READ: Monday Matters: Think Less! Live More!

The following is an excerpt from the book, Tapping the Power Within, A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women, pages 9 – 10.

Think Less! Live More!

Our greatest challenge in the learning, purification, and alignment process of life is our mind. The mind, expressing our will and ego, is developed as a result of our experiences, emotions, and intelligence. However, mind, ego and will are not in alignment with natural or spiritual laws. They are concerned with the way things “appear” to be, not what our experiences teach us on the spiritual level. It is only with a conscious effort that we can infuse the will and ego with the energy and power of the spirit.

When the will and ego are not in alignment with our spiritual mind, we have what the Yarubas call “a bad head”! A bad head is one that functions on its own without the guidance of Spirit or more experienced elders. It is what grandmothers in this country call being, “hardheaded” or “stubborn”; insisting that things are the way you want them to be when there is evidence to the contrary.

Having a bad or hard head means that we are not listening internally to the voice of Spirit, or externally, to voices of wisdom, which means we are not in alignment with Spirit or the laws of nature. In most cases misalignment also indicates that we live for physical pleasures and pursuits without concern for conscious contact with the true essence of our being. When we have a bad head, we rely on the distortions of the ego to determine what we need and how we are to go about meeting those needs.

When we lack conscious contact with the true essence of our being, our perceived needs lead us to actions that create what we call negative experiences. These needs are also created by emotions that result from our negative experiences. Our mind will mesh together what we experience and desire in order to form a thought.

Although thoughts govern how we respond throughout life, they may not be in alignment with the spiritual purpose or meaning of the experience. When we respond to physical thought alone, we are distracted by opinions, fears, the limitations of our experiences, and the influences of others. It is on the his level of thinking that we encounter the challenges and obstacles we often refer to as the problems of life, or “issues.”

As individuals, we are responsible for integrating our experiences and the spiritual interpretation of those experiences into our lives. In doing so, we must be mindful that our experiences will, in all ways, align with our belief system. In order to determine if your individual development process is working, you will need to ask yourself:

(1) How do I feel about what I am doing? And

(2) What do I believe is possible for me and my life?

Remember: What you believe determines what you see!

Travel to Kansas and spend 3 relaxing days with Tim Freke and The Mystery Experience

If ever there was a great time to visit Kansas City and enjoy the benefits of being in two different States with one giant step, now is that time! On July 5th, Kansas City is all set to welcome Spiritual Philosopher and Best-Selling Author Tim Freke in what is set to be a most amazing Mystery Experience of all time. Why is this event so special? It will be the only time that Tim will be in the USA for 2012. Promoting his new book, The Mystery Experience, Tim is keen to take you on a 3-day excursion you won’t soon forget.

For one very low price ($375), you’ll be picked up from the Kansas City Airport and transported to the beautiful Savior Pastoral Center, very near the popular Legends Shopping plaza and the KCI Speedway. Located outside of the bustle of the City, the Center provides the perfect spot to unwind and get in touch with your inner spirit. All meals will be provided and Vegan/Vegetarian meal plans are also available. You’ll get to spend personal time with Tim from Friday until Sunday, getting to know him and learning how to tap into your own Mystery Experience. Visit the Savior Pastoral website to see the accommodations.

As far as spiritual experiences go, Kansas City has a lot to offer. Being a hub for different religious sects makes it an interesting place for any spiritual explorer. Many important people have come to our great City to help enlighten others to their own higher good and Timothy Freke is no exception.

Tim’s first appearance,“Two Transformational Events in One Evening”, will be held at Unity Temple on The Plaza , Thursday July 5, 2012. The evening is to begin with an “Encounter with Tim Freke” from 7pm to 8:30pm which includes both a discussion on his new book, The Mystery Experience, and a book signing. The evening tops off from 9pm to 10:30pm with HuDost in concert featuring Moksha Sommer from Montreal and Jemal Wade Hines from New York. The cost for all of this: Encounter with Tim Freke, a copy of The Mystery Experience and HuDost in concert is just $40.

Next, there will be a 3-day relaxed-intensive, The Mystery Experience Retreat at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. This retreat will begin on Friday, July 6, 2012 at 5pm and conclude on Sunday, July 8, 2012 by 3:30pm. The cost for the retreat is $375 and includes lodging and all meals (Friday Dinner, Saturday Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, and Sunday Breakfast and Lunch). Early-bird discounted tickets are available only until April 15, 2012 for $325.

“When you taste the Mystery Experience you know something which changes everything. It’s like dissolving in an ocean of love. There is such a feeling of relief and well-being. Like coming home. The whole purpose of spirituality is to help us let go into the Mystery Experience. And this is much easier than is commonly believed, because it is simply recognizing our own essential nature, which is always present.”

Find out more about these events by visiting WildJoy! Productions

READ: Healing ~ Name it, Move it, Mind it, Soul it! by Em Claire

And did you get what you

wanted from this life, even so?

I did.

And what did you want?

To call myself Beloved, to feel myself

beloved on the earth.

 (Raymond Carver, Late Fragment)

It was a springlike day, my close girlfriend and I sitting with hot mugs of tea, watching the hail and the sun alternate outside the window. We were sharing comfy galpal time together on a spacious Sunday afternoon, but with the intention of “keeping it real” – a shared intention not to simply get together and engage in our stories about ourselves, or our stories about others – but to do The Work with our beliefs, a process discovered and shared by the beloved Byron Katie, author of Loving What Is.

Sometimes I’ll ask my friends how I can best support them when they come to me with stuff roiling and boiling, churning and turning. Would it be most helpful if I just listen and say nothing, allowing them to get it all out?  Would they like my feedback afterward, or would they like me to simply bear witness and listen with compassion?

In this case, my friend wanted both – to get it all out, and then to have me reflect back to her what I heard or observed, and any insights I might have. “I got it,” I said. “Go for it!”

So she began to tell me about something that had recently happened between herself and her mother. At one point, when she was really rolling, she said, “You know I just hate my mother sometimes,” her face darkening, her lip shaking with a mixture of deep anger and sadness. “Okay,” she said, “I don’t really hate my mother – I don’t hate anything – but she makes me so angry.” At this point I felt drawn to interrupt her flow, not wanting to miss what I felt like was an important moment.

“Hon?” I said. “You know how I shared with you about a friend of mine who keeps having these ongoing dreams at night  where he is hollering and yelling at the top of his lungs at his parents?” Her eyes lit up and she said, “Yes!” already sensing where I was going. I said, “Well, what I’m picking up on is that in those seemingly unsolicited dreams he must be speaking from a very real, very young place that needs to say those things.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t any longer try to be “spiritual” or lofty about what feels like hatred or rage but I would name it – and then find a way to express that stuck energy in a way that’s not harmful to myself or anyone else. Then the log jam is finally moving and we are more free and in the flow and coming from a more balanced place from which to address the Mind, and to work with the core beliefs we took on as an infant, or a toddler, or young child or teen, and have carried with us for often many decades.”

My friend said, “That’s exactly right, Em. It reminds me of a process I use where I allow my body to “tone” sounds but don’t allow them to become words or anything intelligible. I drop into that feeling of anger or sadness and then just let it rip, allowing whatever sounds to come, and allowing my body to move in whatever way it does during that time – being kind to my body in the process, of course. I used to wait until I was alone in my house for a few hours and knew no one would be coming and going, and then do this practice. Even more healing was to have a close friend watch and witness it, feeding back to me what they saw that might provide even more insight later. I realize that this part is for those of us who are a little less self-conscious, but it’s profoundly helpful.”

“This is really timely,” she went on to say, setting her writing journal and pen aside. “This is exactly what’s needed before I next look at the beliefs I have around my relationship with my mom. I’m glad I’m reminding myself about this in the form of our conversation today!”

*

A day or so later I was recounting this experience to my husband in the dawning hours of the morning, triangles and rectangles of light playing across the ceiling above our bed. He said, “Yes. I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, if I may, I would add a another piece to that process. – I would say that once you have approached it from the Body, and the Mind, you want to definitely come back around and include the Soul. I’m not surprised that you are right on top of this, because in the book I’m writing right now I’m addressing the identical topic, and our explorations always seem to be right in sync.”

“Yes, Honey! – “I said, replumping my pillow emphatically. “But what I notice about myself and many of us who have been on “the spiritual path” is that we have learned to bypass what we actually feel, and we edit ourselves – even to ourselves – in order to try to fit the saintly, or enlightened ideal we have conceptualized. We try to “be” farther along the path than we actually are in that particular moment. And I think this serves no one, but only serves to increase our resentment that will come to the fore later. That’s why I no longer want to skip over what has been true for me in my body for years or decades or perhaps many generations – I want to move and release that stuck energy. Expression is our birthright and our natural state, and I think when we weren’t allowed to express in those moments our individuality or what was true for us, that energy stayed “stuck” somewhere and now is a time when we can lovingly bring our adult, aware attention to it, and allow it to move on. Let’s hear it for Recycling!”

