Happy Yoga Month!!

Namaste! September is National Yoga Month! SO this September I have decided to blog daily about yoga - what is is, the benefits, asanas, yoga events...all things yoga! I began my personal yoga practice when I was at home on summer break from college. My mom practices and invited me to attend some classes with her. I found them interesting, but it didn't hold my attention enough to practice when I went back to college. I remember New Years 2007 and declaring I would become a yoga teacher one day. I had no idea at that point how you became a yoga teacher or the work that yoga entails or the vast knowledge you begin to learn and confront in your practice. But something in me said "yoga teacher!" That February of 2007, I remember purchasing a 20 class pack from Life In Motion yoga studio. From then on, I built my practice, and today I am still practicing and enjoying the journey that yoga is taking me on. I enjoy sharing my practice and helping to break down the myths around yoga. What is Yoga?

Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means Union.  It comes from the Sanskrit, "yuj" meaning "to unite", "to yoke" or "to join".  Yoga aims to unite the body, mind and the spirit.  Yoga is not just about the body, nor is it just about wearing cute clothes and looking fit.  Yoga is a lifestyle of remaining present and maintaining a relationship of integration between your mind, body and spirit in the now.  Anytime that you do this, you are technically practicing yoga.

The physical aspect of yoga is Hatha Yoga.

What are some of the benefits of yoga?

The benefits of yoga are infinite and limitless.  They include physical increase of flexibility, muscle strengthening, and improved posture.  Because yoga uses breath and focuses on deep breathing, it helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which helps slow our heart rate, activate our adrenal glands, and help to relieve stress naturally and balance the natural state of the body.  Yoga may help you quiet your mind and enjoy living in the present, it may also help you to challenge the myths and beliefs you subconscious have about your body and health and begin to debunk those myths and realize that you have access to creating perfect health within you.

Who can do yoga?

Pretty much ANYONE!!  Yoga is for everyone.  While the physical aspect of yoga is very important the other aspects of yoga (breathing, devotion, selfless work) are important and part of yoga as well.  If you have limited range of motion in one body part, you can still practice yoga in another body part.  There are many types of yoga, yoga studios and yoga teachers, so you may have to find the best setting for you.  In some cases, you may be your best teacher!

How would a person start their yoga practice?

By starting!  The journey of 10,000 miles starts with one step.  If you are interested in practicing yoga, check out a local yoga studio.  Try a basics or a level 1 class.  Let the teacher know that you are new to yoga (this lifetime) and let them know any special needs you may have or injuries you may be recovering from.  Dive into it!

Feel free to email me soulistichealing@gmail.com with any questions about yoga!  I will address your questions in this blog all month!

Om Shanti!

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Namaste is a sanskrit word that is used usually at the end of a yoga practice.  It means my soul bows to your soul.  It is a word of respect and honoring the divine presence in all of humanity.

Om Shanti is a sanskrit term that means Eternal Peace.

New Moon in Leo::Aug 20, 2009 @6:01am EST

Today at 6:01am EST, a New Moon occurred in the sign of Leo. Perhaps today you woke up and felt anew or felt like you may have shed some fears away and are ready to approach the world and ready to be brave.

The New Moon is when the moon is going into its waxing stage (meaning in the sky it will appear to grow larger). For years the New Moon has been a time for people to plant seeds (literally and figuratively), so this is a great time to start new projects and to begin to intend or visualize new parts of your life that you are ready to grow. The sign Leo naturally rules the 5th house, house of creativity, children, love affairs, and romance. Leo also is the zodiac sign associated with the heart - both literally and figuratively.

Often when we think of the heart, we think of love and we think of courage. Today is going to be a day to be courageous in not only your actions but in your thoughts. A New Moon in Leo is setting the stage for us to be creative and to be bold in our creations. It is setting the scene for us "to have heart" and to "put our heart into it". If you want something, put your heart into it and go get it! Right now the sun is conjunct the moon in Leo, so we may be feeling extra creative and perhaps even more confident than usual. Here are some forecasts for today and the the next couple days:
Leo: This is your birthday season, let the energy you receive around your birthday be in the foundation of your new personal year. Perhaps you have been wanting to spice up your wardrobe of hairstyle - go for it!
Virgo: Tap into your inner courage, it is going to be called on, and you must remember that you are strong and bold and can solve any problem successfully that comes your way!
Libra: Nothing is too big, allow yourself to dream without limitations! Surround yourself by those who support you.
Scorpio: You have natural ability to take authority right now, use it to get things done and believe in yourself!
Sagittarius: You may have a trip ahead of you that will spark a lot of creativity and fun!
Capricorn: Let today's new moon put to rest any habits from the past that have not been serving you and your highest self. You have the power to create your best life now!
Aquarius: Continue to deal with people in an honest and sincere matter, and you will build some great partnerships. If you are interested in someone romantically, say something!
Pisces: Use this creativity at work to problem solve and to add value to your position at work!
Aries: You may be feeling quite playful lately, continue to radiate that love and let it shine...there is someone who is watching you and interested in playing with you!
Taurus: Take some time to clean house, get rid of old clothes, creatively re-arrange space - there are lots of new things coming to you, you have to create space for it!
Gemini: Be idealistic about what is happening in life, even if other's don't understand why, you know why and that is what counts!
Cancer: Use this time to be creative about how you earn your money, you have lots of potential right now to team up with new people and tap into creativity that will really "pay" off

I wish you all lots of LOVE...let this time be ruled by your heart. Listen to you heart's desire. Act on those desires with FAITH, and know that you deserve the BEST! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Full Moon Tonight 8/5/09 @ 8:54pm EST

Tonight we are in for a treat with a full moon to view in the sky at 8:54pm. Tonight's full moon will occur in the sign of Aquarius. Aquarius represents the ability to be ecclectic, unconventional, intellectual, progressive, yet at the same time detached. The sign of Aquarius is an air sign, and the air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) represent using mental power and the ability to think and rationalize (sometimes almost too well that we don't connect emotionally). Aquarius naturally rules the 11th house which is the house of friendship and socializing.

Tonight we will experience the full moon in this sign of Aquarius.
During this time, I encourage you all to to think about your thinking.

What are your habits regarding thinking?
If your mind is on automatic, does it default to negative thinking?
Do you expect the best or the worst?
What do you think about yourself?
What do you think that you deserve?

While these questions may seem quite general, I think that once you begin to think about them you may be surprised at what you find. I think that there is a serious epidemic of low self esteem on the rise, and by thinking about thinking I want to encourage us to all to all use our ability to be rational and stop rationalizing negative thinking, self doubt and esteeming low. Let us use the power of Aquarius to think and to also be progressive in our thinking.

