifully describe is nothing short of heaven on earth. (Have you ever read the Upanishads? They’re breathtakingly beautiful!) I’ve meditated for decades and meditation is, of course, helpful.

But it wasn’t until I became aware of these two and dove deeply into their teachings that I was able to actually access it; to benefit in a meaningful and profound way, and to really begin to become more consciously this Light that we all are.

A Path, not a Destination

I’m still growing. I don’t consider myself an enlightened master – yet. 😉

The good news is you don’t have to be at the summit to experience extraordinary benefits.

Little by little we become more and more conscious of who and what we are.

And little by little, we emerge as our true, authentic, essence. And this unfolding is rich and satisfying.

No matter what.

Namasté,

Patti

What are your thoughts about Presence? Or better yet, what’s your experience of it? Please let us know in the comments!


Want to learn more about Emergence – plus experience a session yourself?

You’ll receive the Emergence Primer + Tune-Up Session as a thank-you gift (it’s an instant download) when you subscribe to my free newsletter.


Feb 242013
 

In Western society, the rational mind rules.

We’re encouraged to develop and honor it above all else, even to the exclusion of all else.

It’s too bad.

Being purely rational — even predominantly rational — limits us more than we know.

Open Mind & Open State

In my last post, I talked about the importance of having an open mind. And what I mean by this is not just being open to new, rational ideas.

It’s about opening your whole self, your larger “mind”, to the idea that you may not know it all; you may never know it all!

And it’s helpful to open to the possibility that there is more than we can ever know or understand.

What happens then is you allow some other parts of you to operate along with (or sometimes instead of) your rational mind.

It’s a more holistic, aware, intuitive, and in short, expanded way of being. (And so fun!)

This is an especially important foundation to build on if you want to be able to take advantage of the Open State that is critical to Emergence, allowing the magic that is you to unfold into your life.

As I’ve said before, if you believe there’s no such thing as magic, you’re not as likely to experience it.

Entering the Open State is easiest if you can expand your mind, or let go of your thoughts altogether (especially your thoughts of disbelief).

But in the meantime, you don’t have to be perfect.

Just make a start.

Open the door just a little.

An Enlivening Dance

The Open State and an open mind work together (or play together).

It’s like a dance, where each interacts with and enlivens the other.

Expanding and strengthening each is an iterative process.

I know this to be true as I am doing the dance, and have been for a long time!

If you’re willing to do this, you’ll find that rather than build new beliefs, your mind will be fluid and open to whatever shows up in the moment.

Your perceptions will be spontaneous and dynamic. (Much more about what this means and how you can do it too in the upcoming Open State series.)

Beyond Thoughts and Beliefs

During our last Activation, we did a quick and easy process together.

Afterward, I got a question that made the idea of this dance quite apparent.

It was about the questioner’s thoughts, and her beliefs — that rational mind, again! — and how they help or hurt the process.

Audio Q & A (& A & A … ;-))

I wanted to share the question and answer with you.

After the call, a few more ideas came to me and I’ve added those also. (So those of you on the call and with the recording have not heard all of this yet.)

(For some context it might help you to first listen to the Opening + Emergence audio found in my post Open to the Possibilities and Emerge!)

Beliefs Question and Answers (Audio – 10 min.)
Listen below, or right-click here to download.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Enjoy!

Note: In my answer, I recommend a book called The Field by Lynne McTaggart. It’s a great way to help open your mind, and is a fun read, besides. You can always find it and other books I recommend in my store.

I’ll be recommending more books that are specifically on this topic shortly.

In the meantime, if you want to know more about Emergence, sign up for my newsletter. As a free gift you’ll get the Emergence Primer plus a Tune-Up Session audio that you can use over and over.

Or check out the posts listed in my side-bar for an ordered introduction to this new and exciting way of being and manifesting.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Patti

Jan 152013
 

I was waiting for snow.

It felt important.

I’d been invited to participate in the Winter Harmony series that’s taking place at Inner Alignment Mandalas.

I wanted to do a video to show the beauty and peace of winter as I experience it here in the “Land of Enchantment” (New Mexico’s label).

