The Power Behind The Story

We all have stories. We all learned how to use language to deliver the message of our view, our story. Some of us have been told stories that we allow to be incorporated into our personal story, sometimes without knowing whether it is true or not. As humans we are born with the power of creation. We have beautiful creative energies that flow through us. We use them to create life, music, art, love, and sometimes we use them to create messes, mistakes, wounds, or hardship. We also use them to create our stories. What is important to see here is the value of being mindful of how we use these energies.

With our stories, our word needs to be flawless. We have so much knowledge about ourselves, the world, the past and we want to bring that into our future. But we have to be particularly careful that we do not distort this knowledge and that we remain impeccable with it and the energy it exists in.

The real authentic you is beyond anyone you could ever imagine you to be! That is how powerful the energies are that are within you. Your truth is real, your body is real, but the beliefs you hold about yourself are not always real. Sometimes they are distorted as well. Sometimes they are not our own beliefs, they are part of that story we allowed to become part of ours, whether it was true or not. The shaman helps bring the pieces back together that have been pulled from the story. Acting as a bridge to the soul's truth and the distorted or broken story of one's life, they can help support the union the energies of the story.

So, we go back to the need to be impeccable with our words. If our words have the ability to create our story, then should we be sure we speak only the truest words. And in the process of that creation, we should speak of what we really are and really want to breathe life into.

Knowing this, our self-talk then begins to change. We have the power and the knowledge and the creative ability to make a story of truth for ourselves to exist in. No more room for talk that is self-deprecating. No more lies. No more using the power of our words to create a story that works against us.

The shaman knows the power of story. The shaman is the storyteller. The shaman knows that every word creates a symbol, holds magic and is all-powerful. When the story wounds or dis-empowers, the shaman often is called upon to help heal the soul whose creative force has been depleted, blocked or wounded. It is often in the healing of the story and the reintegration of the truth that one returns to their power.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Celebrating YOU

I have so much in my life to celebrate, so much to be grateful for, so much to take delight in. But I have made it a priority to celebrate me first. Yup, I am first in line. Why? Two reasons. One, I have learned that my definition of celebration has a bit more depth than most. And two, once I make celebrating me a priority the power and joy, the light and peace, and the magical abundance flows and flows and flows! Before you know it, there is not a day that goes by without someone or something to celebrate! So how do I define celebrating? It is so much more than parties, cake and balloons or champagne toasts! Celebrating is honoring, and admiring. There is a recognition of the value. An accepting the whole package in its wabi sabi perfectly imperfection. There is respect, esteem, and appreciation in the act of celebrating as well.

When I bring celebration into my day I open the doors of connection. I embrace those who cross my path. I look to the seasons, the time of day, the moment with an eye of appreciation and wonder. I am looking for the spark in the moment. My whole perspective shifts from blindness to awareness.

When I take this celebration to a more personal level I look to myself and honor the spiritual being that I am. I cherish the body I have been gifted with. I value the wisdom I hold within. I am amazing! You are as well. Now, that is worth celebrating! And the beautiful thing that happens next is that our body responds. It resonates to the positive energy in which we are holding it.

I have learned to celebrate the form of my body, its role, it movements, its stamina. I have also learned to accept its softness, its vulnerabilities and its potential. The human body has taken an awful lot of abuse, neglect and hate of late. I decided to change that channel and find my own personal rhythm to move within.

And at this celebration come the relationship I have with my body. I have witnessed over time the better I participate in this relationship, the keener my sense of my value of my body and the better my body seems to respond. We are in constant communication. It is hard to believe that at one time in my life, I was barely listening and often that listening was filled with resentment, negative expectations and denial.

To celebrate oneself we need to be awake to the voice of our body. We need to be aware of the messages that are being sent to us and not make up excuses, rationalizations or refusals to what they are. We need to be responsible for our part of the relationship.

As we learn to listen we find more and more ways to honor our bodies. Whether it be through food, movement, spiritual practices, rest and relaxation, creativity or more. With each act of compassion and understanding, responsibility and support that we offer we take yet one more step closer to the celebration! Our body wants to be jubilant! Our body wants to be revered! Out body wants to serve us well...really, really well! And that is a party in itself! Imagine the gifts of that!