Every single person is created in perfection and the labels that we use to describe ourselves and others are only that - LABELS. Labels are words, and to those words we ascribe values, which are simply thoughts. At any time that we choose, we can re-ascribe value to things in the past which we have not valued or which we have esteemed low. Labels and names just help to keep limits on people and keep limits on their physical beings. But are souls are LIMITLESS and cannot be limited. We are created within abundance and creativity, and let us use this time to receive it.

Tonight during this full moon, let us get rid of things that no longer serve us. Let us rid our mind of all the thoughts about ourselves and about others that are not serving us or helping us achieve our goals. The full moon is a great time to release thoughts and things that are no longer useful.

Perhaps tonight, make a list of all the negative thoughts that go through your mind when you think about yourself or others. BE honest. List and confront those words, and rip up that list and release it our of your system. Declare your perfection tonight. Declare the perfection of your existence. Declare that all is well.

As mentioned before, Aquarius is an air sign, so it is very mental and intellectual and is very humanitarian. Aquarius cares about humanity and about the overall being of people. This is a good time to spend caring for others in whatever that means to you - you might find that taking care of yourself is a good way to take care of others!

OM.2 - Day 19: Friendship

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. ~ Anais Nin

Everyone we meet is sent as a teacher; some lessons more challenging, and others more pleasant. There is a reason why we encounter every soul living as a person.

Sometimes we think of people and all of sudden we receive a phone call, email or bump into them on the street. If we know that we are truly spirit and therefore energy, we know that we attract energy/spirit back to us sometimes to remind us of something, other times to open a whole new phase of our lives. People open so much for one another.

Today, I encourage you to reach out to someone who has been on your mind lately. Maybe you miss someone, maybe you have to resolve an issue with someone, maybe someone's name has just been coming to your mind. Trust your instinct and reach out today via email, phone or text, and let a new world be born.

OM.2 - Day 18: Resting

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. - Sir John Lubbock

I am sending this message later in the day, as I hope to encourage you to deem yourself worthy of rest today.

Are you getting enought sleep? Are you getting enough rest each night? Have you prioritized resting and meditating and prayer into your life? What kind of rest do you need into your life? Today approach rest with new eyes. Refill your cup and pour rejuevenation and fresh energy into your cup with rest.

Sleep and rest is so important to our health and our ability to manifest. Sleep allows for the right side of our brain (intuition) to be fortified and to work.

As we abide in sleep, intuitively resonating with the sum of all our experiences - this life and beyond - we gain refreshing perspective on our efforts and have an opportunity to remember what we know. - Henry Reed

Sleep allows us to connect with our infitite intelligence and to work on a quantum level. Do you notice that while you are asleep, your dreams never say "hey you can't do that" or "no that is impossible". The brain only knows these messages when one is awake. When we sleep our brain knows that everything is possible.

So allow yourself to sleep and continue to build and connect to your infinite wisdom!

OM.2 - Day 17: THE BEST

It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. - Somerset Maugham

Yesterday I attended my cousin's wedding, and during the toasting ceremony, I was thankful that so many family member spoke about faith and trusting in God. I was thankful to be a witness to so much love, faith, and blessings.

Today I am encouraging you to expect and accept the best. Often we "settle" or feel like we are taking second place, but when we have faith and trust that as God's children, we are worthy of the best, then we begin to receive the best and except it.

Begin to develop your trust and confidence in yourself and believe that you deserve all of the best. Life is a blank piece of paper that is ready for you to draw, write, paint, doodle, and create on it. So create for yourself the best reality and experience! You deserve happiness and joy and fulfilling all of your highest callings!

OM.2 - Day 14 & 15

Day 14

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?? Would you know how to answer this question immediately or would you have to think about it?

Yesterday in astrology class, we discussed the planet Saturn. Saturn is the planet of limitations, tests, obstables, lessons learned and all that good stuff. Saturn often suggests an area where we may have fear or LIMITATION. At the same time, what Saturn offers is the ability to break through that limitation and fear and reach amazing and explosive breakthroughs in these areas.

We continued to speak about limitation and how sometimes we even feel safe in limiting ourselves. We begin to feel safe in the everyday limits we know.

This summer one of my 11 year old students said she was "bad" at visualizing becuase she doesn't have a "good imagination". I challenged this viewpoint and asked her to look beyond what she thinks is a good imagination.

I tie this all back to the initial question - if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? What do you want to dream about but I have felt limited in? What are you stopping yourself from dreaming/visualizing/imagining about?

Today I encourage you to dare to dream. Dream about where you will travel! Today take the steps to think about what you want. If you want to think about travelling, begin to perhaps research this place and look online or through magazines for images, and let yourself daydream and visualize the possibilities!

Day 15

“If you nurture your mind, body, and spirit, your time will expand. You will gain a new perspective that will allow you to accomplish much more.”

- Brian Koslow quotes

Today's word of the day in OM is: EXPAND.
Expand means many things but one of the definitions i like are:
-To open (something) up or out; spread out

What do you need to open up about or where do you want to spread out? Today challenge yourself to expand in an area that you usually do not.

Maybe begin a new book you have wanted to read, or perhaps have no TV for the day and do other things you think/daydream about. Expand yourself!!

Enjoy!

OM.2 - Day 11 - Challenging Normal

Happy Monday OM-ers!
Thank you for participating thus far andf sending your energy into being conscious of your choices. For people who are joining late, just a reminder that you can view everything at:
www.operationmanifestation.blogspot.com

“Bad moods become bad days, which become bad weeks, which become bad months and years. Before you know it, you're living an unhappy life and you probably think this is normal.” - Brenda Anderson

What do you think is normal? Why do you think it is normal? Is it normal because everyone around you believes that it is, or is it normal because it seems to be the only thing that you know. Normal implies going by the rules of society, and complying by the standards set by society. I think that we can all agree that the only way that society has ever gone through transformation and revoultion is when some or one has challenged what is normal.

Today ask yourself:
What do I think is normal?
Why do I think it is normal?
Who told me it was normal?
Does normal make me happy?

You can change what you beleive to be normal. If you beleive being stressed out is the norm, you can change it to feel that being free and joyful is the norm. But it begins with your mind and wanting to change. As soon as you plant the seed of being ready to change and embrace your truest happiness, the seed will begin to grow and take over.

Today challenge yourself to live outside of normal. Do something "different" at work. Speak to new people at work or speak or listen more than usual at work.
When you begin to live outside of the perceived normal, you begin to create your own normal and that is our birthright!

OM.2 - Day 8 & 9: Kindness

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

-Leo Buscaglia

These weekend make a change in how you treat yourself and others! Be kind and gentle to yourself and appreciate all that you are! Do not knock down your confidence with feeling lack or not good enough, instead be kind to yourself and appreciate all that you divinely are.

