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Showing posts from May, 2016

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 4: BECOMING - Wisdom from RUMI

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"Everyone has been made  for some particular work,  and the desire for that work  has been put in every heart."   -- RUMI MEDITATION: In the Center of Your Heart The following is a simple meditation that will allow you to start to discover what is in your own heart. What work? What desires? What hidden talents or passions?  For this meditation you will need a meditation timer and about twenty-five minutes of uninterrupted time. Set the timer for twenty-one minutes, or the longest amount of time you feel comfortable with.   Start by taking three deep breaths.  Now shift your attention to the center of your chest, to your heart chakra. Begin to breathe from this place. Breathe IN through your heart chakra; breathe OUT through your heart chakra.   Allow your chest to expand and contract as you breathe. Notice any feelings or sensations that arise. What desires are in your heart space? What does your heart yearn for? (MORE what?) What makes y

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 4: BECOMING - Wisdom from Don Miguel Ruiz

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"If you can see yourself as an artist  and you can see that your life  is your own creation,  why not create the most beautiful story  for yourself?" -- Don Miguel Ruiz

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 4: BECOMING

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"We have to rewrite ourselves again and draw all new maps." --Mary-Louise Parker This quote is from Mary-Louise Parker's book entitled, " Dear Mister You ," in which she writes letters to a number of men who have been significant in her life. I read it while finishing up, " Write Your Life! " and it fit perfectly for the introduction to the penultimate - and perhaps most important - chapter called, naturally, "Write Your Life!" There is too much going on in that chapter to cover it in one blog post, so I am going to share a different exercise today, one that hopefully will give you a roadmap for where you want to go next. For this exercise you will need a few sheets of paper (or your journal if you prefer), a pen, and two sessions of about forty-five minutes each of uninterrupted time, maybe a bit less. Start by taking three deep breaths. Set your meditation timer for five minutes and allow yourself to just BE for a few minutes

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 3: RELEASING - Wisdom from www.personaltransformation.com

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"To awaken to your true nature, who you really are,  simply 'let go' of all the stories and 'be' right now."  -- www.personaltransformation.com What story do you need to LET GO so that you can BE right now? What story do you need to LET GO so that you can embrace what comes next?  Spend some time meditating on your "story" and what parts of it are ready to be released. Then release it into the Violet Flame (or with some other ritual of your choice) and LET IT GO! 

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 3: RELEASING - Wisdom from Amara Rose

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"Be grateful  for all the challenging people  in your life --  bosses, co-workers, in-laws,  children, friends --  because they're  your greatest teachers.  These relationships are difficult  precisely because of  your resistance to the lesson,  which might be about compassion,  self-worth, generosity,  or unconditional love."   -- Amara Rose This week I am reading the prosperity classic, " The Game of Life and How To Play It ," by Florence Scovel Shinn and there are some great reminders in the book. One, in particular, relative to our work this week with RELEASING.  Here is the affirmation:  "I cast this burden of resentment on the Christ within,   and I go free, to be loving, harmonious and happy." Is there someone on whom you have heaped your resentment over the past few days, weeks, or even years? Let it go by repeating this mantra whenever you think of this person. Allow yourself to be free from resentment and anger. R

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 3: RELEASING - Wisdom from Gloria Burgess

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"What is the story you need to let go of so that you can step into the story that is waiting just for you?"        -- Gloria Burgess, PhD, Jazz INC When I did my own RELEASING meditation, what came to me was the word CONTROL. I need to let go of CONTROL over all aspects of my life. I need to "let go and let God." This may sound crazy or even fundamentalist, but if you sit back and truly think about it what can we control in this life? Pretty much NOTHING. So why not admit that and live from that reality instead of spending so much time and effort trying to control that which I cannot control anyway? The physical manifestation of RELEASING, for me, is taking a deep breath. When I take a really deep breath and let it all out in one long AH-H-H ....I feel the sensation of letting go and it is  such a relief . I am no longer pretending that I have it all together, that I have all the answers, that I am in control. I am releasing control and it is such a re

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 3: RELEASING - Wisdom from Martin Luther King, Jr.

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"We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive.  He who is devoid of the power to forgive  is devoid of the power to love."   -- Martin Luther King, Jr.  As I mentioned yesterday, RELEASING can take many forms, and one form is forgiveness . Who do you need to forgive in order to move forward in your life?  Try using the Violet Flame Meditation today for forgiveness. As you ask that the Violet Flame be sent from the center of the Earth, place an image of the person you need to forgive in your heart chakra. Allow the Violet Flame to burn away any hurt, any resentment, any attachment, any negative energy you may feel. Release and let it go.  If you find that you want to do more forgiveness work, click here for Day 1 of my 30 Days of Forgiveness challenge from 2014 or above on the word forgiveness for the 2015 challenge. 

