Getting What You Really Want in 3 Easy Steps

I once heard Marci Shimoff, the author of Happy for No Reason, explain how to be successful using 3 simple steps:

The first one is Intention.

Intention requires us to get crystal clear about exactly what it is that we want.

Such as:

• A brand new red Honda Accord

• A job working for a specific company doing a particular job

• A partner with these particular traits

 Get the idea?

The more specific and precise you can be the better.

Let’s face it, most of us bumble through life and forget how important it is to actually stop and dream in to exactly what it is that we want in our lives.

So stop right now and do it!

Are you wanting the right team of doctors and practitioners to support your healing?

Is it a specific amount of money to flow into your bank account every month?

Whatever it is, get clear, paint the picture for yourself.

The next step is Attention.

Now that you know exactly what you want, it’s time to put your thoughts, your feelings, as well as your actions in alignment with your goals.

How does this look? 

It’s stating in precise language what you want.

You might say something like:

“my healing is already in process, and the right and perfect team of people is being attracted to me right now. I will connect with them easily and effortlessly.”

Or

“I’m grateful to be working at (name of company) in the position of (title) getting paid (amount of $) and enjoying the wonderful people and supportive culture here.”

Louise Hay tells us that when we, marry affirmation with action, we get evidence that life loves us.

Wahoo!

Marci Shimoff’s final tip is No Tension.

And that is you relaxing into this process.

You’ve gotten clear about what you want, you see yourself already having it, affirm it verbally, are taking action to support you in achieving this goal

AND

Now you allow the universe to guide your actions and support you in the process.

Here’s an example, in March I was in Colorado skiing and set a goal for myself to be completely comfortable and proficient on any terrain, specifically moguls. My friend spent hours giving me tips and lessons which I worked on integrating.

And what I observed through this process was that the more I relaxed and trusted my body, the skis, his advice, the easier I could adopt these new skills.

At one point, he took me on a narrow trail where the moguls were gigantic, the drops six+ feet, and he would yell, “DIVE!” meaning I had to literally thrust my body forward as if I was going to fall forward over the hill, when every part of me wanted to sit back.

The only way I could actually pull this off was to scream, “DIVE!” out loud as I thrust myself forward. Every time I did, I was so much more in control and felt safer than when I leaned back and my skis flew out from under me.

It’s completely counterintuitive and required me to trust – myself, my equipment, my friend, life.

And here’s what happened, the more I relaxed, the better I skied!

So pick something that you want to change in your life.

Get really clear about exactly what you want.

Speak it, Feel it. Take inspired action.

And relax knowing that life loves you and wants to bring it to you.

Want more inspiration and tools for your personal development direct to your inbox every Wednesday?

Join our community TODAY!

Image courtesy of Pexels on Pixabay

4 Ways to Manage The Fast Pace of Life

Is it just me or are you feeling like we’re in a moment of rapid change?

I look around and everything appears to be in motion. People moving homes, getting different jobs, tackling new health problems…

Even though my life feels relatively stable, I’m traveling more and am busier than ever! 

And while that all feels exciting, especially after the cloistering we’ve done these past few years, I find that my heart rate can get elevated from managing both the amount of change as well as the rate with which it is happening!

If you can relate, here are a few tips that might help you feel more secure during this time:

1. Prioritize

Sometimes the sheer quantity of tasks or opportunities you have can feel overwhelming.

What if you ordered them?

I used to work with a coach who suggested that you not only label your To Do items 1-10 based on the urgency, but to then go a step further and add letters. So, your list becomes: 1A, 1B, 1C…

Whenever I do her method, I’m always amazed at the amount I get accomplished and how much calmer I feel going systematically from one item to the next.

2. Be the Eye

Okay, so life is swirling around you. How can you stay in the center rather than be flung about on the edges?

The easiest way is to close your eyes and breathe. From there, imagine yourself in the resting place. Some people refer to it as the cave of the heart, others a field. I often think about it as love’s refuge.

It’s the place of peace within that is always available to you.

When you consciously take a moment to re-center, it gives you the opportunity to feel more grounded, present, and less frenetic.

Now, even though the pace of change may not have altered, it isn’t having the same effect on you.

