Too Full For More

So we plead our case. We ask, God, Spirit, The Universe for something we dream for or want. But are we truly ready to be recipients? Have we done the work to prepare for what it is we are asking for? We need to pay particular attention to our emotional state of being. If we are not ready to receive, we won’t be taken seriously. If we are still muddy inside are we really ready? If we are still harboring hurt feelings, unresolved anger, gaping open wounds of pain or anything that keeps us being clean with ourselves and others, then our request will often and most likely should, go without response.

How can we ask for more in our lives when we are not dealing with what we already have on our plate authentically? In the shamanic world our stories often keep us from moving on. We hold onto an interpretation of our life and let it guide us. We give it power that it may not call for. We allow it to dictate what we do, how we feel, what we say and more. But it is only a story. It is only one possible version of our reality.

Let me put it to you this way. Have you ever had something happen to you that in the moment you saw it one way. It felt real. It looked that way when you thought about it. It unfolded the same way each time you told others about it. But then time goes on. More time passes. And then one day you recall it, and you cannot remember all the facts. The heat and passion of the moment may be gone. You actually may even remember it differently and if you were asked to share the story, it would possibly unfold quite differently than from when it first occurred. Now it is still the same event and it happened to the same person, you, but somehow it has changed a little. You are less muddy about it. You are not so invested in it any more. You may not be as impassioned either. Not everyone gets to this place in the story. For some, the story and all the facts and emotions are held onto tightly. They get stuck in their story.

If that is the case, then we are bogged down with energy and emotions that need to move on. We need to be able to look at the events in our life as a casual observer, and not carry around the pain for the rest of time. It can keep us in a place of being stuck. It can keep us from moving forward and growing. And it can keep us from getting what we want from Source.

We need to clear our page. Be aware of our story, but not controlled by it. We need to be open to receive what is next for us. If we are bogged down holding onto our stories, how can we embrace what awaits?

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

A Full Life, A Slower Day

Life has gotten fuller these days, busier and in some ways more complicated. Yet I do not feel overwhelmed or in a state of chaotic energy. I cannot help but think about times in the past when I was busy, but overwhelmed. Life was full and chaotic and I just needed things to sllllllloooooow down. SO what is different this time around. Surely, part of the difference is within me. I know over the past year I have changed greatly in how I am viewing things around me. I stand back and keep a purposeful difference energetically between me and the situation so that I can better assess it and find my truth. It is important to have a place of pause before we step forward into action. It gives us time to pull our wisdom and previous experience out of our back pocket and find what feels right, true and most meaningful for the moment.

So what else has changed? Applying this moment of pause means my decisions are better balanced. It means I have less wasted energy spent throughout my day. It means I have meaningful and enriching relationships with people around me and those are the relationships I nurture, not the unhealthy ones that bleed me dry!

Another thing that has changed is because I am living this way, it is being modeled to those around me and not surprisingly, being mirrored back. We are all each others teacher, so it only makes sense that when someone sees a positive shift in your life, they are going to take a look at what you are doing differently, and perhaps even try it on for size themselves.

So I move through my days a bit more gracefully now, I pause when I need to, I give myself permission to say, “I will have to get back to you on that” when I need to. It has had a very positive impact and I plan to keep going in this direction. There are still places on my daily path that have some stumbling stones I catch myself on from time to time. Now I have the space to work on those.

Life is good when you give yourself the time to notice!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

It Is A Good Morning

It is 4 am and I am wide awake. My day is about to begin and I am thinking of what the new beginnings will look like for me today. It is a Friday, what some hold as the end of their week, the beginning of their weekend. For me it is a day perfect for a fresh start. I can leave behind any baggage from yesterday, any unresolved expectations. I can bring fresh new energy into the day and take on any unfinished business with a clean slate, a beautiful new beginning and breathe new life into it. Being conscious means we are in a constant flow of change. Every moment affords us that choice. We can choose how we relate to a person in our life, a situation at our workplace or even our feelings over a task at hand. When I live like this it gives me the chance to let go, to release and to replace and renew. This is important to me. It means I don’t let drama fill my moments. It means I don’t have to be stuck. It means I have choices in life even in things beyond my control.

If I believe that I am a constantly evolving person, which I do, then it is important that I live this way. How can I evolve if I keep holding on to feelings, beliefs or reactions to yesterday’s news? I have to start fresh and leave room for the change of who I am and who I am becoming. My soul needs the room to grow. I need the space within my heart to expand and contract as needed.

I began today with a ritual I often do. I stood before my altar, a sacred place I have created for my personal connection to Spirit, and I visualize myself putting any unresolved or unnecessary parts of the past that I may be holding onto into a bowl of water I have on the altar. Whatever is not going to serve me here in this moment goes in the bowl. I trust that Spirit will point out to me things I need to keep close, that are still works in progress, things I need to address to move forward, but the rest go in the bowl. In the water they are cleansed, they are safe for the time being, for when I am instructed to go back and take another look, but I don’t have the burden of carrying them around with me. I can use my energies elsewhere!

This morning in a journey one of my spirit guides showed me a tiny seed from a flower, it had a bit of fluff attached that helped it to be carried in the breeze. The flower had released it, let it go, without worry. This seed may land somewhere and take root, it may be eaten up by a bird, or it may be lost in the wind and never reach the rich soil it needs. The flower does not hold onto this worry. It does not spend any energy towards that part of the process. It has sat in the sun and bloomed, soaked up the rain and grew, and when the time was right, released the seed…which no longer served it and trusted that part of the process. Life will take it from there.

SO whether it be a seed or a burden, I begin each day letting go, making room, with a clean slate and a fresh start. New beginnings flourish here. Newness is added to my world this way. Sometimes it takes courage, sometimes it takes effort to let go, other times it is with great relief. But always, it creates possibilities for the greatest potential. What a magnificent way to start a day!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

You Can Stop Caring

You can stop caring. Really it is o.k. The world will not come to an end. I promise. Stop caring about what, you ask? Well, for starters, let me share with you a few things that I have decided I will no longer care about. Let’s see if you agree. I have stopped caring about what everyone thinks of me. Other’s opinions do not matter so much to me anymore. I enjoy my friendships, my family’s love and relationships I have with others, but if you choose to say something about me and if you share your thoughts about me...it just is not that important to me. What has become important to me is what I think about myself. I have learned my thoughts can create my reality. So I pay close attention to what I am thinking about myself, how I am judging myself and if I am honoring myself.

I have also stopped caring about being perfect. It is an imaginary state anyway. Being perfect is impossible. Perfectionists also have a very difficult time getting anything done. It is hard to start new projects and even more challenging to finish them. Why? Because nothing is ever perfect or good enough. I have also discovered that I have some of my best life lessons when I mess up. Through my mistakes and shortcomings, I find my strengths or vulnerabilities. I learn who I am.

I have also stopped caring about things that are beyond my control. This is a fact of life I have finally come to terms with. It is the best thing I can do to prevent myself from wasting my energies or my talents. I have released the frustration and inertia that comes from being in this state! When I am faced with something that is beyond my control and I feel myself beginning to stress, I put my energies into shifting my perspective. Now, that I can take part of and care about. It leads me to a place of forward movement and helps me to decide what I will do next.

I have learned to live in the moment. To do that, I had to stop doing certain things before I could have new beginnings. These are just a few, but they were biggies for me. How about you? What can you stop caring about? How will your life be different if you do?

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade