Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The Traveler



I have been getting a visualization lately that I love. It is a warm summer day and I am dressed for hiking and with a back pack. I have a walking stick in my left hand as I am walking a path through a dense and bright green forest. It is a sunny and breezy day and the forest is alive with colors, sounds, smells, textures and energy. I am drinking in every moment of the experience. This is my sabbatical.

It is peaceful. I am alone and yet, I know that I am not alone. Before me, there are those who have traveled this way before. They reach out their hand to guide me from their own path. Their words of wisdom, love and support teach me that I am on the right path. Beside me I have many around me that are supporting me in my journey - the people in my life and my spirit guides. With their love they provide the space I need to travel this journey. I know that no harm will come to me. I am in union with the glory and energy of nature! I have no concerns about the beginning and end to this path, I am only in the moment. There is no destination, only "being".

"When you once begin to find God in your soul,
presently you will begin to
discover him in other men's souls and
eventually in all the creatures and
creations of a mighty universe."
The Urantia Book, Page 1733 (155:6.13)


With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Marijo Receives the Friends Award!

What a great surprise! I just received the Friends Award from Laura at Laura Reviews. Thank you Laura - I am honored by your award!

I am also honored by the people who are following this blog. I regularly receive emails and phone calls from people around the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you... your encouragement keeps me inspired!

And so, here are the details of the award:

These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

In the spirit of the award, I am "paying it forward" and I encourage you all to take a look at their sites! When I need a laugh, some inspiration, or some great perspectives, I run to these sites first:

Thought Gadgets
A Little Life Music A Big Life Dance
Leadership Learning
My Stream of Thoughts
Mocha Momma
Desperately Searching For My Inner Mary Poppins

And, of course, my friend Laura! :-)

With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Always and Never

In our culture, we like the certainty of talking about "always" and "never", and of course we can "always" find an exception to any rule (therefore, disproving either one). Many arguments will start or escalate once these words are introduced into the conversation.

So why do we use these concepts? We are socialized to use anchors to provide stability and predictability. As a change consultant, I often asked "where are the anchors?", the things that people feel they can count on "regardless". These anchors would help them manage - and in some cases endure - change. I worked with organizations to design new structures and then pour cement all over them.

Last week, I talked about a book that I read which really hit home for me regarding many aspects of my personality. It said a lot in a mere 120 pages. I submerged myself deeply in the message and looked at my own life as well as my beliefs (both past and current).

This sabbatical is about me pushing the envelope in many ways as deeply as I can. I am doing a lot of introspection and burrowing on my perceptions and beliefs. Mentally I leave a delicate silk thread to bring me back from the edge when I go on these journeys in order to preserve my sanity (or so I like to think). It allowed me to go very deep and pull myself out. In this case, I went to the times in my life where I believed it was 100% true. This time, I went for broke.

It was a sobering experience. I became deeply honest with myself in a way that I don't remember doing before. I saw where it is me and it isn't me, even in the exact same moment. I took full responsibility for my beliefs and past behavior and was able to lay it down and let go. Since then, I feel more "whole", centered and serene. Another turn of the crank...

I also realized that I was going down a rabbit hole and creating new anchors, a new story. Ha! There is a lot of truth in my behavior, but my behavior is not the Truth of who I am. When I looked at the times when this was "100% true", it was true in that moment and also a product of past experience and current beliefs. It was also a series of moments over millions of moments in my life. How do we embrace the totality of Truth in it's many facets and dimensions, and traverse the many possibilities of what is/is not true in that moment? I was able to experience a single moment and simultaneously pull back and experience the context of the moment, and see a broader perspective in both.

We cling to anchors and regard them as truth because we want structure and form. We want to be able to neatly explain our past, and with a high degree of certainty be able to predict our future. We are in love with this idea! Six Sigma is a philosophy and discipline dedicated to creating predictable results to the nth degree. To live by structure means that we are locked in structure, too. And then people feel trapped in a system they believe they cannot change.

Everything
is flexible, fluid and dynamic, but it is hard for us to wrap our heads around that all the time. It is helpful to remember that change happens in an instant. Moment by moment, we choose whatever experience we want to create, but it is sometimes easier to think that we are victims of our circumstances or follow a process in autopilot.

