How to Be Guided by Intuition

Intuition is  my favorite topic right now.

Probably because I have consciously chosen to LIVE intuitively and follow it when it talks to me.

For years, I didn't recognize it, then I started recognizing it, but didn't act on it, simply because I didn't understand it.

It wasn't logical.  It wasn't always easy.

But, as I have grown spiritually, I realized how much I wasn't living the live I really wanted to be living.

So, I knew I had to live more intuitively and act on the guidance I am given.

In a short time, many amazing things have happened and I'm demonstrating over and over why listening to my intuition is the way to go in life.

Living intuitively has made such a difference in my life that I decided to create an episode about it on my YouTube channel and thought I'd share it here:

What about you?

How do you live intuitively?  Share in the comments below how intuition has worked in your life and whether or not you feel you live intuitively or not.  

2 Questions, Asked Daily That Will Change Your Life

This past week, I posted these two questions on my YouTube Channel.

Although the channel is geared towards busy moms, the principles shared on the channel are universal.

I thought I would share last week's episode in an attempt to challenge YOU to ask these questions of yourself EVERY day.

Know that the answers that come are your soul speaking to you.  That divine intuition that is propelling you forward to your ultimate life!

When you ask them and then act on them daily, you WILL see changes in your life...pretty quickly!

Watch the episode here:

If you're feeling brave, share in the comments below what things come to mind when you ask these questions and if you are committed to following your guidance!

Choosing to Live...Intuitively

Choosing to live intuitively is a big commitment.
In this Reinvention Channel show, I share an
example of a friend who was led by her intuition...
...in a not-so-logical direction, but it led to her purpose
in life!

This month's theme at the Center for Spiritual Living - Capistrano Valley is "Choosing to Live."

This is something I am very passionate about as the Creative Process of living an abundant life is something I put to the test everyday.

Let me be frank, I don't "test" it to prove to myself that I have the ability to co-create an amazing life with Spirit, I say I test it to see what I can create everyday!

Choosing to live is choosing to use the Law of the Creative Process to it's fullest extent...why not?  It's there for us to use or not....either way, it's working for us.

My definition of "choosing to live" goes beyond daily decisions and settles deeply in "choosing to live intuitively."

As humans, we are all intuitive.  It's a gift we were all embedded with.

However, very few humans utilize it.

They may get hints of it, and some even recognize their "intuitive"gifts...

...but do they LIVE intuitively?

I haven't always lived intuitively, in fact, I have only recently chosen to live intuitively, but have been very intuitive for majority of my life.

Choosing to live intuitively is knowing that our intuitive messages aren't always logical.  They don't make sense, and many times, we have NO idea where they lead.

It's scary to follow a path that is not illuminated...it's not safe...

...but, it's the most sacred path we can following because Spirit is guiding us.

So, I have dedicated my personal life AND my career to living intuitively, and teaching others how to do just that...

Last year, I launched an online, self-empowerment show called, "Life Reinvented."

It's a show that share principles to live life...reinvented.

I'd like to share the show we created around intuition.

It is my hope that it inspires you to follow that "whisper," and to choose to live....intuitively!

Episode 7: How to Use Your Intuition from Reinvention Channel on Vimeo.

I Just Don't Get Affirmations!

"I Just Don't Get Affirmations!"

I heard those words come out of my friend's mouth and I shuddered.

For years, affirmations have been a part of my daily life...

...I probably use them hundreds of times a day.

I believe in them so much that I even painted a "Today's Affirmation" chalkboard wall in my house.

I post these daily affirmations on Instagram and Facebook as it is my hope that the day's affirmation will serve someone else as it has me.

Affirmations are a powerful daily practice that are much more powerful than many think.

My friend went on to explain that she doesn't get  affirmations because she can't believe them enough to transform her thinking.

So, I explained that, even though affirmations may not be truly believeable at first, they are STILL more powerful than the limiting thought you are trying to change.

You see, our lives are based on energetic vibrations.

Although this may seem like a strange idea, you probably have noticed it through life experience.

For example, you walk into a room after a couple has been fighting and you "feel" the tension in the air...that's a lower vibration of energy.

On the other hand, you walk into a room where people are celebrating and the energy feels electric...that's higher vibrational energy.

Thoughts also carry a vibration.

When you have a thought that is on a lower vibration, being that you attract back to you the energy you put out, you will attract other lower vibrational experiences in your life.

So, it's important to up level the energy of a lower vibrational thought immediately, by replacing it with a higher vibrational thought...like an affirmation!

Even if you don't believe it, a higher vibration is much more powerful than a lower vibrational thought and it will help you attract a higher vibrational life experience. 

Also, every time you repeat a specific affirmation, you are also reprogramming your subconscious with a higher vibrational thought so it will become almost natural, over time, to believe your own affirmation.

The more you grow into your belief in an affirmation, the faster it manifests into your physical life, so don't delay on getting started!

Reprogramming our thoughts take spiritual practice.  

It takes a daily commitment to yourself and to your life to reaffirm you highest and best good.  

If you want a place to start, start with this powerful affirmation:

Today, I attract my highest and best good!

A Practice in Perfection Shows Who Really Is Perfect

A Sand Mandala measured out perfectly, meticulously created
by Buddhist Monks
photo courtesy Do512Family

What is perfection?

I have come to know that only God is perfection, however, when I saw a short blurb about the practice of Buddhist Monk's creating sand mandalas, I have to admit, I thought it was a creation of perfection!