Be kind to those around you. If you feel comfortable, try smiling at people you do not know, give thank to people who help you, release the fear of making contact with other people, and instead connect through kindness.

Happy Weekend!

OM.2 - Day 8 - Taking It Easy

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Phil 4:6)

"Let Things Come to you" - Yogi Bhajan (by way of Yogi Tea teabag)

The other day a good sisterfriend of mine who is embarking on a huge journey that requires a lot of physical and emotional stamina and time said to me that she almost quit the journey the other day, but she sat still and had some time with God, and a miracle happened that would allow for her to have the whole day off so that she wouldn't feel so overwhelmed. I realized and said to her, "Sometimes we just have to sit still so we can receive God's miracles"

I think our society often rewards those who do so much that they stretch themselves so thin. We think it is normal to be stressed and sleep-deprived while trying to go after our goal. Bless those of you who put your health and sleep first! But for most of us who are working so hard that sometimes we don't even get to enjoy life, today I encourage you to take it easy and let things come to you. If you already take it easy, take a day off from something that you always are doing. Today there is no need to be anxious, instead let us sit still and trust!

When or if you feel yourself going into a moment of stress, panic or fear - remember that you are connected to the Infinite Source and therefore never lacking in any area. Sit still and enjoy what is!

OM.2 - Day 7: Procrastination

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
-Aristotle

What are you repeatedly doing or not doing? Is this building habits that seem to be part of your everyday fabric?

I wanted to start off with this Aristotle quote because it shows that when we repeatedly do excellently, it forms a habit of excellence. When we are always doing our best, the best becomes a habit. Whatever we do, breathe, say, and think all sends a message to the Universe. When you are constantly sending the same message it begins to manifest in your life. By doing excellently, you will attract only excellence.

Today I would like to encourage all OM-ers to confront something that you have been procrastinating about. Perhaps it is washing clothes or dishes, or maybe it is cleaning your room. Maybe it is donating clothes to a local church or painting your bedroom walls. Confront this procrastinated thing with an approach of excellence. For example if you have wanted to remodel your kitchen for a long time, you might not be able to do that all today, but what you can do is call a contractor and get some quotes today or go to Home Depot and pick out some of the items that you want in your new kitchen. Approach all the things that you are procrastinating about with the detail of excellence and accept excellence as your habit.

Here is another quote to leave you with:

“Excellence is in the details. Give attention to the details and excellence will come.” - Perry Paxton

Today confront your procrastination and do it with excellence!

OM.2 - Day 6: Confrontation

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." Christopher Robin to Pooh

~A. A. Milne quotes 

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength.”

~August Wilson 

The English dictionary defines the word confront as "To bring face to face with:" Over the next couple of days I will be encouraging us to confront some of the issues, emotions, perhaps even people that we have locked away and has become apart of our unconscious. When you decide to rent storage space and put your furniture and miscellaneous items away, you still own these items and they still exist. Similarly we sometimes decide to store feelings, emotions and negative habits into our metaphysical storage units and keep them there until we are ready to deal with them.

Today I am encouraging you to begin the journey of making change by opening those storage units and letting out some of the stored items and cleaning it out!

Today on Day 6 I encourage you to begin keeping a list of fears and "bad" habits you are ready to let go of. If you feel ready, today I encourage you to confront one of your fears.

People may think they are fearless, but dig deep. What makes you hesitate? What makes you scared? Do you stay at your job because you are scared you won't get another? (start editting your resume) Do you experience moments of resistance when your phone rings with a number you do not know or that is a "Private Caller"? (Pick up the phone! Confront what is on the other line) Do you fear offending someone? (Speak your mind!) Begin to examine and note when you feel fear, hesitation and resistance. If you feel ready, start to actively confront those issues. But worry not, because writing it down and acknowledging it is an act of confrontation in itself. And once you confront it, it cannot bother you as much as before.

Have a great day!

OM.2 Day 5

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” - Coco Chanel

Day 5 will encourage us to look at our daily habit of how we get dressed for the day. Today I encourage you to make some changes to your appearance in perhaps one of the following ways:
1 - Wear something you have never worn before
2 - Style your hair differently
3 - Wear something that you have been nervous about receiving criticism from
4 - Change your routine, and perhaps take time to get dressed slowly and pay particular attention to your clothing (i.e make time to iron or steam clothes)

I am a firm believer that the person makes the clothes, and the clothes do not make the person. I also think that because we make the clothes, we must acknowledge that our appearance is wholly based on our choice of priorities. If you ever feel not 100% satisfied with your appearance, let Day 5 be the day that you proclaim satisfaction in your appearance and that you take the responsibility and the time to create the appearance that you feel right about.

OM.2 - Day 4: Spicing It Up

Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor. - Wiliam Cowper

Today's area to add change or newness to is to which we consume food-wise. Today I suggest trying a new food or beverage. Eat somewhere new, try a different coffee, cook a new dish, try a new item from the Whole Foods salad bar! For some people this may be VERY hard, and for others this may be VERY simple. Despite the difficulty level of this, we all reap the same benefits from this action which is expansion. We are sending a clear message to the universe that we are open and ready for new energy in our lives and that we are easily adjusting to change. We are expanding our comfort zone and welcoming positive new experiences and people into it!

OM.2 Days 2 + 3

"Just because something feels familiar doesn't mean its the most powerful use of your energy. Take responsibility. Life ebbs and flows. You create the quality of your life with your choices, and your power comes from learning how to navigate the ebb and flow..." - Brenda Anderson, "Playing the Quantum Field"

Over the weekend I suggest you continue to look at your routine. Think about what your "usual weekend" is like and try to break it up or add some spice in it. If you often run errands and feel like the weekend is full of tasks, do something to comfort yourself as well. Make yourself and self care your priority! If you feel like your weekends are times of vegging and "doing nothing", create something for yourself to do - perhaps complete a project at home you have been wanting to finish. Listen to your instincts and what your mind wanders off to.

Here are some suggestions:
-Wake up a new time and try a new habit. Perhaps wake up earlier and take a walk outside with no intentions but to give thanks, or wake up earlier and start your day with a prayer and or meditation. Mornings are a great time for a meditative practice and can really shape the rest of your day.
-Spend time in new spaces: Go to a different place for brunch or your morning coffee, try a new supermarket at a different time
-Take a new approach with some of your household chores. Does doing it with a smile make it more pleasant?

Observe your moods through the day and continue to note where you are feeling great and when you are feeling not so great, this will be useful when we begin to tap into changing moods and outlooks on things.

Life is to be lived and to enjoy every single moment!

Operation Manifestation (OM) 2 Returns: Making Changes

Happy Day 1! I love that today is July 10 because 10 = 1 from a numerological standpoint (1+0=1). 1 is the number of initiative and starts so I am confident that today will be a great day to start the rest of our lives!