“Agreed,” he said, apparently missing my awesome Recycling reference. “You don’t try to leap to the Soul’s perspective first – but without that larger perspective, I believe that it would be hard for any of us to make any “logical” sense of the seemingly complex relationships we have in our lives, and why they are appearing in our reality to be experienced. And my belief is that they will – keep appearing in our experience – until we understand what it is they are trying to show us.”

These are the kinds of things my Beloved and I awaken at five in the morning and lie in bed talking about. Then, we bound out of bed and onto our laptops, warmed by socks and robes and by having been met, and having felt heard.

And for me, the crucial part about having someone in my life who can truly hear me is that it has given me a cellular experience of feeling expressed and heard, which can then help me to listen to myself more of the time and yes – “to call myself Beloved; to feel myself beloved on the earth.”

As I wrote this article, I came up with a mantra to help bring consciousness to any moment in time when I feel suddenly as if something young, or deep in me has been triggered:

Name it, Move it, Mind it, Soul it

Naming it is simply telling the truth to yourself about yourself. It’s a momentary truth, but if you’re feeling it, you’re feeling it. Too late to pretend it didn’t come up and rationalize it away. So be gentle with yourself. You are really BE-ing with You, for perhaps the first time in your life!

Moving it can be done in a number of ways, too many to count here. I’ve used 1) Exercise: running, biking, or even walking straight up a steep hill to really get the energy moving out of my solar plexus 2) Yoga 3) Breathing Techniques 4) Singing 5) Chanting 6) Dancing 7) Laughing Toning/Moaning/Crying

Specific techniques focused on clearing the emotional body might be found on the following website, as it begins by introducing the idea that we each have a “signature sound” we came in with, and that once we discover this, it can be used to heal and balance our own mind/body whenever we choose to. As you read on, you will come to the section on releasing trauma, etc. if that is a particular section that is calling out to you.  http://www.juliarogershamrick.com/articles.html?article=vocal_toning&title=Vocal%20Toning:%20Discover%20One%20of%20Your%20Power%20Tools

Minding it is turning our attention toward our longstanding thoughts, beliefs, and concepts that make up one’s constant inner dialogue and I’ve yet to find anything more helpful than Byron Katie’s process called The Work. If you are new to it, you can watch every video on her site, or on Youtube, and then download the worksheet (lovingly called the “Judge Your Neighbor” worksheet) having become more familiar with the 4 Questions and what are called “Turnarounds”.  There is also a 24-hour free helpline where facilitators will take you through The Work. To find this number click on Resources, after visiting the homepage at:  www.thework.com

I have also found great value in a book by Richard Moss that was recently published called Inside-Out Healing. I give it Five Stars!

Souling it can of course be achieved in countless ways as well, and although Neale is my husband, I try mightily not to frequently bring his material into my own website or into blogs so that no one feels as if they are being “upsold” once there. However, his books had a tremendous impact on my life back when I was 23, and this many years later, I continue to see incredible value in what he brings through for each of us to contemplate. Although the SouLogic Process is found in the When Everything Changes, Change Everything addendum workbook by Neale, and will appear as a deeper exploration and explanation in The Only Thing That Matters (his next book due out this fall), I wanted to give you a link here to his website where he has posted the process as well as a transcript of him taking someone through it, creating the possibility for someone to acquire a much broader understanding of what has transpired in their lives, and to find a place of true peace with what has happened.   Click here:  http://www.nealedonaldwalsch.com/index.php?p=doc&c=soulogicprocess

(To read the transcript section first, scroll down to The SouLogic Process in Action, once there.)

My wish is that in the sharing of what is working for me, others may also benefit. Please always trust your own inner guidance as to whether any of these tools are timely for you.

All My Love and Deep Blessings, as we end this Chapter & Verse blog entry with, as always, a poem…

 

A Mind Full of Joy

 

Whereas the Heart is used to being

the only place where Love is found

a Mind full of joy

draws the Heart like a moth,

into a surprisingly different flame.

A flame where nothing burns -

no wings are forfeited.

As if God stretches the length of The Home

to abide in every room at once,

 simply

because

We

can

*

“A Mind Full of Joy” – Em Claire ©2008 – All Rights Reserved

Technorati Tags: Em Claire, Neale Donald Walsch, Poet, Poetry, staying spiritual, When Everything Changes Change Everything

READ: Monday Matters – The Circle of Life by Iyanla Vanzant

The following is an excerpt from the book, Tapping the Power Within, A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women, pages 26 – 28.