Each Mandala is perfectly measured out.  A perfect mathematically-measured design.

Each section is meticulously created by shaking sand out of a metal wand so that the perfect amount of sand is dispersed.

The sand is colored with fruit and vegetable dye so it is created in the perfection of God.

The mandalas take three to four days to complete.

They are made as a practice in awareness and presence of the Monks.

Each Monk must be present to the design so as not to color in the incorrect color.

The Monks stay silent and are steeped in the perfect awareness of the creation.

And then, the impossible....

....only minutes after the mandala is finished, it is destroyed. 

Destroyed to learn and embody the practice of detachment.  

Not getting attached to anything that is not the Inner Presence of God.

This practice is a ritual that seems perfect, but really, it's a practice that there is only One that is perfect, and that is God.

No matter how hard we try, no matter how beautiful our physical creations are, no matter how organized our home is, no matter how good everything looks on the outside, the only perfection is found on the inside of each and every one of us.

On the flip side, no matter how disasterous things may be in our lives, no matter what chaos we have going on, none of it matters, because perfection is found from within.

Each of us is perfect.  

Each of us is a morsel of God and God is perfection.

When we realize that, nothing on the outside matters, just like each Monk that creates a sand mandala knows that the perfection of that beautiful creation is nothing like the perfection within.

Here's a short video about the creation of a sand mandala.  

I invite you to watch it.  It's a fascinating process and a practice that is sure to make you say, "wow..."

The Sound of Music - Perfectly Imperfect in San Clemente

As a little girl, I can remember watching the Sound of Music at my grandparent's house every year around Christmas time.

We lived in Pennsylvania and my grandparents lived on a dirt road in the middle of the woods.

I remember that house with nostalgia.

Cold wintry nights, cuddled up in their Lazy Boy while my parents, Gram and Gramps talked in the kitchen, as I watched the Sound of Music.

I haven't watched the musical in years and was very excited when I saw that Carrie Underwood would be the star of the show as it aired live on NBC.

Just like the old days, I got in my jammies, curled up in my favorite chair, and started it.

From the first song, my husband and boys put their hands over their ears as if the songs were painful to hear.

I thought the singing and songs were beautiful.

What I didn't like was the acting in between the songs and felt myself disappointed at the production.

For a little while, I even considered turning it off and tweeting my disappointment, but then the next song would come on and then a realization...

...the songs took me back.

Took me back to the little girl so excited about the holidays.

To the little girl who looked forward to the Sound of Music every year because of the feeling it brought.

Coziness.  Warmth.  Wintry  nights.  Hot chocolate.  Imagining what it would be like to walk across the mountains to Switzerland to stand in the Truth of one's beliefs. 

(OK, so maybe I didn't realize at the time what "standing in one's Truth meant," but I do remember thinking how incredible it was that they'd rather walk across mountains then succumb to Hitler's army).

I found myself singing along to EVERY song!

And, unlike that little girl years ago, I found myself crying to "Climb Every Mountain."

I cried at the message.  I cried at how true it was to Climb every mountain.  Ford every stream.  Follow every rainbow, until you find your dream.

So, even though the live production wasn't everything I wanted it to be, it was even more perfect than I could expect.

It gave me a chance to reconnect with my inner child.

It brought me joy to sing along and remember a time that is so special to me.

Even thought it wasn't wintry and I was in warm, San Clemente, I found that watching the Sound of Music was...

....perfectly imperfect.

So, here's a little reminder to you to Climb Every Mountain!

Sometimes to Open Your Eyes, You Must Close them

Did you enjoy the video? Don't forget to share your thoughts on meditation, life or whatever is on your mind!

This is a Test of the Emergency Broadcast System...

This is a test and only a test. 

If this were a real emergency, you would be contacted by the Universe to be reminded of the Truth in times of challenge...

...Reminded that...

...You are:

unique  *  perfect  *  whole  *  creative  *  lovable  *  magnificent  *  splendid

amazing  *  inspiring  *  powerful  *  worthy  * brilliant  *  sweet  *  generous

kind  *  compassionate  *  precious  *  open  *  strong  * vast  *steady  *  peaceful

beautiful  *  mindful  *  radiant  *  loyal  *  direct  *  prosperous  *  wise  *  courageous

patient  *  forgiving  *  trustworthy  *  steady  *  tender  *  exquisite  *  happy  *  focused  *  curious  * resilient  *  brave  *  guide  *  lovely  *  gentle  *  confident  *  cause  *  intuitive  * playful  * intelligent  *  fearless  *  frank  *  dynamic  *  abundant  *  active  *  centered  *  energetic  *  loved  *  teacher  *  faithful  *  diligent  *  enthusiastic  *  witness  *  luminous  *  teachable  *  healthy  *  flexible  *  serene  *  receptive  *  clear  *  grateful  *  important  *  love  *  wisdom  *  creative  *  life  *  joy  *  peace  *  beauty  *  clarity  *  light  *  power  *  intuition

Shall I go on?

(Thank you to whomever designed the bookmark gift presented to us at the Commitment Experiment reminding us of who we truly are!)

How Michael Myers (the serial killer in the infamous Halloween movies) Almost Kept Me From Meditating

One of 108 individual prayer wheels
surrounding the 12 massive prayer
wheels. 

Last week I returned from a trip to Northern California.

I was visiting my mom and stepdad's new home in the mountains....DEEP in the mountains!

