Support for Your Journey

Announcing!

My next FREE Tele-Class ...

... for all "Ladies in Waiting"

... for women in transition!

I know what it's like to feel as if your life is on hold ... or not the way you want it ... or the way you're sure it should be.

I know what it's like to try to live "in the meantime," when not much makes sense, and you're not sure whether to stay or go, give up or keep trying.

I have the feeling you do, too.

This is what I mean by being a Lady-in-Waiting or a woman in transition. It's not an easy road to walk because we are NOT taught how to wait or be patient or to let go ... Nor do we live in a society that encourages this.

Which is exactly what is required of any Lady-in-Waiting!

Join me for a free Tele-Class on living "in the meantime" 

 and I'll share my personal list with you of  

"How to Wait with Grace,"  

when you absolutely don't want to or don't know how.

When: Monday, August 30 ~ 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. (EST)

Format: Presentation, A Guided Meditation for "Living in Transition with Ease," and (live) Q and A.
(You can send me your questions ahead of time and I will answer them on the call.)

Pre-Registration: Send me an e-mail that says you'd like to attend.
Send it through the Contact Box here.
I'll send you a confirmation e-mail with the Dial-In number and Access Code.

(This call is free, but you may have to pay your phone server's long-distance charges.)

I look forward to being in Presence with you and connecting soul-to-soul.

~~~~~~~

I’m curious. How is your spiritual health these days? Is your spirit in good shape? Are you peaceful and at ease? Openhearted and loving? Grateful and kind?

The state of our spirit, perhaps even more than our state of body and mind, can influence the quality of our days. As busy women today, we know we are supposed to take good care of our physical health, our emotional health, too. But we don’t read or hear much about how important it is to tend out spirit.

Yet, in my own life, especially during the child bearing years, when days felt chaotic or overwhelming, taking time to nurture my spirit could change everything. Stress walked out the door; inner ease took up residence, and I could breathe again. Life felt very different when I remembered to make my spiritual health a priority.

So, how can a busy woman tend to her spirit? Here are seven ways that are sure to please—and restore health and harmony.

Stop

Give yourself permission to sit down. Lay down. Put your feet up and do absolutely nothing.

Rest is vitally important to our well-being and, yet, according to studies today, most women say they are exhausted. In the name of busyness and productivity, we do not stop. We move through our days like the Eveready Bunny. We just keep going and going and going …

M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled, was once asked how he accomplished so much in a day. He replied, “Because I spend two hours a day doing absolutely nothing.” To Peck, rest was sacred. It is. Giving ourselves permission to “be” instead of “do,” to get off the fast-track and honor the quieter places within ourselves, actually creates space for productivity.

Breathe

Really breathe. Take time each day to simply sit—anywhere, in your car, at your desk—and focus on your breath. Bring your attention to the in-breath and the out-breath; breathing in for 8 counts, out for 10.

Consciously breathing in this way eases the body. It creates new pathways in the mind, releases emotions, opens the heart. It connects us with our innate peace, a virtue of the spirit. Did you know that the words breath and spirit come from the same Latin word, spiritus? This implies that breathing is, indeed, a sacred act.

Seek silence and solitude

Give yourself a “time out”—time to sit in the quiet and be alone with yourself. Turn off the television, the radio, and put away the newspaper. Halt the input so you can get in touch with a gentler place inside of you.

In a world of noise and commotion, silence and alone time are vital to well-being. Overstimulation of our senses and constant input can make us anxious or depressed. Within each of us is an oasis of calm, but it is not one that will seek us out. We must drop down inside ourselves to find it if we wish to rest beneath its sheltering palms and drink of its cooling waters. Everyone deserves an oasis in the busyness of life. Not to mention that you deserve the pleasure of your own company, now and then!

Go outside

Even in the midst of a busy day, you can step outside, look up at the sky, feel your feet upon the earth, and hone in on the beauty found in nature. Connecting with the natural world is an effortless way to re-connect with your spirit.

We can turn our senses up to high and really notice the brilliance that is all around us: see the colors, hear the sounds, smell the freshness of Mother Nature. By doing so, we are able to get in touch with the uniqueness, the majesty, of what is here, right now, right in front of us. Awe is restored and our spirit is “naturally,” uplifted. The many features and forms of nature remind us that life is good, full of beauty and hope.

Practice

Utilize daily practices that nurture your spirit; activities that bring you peace of body, mind, and heart.