"Your choices will change the world" - from a Traditional Medicines tea bag

Sometimes it may be hard to see, but it is true, our choices affect and change the whole world. When we smile at a stranger at the street, we send them love and compassion and then they may be encouraged to also send love and compassion...it is a domino effect.

Today's suggested area of habit/routine to make change in is in travel or transportation. Perhaps:
*You travel a new route to work
*You approach walking with new eyes to see all the beauty around you
*You give an extra big thank you to your bus driver/taxi driver
*Walk down a different street that you hardly walk down

While this may seem like a tiny choice, it will affect all the rest of your choices today, and will also affect your ability to make new choices and open your mind to new ideas and habits!

Note: Feel free to make a change in another area of your life. These are just suggested areas. All actions of making change or doing something different count!

July's New Moon in Cancer 6/22/09 @ 3:35p

Today we will receive a new moon in the sign of Cancer, while the sun is currently in Cancer as well! Cancer is ruled by the Moon, so intuition will be running deep today, and we must listen to it and allow for it to speak to us. The sign of Cancer is typically associated with words like: emotional, moody, protective, nurturing, intuitive, maternal, domestic and touchy. Cancer naturally rules the 4th house, which is the house that defines our domestic affairs, the nature of our home and often one of our parents. So this may be a great time to tap into our home lives and renew our values and goals there.

Our original home though is our body. Our body is truly the home of ALL the atoms and molecules that make us who we are. The body houses are bones, flesh, muscles, thoughts, and breath. Our breath being our key to life and our connection to something outside of our body homes. During a new moon we naturally have energy favoring new habits, new forms and new changes. We are able to tap into this energy if we intend to. The new moon in Cancer prompts a certain energy or sway towards home life and towards the feelings listed above. Our bodies store all emotions, thoughts and memories. They are stored in organs, cells, muscles and body parts and while we may not even be conscious of them, they are there. Listen to the body and listen to the wisdom of the body that you cannot necessarily see with your 2 physical eyes or hear with your 2 physical ears, but that you are still able to sense and work from. What is it telling you? What is affecting your body home? What is making your body home not reach its optimal existence?

It may be time to change something, and it might be something small or something big. There is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein that says,

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

If we do the same thing over and over again, we are reaping the same exact results. And if there is an area in your life that you want to change or improve, it has to start with doing something different. That something different can be anything - it might be the way you think about it, it may be a small minor change or a large change. It has to start somewhere though.

Today I challenge you to start somewhere towards your goals. It might be scary, but fear is inevitable and once confronted will cease to paralyze you ( I have to tell myself this daily as fear is constantly trying to make a way into my home).

Choose to do something different everyday. Try something different, wake up at a different time, take a new route to work in the morning, start thinking about things differently, and see what doorways it leads you to.

Movie Review: The 5 Keys to Mastery

One of the reasons that I am still a Netflix member is because they do have lots of movies/documentaries on spirituality, life, and metaphysics. I recently watched The 5 Keys to Mastery :

The 5 Keys to Mastery are:
1) Surrender to Your Passion
2) Practice,Practice,Practice
3) Get a Guide
4) Visualize the Outcome
5) Play the Edge

The 2 keys that I feel inclined to discuss more are:
* Practice, Practice, Practice
* Visualize the Outcome

I think that life is just all a practice. There is never a finale or a point of true completion. We may set a goal to reach, and upon getting there we realize that there is another goal to move towards immediately following. We may learn to play a song on the piano that we have been practicing for ages and finally get it right, and then realize it is time to move on to the next song. Practice connotes a continuum and allows us to have different amounts and expressions of practice as long as we keep the outcome in mind. Whatever it is that you love and are committed to, practice it daily. Faith without work is dead. Practice a little, practice a lot until practice is living in every singly action and decision to take.
Visualize the outcome! Work backwards. Instead of trying to work towards something, imagine you are already there, and work backwards and believe you are already at the outcome, now just try to fill in the everything in between.

This is a 1 hour long movie with interesting interviewees, I definitely think many actors can benefit from this film as it interviews quite a bit of actors and acting coaches and gives tips on auditions specifically. It is a short movie, and may inspire you to surrender more deeply into your passion!

Sending Clear Messages to The Universe

We are constantly sending messages to the Universe through our thoughts, our words and our actions. Every single feeling and action has meaning and each is received by the Universe and processed. There is no thought or word that is not accounted for. I don't write this scare you or to make you feel that you have a whole bunch of messages out there that you didn't mean to send. I write this to encourage you to commit to sending clear messages through your thoughts, through your spoken and unspoken words, and through you actions. Everyday is a new day to do better and to learn from the previous day.

So I ask you, are you sending clear messages to the Universe? When you are not controlling your mind, what kind of thoughts and feelings do you automatically have? Do you automatically have feelings of overwhelm and fear? Or does your mind autopilot to peace and excitement for life? I would guess that each day is different and presents different thoughts and actions due to the course of events of the day. However I have faith that you can live in a mind of peace constantly no matter what the course of the day and no matter how many seeming challenges come up.

Today send your clear messages, set the pace that you want your life to take through your thoughts, actions and words. All yourself to live in peace and receive the goodness that you are sending out to the Universe!

Full Moon Tonight (Tomorrow Morning) in Scorpio 5/9/09 @ 12:01am EST

Today you may feel the energy shifting as we approach a full moon tonight (around midnight). A Full Moon is a time where there are strong pulls from both the sun and the moon; the sun representing daytime, action, practical, and rational thinking and the moon representing nighttime, rest, and the subconscious and emotional states. The full moon is a time of peak and FULLNESS, which is great because there is a lot of potential with that fullness, but it can also be overwhelming because it is almost as though every emotion, thought and area of your life is being stimulated and it seems you have no control over stopping the stimlualtion or slowing it down.

But trust, it just seems that way. Today, do your best to take a few moments (if you are feeling overwhelmed or just on the brink of feeling overwhelmed) to sit calmly and engage in something that wholistically relaxes you (cooking, meditating, journaling, etc). Call on that inner guide that is always working and that always brings peace and always directs you perfectly.

The full moon will be in the sign of Scorpio. Right now as the sun is in Taurus, the moon is in the sign opposite/complimentary to Taurus, Scorpio - so there are the energies of Taurus - practicality, steadiness and the energies of Scorpio - intensity, darkness all surfacing at the same time. The sign of Scorpio is a water sign, and its known symbol is the Scorpion; known to have lethal claws and a deadly sting. However another image for Scorpio is an eagle. There is a wisdom and intelligence as well as an unbound courage and journey for freedom resounding in the energy of this sign as well. The sign of Scorpio encourages us to get in contact with our subconscious and our intuition, and then the BIG challenge arises - TO ACTUALLY ACT UPON THAT INTUITION AND TRUST IT!!

