Feeding the Emotional Body

The job of the emotional body is the same as the physical one: to absorb what it needs based on what you feed it and to eliminate that which does not serve it. If you don’t keep your filtration system healthy enough to get rid of waste, your heart ends up having to work double-time to process the excess poo you’re feeding it.

Feed your emotional body the nourishment it needs so it can get the job done. Avoid toxins. Keep the filters clean so the ego doesn’t get all red and puffy. Don’t make your heart process poo.

Setting Sail in Uncharted Waters

This blog post is for a wonderful, brilliant and courageous woman setting sail into a future she is unsure of. So many of us have decided to make real changes (big ones) in 2012, I think it's a good lesson for us all.

Moving into uncharted territory is terrifying, even on a good day. You wake up and set sail and the weather is brilliant and the horizon is clear but when it comes down to it you can't ignore that your entire being is rattled with the fact that you really don't know what's around the bend. It's ok. That's just how it is when you have to pioneer, even when you're only pioneering your own life. So don't beat yourself up if you're not always feeling absolutely positive about what's going on and if it's all going to work. In order for us to have absolute knowledge of outcome we have to take the paths most traveled and if we wanted to do that we wouldn't be....us. Being unsure is part of the deal here. That's normal.

What causes people to defeat themselves is to give into the fear. Fear can drive you to worry a bit, then it can drive you to lose sleep, then it can drive you to become insecure to the point of lashing out at others, then it can drive you to simply quit. You can look at the uncharted path before you and say, "You know what......never mind." Turn the boat around and take another path - that's always your right. But to move forward, to pray, to ask for divine assistance and the faith of those depending on you, to push yourself out of your comfort zone and into something you can't deny yourself...well...that opens a door of magic within that changes you forever. And if you ask me about my own adventures, even if I fail it's worth it just to open that door. I raise my glass to those who are  scared and moving forward anyway. Cheers.

Look at the move Tim and I are making. I wish I could tell you I'm not scared to death cuz I know deep down I am and I know it's probably gonna get worse long before it gets better. We know what we want, but we don't really know exactly how it's going to be. It's uncharted territory. There are people on the wings cheering us on and there are people who will never understand why we're leaving. It definitely isn't the first time people look at Tim and/or myself and think we're crazy, rash, naive, foolish, etc. But, I just can't bring myself to care if those people get it or not. What I really care about is creating a life for myself that reflects who I am on the inside and I don't feel like this city offers my heart all that it desires to grow and expand. We have a pretty good plan going and we've been taking steps towards the move for a year now - emotionally I've been taking steps even longer than that. What keeps me going is impenetrable faith. I've set my sails up a hundred times so I know that I may not always end up where I think I'm going to, but I will always end up somewhere better than I was when I started the journey.

We steer our ship, angels hold our compass, God is the water beneath us and the wind in our sails. How could any of us POSSIBLY go wrong?

I have one other angle that you may find helpful. Over the holidays I was in NM for about a week when I started projecting on my move and feeling lonely for the people in my life who really GET me. There's a seriously small population of people like that in NM and I don't know a single soul in our final destination of Colorado. Though I believe I'll love the new friends I make and plan on keeping all my old friends, this particular evening I was doing a lot of self-doubting and feeling uncharacteristically sorry for myself. I was on my nightly walk from the main house to the small guest house I'll be moving into in about 11 weeks. It was, as usual out there, a dark and chilly night and I looked up as I always do to marvel at the gagillion stars visible from Middle of Nowhere, Northern NM. I could actually see the Milky Way plastered above us in a huge bright strip. And I thought to myself, "Well, shit. In a hundred years I'll be dead and none of this will matter." That is a true story on all accounts.

Thank you, Mrs. Marshall, for helping me put my own journey in perspective. I'm thankful you're on the waters with me.

Simply Put

Be happy with what you already have. You may build upon yourself with experiences with people, things, and goals. But a bee and all of nature has all it will ever need, and have been quite content with that for centuries.


Quote by Diana Jeong, photographer, writer, black belt, friend, woman extraordinaire.

Perfection

It is a wonderful and freeing thing to realize you are perfect.

It is a wonderful and freeing thing to realize you are imperfect.

