Like many people (it might even be safe to say most people) I haven’t gotten this far in life without traversing a few bouts of depression. My first was in late childhood, my second was in my teen years and my third was alcohol related in my early twenties.

These episodes were marked by an inability to function normally. I didn’t just feel down or a little blue…I felt completely and totally incapable of handling life. Overwhelmed, I crawled inside myself into my own mind and retreated from the world…almost like a cocooned butterfly. I like this analogy a lot because I think it describes beautifully the process of transformation that can occur when a person spiritually finds their way out of depression.

Seeing the good that can come of depression, viewing it as a crossroads in life or better yet as an opportunity to elevate your state of consciousness is what this post is about.

Heightened Sensitivity

When I was a child I loved to talk to God. I had long conversations with him while searching for four-leaf clovers in the front yard of our house or daydreaming in the grass creating shapes from the passing clouds. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters until I was twelve, so I would go off by myself in nature and that is when I would notice the shift in energy…even at a young age I could identify it as friendly and loving and interested in being around me.

I was extremely sensitive to everything when I was small and could literally feel the change of a mood fall over someone. This sensitivity manifested as extreme shyness but really some people were just too much for me; their energy was uncomfortable. The shyness was a way of shutting down and getting away.

Misunderstood Abilities and Depression

Eventually, as I grew older not understanding my own sensitivity, I grew depressed. A 4.0 student, I could no longer function at school. I could function fine at home…but not at school. Why? Because of my clairsentient nature…high school was too full of drama. The highs and lows of everyone around me made me lose my grounding…but no one, not even myself could explain or understand this. I felt alienated, alone and inexplicably flawed despite my many strengths.

The Quiet Strength of Nature

It took several years of a nomadic life that included long periods of being isolated in nature before I could tolerate groups and crowds of people again. The judgement surrounding how I couldn’t function and the ‘not rightness’ of the situation melted into the background.

Although, I felt my loss of spirit acutely I did not know how to get it back. I developed a refuge in nature; the ocean in particular had a very positive affect on me and it was no accident that we happened to live off of the Northern California Coast for a period during this time. The pounding surf restored my spirit and soothed my sensitive nature just as the tide resets the sand at the end of each day.

The Small Still Voice Within

It was during these periods when I would spend hours at a time with my toes in the sand, watching the waves feeling warm, content and mindless that I started to hear a distant yet familiar voice directing my attention toward my early God experiences…it was some time before I was ready to pick up those experiences again but a part of me knew that my answer lay in that direction. Sitting and watching the waves brought the only true joy I knew at the time to the surface…stimulating the healing process as something inside of me stirred…and the nomad learned the real meaning of home…which is oneness with spirit.

A Repeated Process

My bouts of depression always followed the same pattern. I would get overwhelmed which would turn into depression which would be healed by nature and diving into the physical body…in other words, getting out of my head. Each time, my life situation pulled me out of the healing process before it was complete and so I entered the cycle again…only to watch a repeat performance. When I finally got it…I broke free; the memories and experiences of those times serving as valuable landmarks in the spiritual journey ahead.

How We Heal

After years of experiencing life through my ego and the unhappiness that it brings I can say that everything that happens to us is meant to teach us about ourselves. When we extract those lessons, we learn how we heal.

Looking back on my depression experiences…I see such great value in them that I am filled with appreciation for this opportunity that we call life…through which I serve my spirit, learn to live and to heal…one breath at a time

Yesterday I wrote about my experiences with depression, one of which I noted was alcohol related. Addiction patterns surface in many ways, but one of the most obviously unhealthy manifests through substance abuse. Moving through these illnesses has deeply connected me to my health.

In my life, health issues are self-created…but then because I have come to see them as opportunities, I believe that most health issues are. So today I am writing about creating health out of health issues based on a technique I used to climb out of alcoholism and depression.

For more information on why we may choose illness to elevate our consciousness, I refer you to fellow blogger and medium Vera Nadine. Her guides do an excellent job of explaining this in her article Manifesting Mental Illness for Goodness’ Sake.