One hour from Redding, 12 miles from the nearest town, I found myself experiencing the most profound spiritual experience being in nature and completely disconnected from technology.

My mom picked up every tourist magazine in the area and I saw an ad for the Chugdud Buddhist Retreat Center about 45 minutes away...again, DEEP in the mountains!

They offered a 5:30 a.m. meditation and I had a silent whisper from my intuition, what I call my inner Soul Mama, that I needed to go and experience it.

So, I set my alarm for 4 a.m., got ready, and then panicked at the thought of having to walk from the house to my car in the PITCH BLACK.

I mean, living in cities for most of my adult life, I forgot how black it got outside.

I kept thinking, what are you so afraid of, Vidette?

Michael Myers!! I'd answer.

I watched the Halloween movies WAY younger than I should have when my older cousins locked me in my grandparents' living room and wouldn't let me leave until I watched the whole horror movie...the music still makes me want to hide under a pillow to think about it.

My irrational thinking was getting the best of me and I was CONVINCED he was waiting in the woods ready to cut me into pieces when I left the house.

Yes, a git gorey for a spiritual blog, but stick with me here.

After running faster than Usain Bolt running the 100 m sprint, I made it to my car and surprisingly, outwitting Michael Myers himself!

As I tried to keep my racing heart from jumping out of my chest, I drove up and down the long driveway, where, when I got to the road, sh*t, I thought! Why the hell is the gate closed?

The gate that I never noticed because it was always open, is now shut, and I have two options:

 1.  Get out and open the gate and risk giving Michael Myers a second opportunity to get me, or

2.  Back the hell up and go back to bed; However, with the steepness and windiness of the driveway, that option seemed worse. 

So, I got out ran like hell to the gate, pushed that gate open so fast, and ran to my car with a deep breath. 

  Phew! Ha-ha, Michael Myers!  You didn't get ME!! 

 On the 45 minute drive to the retreat center, every thought that could go through my mind did go through my mind.... 

What if these people aren't Buddhist at all? What if they put the front on like they are to attract naiive people like me who drive out there at 5:30 a.m. and then behead their guests never to be found again?

What if I break down? My phone doesn't work here.  No one knows where I am.  I'll be stranded in the middle of no where and will only hope to remember nuggets of information learned from watching Bear Grylls traipse around in mountains, forests, and deserts on TV. 

Oh, shit....what was I thinking?  

All to meditate?  

I can do that at home and not be risking my life! I can't turn back now!  That would be crazy! ...or would it? 

After all this, I arrive at the retreat center.  

It's pitch black. Not a light on except the blazingly obvious headlights of my car making it VERY obvious that a stranger has arrived onto the retreat center. 

DEFINITELY turn back!  

But, I didn't. 

There was this super silent whisper within.  Just trust, it kept saying. 

Finally, a glimmer of hope. I saw a light come on, then another, and another. I saw some movement. 

My heart started racing again. 

Am I REALLY going to go in there? 

One of 12, 3-ton Prayer
Wheels with over
147 BILLION prayers
embedded on them.

I finally couldn't stand the anticipation anymore.  

I walked into the vestibule outside of the meditation room and peeked inside. 

  

They LOOK normal. 

Well, sh*t, so did Michael Myers underneath the hockey mask! 

  

Oh, stop. Just go in. 

Behind me, the door opened it. 

I jumped so high with the sound of the door only to notice this totally normal-looking woman and she said, "Hi!" Woah....she's so....normal! 

"Hi," I responded, and then "I have NO idea what I am doing, I don't have a robe or anything, but I came for the meditation" spilled out of my mouth before I knew it.

"Well, come in and sit right here," Prema (I later found out her name was) said. 

I spent the next hour and 1/2 observing the most beautiful meditation ritual.  I was greeted with chanting, praying, and instruments and was enveloped with the soothing scent of incense. Most of the prayers I didn't understand, yet, I felt their power. 

Afterwards, many of the practitioners came up and introduced themselves and asked how I had gotten there. I told them the quick story, strategically leaving out the thoughts that they could be serial murderers. 

Prema invited me to have tea with them and I got to know more of THEIR stories and how they ended up living on a Buddhist retreat in the middle of nowhere as practitioners. 

My son, Rijken spinning
all 108 prayer wheels
releasing prayers to eliminate
war and famine and opening
up more compassion,
love and trust in the world.

As I sat there listening to their stories and sharing a beautiful early morning with them, my heart expanded inside. I had been led, once again, to another Soul Mama moment by that super-silent whisper that morning. 

It was almost drowned out by my ego trying to keep me safe, on the couch where I slept while visiting my mom. 

What if I hadn't gone? What if I had chosen to sleep in? What if I had chosen to make the attempt of backing up the long driveway and protecting myself from the "what-ifs" that were exploding in my head?

I would have missed a beautiful life experience.

As I turned around,
I saw Rijken giving thanks to the
prayers released.
PMM (proud mom moment) -
I didn't ask him to do it...
he simply felt led to give a bow of thanks!

I would have missed meeting these beautiful people who were so heart-warming, so compassionate, so inviting.

I would have missed the opportunity to experience something I had NEVER experienced before in my life for what? To stay safe? To stay in my comfort zone?

Where would that have gotten me?

It did get me out of my comfort zone....and VERY far out, I might add!

It got me new friends. It led me to a beautiful experience that had my heart brimming over with joy for the rest of the day.

It led me to SUCH a beautiful experience, I took my son back there the next day to experience the peace and calm of the place that I had been SO terrified to go to. What did I learn?

