A friend questioned the validity of repeating affirmations that are untrue, in the hopes of trying to convince yourself of something. That’s where people go wrong with their “affirmations.” You can’t choose a phrase that you know isn’t true. You choose a phrase that is a true statement of something you want to be made more fully aware of. I can say “in this moment I have all I need,” and it’s true. That repeated true phrase leads me to more fully realize that truth. Sure, the car payment may be due Thursday and if I don’t have it right now, I know I’ll have it by Thursday. But I’m talking about right now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday. Can I pay off my mortgage right now? No. Do I have in this moment all I need? Yes, absolutely. And the more I realize that, the wider my eyes will open and the wider my mind will open to encompass new ideas, possibilities and opportunities.
Author Archives: Andrea
If one income stream slows down, be on the lookout for opportunity
If one door, whether it be relationship or a stream of dollars, is beginning to close and momentum seems to be slowing down, that’s your signal to look around because another is staring you in the face, waiting to be discovered. Trust me, the Universe is waiting to delight you. You’ve just got to get into the vibe of allowing it. How do you get into the vibe? By looking for it. Look for something to interest and excite you. By expecting it. Expect that any moment you may have opportunity staring you in the face, possibly disguised as the most unimportant, mundane nothingness ever. Look at everything around you as though you expect it to whisper the answer to you, and it will begin to. How do you allow it? You allow it by dropping all resistance; resistance to anything, since it’s all related. You clear up the past and forgive anything you’ve left unforgiven. Then stand back and watch the floodgates open in ways you never thought possible. Continue reading
Commanding the Elements, Summoning the Lemon Seeds
Ah, the joy of cooking while half asleep. I made pinto bean soup last night and this morning I reheated it to adjust the flavors. I squeezed a fresh lemon, then scooped up the 8 seeds and tossed them right into three quarts of soup. I reached in as quickly as I could reach a spoon, but they were nowhere to be found. Treasure hunt for lunch! I let the soup cool as I went back into the office. An hour later, I had a thought that I could call the lemon seeds to me. If I could ease myself into unity consciousness, I could communicate with them and understand when they respond to me. It was worth a try. Continue reading
Show the world you walk your talk—and when you don’t, what went wrong.
Spiritual brother Wayne Wirs writes: “Personally, I don’t want to live my life as a hypocrite—or worse, die as one—so I strive for transparency in my blog. I don’t want to preach A while living B. If you consider yourself a spiritual student or authority, even if you have no interest in becoming a teacher, I strongly urge you to start a blog, or if you have one, to intersperse your “teaching posts” with personal posts. You’ll be amazed at how humbling and eye opening the experience can be. Become transparent. Show the world you walk your talk—and when you don’t, what went wrong. Show the world your flaws. The most powerful aspect about blogging about your personal life is that it throws your actions right back in your face. Personal blogging makes you very conscious of the difference between your theories… and your actions. Personal blogging forces you to live true. And to live true—isn’t that what a spiritual life is all about?”
Decide how you want to be seen, then become that
Decide how you want to be seen by those around you, then act as you would if you were who you wanted to be. That’s how you become it. Want to be seen as the better person who forgives and moves on? Then forgive and move on. Want to prove that grouch has no power over you? Stop giving them power over you. You’ll know when you’ve done that because you will stop talking about it and stop thinking about it.
Gotta go all the way, babe. Don’t stop short of success.
We drove west today looking for Three Forks Marsh Conservation Area, taking Malabar Road west until the pavement ended. I didn’t follow the dirt road since it was muddy from last night’s rain, and since I didn’t know where I was going. I asked galpal Mary Jo Woolley” Did I not go far enough?” She replied, “Gotta go all the way babe. Once you go around the corner you’re in.” I should know that. Just like in life, you gotta go all the way, don’t stop yourself short. We did, however, find McGriff Park south on DeGroodt and played on their swings and monkey bars and watched kids doing skateboard tricks in the skate park.
I’ve got all the time in the world and not a moment to lose
A good ratio for me is to spend twice as much time in my sadhana, my spiritual practice: meditation, yoga, contemplation, spiritual study, prayer, creative visualization, as I spend watching tv or movies. I find that is what works to keep me balanced. When I’m out of balance, it’s usually after I’ve allowed myself a period of being non-productive. I don’t beat myself up for it, but there are so many things I’m waiting to do that it’s a shame to waste a moment.
It’s true: Create unique and valuable solutions to real, immediate problems and people will beat a path to your website.
Revisiting the childhood father energy when I ask an ex 4 “exit interview” questions
I put the June Horizons Magazine online today and re-read my June article about Father’s Day. I didn’t always get along with my dad. He was bi-polar and very strict. He could be fun and charming. He could also be mean and hateful. Daddy didn’t know how to sort out his feelings, much less discuss them. We never knew how to talk to each other. None of us did back then. Now anyone watching tv can learn the process through shows like Couples Therapy, Marriage Boot Camp and Iyanla Vanzant Fix My Life. It took several encounter (sensitive training) groups in my 20s to give me a vocabulary for what I felt emotionally, and to gain the tools to express it. These groups met with the aim of shedding our social masks and expressing our real feelings. They emphasized verbal interaction and activities that encouraged open displays of approval, criticism, affection, dislike, anger and tears. The result was that we learn to interact with others honestly, by openly expressing what we feel. This is important not just for self discovery, but for resolution when there was conflict. When an ex recently offered an exit interview, I asked him 4 questions: Continue reading
Portabello Mushroom Steaks and Flying Pole Lamps
An awesome dinner last night. A giant portabello mushroom cap steak, sauteed with a sweet onion in Earth Balance vegan butter-like spread. Served alongside parsley “buttered” potatoes, and fresh green beans roasted with red peppers, ground fennel, cumin and coriander seeds. Even better eaten without a bump on the head by a flying pole lamp. The lamp fell over as Benny the Cat was tearing around the room and I turned the swivel rocker to watch him. The edge of my chair hit the lamp and sent it flying into the boyfriend’s head. He was the perfect block so the lamp didn’t crash into the dining glass table top! I’m sure he has a big bump on his head today. Thanks for taking one for the team, G!