I really wanted to share that!

So where was all that white fluffy stuff? Nowhere to be found!

I waited and waited. But alas. My snowy video was not to be, and I was disappointed.

(We did get snow later, though! And just in time for a few New Year’s day photos: Experience Your Beauty).

Resisting What Is

As I considered that, I got to thinking about all the times I’ve felt at odds — even in small ways — with what is.

Sometimes the feeling knocks me over the head with its intensity, but sometimes I barely even notice.

The odd thing is, the case where we don’t notice can actually be worse, because we don’t have that chance to work with it consciously.

The First Step to Getting Unstuck

Being aware of our resistance so we can work with it consciously is the first, most important step toward peace with what is.

When you can notice, you’re well on your way.

Fortunately, there are lots of signs life gives us when we are entering (or well into!) that state.

They come in many forms.

They can be obvious, in the form of mental, emotional, or physical turmoil.

Or they can be so subtle we barely notice. We can be so used to feeling these niggly little discomforts that we don’t even feel a difference. In this case, especially, self-awareness is the trick.

Signs You Are Probably Fighting What Is

Here are some signs that you might be fighting life.

Obvious Signs

Obvious indicators often have their own, built-in suffering.

Here are a few:

• Addictions — to anything! This can be to drugs, food, work, shopping, T.V., negative thinking, “distractions”, etc. Anything that serves as excessive escape. (And okay, some not so obvious, especially where denial is involved.)

Physical problems caused by upset: a knot in the gut, abdominal upset, aches and pains caused by stress, etc.

• You get angry or upset

• You catch yourself grumbling about something or someone

• You hear yourself whining (poor me!)

• You complain that others don’t do what they should, or life isn’t as it “should” be

• You simply want things to be different

Subtle Signs

This is where things can get tricky because unless you’re very aware, you won’t even notice the uneasiness that accompanies these.

This resistance is quite subtle and can show up as a slight inner discomfort or a subtle contraction (vs. expansion).

Here are some behaviors to watch for (especially relevant when they are subconscious or automatic):

• You people-please

• You’re insecure

• You’re a chameleon

• You get defensive

• You find yourself rationalizing or justifying, especially in your own head with yourself (okay, I admit it! How else would I know this?!)

• You’re stressed

• You’re rushing

• You’re anxious

• You’re afraid to state your needs or expectations

• You bend the truth

• You hide something

• Someone says something that “bothers” you (subconsciously) and you tighten up without noticing

• You’re resisting or avoiding something. Anything!

Pema Chödrön calls this resistance by its Tibetan name, shenpa, and discusses it at length in her inspiring talk “Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns and Encountering Naked Reality” (which I highly recommend).

She offers tools for learning to stay with our uneasiness, and shows us how to recognize shenpa, catch it as it appears, and activate the wisdom and confidence that lies beneath it.

But noticing is the most important first step in addressing it. In fact, without this step, knowing what to do about it is worthless!

So, do practice noticing these signs along with me.

And if you do catch yourself, that’s the *magical* moment, that split-second, when you actually have a choice.

You can choose

to continue to

suffer with the resistance,

or you can

open to the spaciousness that you are,

and embrace what is,

in all its glory.

A Choice to Align — and Harmonize

The moment I came to terms with the idea that my snowy video was not to be, I began to open rather than contract.

New ideas began to flow in, and I have to say I’m very happy with what I finally submitted as part of the Winter Harmony series: 15 Ways to Awaken to the Gifts of Winter.

It’s soooo useful!

I daresay it’s even better than the video I first envisioned.

I explain why winter is special (from the perspective of Jyotish and natural cycles) and offer 15 ways to take advantage of its unique qualities.

Plus, there’s a free audio download included.

And all that because I stopped resisting. Pretty neat, huh?

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you again soon. 🙂

Patti

 

 

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

Dec 182012
 

I’ve been playing with the idea of lucid dreaming lately.

Not literally. Not with my dream-state, at night.

But with my waking state, during the day.