Body Intelligence

In Bruce Lipton’s book the Biology of Belief he explains that medicines are inferior to the innate intelligence within our bodies to heal because our bodies are made up of the same simple proteins used in a variety of ways. When you take a medicine it distributes a chemical throughout your entire body that has been identified to have the desired affect on the area in which you have a problem…but then it also has an undesired effect in many other areas because the rest of the body reacts differently to that same chemical.

When your body heals itself, it uses a precise delivery system…affecting only the area which needs to be healed and nothing else. Bruce, being a conscious biologist, challenges Western Medicine to notice the intelligence within the body’s systems and look for new ways to cooperatively engage it. From frightening statistics in his Death by Medicine section to examining the effects of antidepressants verses placebos in clinical testing…he provides a large body of evidence supporting the need to develop a new kind of drug-free medicine.

Considering all of this information and my own experiences…I feel that people heal by pulling their minds, bodies and spirits into alignment.

My methods for dealing with alcoholism and depression were natural…but that was also my approach to childbirth so I guess that says something about me . The idea of using drugs to heal didn’t make much sense to me…somehow I knew I had to do it on my own. Deeper still, I believe that there is no questioning the body’s intelligence; the mind has not yet been created that can bring forth a complex human form from a single cell. The body is definitely capable of healing itself…the key lies in cooperatively engaging it with mind and spirit.

The Roots of Disease

My personal experiences with depression and alcohol stemmed from a similar set of circumstances. The problem usually began as wrong thinking. The wrong thinking would then absorb more and more of my mental resources, until it had effectively blocked my spirit and body connections. With my mind now in the dominate position…the wrong thinking was able to use all the energy available to gain momentum and to grow in size and strength.

With the door to illness open; irritability, tiredness, depression, addiction and all other types of problems can now arise…this is simply because the energy balance is no longer in place, one area alone has monopolized all the resources available and so the imbalance shows in physical decline, the inability to renew one’s energy and the inability to properly use the mind (which has to be infused with spirit in order to be healthy).

However, there is an easy way to temporarily dislodge the wrong thinking; strenuous physical activity.

Using the Body to Get Free of the Mind

By the time I decided to quit drinking, the addiction directed my thinking. I was a victim of the impulses and in essence was not in control of the situation at all. Only the realization that I was killing myself provided me with any power over it, but that was limited and fleeting. I felt awful all of the time…constantly at odds with myself.

Then one day I awoke still full of sleep…the familiar voice of the disease had not yet fully awakened. As I enjoyed its absence, the air pressure around me changed, my mind’s eye was flooded with light like dreaming while awake and I clearly, vividly saw myself running the darkness that had taken hold of me out of my system…literally flushing it out with lots of water and a bit of fierce activity.

All day long I was haunted by this vision, so I mustered together the strength available to me and put it into place. After backsliding and failure after failure, I was done with feeling this way. I wanted my life back, so I went running. I ran for as long and hard as I could…reliving the strange dream I had the previous morning and visualizing that I was pushing the darkness out of myself with every step that I took.

On the walk down to the track where I ran, my head was possessed by the voice of the addiction, depression and the unhealthy self that I had created but when I ran I could literally feel new energy course through me…created by the vacuum of the expenditure. My mind would clear and the visualization kept me focused on my goal. By the time I stopped I could notice the beauty of the field around the track and my body felt healthier than it had in years…I actually felt good!

Granted, this effect would wear off…and I would be back in my mind again struggling. But every morning I freed myself from it and that feeling kept me going. Soon, I was gaining in health and the attention I took away from my mind would last a little longer, and a little longer until the disease was something I struggled with only when when someone offered me a drink (which wasn’t very often as I learned to avoid those situations).

Eventually, alcohol had absolutely no hold on me whatsoever. I didn’t know what had made me successful in this endeavor at the time…as I did not see life from a spiritual perspective back then but it is obvious to me now.

The Real You Under the Disease

The mind is a great resource when it is balanced. It has to be trained, developed and directed. When I ran, I took energy away from it and channeled it elsewhere. The wrong thinking or the addiction voice inside of me used that energy like a spinning wheel. It constantly needed a push in the form of my attention to keep it going. When it lost some of my attention on a regular basis, it weakened.

