Accepting what you want

I know I’ve written a lot lately about releasing fears, and releasing these fears that hold us back is a very important step towards spiritual growth. When we think about our fears, if we’re not careful, it’s almost like we empower them. By putting energy into them, we can actually pull them right into our lives - the very things we meant to avoid.

So once we release those fears, we are charged with the step of “what’s next.”

We’ve de-cluttered our minds, released those fears and are ready to move on. But what’s the first step?

The first step is to really what we do want. You’ve now got all this “free space” from all those recently released negative thoughts, and we want to make darn sure we don’t just reaccumulate negatitity into all those slots. We need to prepare to fill our minds and spirits with positive messages of love and light.

Every single morning, I declare the following: “I am open and receptive too all the good in this universe.” And then, I think about what that good is. I think about what good I want to come to me. My new house, my well family, traveling, great books, just anything and everything I want to invite into my life.

Releasing Fears

This is what I wrote, realized and released when I came across fears that were holding me back from pursuing the life of my dreams:

*****************************************************************************

Over the last few days, I’ve had some profound insight into the importance of releasing fears. I’ve known that releasing fears is an important task for some time now, but I’ve recently hit a whole new level of realization with it.

I started working on  releasing my fears a few days ago, and I have learned so much about myself. I was wondering why my plans on moving weren’t easily unfolding, and I’ve found the answer.

Whenever we’ve shown our house to potential buyers, I think we held on to “I sure hope they don’t want to buy it” because this house is our anchor. It’s been the constant in our lives since I was 19 years old. Just look at the ad I put on Craig’s List:

We’re moving out of state and selling our family home of nearly 15 years. While we are excited about our new adventure, we are sad to be leaving this lovely home.

Our beautiful brick home has three bedroom and 1.5 baths. The garage is converted into a utility room/den combo (separated from the living room by french doors). New carpet (neutral “straw hat color” and laminate floors (rich wood) are throughout the house. CH&A with gas heat and gas hot water and cooking. We are having a brand new roof put on next week (hopefully), so if you buy the house before we pay the contractor, you could give us your opinion on shingle colors. Afterall, you would be the one enjoying the new roof for years to come.

We have a very large fenced back yard with a partially covered deck with railing. It’s beautiful. Last summer, we planted two weeping willow trees. One is in the front yard and the other is in the back. We also planted a gorgeous Bradford Pear in the front yard seven years ago - to commemorate the birth of our first child. (If I could only figure out a way to take that tree with me, I would! Just kidding, but the tree definitely has sentimental value.)

The front of our home has custom made cedar shudders and cedar railing on the porch. The top trim in front is also matching cedar. There are two storage buildings in the back yard - one is covered in the same cedar wood and the other is a very close match. We have custom cedar arched gates on both sides of the house. The gates can only be opened from the inside, which provided us extra security for when our children were playing in the back yard. Even though I have always felt safe in our neighborhood, I found extra security in knowing that no one could get into our back yard without going through the house (or somehow getting over the very tall gates).

Our home is located in a quiet, friendly, small neighborhood. Our neighborhood is compromised of five streets and the neighbors are caring and watch out for each other. We will really miss our neighbors. We do have a small, informal neighborhood watch program and in past years, we have organized neighborhood yard sales and other activities.

Tecumseh is a wonderful little town. We have one stoplight, but lots of character and history. Our schools are excellent and we do have shopping avenues locally. We have a small grocery store, several gas stations, a Subway, Taco Mayo, Sonic, Pizza Hut, and Mazzios. There are several restaurants as well: Boomarang, Jewels, Zocalos, Stafford Smoke House, and Gioris. If you worry about more shopping options, well, don’t. Shawnee has a mall, super walmart, lowes, staples and tons of shopping, and it’s less than ten minutes away. Plus, you’re only about forty five minutes east of OKC. 

This house has been our home for fifteen years. All three of our children came home from the hospital to this home. And the walls of our home have been place for love, family, laughter, and hope.