And the results are immediate and powerful.

Lucid Living

I was introduced to this idea many years ago by Timothy Freke. He talks about our life as a lucid dream. (A lucid dream is one in which you know you’re dreaming while you’re in it. You can then make conscious choices.)

And my point about lucid dreaming is that even if it’s a scary dream, when you know you’re dreaming, you can enjoy it!

But whether a dream is lucid or not:  Who is it that’s experiencing the dream? It’s YOU.

And as you know, your dream can’t hurt you. You are truly not at stake in it. You’re just experiencing it.

It’s the same with “real life“.

And whether your dreams are lucid or not, your life ideally is.

A lucid life means that at some level you are “awake” and aware enough to not be totally caught up in your story. At that level of consciousness, you can watch this life as if it’s a dream.

You really are not at stake in it. At least, not the real you, the YOU that you are in essence. You are immortal and cannot be touched by it in any way, shape, or form.

I’ve been working with this idea — that we are not at stake — for several years, and I now know it in my bones. You might know it as well. You’ll certainly know it when you “die”, but if you can believe this now, OH, how much more pleasant your life can be!

Still, I’m not asking you to believe this if you don’t want to. It’s great if you do, for life becomes a fascinating adventure rather than something threatening.

But even if you don’t, then for the sake of experiencing the release I’m suggesting, just see if you can pretend to believe it for now.

Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.
Life is but a dream.

Yesterday’s Nightmare

I’ve been so frustrated lately.

I went to the doctor a few months ago for an annual physical. I was very clear that was all I wanted, nothing more.

I’m now getting notices that I was charged for a LOT more.

I spent the last month being routed around to 10 different people trying to find out who to even talk with about this.

I finally hit on the right guy, only to find out that he doesn’t return calls. When I finally caught him “in”, he made phone appointments with me which he just didn’t bother to keep. Yes, he stood me up! Twice! I’m trying to find someone else to talk with but that’s been a dead end.

I’m feeling hung out to dry and completely powerless.

So that’s my story.

Today’s Lucid Dream (aka Life!)

But you know what?

It’s just a story!

It’s life!

And that’s okay!

No, I’m not going to drop it. I’m tenacious.

But the way I’ve found to work with it so as not to be completely frustrated and angry is to remind myself that it’s all a dream.

I am not at stake in this.

I am determined to continue to act with integrity. I am determined to not let him or that dysfunctional facility ruin my day — or even one more precious moment.

I mean, it’s a beautiful day, and I’ve got so much to be grateful for, not the least of which is this amazing adventure called life, whatever it brings, right?!

And so, I play with the idea that this is just a dream … and you can do this too.

It’s a different level of dream than you have at night, but still a dream. One difference is that at this level, things actually make their way into what we know of as form, as manifestation.

But it still doesn’t hurt you. It can’t possibly.

When you’re able to remember this (i.e. be lucid, and at some level awake, and know you’re not at stake), it helps you be present for the adventure.

In my example, it’s hard even for me to believe but I found myself actually enjoying the call I made to him this morning, telling his message machine that I didn’t appreciate being stood up. Yes, enjoying! And I don’t mean gloating, nor being “above it all”. I mean being totally there, allowing Presence to direct my words spontaneously, and appreciating it as part of this life I get to live.

And it wasn’t so bad! 😉

And I’m not upset today. (Hallelujah!)

Dream Your Holiday

So I wanted to share this idea with you.

I know that over the holidays, especially, we can get stressed out even more easily than at other times of the year.

And this is a great way to turn stress into productive play.

To change our habits of upset.

To turn any kind of a nightmare into a dream. 🙂

It feels great, and I dare say that in my experience, it also helps what we think of as “the future” to unfold most gracefully.

Your Turn

So what do you think?

Do you buy it? If not, do you see how pretending to buy it and then acting accordingly might help?

Are you willing to try it?

I’d love to hear.

*´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ Sweet dreams! ♥

Patti

 

 


Just in time for the new year!

Leonie Dawson has just come out with her 2013 Creating Your Incredible Year Workbooks + Calendar package.