You may already have some of your own: prayer, meditation, yoga, walking, chanting, singing, dancing, tai chi, gardening, devotional reading, journaling, and more. Or, you might like to explore new ones if yours are feeling a bit stale. There are as many spiritual practices as there are people. The key is to find those that bring you joy.

In as little as 20-minutes a day, we can move away from thoughts and feelings of anxiousness, depression, or frustration and return to our natural state of equanimity. Spiritual practices work, as long as we put them to work for us. Time and faithfulness are key.

Give

Consider the fact that if you are experiencing more negative emotions than positive ones, you may be overly focused on your self. A ‘What about me?’ attitude is a surefire way to stay disconnected from your spirit.

Focusing on others—‘What can I give? How can I help?’—can shift our perspective. We see there are others who are less fortunate than ourselves. Giving and being of service to others opens our heart to the plights of others; fosters feelings of lovingkindness. We may even begin to feel that we are finding or fulfilling our life purpose. By applying the virtue of generosity, we are making a difference in the world—and that is spirit-enhancing!

Gratitude

Finally, say ‘Thank you’ often. Say it out loud to people. Write your feelings of gratitude in a daily journal. Offer a prayer of gratitude to a Higher Power for all that you have been given, for the gift of life itself.

An attitude of gratitude may be the most powerful virtue of the spirit. Why? Because walking around with gratitude in our heart enables us to see life through lenses of appreciation. It grows a habit of honing in on what is right, instead of what is wrong or lacking. When we are able to perceive our day full of blessings or little joys, our lightheartedness washes over others making them feel good, too, and in an ailing world, we can certainly use more of that. The mystic writer, Meister Eckhart, may have said it best, “If the only prayer you ever say in your life is thank you, it will be enough.” 

Take good care of your spirit and it will take good care of you. Breathe on!

From Where I Sit ~ Creating Inner Space

I've been in Florida for two weeks now and I've had another big awakening.

Before we left, I thought I was pretty relaxed, centered, living with some degree of spaciousness. Though fairly busy from day-to-day, I did not feel out of sorts—at least most of the time. It has taken me arriving here to understand that there are degrees of spaciousness. I'm experiencing a new one ...

Spaciousness—I'll say it again. It's one of my favorite words in the English language. What does it mean?

To me, it speaks of having all kinds of room inside of me. It's a feeling that someone has opened all the doors and windows and warm tropic breezes are blowing through my mind and body. There is plenty of breathing space—Be-ing space—to allow what comes to come in, then move on to where it needs to go next.

That "someone" who opened the doors and windows was me—my truest self—achieved by making some new choices for myself.

I'm walking each day. 
Listening to the birds.
Sitting and watching nature unfold itself in early morning mists, mid-day sunshine, and cloud-striated sunsets.
Staying away from the computer (no TV, obviously)
Eating fresh, simply prepared foods.
Trips to the farmer's market.
Reading books from the library.
Keeping my eyes on water, whenever I can.
And an occasional drive to the ocean to walk the beach, gather shells, and ponder ...

As a result, my thinking is slowing down. There is a deeper stillness here than I've experienced in a long while ...

And because I am feeling more still and settled, a long awaited Guest has arrived. I was just biding my time ... waiting ... for it to show up and claim me. Who is this Guest? Not a he or a she, but a Spirit-led process—a slow and languorous form of writing that eventually becomes a real book.

I've been waiting two years for it to pay me a visit.

So this Guest and I are going to be spending the next two months together. It's a fairly private time so I'll be "undercover" so to speak. I have almost nothing on my calendar to crowd our days. There will be (by necessity) less "public writing" (blogging and visiting blogs) because time away from the computer is essential for us to maximize our time together. Long expanses of quiet and solitude are necessary to bring forth what wishes to be birthed. 

I'll be checking in here from time to time, as the spirit moves me, as time allows. I'll be "blogging without obligation." It's so important to honor this gentler rhythm of my days right now, so I hope you'll understand my absences. I'll pop in and give a progress report now and then, how's that?

In the meantime, I'll address comments as I can, and should you need to reach me, I'm still available. Just use the Contact form here. I'd love to hear from you.

One of my highest hopes is that each of us can walk through life fully honoring our truest selves. We do this by accessing our inner calm, which invites clarity and produces wisdom. It is vital that we listen, discern, and honor our inner rhythm—that we do what we are guided to do for our own well-being.

So today, as I write this post, sharing with you that I'm fully engaged in this process myself, I'm hoping that you will be too.

What is your spirit calling for?

Are you listening?

Are you able to answer this call and give yourself what you need to be calm, clear, and wise—to live as your truest self?

I pray that you will ...

May it be so. Amen.