Fear will always appear...even when we think we have evolved beyond it, or have taken risks before and walked through fear with the misconception that we have conquered it forever.

Still, though, beyond the car alarm, the closed gate, the scary-ass drive through the California back-country, through all the what-if's, through all the fear of Michael Myers, there was this one constant in my life....whispering.... My inner Soul Mama, my intuition, nudging me on.

Not pushing. Gently encouraging.

Not trying to outwit my egoic thoughts.

Just whispering....just trust....just trust....just trust.

What more could we experience if we just trusted the infinite guidance of that Infinite Intelligence who only has our highest and best good in mind?

The possibilities are endless.

Undeserving of God's Love? Agree or Disagree?

"Let me ask you, if someone asked you if you are rich, what would you say?" my mom asked me.

"Yes, I am!" I answered.

My mom and stepdad just moved to the small mountain town of Lewiston, CA.

Having a désire to revisit her spiritual life, my mom went and checked out a church down the road that is the same religion as her upbringing, and my own.

She was telling me that the topic for that day were words that we must avoid in our lives…greed, lust, selfishness, etc.  

In my mind, I thought, huh, why concentrate on the words that we must avoid rather than the thoughts that we should seek out like joy, love, abundance.

I kept listening as my mom related to me the messages she received from the talk and how she felt herself connecting to God again.

Many of the messages she talked about were fear-based, yet she found the message behind them.

The newsletter she brought home (pictured above)  said on the front, "God's abundant generosity? We're underserving of God's extraordinary goodness, yet he showers us with grace."

Good God, I thought, I don't believe I am undeserving of God's love!

Nothing my mom talked about seemed inspiring, uplifting or motivational…to me.

…to her, she was feeling all of that.

How could I argue that or ruin that for her by saying I didn't agree with most of it?

Because, I understand that our path here on Earth is to find the path that leads us to God.  

Not every religion is for everyone.

There are different views, different opinions, and different perspectives.

We know this because wars have been started for centuries over the differing perspectives, yet…

…both sides of every war fight because they believe they have the right way to God.

What if, we all accepted each individual's path to God, no matter what their beliefs or opinions are?

At the beginning of our services at CSLCV, we light the candles for all major religions "honoring the path to God."

I truly understood this as I sat in the kitchen at my mom's and watched her glow with the experience she just had that brought her closer to God.

I realized, that because it's not my path of choice, that she was experiencing what I experience in prayer, meditation, classes and services at the Center for Spiritual Living - Capistrano Valley.

How can I argue with that?

How can I burst her bubble with MY perspective?

I couldn't.

So instead, I accepted that her experience gave her an experience of God.

"Mom," I said, "I am so glad you got out of it what you did.  That's what it's all about."

And so it is.  

To Hell with Extraordinary, I'm Settling for Ordinary

Nature brings on pretty major revelations for me.

So, it's no surprise I had another one, but this one was so pivotal.

So pivotal, in fact, that I wanted to share it on this blog because I think there are many who could gain an awareness from my experience.

 I spent the day in Lewiston, CA…yeah, I didn't know where it was either, up until about a week ago.

 My mom and stepdad decided to throw their "balls in the air," sell everything, move from South Carolina to Northern California to live in an RV and see what life was really all about…in their early 60's, I might add!

I went on a 12 hour road trip from Southern California to Northern with my two boys to check out my mom's new digs.

It was COUN-TRY!

Up a mountain, 30 miles from the nearest town, BLACK as black gets at night, but the sounds of nature roaring outside.

Born and raised in the country, I spent a majority of my adult years living in cities to escape the past and be "born again" in city living.

That said, the minute I passed through Redding, CA and started up the mountain to Lewiston, I knew I was back to my roots….my innards just expanded with joy.

As I spent the last couple of days painting with deer grazing 20 yards away, journaling

The "she-Buddha" painted in nature with deer grazing 20 yards away.

and meditating by a river so crisp and clear, I forgot that rivers existed like that, I started to "download" some pretty clear messages.

 First, I realized how nice it is to be disconnected from technology.  I have no cell phone service and no wifi.

I am fully dependent on my own natural abilities to entertain myself and kids….who knew I had it in me without technology?!?

So, we painted. Searched for acorns then planted them. We waded in the crisp Trinity River.

We explored by driving up and down mountain roads to see deer, horses, sheep and other creatures living their own "ordinary" lives….hell, we even saw a rattlesnake basking in the afternoon sun totally freaking me out.

An "ordinary" deer that was breath-taking in it's natural environment.

Here was the realization that came to me…. Everything around me is so….well, ordinary.

 Every redwood tree looks like the next.

Every river, lake and/or tributary looks the same.

The deer grazing in the yard all look the same.

Hell, even the stars that cover the night sky, just like my MacBook desktop, look the same.

Why, then, are they so damned extraordinary?

Why, then, do they make me feel so alive?

Why, then, does my soul expand every time I change eye direction?

I find myself so consumed with the "ordinary" beauty around me. You see one mountain in California, you've seen them all. You see one deer, you see them all...right?

One would think.

 But, I am so moved, almost to tears, every time I see another mountain expanding into the sky around a bend in the road. I've seen the same doe with her twin fawns multiple times a day since we arrived here three days ago, yet, they take my breath away every time I see them again.

When did "ordinary" become so extraordinary?

My contradiction? I've been blogging, tweeting, and creating programs teaching people to go from "ordinary to extraordinary," yet, my realization in the last couple of hours was… …that ordinary is, in fact, perfect.