If you’re looking for a home with lots of love, laughter, and family history, then our home may be just what you’re looking for.
HOW TO CONTACT ME: You may simply respond to this Craig’s list advertisement with your interest. I will be notified and contact you to set up a time for you to view our home.

Clearly, I wasn’t ready to let go of this house. I talked about the Bradford pear tree in the front yard that we planted the year our first child was born. I wrote about bringing home all three of our children from the hospital to this house. This house was my anchor. It was my place of refuge and comfort from the world. I found sickness (MS, RA, and lupus) in this house. . and then I found wellness in this house. We bought this home in 1994, when I was barely 19 and hubby and I had been married a little over a year. It almost feels like we grew up in this house. No matter how crazy things seemed “out there” in the world, I could always come home. When my depression spiraled, I stayed for weeks inside these walls, which offered protection from the outside world. This house was my foundation - my anchor. . . but I now know I am achored to source energy, which allows me to create anything I want for my life.

And to symbolize my “letting go” of my attachment to this house, I fill it with love and let it go. I have symbolically let go of each room. I know that my memories will stay with me, and it’s the LOVE and GROWTH that I’ve found in this house that made me fear moving on. But I now know that love and growth will remain with me - no matter where I live. This house is walls and floors and ceiling. It’s US that made it a home. And that means we can make our new house a home too.

So I lovingly let go of this house - to the new family who will fill it with love and memories. I let go of clinging to these walls - and am ready to embrace my new life and house in Texas.

I saved a leaf off the bradford pear in the front yard to take a piece of it with me - no matter where I go. And I take lots of memories. And even though I am now ready to let go, I know that in the universal sense, I take this house and memories with me because they will always exist in my heart. I am merely letting go of the boards, sheet rock, floors, and ceiling that exist. In no way are these physical pieces “my home.” My home is in my heart and soul, and I take all of the parts I want.

The second part of my fear was finding another place to live. Houses are more expensive in Texas than they are here. If I let go of my home and anchor, would I have a place for us to live? Would I end up homeless with three children? I cannot imagine a bigger fear than not being able to  provide for your children. I let this fear take hold too. Will I be able to provide for my children? If I lose this home, will we end up homeless?

I have reconnected myself to God/source energy, and I know that I am always safe. . as I am an extension of that source energy. I have the ability to create by realizing my connection to the source, and I can find my anchor in that infinite and all empowering source energy. I am making decisions to better our lives and experiences. . .and with that knowledge, I release the fears that were stopping me from moving forward.

A glimpse through her eyes

Having children is wonderful, especially when they are young enough to be untainted by worldly experience. And if I’m ever feeling down or discouraged, all I have to do is take a peek at myself and the world around me through my children’s eyes.

Princess is five years old. She is everything that the a storybook five year old would be. She is witty, funny, and most of all, full of surprises. She is so caring and compassionate, and true to her name - Princess - she will often break out into song just to break up the monotony of the day. She can frequently be spotted wearing a plastic tiara or almost just as often, a pair of butterly wings. She will spend hours on end pretending to be a cat and insisting on eating her food right out of the bowl, just as a cat would. And then the next second, she emerges from her one year old sister’s room dressed in infant clothing and pretending to be a baby. Two nights ago, I spent the better part of an hour trying to tape a paper fin onto a headband just so she could pretend to swim around the den as a shark.

Princess teaches me something every day. Sometimes, it’s a completely new lesson, and other times, it’s just a reminder of something I have forgotten. Princess often reminds me how much each of us likes to be appreciated in life. She is so generous with her praise and love. It’s a well known fact in this house that if you’ve worked hard at a task and are feeling tired or worn out, just ask Pricness to take a peek. She will instantly tell you how beautiful the newly painted wall looks - or how great the freshly cleaned pantry is. Princess tells me that I am the best mom ever and I must admit, I never get tired of hearing that. Princess reminds me that words matter, and I must choose them carefully. She always knows what to say - no matter the situation. She has amazing intuitive abilities for her mere five years. And I am constantly amazed at the compassion she shows for others.

