Ja Jochen – A Message from my Spirit Guide

“You go Girl!  I’ll tell you…yesterday you made a discovery on the Internet.  You read that someone rated your favorite Buffalo Sabre…Jochen Hecht…Number 1…because “he’s a sexy, passionate, warrior.”   (willfulcaboose.wordpress.com )  So you see Girl…yes…say it…Jochen Hecht is sexy…say what you feel girl…it doesn’t take away from your relationship with your man…Girl…it’s about time you put your feelings into words…you actually realized that you can see a sexy guy and talk about it.  Wow…welcome to the sensual world…it’s about time you got in touch with your sensual self.  When you say Jochen Hecht is sexy…it means your sexual chakras are open…girl…now you will start to see sexuality everywhere and you will have it as part of your vocabulary girl…it’s an awakening…welcome to the world…see the sexuality in yourself…in what you wear…in your husband…in dancing..in the arts…Child…embrace it…let it free you…let it become your driving force…child…it’s your creative chakra…it’s what makes the world tick…think orange…open up…and heal your own sensual self and your relationships.  Think of all those healing dreams of romance we’ve been sending you over the years to nurture you and heal you and wake you up to connect you more to the creative, the sensual world.  Way to go Girl…your passion for hockey has helped you to get your feelings out and you actually said it…Jochen Hecht is SEXY!!!  I agree Girl…he is a hot one!  So remember, don’t be afraid of your feelings…they don’t mean that you are feeling anything less for your own hot and spiritually connected hubby…and are going to run off with a hockey player.  You are simply recognizing a fun fact and saying it…saying the truth about your sentiments…this will free you Girl.  No more hiding any emotions…positive or negative…or feeling embarrassed about them…you got it?  Girl…open…open…open yourself.  And get those feelings out in the open and you won’t obsess about them… and yes, have fun with them!  You go Girl…be in life…be in all of it…no more hiding girl.”  Go Sabres!  Go Jochen!

You Go Girl…Messages from my Spirit Guide

What is a spirit guide?  Here is a definition from Wikipedia.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_guide

” “Spirit guide” is a term used by the Western tradition of Spiritualist Churches, mediums, and psychics to describe an entity that remains a disincarnate spirit in order to act as a spiritual counselor or protector to a living incarnated human being.”

“According to theosophical doctrine, spirit guides are persons who have lived many former lifetimes, paid their karmic debts, and advanced beyond a need to reincarnate.  Each is assigned to watch over an incarnate person, not only on this Earth, but on other planets throughout the universe.  Many psychics believe that spirit guides are chosen on “the other side” by us and God(s) before we incarnate and that they guide us to follow our life’s plan because we want them to.”

“Some people claim it is possible to meet one’s spirit guide in dreams or on the astral plane.”

After the birth of my first child, I went through a period of Postpartum Anxiety…Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Reaction to be precise.  During this time, I had a dream.  In it a strong, spirited African woman with a great sense of pride, wisdom, toughness and humor came to me and told me that everything would be OK.  From that time on, that woman has become my “spirit guide.”  When I have a problem to solve or a question about what to do in certain situations…I ask it…and her voice comes to me with messages…always clear, practical and loving.

Here are some of her messages to me:

“Child, don’t you know who you are and what you are capable of?  You are capable of so much and are full of so much power and love.”

“Child, you can never say that you are limited by your choices because every choice that you make leads you to unlimited possibilities.”

“Girl, say this 20 times a day… “I am strong and full of love.”

“Don’t say you’re not gutsy child…because you are.”

“Just do what you were meant to do and you will be whole and energized…and you will always know what to do and say in any situation.  Align your chakras…balance yourself and your self will just know what to do and say…you can never go wrong…never ever.  Speak from your heart and from your wisdom and if the people you are talking to…whether they be hockey player, student, friend, family member, doctor, rich, poor etc. …have the qualities of heart consciousness and wisdom…then all will be well and you will have no fear.  All will be well and for that moment in time you will be connected to the higher realm and to each other no matter what occupation, walk of life, age, sex you may be.  Do not be afraid..let go of your fear…do not be afraid of who you are…of the beauty within your soul.”