~~~~~

What I'm listening to: "Inner Works" by Peter Kater

What I'm reading: First You Shave Your Head by Geri Larkin

Oh, Solitude! An Important Invitation from a Wise Woman...

Please welcome, my dear friend and guest blogger, Cheryl Wright. (Cheryl Wright Perspectives).

She is a gifted writer who has been speaking to women for years through the power of her pen. Her message is clear and oh, so important. Make sure you take time for you—all alone—and enjoy the pleasure of your own company. Seek solitude! 

There's a question posted at the end. We'd love to dialogue with you about this. Welcome, Cheryl! Thank you for being here today!

Ode to Solitude

We are social beings and we derive a large portion of our happiness from our connections to and relationships with others. Plus we are accustomed to the constant physical and verbal activity that surrounds us. Still, the need for occasional periods of solitude is just as vital to our mental and emotional welfare.

Solitude and you.

It's where we can ask, "Who am I?" Can we really lie to ourselves about who we are? In solitude, there are no caves or walls to hide from ourselves. In our solitary moments, we can identify the person who lives in our skin and walks in our clothes.

Solitude sequesters us from the pressures to conform and compromise. It helps us to understand who we are thus explaining the reasons and rational for our emotions, individual tendencies and preferences. It creates the atmosphere for heartfelt reflection, acceptance, forgiveness and the resolve to be true to ourselves.

Solitude and spirituality.

The Bible tells of leaders in the Old Testament, like Moses, who often pulled themselves away from their families and other companions to talk to and hear God. In the New Testament, it was Jesus’ habit to withdraw from the company of his disciples for private sessions with God the Father. Many people have testified that they felt God’s presence, heard his voice and sensed His guiding hand in their moments of solitude. Solitude draws us in and ushers us into the portal through which we can seek and commune with God, through prayer and meditation.

Solitude and creativity.

Researchers, psychologist and persons of almost every creative persuasion, can attest to the benefits of solitude. Sometimes, in solitary moments inspired ideas surface to reveal how they can be merged with old, new or emerging skills. Or they appear as innovative sparks to prompt us to try something we have been avoiding. We can make use of solitude’s gentle probing to develop our creative inclinations or delve into a new adventure.

Solitude and rest.

Stealing away for a few moments of solitude will restore our energy as we give our bodies the rest it deserves. Additionally, solitude will provide the much-needed break from the presence and chatter of others. When our physical pace slows or stops completely, solitude helps our minds to adopt the same pace and our mental faculties improve. Overall, we will emerge from our time of solitude physically rested and mentally refreshed.

Solitude and life.

Solitude quiets the noise of our normal existence and allows us to hear our true thoughts, and feel our most intimate and genuine feelings. It opens our minds to find solutions to our life puzzles and to consider possibilities previously hidden in the noisy whirlwind of our busy routines. Often, solitude presents the inspiration for change in various areas of our lives. If we adopt the practice of regular periods of solitude, we will no doubt notice a slower, more thoughtful and positive response to the road bumps in our lives.

Do you avoid solitude or barely tolerate it, anxious to be set free from it? Or, are you comfortable and contented with solitude, soaking up and allowing all its benefits to enrich your life? 

Cheryl and I are eager to hear ...


~~~~~

Cheryl Wright’s essays, feature articles and columns have been published online and in print since 1998. It was only six years or so into her writing journey that she recognized the connection between her lifelong love of solitude and writing. They feed off each other and they both nourish and inspire her as well as her writing. Cheryl writes a weekly column for the Womanwise Magazine along with miscellaneous feature articles on her specialties - self-improvement, lifestyle choices, identifying and pursuing one’s dreams, living full, free and fulfilled lives. She maintains a blog Cheryl Wright-Perspectives where she shares her perspectives on her overriding passions.

(Image "Be Strong as Mountain, Be Gentle as Feather" courtesy of newmoonvisions.com)