I admire so many qualities about Princess. She can easily make friends, and although she is sometimes too sensitive and gets her feelings hurt, I know that she loves everyone she meets with her pure and uncomplicated heart. When her uncle brought over his girlfriend to meet us recently, Princess greeted her by referring to her as “my lady” and showing her all the grace and hospitality of royalty. She also showered her with “gifts” - including a moon chair from her room, a can of Dr. Pepper, and a Wii controller. Unfortunately, I had to put a hold on the other gifts - including the rest of her dinner, a package of fruit snacks, and a rock. (Yes, seriously).

Princess treats every person she meets like a treasure, and she sees the best in everyone. And even more importantly, she views everyone as her friend and feels compelled to share with them. She has given away more things than I can count - not just to people we know but also to strangers we don’t. She has given away toys right out of her hand at parks and outings. And when I asked her “why did you give away your new toy?” Her answer is always the same - “I wanted him (or her) to have it. It will make him (or her) happy.” That’s just the kind of heart Princess has - compassionate and loving. 

She takes joy in seeing others happy, and I think that is almost a lost art form. It seems like in our cutlure, we seem to get jealous over the happiness or success of others. We don’t delight in the happiness of others anymore. In fact, we seek to tear others down rather than build ourselves up. Princess reminds me that we can find joy in observing joy in others. And if we just look around, we can find plenty around us to bring happiness into our lives. We do not lose anything by celebrating the success of another.

I hope I continue to learn these wonderful life and love lessons from Princess. I know I can learn much from her loving heart and unyielding spirit. And most of all, I hope I never lose the ability to look at the world through her eyes.

Simple ways to align with what you want

I write a lot about raising your vibrational frequency. It’s necessary to monitor your vibrational frequency because it’s that frequency that determines what you attract into your life. How does one do this? I know it sounds complicated, but it’s really not. The answer is simply through your feelings

According to my hero and a wonderful teacher Louise Hay, a feeling is just a thought in motion, and a thought can be changed. (If you have ITUNES, I recommend downloading “Receiving Prosperity” by Louise Hay. It will cost you about $8.00, I think, and well worth every cent)

So if we can align our thoughts with what we want, then we can align our feelings with what we want. Afterall, a feeling is just a thought in motion throughout the body.

So what if you think, think, think about let’s say a new car. Your old car is falling to pieces, and you need a new one. You think about this new car ten times during the day. So what are you thinking about the rest of the day? And what is the focus when you’re thinking about that new car? Are you envisioning the new car - as if you already have it? Or are you focusing on your lack or not having the new car?

If your focus is on the lack, then you’re sure to bring in more not having. Because even though your thought is on the car - your feeling is on the lack of the new car. You can’t align yourself with what you want - the new car - by feeling the lack of it. You have to align yourself with the having - the gratitude for the new car before you can align yourself with it.

Sometimes, we have difficulties in shifting from the lack to the having. How can we do this? Well, fortunately, there are simple ways to align yourself with what you want.

What inspires you? What lifts your mood? What makes you happy?

The answers to these questions can be as simple as a favorite song to a favorite show. Or maybe you enjoy inspirational books like The Secret by Ronda Burne or You can Heal your Life by Louise Hay. Whenever you find yourself thinking about the lack of something, you need to immediately find something - anything - to raise your mood so you can focus on the joy of having.

If I find myself in a place of money shortage, the very first thing I do is pull out my IPOD and listen to Louise Hay’s Receiving Prosperity recording. It immediately lifts my spirits and mood. I feel better and I am reminded to focus on the having. If I’m feeling poorly, I immediately get out my copy of The Secret and read Morris Goodman’s - The Miracle Man’s - story. This man was in a plane crash - his body crushed and paralyzed. His family was told he’d never walk or breath without the assistance of a ventilator again, and yet, Morris can walk, talk, and breath. Our bodies know how to heal themselves. And when we focus on wellness, we get wellness. When we focus on disease. . . we get disease.

