In the Light

Your Soul’s Journey in 2009

2010-01-06T16:59:00.002-06:00

What a ride it was in 2009! For some, it’s a relief that it’s over. For others, there can be regrets of good times passed or loved ones leaving. For all of us, this is an opportunity to look at the past year to understand the Soul’s purpose during this time.

As we move forward into the New Year, our thoughts are often filled with the hope that making our annual resolutions bring. We make statements such as, “This is the year when I am going to____________________.” “This year my goal is ___________.”
or, “This year I plan to stop_(fill in your own addiction here).

For many of us, we continue to make variations of the same resolution, and sabotage them with the same patterns over and over. We attempt to move away from the old situations, the year past, without collecting the learnings that these situations brought to us, changing the patterns that no longer work, or opening up to the gifts that are present for our growth. We continue to do what we swear we’re never going to do again, and then beat ourselves up for it. Shame is never a good motivator for lasting change.

On our soul’s journey, we move through many situations that seem difficult, even traumatic in this physical form. However, every situation and person that we have encountered thus far, no matter how difficult, was part of our soul’s purpose to help us grow and evolve. So, we can begin to open up to a new way of looking at our lives.

To begin to understand your soul’s purpose, it is helpful to ask yourself some questions to bring this information to your awareness. Think back over the past year to some of the significant events or patterns that occurred. From a place of inner stillness and non- judgment, ask yourself the following questions: What were the times and places I gave my power away and stopped being responsible to myself? What internal resources or beliefs would have been helpful to me in those situations? How have I grown because of this? What themes kept reoccurring? What was the gift or blessing that came forward as a result of my experiences in 2009?

Now, stop for a moment, take a deep breath, and look through the eyes of your Soul, knowing that it holds no fear or judgment, but experiences only the purest Love. As you are looking through these loving eyes, open up to your Soul’s purpose in all of this. What was Life asking of you here? Was it to open your heart? To trust yourself? To move forward with courage? The soul’s purpose is often beyond our physical senses, but is always working for our highest good, guiding us toward our destiny. When the soul’s purpose can be seen in the patterns of our lives, life becomes a celebration. Begin to trust that we are all part of something much larger than our physical being, and that everything that happens is for our highest good. Our job is to cooperate with our soul’s expression.

If you sailed through 2009 with abundance and joy, and handled all challenges with grace and ease, that’s awesome. Continue doing that in 2010. If, on the other hand, you are holding on to regrets, anger, or longing for days passed, then you might find some of the following suggestions helpful. Some of these may take some time, but when you set your intention to do what’s for your highest good, these changes begin to take place.

Fist of all, sit quietly and slow down your breathing. Think of a time when you really felt loving for something or someone, and open up to that feeling now. Hold that experience as you think about the following:

1. Imagine the you of 2009 out in front of you. Send that loving energy to him or her. Express appreciation for all that you did. Send that energy through your whole timeline of 2009 to change the vibration.
2. Take responsibility for the choices you made. Forgive yourself for any judgments you’re carrying about what you did or didn’t do.
3. Love those parts of you that continued to repeat old patterns. Know that you’ll change when it’s time, and that you’re learning and being strengthened during it all.
4. Change the questions you ask yourself, as that’s where the wisdom lies. For example
• Instead of why did this happen to me? Ask, what was my soul’s purpose?
• Instead of whose fault was this? Ask, what am I to be learning here?
• Instead of why do I keep screwing up? Ask, what qualities do I need to handle this differently?
5. Visualize yourself having the qualities that you need. Re-experience a situation you’re holding on to in a new way to help you transform it.
6. Set your intention to let go of what no longer serves your Highest Good.
7. Live in the moment, as that is the only place change occurs.
8. Trust that everything happened for your learning and growth, and that you were supported throughout the year.

Think of who you are now compared to the you of a year ago. Chances are, you’re not the same. You’ve lived, loved, experienced disappointment, maybe even heartache. And you’ve grown on levels you’re not even aware of. Often, you’ve been “sandpapered” into a better you. And your soul has been leading you on this journey. It has been your biggest fan and cheerleader. Always present and loving it all.

Happy New Year to us all. May this year be filled with love, joy and laughter!

Dixie Clark, MS, MSS, LPC is Director and co-founder of Morning Star Center, a holistic well center. A licensed counselor and ordained minister, she holds a masters’ degree in both counseling and spiritual science, and is currently obtaining her doctorate in spiritual science. With over 26 years experience in mind/body therapies, she combines psychology and spirituality to help people release emotional blocks, heal past trauma and change limiting beliefs.

The Soul’s Expressions

2009-12-03T06:26:00.001-06:00

"Your Soul is never diminished. It is never broken. It is never handicapped or sick. It does not die. The Soul thrives entirely, and it thrives on everything in life.”

You Are the Blessings, by John Morton

There are many ways that we can express ourselves. And the manner we choose may vary, depending on the situation or the people we’re with. Often times our ego/ personality decides what and how this expression occurs. It decides just how much people get to know about us, how vulnerable to be, what is safe to share. We often attempt to control the situation or others’ perceptions of us through our expressions. Our ego believes that in order to be safe we need to justify and defend who we are. We can become like shape shifters or chameleons, trying to fit into the expectations and opinions of others.

At some point, we begin to sense that there is more to life, that there is more to us. That within us lies a greatness just waiting to come forward. And we are right. There is a radiant spark of the Divine within each of us called the Soul. That is our true nature.

Our soul expresses itself frequently in our lives, although it can be very subtle. We often move in and out of this energy so quickly that we miss it.

The expressions of the soul come in the form of love, joy, laughter, enthusiasm, acceptance, authenticity, innocence, expansion. Common every day moments. Common every day expressions of the Divine. And we often let them slip by without realizing that in that moment, our greatness just came forward.

These expressions can be seen in the way we love our children, how we greet our friends, how we allow ourselves to openly deal with the pain of a loss and then find the courage to move forward. They can be seen in enthusiasm for a project or idea, creativity, whether that be through the arts, or simply a new way of doing something. It can be seen in laughter, in play, in just being silly. It is seen in the grace of forgiveness, sitting with a loved one who is sick or dying, in opening our heart and receiving fully from life.

These are the keys to the meaning of life. To be in the moment in loving and acceptance, and to know that everything is coming forward for our highest good.

We live with our personality as our center for a long time. It creates illusions that separate us from ourselves and others. Through our fears and judgments, we can constrict this soul energy. The Soul will just stand back allowing us to suffer and struggle and think we’re alone in all of this if that’s what we choose. It is there in total loving, learning what it needs to, knowing it’s safe.
At some point the awakening to our true nature begins, sometimes it comes in the form of restlessness, frustration, loneliness. It’s as if the part of us that knows is saying, “Wake up…..remember….

Our greatness lies in opening to this Soul awareness and allowing that expression to be our center.

Think about your life today. What are the ways you block your soul’s expression? How do you constrict that energy? What are the patterns and negativity that keep you small?

What are you ready to let go of in order to allow your soul to come forward more fully?

In what ways is your Soul asking you to express yourself? At the deepest level, who do you want to be in the world?

We can begin to claim our own Divinity by simply becoming aware of those soul moments in our lives and connecting consciously to this energy.

Each of you may have your own method of connecting to this greater part of you. This is one process that I find helpful for me.

Call in the Light, or say a prayer of attunement.
Find a quiet place and be conscious of your breathing.
Focus your attention inside your head, about 2 inches behind the bridge of your nose (this is where the soul energy gathers)
Just sit quietly and open up to a loving feeling
Ask to become aware of your soul’s presence
Don’t force it or have expectations, just allow it to come forward. Be patient.
Spend time connecting with that energy. Allow it to expand. Open up to that unconditional loving.

You can take this a step further once you have fully opened up to this level:

Think of a situation in your life you’ve been holding on to. Look at it through the eyes of your Soul. What was the learning for you in this? Go through this situation from this higher perspective and allow the soul’s expression to come forward in a new way.

Living a soul centered life and opening up to our soul’s expression is not a one time process and we’re done. It’s an ongoing path of discipline and devotion to releasing negativity and opening to loving. It is our birthright when we’re ready to claim it.

“Through my stillness, the door opened.
Through my allowing, my Soul became present.
Through my loving, we became One.”
Dixie Clark, MS, MSS, LPC is Director and co-founder of Morning Star Center, a holistic well center. A licensed counselor and ordained minister, she holds a masters’ degree in both counseling and spiritual science. She is currently in the doctoral program in Spiritual Science. With over 26 years experience in mind/body therapies, she combines psychology and spirituality to help people release emotional blocks, heal past trauma and change limiting beliefs.

The Art of Letting Go

2009-11-07T05:39:00.003-06:00

Each of our lives has its own unique rhythm. There is an ebb and flow, and a time for stillness that continues to repeat itself throughout our lifetime. The art of letting go is about honoring this rhythm. About knowing when to hold in stillness, and when to move forward, even if the way isn’t clear. Letting go is really about opening up to receiving. It is living in this moment, honoring who you are. It is a process of trust.

When seen from the soul’s perspective, there is beauty and grace in the life story we play out. There is absolute perfection in each step of the way in what comes forward for us to handle.

Our soul works in cooperation with Spirit to bring exactly what we need in perfect timing. And since our soul holds the blueprint for our destiny in this lifetime, it brings forward the people and situations that are necessary for our evolution.

When our soul has learned enough from a person or situation, it is ready to move on. It has absolute Trust in the way the journey unfolds.

The other parts of us, however, are not always on board with letting go and moving on.
When we first receive that inner stirring or outer message that things are changing, we often go into a place of fear and resistance. Questions arise such as “what will happen to me?, How will I survive? How can I live without him/her?” Or resistance takes the form of denial, of dishonesty with self or others, of hanging on to something even when the joy is gone or it depletes our energy.

So, we resist the flow of life out of our fears, and the belief that “I am safe only when I am in control, or when things stay the same as they are.” And the result is living in the shadows, not fully alive, yearning for something more.

Letting go can mean physically leaving a person or situation, or just shifting your perception. It can mean changing a lifestyle or to give up the need to be right. It can mean just surrendering to what is.

Letting go does not mean to ignore responsibilities or to become disconnected or apathetic. It means releasing any thought, action, emotion or belief that keeps you from being fully present in this moment, loving yourself unconditionally. It means opening up to the Divine presence that resides within, and trusting that there is a plan for you.

If you are ready to practice the art of letting go, you may choose to do the following process on a regular basis:

Look at your life from different levels. What are you holding on to, and where can you let go? Do this in the privacy of your own mind. Take your time, and be honest with yourself.

Physical: Resentment, resistance to change, hanging on to the past can show up in physical aches and pains or ailments. What are you holding on to? What are you leaving incomplete? Are there foods or other substances that do not support your physical health? Is your body a metaphor for past resentments and hurts? What “shoulds” are on your to do list?

Emotional: Are there emotions or reactions that you’re holding on to that no longer serve you? Are there relationships or situations that are not fulfilling but you resist changing? What are the people and patterns that are draining your energy? Do you keep yourself from acting on inspirations out of a fear of failure or what other people might think?

Mental: Are your thoughts of yourself loving and supportive? Do your beliefs allow you to expand and be open to abundance? Do you hold on to beliefs that keep you small? Are you spending time on your priorities in life? What patterns regarding money, relationships, and your place in the world are holding you back?

Spiritual: Are you resisting any connection to something greater than you? Does your ego hold on to its “rightness” out of a fear of surrender? Do you have a limited definition of God? Are you able to see yourself as part of the Divine?

We each need to find our own ways of letting go of what no longer serves us. Here are some simple suggestions:

• Do a brief meditation/prayer throughout the day. Take a few deep breaths…Let go of any thoughts of the past or of the future. Just be fully present in this moment.

• When you have identified something that you’re resisting, simply ask yourself, “What would it be like if I let this go?”

• Spend quiet time each day listening to the inner guidance you are receiving.

• Find a message you can continue to repeat to yourself such as,“I am safe to trust and let go.”

• Look at your life through the eyes of your Soul to see where you are holding on.

• Have your prayers include “Give me the courage and clarity to let go of what no longer serves me.”

• Know that everything is happening for a reason and that you are completely protected.

This is one of my favorite quotes that I find helpful:

Faith…

When you come to the end of all the light that you know and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen…there will be something solid for you to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.

Author unknown.

Enough Already!

2009-10-18T06:17:00.001-05:00

There’s a little game that many of us play, called, “I’m not enough.” Some of you may be familiar with this.

The premise of this game is that, on the deepest level, those of us who are playing believe we’re not enough as we are. So, we need to spend our time overcompensating, getting validation from things and people outside of ourselves, or living in fear that others will see us as frauds. Although these patterns can overlap, they each have certain qualities, or some variation.

Overcompensating: “I’m not enough, so I have to do more.”

People involved in this pattern often feel a need to be perfect. There is a need to do more or be more. Maybe even to be the center of attention. There is never enough success, money, accomplishments to satisfy or convince. It is not okay to relax or to take care of self. Mistakes are not allowed. It’s almost as though we have to prove or justify our existence.

Getting validation from the outside: “I’m not enough, so I need you to tell me that I am”

People involved in this pattern believe that others must approve of all they do in order to be okay. If others disapprove, disagree or judge, that can trigger fear, anger, indecision. If we’ve given our power away to another to let us know we’re okay or “doing the right thing,” and they don’t do that for us,, that affects our sense of safety and security. We question who we are and what we do or have done. We’re always seeking to keep the peace, make others happy, or make others like us. We feel a need to control others in order to feel okay about ourselves.

Living in fear of other’s seeing who we are. “I’m not enough as I am, so I can’t let people really know me

People who are involved in this pattern often live in fear of being seen, heard or noticed. Even if some may be in public eye, there is a concern of being exposed, of people seeing beyond the mask. It doesn’t feel safe to be vulnerable. There’s a belief that if “people really knew who I am, they would leave me.” So, sometimes we become like a chameleon and mirror the other person’s expectations, other times we retreat from relationships and connections . And there are times we may hold back the truth of our expressions out of fear that others will abandon us if they know us on the deepest level.

As part of this belief of “I’m not enough as I am,” we often use judgment as a motivational tool. There’s a fear that if the judgment ends, we’ll get complacent, and forever stay where we’re at.

There’s a concern that if I accept myself as I am, I’ll stop growing. I’ll continue to do all these crazy things that have made me so unhappy all of my life. Or, I’ll just settle for less than who I am. So, we have some variation of the below conversation with ourselves.

“I need to change because I’m not enough as I am. There’s something wrong with me. When I accomplish more, or lose ___pounds, or stop doing_____, or start_______, then I’ll be okay. Then I’ll accept myself as I am. Until then, I must overcompensate, hide or be told that I’m okay by others.”

Actually, we don’t need to change because there’s something wrong with us the way we are. We will change when we’re ready simply because we are so much more. Our soul can’t not continue to expand and move forward.

When we are open and allow it, there is always soul energy of enthusiasm and joy working through us. In order to keep that flow open, it’s important to be aware of the motivations behind our decisions and behavior. “Am I doing this out of fear or am I doing this as part of my soul’s expression?” When we are truly honest with ourselves, we are able to discern the difference.

If we give our power away to others to let us know we’re okay, then we have to constantly be on alert. We are always on guard to threats to our safety and sense of worth.
Paralysis can set in until we get the “green light” from something or someone outside of ourselves that it’s safe to proceed. As those of us who have played this game for awhile know, there is never enough praise, accomplishment, security from outside of us to remove that fear. There is no safe place to hide. There is only the opening up to the truth of who we are. There is one prime directive that we all share. And that is to learn to love ourselves and know ourselves as Divine. Everything else is just the path we choose to get there.

From the Soul’s perspective, we are part of the Divine. We are enough just as we are. The soul sees each step of the journey as a joyful, loving adventure. We are here to learn and come in to a place of wholeness. Sometimes we learn first by experiencing who we aren’t before we can learn who we are. There is no need to hide, defend, or justify. We will stop playing that game when we’re ready to move forward.

Dixie Clark, MS, MSS, LPC is Director and co-founder of Morning Star Center, a holistic well center. A licensed counselor and ordained minister, she holds a masters’ degree in both counseling and spiritual science. With over 26 years experience in mind/body therapies, she combines psychology and spirituality to help people release emotional blocks, heal past trauma and change limiting beliefs.

Living Your Soul's Intentions

2009-09-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

“I recognized, finally, that I had always been in touch with my Soul and divine nature. I had never been separate from it. It had always been present, as the best part of me. It was my laughter, my loving, my enthusiasm, my devotion, and so much more. It was the part of me that I really liked.”

When Are You Coming Home? A Personal Guide to Soul Transcendence
John-Roger with Paula Sanderson

Think back over the last week. What were your intentions for yourself? Are you aware of what was motivating you? Was your day filled with a sense of purpose, or did you make decisions out of judgment, negativity or fear? We often live life on autopilot, living out old programming, other people’s opinions, or wait to act until we’re guaranteed success. Just remember that “energy flows where our attention goes.” So, if we have a positive intention for a situation or for our life, and continue to put our attention and devotion to that, our energy becomes very focused to support it. And, if we have no conscious intention, or have negative expectations, our energy goes back to the old programming that’s there, which can often be of a negative or limiting nature.

Let’s look at this from the soul’s perspective.

