Love & Above

People are always interested in love because who we love and what we do for a living are the two biggest decisions we get to make in life. One big holiday in February is Valentine's Day. Of course, everyone is aware of the huge array of ads to buy chocolates, flowers, greeting cards and an array of other themed items programmed to sell at this time of year, such as teddy bears and pajamas and who knows what else?

It is useful for us to consider for a moment a bigger picture about love. Of course, when the word love is mentioned, people always think about romantic love as in dating, relationships, marriage, living together and so on.

Our minds jump to this because it is important to us. Now take a moment to consider other aspects of love.

Are you doing work that you love? Do you love what you do? Are you happy with the way you make your money? If we can do that, there is another way we have love in our life and it affects us every day.

I believe that humans are hard wired to be about love. That is why when we hear about disasters, like hurricanes or earthquakes, we offer to help even though we do not even know anyone there.

On a more personal scale, how does love affect our relationships with friends? We enjoy being with them because we enjoy their company and when they ask for help, we ask them what kind of help they need. Why? Because we love them.

When those of us who do healing work, we are opening our hearts to those who come to us. This kind of love takes the form of empathy and compassion. The healing energy travels between us on a flow of open hearted transmission that helps bring healing to them.

When we put time, energy or money into causes we believe in, that is also a labor of love, as we influence the world in ways that we believe are important.

There is a metaphysical axiom that all things come from either love or fear. When we choose to do what enlivens us and animates us, lights us up, whether that is our work, a hobby, a sport or activity we enjoy, getting together with friends, any of those things, and more, we are acting from love. When people are jealous, angry, envious, greedy, deceitful, mean or cruel, those are all things motivated by fear.

So when we embrace a higher level of consciousness, we are embracing love in all aspects. When we act out of more loving attitudes and perspectives, we are happy to see others do well, and that includes family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, customers, clients, and strangers we encounter. It is a whole environment of love that we are choosing to live in.

It is only when we do that that we are able to evolve to a higher level. Constantly operating out of fear dooms us to a lower level of consciousness. When we operate from a higher perspective, we have greater vision. We are more capable of seeing the big picture and where we and others fit into it. As we do that, we create a more loving environment all around ourselves, and our lives and those of everyone we touch.

So yes, a good place to begin is in our relations with others, radiating from the closest ones to us and then radiating outward in ever expanding concentric circles. Picture that ripple in the water from where you threw that pebble in.

So as we wrap our mind around the annual Valentine's moods and actions, let us also envision ourselves and those we care about rising to a higher level where we are all living a life based on love.

Can you see your lover as one aspect in a love filled life? Are you ready to fill your life with love in all these other aspects?

Happy Valentine's to all of you!

Love, Power, Focus, Clarity and Us

A problem with New Year's resolutions is that people often lose focus. In my own case, for example, it has been a good idea for a while to lose some weight. However, recent developments with my diabetes has made it more important than just a good idea. So I am doing some of the same things you have already heard about, such as keeping a food diary every day and monitoring my blood sugar numbers more diligently.

So the two most important steps are to simply eat less and exercise more, which I am doing and it is working. The numbers are not all where they need to be yet, but they are getting there. Some of you will be able to see the difference next time you see me. What you see depends on how soon you see me. :)

Here are a few things I have learned about energy management in the process. Perhaps these will be useful to you too.

Exercise is something that people often find boring. Health clubs make tons of money every year on people who buy memberships and then quit after a few months.

What I like to do is use the main rec center that the city has built for us. I like it. Lots of people use it and the building is always full of energy because everyone there, no matter what shape they are currently in, are doing something to improve themselves. So while I am there working out, there are others there running, lifting weights, swimming, playing basketball, volleyball, doing zumba, taking various exercise and fitness classes. In other words, I am in a vortex of energy that is made buoyant with motivated people. This energy feeds me. I feel like it helps me do what I do. The atmosphere is so charged with energy that I feel lighter and more motivated to keep going longer and doing more to be more vigorous in my own workouts. Now that this habit has taken root, I have the same motivation every day, no matter how many others are there.