If you have internet access, then check out Hay House Radio (www.hayhouseradio.com). I am a huge fan of hay house and its shows. Louise Hay founded hay house radio as a source of inspiration for the soul. Dr. Wayne Dyer has a weekly radio show, and I find every word that comes out of his mouth to be inspirational and thought provoking. You can listen to hay house shows for free via their website, and you can also download older shows and listen to them for free as well. You can also sing up for podcast alerts.

There are literally countless ways to nourish your spirit to help you align your energy, thoughts, and feelings with what you want. You needn’t feel alone or hopeless. There are literally thousands and thousands of stories of miracles that surround us every day. And in every single case, the person aligned his thoughts and feelings with what he wanted - over what he lacked or didn’t want.

Find a teacher, speaker, or mentor that works for you. There are so many amazing teachers out there. I’ve checked out the website and writings of just about every teacher from The Secret, and I’ve found those whose writings I can identify with and some I couldn’t. For me, I found far more from Louise Hay than any other writer or teacher out there. I’ve already mentioned that I read Dr. Wayne Dyer, and I also like Dr. John Demartini. I’m reading my second book of Jerry and Esther Hicks right now.

Find a teacher that inspires you and allow your energy to align with what you want - and then just allow it to manifest.

Law of Attraction

This is more of a personal blog than an article, but I still think it’s fascinating.

I have been on FIRE with LOA recently. I’m so serious, even I’m amazed.

We were at Walmart last week, and it was raining. There were NO parking places. None. We had been driving around for at least five minutes, when my husband (in his best smart a$$ tone) said “Why don’t you just manifest us a parking place?”

I replied, “Well, all you had to do was ask.” And I began to picture the perfect parking place - right in front. Sure enough, he turned down the very next aisle (the same one he had been circling like a vulture) and the very first spot was open. He didn’t say another word, and my five year old said “See Daddy, manifesting does work.” yes, it does.

And then yesterday, we were flipping through the channels and the movie Volcano was on. I said, “Yeah, I like this movie okay, but I really like Dante’s Peak better. I wish it would come on.” And just like that - my wish was granted. Dante’s Peak was on late last night.

And then I did a reading for someone who visits these blogs, and her spirit guide was named Rosetta - an unusual name for sure. I hadn’t talked to this person in probably about a week, but this afternoon, I was flipping through the channels and there was an old movie that came on named Rosetta. I knew I needed to contact this person about something. The connection was there.

And there have been countless other examples . . little things that you probably don’t realize unless it’s gone wrong. I had to pick up a prescription for my husband before we went out of town. I visualized that line at the walmart pharmacy being short and me getting through it quickly. And yes, I was the second person in line. Within minutes, the line behind me was clear down the aisle and out of the pharmacy dept. Perfect timing. I did the same thing at Six Flags (after having already waited a long time. It finally dawned on me to use LOA to get through the line), and sure enough, a new line opened and I got right through.

I have found a picture of the perfect house for my family. I printed a picture of it and the floor plan. I have taped it on my desk so I look at it several times a day. I have mentally walked in that front door and visited every room. I have seen my family there - my children playing in the great room, or me sitting with a cup of coffee and a good book in the hearth room. I have heard the children’s footsteps as they run down the stairs. I have visited the back porch and walked out to my organic garden to pick fresh veggies to feed my family for dinner. I have seen myself lying in my bedroom watching TV or looking out the big glass doors into my beautiful yard.

I have even pictured my children’s bedroom furniture. Princess (age 5) will have an all white furniture set. She will have a four poster canopy bed with canopy and a writing desk. She will have a beautiful window seat lined with all her stuffed animals. I can see her soft pink bedding.

I can see bebe’s room with her white crib and dresser. I can see us changing the crib into the toddler bed, and I can see the flowers and bumblebees (decorations) on her walls.