We can stick by our story and anchors, create news ones, or just let them go. We can make the same choices, just do it consciously and with joy. Ask yourself throughout the day - "What am I creating - now, in this moment? What anchors have I created and am now blindly hanging on to? Am I trapped in my own story?".

In appreciation for this moment... and this one... and this one.... Love, Mj XOXO

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Time to Pause...

I am in some identity work today. Catalysts work in our life in many wonderful and sometimes unexpected or unusual ways, and staying open to the ridiculous or unexpected synchronicity is important for our own growth. Last year, I was writing in my journal and my task was to learn from everybody, "...even homeless people". About 10 days later - and I probably would have not recognized the opportunity - I had a conversation with a homeless person that changed my views on determination and hope. Last week it was a teddy bear.

Today, it is a book that I bought about five years ago but did not have the courage to read until now. I did not have enough self acceptance to hear the words. So, I may be off line for a while as I take this inside for some inner soul work. This is for me - as any moment can be for us at any point in our lives - a point of trajectory that is helping me be more consciously aware, that is reshaping how I view my past and creating a platform for my future.

With gratitude for every moment of grace. Love, Mj XOXO

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Thursday, May 7, 2009

Meet Boobah, the Wonder Bear

This will be one of the most, er, unusual posts I have written. I see in a lot of spiritual writings that there is a point where a person has to go mad, crazy, unglued before they reach the other side. I think I am taking - hope this is - a step in that direction. I shan't shake my head too much lest a marble or two roll out...

The story begins on Sunday during my healing session with Joy Adler. It is our second session and we were working on things that I started discovering over three years of talking and introspection. We telepath our hopes, our dreams, our wounds and our triumphs through our energy field, and Joy is one of those people who is trained to read that energy.

During our session, we are working on my force of will. At first, I thought "F***, there is that anger I thought I let go of". Now, after a few days, I can see how I have a strong force of will. It has served me well during times of determination, and it has also worked against me when it has been bundled with my personal logic and created mischief in my relationships. So I scheduled some time on my calendar this week to journal and do some introspection work. My husband was going on a business trip, so the timing was working out well. By golly, I was going to get rid of this thing and be done with it. (Hmmmm, see how force of will can work against me? ;-)

Sunday night, I am going to bed and I look at a stuffed bear that we have on the headboard. I ask myself a question - is processing and integrating my session "full on" the only way to approach what is going on with me? What if I used a softer approach where I comforted and nurtured myself instead? With that thought, I act on the impulse to take the bear with me into bed and hold it. Yeah, I know, I am a grown adult. Sounds crazy. And, there was a strange comforting feeling that I got from doing this. I feel like a whack job writing this, and laughing. Bear with me, it gets even better. Yeah - pun intended. ;-)

We also sleep together Monday night and I sneak her back onto the floor in the early morning hours before my husband wakes up. Tuesday, hubby is gone on his trip and I decide that me and the bear are going to spend some quality time together. In the daylight, no more sneaking around like we are having an affair in the dark of night. Well, only behind closed doors. I'm not that brave or crazy to take her to the local grocery store.

So meet Boobah, the Wonder Bear. Over the course of 48 hours, Boobah and I spent a lot of time together: fixing meals, working on the computer, reading, watching TV together, playing, carrying her around like a baby. And in that time, she became a wonderful catalyst. She symbolically helped me in several ways:

  • At first, I allowed myself to enjoy the tactile sensation of her soft fur, which was comforting. From time to time, people will share stories of their special childhood blanket and how comforting it felt when they rubbed the silk seam (and oh by the way, how they still have that blanket and pull it out from time to time). It felt like that.
  • Next, Boobah evolved into a young puppy, soft and cuddly and it felt playful and fun. I remembered times in my life when I played with puppies and enjoyed their innocence and playfulness.
  • Then, I started to remember many different times when I held babies and small children in my arms, talked and read stories to them over the years. I could feel the love and bonding that I felt for the child in those moments. I felt my heart open a little more.
  • I moved on to thinking about the children who will be in the New World Leadership school that is opening in September, where my husband and I are investors. I visualized children running around the yard, playing with each other, learning, exploring. We are helping to create a special place for them. My heart opened even more.
  • Then this little wonder bear represented my own inner child. I felt like I went back in time and showered my own little girl self with my presence and love in ways that I thought I had missed. My resentment dissipated and I felt complete.
  • Finally, I was able to feel love for the child I never had. For many years, I was angry at how I was raised and swore that I would never subject a child to the same experience I had. I was able to make peace with that.
Stuffed teddy bears are an American phenomenon, and it started in 1903 when a cartoon depicted Teddy Roosevelt on a hunting trip refusing to shoot a bear that was tied to a tree. According to Wikipedia, "Morris Michtom saw the drawing of Roosevelt and the bear cub and was inspired to create a new toy. He created a little stuffed bear cub and put it in his shop window with a sign that read 'Teddy's bear'... The craze for Teddy Bears was such that ladies carried them everywhere, children were photographed with them, and Roosevelt used one as a mascot in his bid for re-election."

During emergencies, fire personnel will give teddy bears to children because it has been shown to help stabilize them during a crisis. There is something inviting about these little things, with their wide set eyes and soft fur. They symbolize comfort, compassion and nurturing.

Boobah's work as a catalyst is complete. I honor the work that we did this week and she is going back on the head board with my appreciation. Thanks Boobah!

Here's a small addendum, posted late afternoon. I can't remember the last time I felt this peaceful and balanced. We all get strong "intuitive hits" to do things. True guidance would not direct you to harm yourself or another. And, by the way, the requests can be wacky and really out of our comfort zone. It tests our faith and courage.

After this morning's post (and a few more hours of shut eye) I did my morning meditation. I received guidance for over 30 minutes which for me longer than usual. I followed the four basic steps - Clear and Connect, Ask and Allow - and I was able to "hear" them more clearly. All good stuff...

To all the teddy bears in your life, with much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO
.

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Monday, May 4, 2009

The Spirit of Giving - Annie and Amanda

I want to share the amazing story of Annie and Amanda. I met them yesterday when I was taking the train from NJ to NYC for another energy session with Joy Adler (and, by the way, another powerful session). I spotted Annie's bag and asked her if she was a volunteer with hospice. We struck up a delightful conversation for the next hour, all the way into Penn Station.

Annie is "only" level 1 Reiki and my impression is that there is nothing "only" about this woman. She loves to travel and it has been her goal to reconnect with all of her family members wherever they are - including a trip to Brazil several years ago with Amanda in tow. They both lit up when talking about that trip, the heart connections they made, and the joy they felt in meeting their distant relatives who are not nearly as distant now.

Annie has also been a hospice volunteer in her area for several years, offering Reiki to hospice patients. She taps into the power of prayer and Reiki to lovingly assist people in their transition. I was struck by her love and inspired by her giving spirit. She is vibrant, outgoing and full of wonderful energy and spirit.

Amanda is definitely "cut from the same cloth", with her grandmother's spirit of adventure and gift of love. Several years ago she wanted to volunteer. She searched the web, found an organization in New Zealand that sent her to an African community of 40,000 people who were outcasts and under the protection from the UN. She spent a month teaching them how to use computers. She said "I learned more in one month than I did in a year in college". It was evident from our conversation how big both experiences were for her - the trip to Brazil and her work in Africa. I hope that she follows her passion and dreams, and I suspect that her education awaits her out in the world.

We exchanged contact information and will stay in touch. I hope to see Annie at the hospice convention in July. Their love for each other was so evident. They both helped me connect with my own heart energy, and for that I am deeply appreciative.

Later that evening, I described our conversation to my husband and how we met.

He: "How do you do this?"
Me: "What?"
He: "Meet people like this - you're telling me that you met a woman who does Reiki - at a hospice - just like you - on the train?"
Me: "Honey, this is my life."

I believe in the the power of love.
I believe in synchronicity.
I believe in the power of energy.
Everything can change - in an instant.
If only we allow.

With much love and gratitude, Mj XOXO

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