My place of focus (health and feeling good) became stronger until eventually I regained some measure of control over my thoughts though I was far from proficient at determining their direction or turning them off altogether…at this point in certain circumstances I had learned to redirect them to anything slightly more positive and I wasn’t particular about what, but that was a start.

When I look back on this experience I realize that it gave me some basic techniques and provided me with contrast in my life. This period of illness created a deep appreciation for the aliveness within me, this in turn motivated me to discover new ways of connecting with that aliveness.

In the pit of alcoholism…I discovered a doorway to the real me under the disease; now a well trodden path to balance and wholeness that I access time and time again using various mind, body and spirit practices

Since my experiences with the incarnating soul Laura, I have become convinced that pregnant women can talk to the Higher Selves of their developing babies and through this process learn about the new soul entering their lives. I believe that creating an awakened bond between the Higher Selves of parents and their children will play a vital role in the evolving consciousness of the planet. Having accomplished this connection with an incarnating soul, I went about the business of using these techniques to open a direct line in-between myself and my six and three year olds, who are of course, no longer pre-natal

Even though I consider myself to be a spiritual person…I would be lying if I said it is never difficult to confront the developing ego of a three year old and think Higher Self in the same instance. To do this requires a great shift in perspective, which for me really grew with the realization that while I can not always reason with my three year old’s ego…I can certainly learn a lot from her spirit guides, Higher Self and angels. This process helps me to remember (even in the midst of a full out tantrum on the floor) that there is a fully developed soul in there with whom I can communicate…someone who is wise, who understands her path and has all the perfect answers.

I became attracted to a concept that I will refer to as God Posse Parenting (or parenting from directives given to you by your child’s Higher Self, angels and spirit guides). John Edward refers to his group as ‘the boys’, and my friend Christine calls her connections ‘the committee’, but for this article I felt that Slade Roberson’s clever ‘God Posse’ fit well.

In order to experiment with this I had to dig deeper into my own spiritual process. This involved a great deal of healing. I had to recognize any fears, worries or doubts that were lurking…I had to release any hurt, anger or pain spawned by my earliest religious experiences and interpretations of God and allow myself to make direct contact with my Higher Self instead of using go-betweens. As usual…it all began with me.

When I felt that I was ready I entered a meditation in which I sought communication with my three year old’s guides. I called out to her circle of representatives that I am her mother and I want to know how I can best help her soul’s development at this time. After a brief moment a girl stepped forward to meet me and introduced herself as Anne. She excused herself for a brief huddle with the others in the crowd and then emerged with her answer.

She advised me to actively involve my daughter with water activities. Anne said that water will play a significant factor in her life and that she needs to understand it and be comfortable in it. Moreover, she also said that it connects my child with a state of mind in that no other experience has yet been able to achieve. They want her familiar with that place in her mind and how it feels and they felt her best access to it at this age is through water.

Being able to contact my daughter’s guides for advice has given me a lot more peace as a parent, has allowed me to develop a new relationship with my child (she is no longer seen as just a child but as a source of wisdom and someone with a very distinct purpose) and it has also had the advantage of placing my focus on what’s most important…instead of the occasional smearing of staining substances in places inappropriate I rely on this new relationship with her to counterbalance our daily mother/daughter interactions. Her God Posse delivers an interaction that her physical body and current development can not provide but I know that as she grows…our physical relationship will mirror our spiritual one.

Over the weekend I was graciously awarded the Thinking Blogger Award by fellow blogger Vera Nadine. It was such a surprise and so nice to be recognized by someone who is a very talented blogger herself!

Vera put a lot of thought into her nominations, here is what she had to say about this site:

1. Paula Kawal - A very well-written and easily navigated blog dealing with meditation, self-development, consciousness-raising and light-working. Paula is by far my best find to date! Readers who like my layout here will certainly love the very Zen quality, not only of her site design but of her digestible manner of writing. Paula speaks volumes in just a few lines and gets across her own feelings as well, instead of just pronouncing a wisdom and leaving it hanging. Her newest post Good Vibrations is a perfect example of the power of Paula’s thought-processes and written imagery. I feel so at home with her writings and with myself after I’ve read them. Often I find myself returning to read them again and again…not because I don’t understand them but because I do.

Thanks so much Vera!

And now it is my turn to pass this along…I’ve chosen bloggers who provide value to their readers, are passionate about what they do and are effecting lives everyday as a result.

So there you have it…the blogs I read the most and why I read them. I also read lots of other great blogs including Vera Nadine, Shift Your Spirits and Druid Journal but I haven’t included them with the above mentions because I am pretty sure that they have already received this award Stay tuned for an entry that highlights some of my favorite posts from these other great bloggers!

A Psychic Reading

On April 14th I had a reading with psychic-medium Erin Pavlina. While I expected this reading to reveal something very influential in my life I did not expect the huge changes that would result…but I will get to that in a moment.

As many of you who read my blog know…I have been focused for some time on opening my channels to divine communication. For this reason I found myself attracted to Erin Pavlina’s blog which I discovered through her husband Steve’s blog while in earlier stages of experimenting with spirituality. I started out seeking a still mind with the goal of attaining a higher state of consciousness…but this was really only the beginning of the expansion that my awareness would make.

While working with my own channels of divine guidance, I kept getting the repeated message to make contact with Erin and schedule a reading. Just so you know, I have never before consulted a psychic and if it hadn’t been for the extremely strong promptings, I most likely would have just continued reading Erin’s blog and experimenting on my own. My angels, however, made it very clear that they had something for me that I was not able to receive. They led me to Erin with such great surety that there could be no mistaking the fact that she was the one they wanted to connect with in order to deliver to me the message they had been sending. I had no idea what they had for me but I assumed it would be something related to my life purpose…and I suppose you could say that it was.

When Erin first connected with my angels they were showing her that they had a baby with them…she paused to ask me what I thought that could mean before conversing with them further. The only thing I could think of was an instance of miscarriage inbetween my first and second child. This was such a distant experience for me though that I was absolutely taken by surprise. The angels wanted me to know that they had this child with them…it was important to them that I know. We continued on with the reading and after it had finished I was left with the feeling that there was more for me to discover about this child; so a few days later after I became certain of the nudges I was receiving I invited the angels to tell me in person about the soul that they were caring for.

Making Contact

While meditating I sat, contented and warm on the sand of my favorite beach. Appearing in the distance, walking through a veil of clouds despite the bright sunlight, I saw two beings of light flanking the right and left sides of a small child coming toward me. The girl was somewhere in-between 1 ½ and 3 years old. She had light brown hair in pig tails, large dark brown eyes and a beautiful smile, she looked very small and very young.

As the angels and I talked, she explained to me that her previous life had ended before she fulfilled her purpose for incarnating. She still desired to fulfill that purpose and was asking me if she could incarnate again. On some deep level I realized that I was being invited to participate in the process.

My husband and I did not consciously want another child. We were quite happy with what we have yet I opened myself to whatever she may need and agreed to assist in her mission, fully understanding the depth of the opportunity before me. I also had some conditions of my own…I wanted her to remember where she came from and to share with me the details of her experiences along the way.

It was a deal. My mediation ended and the weekend continued without incident until the next day while in the jacuzzi with my kids I felt her presence. She sent me the name Laura and the image of Laura Ingalls Wilder as played by Melissa Gilbert in the television version of Little House on the Prairie.

Startling Occurrences

One night while brushing my teeth I noticed a wet spot on my shirt only to discover I was producing colostrum. I took a home pregnancy test the following morning and got a positive…if you think this is strange, the story only travels more and more in that direction from here.

Since then all pregnancy tests have turned up negative and I am over two weeks late for my monthly visitor (very unusual for me). I have had numerous conversations with the girl whom I now call Laura. She has taken me on trips inside the human body and has provided me with a lot of information about what happens when a soul incarnates that at some point I will share with you.

I never would have imagined a newly incarnated soul would choose to speak through me. Am I pregnant or was I briefly, is this a pregnancy of mine that I am remembering from another life and time or is my spiritual connection to this child the cause of my physical changes when someone else is really carrying her through pregnancy?

As I sit here writing this story and pondering these questions reality has a very surreal quality…like falling into another world…one that is wonderful and strange with much to explore. I do know that when Erin connected with my energy things changed…my own connections grew stronger and life has gotten a lot more interesting and fun as a result!