Beneath the fears and negativity of our ego/personality lie the intentions that our Soul has for us in this lifetime. Intentions are different than goals or resolutions. They have some very specific qualities:

• Energy of expansiveness
• Can be experienced at any moment
• An inner quality that comes through all you do
• Aligns you with your Divine nature
• Serves as a beacon through life

These intentions can be one word, such as…..joy; clarity; loving; acceptance; mindfulness. Or, they can be a phrase, i.e.….. “Accept all parts of myself;” “Live in balance;” “Loving service to self and others” “Be a joyful, loving being;” “Stand in the Truth of who I am;.” “Live in Grace;” “Open up to abundance.”

The qualities of these intentions are not something we need to learn or develop. They are the essence of who we already are. This is the life force that shines from our Soul when we allow it. When we open up to the intentions from this soul level and bring them forward in to our daily lives, we begin to create an energy field in and around us that’s of a higher level. They become the guiding Light in our lives. And when our energy, thoughts, emotions and actions are in line with our intentions, we begin to open to the flow of life, living “On Purpose.”

If I have an intention of “being a joyful, loving presence in the world,” and continue to devote myself to that and put energy into it, my experience each day is going to be totally different than if my goal is to “not screw up today.” Or, if I live by the belief that “others must approve of all that I do in order for me to be ok”, I am giving all my power away to things that are not in my control. Whereas, if I have an intention to “Love and accept all parts of myself,” my self worth comes from within. By living our soul’s intentions we become the positive co-creator of our inner experience in situations, rather than feeling like a victim or blaming people and things outside of ourselves.

I have no magic formula for accessing this information. Each of us has our own way of communicating with ourselves on the deepest level. I do have some questions to ask yourself that may assist you. Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Put on some soft music if you find that helpful. Go in to a meditative state or say a prayer of atunement. Turn your attention inward, and silently ask yourself the following questions. Don’t think of the “perfect” answer, just allow whatever’s there to come forward.

• Who do I want to be at this stage of my life?
• What qualities do I need to open up to within myself ?
• What values do I want to guide me?
• When I look back on my life at the time of my death, what do I want to be able to say about how I lived my life?
• What is my soul’s intention for me?

You may get immediate information, or it may come later. When you identify an intention, allow yourself to feel the energy of it. The vibration of it will be unique to you. If your intention is to “be at peace with myself” or “joy”, you can begin to have that inner experience now. You don’t need to wait for something outside of yourself make it happen. It’s already there underneath the illusions we’ve created.

Every day there will be people and situations that will pull us away from this alignment with our intentions. So, everyday we need to become aware when this is happening and direct our energy back. The more devoted we are to living our intentions, and the more time we spend in that vibration, the stronger this energy becomes. And each time we get pulled out of balance into negativity, we have a choice, “Do I want to stay in my suffering, or am I willing to sacrifice this in order to live my intention?”

And, through it all, our Soul waits patiently.

Self-Forgiveness

2009-09-08T08:12:00.001-05:00

“The basic thing we need to do is forgive ourselves for forgetting that we are divine. That is the real message to open up the channel for our return to Spirit”
John-Roger

We are born into this world carrying a light called soul that holds our purpose and our mission in this lifetime. It is a beacon that directs us each step of the way in our evolution and on our way Home. This is the spark of the Divine. Our true nature.

We can disconnect from this essence through our misinterpretation of situations which creates limiting beliefs and fears that we hold on a cellular level.

Each of us is on a journey to return to this essence and enfold into who we truly are.

From the moment we’re born, we begin to form limiting beliefs and judgments about ourselves, about life and our safety. We hear messages that cause us to think we’re not enough, that we need the approval of others in order to be okay, that there are certain criteria to be met in order to be “worthy.”

We have forgotten that we already are all of that. And by our judgments, we create a separation from Spirit and our true nature.

We create these illusions that separate us and then believe they’re real. We believe the suffering, the scarcity, the loneliness is real. We forget who we are and whose arms embrace us each moment. We look outside of ourselves for our fulfillment and sense of worth, instead of turning inward.

Think about the conversations you have with yourself during the day. Are they respectful and loving? Or are they filled with judgment of yourself and others? For many of us, our thoughts, language and beliefs are filled with negativity. “I never get anything right.” “What will people think?” “I can’t believe I did that.” “I can’t stand the way I look.” “I hate myself.”

All variations of “I’m not enough as I am.” All illusions.

When we look at why we hold on to these judgments from the lower level that created them, it makes perfect sense. That’s the level that doubts we are worthy of forgiveness. That’s the level that fears we’ll repeat the same mistakes if we don’t constantly berate ourselves for how we “screwed up”. We use judgment and shame as a motivator to be better. In a strange way, we use the judgments against ourselves as a way of bringing us into balance. And, even though that doesn’t bring about lasting change, we continue to do it anyway, because that’s all we know on that level of consciousness.

These judgments do not help us grow or evolve. They simply keep us stuck in the lower levels. And, as uncomfortable as it is, we can become comfortable being in this negativity. Until our soul begins to awaken. And we begin to remember or dare to believe the truth of who we are.

Because we are already part of the Divine, there’s nothing we have to learn to do to be “Spiritual.” We already are. We just need to release the judgments that have created this separation. One of the most powerful tools to assist with this is self-forgiveness. By forgiving ourselves for the judgments we have, we open the pathway to our Soul. Self-forgiveness gives instructions to our unconscious of our intention, and gives permission to our High Self and Spirit to bring in the higher vibrations of Light to transform the old belief. This simple, loving process unlocks the heart, and allows us to begin to walk in grace and be at peace.

Think of a judgment that you made against yourself this week. And, simply start with “I forgive myself for judging myself.” Take a deep breath and let it go. Then, check inside. You may notice lightness, or simply feel a little better. Or, you may feel nothing at all. This process is most effective if you are in a state of prayer or ask to be surrounded by the Light of the Holy Spirit before you begin. Hold the intention of being ready to release this judgment, and do it with a loving energy. You may need to be more specific, and go to a deeper level. Here are some examples:

“I forgive myself for believing that I’m not enough just as I am.”

“I forgive myself for abandoning myself in order to please others.”