Release your intuition through action today. Trust your inner guide and know that you are an intelligent being. The Bible says: Faith without works is dead (James 2:20), well intuition without acting upon it is as good as dead. This next part of the moon cycle while the moon is waning (getting smaller in appearance in the sky) is the ideal time to release habits, thought patterns, relationships, jobs, etc that are no longer serving your highest purpose on the planet. ***Important note***We are at the beginning of a Mercury Retrograde so releasing and getting rid of things that have been semi-permanent structures in one's life may have an extra stubborness, just be patient and release them through your mind and through ritual and soon they will be released from your physical life.

Allow yourself to be apart of the earth, and change as the trees do this season. Allow new leaves and flowers to bud and know that the leaves that fell and withered in the past few months are now apart of something else so that you could make room for new life energy.

I like what Astrowisdom.com has to say about this full moon:

The Full Moon in Scorpio is a time to release attachment to old pain and arise like a phoenix from the ashes of burned off karma; freed from narcissistic self-obsession and ready to help others heal their own pain. Jupiter (relating), Chiron (wounding) and Neptune (transcendence) in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces make this a particularly potent New Moon in Scorpio to wake up and out of victimology. Visualize yourself as a snake, shedding its dead skin to reveal gleaming new colors. The fresh-faced innocence of Venus and Mars in Aries will give you the energy to start anew.

Allow and accept the transformation to continue and know that you are going to the perfect place. Take some time today to also visualize the perfect place for you and to do one act that is bringing you closer to it. It is truly a new season and a new day!

Peace to you all...!

Thoughts of the Day: Accepting Your Truest Self and Success

Quotes of the Day:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson 

What could you not accept, if you but knew that everything that happens, all events, past, present, and to come, are gently planned by One Whose only purpose is your good?

-A Course in Miracles

Success is a journey, not a destination. 

-Ben Sweetland

Congratulations on maintaining your personal journey into success today on day 21!

I hope that the last 21 days have been as self-investigative and momentous for you as they have been for me.  I thank you so much for reading, and joining me with your energy on the mental and spiritual planes!  I am so thankful for your participating and helping me to learn these lessons in a special way.

Today I want to talk about conflict.  Someone recently confessed to me something along the lines that they were scared that God's plan for them would not match up to their plan for themselves.  I also admit that these used to be the main thoughts on my mind and wondering what if God wants _____ for me or what if _____ doesn't happen for me? Well I leave you with 2 things - 1) God only wants what is TRULY perfect for you and 2) Accept that and you will open up new energies into your life, as well as release energies from your life.  Sometimes releasing is very challenging because we have attached ourselves so heavily to an object or another person, that when they are released from our life it seems like a painful loss.  Sometimes acquiring is challenging as it puts new responsibilities on our plate. Accept.  Accept what is happening, and realize that it is all for your growth, development, and ability to live at optimal level.  

As you continue to accept, your life shall unfold and you will be RIGHT in the place where your desires coincide with God's desires for  you.  WHAT A DIVINE PLACE!! In that place, you are FREE and 100% supported and able to manifest anything you want, because you know that it is beyond the ego and beyond human desires - it is what must happen, simply put.

May you all continue on your paths with LOVE and getting to know your Divine self!  

Thought for the Day: Being Compassionate

Thought for the Day:

Through compassion you find that all human beings are just like you.

- The Dalai Lama

Despite all the differences that we are taught to think that we have from one another, we are actually more alike then we are different.  Through compassion, we are able to realize that we are one in the same, and when we realize that we are one in the same, we are able to:

1) Help others with ease

2) Allow others to help us with ease

3) Realize how interconnected we are to all those around us or whom we are attracting

Each person that we encounter give us a chance to see our reflection; like attracts like.  It may be in a different form than ourselves or expressed differently but it is one in the same.  If you are attracting people who you are not crazy about, instead of wanting them to change, think about how you can change your view of them and share more love with them.  In this way, being compassionate allows us to grow closer to individuals as well as to communities and humanity.

It is often that while we grow closer to humanity in this way, that we are able to allow for our inner voice and inner desires to surface.  We are often able to see what we are able to see all the potential we have to offer to humanity and our communities.

Sometimes it may seem as though we are alone or that there is no one supporting us and our goals.  I challenge you, if you are feeling this, to support someone else (in whatever way is relevant to you - pray for someone, donate to someone's cause, etc).  As you support others, you will feel the support from others in a mental and physical way.  Today, if you are feeling that there is something lacking in your life (love, opportunity, etc), give it! Give your love to someone, give an opportunity to someone...etc.  What we give returns to us multifold.

As you continue to make your affirmations today, think about what you are doing and how what you are affirming and manifesting is helping humanity in ANY way!  As you see how it is helpful, you will see that it is happening and supported by the Universe!

Thought of the The Day: Receiving

Thought of the Day:

Breathe.Believe.Recieve

It's All Happening

- Papaya Art Print

I believe the best way to receive is to release the need to control.  There are so many things including time, people, and other tangible and intangible objects that are simply not in our control.  When you accept that all is happening for a reason and trust that the way that life is turning out is for THE BEST, you release control.  

Releasing control is often one of the most challenging lessons for anyone to learn.  Often time, our body will face a physical dis-ease to remind us to let go and force us to physically let go.  Last year I had a surgery performed on my right hand.  I realized that this accident that caused the surgery occurred for multiple reasons, and one of them being a sign and message for me to let go.  As a person who is right hand dominant, not having the same access to my beloved right hand forced me to let go and pause in many ways.  There were simply things that I had no power to control.  

As I let go, I also LET IN.  I allowed for my beloved friends and family to help me, and the kindest moment being my dear sisterfriend  washing my hair for me (that was something else I could not do).  While allowing myself to let go, I was able to let others in and allow myself to receive some true blessings and memorable treasures and valuable lessons.

Affirm today:  I allow the Universe to unravel perfectly.  I am at peace with the Universe.  I am the Universe.

Trust that all is happening perfectly, and you shall receive a bliss that will continue to grow and develop and turn into all of your dreams and goals!

Thought of the Day: Walking By Faith

Thought of the Day:

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

- 2 Corinthians 5:7

Have you ever been to Antarctica?  Most likely the answer is no.  Yet do you believe that it exists? Most likely the answer in yes.

Do no be discouraged if you are not able to physically see some of the manifestations that you have been affirming and working towards.  Don't you know that the physical eye is limited, and does not always see EVERYTHING.  How many times have you been searching for your keys or your wallet, could not see it, but yet it was right in front of you?