“Girl…good for you for writing that letter in German to your favorite hockey player, Jochen Hecht.  It’s about time.  Take a stand.  Cheer someone on.  Pass on the good energy.  Have fun, use your language skills.  Learn more but be proud of what you do know and not embarrassed that you don’t know it all.  How about having more German conversations with people around you…former students, community members, friends?  Let the fear out…out…out!  Don’t worry about making mistakes.  Live that life of yours and have fun with it!  Send white light and angels with that letter and imagine them coming back with a letter or photo or maybe a classroom visit for you and your students!  Why not.  You go girl !!!”

The Law of Giving

Last night I happened to catch Wayne Dyer doing a presentation on public television.  He was talking about something called the law of giving.  What he said was that 80 % of what we have we don’t actually use or even need.  We only use 20%…whether it’s clothing or jewelry or books or household items or sporting equipment.  He suggested getting rid of the 80% that we don’t need…lighten up a lot…not just a little.  He also suggested taking something that we really like and give it to someone as a special gift.  So…here’s an exercise for all of us…

 

1. List 10 things that you would give away.
2. What one special item that you have would you be willing to give to someone as a special gift and who would you give it to?
3. How would it make you feel to do without what you gave away?
4. What are your most prized possessions and why?
5. What would you do with your time if you didn’t spend as much of it accumulating  material goods?

Interesting, isn’t it?

When you think about it…what you really possess is just YOU.  That’s what really matters…that essence of  you…your spirit…your soul…your aliveness…your connection with others.  Lightening up your material load can help refocus your energy and give you more time for enlightenment of the soul…for creativity…for developing a new skill…for time spent sharing ideas with others…for time spent with yourself.  Try it and see what develops.

Mary Meditation – The Gift of the Rose

“Mary, when we notice that someone around us is upset or not at peace with him/herself, how can we help?”

“You can picture that person in your mind.  Watch yourself give a very fragrant pink rose to him/her.  Pink is my color.  It is the color of the heart chakra.  Ask him/her to smell the sweet, aromatic flower.  Breathe with him/her as he/she breathes into the rose.  Smell its sweetness.  Feel the heaviness of its velvety soft pedals.   Ask this person to bask in the beauty that is all around, the moments of beauty that have come to him/her during the day…no matter how small.  Tell this person to breathe in and breathe out slowly, relaxing, taking in the aroma of the rose, thinking of the beautiful moments of the day…even if there is only one small moment, a butterfly passing by, a smile, a letter from a friend.  Picture this other person…almost as if you were watching a movie.  At the same time…you do what you have asked him/her to do…smell the fragrant rose, breathe, relax, remember moments of beauty.  I will send this person in question a pink rose at the same time and the same loving energy that you have sent.  You can bring beauty, peace and love into your own being as you send energy to your friend.  Breathe with him/her.  Heal yourself at the same time.  Reprogram your brain circuitry.  Bring calm and relaxation to yourself as you connect with this person.  This exercise may help you to better communicate with him/her after the meditation is done.  It is like a double healing…even though this person is not nearby you and does not even know that you are sending this energy… it is helping.   Your energy and my energy are joined with his/her energy.  This is how praying works…it’s shared energy.  It is a way to spread peace .  Do this daily or more often if you would like.  I am always with you.  Don’t forget your power, the power of love.  It can help change the world.  You can help change the world.  I love you.  My peace is with you.”

Sometimes All You Need is a Piece of Pie

Marcel Proust had his Madeleine cakes. When he dipped one of these scallop shaped desserts into his tea..it took him back to memories of times past. What takes you back to your fondest memories of the past…to that period of your life when everything seemed surrounded in golden light, a time when you were carefree and time seemed to stand still? One of these remembrances for me…is my grandmother’s apple pie…simple…and yet it fills me up on several levels…nourishing both my body and soul…bringing back memories of my grandmother’s Delft blue wooden kitchen chairs with their handmade braided wool seat covers, her matching blue spice rack with milk glass spice jars lined up in neat rows, each adorned with red metallic lids, scenes of Holland imprinted on each in blue…windmills, Dutch people in wooden clogs and traditional dress…the names of the jars’ contents printed in red Gothic lettering…Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, Salt, Mustard and Pepper, my grandmother’s wonderful smile and kind words, the sun shining through her many glass prisms hanging in her kitchen windows, my grandmother letting me help her with the cutting up of the apples and the rolling of the crust, reading at the kitchen table while wonderful smells drifted out of the oven as my grandmother tidied up the cooking area…perfection, peace, comfort, love.