“I forgive myself for believing that I’m responsible for others.”

“I forgive myself for believing that it’s not okay for me to get what I want.

“I forgive myself for forgetting that I am Divine.”

This is a very powerful process to do at the end of the day before you go to sleep. Go back over your day and notice what judgments came up. Do self forgiveness statements to begin to release this negativity. After a while, you begin to notice all the judgments that govern your life and you can begin to free yourself of them.

Is this simple? Yes. Is it easy? Yes and no. We are so conditioned in our negativity, that it is an ongoing process of recognizing our judgments and limiting beliefs, and forgiving ourselves. This is a process of lifting all the ways we oppress our Spirit and keep ourselves small. Of healing the wounds that have kept us stuck and in the dark.

May we all become aware as our Soul is aware.

Loving Your Heart Open

2009-09-08T08:10:00.002-05:00

Loving Your Heart Open

“A simple choice to be loving, even just for yourself, changes your life forever.”
John Morton

Think of a time when you truly felt loving for something or someone. A time when you loved unconditionally in the moment, with no expectations………… There is nothing on this planet that is stronger than this loving that comes from our Soul, fills us up and goes out into the world. This energy has the power to heal, to ease any pain and move us into higher levels of consciousness. This is not something we need to develop or learn to do. This is our birthright and our destiny, and always available to us. Our soul sees everything through the eyes of love, with no judgment. That is the journey of the Soul. To help us return to this place of innocence and unconditional loving for ourselves and all of life. To come in to a place of balance and oneness. .

So, what blocks us from always having this available? On this physical level, we have all experienced disappointments, rejection, and betrayal. We’ve had our heart broken in many ways. We often respond to these situations by losing trust, not fully engaging in life and shutting down our heart. We create illusions and form limiting beliefs about what love is. We have a very narrow definition of love.

• We learn that people withhold love if we’re “bad.”
• We learn that we receive love if we do what is expected.
• We learn to abandon ourselves in order to stay in a relationship or please others.
• We learn that it’s not okay to love ourselves just as we are.
• We learn that it’s not safe to share our loving.

Because of our experiences and narrow definition of what love is, we often believe that we’re not loveable. We learn to seek love outside of ourselves as a way of filling this hole, often recreating unhealthy patterns that we learned early on. We disconnect from parts of ourselves that we find unacceptable, and use love as a form of control.

We lose touch with that sweet softness and innocence that is our Soul. Our true essence is one of loving and joy. When our heart is closed, it creates a void that can only be filled from within. Even in the most horrific situation, Love asks us if we can keep our heart open and trust. Even in the darkest hour, can we turn to the Light?

As always, our first step in any change is awareness of the current pattern. In the “privacy of your own mind”, honestly answer these questions:

Do you withhold your love if someone doesn’t do what you want or when you feel hurt?

Do you shut down your heart in order to be safe?

How do you handle loneliness?

Have you let go of past hurts and any feelings of being abandoned?

What parts of yourself and others do you judge?

Is your love for yourself conditional? Do you plan to love yourself when you….. lose weight, make more money, get married, let go of anger. (fill in the blank)

As we become aware of our motivations behind our expressions of love, we may begin to see that we do not always have the purest of intent. This is part of the human expression and ego. We can let go of any judgment of that and know that it’s all part of our learning. Once we set our intention to not be controlled by negativity, to let love in, to express this loving in our daily life, miracles begin to occur. They may not be the kind of miracles that are visible on the outside. These are the miracles that heal past wounds, remove the separation we feel from others, and, allow us to know that we are enough just as we are.

Opening up to this loving may seem like a daunting task. For some, it may be letting go of a lifetime of resentment. This may have been used as an armor of protection, and there can be fear of being hurt if the heart is opened. We don’t have to do it all at once. Here are a couple of suggestions as a way to start. Trust your own inner guidance for other ideas that may be better for you.

1. Each morning, set your intention to open your heart and be in your loving for your highest good. Access a time when you felt that loving, and imagine yourself going through your day in this state. If you get pulled in to negativity during the day, simply love the part of you that’s angry or anxious or guilty.
2. At the end of the day, when you’re lying in bed, once again access that feeling of loving, and send it throughout your body. Be in gratitude and appreciation for all parts of you.

This loving energy will take on a life of its own once we set our intention of allowing it in, and continue coming back to that. That is our True Nature.

Life can be very difficult, with many challenges. Our job is to learn how to bring Loving
in to these times. As we begin to love more, we begin to see all of life as sacred. We begin to see that the beauty, pain, successes, mistakes are expressions of God, and learn to honor it all. We can open our heart and be still, and let our soul’s expression guide us in our choices.

“You may not always be clear in your direction, but if you keep moving and let love lead, the direction will clarify itself.” John-Roger

Listening to Your One True Voice

2009-09-08T08:08:00.001-05:00

We are born into this world carrying a Light called Soul, that holds our mission and our purpose in this lifetime. This is our one true voice. This is the voice that holds our deepest wisdom and brings forward Divine guidance. The one that allows us to speak the truth of who we are in the world, and whispers which choice to make each step of the way for our Highest Good. This is the voice that tells us:
• When it’s time to let go of people and situations that no longer serve our highest good
• That it’s safe to open our hearts once again
• Our destiny and how to find our way “home”

This guidance can be very subtle at times. It comes in the form of a feeling, a hunch, a knowing. We hear it in the form of an inner voice that says “yes” or “no” to choices we have. It comes in the form of joy or enthusiasm as we align with that which is of Spirit. It also comes in the form of tears when the truth of the moment touches our heart.

So, if we have this Divine guidance system, why do we often make choices that cause such misery?

We often override the messages we receive from this part of us by listening instead to the voice of our fears, the voice of addictions, or the voice of other people’s opinions and expectations. We learn to give ourselves away out of the need for approval from others or fear of making a mistake.

We have all heard messages growing up about our worth and we formed beliefs about our safety and security. We learned what we needed to do in order to be accepted by our families and society. Often that means going against our instincts, not trusting our perceptions, instead, doing what others want in order to be accepted or safe.