3. Remember the Truth

Despite what’s happening “out there,” you are always safe.

Come back to this truth.

One of the simplest ways to remember this is with an affirming statement.

It can be as forthright as, “I am safe right now.”

Or, “despite the change I am experiencing, I am safe.”

Perhaps you might be inspired to say, “I embrace change easily and effectively.”

If none of those resonate with you, think of the words that feel reassuring to your nervous system.

4. Tap It Out

Lastly there’s Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).

This is a technique in which you physically tap parts of your body. It has an incredibly calming effect. I teach one simple technique in this video.

Whatever change you are experiencing, remember that it IS for your highest and best good.

So, why not release your anxiety and embrace this newness?

Use these tools to help.

Liked what you read?
Want more tools for your personal development direct to your inbox?
Sign up today!

Image by George on Pixabay

Forgive & Set Yourself Free: 3 Steps

Have you seen the movie The Mauritanian? It’s based on a true story about a Guantanamo Bay detainee. At one point, he explains that in his native language, Arabic, the word for freedom is the same as the word for forgiveness.*

I was struck by this. Because day after day, year after year, these words echo in my mind, “forgive and set yourself free.”

I first heard them from Louise Hay, and as I began to do forgiveness work, I found that it was true! Forgiveness does have an incredibly liberating quality, quite the opposite effect of what we think we will experience.

We think the other person who has wronged us needs to be punished, and if we forgive them, they are off the hook. In truth, we are the ones being punished every day by holding onto our grievances. And as we release them, we free ourselves.

As a student of A Course in Miracles, this message is re-enforced since one of the major themes in the book teaches that forgiveness is our function – and leads to peace, happiness and a return to abiding love.

So then, how do we go about forgiving?

There really is a 3-Part Process.

Step 1

Identify what you are feeling- hurt, wronged, slighted, angry, betrayed… Allow yourself to really feel your feelings whatever they are.

Step 2

Once you have allowed yourself to grieve, ask yourself this:

• Am I willing to forgive?

If the answer is yes, keep going.

If the answer is no, ask yourself: What would it take for me to be willing to forgive?

When you are willing, ask yourself:

• Can I see this situation in another way?

• Please help me.

Allow yourself to be in this space. It might take a minute, it might take several months. Ultimately, this step requires a relinquishment of control.

In the 12-Step program, this is step 2, when “we come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.” But we have to be willing to let go.

Step 3

Ask God, the Universe, Source, higher power, whatever phrase works for you, to help you heal. To release you of this burden. To take away your pain.

The experience always has a similar trajectory.

Bodily, I feel my upset as a tightness, a constriction, and a constant mind loop of misery. I am stuck and this feeling will never go away.

However, if I am willing to let it go and fully release it, the feeling does get transformed!

And then I find myself back in the lap of love, feeling free and expansive once again.

That is the miracle.

So why not give it a try?

Choose someone who has grieved you and walk yourself through the steps to freedom.

Let me know how it goes!

Want more tools and inspiration for your spiritual transformation direct to your inbox every Wednesday? Sign Up Today!

*If you speak Arabic and this is not the case, please help me to clarify and be more precise.  

Image by Mohamed Chermiti from Pixabay.

Ready to Attract Your Ideal Partner?

The question I get more than any others is this:

How can I be in relationship with a partner that completely sees me, gets me, loves me, and supports me?

Whether you’re in a relationship right now or not, this blog is for you!

Why?

Because it reveals the ONE secret that every person who is in a truly fulfilling relationship knows.

Want to know what it is?

It’s actually really simple.

BE WHO YOU WANT TO ATTRACT.

What!?!

Here’s how it works- there are only 2 steps.

Step 1

Make a list of every single quality you envision your ideal mate possessing.

Traits like:

• Being a great listener

• Attending to your needs

• Spending regular one on one time with you

• Validating your feelings

• Making you laugh

• Enjoying going on adventures

You get the idea.

Step 2

Review your list. How can you embody every single one of those characteristics?

Honestly, it really is that simple.

You become what you want. Because LIKE attracts LIKE.

When I first met the man who is the true love of my life, I wasn’t looking for a relationship, I wasn’t even thinking about him in that way. I was married (unhappily), busy raising small children, and had met him because I began working for him.

