EMPOWER YOURSELF!!  Give your ‘normal’ self authority to be confident. Let’s talk about this a little more. Give yourself authority to be confident.  You may say, “Well yes, that’s just common sense.  I’m a confident person.  I get along ok in life with my choices”.  This is true in some circumstances perhaps.  And, my guess is that most folks who read this also have many hang-ups about yourself, chattering in the back of your mind regularly about what you “should do” or “change” about yourself.  This is a ‘normal’ thing of course and it’s also one that is potentially dangerous for your own empowerment.  You see we are living in a day and age where self-empowerment is not the norm.  It is not what mass consciousness thinks about or wants.  Rather, our culture is busy with the latest technology, hearing media that may shed a ‘hair of truth’, but really we are constantly being fed lies about a large number of situations!  In addition to these external misconceptions are our own fallacies that we tell ourselves.  We do not need to allow these mistaken beliefs to overtake us; we have choice in the matter.  We need to trust, support and love ourselves.  Here is a ‘given’ I would like to share with you:  you are trustworthy, supportive and loving!

Many people completely rely on others to ‘make them feel better’.  Our connection with others is one that is indescribable when trust, support and love are there. Relationships with these qualities we seek, honor and are grateful to have; we can depend on others in these situations.

Yet, how many of these relationships are actually in our lives, realistically? And, how often do we spend our time in these situations where trust, support and love are prominent? While preparing for this blog I did a little mathematical equation and scenario I’d like to share with you…

Pretend with me for a brief time…Let’s say you have an adult daughter.  Every time you talk to her she ‘ALWAYS makes you feel better’ no matter the situation.  She lives in Minnesota and you live in Denver, CO. Life is busy for you both, working, home life, weekends, etc…  You talk on the phone once per week for about an hour and see her twice a year for about a week at a time.  You spend about 164 hours per year talking with your daughter either in person or on the phone. Also, you have 3 good friends who you spend an hour with each week, talking and sharing your weekly stories. You also attend a 2-hours weekly social gathering with several of your friends.  Your spouse or significant other… you love each other, but you two are most likely focused on the day-to-day, work, or other circumstances and may or may not take time to talk about the meaningfulness in life, unless there is an absolute emergency situation.  In this scenario, you have about 170 hours of ‘real’ support from others throughout the year…maybe 200 for those wonderful moments you have with your spouse, or significant other…maybe a few more with your coworkers, other friends, family members and your pets…let’s take the number up to about 300 hours, in case I missed anything else.  In one year there are 5840 hours of life when we’re awake (given you sleep 8 hours per night).  The percentage of time you have that is emotionally supportive and makes you feel good while, relying on others:  (300hrs/5840hrs) X 100% = 5%. The time in your own life may be uniquely different so you may want to compute your own mathematical equation, if you’re interested in knowing your percentages, out of curiosity.

Do you want me to teach you how to feel self-empowered? What about the other 95% of the time?  You’re working, doing chores, taking care of life’s tasks or some other activities that are meaningful or meaningless, supportive or unsupportive.

Just by reading these words you are already on your way to self-empowerment…

How do I say this any other way? REALIZE how your time is spent with others, but mostly with yourself…  Are you in meaningful relationships?  Do you love yourself as much as you love others?  Are the hours in your day momentous or are they insignificant?  What kinds of things do you tell yourself when you’re alone?  How do you spend your time when you’re alone?  Are you as kind to yourself as you are to your family and friends?  I can’t answer these questions for you.  I can simply ask the questions.  Only you know the answers.

This next section is not full-proof by any means.  It is also not FDA approved and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prescribe any sort of authority over you.  If it works great and if not…well hopefully you got a little laugh here and there.

Here are a few days worth of activities to start you on the right track to self-empowerment.  For most effect, commitment to the full 8 days is recommended.  And plan ahead for Day 4 to be a day off or at least a part day off from your busy work schedule.  You may want to begin the program on a Wednesday if you work a Monday-Friday job.

Your Journey to Self-Empowerment:

Day 1: Be yourself the way you usually are, doing what you normally do for today.  Take notes prior to going to bed on things like, what you did today, how you felt when you were doing the things you did, what was meaningful and what wasn’t meaningful.

Day 2: Be yourself again for today.  Take notes prior to going to bed on how things were for you today.  What did you do today, how did you feel when you were doing the things you did?  Did you notice certain thoughts through the day that stuck with you?  What was meaningful and what wasn’t meaningful?  Did you notice your thoughts, your self-talk?