Grandma Dinah’s Apple Pie Recipe

Prepare the filling and set aside until the crust is ready:

Peel and slice 8 apples of your choice.

Mix the apples with:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

a pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons flour

1/2 cup sugar

Crust:Mix 2 cups of white flour with 1 teaspoon of salt

Add 1/2 cup oil and mix

Sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of cold water on the top of the mixture and mix well.

Divide the dough in half.

Roll the first half between pieces of waxed paper. Peel off and discard the waxed paper.

Put the bottom crust n a 9 inch pie plate.

Add the filling.

Roll the top crust. Remove and discard the waxed paper.

Put the crust on the top of the pie. Pinch and trim the edges. Add a few vent marks with the prongs of a fork. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and 375 degrees for 30 minutes. If you find the edges are browning too quickly…wrap the strips of aluminum foil around them. Enjoy!

Mary Meditation – Forgiveness

Have you ever felt anger in someone else or disappointment in someone else that seems to linger? 

How can you resolve these issues?  What can you do?

I did a meditation to Mary and this is the answer that I received…

“Child, all that you can do is to send that person love and to think loving thoughts, because that other person may have a troubled (or dark) soul and may not be able to give this love to her/himself.  Also, pray to me and I will send them my love and peace and the peace of the universe to them – even if they don’t pray to me or believe in me.  I am here to help all mankind and don’t forget that you are here to help all mankind as well.  I am always here to teach you – if you want to learn, just ask.  Don’t go around feeling anger toward someone who you feel has done you some wrong or who has disappointed you.  You have to let that go or you will never heal yourself or anyone else.  Love is the key.  The message is simple but hard to do – actually…it just takes practice.  So, slow down your life and spend more time sending out messages of peace and love.  Imagine the person who angers you.  First say that you forgive her/him.  This doesn’t have to be face to face.  The forgiveness can be in writing or it can even be through meditation.  This person does not even have to know that you are sending them forgiveness.  It will get there.  Next imagine white light and then pink light streaming through this person’s body and say to her/him…you are love…I bring you peace.  Say this as many times as you feel you need to in order to change the energy vibrations around this person.  I will do the same.  Our energy together can bring about miracles.  Try it.”

Wow, nice…I’m off to try it.

I Let Go Into the Pool of Forgiveness

“I let go into the pool of forgiveness and become the ever shining light of love that I am.”  This is a phrase I say and reflect upon daily as part of my meditation routine.

What/who do I need to forgive and how?

Am I a shining light of love?

What obstacles are in the way?

How do people recognize and access the shining light of love in themselves?

Jesus Christ said, Love others as you love yourself.  The problem as I see it is that most people don’t know how to sit with themselves and love ALL the aspects of their beings.  It’s easy to love the positive aspects but we also need to recognize that we’re not always perfect and that we can love this imperfect part of us if we want to and maybe it’s OK to do so.  If we could just learn to sit with ourselves and watch ourselves with compassion…as if we were watching someone else…we can talk to this self to see what’s up, console it, respond to these negative emotions it is feeling, say that they are OK, that they are organic, that they are a part of us which we need to accept and to learn from.  Yes, they will help us grow.  No one is without them.  Just as we react…we need to respond.  I don’t think we need to forgive our negative thoughts or actions or criticize ourselves…we need to forgive ourselves for feeling guilty about our feelings.  We need to release this guilt.  Yes, now I see, it is this guilt that causes hardness, callousness, indifference, health problems, relationship problems, communication problems.  We need to forgive ourselves from that.  Let the feelings flow in and out, good and bad.  Recognize them but don’t judge them.  That emotion connected to judging causes the negativity to stick in our persona, our spirit.  Imagine a rain cloud-it grows, it comes closer, it becomes grayer, bigger, more menacing…then it rains and off it goes.  It blows away with the wind and everything is so much brighter, less pressure, more alive.  So, we have to recognize these emotions welling up in ourselves and “forgive our judgement of them” and not forgive the emotions.  We need to thank these emotions.  Like the rain clouds, they will bring good things if we watch them, accept them and move on.  These “negative” emotions are just reminding us that we need to get back on track, that there are better ways to do things, that we can love more, listen more, talk less, breathe, watch nature, evaluate what we need to add to our relationships, how we can add more love and awareness to our jobs, our families and our lives, how we can help others.  Notice – releasing judgement (forgiving)  leads us out of ourselves and into the world..our connections with others.  It’s here where we connect that we can really expand and increase our energy and the energy around us exponentially!!!  not times two or three. 