We abandon ourselves and our true nature in order to keep the peace, get along, get approval. We have come to believe that our sense of safety lies outside of ourselves. So, we attempt to control people and situations in our lives under the illusion that what’s outside of us determines our safety and our worth, rather than living from the inside out. The result is living a life that’s two dimensional, having lost the connection with our deepest wisdom.

Instead of making decisions based on what we know is right for us on the deepest level, we often make decisions based on:
• Not wanting to make a mistake or look foolish
• Our addictions
• Other’s people’s opinions or expectations
• Avoiding pain
• Ego, as a way of being right, better than, or in control
Awareness is one of the keys to listening to your one true voice. Become aware of your motivations in a situation and what part of you is making the decision and guiding you. Is it from your heart or Soul? Or, is it from the part of you that more than anything wants to make others happy? Think of the following scenarios, and notice your inner experience as you imagine yourself in each one.
• A time when you made a decision based on how someone would react
• A time when you made a decision because of an addiction
• A time when you made a decision to avoid pain or confrontation
• A time when you made a decision from a place of inner knowing or trust

When you start to tune in to your inner experience and are honest with yourself, you will begin to notice the difference. You will begin to see that there are many parts of us clamoring for our attention, wanting to be heard. Each having its own agenda. But, there is only one true voice.

Find a quiet place and allow yourself to get into a meditative or contemplative state. Think of an area in your life where you feel stuck, or want to be guided on a deeper level. Ask yourself some questions that help you move beyond the surface:

“What do I know to do here that I’m not doing?”
“What stops me?”

“What do I know not to do that I keep doing?”
“What is it that keeps me doing that?”

Look at the situation through the eyes of Soul. What do you need to do for your highest good?

When we become aware of these inner experiences and are really honest with our motivations in situations, we can begin to clear out old beliefs and fears that no longer serve us. We start to live life consciously. Living consciously and in the moment is another key to listening to this one true voice. To move beyond old programming and from a place of Soul takes courage, integrity, and loving.

Even though we each have our own unique destiny, we all share one purpose in this lifetime, and that is to learn to love ourselves and know ourselves as part of the Divine. That’s the journey our soul is on. Our soul is unconditional loving and sees the God in all people and situations. It knows that every situation has its own gift of learning. Every choice we make can help us grow. Sometimes we have to learn who we are not before we learn who we are. Our soul is there waiting for us to tune in and listen.

“You can drop everything that is not speaking truth inside of you, now, and return to the divinity that waits with infinite patience for your homecoming.”-John-Roger with Paul Kaye from The Rest of Your Life

Turn and Face Your Karma

2009-09-08T07:55:00.001-05:00

The word karma seems to be used more and more in our society. We hear phrases such as“good karma”, and “bad karma”, or “that’s just my karma”. There’s even a TV show about a man who is consciously clearing his karma. In many cases the way it is used often seems to depict something that is out of our control, and is to be feared. When in fact, it is part of our soul’s agenda to clear that which is out of balance and separates us from our Divine nature.

Simply put, karma is the universal law of cause and effect, which means that whatever we send out comes back to us. Or, as the Bible states, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” When we are out of balance in thought, word or deed, we create karma. Karma is not good or bad, nor is it a form of punishment. This energy returns to us in order for us to comes into a place of wholeness, and allow each soul to learn through all experiences. We are not on this earth to “suffer” through our karma, nor can we avoid it. Our purpose is to transform this energy and learn what we need in order to let go of old patterns and move to higher levels of consciousness.

All of our actions, emotions and thoughts are energy and operate at a certain vibration. Karma is like a “vibrational boomerang” that brings the energy we send out back to us at some point on the same frequency it was sent out. For example, if we live in judgment and anger of others, even if it’s not spoken, that negativity will return to us. If we are dishonest with ourselves or others in any way, we will need to deal with this pattern again and again until we can stand in the truth of who we are.

Right now we are all moving through the karma of our past creations and creating our future experiences. We can’t run from it, hide from it, deny it or escape. It will find us. Not as a punishment, but as an act of fulfillment. Those difficult people and situations in our lives are our greatest teachers, and part of what’s been set in our path to awaken us. There’s a difference in how our personality/ego views life and how it is seen through the eyes of Soul. When we look at life from the Soul’s perspective, not one of us is bad or broken, and all situations are opportunities to learn.

Each lifetime has its own destiny, patterns to move through and karma to clear. Our soul’s journey involves awakening to the God within and becoming a Divine co-creator. We are here to learn to be in the moment. To become conscious creators. To learn to deal with responsibility we didn’t deal with before. To see the God in everything, and be in a state of acceptance, which is the first law of Spirit.

As we continue to evolve and grow, there are many patterns that pull us out of balance and create karma. Here are just a few:

• Negative feelings are probably the biggest creator of karma, especially guilt. They cause us to miss the learning of the situation, and separates us from Spirit
• Always needing to be right, in control or manipulate an outcome
• Not taking responsibility for our own emotions and actions
• Being overly responsible for the emotions and actions of others
• Addictions or desire patterns of substances, people, things
• Shutting down our feelings and being overly involved on the mental level
• Judging any part of ourselves or others
• Needing to be the center of attention or backing away from being seen at all

. Karma’s actions can be very subtle or come in very intense situations. Being in a state of acceptance for all situations in our lives and knowing that they are there for our learning help us move through this karma. Judging and resisting a situation creates more.

The following words are helpful in moving through life:
“Love your karma. It is your opportunity to learn and to gain wisdom. By loving even your negative creations, you can shift their energy and release karma. You have the opportunity to change the karmic flow of your life through your ability to be loving.

By loving the God in yourself and others, you can move into a path of greater unfoldment. Instead of looking at the factors of your life and saying, “That’s my karma, so I can’t help it,” you might say, “That’s my karma, and I will fulfill it so I am free. Through loving, you can complete your karma.”