Day 3: Wake up and review your last two nights’ notes during breakfast.  Allow your day to be filled with all of the things you normally do once again today. This is your life and it’s good to pay attention to it.  Take notes.  What happened today that made you happy, sad, fulfilled, unsatisfied??  What did you tell yourself today?  What else did you notice today?

Day 4:  Take a break today.  Go out and do something really special for yourself, something that you don’t normally do, but is always in the back of your mind or heart urging you to do it.  (I don’t mean something related to purchasing large ticket items, like boats, jewelry, clothing…).  Your excuse for not doing whatever this yearning is, usually goes something like “I’m too busy”,  “That’s out of character for me” or “I need to do these other things first”…  You have no time for that excuse today…if you’re still following this journey to self-empowerment, today is your day to have fun!  Enjoy!  At the end of the day before bed, again take notes about what was and wasn’t meaningful and how you felt throughout the day.

Day 5: Allow yourself to just be totally yourself today, doing the things you need and want to do.  Take notes at night prior to going to bed on things like, what you did today, how you felt when you were doing the things you did, what was meaningful and what wasn’t meaningful.  Notice if there is any difference in your thoughts and feelings throughout the day.

Day 6: Allow yourself to be fully you today.  Notice during the day your thoughts, feelings, actions throughout the day.  Take notes at night prior to going to bed on things like, what you did today, how you felt when you were doing the things you did, what was meaningful and what wasn’t meaningful.

Day 7: Today is a big day.  The day is the stop this plan all together after you do this one thing.  Make a conscious decision about the way you are in your life.  You are already deciding on your choices in life on a daily basis.  Today though, is the day to really decide, fully, responsively with full intention.  If you are in any situation that isn’t working for you, today is your day to decide how this will continue to play out in your life.  DECIDE what you are going to do or how you are going to be!!  You may decide that this whole “journey” is silly and that it’s not for you.  Maybe you have no new ideas inside of you right now.  Maybe you have some things that you’ve wanted to do awhile now, and now is the time.  Or this could have been a week where you were simply being mindful of your life, and that is enough.  No matter what the outcome of this journey, you did this for yourself for seven days.  Congratulations for focusing on your own self!

Day 8:  Today is another day in life full of decision-making with consciousness about your choices…Good luck, you are well on your way to mindful living with your own empowering skills!

You may think this is ridiculous and something not worthy of doing.  If so, that’s okay.  Recognize that this is your mind going back to the same ole tricks it plays on you oftentimes.  Your life is already important.  You are already an incredible person, in all of the roles you play in life.  You’ve just been mislead into believing differently, causing you to not believe in yourself.  This exercise is a start to noticing your life using a different method.

Please let me know how it goes.   Happy New Year!

In light and love to you,

Susie

What do you think about?  I know, I know…you think about all of the lists of ‘to do’s’ that you have, especially during the busy holiday season that we’re in.  Well give yourself a moment to stop thinking about all of those goal-oriented tasks, just for a moment.

This next part is your choice (of course it all is, really).  I want to keep this interactive for you.  To read the whole blog, simply continue reading.  To skip the depressing part go down to where it begins “EMPOWER”.

Ok……relax for a moment….pause…….breath…….  What are you thinking about?  What are you feeling when you stop and slow down for a moment? Do you feel love and joy?  Do you feel sad, alone, or anxious? If so, tell me, what are you thinking about?  Are you remembering something, missing something or someone or wishing you were in a different place?  Now what are you doing?  Are you still reading this or have you decided it is a waste of time, so now you’ve moved to another site that is more entertaining to distract your mind? (I’m not saying that distractions aren’t good things sometimes.)

Your mind has likely told you something about yourself that is not true.  You might be blaming yourself for something that happened years ago that you think was your fault or maybe you’re angry and you’re blaming someone else for something that happened in the past.  Or maybe you are just plain sad, alone or anxious for ‘no reason at all’.

Let’s take the word ‘blame’ for a moment.  ‘Blame’ means ‘consider somebody responsible’ or ‘criticize somebody’.  We do live in culture where blame is prominent either to ourselves or blame is shifted regularly to another person, another culture, another country.  We have learned about this since we were children.  Blaming others for whatever has gone ‘wrong’, is easy to do and takes us ‘off the hook’ so to speak.   Blaming ourselves brings feelings of ‘guilt’, ‘shame’, ‘regret’, ‘sadness’.  Blame is a ‘normal’ part of life really, isn’t it?