Similarly, you may think that you cannot see your physical manifestations, but yet they ARE right in front of you.  They may be in a form that you are not yet able to recognize as  your manifestation, or that your physical eye may not be able to see.  The physical eye is limited only to things that the mind believes as true.  In fact, your physical eye may be narrowing in on something tiny that when magnified, appears larger than it is.  Do not be moved by challenges that only seem big because your are narrowing in on them, making them appear larger than they actually are.  Do not be moved by these challenges, for they are only potentials for your growth!

There are so many things that we cannot physically see.  We don't see the cells in our body, but we know that they are busy working, multiplying and healing.  We don't see our bones and internal organs but we know they are vital and we must take care of them.  Treat your manifestations and your goals in this same way.  Even though you may not have physical proof for the eye of your goals and dreams being in existence RIGHT NOW, does not mean that they are not existing!!!  They are just as alive as anything you can or cannot see.

Hold on tight to your faith and to your belief and stand in that faith, even when feeling discouraged, walk by faith and not by sight!

Thought of the Day: The Mental Garden

Thought Of the Day:

Cultivate the garden within.

- Proverb

We are all growing a garden in our minds.  Imagine that every single thought that you have is a seed.  And with nutrients and energy and positive people and encouragement, those seeds are planted and then grow into a flower or a field or an orchard in the physical world.  However when the seed that you plant is not taking to the ground which you planted it in, it may be time to re-examine the soil which you are planting it in.  It may not be a problem with the seed, in fact, it may be that the soil is dry and has not been tilled.  

What kind of soil are you keeping within?  Are you tilling your soils and weeding it regularly?

Similar to an actual garden, the mental garden will sometimes grow weeds.  These weeds can grow tall and sometimes overpower the other plants in the garden.  Weeds will suck nutrients from the soil and potentially starve the other plants.

Weeds are apart of nature and are going to grow, but it is up to us to determine how far we will let them grow, or if we will uproot them as soon as we see a sign of one.

Today take care of your mental and spiritual garden.  Uproot any weeds or undesirable thoughts that are trying to make a permanent stay in your mind and in your life.  Give value to the thoughts that you are actively planting and make room for them to grow strong and healthy roots to produce a ripe and delicious crop!

Day 16: True Gratitude

Thoughts Of the Day:

Fake it till you make it.

-Unknown 

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.

Brian Tracy

Now that you have been practicing your affirmations, reflect on your attitude.  Has affirming and being committed to your faith in your ability to manifest created a new sort of attitude or has it enhanced your existing attitude?

*How would you act right now if everything that you have affirmed and prayed for was 100% present in the physical world?*

Well that is how you should be acting and feeling right now!  You should be feeling whatever way you would feel.  

If you truly believe in the your words and what you have been working towards, then you may have experienced an attitude adjustment over the last 16 days.  What does it mean to truly believe in your words?  It means that you are so faithful in them that you already KNOW that you have manifested everything that you affirmed as soon as you opened your mouth!  How could belief adjust your attitude?  Well because you are believing so strongly, you are in a state of deep and unconditional gratitude, therefore constantly always in a good mood full of joy because you are acting in the same way you would act when all your manifestations occur.  You must be oozing gratitude out so much that you are smiling and rejoicing in every arena that you step into.

Faking it till you make it is part of our everyday lexicon, but what it really means is to walk with gratitude.  Know that you have already made it and give thanks to those who have helped you, encouraged you, and taught you the lessons that you needed!  When you give thanks, you are acknowledging the receipt of an action or a thing, so BEGIN GIVING THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGING YOUR RECEIPT NOW!  Thank all that surrounds you - people and things!

As you find yourself dwelling in this state of gratitude more and more, you will find that:

1) It is impossible for anything to steal your joy.

2) That you are truly empowered to steer your life.

3) That an attitude of gratitude attracts more moments in life to be thankful for.

Thank you all for reading this and participating and contributing your energies to this plane of thought and for truly changing the world through your thoughts!

Thought of the Day: The Force of Love

Thought of the Day:

Love is the Force that Gets Things Done.

-Inez Singletary

Lately I have been thinking a lot about time, and I confess that one of the challenges that I deal with regularly is being present and patient, and allowing the NOW or today to speak for itself and provide for itself, rather than to let anxieties about the future ruin or disturb the equilibrium of the now.

I love the quote above and I reference it constantly to myself and to others.  Sometimes we think that it is physical objects like money or people who make things happen, but what is behind those physical objects that are appearing to move things?  What is truly the force that produces success, happiness, miracles, great opportunities, and everything else?  I propose that it is love, and that it is love that truly makes all things happen.    Miracles happen out of love, and people open up because of love, and so on and so forth.

Where we are today, as happy, is through love.

Nothing positive or momentous has ever happened in this world without some love.  Without love, there is nothing, there is stagnancy, there is fear, there is anger, there is scarcity.  So if you are experiencing any of these nouns, I challenge you to add more love into the equation in whatever way is comfortable and makes sense for you.  Be the force to help and encourage all those who are around you.  Let yourself give love.  It is free!  

"Peace begins with a smile" - Mother Theresa, let it start with you!

Thought of the Day: The Importance of Love

Thought of the Day:

That Love is all there is,
Is all we know of Love.
~Emily Dickinson

When we live life simply and embrace love into all parts of our existence and communication, it can help us to truly put into perspective what living is all about. While we may turn on the news and be bombarded with messages of studies, and findings and observations - what really matters at the end of the day is love. Love is much more deep than just holding hands or romance, but love is about true compassion and remaining steady and committed to compassion. Spend time with your friends, family and other loved ones. Remember how important they are to you, and be important to them in return. Let all of your relationships be infused with love so much that it seeps into every interaction you have in life!

Thought of the Day: Seeing What is Right in Front of you

Thought of the Day:

Conquer what is right in front of you...then you can conquer what is ahead.

-Dr. Creflo Dollar 

One of the most challenging parts of Sunday night for me is preparing for the upcoming week ahead, specifically for Monday.  My mind begins to think of everything that is due, needs to be addressed, needs to be followed up on and it begins to jumble into one big mess.

At Church this weekend, my pastor said the above-mentioned quote and as I heard it, I thought that this was something to share.  While it is important to keep our eyes on the prize or the final product/end result, it is also important to address one moment and one task at a time.  Sometimes we look so far ahead that we do not see that it is one simple thing right before us that we must conquer or do that will accelerate our path to our desired destination.

Today I challenge you to look at the tasks right in front of you, closest to you - the tasks on your desk, in your email, in your mailbox and take the time to conquer them all today and this week.  As you conquer them, you may notice that there are more tasks that appear.  Remember that when tasks are presented, it means that you are moving to a new level and you are not at all standing still, but are marching along.  Be confident that you are gaining momentum to conquer victoriously all of the tasks ahead of you as you take time to be present to address all that are currently in front of you!