John-Roger Living Love from the Spiritual Heart

Turning and facing your karma means holding yourself accountable for your thoughts, feelings and actions. It means loving yourself at the end of the day, no matter what, and forgiving yourself for any judgments you held. It means knowing that all situations are part of your soul’s agenda on your journey home.

What is Your Life Reflecting? The Creation of Your Beliefs Part II

2009-09-08T07:52:00.001-05:00

This is part of a series of The Soul’s Journey called What is Your Life Reflecting? This series is designed to help you begin to explore how your outer world is a mirror of your inner reality. Today we expand on last month’s article on beliefs to look at ways of uncovering the beliefs you hold on an unconscious level so you can begin to release old patterns when you’re ready. Here is a brief summary from last month:

• Beliefs are usually formed when we’re quite young as a way of making sense of the world, feeling safe or fitting in.
• Many beliefs are on an unconscious level, below our awareness, and allow in such things as love and abundance or keep us stuck in old patterns.
• Change is difficult if there’s an unconscious belief holding it in place.
• Our Soul is on a journey to move through these illusions

What if you’re not really who you think you are? And I don’t mean the you that you present to the world. The one who may appear confident, successful, loving. But the you that you’re alone with at the end of the day. The one who seems to almost lurk in the shadows and whisper, “you don’t deserve….you’re not good enough….. you’re all alone.” The you that seems to have no power in this world, yet has the strength to sabotage your best intentions. What if those fearful thoughts and ideas of lack, and beliefs that keep you small are just an illusion?

We all hold beliefs on a conscious level that we recognize. However, it’s the unconscious beliefs that can hold the keys to our enjoying life or feeling stuck. Here are some patterns that indicate limiting beliefs:
• Repeated patterns of behavior that you can’t seem to change or stop. i.e.,(procrastination, being overly responsible for others, difficulty saying no)
• Continued sabotage of an outcome (attempts to diet, quit smoking or drinking, start an exercise program)
• Overreactions to situations (outbursts of anger, getting feelings hurt easily, feeling rejected)
• Lack of fulfillment in one or all areas of your life.

The first step to changing a belief is to identify it.. The following are ways that can help you get below the surface to the deeper structure. This works best if you’re in a quiet place and feeling centered.

• Listen to the language you use in a given situation, or that your family always used. Let’s take money as an example. What is your or your family’s language about money? i.e., “I’ll never get out of this debt. Every time I get ahead, something else happens. Money is the root of all evil.” When you think about money (or whatever area you’re working on), do you feel abundant and grateful? Or, fearful and constricted?, Ask yourself, “ What are my beliefs about money?” Sometimes finding a belief is as simple as being quiet and listening.
• Think about an area of your life that you’d like to change, such as career, relationships, health, financial. Imagine yourself in this situation now. Ask yourself, “What do I know to do here that I’m not doing?... What keeps me from doing that?” Then ask, “What do I know not to do that I keep doing?...... What keeps me from stopping?”
• When you have a situation or person that you tend to overreact to, ask yourself all of the following questions, or just the ones that seems appropriate:
- How is that a problem for me?
- How did I interpret that?
- What did that mean to me or say about me?
- What judgement did I make about myself as a result of that situation/person?
• Think of an outcome you want in your life. Something within your control, such as quitting smoking, starting an exercise program, applying for a new job. See yourself out in front of you already having that outcome. Make the picture very compelling. Ask yourself, “What stops me from already having this?” You may be surprised at the answers you get.

We too often go through life on autopilot, reacting to old beliefs and negativity, settling for less because we’re holding on to these illusions. Change takes courage, because it calls for us to step in to the unknown and let go of our comfort levels. Decide if now is the time for you to let go of an old pattern. If so:

Forgive yourself for believing that you are less than who you are. Hold the highest vision of yourself, and be devoted to that daily. Loving yourself is the most important aspect of change. Love the part of you that wants to change. Love the part of you that is scared to change. Love the part that feels stuck. Life begins to flow when we learn to honor our path and accept all parts of ourselves.

May we all awaken from the dream of our inadequate selves.

What is Your Life Reflecting? The Creation of Your Beliefs

2009-09-08T07:49:00.001-05:00

(This is the second of the series called, “What is your life reflecting?” which is designed to help you begin to explore how your outer life is mirroring your inner world.)

“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.” Tony Robbins

• Are your relationships satisfying or do you often attract people who don’t respect you?
• Do you follow through with goals you set, or do you tend to sabotage your success?
• Do you value who you are, or do you tend to criticize and judge yourself?
• In terms of money, does it flow to you or do you live from paycheck to paycheck?

How you answer these questions may be indicators of the beliefs you hold about yourself .

We have a powerful force operating within us that is a big factor in the creation of our reality. And that’s our belief system. Beliefs form the foundation of our view of the world and our reaction to events. They create the structure or parameters for our lives. What we manifest in our lives can often be traced back to our beliefs. Our beliefs allow in love and abundance or keep us stuck in unsatisfactory relationships and scarcity. They can help us move forward or sabotage our change.

Examples of beliefs that empower us are “I trust the decisions I make, I am capable of handling life on my own, I deserve abundance.” Examples of beliefs that are limiting or hold us back include, “I’m not good enough, I must be perfect, everyone must approve of what I do.” We all have unique variations of beliefs in every area of our lives, and they’re often stored in our unconscious. How we react to an event is not about the situation or the other person involved, it’s about our belief about ourselves in relationship to the situation or person. If there are areas of your life where you feel stuck, unfulfilled or frustrated, or continue to repeat ineffective or unhealthy patterns it’s very likely there is some belief that is holding that in place. And, you may not even be aware that it is there.

These beliefs were usually formed a long time ago as a reaction to how we got our needs met, our interpretation of events, and from the messages we received from people important to us. We took them on when we were too young to know better, as we had no other frame of reference. They were created as a way to make sense of the world and to adapt and fit in to our surroundings growing up. They become “wired” in to our neurology and carried in our energy field. We came to believe that that’s who we are. They became sacred on the deepest level. There’s a part of us that believes that great harm will come to us if we change these beliefs. Even if they’re not true.