Today listen closely. What message is your body sending you? How will you receive this message? How will you respond? How long before you take the actions necessary for the celebration to begin?

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

The Power of Dreams

Dreams are not only entertaining they are powerful as well. A Carl Jung quote that I am particularly fond of is, “The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens to that primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach.” Amazingly powerful! Dreams can show us what our hearts long for. They transcend our partial understanding of ourselves and bring to us what our soul’s intention is in this lifetime. In Robert Moss’s book Dreaming True he tells of the North American Huron people's use of the word “ondinnonk” to describe dreaming by their interpretation, “secret wish of the soul” and their belief that this is what is revealed within our dream-time.

When we dream and put our intention and our energies into the messages of the dream we connect our soul to our daily life. We bring its essence to the table. Doing this allows us to become whole and well. Dreams can help us with getting back on track.

From a shamanic perspective, soul loss is the cause of much of our illness and negative affliction in our lives. Soul loss occurs often when there is great trauma, grief, abuse or heartbreak among other things. When we experience these situations in our lives, vital energies of our soul go away. The soul care practitioner or shaman can aid in this soul retrieval. And sometimes we are given this insight through our dreams.

Dreams may offer us clues to when our soul loss occurred. Dreams can help create a bridge for us to cross over to connect with our Higher Self and often with our larger purpose in life. Working with our dreams creates a space for us to work with energy. The more we explore our dreams the more we bring our vital energy from a deeper reality into our daytime world.

There are many wonderful resources to tap into to learn about the power of dreams along with equally as many interpretation. Wherever our path leads, know that our dreams are powerful, they help connect us to Source and when they are better understood, they can become powerful tools of intention and forward movement as we journey through our days and nights.

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade

Are You a Self-Dater?

You can only imagine! I run parts of two businesses, I am the mom of five children, I am married, I am enrolled in a spiritual practice practicum, I am a soul care practitioner and a spiritual life coach. And that is just for starters… My calendar does not lend itself to very much white space. BUT I have learned how to change that. A while back I discovered I really could control so much that I thought was beyond my control. I started small. I learned to gracefully say no without excuses, shame or guilt. I learned to set healthy boundaries for myself so I did not overbook, over complicate or over commit.

While taking my days into my own control, I learned something really important. When I check out, when I pause, when I say no…the world does not stop spinning! Imagine that! Life goes on! Others take over, get involved or go without and survive! Sheesh! Who knew?

Seriously though, creating space on the calendar gives me an important time for self-dating. I now have regular time in each and every day for self-time. It can be used in so many different ways. The only “rule” is that it MUST be for me and me only! So, what does that look like? It means I may go out on the deck and slowly sip a hot cup of tea, while sitting in the sun and listening to the birds. Or perhaps I will sit and write in my journal and explore a new concept I have recently read about. Sometimes I go online and Skype with a good friend, laughing and sharing and catching up. Other days I may pull out my favorite vegan cookbooks and come up with a few new recipes to tickle my taste buds with. There are days I go to bed a half hour earlier than usual and listen to some favorite music. Regardless of what it is, it always does the trick. I feel honored, I feel refueled, and I feel satisfied.

Self-dating means I intentionally create space in my day’s timeline to reconnect with myself. I assess how I am doing. I find out what I may need. I give to myself unconditionally and with great pleasure. It was not always easy. There were times when I felt it was not as important as another task calling me. But with commitment and time, I learned its value. Now, not a day goes by, regardless of how busy or full the calendar is, that I don’t find time for me. I am worth it! And there is an added bonus!

The better I respect this time of self the better my relationships with others becomes. I am fuller, richer, happier, calmer, and inspired. I am not drained, resentful, bitter, detached or frenzied. So it is a win/win for all involved. Self-dating is now an everyday act, without it, I don’t really like who I become and probably most others feel the same way! So, if you ask me to do something and I gracefully decline and say I have no time available, trust me…it is for the good of the whole!

Blessings ~ Lisa

©COPYRIGHT 2012 Lisa Meade