A Brilliant Statement On Abundance

Grandmaster Maria Baird was teaching one of her Manifesting Me seminars on dreams and desires when she said something that struck me as brilliant. She said, “Once basic needs are met, abundance is an experience that comes from utilizing our gifts in rewarding ways.”

Americans are big on stuff. I live in Los Angeles. People here are really into their stuff. It’s the syndrome of, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” In fact, people are so incredibly focused on what they don't have, they can rarely see and appreciate what they do have. Even when (by my standards) they have A LOT.

I like stuff and all, but I’ve spent years striving for and collecting things just to find out that what really gives me a kick is helping people feel better about their lives. When you are doing what you love to do because you love to do it and because you’re good at it, it’s what comes from that action that feels so good. Not the stuff you buy with it.

Focus on gratitude. Forget consumerism. Forget stuff. Redefine what is really and truly important to you that isn’t material. Then build on it. You will know abundance like you never have before.

Felix Felicis

I've been thinking the last few days about Felix Felicis, aka Liquid Luck, found by the rest of the Harry Potter nerds on the planet in book (or movie) 6. There's a big Quiddich match and Ron is rightfully nauseous and nervous because...well...he's not a very consistent player and he knows it. At breakfast, Hermione spots Harry slipping something into Ron's drink and as Harry puts the bottle of Liquid Luck into his pocket Ron immediately knows what Harry has done for Ron and for the Griffindor Quiddich team. Ron gulps down his lucky pumpkin juice feeling like a million Galleons, plays uncharacteristically well and gets carried off the field as the game champ. It's not until later that evening that Harry divulges to Hermione that he hadn't actually slipped anything at all into Ron's drink - he only pretended to. Ron played his best game by his own devices and never needed Liquid Luck to do it. He never needed anything more than a nice healthy dose of courage and faith.
The way Felix Felicis worked when Harry actually took it is it sort of guided him. He'd get a feeling that something was just the right thing to do and he'd go for it without question. It led him to a great success and changed the future of the world and the rest, of course, is magical history.
There's the internal voice in us all that says "That looks fun - maybe I'll do that!" Then you've got the other voice giving you a nudge-nudge-wink-wink and in no uncertain terms says, "Listen to that other voice and you're gonna totally screw up." In a way, it seems the potion blocks out the voice that says, "Naaahhh....better not go out on a limb."
I've asked a couple of people what they'd do if they could drink some Liquid Luck and, predictably, they say they'd go get a lottery ticket. But then what? Now you're a millionaire, great. Would you still avoid the things that you think you've got no chance at? Or would you finally talk to the person you've been crushing on for years? Would you apply for that job or start that business? Would you make a phone call you've been dreading? Would you get on the 405 freeway at 5pm on a Friday?
What would you do today, tomorrow, the next day, if you knew no matter what that luck was on your side?

A Big Dream

There is a very cool, wonderful man named Mark Hoog whom I had the pleasure of meeting. When I was introduced to Mark he had published a number of inspirational children's books with Growing Field including a book called "Letters From Katrina" which I highly recommend you check out.

I attended one of Mark's speaking engagements where he told a story about speaking to three groups of kids. The first group was an elementary school age range. Mark said to the group, "Ok, I want you to raise your hand if you have a big dream and a big goal to support that dream." Pretty much every kid in the room raised their hand and Mark was pleased and not surprised. A couple days later he spoke to a group of middle school kids and he asked the exact same question, only this time less than half the room raised their hand. This was surprising. You can imagine his shock and dismay when he asked the high school students and about 5 people in the entire auditorium raised their hands to say "I've got a big dream!"

I've thought about this story a lot over the last several years.

Now, I feel there are many contributing factors to this, and I think hormones is one of them. In the average high school it becomes outrageously uncool to raise your hand for anything unless, of course, you're already dubbed The Smart Kid. The few kids who raised their hands when Mark spoke were also the kids who weren't afraid to raise their hand when they knew the answer in Geometry or AP English. However, I also think that when kids are young we "humor" them, and as they get older we want to be "honest" and "realistic". When a six year old says, "I want to be an astronaut," we say, "Great!" When a sixteen year old says it, we ask about their grades in math and tell them about how impossible it will be for them to be what they want to be. For most of us, by the time those 10 years pass we've had so many dreams shot down that it's no wonder we give up and lose the race before we run it. We do and become what's expected of us by others which is all too often a shortcoming of who we could've been and who we really are.