She’s an inspired artist and wise soul, and all her work is just so upbeat and fun. The workbooks and calendars package helps you become aware of and make progress on your goals (and much more), and is full of her uplifting and colorful artwork. I’ve already looked through mine and can’t wait to dig in!

If you want to buy one as a gift — or even for yourself 😉 — you can find more details here.

[FYI, I am an affiliate since I love all of her work so much. She puts her heart, soul, and wisdom into it and you always get way more than you expect.]

Nov 022012
 

Life as a Doorway to the Field“Death is not the opposite of life. Life has no opposite. The opposite of death is birth. Life is eternal.”

~ Eckhart Tolle, Stillness Speaks

I LOVE this quote. It’s crossed my mind often since first reading it.

And it’s come to mind most recently after losing our sweet lab, Ollie, especially because I had a lot of synchronicities that made me aware — at a deep level — of the same thing.

Life Abounds

It started just a few days after his death.

I was in the back yard and as I looked up I saw 2 mourning doves walking around the bush from his grave. Now, I never see mourning doves back there, even rarely see them at all around here. And that they should come right from his grave while I was there … Well, let’s just say I noticed.

Shortly after that, I was walking over to visit his grave and out hopped a bunny from behind it. It came right over to me, within about 3′, and stopped right at the grave. Again, I took notice.

Even funnier, the next morning I got up and there was the bunny lying in the backyard, all stretched out, right where Ollie used to lay all stretched out!

This was odd enough but this happened several days in a row.

This was getting a little strange, even for me!

Over the next week or two, the quote just kept coming back to mind.

And it seemed that everywhere I went, there was Life.

There were lizards, snakes, birds (ravens, baby flycatchers that hatched and flew the coop, and another mourning dove that flew right in front of me), a big moth that sat right on the post near me on the front porch while I worked, and of course, bunnies galore — to name a few.

Life Goes On

All of this made me sooo aware that Life goes on.

And I don’t mean “life goes on” like your life situation has to continue.

I mean Life just goes on! There is no end to it.

And I did revel in the fact that Ollie was still around. I felt him, not only as his presence, but as Life itself!

I recently did a book review of Dying To Be Me by Anita Moorjani about her near-death experience (NDE). But did you know I had my own NDE? I did … Not as involved as Anita’s, but enough for me to get a taste of what happens when we die. And I can tell you, Life goes on! It’s amazing.

Life = The Field of Magic & Miracles

So you may wonder what this has to do with Emergence.

Well, experiencing the Life that you are — even your life force (which is a little bit of an abstraction of it but still a good stepping stone) — is a doorway to the state of consciousness you enter when you “do” Emergence.

It’s your conscious connection to a powerful field of magic and miracles.

In some ways, the state is impossible to speak of, but there are a lot of pointers that can help lead you to it.

This is one of them. (Note: For some instruction on experiencing your life force and using it to strengthen your immune system or even heal, see remedy #16 in Kiss Your Cold Goodbye Fast With These 20 Natural and Vibrational Remedies.)

And once you’re adept at entering the state … at being … and being life consciously, with awareness — the rest is a piece of cake. 😉

The truth is: you don’t have a life, you are life, the One Life, the one consciousness that pervades the entire universe and takes temporary form to experience itself as a stone or a blade of grass, as an animal, a person, a star or a galaxy.

Can you sense deep within that you already know that? Can you sense that you already are That?

~ Eckhart Tolle, Stillness Speaks

Thanks for reading, and here’s to you — as Life emerging!

Patti

 

 

As usual, I’d love to hear what you have to share about this topic, or any questions you might have. Just use the comment box! Thank you!


Want to try an Emergence session — for FREE?

Then sign up for my newsletter to qualify and be notified of our next free group Emergence session (aka “Activation”).

Of course, you can always get your own private Emergence session too. ;-) For more information, see my Holographic Emergence Sessions™ page.

Oct 162012
 

A Way of Being, with Fun on Top!Did you know that the most powerful way to practice Emergence requires no overhead at all?