Thought of the Day: Adding Action to you Thoughts

Thought of the Day

Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mind is the wielder of muscles. The force of a hammer blow depends on the energy applied; the power expressed by a man's bodily instrument depends on his aggressive will and courage. The body is literally manufactured and sustained by mind. Through pressure of instincts from past lives, strengths or weaknesses percolate gradually into human consciousness. They express as habits, which in turn ossify into a desirable or an undesirable body. Outward frailty has mental origin; in a vicious circle, the habit-bound body thwarts the mind. If the master allows himself to be commanded by a servant, the latter becomes autocratic; the mind is similarly enslaved by submitting to bodily dictation.

-Paramhansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi

Congratulations to all for making it to a half way point for OM!  Your new affirmations are starting to form new habits in your way of thinking (whether you are conscious of it or not).  Today I want to talk about the importance now of adding action to your affirmations.  

Imagine your brain/mind as the nose of the ship - it is what will guide you and steer you, but there are still so many other parts of the ship that have to be apart of the sailing process.  In this same way, it is important to make sure that you are matching actions up with your thoughts and being mindful of keeping your actions in line with your thoughts.

If you are working on manifesting a healthy lifestyle, repeating affirmations committed to health is great, and now you must allow your body to begin to follow those affirmations and start showing its committment to a healthy lifestyle.  If you are saying these affirmations, but eating only junk food, are you truly lined up wholly to manifest your intentions?  

Or are you allowing your body to steer the ship and letting the mind follow?

Now that you are allowing for change to occur on the mental and spiritual planes, allow and be open to change to occur on the physical plane!

Thought for the Day: Letting it Rain; April Showers Bring May Flowers

Thought for the Day:

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. - Rabindranath Tagore 

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. - Frederick Douglass

I am inspired to write today by what I see in looking out my window.  Other New York City residents reading this (if you're close to where I am) may be experiencing a similar scene from their window.  It has been raining today since you awoke and there has not even been a brief appearance today by the sun.  It is a cool rain that encourages you to stay right where you are (probably inside).

Sometimes the rain is shunned by society, we see it as an inconvenience - we have to carry extra accessories like umbrellas, we are more aware of the possibility of frizzy hair, and just the concept of getting wet bothers many people.  Today I have stayed put myself and have enjoyed what the rain sometimes does offer which is a moment to embrace stillness.  The rain is necessary for all life to exist, so we might as well give thanks!  Just as important as the sun, the earth, and wind, rain literally provides nutrients to the soil for plants to grow and life form to exist and thrive.  Metaphorically speaking rain is the element which provides moments for us to reflect and grow as well.  A healthy life needs all 4 elements and equal amounts!  

There is a Kirk Franklin song called "Hide Me", the lyrics say:

Hide me

Let me live behind You
Cause I need
Shelter from the rain
Remind me
The only way my faith can grow
Is when You let Your winds blow
You're making me stronger now, so rain,
Don't go away
Don't go away

Following up to yesterday's message, embrace the rainy days as you do the sunny days - they are both days that are necessary for your whole health and growth.  Remember that the rain (both literally and figuratively) is here to nurture you and give you life!  You are always supported by this Universe!

Thought For the Day: Overcoming Challenges

Thought For the Day:

“If you are going through hell, keep going.”

-Winston Churchill

The only way to move on from a challenging situation is to confront it, look it in the eye and move through it.  Once you confront the situation and look it in the eye, you will see that it is nothing more than a mere teaching exercise of temporary nature.  You may even thank the situation for existing in order to help show you areas that you want to grow in and habits you are ready to release.  As you move through the situation, you will see that it is temporary, and therefore not worth stress or sadness.

One of the most challenging lessons to learn in life for me has been to remain joyful and not let ANYONE or ANYTHING steal my joy.  Yogi Bhajan says, "Happiness is our birthright", so I must hold onto that birthright and keep it with me at all times no matter how difficult or how trying the situation is to the spirit.  

Continue to confront your challenges.  Challenges are often mirrors reflecting back areas that we still remain fearful in.  So confront the areas that you are still operating fearfully or hesitantly in.  What is holding you back from radiating your most confident self?  Why are you still in a situation that makes you operate fearfully?  Are you moving through the fear or are you simply standing in it paralyzed...?

Continue to affirm and remember that each affirmation is movement in itself.  Sending you the momentum to live joyfully full of love every breath of your life!

Thought For The Day: Manifesting During a Full Moon!

Thought of the Day:

Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides

-Rita Mae Brown

Today, Thursday April 9, 2009 @ 10:56am EST marked a full moon in the sign of Libra. The full moon is a special time. The full moon represents a culmination and a fullness; this is a time where you can expect some of the effort that you have been putting in to reveal itself in some way. The full moon marks the point where the moon can get no larger, so it reaches its most full point and then begins to release.

The full moon is a time of wholeness, it is a time of sometimes so much wholeness that we can feel like we are about to burst. The full moon though will show us our potential, it will show all the things we are able to perform and visions we are able to manifest. This feeling of fullness is a gift as it encourages us and surprises us. Let this be a time of a) reflection on all the things that you are working on and how far you have moved. Think about how far you have come in 1 month, 6 months, and 1 year. Allow yourself to be still yet at at the same time grow within stillness and b)releasing - allow yourself once having reflected to let go of any extra baggage or pieces we have picked up along the way that we no longer choose to carry. The full moon is the culmination; yet with every culmination comes a release. The full moon is the moon preparing to wane, so this is naturally a good time to release while the moon is waning. Allow yourself stillness, releasing of habits, items, and other existences that seem to be cluttering your mind and physical existence.

Today take the time to list some of the positive experiences that you have experienced through your affirmations, make a list of all that you are thankful for and meditate of that! Allow yourself to be full in gratitude and joy and continue to attract moments and things that will keep adding to your gratitude. The full moon in the sign of Libra is a time of balance. Libra is the sign of justice and balance, so on this day EXPECT for your affirmations to be balanced with some physical manifestations.

Stay Abundant!

Thought For The Day: What Lies Within You...

Thought for The Day:

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

- Luke 17:20-21

What does it mean to have God's kingdom within you?  Have you thought about that recently?  It is the only reason that we are able to manifest in our life.

We are each uniquely special and hold something very divine within us, it is just a matter of activating that special divine place.  Think of it like your bank card.  When it arrives in the mail, it is just a piece of plastic, but as soon as you call that 1-800 number all of a sudden within moments it has special value and becomes something that you carry around with you all the time.

Affirmations are one way of tapping into that divine power within us and activating a new realm that allows for miracles to take place regularly.  