The Circle of Life

One powerful way to honor our ancestors is to embody the principles they taught and continue the traditions they live. African people are a “we” people. We, in a cultural sense, moves us beyond the shallow consciousness of “my life is only about me”. We encourage just to remember that everything I do is a reflection on everyone in my line. We motivates us to be better for those watching and those coming behind.

My sister understood this and lived it. She taught me things that had empowered her as a way of sharing, expanding, and evolving the traditions that sustained her. She taught me what our mother had taught her, what may, in fact, has been taught for generations. Of course, things change, times change; people lose track of stories in the people who passed them on. We can, however, still honor the lives of the ancestors by remembering what we can, practicing and passing on the positive traditions that have been passed on to us.

For example, I always washed and combed my daughter’s hair on Sunday evenings. I was tickled when I saw one of them had continued that tradition with her own daughter. This is a profound and practical way to elevate the spiritual energy of the ancestors to do as they did in order to sustain the group. Without knowing it, many of us probably do it anyway. When, however, we can remember the name of the one who taught the practice, or lived the principle, we create a more intimate connection.

What I know now is that how I live my life either honors or dishonors my ancestors. I also know it is not important for me to dissect, evaluate or judge their behaviors and dysfunctions. My job, our job, is to respect the continuum of life. We must embrace and embody with reverence the good/positive qualities that our ancestors demonstrated because it was this essence of their lives that pave the way for us. They have set the example for how to live in family and community.

Dr. Betty Shabazz has always invoked a quote attributed to Alex Haley. “We must find the good and praise it.”

Find the good your ancestors left behind and live your life as an expression of it. We carry the energy of our ancestors in our DNA. Therefore, living the best of who they were, what they taught and what they believed elevates their essence and advances our growth.

What I know now is that every life, every being that ever took a breath and the physical form, is an ancestor. What I know now is that all things fade into God. All things are neutralized, brought into equality, balance out in unity with Spirit.

My sister is now an ancestor. Not just my ancestor, because we do not have the luxury of owning spirits; she is an ancestor. In my heart I knew that it didn’t matter that we hadn’t spoken. It no longer mattered that she had been upset with me or that I had been angry with her. It didn’t matter that people had exaggerated the problem with gossip and innuendo. What mattered now was that the ancestors were watching and waiting to see how we, the family, would behave and what I, the next in age order, would do. My sister had taught me what to do when a member of the family made their transition and it was now my responsibility to make sure it was done with prayerful excellence.

If someone had told me that I would one day voluntarily stand within arm’s reach of a dead body, I would’ve told her she was crazy. Had she told me the dead body would be that of my sister, I probably would’ve lost my mind. But there I stood next to my sister who was dressed in a clear plastic bag covered by a white sheet.

In that moment I did not need to think about what to do. I had to do what I had been taught. My friend Tulani, a master braider, braided my sister’s hair. I polished her nails just as she had taught me; one-stroke up the middle of the nail, one on the left side, one on the right and two coats. Next, I applied her makeup. I pulled her eyes taut just as she had taught me. I made a very fine, very straight line of eyeliner across her eyelids. I added just a touch of blue shadow in the corners of the lid. I lined her lips and added just a bit of gloss. I asked my niece to find a small handbag that my sister especially liked. I filled it with coins. In African tradition you never want your family to show up on the other side without coins.

I also gave her a small white hanky. She had taught me that a hanky is so much better for dabbing the eyes than paper tissues. I also put a few mints in her purse. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I dressed my sister in traditional African garb. I wrapped her head in asoke - traditional woven cloth – just like she had taught me to do. My sister loved Jean Nate so I put a dab behind each ear. Finally, I adorned her with traditional beads and bracelets. I placed an irukere – ceremonial horsetail – in her hands so that it lay across her chest. She was now ready for her children and family to view her remains. Holding hands, Tulani and I stepped back while my sister’s best friends added their final loving touches.

When we were all done we stood in stillness and silence gazing upon the woman who, though she stood only 5’4″ tall, had been a monumental influence in so many lives. In that moment I could not remember why we had grown apart. I just wanted to know if she would be proud of what we had done for her. We had prepared her for a traditional burial. We then blessed her to join the ancestors.

I felt regrets for having missed the last three years of her life. I felt sad that I would never hear her laugh again. I wonder why she didn’t tell me that she was not well. Then I remembered who my sister was. I knew that she probably didn’t want to be a burden. She probably thought I was too busy and she didn’t want to bother me.

Realizing that that was probably the reason, I felt hurt and angry and sad. More than anything I was angry with myself. Then I remembered the love and the spirit of love that existed between us and the anger dissipated. All things fade in Spirit. All things become love.