Granted, the sessions themselves are short and fun, but there’s another even more basic aspect of Emergence I want to be really clear about:

Emergence is not so much an activity.
It’s a way of Being.

And then, on top of that way of Being, there are some ways you can apply quantum principles to help encourage your essence to emerge in a certain way. These are what comprise a session.

Spirited Play

But you can’t facilitate sessions with a sense of desperation or even need. It just doesn’t work that way.

It’s got to be in the spirit of fun, and play. Because that’s what this world of form is. It’s a playground!

I know, I know.

I, too, have had some big challenges that sure don’t feel like fun.

But that’s the trick – to get to that place where even difficult things can be appreciated at least as adventures!

In the memorable words of John Sherman,

“You are not at stake here!”

Your Essence is Immortal and Untouchable

We (as consciousness, awareness, essence) are never affected in any way by what’s occurring in our lives. And that means not only “outward” seeming events and situations, but even what most consider “inner” movements such as thoughts and feelings.

They are not you!

Well, okay … in a way they are because they are your essence emerging and not apart from you, but they are not you as your divine, immortal Being.

It’s helpful to “get” that. Understanding it is a start but ultimately you want to live it.

So once you are actually operating consistently from that state of Being, you’ll find that your life unfolds much more harmoniously than if you’re not.

And even when it doesn’t, you are able to appreciate it for what it is.

It’s a movement of your own consciousness
that you, as your divine self,
are getting to experience.

How amazing and cool is that?!

Fun with Form

And then, just for fun, you can learn to do Emergence “sessions” to intentionally play in the quantum field — that same field of consciousness or awareness that is your essence — to help shift how you are emerging. In other words, to affect the world of form that you experience.

And this blog discusses all of the above. If you read my posts, and apply the periodic exercises or suggestions, you ought to be able to learn a lot just from that.

Thank you!

Patti

 

 


Want to try an Emergence session — for FREE?

Then sign up for my newsletter to qualify and be notified of our next free group Emergence session (aka “Activation”).

Of course, you can always get your own private Emergence session too. 😉 For more information, see my Holographic Emergence Sessions™ page.

Sep 072012
 

The art and science of consciousness technology.Whether you approach life with the right or left brain, as an intuitive or rationalist, this art and science of Emergence (a Consciousness Technology) can be both fascinating and helpful!

Art and Science

I remember making a choice in high school: Art or Science? Which direction to pursue?

I was very creative and a good artist, but I loved and excelled at math and science. Granted there are vocations that blend the two, but from where I sat at a tiny parochial school in a small town in the Midwest, I didn’t know that. I felt compelled to choose.

I ended up choosing a career as a software engineer, where I used logic all the time and got to work with some really smart people. It was a good choice for me since it was lucrative and I was able to raise my son (as a single mother) in the expensive San Francisco Bay Area quite comfortably. Of course there was a lot of creativity involved but my work was still primarily left-brained and logical.

Altered States of Consciousness

At the same time, I was interested in what’s often called “spiritual growth” as well. I learned my first meditation technique when I was 18 and studied many different disciplines, philosophies, gurus, teachers, methods, practices, etc. I continued to delve into all sorts of consciousness studies.

Admittedly, I also loved drugs, especially hallucinogens. I didn’t do LSD often like some people I knew, but I did it enough to find out that there are “worlds out there” that we can’t even imagine. Not necessarily the same as reaching altered states without the aid of substances, but not necessarily different in some important respects, either.

I also had a near death experience where I got a glimpse into yet another awesome world.

To this day I’m convinced that anyone who pooh-poohs the idea that there is much more to us and our world than meets the eye, then they are simply closed-minded and although they think we are foolish, they are only limiting themselves.

A Conscious Pragmatist

As a single mom (now grandma) and an engineer (now retired), I’ve always been inclined to deal with things sensibly and realistically. Not wholly but primarily left-brained.

I was always very pragmatic. I had to be.

But that didn’t mean that accessing and taking advantage of whatever these “other worlds” offered me contradicted that. In fact, doing so would be smart. So why not?