I can see Diva’s (age 7) room as well. Hers is light wood furntire with a double bed with storage underneath. Diva’s room will have to be Hannah Montana b/c that child cannot get enough of Hannah. I can see the big feather boa decoration hanging on the side of her dresser mirror. I can see the big purple pillows lining up the wall where she can sit and play her video games or watch tv. I can see her closet - lined with clothing and accessories.

I can see my kitchen - light wood and decorated with either apples or chili peppers. I can see me cooking and being able to look out over the snack bar and watch the kids in the great room. I can see them coming home from school, plopping their back packs on the snack bar and eating an after school snack while starting homework.

Yes, I can see all of this. I can see it. I can hear the noises and smell the food. I can almost touch it, and I know that when I can touch it, I will have it.

Just remember the LOA is always working, so what thoughts are you putting out there to manifest in your life? Focus on what you do want and let it manifest in your life.

Learn to be well

A recent comment on my blog made me really start thinking about something I’ve felt strongly about for a while now - we TEACH people how to be sick. Yes, that’s right. We TEACH people how to be sick and how to be in pain. Now, before you think that idea is crazy - stick with me for a bit.

When I was first diagnosed with MS, here’s what I was told:

1. It’s not fatal and there is no cure.

2. You can live a long life with it - but you’ll need medication to do so.

3. The new face of MS is not the wheelchair; you’re far more likely to only need a cane.

Of course, I wanted to know more about this MonSter, so I signed up for the MS Society and the magazine. I later got online and read story after story of how MS affects the lives of others. Afterall, I wanted to know what would be happening to me and my body.

All the MS magazines and newsletters I got were filled with pages of all the newest high tech gear to help me live with my MS. I couldn’t tolerate heat very well. Lucky for me, there was some type of space age gadget called a cooling suit that would keep my body cool no matter how hot it was outside. I had bladder problems, and yay - there were all kinds of bladder medicines and special bladder control protection devices that would help me accommodate the spastic bladder. Having trouble walking? There were ten different scooter/electric wheelchair advertisements in every single magazine. All I had to do was select one.

And then there were the drug ads themselves - pictures of people, like me who had the MonSter, taking control of their disease - Managing their disease - LIving with their disease.  Well, where’s the focus here?  - the DISEASE. The focus was never on perfect health or wellness. The focus was on the DISEASE.  Regardless of whether you are fighting the disease or treating the disease or accommodating the disease - no matter what, your focus is still on the disease.

Where’s your focus? That is probably one of the most important questions you can ever ask yourself. If your focus on being well or being sick? If your focus on what you have or what you lack?

And when I would read all these MS magazines and the advertisements, my focus was on one thing - the disease. The disease and everything that came with it - the pain, the numbness, the loss of vision, bladder problems, muscle dysfunction, mobility issues, and everything else that was wrong. It was never on living well or healthy. It was always on the disease. My disease become a part of me - a part of my identity. For years, I identified as an MSer. My email address was MomwithMS. Having MS became a daily part of my existence.

It wasn’t until I really became aware of the great power in the law of attraction and the ability of the body to heal itself that I realized how much control I had in my health and life. I believed that I had to have MS forever because afterall, one of the first things I was told is that there was no cure for MS. MS was incurable. Well, if you look at the word in-curable it means to cure from within. It doesn’t mean UNcurable. It is INcurable. And I did that. I went within me to find the cure. It’s possible.

Now, do I still have pain sometimes? yes, I do. But I am moving very quickly toward a place of absolutely no pain and total health. I lived for 10 years with MS, so I’m giving myself plenty of time to allow my body to heal. I was taking about 14 very toxic medications every day, and now I take NONE daily. I do have one that I will take sometimes, but I certainly do not need it daily. Now, that’s progress. My vision is completely restored, and I can now bend the toes of my left foot - something I hadn’t been able to do for about ten years.