 It's exactly what we are supposed to be because ordinary is perfection.

The tree is perfect.

The deer is perfect.

The Trinity river is perfect.

All of them "ordinary" to many, yet so freaking extraordinary if you really see it.

My life is ordinary, yet so freaking extraordinary….because I saw it for the first time today....in a different light.

 The clincher for this realization was today's reading in Science of Mind magazine:

"…we release the obsession with being extraordinary to the extent that we realize that we are already Godlike."

Shazam! 

The idea that was brewing in my mind over the last couple of days hit me like a ton of bricks.

I AM extraordinary just by being ordinary me because ordinary me is part of that Infinite Universe that mesmerizes me with all it's natural creation.

 I work my ass off to "be extraordinary," and it's been so darn exhausting!

And, how do I know when I've gotten there…to extraordinary, that is?

I am here now….at extraordinary.

 …And so are you.

 I take back all the "forget ordinary, be extraordinary's" I've ever put out to the Universe…

 I don't make any apologies for misleading you or anyone else if I did because our "job," if you want to call it that, in this lifetime is to evolve our thinking, and that's just what I've done in the mountains of California.

 What an amazing realization!

Instead of busting our asses to be extraordinary, one of the easiest ways to be happier in life is simply to embrace or ordinary-dom! I have spent some time, back in my roots in the country, and have allowed the "real me" to stand up and exclaim…

"Forget extraordinary, be ordinary!"

...and I'll add, "...and be DAMN proud of it!"

Because ordinary is where it's at.

Let's rock out some ordinary and walk proud knowing we are Divine perfection!

What's Up With Buddha Anyway?

My days were getting chaotic.

The kids have been out of school.

They are bored with beaches, the pool and bike riding.

I was getting impatient.

What's a girl to do?

Paint!

Just as the Dalai Lama has said, the busier he is the more he meditates.

Painting has become a kind of meditation for me.

I turn on some classical music, and I allow my intuition to guide me to what to paint, what colors to use and for how long.

I let go of any frustration.  Any distractions and simply allow myself the calming energy of just being in that moment.

Maybe it's because I secretly wished I could spend 40 days under a tree meditating to find some peace, I decided to paint Buddha.

It is my first attempt at it, however, I contemplated Buddha's life as I did it.

Leaving his life of privilege, his wife and son, he set out on a journey to find the meaning of life and, well, as we know, he found it and thousands of years later, we are learning to incorporate his teachings in a life very different from the one he knew.

As I contemplated further, I became aware of the peace within me.

My boys were still playing trains on the floor.  The weedwackers were still running outside.  My phone was still buzzing and vibrating as text messages and emails rolled in, however, as I honed in on my painting and the next color I'd choose, I found myself at peace....

...the very God quality I have been affirming for myself for weeks now...

...and there I was....in peace.  I mean, really in  peace.

What I came to realize is that, although I wouldn't choose to leave my family and sit under a Bodhi tree choose to meditate...

for 40 days to find the meaning of life, it comes to me in those moments when I do

....my meditations might be traditional in the early morning hours of the day, or they may be painting, or taking a walk, or driving in my car to the grocery store in utter silence. 

The meaning of life, to me, is inner peace.

I experienced it while channeling and painting my inner Buddha....it's not a perfect rendition of Buddha's face, nor does it reflect that talents of many artists who have painted his face prior to me...

....but what it does reflect is a brief glimpse into his ultimate realization that changed the world for thousands of years and will continue to change it for thousands more....so it got me wondering...

....what magic can I make in this world because of my realization amidst the "chaos" of 21st Century living?

Here's what I came up with...

I'm pretty sure I can make magic happen in this world.  I'm pretty sure I can make a mark in the world as big as Buddha's and I'm pretty sure you can to...

Mark your calendars for October because we're about to announce a magical month that will enlighten you to the magic you can make happen in this world!

Yes, you, my dear....your magic is needed as badly as Buddha's has been needed and CSLCV is gonna rock out YOUR magic in October!  Stay tuned....

I Am Peace...or Am I?

I am peace.

I am because I just affirmed it.

I affirm it 50 - 100 times a day.

I affirm it when my kids are driving me crazy.

I affirm it when I make the poor decision to go to Costco on a Sunday afternoon.

I affirm it when I am, in fact, in peace.

I affirm it so much that I spent some creative time today drawing this image to remind me that I am peace whenever I walk by my in-home altar.

Why do I affirm this instead of I am rich, I am successful, I am happy, etc?

Because being in peace encompasses all of that.

If all I affirm all day is I am peace, than I will naturally embody everything else.

Last week at a Leadership meeting, Dr. Heather walked us through an exercise that allowed us to dwindle down to the one God quality that we felt when thinking of a joyous memory.

My memory occurred the night before during a late-night swim session with my boys.  We were swimming under the stars.  I could still hear the echo of my boys' laughter in my ears as they played on their own.

I was so full of joy at hearing their laughter.

Yes, because a child's laughter is so intoxicating, but mostly, because it showed the deep love they have for each other.

They play so well together, they love each other, they go beyond brothers...they are "bros."

As I remembered the evening, I noticed my physical body.

I was calm, tingly all over noticing the electric energy that I felt.  I noticed the feeling of love expanding from my body...not the love of a mother for her sons, but even more vast than that....

...it was a love of life.

It was a love of all.  It was a love beyond what I can type out on this minimalistic keyboard.