Why not a marriage of art and science?

Why not appreciate what our right-brain — and indeed, anything else we have access to — has to offer as well as the left?!

So although I’ve found that for me, drugs are not the answer (for various reasons), I am still wholly involved in raising and expanding my consciousness in natural ways. The difference is that now I approach it more experientially rather than theoretically, and suddenly it’s becoming clear in a way it never has before. Simple and powerful, it’s one of the most satisfying and meaningful areas of my life.

I’m also more than happy to take advantage of the naturally resulting expanded awareness and heightened intuition in order to access practical information and guidance that helps in everyday life. This delights me as I’ve always known intuition exists, and seeing how easy it is to access now is icing on the cake.

A Powerful Combination

When I first learned Matrix Energetics 6 years ago, I had no idea it was related to consciousness per se. And even after taking several seminars, it was only my own putting pieces together and adapting it to my life and my understandings that I began to see that consciousness is, indeed, an integral part of the technology. (At least the way I practice it through what I call Emergence.)

That’s why I like using the term Consciousness Technology (CT) rather than some of the other terms I’ve heard used. (This technology is popping up in various forms but is in such a new stage of life that it doesn’t have a well-known name yet.)

Sometimes it’s referred to in quantum physics or quantum mechanics terms, such as quantum or holographic, or it incorporates terms such as the Zero Point Field (or Matrix, or Energetics ;-)) or related concepts. This is how it was presented to me, and I’ve done my share of research and reading from that perspective too. This is great when you come at it from the scientific angle.

But I continue to verify for myself that in a simpler and more experiential approach, it’s essentially based on consciousness.

And yet, the outcome is ultimately practical and useful.

The whole point of Emergence is to enhance our lives in meaningful ways, including — but not limited to — those primarily related to consciousness itself (such as attaining inner peace).

But what’s my point?

Emergence for Everyone

You, too, can come at this practice from any or all directions, such as consciousness, science, or even pure pragmatism.

So you may already be interested in developing an expanded or higher consciousness. You may have been interested in consciousness for some time and have an understanding of and experience with various modes of consciousness.

Or like me, maybe you’re a product of the (in)famous 60’s and have had expansive experiences a la Timothy Leary with LSD and other hallucinogens. Maybe you simply like playing around with altered states.

Or you’ve studied various “New Age” means of manifesting … or are familiar with the power of manipulating energy … or  already appreciate the “healing arts“.

Or maybe you are simply interested in being able to get useful results in the material world. Perhaps you’re an  engineer or white-collar/blue-collar worker who puts a lot of weight on what you perceive through your senses. You’re a cut-and-dried pragmatist who merely appreciates the power of intention and hard work.

Or you value science and like my physicist friend, you are fascinated and intrigued by this practical application of  quantum principles.

No matter.

Whichever direction you approach Emergence from, you’ll find value in what it offers.

No beliefs or talents are necessary in order to benefit from it. (In fact, strong beliefs can be a disadvantage.)

And if you want to actually practice it, there are no parts of it that are hard to learn, no matter what your background. And even though consciousness is an essential part of this technology, you don’t have to be a guru or master in order to begin to see results right away.

So if you are even wondering if Emergence is for you, then the answer is a resounding yes.

Yes!

You can benefit. And if you want to do it, that’s possible too.

The fact that you are intrigued is a good sign that you ought to stick around. (Get my posts via RSS feedreader or RSS email or sign up for my newsletter!) If you want to join the growing number of fans of this fascinating

Art and Science of Transformation

then I welcome you!

Patti

 

 

Are you an artist or a scientist, intuitive or rationalist? Both like me? I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions about Emergence. (Leave a comment, I’ll reply!)

And if you enjoyed this article, I’d appreciate it if you take a moment to share it (handy buttons below).  Thank you!

Aug 062012
 

Do you ever notice certain patterns in your life, where something annoying — or even seriously effed up — just keeps happening but you have no idea why?

Well, it’s likely related to your underlying belief patterns.

Really? you say. How does that make sense?

Or better yet, Right! So how do I find those buggers and “fix” them?