Geez…this is getting depressing, isn’t it?  STOP IT!!!!  I thought this started with the words “Empower yourself”…..Ok, let’s get back on track…

EMPOWER – “give authority to somebody” or “make more confident or assertive”.

YOURSELF – “making reference to somebody spoken to “ or “your normal self”

EMPOWER YOURSELF!!  Give your ‘normal’ self authority to be confident.  I know I played with the definition a bit on this, but I think you get what I’m trying to say, hopefully.

Empowering yourself is a little tricky, wouldn’t you say?  It’s takes away all of the fun of the ‘blame-game’.  Actually it’s simple, but sometimes the most simple things are the hardest to do.  Decision-making and commitment to yourself is the beginning to self-empowerment.  The fable here though is the script that keeps running through your mind over and over, what you’ve said to yourself for years, that you really have never even consciously noticed.  We are such creatures of habit that everything that we do again and again does seem ‘normal’.  Wait a second, I remember hearing one definition of insanity was “doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results”.  Hhhmmmmm.

I guess what I want to really say is this.  If you decide to take a few moments to yourself during this winter to let your thoughts and feelings come into your consciousness, remember that you have a choice in the matter.  This can go really deep, which I don’t want to go into right now, but if you want to chat more, you can always email me.  You do have a choice though in your circumstances, your thoughts, your feelings…it’s not easy to make that step into empowerment, but once you do you’ll be glad you did.  It gets easier each time you make that conscious choice.

Willingly prepared and ready for comments,

Susie

Many folks don’t take the time to acknowledge the stress, but it is definitely there.  A lot of unfinished business, unresolved issues and memories of past, appear during the holidays, on top of the extra tasks and lists of “to do’s”.  We may be “left to the wolves” in some ways as far as our emotions go.

This may sound ridiculous during this busy time, but still, I share my outrageous thoughts.  During this stressful time we need increased stillness in our minds and bodies.  Sitting in meditation or prayer are typical ways of practicing stillness, but calm may take whatever shape for you that works.  A few other examples might be going out in nature for a walk, sitting outside (with your warm clothes!) listening to nature, walking a labyrinth.  Stillness may be succeeded by singing (or listening to) an inspiring song or reading something that moves you, AND allowing yourself to be quiet for a few moments afterwards.  Taking a bath, spending time with your pet, creating something just for creating-sake, may help bring you to stillness.  I’m sure you have a few ideas of your own right now.  Basically, anything that slows your mind down and allows for an opening of quiet is a conduit towards stillness.

Being in stillness requires allowance…permission.  Luckily, we are moving into the winter when we are naturally inclined to move more inward into our own reflections.  This naturally brings to us more opportunity for silence.

Moments prior to the stillness can be rather challenging however.  Being still also involves patience, patience of ourselves, and mostly, patience for our minds to quiet down.  We may have to consciously interject our mind’s thoughts to allow the quiet to take precedence.

Stillness brings non-judgment, acceptance, unconditional love, beauty.  Decide to allow stillness to exercise authority over at least a small part of your day.  Give yourself permission to stop for a brief time and breath in the quiet…

Blessings of Silence,

Susie

In a recent concert (yes, me up on stage singing, with our ‘ole-time music’ band ‘Chicken Biscuit’), I sang, danced, smiled and felt as though I was singing out into the cosmos.  I was on a ‘high’ from the experience for a week.  As my partner said, “this high is better than any drug could ever be”.  I think it’s the closest to addicted I’ve been.  Shining so fully out into the world, with self-love and acceptance and showing the world (the audience there that night) me, was a fulfilling experience.  Singing from my heart, looking into the eyes of my partner and my other friends on stage, knowing that we all shared this time in life together, co-creating, sharing with others…WOW!  Words cannot really express the magnitude of this recent event.  I think I understand how famous performers feel.

Being the analyst that I am of human nature, I can also see how performing for others can become addictive in an unhelpful way, the high that you get, the low’s, the cycle of up’s and down’s, then along comes the other substances to keep you on the high (be it sex, drugs, rock and roll, whatever). There is a great deal to navigate in our world, through the light and darkness.

Another thing I discovered in this experience is how much attention you receive for being out in the world like this, both positive and negative.

With this recent experience, I am feeling more comfortable ‘in the light’ and I’m deciding that this is where I want to be rather than ‘in the dark’. I do not fully know what that means yet, but I am open to receiving whatever comes next for me in my walk of life.

Just as everyone reading this blog, I continue to ‘plug away’ with all of life’s daily interactions, activities and tasks.  As I do this I also look for those opportunities where I can shine my light more out into the world.