After being in his presence for a while, I came to recognize that he possessed a quality that I very much wanted. He had this calm assuredness, and exuded a loving presence. And despite how insane his daily schedule was, he was unfailingly kind and generous with his time. I remember thinking that I wanted to be like that- to possess that quality. I wasn’t exactly sure how to obtain it, but it soon became my goal.

More than a year later, when my marriage was truly over and it felt like my life had imploded and was being rebuilt, he told me he was in love with me.

I share this story because it exemplifies what I’m talking about. At the time, I didn’t know this was the pattern, the “secret.” I kind of fell into it accidentally in my desire to be a more loving and present human being.  

But this is how the universe really works.

You want love? Be the most loving person you can be.

Start today. Right now. Crack open your heart and smile.

Why not see what happens?

Want more tools and inspiration in your inbox? Sign up today, it’s FREE!

 Image courtesy of Photo Mix on Pixabay 

A Simple Way to Use Time Efficiently

We have been told that time is an artificial construct only our lived experience does not feel like that!

Time feels relevant, full of meaning. We have appointments, schedules, flights, people to meet…

So perhaps the way to look at time is to ask yourself, are you using your time or filling your time?

In other words, how do your days feel? Are they exciting and vibrant? Do you feel alive and excited about your life?

Or are you waiting for the day to end? For you to be done with some task you don’t like in order to relax, chill out, or do what you want to do.

One of the most important lessons I learned about time, is that it is happening right now.

I often find myself quoting a line from a John Lennon song, “life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

It isn’t so much about tomorrow, or even yesterday, it’s about right now.

How present are you in your moment? Have you stopped to read these words, or are you skimming this while listening to the radio and monitoring your work emails?

I realize it sounds counterintuitive. But the only guarantee we have is the moment.

How can you make it the best one you have? The most fun? Most fulfilling? Most love filled?

How can today be the best day you have ever lived?

I’m not saying don’t make plans -make them AND live today fully.

Don’t expect that tomorrow things will be better.

Tomorrow starts right now, because how fulfilled, how happy, how rich you feel tomorrow is 100% dependent on how fulfilled, happy and rich you feel right now.

So what do you say?

Ready to really use your life and be fully engaged right now?

There’s no time like this moment to start.

Want more tools for your spiritual development?
Get them direct to your inbox every Wednesday, FREE.

Image courtesy of Annca on Pixabay 

No Liquid Luck? 3 Ways to Find Your Flow

I don’t know about you, but I think about living in a state of grace, or being in the flow, a lot!

You know what I’m talking about, right?

That space, where everything is easy, life feels simple and abundant. As if the obstacles simply melt away effortlessly.

When you’re in that place, it feels both enlivening and empowering.

So why is it – if this space feels so good - that we fall out of it?

This is when I wish I could go to Hogwarts or perhaps just Diagon Alley and get the supplies to make the potion, Felix Felicis, otherwise known as, Liquid Luck.

If you’ve never read the 6th Harry Potter book, The Half Blood Prince, or seen the movie, perhaps you have no idea what I’m talking about!

This potion, Liquid Luck, is said to offer the drinker a period of good luck and success in whatever endeavors they undertake.

Doesn’t that sound perfect?

Guaranteed success!

In the book/movie, there’s a scene in which Harry, who possesses a vial of this potion, decides to ingest it since he’s been trying in vain to accomplish a task.

He gulps down the drink and then instinctively goes on his way. Although where he goes seems completely illogical!

To me, that scene completely embodies this space of grace.

Why?

Because when we’re in the flow, it’s as if we have surrendered our small brain’s striving to the larger mind’s knowing.

There is a certainty in this knowing, that to an outside observer might appear non-sensical or illogical, yet it is precisely what is needed in order to obtain the desired goal.

Barring the fact that none of us (with the exception of perhaps JK Rowling) know how to brew up some Liquid Luck, how can the rest of us step into that flow?

Here are 3 Ingredients:

1.Trust

This one is KEY. It requires us to let go of our plans in order to allow a higher guidance to come to us. It sounds simple, but it isn’t easy.

Lately, when I’ve felt afraid to trust, I’ve been doing an experiment. I say to myself: “Why not just try it for a day and see what happens?”