Front Yard Project

Yesterday I went on a mission to create a sacred space in my front yard. There was a small retention pond outside our front steps that didn’t really hold water but it was the right place to create a deeper pool that would. While holding the idea of a pool of water I became fascinated with an image of a dark stark tub surrounded by rounded rocks, topped with quartzite stepping stones with two fountain figures on each end of the pool. I already had a large spitting frog which reminded me of a segment in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces in which Campbell delves into the symbolism of the classic tale “The Frog King”…I’ll go a little further into this later.

Motivated by this image I went to our local hardware store to purchase a tub and a few other necessary supplies. While inspecting the tubs I noticed a Koi fish fountain. It had no price tag so I inquired about it. I knew if it was less than $60.00 that I would buy it. The sales person could not find a price but took my name and number down with the intent of calling me when she had tracked it down. I located the rest of the items I needed and left the store. Halfway through digging the hole for the tub my husband interrupted me to take a call from the hardware store. The Koi fish fountain was $51.00, I asked them to hold it for me until I was at a stopping point and could return to the store. They complied.

I returned to the store after I was finished installing the tub. I needed to bring back an unused bag of sand and purchase a few more stepping stones. When I got to the register to pick up the fish I held it in my hands for a few minutes. Scenes from the BBC production Walking with Monsters flashed through my mind and I was reminded of our earliest relatives swimming in ancient seas…the symbolism would not have been more perfect if I had actively hunted this piece down but instead it came to me with ease.

When I returned home I set the pond up the rest of the way, designing the call to adventure that this bubbling spring would signify.

For those of you who are familiar with The Frog Prince you know that the princess loses her golden ball in a bubbling spring located under an old lime tree in a great dark forest. A frog agrees to retrieve it for her in return for her companionship…she agrees to this arrangement and thus her call to adventure begins.

Mystics term it “the awakening of the self”, whether great or small and no matter what the stage or grade of life, the call always signifies a mystery of transfiguration (a rite or moment of spiritual passage, which, when complete, amounts to a birth and death).

This is the time when the familiar is outgrown, the ideals, beliefs and old patterns no longer fit and the time for passing a threshold is at hand. All such calls need a carrier to the power of destiny…typically represented by a snake, frog, dragon or some other old and primal creature that lives in dark, unchartered waters, caves or the very belly of the earth.

Such creatures are familiar with the ways of the unconscious deep in which are hoarded all the rejected, un-admitted, unrecognized, unknown, undeveloped factors, laws and elements of existence and therefore they are superior guides offering their assistance through perils toward unimaginable treasure guiding a psyche that is ripe for transformation through this spiritual passage.

I am fascinated by this imagery and how it has held the power to touch humans at deep level for thousands of years…the symbolism of nature is hardwired to all that is primal within us, calling us out on a journey to recognize the illusion of separation that is the heart of our suffering…this change of perspective turns foe into friend and suffering into joy…so it was fun to create something that would act to remind me of one of my favorite meditations

One of my most recent areas of focus has been vibration, so it would come as no surprise that I might have a goal like attaining the highest vibration possible in and out of my daily activities. Although I’ve yet to experiment with all the variations that I am considering…I have an interesting story that came about because of some observations along the way.

For those of you who are wondering what a vibration is you can think of it like a tuning fork. The note you’re trying to achieve is emitted by Source and your goal is take your own instrument (your self) and tune it until you get a match. When you achieve the match you will vibrate and hum at the exact same frequency as Source. There will be no difference, so in essence you become attuned to the mind of God.

Creating a Daily Routine

I started out with daily meditations and lots of hikes in the woods. I would wake up every morning around 6-6:30AM and begin with a chakra meditation. Sometimes I would enter a psychic room (a safe place where I would go to work on things) other times I would just enter the spacious realm of no mind which is quite refreshing in and of itself.

This morning routine allowed me to start my day from a high vibrational state. In order to maintain it I would go outside and take a walk with the dog in the woods everyday. But I found this really only ensured that I had two really high points and while it helped to maintain my overall levels it still didn’t have the lasting effects I was looking for. So I made a few more changes…

Practical Advantages of a Healthy Body

While reading Doreen Virtue’s book Divine Guidance, a passage that really struck me was one in which she explains that a fine tuned body is more sensitive to energy and creates a clear channel for divine energy and communication to come through.