When I started writing this entry I was thinking of forgiveness in a different light – forgiving your children for jumping on the couch, forgiving your parents for being too judgemental or not judgemental enough, forgiving yourself for not healing faster or not running every day or not always being a patient listener or judging people by what they have and not what they are etc.

But now it seems different.

I don’t mean to say either that this means we can do immoral things and not judge them as immoral – I believe that innately most people know the difference between right and wrong.  I’m talking about what holds us back from becoming really God-like, from becoming the spiritual being that we were meant to be. 

• Forgive our emotions
• Recognize our emotions
• Embrace our emotions with light
• Breathe with nature
• Freedom
• Praise positive emotions
• Breathe with nature
• We are nature
• We are all one – animals, plants, wind etc. and us
• Re-connect our energy to amplify it-feel it grow exponentially
• Pray, reflect, breathe, smile, look yourself in the eye in the mirror
• See your soul
• Connect with others
• Converse, drop your guard, see what happens

You may be surprised.

Literary Musings

If you want your life to flow in the right direction, you need to be yourself.  Do you know who you truly are?  How would you describe yourself to someone else?  Where do your interests lie?  What makes you tick?  What are the adjectives that you would pick?  Here is an interesting idea that came to me this past July.  Try it.  It may help you to identify what you stand for…who you are…what you prize in this life.  Some of the results may surprise you.  You may realize that there is more to you than you think. 

Pick a certain number of books that you would consider your favorites or that made a lasting impression on you.  I picked 13.  Then, without giving it too much thought…say why…try to go with your gut and not with your intellect.  Have fun with it.  And get this…there are no wrong answers.  Here’s what I did.

#1  My Antonia -Willa Cather   The silouette of the plow against the orange sky of the setting sun, the narrator going back to see Antonia and the rich memories and friendships of his childhood take me back to my adolescence…running around the neighborhood with my siblings and our close friends, playing wolfman and bike tag, sitting on the steps of the neighbor’s house with the boy who was my first crush, listening to Beatles records, the warm summer nights…no worries…no cares…only freedom, that feeling of reckless abandon and that first romance.

#2  The Secret Life of Bees -Sue Monk Kidd  “Lily Melissa Owen-your jar is open.”   Loved the Conga line dancers/Mary worshipers-the women who preserve tradition and create their own traditions at the same time.  Loved the main character who “flew out of her jar” and took charge of her life.

#3  Little Cloud-Eric Carle  Always loved the turquoise prevalent on every page…love the expressions on the cloud’s face..so sweet….so creative.  To this day I find inspiration in finding shapes in those big cumulus clouds in the summer sky.

 #4  Heidi –Johanna Spyri  The cheese, the Alps, the Grandfather and Heidi, such a feisty, independent and brave girl.  I especially love the old edition with the beautifully colored cover that I used to read at my Grandparents’ house.  When my Mom gave me this old edition for Christmas the year my Grandfather died…I cried.  Emotions run deep.

#5  Frenchman’s Creek– Daphne Du Maurier  The pirate in this story is so dashing and charismatic…oh la la.  I can smell the salt water and feel the ocean breeze blow through my hair.

#6  Little Women-Louisa May Alcott  Loved the 4 sisters, especially how they convened in their attic, wrote a secret newspaper and put on theatrical productions.  They were very spirited and stuck to their principles.  They were not rich…but ended up doing well in life because of their good choices and kindness.  They stuck together and always looked on the bright side of life.

#7 Anger-Thich Nhat Hanh   I am always amazed at how Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to welcome all emotions, take them into our being, acknowledge that they are there and then embrace them. So calm and refreshing…and it works!  I read a little at a time, took notes, and absorbed the information.  I have used the mindful breathing and walking technique many a day to realign myself and to reconcile negative emotions or amplify positive ones.

#8  To Kill A Mockingbird– Harper Lee  I loved Atticus Finch-he was so straightforward, unprejudiced and unswerving in his moral views.  I thought that he was a cool dad as well…explaining life to his kids as it was.  No excuses.  A real freedom fighter.