How about you?

Are you willing to try and trust that whatever it is you desire will come?

Reach in. Ask what it is that you are to do and then…

2. Listen

We have to get quiet in order to hear that intuitive voice, that inner knowing that wants to guide us.

Listening involves letting go of our ideas of what we should do. What we think is the right action.

Remember, we’re doing an experiment. We’re trying something different. We’re putting aside our ideas and listening to inner guidance.

3. Relax

Since this is an experiment anyway, why not relax and allow it to unfold? It’s more fun this way, too.

When you’re in the flow, it feels like an unseen, loving, positive force is working in you and through you.

Tap into that. This is how to access your own version of Liquid Luck.

Liked what you read? Get more tools for your spiritual transformation directly to your inbox every Wednesday, FREE!

Image courtesy of Arek Socha

What's Your Soul's Vision for 2023?

I love making vision boards! Maybe you’ve even made one with me in the past!

 But if you’re new to vision boards, no worries! Click HERE to access my free kit! 

Every year I make a vision board. Normally, I’m super intentional about it, too, trying to incorporate about every aspect of my life – from growing educationally and spiritually, to working out, to go on vacations!

Shortly before the onset of the pandemic though, I learned about a concept called Soul Collage® which is creating collage imagery in a more free flow way, allowing your subconscious to pick images and words for you, as opposed to purposefully thumbing through magazines for specific pictures and exact words.

Since then, I’ve tilted my vision board practice more and more towards this method, incorporating this dream-like process into it.

I’ll admit that at times it feels kinda weird. Because some of the images I’m drawn to seem like odd choices. When this feeling comes up, I try to relax about it and keep going.

I definitely do not completely understand this process. I just know that when I look at the boards I’ve made using this technique, they resonate so deeply with me, and offer a sense of comfort and ease, and this helps me know I’m on the right track.

Since it’s January and undoubtedly you’ve been ruminating about your 2023, perhaps it’s time to visually dream into your year.

Do you have a clear sense of what you want to manifest and how you want to feel this year? If so, perhaps a more traditional vision board is for you.

If, however, you’re more into creating a mood, allowing life to guide you and dictate, see where that takes you.

Or, you can also do a combination of both!

Whichever feels right, use my FREE KIT. The materials and process are the same. The only difference is in your approach.

Get creative, have fun and DREAM!

Want more tools for your spiritual development direct to your inbox every Wednesday? Join Us!

Image courtesy of Pexels on Pixabay

Step Into the Year of the Chariot

It’s officially 2023. What do you want for your year?

One of my daughter’s is really into the Tarot and she says that the card for this year is the Chariot. Apparently, this card is all about saying a big hearty YES to what you want to create in your life.

So, let’s hear it.

What is it that’s yearning to be birthed, that’s ready to come into fruition, that’s calling to you?

January, after all, is a time to vision.

Why not begin by creating a road map to joy? A path that chariot can navigate to help you achieve all you desire.

Here are 3 simple steps:

1. Dream Into Your Year

What is it that this chariot, that, Heck, YA! energy is driving you towards?

If you’re feeling in the flow, allow the words to come. Maybe the vision will come through a drawing or a web. Sometimes clarity and dreams flow most freely when we’re walking or moving our bodies.

Give yourself time to imagine in to what or how you want your life to be.

2. Hopes or Wishes?

Do you have any big wishes you’d like to receive this year? Perhaps another way to say this is - Is there a prayer you’d like answered?

If so, what is it?

Once it comes it could be part of your yearly theme or inquiry.

3. The Path

Now that you have some clarity about your dreams and hopes for your year, what needs to happen in order for them to manifest?

What’s the first thing you’re being asked to do?

If an entire list comes, jot it all down. If not, focus on the first step.

In my experience, that’s often all we need. Once you’ve taken that first step, the next one will appear. Really!

This process always reminds me of a scene in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It’s the last Raiders of the Lost Ark movie, the one where Harrison Ford is trying to find the chalice of everlasting life. He’s in a cave, and his next obstacle is to walk across an invisible bridge. Each time he steps out into the crevasse of nothingness, his foot catches a stone. And before you know it, he’s on the other side.