With what I now know, I believe that a perfect state of wellness is possible. I wish more people would focus on wellness over illness. Every time you turn on the TV, you are seeing another commercial for a new miracle drug - one for you to go and ask your doctor about. Every few pages in just about every magazine is an advertisement for a medicine - either prescription or OTC. We have become so accustomed to these drug commercials that they are normal to us. If you were to round up any ten people over age 18, probably 9 of them take some medication daily. Why? Because drugs have become such a normal part of our existence. We are repeatedly inundated with drug commercials, magazine ads, doctors office brochures, internet ads, websites, and then people who all tell us that we need these pills in order to live.

Feeling blue? Must be depression - take a pill.

Shy? Must be social anxiety disorder - take a pill.

High cholesteral?  take a pill. Obese? Forget changing your diet - take a pill. forgetful? - take a pill.  angry? take a pill. stomach aches? Ulcers? leg cramps? unable to sleep? Unable to eat? discontent in any way? take a pill.

I was taking fourteen pills a day, so yeah, I speak from experience. We are taught to be sick. We are taught to need pills.

Yes, I got on a rant here, but I feel so passionately about this because I’ve lived it. That’s right - I’ve lived it. We have to stop teaching people how to be sick and how to be well. Because we are meant to be well. Our bodies are created to function perfectly and heal, and they work beautifully, so long as we take care of them.

Happy 4th of July

Greetings everyone on this beautiful fourth of July. I hope you and your families have a fun, wonderful, and safe holiday weekend.

We are having family over for a cook out this evening and then we’re off to watch the public fireworks display in Shawnee. This is sort of an annual tradition for us, and since this will most likely be our last year here in Oklahoma, we are really looking forward to it.

We’re shown our house several times this week, so we’re hoping it sells soon. We really need to be moving in the next few weeks. Please keep us in your positive thoughts and energy.

Anyway, I have some really cool fireworks pictures from a party we went to last night. I’ll try to post them on the blog.

Enjoy your 4th!

 

 

My children are making me crazy

Yes, it’s true. They are. They are simply making me crazy, but I mean that in a good way. You see, I don’t think you can truly succeed at parenting unless you can ride the big kahuna to crazyville.

Even as I type this, my five year old is sneaking up behind me and dropping popcorn in the back of my shirt. And when I tell her that if one more piece of popcorn makes it into my shirt then she’s going to bed. . . she just switches gears. Now, I have a dirty sock down the back of my shirt. See, clearly, she out-thought me. My only specification was for the popcorn. Now, how could I have known I would now be sitting here - typing - with a dirty sock in my shirt?

Earlier, I took Princess (the five year old) to the grocery store with me. My buggy is nearly full and she decides that she’s tired. She starts trying to shift my buggy full of groceries to make herself a little place to lie down. I calmly - but with absolute certainty - tell her that there is NO ROOM in this buggy for her to lie down. The buggy is full of groceries. Completely unrelenting, she continues to squirm and shift my groceries. There is a man standing in line next to me at the deli; he is amused by both our conversation regarding how it’s not possible and yet her determination to find a place to lie down. A few squished cookies later, and yes, she had a place sufficiently flat for he to lie down. And with one quick swoop of my purse, she now has a pillow too. CLEARLY, I was wrong. She COULD find a place to lie down in the buggy full of groceries. Once again, she out-thought me. The man standing next to me got a really good laugh out of this.

I wish I could say these are the only two times I have been out-witted by a five year old, but sadly, that’s not true. This child often out thinks me. She rarely sees a rule as a prohibition of an activity, but more of a motivating factor to come up with a new way of doing things.

I’ll tell her only one outfit per day. You should see my mountain of laundry. And after seeing her in her fourth outfit for the day, I now remind her of the rule. She looks at me, with absolute honesty in her eyes, and says “But I DO only wear ONE outfit at a time in the day.” Crap. . . she found a loophole.

She has decided to circumvent the “you must make your bed” rule by refusing to sleep under her covers. Instead, she gets a spare blanket and sleeps on top of her covers.