I'm going to take some time today to think about my dreams. I know for a fact that there are many that I started and consciously and fairly decided against. I definitely don't want to be a wedding photographer and I know that because I tried it. However, if there are dreams that were squelched by others or that I was just plain afraid of, gosh darnit, I'm going to re-hatch them and I encourage you to do the same.

When someone asks if we have a big dream and a big goal to support that dream, I want us ALL to raise our hands, I want us ALL to be already living some of them and I want us ALL to be on our way to more. If you don't know how to do that, read a book, take a seminar, go within and study yourself, contact me and I'll help you.

Mean What You Say

"I am forthcoming and decisive....I think...."

Ever say yes when you meant no? Ever avoided telling someone that you were upset because you didn’t want to upset them? Ever say you didn’t care when you did and let someone else make a decision for you? Made you pretty resentful, didn’t it?

I found a story I wrote about a year ago. I was at work when someone asked me if we should go a route that I disagreed with. Instead of saying, “No, let’s do something else instead,” the actual words I used were somewhere along the lines of, “Wellllll…..uh…hmmmm…..I dunno….” I used a voice inflection to insinuate my message instead of using up-front words. WHY THE HECK DIDN’T I JUST SAY NO FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE?!? I've been working on keeping all my messages accurate and to the point ever since.

We are not doing anyone any favors by being unclear or untruthful – quite the opposite, actually. When you do not say what you believe to be true, you're lying. Plain and simple. When you lie, you're doing yourself and the person you're speaking to a rather serious injustice by cheating everyone of the truth. It drags things out, it plants false ideas, it robs you of Power of Choice and it can do an excellent job of wrecking personal and professional relationships. How many people do you know that are extremely understanding when they find out that you've been dishonest? I know zero people like that and frankly, I don't want to know those people. Those are the people who only want you to tell them what they want to hear. No, thank you! My friends today all know and they'll agree - "Don't ask Micki a question unless you're sure you want to hear the answer!" I'll not be mean or heartless or condescending, but I will be honest.

Mean what you say. I can now vouch that in the long run you and everyone around you will be a lot happier, even if your honesty is sometimes hard to say and/or hard to hear. Also, in the process of telling people the truth you will learn new truths about yourself! Honesty is a blessing.

A Year Of Hope

I have lots of friends who I talk to and see quite a lot. I subscribe to a number of blogs that range in content quite a lot, from perfumed oils to total geeks to renowned authors and photographers. Seems to me like 2010 was a year of mention.
I entered 2010 with a foreboding feeling that the bottom had dropped out and I rang in the new year as cheerily as I could...which was not nearly cheery enough, especially for me. As the year progressed and I tried to figure out what to do with these uninvited emotions, I ended up forming a new, extra-steely bond with my husband and a couple of very close friends who I now hold even dearer. Closer to June, I hit breaking point and with as much dignity as I could possibly muster, I straightened up and screamed at the top of my spiritual lungs, "ENOUGH ALREADY! I'VE HAD IT!" I took steps that scared the bejeezes out of me and I did it knowing that if I didn't, part of me was going to die. Thank God for the people in my life who reminded me through the year that it was all going to be ok. I ended 2010 and entered 2011 rather proud of myself for sticking out the tough times while upholding my "moral fiber". It was of the utmost importance to me to maintain an amount of dignity in my trials and though I can't say I wouldn't do a few things differently, I think overall I did pretty ok.
Is this sounding familiar to anyone? Because the more I read and the more I talk to people the more I hear the undertones of my own tale told back to me in different circumstances. I'm not saying anyone is out of the woods yet, but it's sure nice to be in a place that feels fresh and hopeful. It's like a brand new room with nice carpet and fresh paint and now we're all ready to start adding squishy furniture and pretty paintings. I'm ready to join my comrades in making 2011 a really place to live.