The good part for you is you don’t have to step into an abyss! You only have to take the step you see that is right in front of you.

What is it?

Be brave. It’s only one step. And it will lead you down the road to JOY.

Are you ready?

Want more inspiration in your inbox every Wednesday? Sign up today.

Photo courtesy of Bertvthul on Pixabay

What Exactly is Advent?

I never knew much about advent growing up in a household with, as my mother famously called herself, a “fallen Catholic” (whatever that meant) and a culturally Jewish but Atheist step dad. To me, advent meant colorful calendars with tiny windows and doors, and most importantly, daily chocolates!

It wasn’t until recently that I began to understand advent in a mystical way, as a means to support our self-transformation, and encourage our personal connection to the divine.

Essentially, what these 4 weeks before Christmas are designed to do is provide a time to intentionally clean out in preparation for receiving the light.

And here’s the cool thing, it doesn’t matter whether you’re Christian or not. Because right now in the northern hemisphere, we’re in the season of darkness. And as we approach the winter solstice, Yule, Channukah & Christmas, the invitation remains the same.

We’re celebrating the return of the light.

As we explore this time through a mystical lens, what’s being asked of us is to awaken to that light within us.

In order to do that, we have to empty ourselves out, or if you like, Windex the glass so the light can clearly radiate.

How do we do that?

We rid ourselves of what is no longer needed.

One way is to purge your living space. Tackle a closet, pantry or bookshelf. What is ready to be released?

You can do this work as an inside job, as well, by identifying any old patterns or habits that are keeping you stuck in pain.

Perhaps one of these patterns arose over the Thanksgiving holiday. If so, use advent to step into this old wound, and identify its source. From there, you can release it by forgiving yourself and your loved one(s).

As Louise Hay reminds us, “I forgive and I set myself free.”

It’s kind of ironic that on the one hand, we’re being encouraged to buy stuff for the holidays, and on the other, the underlying mystical message of the season is to let go and let God. Personally, I don’t see it as an either or, but a both.

We can lovingly release what we no longer need and open to receive everything that is waiting for us.

How does that sound?

Like what you read?

Join our growing community and get more tools and inspiration for your personal self-transformation every Wednesday!

Image courtesy of S. Herman / F. Richter on Pixabay  

Becoming Self-Realized

When I graduated from college, I was intent on saving the world from a climate disaster.

I’d taken classes on hydrology and fossil fuel use in my senior year that awakened me to the impending doom on the horizon.

And despite the fact that I actually graduated with a degree in art history, I pestered my way into an internship at the Union of Concerned Scientists. There, we created and ran a nationwide symposium on global warming.

It was 1989.

Within a year, I was half a world away in Hong Kong, struggling to figure out how to continue doing environmental work when I lacked an engineering degree and my Cantonese was lousy.

Determined to make a “difference,” I began teaching.

But more than anything, what really captured my attention, was an intense desire to know myself, to heal myself, and to understand what I was doing on this crazy mixed up planet.

Three decades later, not much has changed.

I still try to affect change, but the greatest emphasis is still within. In healing myself, and in deepening my spiritual practice.

It might sound weird, but as Ramana Maharshi, an Indian saint says, “Your own self-realization is the greatest gift you can render the world.”

Otherwise, all we’re really doing is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic (sorry, can’t remember where I heard that one).

And if Ramana Maharshi is correct, how do we actually do that, become self-realized?

I know from firsthand experience that this idea can feel unattainable… but don’t get discouraged. It’s common to erroneously think self-actualization is a journey to a destination that feels impossible to reach.

Take comfort, because, thankfully, that isn’t true. Instead, think about it like this: “Enlightenment is but a recognition, not a change at all.” (ACIM W-p1.188.1:4)

Or maybe the way my teacher Ma Jaya used to talk about it will resonate with you more. She used to say, “the difference between you and me is that I know I’m God and you don’t.”

So, what is this exactly? This recognition, this acknowledgement, this self-realization?

It’s a willingness to completely accept the totality of who you are.

To accept your beauty, your innocence, your greatness, your magnificence, your light, your love, as well as all of your quirkiness.

You could start with a statement such as: “I love and accept myself today.”