And let me tell you about the soda rule. We have a “one soda per day” rule in our house. I always have organic milk, organic juice, and water available to drink. I do not like the kids drinking sodas, so I do limit their intake. My daughter’s solution - she simply goes around the house drinking other people’s drinks. When I catch her with the soda, she’ll say “No, it’s not mine. It’s Dad’s. I’m just drinking it for him.” She insists that she only opens one soda per day herself, so she is technically within the scope of  the rule. Another technicality. . .

She’s also found a way to sneak an extra cookie. She’s pretend to give one to her little sister, and then wait for the baby to throw it down and then gobble it up.

The no running in the house rule? Yeah, that one was truly child’s play for her because I was clearly unaware that her legs aren’t really running - per se. They are just really fast walkers because they are “happy legs” that don’t go slowly. My mistake.

So yeah, my children are making me crazy, and I’m loving every minute of it. Earlier, when Princess shoved the dirty sock down my shirt, Diva (my seven year old) responded with the following: “Apparently, she doesn’t think popcorn and dirty socks are the same thing. I think she got you on that one mom.”

*sigh*

Anyone else want to board the Mommy train to looneyville?

The wandering mind

Does your mind wander? Mine used to - a lot. My mind was always active and at one time, I believed this to be a good thing.

It wasn’t until I truly had a good footing on my spiritual journey that I realized my wandering mind was slowing me down. Yes, you do need to prepave your path with good thoughts, but if you allow your mind to wander, you wander straight off the path to what you desire.

In order to have the things you desire in life (whatever they may be - happiness, money, family, love), you must first learn to be present. You’ll hear some the best teachers of our time talk about this - the power of now, be present, stay in the moment. All of these are expressions that basically mean stop your mind from wandering.

So much of our time is spent on could have, should have or would like to have thoughts. We obsess about what we did wrong or should have done better. We spend countless hours in a state of worry regarding “what if.” We spend so much of our time and energy in the past and the future. When the truth is that when we are in the past or the future, we are basically powerless. We can’t actually undo what has been done, and we cannot take action on something that hasn’t happened yet.

The only moment you can actually live in is now - the present. Think about it. Let’s say that yesterday afternoon you had a mild car accident. You were talking on the cell phone and weren’t paying attention. Of course, we hope this never happens, but just follow me for a minute. You feel badly about the accident. You feel guilt, remorse and regret. You continue to beat  yourself up for this mistake in judgement.

All day long, you’ve thought about it. You’re replayed the event over and over in your head. You focus in on that foolish decision to drive and not pay attention. You feel the impact of the wreck again and again. You experience all the emotion involved, the shock, the guilt, and the sorrow. You just keep reliving this moment.

What have you done here? You’ve put all your energy and focus into something bad, which is certain to attract only more negative. And every time you relive this poor judgement and car accident, you lower your vibrational level. You take yourself off the path to the life you want.

Some people will argue “Well, you should feel guilty.” Well, in most cases, guilt is a useless emotion. Ever heard of dieter’s guilt syndrome? Let’s say Sue is on a diet (which is a bad idea anyway), but she caves to her cravings and eats cake. She feels guilty and stupid for giving into temptation, so before she knows it, she is eating more cake. And then a donut. These decisions lead to more guilt, which leads to more poor decisions. Remember that like attracts like. So if you’re feeling guilty and badly about yourself, you will attract more in your life to feel guilty and badly about.

Now, back to the car wreck. Guilt is not the same thing as responsibility. You can feel good about accepting responsibility for poor decisions. It means you’ve made peace with and are ready to move on. Accept responsibility for your actions, and leave all the guilt, along with the should have’s, behind you.

Whenever the wreck enters your mind, do one of two things. Either recreate the incident the way you want it to happen. Tell your friend that you’ll call her later when you get home, and then safely make your passage. OR replace that negative thought with good ones. Think about all the times you’ve make good decisions while driving - or the time you volunteered at the local hospital. Find a thought that raises your vibrational frequency and allows you to shift your level of consciousness.