Often time we look outside of ourselves when we are faced with a challenge.  We see the challenge as an outside situation and we also see the solution as an outside thing.  Well I challenge you to take a look within.  Oftentimes it is simply our ego that is holding us  back from serious breakthrough and our best life.  The things that we seek outside of us may provide a temporary happiness or a moment of distraction, but nothing on the outside of your true self will ever be the key to unlocking your potential and your dreams.  Not another person, not a different living situation, not more money!  You have everything you need RIGHT NOW deep inside you.  Look within to see the root of your challenges and obstacles and look within to seek the solutions - I guarantee you that they are located in the same spot.

Sending you peace and the courage to go within!

Thought For the Day: Possibility

Thought For the Day:
I dwell in possibility.
- Emily Dickinson

Sometimes it takes but 4 words to say something profound and inspiring. I have a friend who uses this quote in her email signatures, and recently I have been thinking a lot over OM about possibility.

The Merriam-Webber dictionary defines possibility as:
1 a: being within the limits of ability, capacity, or realization b: being what may be conceived, be done, or occur according to nature, custom, or manners
2 a: being something that may or may not occur b: being something that may or may not be true or actual
3: having an indicated potential

Etymology wise, possibility comes from the Latin possibilis meaning"that can be done," and from posse "be able". In the Italian language the verb "I can" is posso.

Imagine if everything that you see as a possibility you give value to, and know that it is available freely to you! The English language connotes that a possibility is not always something that will manifest, yet the root of this word shows that in fact it means that a possibility is something that ONLY can be achieved.

Today I challenge you to dwell in possibility and give value and faith to all the possibilities that you seek in life and that life seeks in you

Day 6: Acceptance and Effortlessly Living

Thoughts for the Day:

An integral being knows withough going, sees without looking and accomplishes without doing.

-Lao Tzu

There are three components to the Law of Least Effort -- three things you can do to put this principle of "do less and accomplish more" into action. The first component is acceptance. Acceptance simply means that you make a commitment: "Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances, and events as they occur." This means I will know that this moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it should be. This moment -- the one you're experiencing right now -- is the culmination of all the moments you have experienced in the past. This moment is as it is because the entire universe is as it is.

- Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

What does it mean to effortlessly exist and live? Last year a dear friend of mine gave me this chapter from Deepak Chopra's The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success titled The Law of Least Effort.  I confess that the idea of least effort through me into a moment of confusion and resistance.  I thought to myself: "Least effort?? I cannot just sit back and let things will come to me!  I have to control them!  What if they don't come?"

However the concept of doing less and effortlessly living is not so much about "not doing anything", but rather is more about:

A) Living in the Present - dealing with one moment at a time and being your best during it

B) Having Faith to know that you are protected and supported and that all situations and matters will resolve themselves perfectly when you apply and practice FAITH!

c) ACCEPTANCE - accepting where you are at every moment.  When you accept something, it means you take it as it is and pass no judgement onto it - no need to question or to begin to go into panic, but practice faith to know that you are equipped to go through it and learn from it.

Accept exactly where you are in your life today and LOVE the every moment.  My pastor, Dr. Dollar, this weekend said something very moving - "Learn to be anointed right where you are".  You're blessed right at this moment, and you have already manifested all you are working on as soon as you decided to commit to change and spoke your affirmations out loud, you manifested!

Enjoy the NOW.  Give thanks for every manifestation that ever occurs (regardless of where it falls in time)!

Thought of the Day: Giving

Thought of the Day:

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." - Luke 6:38

I want to thank all of you who have shared with me your opinions, honesty, gratitude, and criticism with me thus far.  Particularly I am thankful to be able to share with you all and work as a community on strengthening and building our faith, confidence, love and all that good stuff.  

I have a yoga teacher who often during our practice will remind us that yoga is a practice that shows that you truly get what you give.  She always says that the practice of yoga wants you to give as much as you can, but it will never ask more than what you have to give.

Similar to life and with your affirmations and the new transformations that you all have decided to work on, you must continue to give all that you have.  What you have may change daily, but give all of it, give all of your heart to your practice of life and your practice of affirming.  All that you give out to the world and to yourself you receive instantly.  So give to your spirit and soul - nurture and spend time building this true and beautiful part of yourself that wants for you to be free and a joyful being.  And give to those around you.  We all have something so special to give and share - don't be shy with it, it wants to come back and give to you!

Day 4: Releasing Resistance

Thought For the Day:

All inner resistance is experienced as negativity in one form or another. All negativity is resistance. In this context, the two words are almost synonymous.

Negativity ranges from irritation or impatience to fierce anger, from a depressed mood or sullen resentment to suicidal despair. Sometimes the resistance triggers the emotional pain body…The ego believes that through negativity it can manipulate reality and get what it wants.... The fact is, of course, that negativity does not work. Instead of attracting a desirable condition, it stops it from arising. Instead of dissolving an undesirable one, it keeps it in place.

Once you have identified with some form of negativity, you do not want to let it go, and on a deeply unconscious level, you do not want positive change. It would threaten your identity as a depressed, angry or hard-done-by person. You will then ignore, deny or sabotage the positive in your life. This is a common phenomenon. It is also insane. ~ Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

I have been called to write about resistance.  I confess that there have been times that I wanted to avoid my affirmations or procrastinate on doing them.  And I had to question "Where is this resistance to my truest and happiest life coming from?"  It was confirmed that I needed to address this when a couple of people participating in OM told me that this was a bit more challenging than they were expecting.  Without judgement to myself or anyone else, I just ask - Why is it easier of more comfortable to be in a state of discontent?  Why do we settle for living half way?  And why do we often resist the habits and/or exercises that will lead us to vibrating at our fullest potential?

Resistance is what fear uses to keep us in place.  It encourages us to not believe and to be faithless.  And we must release resistance regularly in order to move on and to yield breakthroughs.  If you are truly ready for the success, you will have to stand up to resistance.  Release resistance with actions of choosing love and tasks of love, rather than tasks or moments of fear and numbing.  Release resistance by affirming:

I release resistance and all fear, I proclaim that I am now ready to receive perfect love [insert any other noun which you may be working on].

Sometime when I first began my journey into the subconscious and to affirmations, I found that often I preferred to listen to my iPod on shuffle of music, rather than listen to my customized affirmations.  Why did I resist these affirmations?  Sometimes I would resist and not listen, and other times, I would step over what I thought I wanted (which is what my ego wanted - fear, unhappiness), and I would listen to the affirmations anyway, and as I listened I would enjoy them and eventually come to a place of gratitude for stepping over my ego.

Resistance will present itself in our life.  Let us use it to strengthen us, and to make us victors in this existence.  Use it to your advantage to grow stronger and more committed to your truest self and life.