You could add an even though part too, if you want, so the statement would be: “I love and accept myself today…

• even though the world feels fearful.

• even though I don’t know how.

• even though the idea of this feels scary.

• even though I don’t believe I deserve it.

For all of us who are in a body, the world situation these days feels precarious and uncertain.

Being a solitary person, it’s easy to think you don’t matter, or what you do won’t make a difference.

But one person stepping into this realization, this self-actualization, really does change everything. We know this from heroes of the past and present- Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Louise Hay, Oprah Winfrey, and on and on.

So please! Join me.

Be a light worker. Be a spokesperson for love. Step into the magnificence of who you are. The world really needs you.

Want to join our growing community and get more tools & inspiration in your inbox every Wednesday?

Photo courtesy of Helena Cuerva on Pixabay 

What if Life Really Did Love You?

It's true that some days are hard.

Maybe you want to bury your head under the pillow and not face life.

Maybe it all just feels like too much.

On days like that it can be way too challenging to remember that you really are the author of your life story.

I have those days too.

So, when we’re in one of those spaces, what helps?

Lately, I’ve been finding immense comfort in Louise Hays’ affirmations. This one in particular: “Life loves me.”

Here’s how I’ve been using it.

When I feel besieged by fear, overwhelmed by anxiety, gripped by scary what-ifs and doomsday scenarios, I say to myself: “yes, and life loves me.”

I don’t try to push away the frightening thoughts that are crowding into my mind, rather I let them stay. I keep them company by acknowledging them, and then saying, “yes, I know the world feels pretty scary right now, AND life loves me.”

Eventually, the scary bits begin to fall away and I’m left with, repeating over and over again to myself, “Life loves me.”

Life loves me.

Life loves me.

Life loves me.

Even if you don’t believe it, you can try it anyway because some part of your mind really does know it’s true.

And honestly, why not? It isn’t going to hurt anything, right?

If you want to check out more of these affirmations, here’s a photo of the backs of some of the affirmation cards she and Robert Holden created.

Take a deep breath, look out the window, and know that love is everywhere all the time, and always accessible to you, and that life really does want to support you in every way.

Liked what you read?
Want more inspiration and tools for your personal transformation?
Get them directly in your inbox! Sign up today.

3 Ways to Deepen Into Autumn

Can you believe that tomorrow is the first day of fall!?!

Where I live I’m definitely seeing evidence of this shift. The air is noticeably cooler, many of my flowering plants are beginning to die, and some deciduous trees are starting to change color.

If you’re wanting to really embrace this new season,

Here are a few ways to deepen into it:

1. Reflection

Whenever we make a calendar shift, it’s a great opportunity to pause.

Take a moment to reflect on the abundance of the summer. Harken back to the warmth and sunshine, the long days and all they brought to you.

For me, it was multi-fold. I had wonderful opportunities to spend time with people I love, enjoying the beautiful outdoors together.

Our garden also gifted us with so much bounty this year! A plethora of summer squashes, cucumbers, raspberries and basil.  

2. Balance

The equinox, being the moment in time when the light and dark are equal across the world, is always an invitation to look within and re-balance our lives.

I love to begin with gratitude, for the light and for the dark.

As my shaman friend Jamie is always reminding me, without the darkness, we would never see the light. And as so many of us know, it’s in healing the darkness within ourselves that brings us into the light.

Of course this time of year also seems to urge us to explore how balanced our own lives are. Is there a way in which your life has become out of balance? Is there something you could you do more of, less of? Is there something that needs to end or begin?

Tap into your internal guidance.

3. New Season, New Opportunity

Curiously, even though summer in the northern hemisphere is typically a time of being outdoors and of external activities, because the weather is warm and inviting, I often find myself living the phrase, “the lazy days of summer.” It swims through my mind compelling me to lie on the grass and do nothing.

Meanwhile the fall feels reawakening!

Every September I have a surge in energy, a desire to start a project because I feel surprisingly motivated to begin anew.

Perhaps it’s all my years of being beholden to an academic schedule. But the fall is also the new year in many cultures, and religions, so perhaps it is simply the seasonal pull.

I also recorded an equinox guided meditation entitled, Celebrate the Changing Season, #78 to help get you into the spirit!

