VLOG: Stop Spinning and Get Grounded

Lovely Woman,

I know that you want to have days that are filled with calm, rather than chaos, right? I know I do. 

But then there are days, days that just send you spinning. Stress builds. Bad news arrives. You worry about the future. Anxiety knocks on your door, and before you know it, you've answered it and the unwelcome visitor is in. Oy!

What's an enlightened woman to do? Get grounded.

When you are ungrounded you feel like you're stuck in your head. Thoughts swirling, you can even feel dizzy, as if your feet are not even on the ground. You get clumsy, inattentive, and it seems like you can't get anything done. Sound familiar?

Today, I'd like to share you with you a powerful technique I use to get myself grounded.  My new 3-minute, "Portable Peace" video shows you how. 

Watch the video here.

 

And, lovely ones, you know I am BIG on sharing resources. Here's an additional technique for grounding, presented by Michael Nagel. It's call "The Curl," and it's one of 50 grounding practices Mr. Nagel offers in his book, The Getting Grounded Manual. 

Getting and staying grounded is vital to our well-being, to a happy mind and healthy body. 

 This is my wish for you. May inner peace be yours!
 

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"Being listened to is so close to being loved that most people cannot tell the difference." David Augsberger

 Have you ever been listened to in this way? I hope you have, but just in case you haven't--and if you feel like no one understands you or your spiritual journey--consider a Spiritual Direction/Mentoring session with me. 

 

 A one-hour session, in person or over the telephone, can help you feel better about your life, current issues, and spiritual uncertainty in a powerful way ... done with love, compassion, and nonjudgment through "sacred listening."

 Learn more about how you and I can be "soul companions," and how I can help you navigate your life circumstances from a spiritual perspective. Read here.

   

"With love for Jan, for handing me a "flashlight," to a world of love and peace, without struggle, that I have so long wanted to BE. More than anything, I am so very grateful for knowing that she really "got" what I was saying. I am so very grateful for her commitment to empowering us all with what she has discovered as a holy path; loving-kindness."

~Carol, Connecticut

What We Often Miss in the Busyness of Our Days

Today, in celebration of Earth Day 2012, will you take a Sacred Pause with me?

In less than 3 minutes you can connect to the often missed wonders of life on planet Earth.

I invite you to watch this lovely, short video by The Global Oneness Project, "Full Circle."

As the film's maker describes it:

"A quiet walk through nature offers moments of beauty and serenity that often go unnoticed. In celebration of Earth Day 2012, we invite you to take a few minutes to enjoy this journey through cycles of light, water, wind and earth."

And then let us take another Sacred Pause to give thanks for all that we have been given; for the beauty and resources we are stewards of. May we have the strength of heart and mind to carry on as wise caretakers to safeguard our treasured home.

Blessing to you on Earth Day. Blessings to the Earth!

Vlog - Open Your Flower Heart, Be at Peace with Others

Kindhearted Friend,

I know you are that. 

But sometimes our kindness gets stuck inside of us, walled up behind resentments and disappointments. 

How do I know this? Because it happens to me too. We are more alike than different. We are human beings muddling through how to best live; how to honor ourselves and to live lovingly with others, too. 

Today's 3-minute video for Portable Peace offers a powerful practice I use when my heart is feeling closed off from my own goodwill. 

I invite you to think of and visualize yourself as having a flower heart. 

Join me and I'll walk you through the process. Together, we'll feel a whole lot better, more open and kind.

Let's begin our day the flower-hearted way and spread the fragrance of love wherever we walk.

Watch the video here. 

And here's a flower for YOU today.

I've been having fun planning the spring garden and taking photos along the way. This luminous pansy wanted to say "Hello" and "Have a nice day!"

 

Are you walking through the world "in beauty"?

I'm delighting in the early signs of spring here in the Great North Country. Our spring always arrives a bit later than other parts of the country because we're situated on cool waters.

Last week the first daffodils popped up. The bright yellow forsythia that announces the hallmark of spring is in full bloom. The birds are frantically busy mating and nesting.

But if I'm not present to myself, lost in thought of "what's next," or moving too quickly, I may not notice these sweet offerings of nature. And, likely, I'm feeling more stressed than serene.

If I'm going a bit slower, paying attention to what's going on around me, spring is my lovely friend. Inner peace is mine.

Today's 3 minute Video for "Portable Peace" invites you to "Walk in Beauty."

I guide you through a 5-step process for how to Slow Down, Notice, Expand, Feel, and Choose.

May these simple steps for Walking in Beauty bring you bouquets of peace—all year long.

Watch the Video here.

As always I welcome your thoughts.

Feel free to leave comments below. 

Living Your Highest Purpose

This morning as I had my “quiet time,” I was touched to the core by a song. Well, not so much the song itself, but its title.

“Live to Love” by Paul Cardall.

As I read this phrase my heart warmed and a wee voice inside said, “Yes, this is the way it is supposed to be.”

Such a phrase may sound trite or passe’, especially in a world that feels increasingly jaded, cynical ...

But think about it, friends, really, is there anything more important in life than loving? Loving ourselves, loving our family and friends, loving our fellow seekers who walk the planet with hopes of finding meaning and purpose—of being happy—just like us?

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there’s not.

Yet, if we’re transparent and willing to say what is, many of us would readily admit we’re not “living to love.”

We’re living to make ends meet or until the next paycheck arrives.

We’re living until the next best thing happens to us.

We’re living to raise our children and send them off to good colleges.

We’re living for the weekend. 

We’re living, waiting, and working for retirement. 

And more ...

What would it mean to you to “live to love”?

What if that was the very first thing that came to mind in the morning upon waking?

"Gee, how can I live to love today?"

Many people come to me and ask if I can help them discover their highest purpose. They somehow know they might not be living from the truest parts of themselves, that there’s something more. And there is ...

But what if our highest purpose is not to be the next Oprah or Deepak Chopra? What if our highest purpose is to diaper the baby, or visit mom in the nursing home, or bake a loaf of bread and take it to the sick neighbor?

What if all the razzle, dazzle, and hype don’t mean a thing? What if our careers are for naught except to make sure we have nice and comfortable lives for ourselves? Which is not a bad thing, mind you, but ...

What if our ultimate purpose in being here is to “live to love”?

Would that be good enough for you?

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Due to travel, my weekly Vlog offering of a “Portable Peace” will resume next week. Thanks for your patience. Here’s last week’s 3-minute video in case you missed it. Enjoy! And may inner peace be yours ...

"Looking Meditation."