Well, here’s something that’s worked for me and is a powerful agent for change.

Over the weekend I started reading an interesting little book called This Thing Called You by Ernest Holmes.

In it, he quotes Jesus as having said:

“It is done unto you as you believe.”

And as I considered this, I found myself thinking about how a belief is a type of pattern in the “emergence” sense. (Emergence is my form of consciousness technology.)

From Consciousness to Manifestation

A pattern in consciousness will unfold in your life.

When I/we do a Holographic Emergence™ session, we often see and work with these patterns.

They may show up as an archetype or as something more abstract or completely unrecognizable. There may be one or several.

During a session, there’s no need to be consciously aware of all the details of a pattern nor of its logical connection to your life.

We can make effective change regardless.

But here’s a powerful way to modify your own patterns even without doing an Emergence session.

Belief Patterns

A belief is a type of pattern.

Anything you think you know is a belief.

Likewise, groups of related beliefs form larger patterns. And so do sets of beliefs that are formed by drawing multiple conclusions from one existing belief.

Shine a Light on Your Belief Patterns

Here is a way to empower yourself using the light of awareness.

1. Examine what it is you think you know. (Just one thing for the sake of this exercise.)

2. Then see if it’s positive or negative. Is it something that makes you feel good? Is it something you want to see manifesting in your life? Because if you believe it, it will.

If it feels bad or you don’t want to see it manifest in your life for any reason, make a note of it.

Know that you don’t have to be at its mercy.

You can also do this exercise the other way around.

1. Think about if there is some area of your life where you have frequent or ongoing issues.

2. Then consider what your beliefs are in relation to that area. (And it helps here to list beliefs that even might be related.)

Probably you’ll find that you do, indeed, have some related beliefs lurking around that are somehow limiting or otherwise problematic.

Again, make a note of it and know that you don’t have to be at its mercy.

What this does is bring some of your unconscious beliefs to light. Not all of them, but those that are lurking around in the nearby shadows.

So now you are aware of one or more patterns in your consciousness.

This is important because as long as they’re in your consciousness, they’re in your energy field, and because of that they continue to manifest in your life.

Yes, as self-fulfilling prophecies.

Empower Yourself with Deliberate Choice

Awareness alone is helpful, because it brings your pattens out to the light of day for you to examine.

But as good as that is, followup with a deliberate choice is even better.

You can choose to let any unhelpful beliefs fall away. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth the effort.

We usually think we know something because it’s been proven to us somehow. Either we’ve seen and experienced it, or someone we consider reliable or an authority swears by it.

But you can decide to open to other possibilities!

Maybe your belief is true sometimes but not always. Maybe things have changed or are changing. Maybe a new factor is about to come into play that changes things. Maybe just about anything!

Stay alert to the appearance of thoughts that are related to those beliefs. When they come up, remind yourself that there are other possibilities and that you’ve made a choice to let them go. And then put your attention elsewhere.

See if you can allow yourself to start fresh. Right now.

The Now stands on its own. The past does not exist. You create your apparent future.

You might as well do it as consciously as possible.

Choose anew.

 

 

As always, I love to hear your thoughts on this topic, as well as any experiences or suggestions of your own.

And if you liked this post, please share with your friends. Buttons are below. Thank you!


Get instant pattern adjustments with a
Holographic Emergence™ session

We can go directly to your patterns and correct them instantly during a private session. These sessions are very affordable, and you always get caring and personalized service. :-)


Jul 162012
 

In preparing for this week’s (free!) group Holographic Emergence Session™ where we will activate our creative process, I’ve been considering what the creative process means to me.

I keep coming back to this one simple idea that seems to form a foundation of how it works.

Because it will form the basis of our activation this week, and because it’s a useful concept in any case, I want to share it with you now.

Magnetic and Dynamic

Think of something you’ve produced from start to finish. Something you’ve conceived of, taken action on, and released out into the world.

No doubt it originated in an idea. This is the “magnetic” part.

And then it moved along a channel on its way to manifestation, which is the “dynamic” part.