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About Iyanla Vanzant:

Iyanla Vanzant is the best-selling author of five books on self-empowerment, personal growth and spiritual healing. As the founder and executive director of the Inner Visions Spiritual Life Maintenance Network, she conducts workshops, seminars and lectures nationally. Drawing from her own experiences of family dysfunction, abuse, and poverty, Iyanla encourages us all to look at ourselves, laugh at ourselves and then take the necessary steps to heal ourselves. Her practical message is based on the principles of universal law, self-determination and the power of Spirit. You can learn more about her work at www.innervisionsworldwide.com.

Iyanla has recently appeared several times during Oprah’s Lifeclass webcast segments. You can view the classes here: http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/oprahs-lifeclass.html

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Technorati Tags: iyanla vanzant, Lifeclass, Oprah Network, Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Tapping the Power Within

READ: Monday Matters – In Search of Spirit by Iyanla Vanzant

The following is an excerpt from my book, Tapping the Power Within – A Path of Self-Empowerment for Women, page 2-4.

In Search of Spirit

The beauty I was looking for in the mirror as a young girl was my Spirit; the divine spark that exists in every expression of life. In essence, Tapping the Power Within means connecting to the beauty, power, wisdom, love and divine intelligence that exists at the core of our being. This spark of divinity is what beckons each of us to a higher, fuller experience and expression of life. The unfolding and conscious awareness of this divine presence within is the ultimate, common goal of all religious beliefs and spiritual traditions. Our awareness of and conscious connection to this divine essence is the intention that belies our religious affiliations and spiritual practices.

Each one of us is an eternal, physical manifestation of the Creator. For this reason “Spirit” is capitalized when it is being ascribed to or associated with God. As human beings, we are covered by a physical body, a specific form, for a specific purpose. As Spirit in human form, we each have a soul. Our soul is the invisible, intangible expression of all that we have been taught, as well as what we have come to believe, to think, and to experience emotionally about how life functions and how we are to function in life. While it is common to use the words “spirit” and “soul” interchangeably, this usage can lead to a misunderstanding and misrepresentation of who we are and how we are connected to God. Spirit is universal, while the soul is unique and specific to each human being.

God is Spirit. Spirit is the eternal, omnipresent (ever-present), omnipotent, (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) presence of God, the Creator of all life. Spirit is the authentic identity of every living thing. As used here, “authentic” means the intangible, invisible essence of what can be known or seen. Every animal, plant form, and body of water that supports the reproduction and evolution of life is a manifestation of the Creator’s omnipresent Spirit. Human beings, made in the “image and likeness” of God, the same way that electrical currents move through a wire into a lamp, television, or toaster to make it function, Spirit is the source of current that runs through and gives all life-forms the power to function in a precise way. Spirit has no specific race, color, or gender.

The Spirit of the human being is the eternal essence, true identity, and the presence of God. By contrast, the soul represents how the presence of God is manifesting in a unique way, in a particular form, for a specific purpose. Spirit is the power. The soul is what makes up the personality, or the unique expression of Spirit. In human beings, the soul may express a specific race, or gender, with unique physical attributes (such as weight, height, eye color), or the propensity to be or do a particular thing. The soul is the intermediary, that links the presence of Spirit to the physical mind, emotions, and the body.

Everything that has life can create life, can nurture life, or serves a purpose in life, is Spirit. The Creator’s goal is for all spirits to learn to serve one another and to live in peace-filled harmony. Spirit, therefore, exists and expresses on many levels, as many expressions of life; those we can see and those we cannot see. A living being is a form of Spirit we can see. One who has lived and no longer breathes is a form of Spirit we can no longer see.
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About Iyanla Vanzant:

Iyanla Vanzant is the best-selling author of five books on self-empowerment, personal growth and spiritual healing. As the founder and executive director of the Inner Visions Spiritual Life Maintenance Network, she conducts workshops, seminars and lectures nationally. Drawing from her own experiences of family dysfunction, abuse, and poverty, Iyanla encourages us all to look at ourselves, laugh at ourselves and then take the necessary steps to heal ourselves. Her practical message is based on the principles of universal law, self-determination and the power of Spirit. You can learn more about her work at www.innervisionsworldwide.com.

Iyanla has recently appeared several times during Oprah’s Lifeclass webcast segments. You can view the classes here: http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/oprahs-lifeclass.html

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Technorati Tags: iyanla vanzant, Lifeclass, Oprah Network, Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Tapping the Power Within

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