When we don’t exercise, eat right and also maintain our mental facilities the channels become clogged, this makes it more difficult for Source energy to come in but the blockage goes further than that by acting as static on a telephone line, it effectively scrambles and confuses our communications to and from Source.

Putting it all Together

Thinking about this made it absolutely hit home that the emphasis of my work each day had to include the body in a big way so I made a few changes. I began eating higher vibrational foods, I started a treadmill routine in the morning, spent time in nature everyday and meditated as well.

When I run on the treadmill I consciously make it my focus to experience Source energy flowing into me and thereby raising my vibration. The routine is just as much a meditation as it is a workout.

A Change of Pace

A few days ago while in this routine I had difficulty maintaining my focus in the usual way, I had woken up late and had not yet meditated so I decided to try to combine the two and clean my chakras while running. Running in and of itself really raises my vibration so I was in an excellent place to start.

I began the meditation and got through it more quickly than I expected. It was awesome and I literally just soared through it. When finished I still had a few minutes left to my routine so I decided to visit my psychic room.

I am usually greeted by a few angels and one of my guides so as I got closer I was not surprised to see them there but what I saw next really blew me away. As I approached what I call my sitting place I realized that my guides and angels and I were not alone…as far as I could see there were people. The room had no back wall…just waves upon waves of souls. My astounded mind could only wonder if I had mistakenly entered in the wrong room?

Beating Cheeks

Needless to say I freaked out. I thanked my guides, told them I would return when I could properly concentrate and immediately left the room. I could not pull the proper focus into the work that they had for me to do while still on the treadmill. I wondered about all the people and why they were there for the rest of the day.

Keeping the Promise

Yesterday I did my treadmill routine first and then true to my promise, I went into a deep meditation in which I made my way back to the room to consciously face the work that needed to be done. This meditation was clear and powerful being fully amplified by the energy of my workout.

My guides showed me a vision of the work I’ve done in the past, and it’s one on one nature…some of these relationships took up my primary focus for years but this was an essential step at the time that provided the necessary foundation for the work ahead. Now as they sat me down amidst all the souls whose lives I am supposed to touch…and whose journeys intersect my own…they explained that the sheer volume demanded a change in my approach. This is the reason I was slowly being pulled from very successful activities in which I worked with individuals toward what has felt like an unknown path for the past year or so.

Sometimes we’ll sense and obey an intuition that does not make much sense, although scary this is always an opportunity to develop a deeper trust in our inner guidance systems. Through experimentation we learn how to communicate with it and subtle yet profound change occurs

This week, the coming of Mother’s Day ignited a lot of meditations. In these very deep and soul searching sessions I rediscovered and connected with certain qualities possessed by my mom that my ether self was attracted to while designing essential lessons into my life. These lessons would act as sign posts along the way to me and are part of why I believe these qualities are the very reason that I chose my mother to be my mom in this incarnation.

Follow Your Heart

My mom has always followed her heart in everything…if she hadn’t…I would never have been born Throughout my growing up I saw her relentlessly pursue the ideal of heart over all else. This road was not without its bumps, rough spots and craziness but I learned to never ignore how I feel and that there are times when your heart is a truer path than your head.

Love Is Everything

As a child my mom always told me that love could do anything…from moving mountains to saving lives. I was always told that God is love and that expressing love is what we are here to do. My mother was raised half Catholic and half Protestant. My grandfather had a falling out with the church when they would not perform marriage rites unless my grandmother converted to Catholicism. As a result he did not fully trust his own faith and my grandmother was never allowed to fully express hers. My mother left her roots behind and created her own code of conduct which was entirely based on the power of love…it was her religion, and she still follows this simple and powerful belief today.

Trust Yourself

Mom was used to being corrected. My mother to this day can not read and write beyond a third grade level. She was the second to youngest of seven kids and was used to having older siblings, parents, teachers and just about everyone else constantly tell her she had gotten it all wrong. Naturally, she didn’t trust herself to navigate many of life’s situations and often would defer to the wisdom of others whenever something had to be figured out. There was one exception to this rule however and that was when her intuition would rise. If my mom’s intuition had been triggered, she would become stubborn as mule. No one or thing could sway or deter her…she would follow her gut at all costs. Watching her transform I learned just how powerful intuition can be…I never observed her more in her element and in control than when she heeded her inner self.