Access that here:

Apple Podcasts 

Spotify

Amazon Music

Google Music/Podcasts

Happy fall!

May it bring wonderful new opportunities filled with prosperity and joy to you.

Want more inspiration & tools for your spiritual development directly in your inbox every week?

Join our community today. 💗

photo courtesy of cocoparisienne on Pixabay

4 Levels to Spiritually Awaken

At the beginning of the pandemic, I shared the 4 Stages of Spiritual Development that Michael Beckwith, the Minister of the mega church, Agape, in Los Angeles developed. If you aren’t familiar with his work, he’s a profound spiritual presence and a phenomenal speaker.

In a nut shell, these are his stages:

Stage 1- Victim Consciousness: Life is Happening to Me

In the victim place, we often wonder why things are happening to us, why we are being punished, or are experiencing suffering.

Here is where we fundamentally lack a sense of will, or even the belief that we can affect change. We feel helpless to control our life circumstances, believing that we are alone and apart from everyone including God/Universal Consciousness.

If you are ready to evolve from being in victim mode, the invitation is to release feelings of blame, shame and guilt. In other words, take control of life.

When you do, you move into:

Stage 2- Manifestor Consciousness: Life is Happening for Me

Here you open to the recognition that God (source/love/consciousness) is within. This allows you to remember that the world is an effect. In other words, you are creating your life. So manifest whatever you desire!

At this stage, you tap into your will and activate the doing (male) aspect of life, because you are in control of your thoughts which are creating your life.

Employ visualization techniques and affirmations to imagine and speak your dreams and desires into existence. Have fun with this!

If you’re keen to continue the evolution process, the next step is to relinquish control and the illusion of power.

I know, it sounds scary, and when you’re ready, you’ll move into being:

Stage 3- Vessel for God: Life is Happening through Me

When we get to this stage, we’ve already built a solid foundation, recognizing that we have authority over our lives, and that we can create change.

But now we’re ready to relinquish control, and let God/source be in charge because we know there’s even more to life!!!

Here, we tap into the feminine aspect of receiving. This calls for faith AND the willingness to relax, as we allow God (source/love/consciousness) to move through us. As St Francis says in his prayer, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

At this stage, we invite the ego to step aside, allowing spirit to work through us. When this occurs, we move into grace, living in the space of non-duality. We allow love to love through us.

This is the state when you become a vehicle through which God’s love can grace every person, every encounter, every situation you find yourself in.

The final stage is when we are ready to relinquish the belief in separation altogether. In other words, when we remember that we are not a separate body, that we are and always have been part of God (source/love/consciousness).

When we realize this, we move into:

Stage 4- One-Ness: Life is Happening as Me

Here is where we release the sense of having a separate self and unite fully with God (source/love/consciousness), recognizing that we are one.

We have moved from knowing the truth to being the truth, achieving unity with the divine, mystical mind. The non-dual state.

If you’re interested in being in that space, and hearing the voice for God, meditation #76 Access the Voice of Truth, on my podcast, Love’s Refuge, is for you!

Listen Here

Apple Podcasts

Amazon

Spotify

Google

If all of this feels like too much, don’t fret! The truth is, all of us are constantly moving back and forth along this continuum.

Use these stages as a way to check in, to see where you are at any given moment. Don’t punish or berate yourself, but rather see this as a tool. A tool you can use as a gentle reminder to return to the truth and awareness of who you really are - love and unity.

Liked what you read?
Get more inspiration & tools for your spiritual transformation direct to your inbox every Wednesday.

4 Ways to Tune Into Joy

Did you know that happiness consistently ranks at or near the top of polls when people are asked about what they want in their lives?

Yet connecting to that feeling of contentment, to absolute joy can feel elusive. We know it’s there, we see others experiencing it, but we’re not…

So how do we access joy?

Here are 4 ways:

1. “Joy is here because you are here.” -Dr. Robert Holden

What this means is that we ACTUALLY carry joy. Whether we believe it or not, joy is our innate nature. And in truth, we desperately want to be in that state all the time.

You can think about joy as a vibration, a frequency we tune in and out of like a radio station. Joy is always there, we simply move the dial away from it.