Flatbread

Last Friday, I went to my mom's house to learn how to make Flatbread. It's tradition that we eat this paper-thin, crunchy bread at our big family Christmas gathering and it's rather hard work. My grandma made it, then when she got too "old" my mom made it, and now it's my turn to take over the task. It's a very simple recipe and Mom was right - you get yourself into a rhythm. Roll out a piece of dough, open the oven, flip one piece, remove one piece, put in a piece. Roll out a piece of dough, open the oven....I finished about 30 or 35 pieces of flatbread in about 3 1/2 hours and Mom said it was done in record time.

I respect some traditions. I like the idea that some things get carried down through generations and I like the idea of the next person making the task even better. Mom said, "Now, imagine doing this like Grandma: without the company and conversation using an oven you had to prop shut with a broom handle because the door wouldn't stay shut on it's own." I can't imagine. My addition to this tradition is I'm always going to have someone fun with me when I make Flatbread at Christmas. My mom made it fun. She loaned me her "Every Girl Needs A Vampire" t-shirt. I didn't mind sweating so much.

I encourage everyone to find something really wonderful to adopt as "tradition" and share it with those around you.

Me By Nature

I present this question: Is everyone a natural-born Something Great?

My answer is, “YES!!!”

If you don’t know what your special talent is, just look at your life from a different angle. For years, when I went to a bar or party the troubled person in the room would gravitate straight to me to tell me about how they just lost their job/broke up with their boyfriend/need to quit drinking. The worst part was that amongst my complete annoyance that they were ruining my good time, I really, sincerely wanted to help them. I wanted to find the right magic words to make them understand everything would be ok. I wanted to offer them advice that would make them feel better or give them some direction. Thank heavens I now have my healing art. Now I can get all my “help the world” energy out in a constructive way and I can actually enjoy myself at public functions again. People rarely approach me at parties or bars any more. But when they do, I listen closely and still want to help.

 My point in that story is that I had an affinity for helping others. I was a good listener, I would often say really helpful things completely out of nowhere and when I finally started a healing practice, I was also able to direct my energy in a way that would make bodies feel better. That wasn’t always completely obvious if I looked at it in an obvious way and said, like I’ve heard so many other people say, “Why am I the freak magnet?!?”

When you find that helping people is part of who you are by nature, you never shut it off. Ever. Sometimes I wish I could shut off being a healer. Sometimes I know my friends wish they could stop being teachers and leaders. But we don’t really want to do that – it would be denying who we are and, after all, we are these people because it makes us feel good to be those people.

The other side of this is that anyone can be anything they want to be. I’ve seen people go from not knowing anything about Chi Kung healing and feeling awkward with it to becoming very successful healers. I’ve seen people go from bad-postured and insecure to full time martial arts instructors and community leaders. I think, in a way, we all have every trait known to man within us and who we become is a matter of who we allow ourselves to be. It’s like the old parable about the man who says “I have two tigers that live within me. One of them is a ferocious and violent killer. The other is calm, gentle and friendly.” His friend said, “Which one do we see?” And the man replied, “Whichever one I feed.” Whatever we feed within ourselves is that which will grow.

So I have two questions for you: Do you know what your special talent is and are you “feeding” it for the greater good of all?

Thanksgiving

No matter where you are at this moment, there is much to be thankful for.

Where The Heck Am I?

How many times have I looked around at my life like I was a stranger in a strange land. Everything is going just fine, I have no idea I've been on auto-pilot for entirely too long. Suddenly, some angel or other throws a bucket of ice cold awareness on my head, forcing me to look around and say, "Ooooops.....I'm lost." Hey, it happens to the best of us.

The comforting news is that we all falter. We all find ourselves off track now and again. If we're lucky, we are growing and changing all the time. When we start to change and forget to re-check the compass, well, welcome to The Twilight Zone.

The good news is that we have to know and acknowledge that we're lost before it would ever occur to us to seek direction. Once you can say, "Yes, mmhmmm, definitely uncomfortably off course here," that is the moment you can start to change direction.

The great news is that we can never go too far to turn. Until we have managed to make the grand final escape from Earth, we can always regain our bearings and start a new journey. There are endless sources of direction available to us at all times. There are people who devote their whole life to pointing the way for us. Reach out and get some help - even a friendly sounding board. Reach in and meditate to reconnect with the Great Big All and who you really are. And remember, the best way to start a journey is to first be thankful for where you are when you start.