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 3: RELEASING

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"It is not what we carry with us, but what we let go that defines us." -- Charlie Crews , " Life ," S2 E9 The focus for this week (Week 3) is on RELEASING.  Releasing can take many forms: letting go of something that is not working, moving on from a relationship that no longer feeds us, forgiving someone who has hurt us, detoxifying our bodies and minds from that which we consume that somehow damages us, etc.  One of my favorite tools for releasing is The Violet Flame Meditation. If you are a long-time reader you have almost surely heard me talk about this before. It is one of my favorite tools for forgiveness and is also great for RELEASING. In fact, I have a whole page on my website devoted to it . If you would like to learn more about this meditation, I encourage you to check it out.  Or, if you just want to give it a try, follow the instructions below:  Think of one thing that you would like to work on releasing and use the Violet Flame to help

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 2: KNOWING - Wisdom from The Universe

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"If you LISTEN,  you will know everything  you need to know."   -- The Universe 

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 2: KNOWING - Wisdom from Albert Einstein

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"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.  We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift."    -- Albert Einstein

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 2: KNOWING - Wisdom from David Pond

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"Allow yourself to know."    -- David Pond

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 2: KNOWING - Wisdom from Dan Millman

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"If you can't trust your own inner senses, what can you trust?" -- Dan Millman

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 2: KNOWING

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"We all have a better guide in ourselves,  if we would attend to it,  than any other person can be."   -- Jane Austen , Mansfield Park The theme for week two is KNOWING. This week is all about INTUITION and how to tap into yours. Making time for meditation and just BEING is a big part of that so I hope you will continue your work from last week and make time every day this week to just BE.  If you would like to start to play with your intuition, try out the exercise below. For this exercise you will need your journal (or a couple of sheets of paper), a pen and a comfortable place to sit and write. Start with at least five minutes of just BEING. Then take three deep breaths. IN...and OUT....IN...and OUT...IN...and OUT....    Ground yourself by placing your feet firmly on the floor. Sit up straight, resting your torso and head evenly on your sitting bones. Take another deep breath. Bring to mind the biggest challenge or problem in your life right now.

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 1: BEING - Wisdom from Anodea Judith

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"Use stillness to effect change."  -- Anodea Judith

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 1: BEING - Wisdom from Leo Tolstoy

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"If you want to be happy, be."   -- Leo Tolstoy

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 1: BEING - Wisdom from Phillip Shepherd

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"If you open yourself to the hum of the world --if you live in the present rather than in your idea of it-- it will change you."   -- Phillip Shepherd

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 1: BEING - Wisdom from Pico Iyer

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"In an age of constant movement,  nothing is more urgent  than sitting still." -- Pico Iyer

Write Your Life! - May 2016 - Week 1: BEING

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"Close your eyes  and just BE."  --From "Write Your Life!" Welcome to Week One of WRITE YOUR LIFE! Before you get started, here are a few things it will be handy to have as you move through this process: A journal. Your favorite pen.  A meditation timer.  A quiet spot to meditate.  If you don't have one or more of these things, no biggie, just do the best you can with what you have and you will be just fine. Now let's get started!  Week one is about BEING . Just BEING . That's it. In the fast-paced, ever-changing world we live in how often do you take the time to just BE? Not very often I would wager. So give it a try this week.  First find a comfortable position, sitting cross-legged on a pillow or blanket, or in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or even lying down with your arms at your sides and your legs splayed out in front of you (in corpse pose ).  Once in position, take ONE DEEP BREATH . Breathe IN

Write Your Life with Me!

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"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." --Anaïs Nin Starting next Monday I will be doing a month-long series of Write Your Life mini-sessions. Woah, that's a mouthful! So what does that even mean - "a month-long series of Write Your Life mini-sessions?" Starting May 9th I will be posting one exercise from my new book " Write Your Life! " on my blog every Monday, allowing you to get a taste of the book and to begin to write your life. How will that work, you ask? FIRST, sign up in the sidebar ---------------> to receive blog posts via email. That way you are sure to receive the exercise for the week every Monday. NEXT, join my Facebook Community - Being & Becoming - to receive daily inspiration and responses to your questions LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday between 10:00 and 2:00 PST (I may not be online the whole time, but will respond as soon as I can