I like the terms magnetic and dynamic to represent these concepts but a few other related words and concepts are:

Magnetic Dynamic
receive project
female male
feminine masculine
mother father
goddess god
moon sun
venus mars
right brain left brain
intuitive rational
holistic analytical

 

So in the context of creating, the magnetic can be thought of as getting in touch with our light, and the dynamic as actually expressing it.

If you look at the creative process as a timeline with the beginning being the initial conception (magnetic), and the endpoint being the final form, it’s as if there were a channel of energy moving the creation from its beginning all the way to its completion and release (dynamic).

Both parts of the process need to be operating well for creation to take place seamlessly.

There are many ways for us to enhance our ablities in both areas. I’ve already written about quite a few of them on this blog and I’ll continue to do so since the process of Emergence uses both of them, especially the magnetic.

Being conscious and aware of how you operate magnetically and dynamically can go a long way toward streamlining your own process. You can look objectively at where you may have weaknesses to strengthen, or strengths to optimize.

Integration or the Dance of Creation

Also important is how you integrate the two.

To really move something along the channel requires being in constant touch with both the inspiration or imaginal (magnetic) and the practical considerations and actions (dynamic).

It doesn’t just happen once. There are really a number of mini-cycles that take place within the over-arching conception-to-release cycle.

I like to think of it as a dance between our magnetic and dynamic. It’s an art, not a science, as one needs to constantly respond to the other. And in my experience, that’s what creation is about!

Creating requires that you keep your idea dancing along the channel as you help it manifest into form.

And that’s where the fun is, and the life!

That’s how and when you feel that life force coursing through you and you feel fully alive!

Dancing in the Light

A lot of the stumbling blocks I’ve run into are related to the dance.

If you’ve had difficulty manifesting your creations, you can shine some light on your dance steps.

Ask yourself if there’s anywhere in this channel where you regularly get hung up.

Some possible stumbling blocks are:

  • fears
  • distractions
  • boredom
  • “shoulds” that squeeze the joy out of your process
  • lack of information (without enough drive to push through)
  • any kind of “clog” (within you or “out there”)
  • things just stop
  • your focus dwindles off
  • any deterrent that you don’t have the motivation to examine or get past
  • you lose interest along the way
  • you just move on (and you may not even notice)
  • you make it so “big” that you get overwhelmed
  • you never even start it
  • lack of trust in what your intuitive/creative conception
  • too much “editing”
  • discouragement
  • depression
  • apathy

Ah, the list could go on and on.

But here’s something worth doing.

Simply bring the stumbling block into the light. Make it conscious to yourself. Become aware of it.

It’s an important first step in moving past it and is sometimes all that’s needed!

Join Us For the Creation Activation!

Another way to keep (or get) your creative process flowing is to participate in a Holographic Emergence™ session.

And you can try one free this week by joining us in our group session — our Creation Activation!

Let’s clear the way so we can create spectacularly!

We’ll enhance the magnetic and dynamic, and get the two dancing together to our own music.

That’s the focus of this week’s activation. (An “activation” is my name for a group Holographic Emergence session. If you want to know more about what an activation is, you can see my “Spring Activation” announcement.)

Join us! It’s FREE and it’s taking place this Thursday at 10:30a MT.

At that time, the Sun and Moon will be “dancing” together in Cancer (the Moon’s sign) in Pushyami, a very auspicious nakshatra. Next month they’ll both be in Leo (the Sun’s sign), a very creative part of the zodiac. Let’s get ready so we can take advantage of that time that is so supportive of creating!


This free activation is for newsletter subscribers only.

If you’re already a subscriber, you’ll find the registration link in the latest newsletter (from last Thursday — check your inbox).

If you’re not yet a subscriber, you can subscribe here, and you’ll be emailed a link to the newsletter that has the registration link.

Finally, if you’re a regular reader but really really don’t want to subscribe to my newsletter, just send me an email and ask me to register you. That works too.


And now: Do you have any tips about ways to enhance or streamline our creative process? As always, I’d love to hear ’em! Thank you!