A child who grows up feeling loved and supported, is allowed to learn from mistakes, and learns appropriate boundaries will develop certain beliefs about him/herself and the world. Another child raised in a family where there is harsh discipline, a lack of love and attention, and use of shame as a way of controlling behavior will learn different beliefs. Often we are raised in loving families and we can still form limiting beliefs due to our misinterpretation of events. Sometimes we outgrow these beliefs. (Remember Santa Claus? I totally believed in that guy, and created a whole reality around that) Other times, even though we grow up, we still carry the beliefs formed as a child, which affect situations today.

Two of the biggest fears we have are the fear of being abandoned or alone, and the fear of losing control. These fears cause us to think it’s not safe to move beyond the boundaries we’ve set up for ourselves. Or, we shut down our hearts in an attempt to never be hurt again. So, we hold on tightly to these beliefs, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. Even when the belief keep us in the grip of addictions, unhealthy relationships, and repeated patterns that don’t work. We believe that’s who we are, what we deserve, or the only way to deal with life.

Often we become a victim to our creation and dissatisfied with ourselves and life. We make statements such as, “that’s just how I am”, or blame others or our environment. Instead, we can use this negativity as a sign that there’s something within us that needs to change. Not because we’re broken, defective or hopeless, but because we are part of the Divine and are more than the illusions we’ve created about ourselves.

We all have experience of changing our beliefs. If we were to look back on who we were 10-15 years ago, most of us can see how we’ve grown. We change beliefs for a number of reasons: when we’re tired of the consequences of the old belief; when we’ve learned all we need to from it; when we’re sick and tired of being sick and tired; and when the new possibilities become too compelling to stay where we are. On our path of evolution, we are guided by our Soul to move through these illusions towards wholeness. At some point, when we listen to our deepest wisdom, we begin to open up to the idea that there is more than this. That we are more. We begin to open up to the truth of who we really are. That’s our destiny.

Next month we’ll look at ways of uncovering the beliefs you hold on an unconscious level so you can begin to release old patterns when you’re ready.

What is Your Life Reflecting? The Soul's Journey

2009-09-08T07:43:00.001-05:00

What would it be like if you believed that every situation, every person and every event in your life is actually part of your Soul’s journey and Divine plan? Would you react differently to difficult situations? Would you wake up each day with a sense of purpose? Would you have more compassion for yourself and others? If you believed that your life is a mirror and is reflecting your unconscious programming, beliefs, and karma, what would your life be reflecting to you? We continue to create our own reality, and out soul is seeks wholeness by bringing the situations and people into our lives that will help us heal. Instead of suffering from the question of “why is this happening to me?”, we can begin to transform our lives by learning to understand, interpret and change our reflection. On our soul’s journey, we move through many situations that seem difficult, even traumatic in this physical form. However, every situation and person that we have encountered thus far, no matter how difficult, is part of our soul’s journey to help us grow and evolve. This article deals with the aspect of the unconscious.

The energy in our unconscious seeks expression. Whatever we’re holding in on the deepest level, needs to express itself at some point. Growing up we learn to deny many of our feelings. There are many times that we have felt rejected, not good enough, or helpless that just gets tucked away and suppressed on the unconscious level. We might tend to minimize these feelings, or think that we don’t have to deal with them. But it’s not like the commercial, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” What’s going on inside of us comes out for the world to see. This presents itself in many ways. One is to continue to attract the same type of people in our lives who “push our buttons.” Any part of ourselves that we deny or any quality we have that we don’t take responsibility for, we see in the people around us. We see ourselves in others, judging in them what we judge about ourselves. We often attract people in to our lives who treat us the way we treat ourselves on some level. Growing up we each had qualities in our family that were valued and qualities that were unacceptable. Those parts of us we determine to be unacceptable and want to hide from the world, can’t remain behind closed doors. The energy is too strong. So we attract people with those same qualities and then judge them for it. The phrase “You spot it, you got it” speaks of this. It’s not that we’re being punished, and doomed to be victimized by the ones “who drive us crazy.” Just remember that our soul seeks wholeness, and any part that’s not healed or acknowledged will continue to come forward until we deal with ourselves. Making peace with all parts of ourselves makes us more authentic as well as more compassionate with others.

This energy of the unconscious also presents itself in the reactions we have that we swear we will never do again. The ones where looking back we see we may have overreacted or misinterpreted a situation. And yet, as hard as we try not to, we continue to react the same way next time. Almost as if this reaction had a life of its own. It could be anger, jealousy, panic, hurt. It doesn’t matter. Our first tendency is to blame the other person or feel guilty and wish it would go away. We can’t change that reaction by ignoring it or by trying to control the other person or the external world, because it really has nothing to do with anyone else but ourselves. There exists within us an unresolved issue that needs to be healed. So, what this means is that we don’t have to be prisoners to those unwanted outbursts and pain, or to the “bullies” who trigger these reactions in us. We can see these reactions as a call for help from a part within us that needs our attention. Our soul seeks wholeness and will continue to attract people and situations in to our lives to help us clear these issues. They just don’t always come in pretty packages.

This is all the good news and the bad news. On the one hand, there is such freedom and safety in knowing we are all on a Divine path, and everything is to be used for our learning. On the other hand, there are no more excuses. It’s no one else’s fault. That doesn’t mean that we tolerate inappropriate behavior or abuse. It means that we become honest with ourselves and look at what’s not working within ourselves and in our lives, to know we have the power to change it, and to seek help in this process when necessary. Our soul’s purpose is often beyond our physical senses, but is always working for our highest good, guiding us toward our destiny. When the soul’s purpose can be seen in the patterns of our lives, life becomes a celebration. Begin to trust that we are all part of something much larger than our physical being, and that everything that happens is for our highest good. Our job is to cooperate with our soul’s expression.