My wish for us all in these important days is that we each find our light, accept it, and discover the creativity, love, joy and passion that comes with shining that light.

With love and light,

Susie

Laughing in fun with myself is a lesson I have recently been taught through my own actions.  My frame of reference has been for such a long time, being the ‘good girl’, saying and doing the ‘right thing’.  With all of my recent transitions I’m seeing that I’m not always that ‘angel in white’, nor do I want to be.  My life has been filled with dramas, emotions, darkness, anger, fear…just like everyone else, despite my not liking or wanting this.

Juxtapose ‘clarity’ and ‘distance’ for a moment, as antonyms. Clarity brings clearness, lucidity, precision, transparency, while distance conveys coldness, detachment, reserve, and remoteness.  My practice recently has been one of giving things up, releasing, letting go of my identity as it has been for many years.  With that, the distance from myself is being renovated into more warmth, acceptance and laughter.  This is something I have been ‘working on’ for years, and now that I listen more with my heart rather than my ego, clarity is showing up.

Last week, I harvested onions from the garden. I felt a deep connection as I cleaned the soil from the nutrition rounds of deep purples, whites and yellows.  As I lay them in the sun to cure, I remembered a dream that I had several months ago about onions and a quiet sage-like man wearing a sunhat. “Onions are very complex, much like their many layers. You must really notice them to appreciate their beauty”, he shared.  Today I am peeling back my layers; what I’m learning is that I really like myself.  Hmmm!  All of those years of ‘trying to be a good person’ has taken me into a regime of mismanagement of myself, in some ways.  I’m not being hard on myself here…I’m just telling the truth, without judgment.  While on the outside I have seemed calm, cool, collective and grounded, on the inside I’ve gotten myself “into a real ‘mell of a hess’”, as my mom used to say.

The other thing that happened to me last week was that I found myself only wanting to clean, to clean my home, clean out my clothes, my closest, deeply dust, vacuum and wash the windows.  I couldn’t think of anything else.  Luckily, I gave myself permission to do these time-consuming tasks without fear of ‘not being productive’.

I cannot say that these last few weeks have been like a picnic on the beach.  The time has felt surreal.  What I have found in my noticing and following my urges, is that I am doing the ‘right’ thing.  My process has been comical when I think about it.

Letting go more and laughing with myself is becoming more comfortable.  I am only human and I do make mistakes. Now, I can say with a smile on my face that I do find it hard sometimes to admit my own slip-ups, but that gives me another opportunity to notice my ego at play against my heart.

Today, for the first time in awhile, I feel clearer, like I am beginning anew.  As I let go, clean, and laugh, I’m accepting myself more fully and I’ve decided to no longer ‘hide’ from the world.  Invisibility has taken me to this point in life and now, it is time to be visible!  The time is here for all of us…to…wake up…smell the coffee…feel the warmness of the sun on your back…let go of the theatre performance…and see the majestic mountain in yourself!

“High on the mountain, standing all alone, wondering where the years of my life have gone”…   Susie

“We’re moving to Palm Springs in two weeks.  You’re doing us a favor”, Annie said with brightness in her voice.  “We feel relieved knowing that you and Nick will be taking this on for us”.  In a flash we were the adopted parents of a reputable garden metal art/glass business.  The passing of the wand from one to another in a relay race is what this instant seemed to be.  The importance of this event seemed to me to be like an elder leaving his legacy with one who would continue its tradition.

Within the matter of days, we had rented a storage unit, loaded and unloaded several trailers full and vanload trips of supplies, materials and tools to continue this craft.

Another day later, we got yet another phone call, “This is your new best friends.  We have some more things for you”.  As we went there to pick up the last of things (we thought), I saw the gentleness in both of their hearts.  Nick walked around with Jimmy, hearing his stories and passing on all of the nuts and bolts details about each trick that he had discovered over his time doing his craft.

Just a few days earlier as I walked with Jim to set up the metal sunflowers for the Art Studio Tour, I had a glimpse into the future as I saw the results of his ‘engineer mind’ at work.  “You and Nick are so much alike in the way you create things.  You’ve thought it all through to the last detail”.  I smiled at Nick and he knew what I was talking about, and so did Jimmy.

I walked inside with Annie and she humbly, yet proudly, showed me where her new focus was, her quilting.  The bright blues, greens, purples, reds, yellows…all of the colors of the rainbow and then some.  The designs seemed to just come to her, like in a dream somehow.  This is another chapter in her magic for sure.  As she shared stories about each lovely creation, my heart filled more for this warm couple.