It was love that left me almost paralyzed in peace. 

What I realized, was peace to me was this all-encompassing emotion that embraced love, gratitude, beauty, abundance, prosperity, joy, heath....

...all the qualities of God.

As I sat there reminiscing on this overwhelmingly intoxicating feeling of peace, I realized, that it was all I had to affirm in my life.

Plus, it's one of the easiest affirmations to say when life gets crazy, or when life is at peace...

...like God, it truly is, all there is....

....and that is what I am....try it with me:

I am peace. 

How'd that feel?

If you haven't done so already, join Rev. Bruce Fredenberg for more insights on attracting peace, and everything else you want in life....and quickly, at his Turbocharge the Law of Attraction workshop.  

A Universal Principle to Achieving Your Biggest Dream

Just a small reminder today that whatever dreams pop into your head while you are daydreaming, sleeping, or wishing for are all possible because they are your dream.

Do not downplay them.  Do not negate them...

...most importantly....

Don't ignore them.

They are there for a reason.

Guiding you.

Inspiring you.

Motivating you.

You have these dreams because they are your ideal life right now.

They may change as you walk the path towards them, but right now, in this moment, that very thing that is calling to you, that is captivating your mind, that is making your heart beat a little faster...

...is the very thing that you are meant to follow.

Not sure how to do it?

Answer this:

What is the smallest, seemingly insignificant step you can take TODAY towards it?

Remember, walking the path of your dreams is one, seemingly insignificant step towards it every day.

You do not have to quit the job, leave the family behind, or go all "Eat, Pray Love."

Just like compounded interest, small, seemingly insignificant steps compound over time.

They add up until one day, you look and you realize, that your dream has appeared into your life.

You ask, "How did that happen?"

It isn't a big-bang, lottery-winning kind of explosion into your life.

It appears a little each day, and when you diligently take a daily step, it comes a lot faster.

So, what is that longing you have deep in your heart?  How can you take a step today?

Could you buy a book about it?  Invite someone to lunch who is already doing it? Take a class? Could you simply pray asking for guidance?  Could you find mentors on Twitter or Facebook to follow and learn from?

All of these are SMALL, easy steps.  YOU can do any one of them...today.  They aren't scary.  They aren't intimidating.

Do ONE today, and tomorrow, you will be one step closer to that dream.

Do you get how easy it can be to live the life of your dreams?

It's as easy as one step....what will that step be for you today?

How Evolved Are You? Visit Your Family - Part 2

Last week I posted a blog about the anticipation of visiting my drama-ridden family in Pennsylvania.

I had mentioned a saying I once heard, "If you want to know how evolved you are, visit your family for three days."

So, after almost eight years of being away from my family, I set off for a 12 hour drive with my kids and my mom to visit our family in Pennsylvania...the family I had left at the age of 18 and rarely visited since.

I was worried about the drama.  I was worried about the lower energy.  I was worried about what would happen.

Well, contrary to everything I know, my worry was simply worrying about something that hadn't happened....

....and, to my surprise, it didn't.

After traveling so far, I took time to reconnect with my cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. and sat up night after night reminiscing about old times.

We had a picnic in the very spot in the yard of my grandmother's house that we had spent so many summers in the past.

My kids saw lightening bugs for the first time.

Catching Lightening Bugs

They experienced my crazy uncle throwing boxes of firecrackers into the fire scaring the sh*t out of all of us as he did EVERY summer that we picnicked in that same spot.

We went horseback riding.

We laughed, we hugged, and we remembered good memories....forgetting to bring up the old, not-so-memorable ones.

Was there drama going on around us?  

Of course.

Did I notice it?

Not really?

What I noticed were the family members who wanted to catch up.

What I noticed was the quiet beauty all around me that I took for granted all those years growing up in Pottstown....the rolling farmland, the blackest black of night, the lightening bugs, the deafening sound of crickets.

I noticed the kids of my cousins laughing with my own boys.

I noticed the love that our family has for each other that sometimes is blinded by the arguing that goes on.

Mostly, I noticed how far I have come in my own mind.

I could have gotten involved in the gossip or drama going on, but I chose to notice the beautiful love deeply embedded in my family.

As I returned back to South Carolina in another 12 hour drive, I noticed how well-behaved my kids were.

The worry I had going into this trip was all for naught.

Another reminder that worry is all about something that hasn't happened, and if we are aware enough of our thinking, probably won't happen.

Thank you, Universe for this amazing reminder, this amazing family I have, and this amazing life I am living!

I am truly grateful.

Want to Know How Evolved You Are? Visit Family - Part 1

I once heard that saying because I laughed out loud.

Nothing can make me crazier than my extended family, to be honest.

That's why I left my small home town in Pennsylvania at the age of 18 and never looked back.

Always filled with drama, I ever felt comfortable being a part of it.

I wanted to get out of our small town and explore the world and ended up settling down over 3,000 miles away in California...

...about as far as I could get from my family outside of moving to a new country.

My mother did the same thing and moved to South Carolina...

...now she's moving to California, so we decided to make a road trip to Pennsylvania before heading back out to the West Coast.

A 12 hour drive with a 7 year old, a 5 year old, and your mother....already a good test for one's consciousness!

As I took my turn driving yesterday, I thought about my prayer before I left...

...I gave thanks for compassion, patience, and protection.

All qualities of God, so my prayer reminded me to receive them as my own as I AM all the qualities of God as well.