Intertwining Paths

I am so grateful to my mom for walking her path and providing me with the many lessons that she alone was a perfect match to give…I am also grateful for her dedication and service toward life…because that is what a mother truly represents. A mother brings life forth into this world…through her body the immaterial takes form. She nurtures this precious new being and devotes herself to its growth providing as much safety, security and love as she is able…motherhood is one of the ultimate spiritual opportunities and being a mother myself I am truly grateful for the experience. On this day while my family showers me with attention, appreciation and special care…I reflect on how the ultimate gift is life and I am committed to the continuity of this most beautiful expression of divinity.

I’d like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all those who nurture life regardless of gender, age or child status. May loving thoughts be yours

My definition of generosity is the act of giving the right thing to the right person at the right time. Real generosity is an act that benefits both giver and receiver. So now that you know what my definition of it is…let me tell you what it is not.

Generosity is not:

Real Giving:

Generosity IS a Process

Real generosity goes far beyond what you give to others. In the process of giving there should be the understanding that you are the vessel through which the wealth and energy of the universe travels…spilling over the boundaries of your walls and into the lives of the others with whom you are connected. This is empowering, not draining. What you give flows in from the money in your hands and out through the deepest intents of your heart. This idea is illustrated beautifully in the following poem by Rabindranath Tagore.

Little Flute

Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail
vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh life.

This little flute of a reed thou hast carried over hills and dales,
and hast breathed through it melodies eternally new.

At the immortal touch of thy hands my little heart loses its limits in
joy and gives birth to utterance ineffable.

Thy infinite gifts come to me only on these very small hands of mine.
Ages pass, and still thou pourest, and still there is room to fill.

Making a Difference

Many of us are generous to make a difference in our world, but sometimes we put ourselves at risk for this idea. Any time someone is generous to the point that they put themselves in the position of becoming a burden to others as a result that is not real generosity. Real generosity enables you to keep being generous, enhances you, lifts you up and creates more opportunties for not only you but also for those you help. Be sure that whatever you give you can afford to give it, that it expresses as a passion from your heart with no expectations…that the act is in itself an end. Take care of yourself first…true generosity starts with how we first treat ourselves and goes out into our world from there.

Born to be Powerful

Would you think it strange if I told you that you were born to powerful? If you and I had a conversation in which we discussed becoming empowered would you blanch, cringe, shrink or would you notice an attraction to this idea and feel yourself moving forward, feeling balanced? What do you think about powerful people? Do you feel that power is good or do you have some other ideas about it?

These are immensely important questions to ask yourself. Like many people I spent much of my life in a reactive state in regards to power. I did not explore the beliefs I held in place and I did not give any of myself over toward the process of becoming powerful. I thought of powerful people as being selfish monsters. I only saw one kind of power associated with the word…the power of the unchecked ego.

Later on in life as I gained in health I began to explore this concept and realized that true power runs much more deeply than the normal egoic use that I had associated with it. In truth there are many different expressions of power. Power in and of itself is a blank page upon which nothing has been written…the moment we use it, our intent writes the story which the power then becomes.

Afraid of Greatness

Deep down inside we are all terrified that if we reach for power we will uncover our greatest fear. To avoid triggering this fear we launch into avoidance patterns that rob us of any chance of achieving real greatness in life. At the core of this fear are feelings of unworthiness. We are afraid of power because we do not yet understand our own worth.

A powerful person takes responsibility for their life…that would imply that their life is worthy of their care and attention. So in order to get around the question of worth we make it our mission to get busy and attempt to buy our way in through achievements such as getting an important job, marrying, having children, attaining a certain lifestyle, working for our community, having lots of material items, etc.

The funny thing is…we earned that worth with our very first breath the moment we were born. I assure you that if you dig deep enough through all the smoke and shadow of the fears…all you will uncover is this simple truth; life is worth.

This article is dedicated to all the worthy people out there about to discover their own power