You have to be present if you want to have the ability to create the life you want. I know it sounds simple, but if you will do this exercise for one day, I think you’ll see just how much time you spend outside of the now. Create a thought journal. For one whole day, set a clock for every 30 minutes, and every time the buzzer sounds, write down that exact thought that was in your mind. This exercise is also wonderful to help you see any negativity in your thought patterns as well. But create your thought journal and then see for yourself how much of your time is spent in the now.

I could write forever on this subject because I have accomplished some pretty amazing things by connecting with the present. I haven’t blogged about my life here much, but I will in the coming weeks.

The short version is this: Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 21, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia at age 29 and had a positive lupus panel at 32. After I had my last daughter (who is now 16 months old), I was told I could not survive any of the conventional treatments for these autoimmune illnesses, including chemotherapy cocktails, which I had taken in the past. I was too weak and frail. I was taking many, many medications every single day. It’s hard to tally an exact number because some of them I took once a week and others as needed, but I would say it was an average of 16 different medications per day.

And by connecting to the present, I was able to take myself off every single one of those medications, including some nasty addictive ones. I have one medicine that I will sometimes take now, and am slowly tapering off that one as well. I did this by focusing on the present. I let go of my past illness - of the history of pain and disease. And I also let go of the future of uncertainty - will I relapse in my MS and end up unable to walk? Will I be able to care for my children? I learned to let go of all of those thoughts that were keeping me out of the present. And the healing that took place was miraculous. And it was all by recognizing the power of now and the power of thought.

I know this works - not because of a book or a teacher. I know it works because I’ve used it. Three different disabling autoimmune diseases, over a dozen daily medications. . . I’ve experienced the power of being present, and I know it can change your life.

 

****I’ve included some additional resources at the bottom of this article for those who may want to do some additional reading.

There are some really good resources for learning how to calm your mind and be present. Of course, I like Dr. John F. Demartini’s writings and I’ve also recently found Eckhart Tolle’s books too. Both authors have some exceptional insight into the power of being present. I’m also a huge fan of Wayne Dyer, and if you ever get the chance to watch his “Living the wisdom of the Tao” special that’s on PBS sometimes, be sure to watch it. It’s amazing. I plan to meet Wayne Dyer before my time is done on this planet. I would love to feel his energy up close. He is amazing.

Releasing negativity to increase positive energy

A few years ago, I found a way to release negativity that really works for me. I think it’s very effective, easy, and rather enjoyable.

I believe in metaphors. In fact, I think metaphors and visualizations are the easiest way to raise your vibrational frequency because they allow you to move easily through the steps.

Every morning (and sometimes in the evening), I take a long shower. I stand underneath the water. I let the water begin on the very top of my head and fall downward. I release every negative thought, feeling, and bad thing that happened the day before. If I got an unexpected bill, I release all the emotion around it. If I wasn’t feeling well, I release all the thought, energy, and attachment to that illness. If I was short with my kids, I release all the guilt and “should have’s” too. Basically, I let every negative feeling, thought, or emotion be washed over me. . . and then I feel all that negativity leave me and go down the drain.

I then imagine the new water is filled with positive thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I feel all the abundance of the universe is now raining down on me. I feel luck, happiness, abundance, prosperity, health, wealth and happiness just pour all over my body. I feel every part of me absorb this great new energy. And then I practice the teachings of one of my favorite authors and teachers, Louise Hay, and I say “I open open and receptive to all the good in the universe.”

As I dry off, I plan all the wonderful things I want to happen in my day, as I give thanks for all the good I have. Remember that what we give our attention to increases, so I make sure to give attention to what I WANT - not what I don’t.

Because of my “spiritual showers,” I rarely take baths anymore. And if I do, I let the water rinse away all the negativity first because I don’t like the thought of sitting in a tub of negative energy. I shower off and then fill the tub with positive energy, thought, and emotion and then I take a bath and absorb it all up.

There are so many ways to raise your vibrational frequency level to help you tune in to the good of the universe. Find a way that works for you and use it. Metaphors and visualizations are a wonderful place to start.