I also thought about how, after 7 hours into our trip, all of those qualities were in me.  

I didn't lose my patience with my boys, or my mother.   

I had compassion for my mom as she spoke about her fear of getting cancer, or her fear of losing all her retirement money in the stock market, or many other fear-based ideas she has lived with her whole life.

I tried to give some alternative view-points, but I could tell they went in one ear and out the other.

I wanted to yell and say, "Mom, why do you choose to think this way?"

But, I was always silently reminded of compassion and patience, so I would let it go always remembering that everyone has their own path.

We all have our journey to consciousness and to  a new way of thinking about our lives.

As I parked in the hotel parking lot, my heart fluttered at knowing that the next day, I would see the rest of my family.

I will continue to pray for patience and compassion because that is what I will most have to embody during my visit...

...but remarkably, I am excited to see my whole family.

I'm not sure much has changed, however, that would be a perception as I know how much everyone changes over the years.

I will also pray to let go of judgments that may arise or false perceptions and open my heart to love....

....I know, when we open ourselves to love, we shower others with it.  

No matter where I am in my own growth as a person, I am doing the best I can at where I am in my heart...I know this for everyone and if I simply put my mind on love, I give it to everyone no matter where they are in their own journey.

So, as I write this post, in a few hours, I will be surrounded by my extended family.

This post has helped me know what to pray and meditate on in preparation as it has also shared the true principle of how we approach life...both the good and the challenges...

...by knowing that we each embody the qualities of God, we can take on anything....even our perceived "crazy" families...

....I'll give you an update next week and let you know how I faired :)

My $10,000 Miracle

The sinking feeling of the last two weeks set in.

I had lost my wedding bands with one mistake...the mistake not being in the present moment and trying to multi-task.

...as I sat driving in my car, I was mad at myself for the wild goose chase I'd just put myself through looking for my lost wedding bands...

After 2 1/2 weeks, I had made one final affirmative prayer asking for a miracle.  During my meditation following the prayer, I heard, almost audibly, "Go to San Clemente."

How could I be so dumb, I thought, the scene of where I lost the rings in the cosmetic bag that had NO identification in it whatsoever...gone for good (or so I thought) in the middle of Del Mar street! Am I really going to go all the way down there and look for them?

Being the intuitive girl I am, I decided to follow my intuitive message and went.

As I drove down the  busiest street in San Clemente, packed with the summertime lunch crowd, I looked for a parking spot. 

Hmph! I thought....I truly have lost my mind thinking I'm going to get ANY kind of parking near Del Mar.

But wait! What was that? 

Holy, crap (although, I did use another, more colorful word), that's the VERY spot I parked in when I lost my cosmetic bag out the door 2 1/2 weeks ago! I pulled in...

...O.K. Universe...I'm listening!

I went in to four businesses, the first being Nick's restaurant recounting my stories to the managers and employees and getting a big fat "I'm sorry, we don't have it" at each one.

I left my name and number with them, and chided myself for being irresponsible and a hopeless optimist for trying to find unidentified rings 2 1/2 weeks after losing them. I still hadn't told my husband fearing some ungodly reaction...which, I couldn't even fathom because he's not an "ungodly reaction" kind of guy.

As I got into my car and drove through Capo Beach,  I tried to re-affirm a more positive opinion of myself, and then, the phone call came...

...it was Liz, the manager from Nick's Restaurant.

"Vidette," she said, "I was looking at our company database at our corporate offices. We photograph and log in everything that is sent in, and I see a bag that looks like yours."

My heart dropped.  More out of fear that maybe it sounded like my bag, but would end up not being it.

She went on, "In the notes section, it says that it was brought in by someone who had found it outside of our restaurant almost three weeks ago.  I didn't remember logging it in because it was logged in by my assistant manager."

It HAD to be mine!  But what if whoever found it saw the rings, stole them, then handed in the bag?

I made arrangements to go pick up my bag the next day.

When I arrived, I was handed my bag.

I opened it up as I held my breath.

I moved the breath mints, the lip gloss and lipstick out of the way, and peered down to the bottom...

...and there they were.

My rings were safely snuggled down between all the other beauty items.

I welled up in tears, thanked the receptionist profusely, got to my car and said a prayer of gratitude.

Later that night, I reflected on the lessons learned:

1.  After telling my  husband the whole saga, he was surprised to learn that I was so afraid to tell him and toiled for almost three weeks over it.  He told me he would have been bummed, but then asked what I feared he would have done if I would have told him.

I don't know, was my answer.

I toiled for weeks over something that wasn't even reality.  I feared something that didn't even happen and also wasn't sure what I was fearing about telling him anyway.

2.  People are really good.

I immediately went to the "thief" that would find the bag and steal my rings.  Just like when I have lost my kids in Costco (three times now), I think about the child-molesting kidnapper that may find them and take them, rather than the good people that would find them, announce that they had been found and hand them back over to me. (which is what happened...everytime!)

Instead, I realized, once again, that there are more good people in the world then nasty people.

I figured out that my cosmetic bag had to go through about five sets of hands before it got back into mine....the person who found it, the hostess at Nicks, the manager who checked it in, the driver who drove the lost and found items to the corporate office, and the receptionist.

Five good people who either looked in the bag and left it's contents or didn't bother to look at all knowing it wasn't their bag.

3.  The biggest lesson for me was the power of affirmative prayer and the presence of miracles in my life...everyday.

I pray to the Universe, affirmatively, everyday.  I give thanks for already having the things in my life I am praying for.