My only thought now as I write about this memory is that I wish that we had known this munificent couple prior to two weeks ago.  Yet, somehow I know that if we’d known them this dreamlike moment in time may not have had the same impact on us all.  I only hope that we can pass it forward to another someday as Jimmy and Annie have graciously done for Nick and me.

Two days before my flight I received a phone call from my dad “I’m going to need three heart catheterizations and they might have to do open heart surgery again”.   Three days later the cardiac surgeon called my step mom, sister and me to speak with us in the hall by the fish tank.  My heart pounded hard and fast, “He did well in surgery and will be ready for you to see him in about an hour”.  As we went back into the waiting room of blue and green colors and shared the news with the small community of my dad’s friends, each face softened as they heard the surprising update.  One friend had spent the previous two hours sharing his life stories of not being drafted for Vietnam, remembering me as a young child, and talking about his church, speaking quickly with nervous energy.  After the updates from the surgeon, my dad’s friend smiled, quieted down, and sat still in contemplation for a few moments.  Out of the corner of my left eye I saw him take a deep breathe then sigh in relief,  “I’m glad your dad will be ok.  He’s been my friend since we were little boys”.  “I’m glad he is too”, I replied with a smile.

During the next four days ‘home’ with my dad I spent time being with him.  As well, time was filled with harvesting tomatoes, grapes and “butterbeans”, shelling beans, taking photos of lightning storms at night and swimming with my younger sister in the warm Atlantic Ocean, as my dad recovered and rested.

Mid-day on Sunday during a strong flooding rainstorm, my dad and I gave big hugs to each other and I caught the Amtrak to see my mom and stepdad. Six hours later, as I stepped off of the cool air-conditioned train at 10pm, I immediately began perspiring from the hot, humid summer night.  My thoughts and memories shifted to my teen years and my family of three with my younger brother and single mom.  She worked full time, taught me a great deal about being responsible and independent and following my dreams.  She never answered a question for me.  Instead she asked me questions to help me find my own answers, and I always knew that she supported me and loved me “no matter what”.  Of course, she and I had, and still do at times have, disagreements on varying subjects, but our core values are the same, family, love and happiness.

While being ‘home’ at my mom’s we harvested tomatoes, purple-hull peas and went to the local farmer’s market where we purchased a bushel of green beans and some locally roasted cashews.  I spent time over the next two days shelling peas, snapping beans, canning tomatoes, watching the nighttime “lightning bugs” and sitting under the silver maple trees in my mom’s backyard.

Moving away from ‘home’ as a young adult was an adventure, a way for me to see the rest of the world.  Little did I know when I drove across the country in 1990 that I would not return to my homeland, except to visit.  I found a new ‘home’, a place where the trees grew larger than I’d ever imagined, rain was little more than a drizzle and summers rarely exceeded 85 degrees.  And, I returned ‘home’, to nature, mountain biking in fall, snowboarding in winter, backpacking and rafting in spring and body surfing in the hypothermic water of the Pacific Ocean in summer.

After about eight years of being in the northwest, I returned ‘home’ to the plants, creating my own backyard garden filled with veggies, fruit and herbs.  It’s not a wonder that I love being in the garden, with all of my childhood memories of gardening, the sense of peace amongst the plants, and the security of having homegrown food.

My recent return to my own ‘home’ in Washington for me was like being a child opening her gifts at Christmas time.  As I travelled, first by plane crossing the country, next by bus on the shuttle going north, and finally by boat to the San Juan Islands on the ferry, my excitement grew to see my beloved, Nick and be back ‘home’.

The next days ahead were of catching up with Nick, watering and harvesting the garden, and preparing for my Saturday Market booth. Still readjusting from being away, I have an increased awareness of things important and more understanding from where I have come.

No matter where I am, returning ‘home’ to nature is where I am most comfortable. This place is one of serenity, of love and joy, of knowing that I am part of something much larger.  Being one with nature does bring me ‘home’, to a place of returning… remembering.  Remembering from where I come and from here I return.  I return to my own remembering which brings me closer to my own destiny.  I am thankful for my life, my recent trip to see my family, and for my own understanding of returning ‘home’.

I hope that you are able to return ‘home’ soon as well.

Blessings,

Susie

Now is the time to release our old patterns, our old belief systems that no longer serve us, for ourselves, our families, communities and ultimately for all of life.  Whether we want change or not, change is inevitable and will continue.  Change lends itself to lots of chaos at times.  Ironically, amidst the chaos is when some of the greatest change can happen.