#9  Versailles– Kathryn Davis  I haven’t read many books more than once, but this was one of them.  A poetic and dramatic portrayal of Marie Antoinette…seemed to flow and float.  The repetition of numbers really drummed in the danger and ferocity of the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette’s frivolities…and her innocent, emotional way of seeing life.  Loved it!   “Seventeen arcades, each with eighteen mirrors.  Three hundred six mirrors and in every one of them no Antoinette.”  “Eleven miles from Paris to Versailles, from the Chaillot tollgate to the Place d’Armes.”

#11  Gone With the Wind– Margaret Mitchell  Tara, Scarlett, the Southern belles and that dashing Rhett Butler…an amazing trip back in time to a difficult period in the history of America.

#12 The Poisonwood Bible– Barbara Kingsolver  “The things we carried with us.”  Makes you realize that you are probably not as daring or adventurous as you think.  What a vivid picture of a faraway land.

#13 Lost Horizon– S.E. Hinton  This book totally blew me away…the ending really surprised me.  The feeling exuded was that of peace and mental clarity.

Make your own list.  When you have finished your descriptions…go back and pick 2 key words or expressions from each work.  Here are mine.  

1. nostolgia – adolescence
2. freedom – creativity
3. floating – turquoise
4. feisty – Germanic
5. romantic – sexy
6. friendship – optimism
7. peaceful – enlightening
8. poignant – moral
9. poetic  – dramatic
10. adventure – loyalty
11. romance – lost culture
12. velvety – gripping
13. cerebral – airy

Here is my list.  I found it to be quite interesting..but there were a few surprises.  Good surprises.  There is more to us than we think.  Sometimes a few surprises are hiding just underneath our perceptions of ourselves… waiting to surface.  We can nurture these ideas and feelings and help them to grow.  First we need to recognize them.  I think that this exercise can help.  What do you think of your list?  Were there many surprises? 

Listen

Listen to the radio, listen to your dreams, listen to your inner thoughts, to your insights from the spiritual world, from God, from your kids, from your favorite Saints, from your Spirit Guides.  Listen to the birds, to the butterflies, to the wind, to the yearnings of your heart, to lines from movies and plays, to your Mother, to your Father, to the words of the wise ones…the Dalai Lama, Jesus…

Jot down ideas that come to you…they are sent to help heal you if you just listen.  There is no such thing as a coincidence!

Here are some things that came to me. No coincidence I’m sure.

• This message on a church message board…”Be someone’s reason for peace.”
• A quote from the Native American Red Jacket at a local science museum “Let him that would move the world, first move himself.”
• Terry Gross on National Public Radio “It’s not about me.”
• These ideas that I wrote down on pieces of paper throughout the day…”I’m not all that.  We are all the same in the eyes of the Creator.”  “Home is the Healing Place.”
• A sticker on a package that I got in the mail said “Turquoise and Blue” which are the colors of my soul (as a clairvoyant related to me) and the color of my throat chakra (the chakra related to speaking out about your beliefs.)
•  Turning on the radio and hearing “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom let it be.  And in my hours of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”

Listen to your own inner wisdom.  Just be yourself-no pretenses and everything will be fine.

Find the Flow

Why do I make spelling mistakes when I write in cursive and none when I print?  I think it’s because when I write in cursive I flow better…I’m not always thinking about the spelling (perfectionism.)  I’m just trying to get the ideas across and even if the spelling is close…that’s OK…even though it was not perfect.  It’s the feelings of the text and the ideas that come up that count…the rest can be messy.  Cool.  So, intuitively this tells me that I have the internal flow…my purpose now is to get the ideas out, to share what I know with others even if the process seems “messy” or not put together in some “coherent/cohesive” way right now.  How do I do it?  Go for it…don’t worry about a finished product..write from the emotions…write what you fear…write for yourself…write for claification…write to free yourself from yourself…find that child inside yourself that is the essence of you…keep the vitality chakra open – let it shine and have fun with it.  Keep making new discoveries. 

Have you started writing yet?  Afraid of not doing it exactly right?  Afraid to get messy?  Afraid of not making mistakes?  Afraid of not being perfect?  What other mistakes have you made in the past?  When have you “gotten messy?”    Why not write about experiences like these.  You don’t need be  ashamed of them.  After all, they were just learning experiences.  What did you learn from them…that is the question.  Write about that.  Get your story out.  Get into the creative flow.  Ask the universe…Mother Mary…God…whoever or whatever inspires you for help and guidance.  Start writing.  You will find the flow of your life…where are you flowing next?  That is for you to discover.