I don't beg for them to come.

I simply give thanks for them being in my life.

I pray for small miracles like a rock star parking space or my favorite song to come on Pandora.

I receive those miracles almost daily, which over time, has truly built my faith.

But I also pray for big miracles everyday like world peace, the chance to make a difference in the world, the health of my kids, etc...and after this saga, I prayed to find my rings when there was NOTHING that looked as if there was a chance of getting them back!

I got my big miracle on this day.

If there was a sliver of my mind that wasn't completely filled with faith in prayer, it certainly was filled with the realization of this major miracle.

I used the value of my rings in the title of this post, not because I want to brag, but because I wanted you to click and read and money makes people click.

I wanted you to know the power of praying in gratitude for already receiving that which you desire.

I wanted you to know to expect miracles everyday...big ones and small ones.

If you are unsure of how to pray affirmatively or are unsure of whether or not you can expect miracles, start with small ones to build your faith.

Start with parking spaces, "I am so happy and grateful to have the perfect parking space open up right in front of this store" and KNOW it will happen.

The more it does, the more faith you will build in affirmative prayer and in small miracles.

It will build your faith in big miracles and when you pray with faith in the outcome already being so, truly, my friend, big miracles will happen everyday for you!

Happy B-I-G miracle-making!

*** I want to hear YOUR miracle stories!  Share them in the comments below and help me spread the faith in expecting miracles.***

Are You Living in Freedom or the Prison of Your Mind?

As I sat last night watching fireworks from a balmy Southern California beach, Katy Perry's song, "Firework" was running through my head (lyrics below courtesy of: AZLyrics.com

What ran through  my head as we celebrated our freedom as a country is that, although we do have freedom to live the way we would like, most Americans do not live in freedom.

They are tied to jobs they dislike, they suffer from depression, anxiety, stress, they are unhealthy, overweight, in financial ruin; they truly live in a prison in their own minds.

As hard as this might be to hear, especially if you suffer from one of the challenges above, it is very easy to use blame or excuses to push away the fact that everything in our lives is created by us.

The freedom comes when we recognize that we have the freedom to change each circumstance with our thoughts and with affirmative prayer.

It's as simple as holding a vision for that very area of your life you'd like to change.  Feel what it would be like to let it go and accept something grander and more fulfilling.  Pray affirmatively expressing gratitude for already having it and watch it unfold in your life.

We have the freedom to re-create our lives, or any part of it, at any time.  

So, as I sat last night, I found one area of my life I have to change.  Today I prayed on it and then wrote this blog post knowing that in some way, that part of my life will start to change...today.  Today, let's celebrate our freedom.

Our freedom within to choose.  Our free will that allows us to express our greatest gifts.  Our freedom to "show 'em what you're worth!"

Katy Perry's "Firework" Lyrics:

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep six feet under?
Scream but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

You don't have to feel like a wasted space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough

'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Are You Borrowing Your Light or Shining Yours Brightly?

Regaining My Identity from "Mom" to Inspired, Beautiful, Nurtured Mom

School is out.

Summer is here.

Last Tuesday, I sent my two boys off to South Carolina with my mom for the next six weeks.

As I did so, I questioned that decision wondering what I would do with myself during the time they were gone.

I had a lot of friends who said, "Wow, how lucky you are!!  But, what are you going to DO for 6 weeks?"  I also had some who said they wouldn't know what to do with themselves without kids.

I have had a lot of emotions around it, but last night, I had a big breakthrough about it.

Last year, I wrote a book, S.O.U.L. Mama, and it is about creating a new paradigm of living, especially as a mom.  Part of the book was allowing myself to lose my identity to my kids, my job, my life, etc.  It took my life crashing down around me to realize what had happened and to find the tools and principles to create a new paradigm of living and re-learn who I was.

What I realized last night is how quickly it is to lose one's identity to their kids, even after the tumultuous journey I have been through.  I realized that the concern I was feeling about what I'd do with myself for six weeks, the guilt I felt when other moms said, "Wow, that's a long time! I couldn't do that," which made me feel like a bad mom, was all because I had gone back to an old paradigm of identifying myself as only a mom.

What I have come to realize is that I am more than that.  I am ME and I have a purpose and an identity outside of being a mom.

I realized in a moment how important it is in these next six weeks to take time for myself.  To get back in touch with who I am, what I am here to do, and do the things that make ME happy.

It's a time, that I believe, the Universe divinely set in front of me so that I was able to remember who I am.  How perfect that I have a mother who is young and spry enough to take on two young, active boys for six weeks.  How perfect that, at this time,  I have a new creative project that needs my attention and that brings me joy and now, I have the time to spend on it.  How perfect that I live in a place so filled with natural beauty that I can meditate, pray or just be at the beach, by the pool or in nature whenever and however long I need to be there.

I realized last night how divinely all of this has come to be.

I realized how supported I am by the Universe to live my life full out, which includes nurturing myself, bringing my creative gifts to the world, and doing so to be the best mom I can possibly be.

Last night, I let go of the guilt, the second-guessing and the feeling that maybe six weeks was too long.

Last night, I embraced the beauty of perfect timing, perfect alignment, and perfect nurturing, so when my boys return, I am even more energized, inspired, and totally, completely in love with them in an expanded way from when they left.

Today, I embrace these next six weeks.

I give thanks for them.  I show my gratitude by nurturing myself and being an even better mom at the end of them.  Thank you, Universe for this blessing!