What has happened is that I feel lighter both because I am eating less, my muscles are getting more toned, and I can see the numbers that indicate that my health is improving. I have to use my will power as much as anyone else to redirect my energy and my focus away from snacking and eating sugary foods. After all, we diabetics do have a sweet tooth. Diabetes runs in the family and I have had relatives die the horrible way from amputations, kidney failure, blindness and the rest, and I will not be going that way.

I have been inspired by seeing some of the other readers who have changed their lives and lost significant weight and changed their bodies in the last year or so. Sarah has been very inspiring. And another reader friend, Jennifer, tells me that she does her workouts every day by putting hard rock music in her headphones and dancing out in the yard every morning. I have seen my nephew, Mandus, decide to change his life by becoming a bodybuilder. He is now highly motivated and becoming successful. I have seen others shift gears from being doubtful to successful. Sometimes what it takes is encouragement, which comes from love, that enables a person to set aside their self doubts and become more of what they want to become.

I have come close to dying a few times in this lifetime, and I am convinced that I am still here because spirit still has things for me to do. And I still have things for me to do. Every day when I get up, the first thing I do is thank them for giving me another day. Then I give myself a little quiet time.

All of this energizes me to pick up the pace. I am focused. There is no doubt what I will do next.

I am more focused on my physical changes, and this energizes me to be more focused in dong my work, communicating with you, and doing better healing and reading work all the time.

You see, all of us who do this work learn to tune into frequencies and ride on various energy waves to do what we do. When we are really focused and connecting with others is when our readings and healings are most effective.

Learning to tune in and ride the waves of energy are not things you can simply learn from reading a book. Reading books is an excellent way to gain knowledge and insight, but there are things you can only learn by doing, and some successes you can only achieve after having experienced failure and making mistakes.

Sometimes death, destruction and difficulties are what it takes to inspire us to rise to new levels of greatness.

How bad do you really want what you want? If you do not desire it greatly, you need to choose again and restate your goals. There is no fire in the belly for goals that you feel are OK if you get them and OK if you don't. Without a strong desire, you cannot achieve. Without a clear vision, you cannot achieve your desire. Unless you take action, you cannot achieve your goals.

Remember, all the choices we make in life come from either love or fear. Life will always work better when we choose from love. We are weak when we choose from fear. Love provides us the strength, clarity, vision and energy to evolve to our next level. That often means doing things we did not know we could do, finding a way and staying focused.

One final story I want to share on this note. As many of you who have known me a long time know, I used to have a ponytail and dress a little differently. Then about two years ago, my daughter Jenny was visiting from Australia and so we went out to listen to some jazz, talk, drink a little scotch, and just hang out. When we got home, she looked at me and said, "it's time for the ponytail to go."  So she took out a scissors and chopped it off. I let her. I agreed with her that it was time for a change. So then I had to go to a hairdresser to make the new look work, rather than just missing a chunk.

Later that year, I was doing readings at the big metaphysical fair we always do at the Merchandise Mart in Denver. Some of you will remember Harusami, a reader who used to sit next to me. We were friends and she liked having the spot next to me. The last show we worked together, she got up with her camera and said "You need a new photo. You have not had one since you got your new look."
That is the head shot that you see at the top of this newsletter.

Harusami died very suddenly a year ago in fall, and I still think that this is the best photo anyone has taken of me in a long time. It still looks like I look now. What she did was an act of love, and I feel that it still expresses clarity and strength as well as the new look.

The things we do with clarity, love and focus have the power to survive time and great changes.

Is what you are expressing about your own life right now coming from clarity, love, vision and focus?

Maybe I can help. Ask me. I am here. It is now. I am ready. Are you?

2016 is a 9 Year. What does this mean for you?

 

 

A 9 year is all about the completion of a cycle. Our last 9 year was 2007. What are the cycles we have been through since then? What things did we begin then that are completed now? How has your life changed since 2007?

During a 9 year, we clean up and clear out all those things we are done with, so that there is room for fresh energy to come into our lives.