2. Joy is not a destination

Joy isn’t some place you’re going to get to or arrive at. Joy isn’t a goal to achieve either.

Sometimes we believe we can experience joy with a new purchase, a vacation, promotion or treatment. And maybe we're happier for a few days, but invariably, it wears off and we slide back to where we were before.

But what if, instead, you chose to believe that joy was your true nature? That joy is always here, waiting for you to remember and return to it?

If you’re finding that idea difficult, imagine you’re watching a bunch of kids playing in the park directly in front of you. You hear their laughter and squeals of happiness. As adults, most of us have forgotten how to access this. We get busy, neurotic, we live in our heads and take life seriously.

How can you laugh like a child again?

3. Practice Gratitude 

Gratitude is called the shortest shortcut to happiness.

Why?

Think about it.

How do you feel when you’re in a place of lack? When it feels like you don’t have everything you want, need, or desire?

You’re in a bad mood, right?

Instead, what if you focused on all the blessings you have in your life? A healthy body, family, a job, a comfortable home?

Offer thanks for everything you have in your life right now.

“Thank you for my beautiful home, my healthy family, my caring friends, my strong body, reliable car, fun job…”

It isn’t that happy people are grateful, it’s that grateful people are happy.

Acknowledge and appreciate the abundant blessings in your life and watch yourself tune back into joy.

4. Be the most joy filled person you can be

Why? Because the number one indicator of how happy you’ll be in the future, is how happy you are right now.

So how can you be happier right now, in this moment?

If you can release yesterday, avoid worrying about tomorrow, and simply be present right here in this moment, you will discover joy. It is nestled deep inside you because it lives in your heart, patiently waiting for you.

Breathe into that space in the center of your chest and re-connect.

It has never left.

It is always available.

What small actions can you take to help you experience that deep inner joy, right here, right now?

If you want to deepen into this state, podcast #74, entitled, TUNE INTO JOY is for you.

Try it here:

Itunes

Spotify

Amazon

Google

No matter what your life circumstances, joy is always here for you. And the more you cultivate it, the easier it will be for you to access.

Because joy lives within you, no one will ever be able to take it away from you. That is the power of inner work.

Liked what you read?

Sign up to get more spiritual tools and inspiration in your inbox every Wednesday!

Photo by Petra on Pixabay

3 Ways to Transform Despair

No matter how much “spiritual” work you do, or how long you’ve “been on the path” you’re gonna experience despair. It’s unavoidable because you have a body. And despair as an aspect of suffering, is part of the human experience.

The real question isn’t how do we avoid feeling despair, but how do we not allow ourselves to be oppressed by it?

Like most suffering, it can creep up insidiously. Maybe it starts by reading an article about the intense heat in Europe or India, or perhaps the war in Ukraine. Maybe it’s the nagging feeling that there’s something missing in your life. Something elusive that you’ll never find. And then one day those feelings trip you into despair.

 So what do you do?

 1. Remember

This experience you are having is a natural part of being human. Don’t add suffering to your suffering by judging the fact that you’re experiencing despair. Whatever is happening will pass -even when you don’t think it will. Have compassion for yourself.

2. Reach Out

Remind yourself that you are not alone. Often when we feel despair, it can feel like a lonely pit we’ve fallen into. Reach out, talk to someone, a friend or loved one, get a hug, visit a neighbor, whatever will help you feel more supported.

 3. Act

What action can you take that will feel like positive movement? Make a phone call, send an email, smile at a stranger, volunteer, garden, donate…

Getting out of your head and into the body will ALWAYS help you to feel better, no matter what it is.

 4. Ask

Ask for guidance. I often use this statement: “Help me to see this situation differently.”

Sometimes we get stuck in one way of viewing things. But there are countless perspectives, only from our present vantage point, we may be blind to the myriad of possibilities. Ask to see the situation again. And then listen. Be open to guidance showing you another way.

It’s true that feeling despair can be unpleasant, but it can also be a catalyst for healing. When we’re willing to hold the space, acknowledge it, and then work with it, we can transform the pain into love.

Ready to give it these a try? I promise you’ll feel better.

And, did you like what you read?

Want more in your inbox every Wednesday?

Sign up today!