As we look at our material world today, just even a snapshot of our life, we can see how chaotic life is.  If we look globally, turmoil is even more present.

‘Releasing’ is upon us now, cosmically, spiritually and evolutionarily speaking.  It is time to release those negative thoughts in our minds, those second guesses that we find arising when we think of a new creative idea, those words that others tell us that we know deep in our hearts are not true for us…

Our mass media and consciousness has in place a system of conformity, disempowering us to listen to our own values and beliefs.  Our culture has become one of economic prosperity and material values versus us using our own internal value systems.  Many of our decisions are around how much money we have or need, rather than “Does this really resonate with what brings my heart peace” or “Is this something that is for the benefit all”?

The night of our new moon and recent eclipse I had a dream of physically purging.  I was vomiting out grey matter effortlessly, endlessly.  After what seemed like hours in my dream, the vomiting stopped as quickly as it began and there was a huge celebration.  In the morning I realized that I was genuinely releasing energy out of my body that is no longer needed.

This morning I shared my dream with another and she said that she has been feeling this in her body for awhile now, but didn’t quite have the words for it until I shared this dream. When I shared my dream with the woman she said “Thank you, I needed to hear this today”.  I do not believe in coincidence but rather synchronicity.

Have you been having dreams or feelings of release in your body or your actions?  A few folks this week shared with me that their nighttime dreams have been really vivid.  Others are making big life changes, just as I am currently doing.  In one way or another, many of us are feeling the effects of this releasing energy in our cosmos right now.

Let’s release together intentionally, release the old, clear space, to make room for the new, the creative.  Release our doubts, our negative thoughts, our old patterns, what others tell us is ‘right’.  Invite fresh ideas that come to us in our dreams or daytime moments when we drift away from the ‘rat race’, if for only a brief moment.  Allow those ingenious ideas to surface and manifest.  The time for us is now, the present!

Release, empty and re-create!

Namaste,

Susie

Location: Center Church on Lopez Island, WA

About The Event…

Sacred chanting (kirtan) has its roots in the sacred music of ancient India.  It is growing rapidly in popularity in the West along with the rise of yoga in American culture.  Chanting events involve active audience participation and are open to people of all religious backgrounds.  The music carries the audience through a journey of etheric beauty, ecstatic percussion, and singing with the devotion of the heart. It is a celebration of life, love, and the beauty of the human spirit.

About The Artists…

Benjy and Heather Wertheimer lead kirtan (sacred chanting) worldwide as

the duo Shantala, with soul-stirring vocals, sacred lyrics and exotic instrumentation. The weaving of Benjy’s Indian classical singing and instrumentation with Heather’s soaring vocals is freshly original and profoundly moving. Together they create music with beauty, passion, and reverence. Shantala has performed and recorded internationally with such sacred music luminaries as Krishna Das, Deva Premal & Miten, and Jai Uttal. In summer 2008, they were named as one of the top “Wallahs to Watch” by Yoga + Joyful Living. Kirtan is a celebration of spirit through the chanting of sacred names, carrying the audience into a state of heightened awareness, bliss, and devotion. The audience is invited to participate fully through call-and-response chanting, dance, and meditation.

Did you know this?  We take our language for granted so oftentimes that we forget the roots and true meaning of words.  And, I think we do this to ourselves too.

Do you live with enthusiasm?  What brings enthusiasm to you?  I feel like a young child looking up into the fluffy white clouds on a sunny day as I marvel at the possibilities this brings.  I want to be enthusiastic in everything that I do.  I want to be surrounded by all humans, beings, situations, that amazingly live in grace.  Passion fills us with what is spoken from our hearts.  Now is the time to listen to our hearts and allow ourselves to be filled with wholeheartedness, passion, fervor, enthusiasm.

Globally, our physical world right now is filled with prophecies from varying religions and cultures, the gloom and doom in the media, and the state of affairs that our economy, environment, and humanity continues to be in.  We are overusing computers, the internet, cell phones and other technologies, which keep our minds distracted from who we are.

What is deeply within each of us, our internal self, our true essence, what brings us enthusiasm is most important right now, especially in these times of woe and want.   Are you being called to something right now?  Many are.  There is a global consciousness arising and time is of the essence to rise up with the call that we are hearing and allow it to surface.

Give yourself permission to listen, to see the unfolding of your heart come into being.  Share your true self with the world.  “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for” (Hopi Elder).

Namaste!

Susie