Have you been feeling that you are wanting to change career paths or see what is available for you out there so that you could find a new position? Are there things you need to study in order to proceed? Are there people you have thought about contacting to help you do this? Clear away any thoughts that have held you back and make the call. Have you had thoughts that you might like to do something else that you enjoy more? Sometimes hobbies become money makers. Take a look around and see if you can think of any way that you could make money doing something you really enjoy. I know that sometimes when I take a look around the Internet, I see people offering products and services that I had not thought of, and wonder at all the creative ways people have found to empower themselves and make a living doing something they enjoy. For a long time, I knew that I loved helping people with readings and healings but felt that I could not afford to quit my day job. So when the corporation laid me off, I called up my courage and plowed ahead and dove into a flurry of activity to make the kind of change I wanted instead of looking for another corporate job. Now, it is years later, and I am very happy with my life. Some changes take a lot of courage, and some only require a modest amount of courage. What is it for you?

Sometimes people say to me that they are in a relationship that has not been good for a long time, it is not getting better and their partner is unwilling to make any changes. They realize that this is a dead end, but say they have not moved on because they do not have a better offer yet. The truth is you have to move out of the old relationship in order for a new one to take its place. The person you would like to meet may have noticed you but they have held back because they see you are still involved with someone else. We have to make a space for change to happen. Are you still carrying baggage from old relationships? Is your living space full of mementos of what was but is no longer? Clearing those makes room for a new relationship. The energies of the past represented by old photos and mementos will project their feelings to a new person and give the impression that you are not really available. As you clear your space, take note of what lessons you learned from that experience and what wisdom you have gained and then focus on creating a better relationship this time. After clearing your space, have you spent time picturing yourself in a relationship that will be like you want it to be? Can you feel how good it will feel when you connect with a person that will fit in that picture with you? Keep projecting those thoughts and feelings so that you can draw those developments into your life.

Are there sports, hobbies or activities that you used to enjoy that you have lost your enthusiasm for? Notice how your energy feels. Years ago, for example, I used to play on a softball team, and I also used to love playing racquetball and tennis. Then one day, my elbow kept getting strained and inflamed, what they call tennis elbow. So I went to a neuromuscular therapist and he would get my elbow back to normal and so then I felt good and went out to play again, and then my elbow flared up again. I tried a few more times and then I had to give it up. So I had to come to grips with the fact that I could no longer enjoy those sports. And every time I looked in the closet and saw that sporting equipment, my energy level would drop because I would think about how much I used to enjoy those sports and how much I could not do that any more. So one day I sold them all in a yard sale, knowing that someone who could use them would appreciate them. In the closet then was room that could be used for something else and then I took up activities that did not strain my arm. Out with the old, in with the new.

Are there some creative things you have kept putting on the back burner because you figured you did not have time to do them? Maybe you have been thinking you would like to paint, write, play a musical instrument, garden, develop psychic or healing skills, or learn to dance. When you make time to do these things, you bring joy into your life. Creative endeavors are a great way to connect to spirit. When we focus our energy on the task right before us and try to do it the best we can, spirit often guides us into improving our performance and we find that there is a flow of energy that helps us become better at what we are doing, and we feel happier because of that. Bringing joy into our life in this way helps us balance out the energies we invest in work, housework and the other necessary things we need to do. That balance helps us feel more fully engaged in life and derive greater satisfaction from each moment.

What are the old things you are clearing out now? What do you need to work up your courage to do?

Refocusing your thinking, visualizing and feeling the feelings of the life you want are key to making changes. All of us can do it. Some of us just need a little help and encouragement. And that is available if you ask.

After you declutter, bring new energy into your space by moving things around or redecorating. Strengthen relationships with those you want to keep in your life. Rededicate yourself to those causes, activities and goals that you feel are important. Notice how you feel when your living space only contains things that you use, and things that are beautiful. When you have done these things, every day in your own space you will feel nourished and rejuvenated. What will it take to make this true for you?

Celebrate this new year with energy work, massage or a reading to help you embrace the energies of the new year and all that you want to do.

Out with the old and in with the new is the theme for this year. It will be a great year, and become even greater as we flow with this energy.