Bad days

No matter how optimistic and "faithful" I become I still have these days where I have no desire in anything or anyone. I lack the motivation to achieve anything and in general I have this absolutely horrid attitude! Today would be one of those days. I hadn't realized how long it's been since I have written here and even as I sit here typing I am trying to avoid this feeling of deleting everything and doing something else. Even though these are annoying times I do believe that they are nesessary. Nessesary for what, I don't know but i have noticed in the past this is like a low phase and it is usually followed by a more balanced time and a more optimistic view. When your in it though it feels like that clearing will never come. Oh boy do I get annoyed with things too, like right now I cannot get the spelling right on a word and can't find the damn spell checker on this compose box! Earlier I was trying to take photos for my shop. I've been working on photos for days and trying to bond with this new camera and I cannot seem to take 5 photos without at least 2 being blurry!!!  I think times like these it's important to just do nothing but will I do it? hell no! I'm not wired that way. If I'm doing nothing I am still thinking of everything I should be doing.

Empowerment

There is a way of thinking that I have always found interesting and though I'm not sure how "valid" it is or rooted in reality but I do find that it helps me to deal with things that happen in my life in a more balanced and mature manner. The thought is "we as spiritual beings are responsible for all experiences in our life." Meaning we are the creators of our life from the very beginning. Actually before the beginning. We are co-creators in the events and path of our life. We choose our experience's as a way for our soul to reach our chosen path.

When we look at life this way all blame stops. There is no one to blame except ourselves and in a way it brings a sense of calmness and peace that I haven't felt before. Blame, no matter who we are blaming, other people or god or authorities makes us feel like a victim. The simple act of blaming brings on this feeling even if there is no validity to the accusation.

When we take total responsibility for whatever is happening to us we remove that victim quality and move into a place of empowerment. We take responsibility for what is happening to us and are able to make decisions based on how we would like the experience to be. It's really an amazing place to be and even if it is all a bunch of crap, it makes the experiences of life bareable.

Yoga Today

The last couple years have been really difficult and I know, logically, that yoga really helps with these difficult times but for some reason I haven't been able to push my body and my motivation has been really low. Lately I've managed to snap myself out of that place and have been practicing two times a day.

I am once again shocked at how my body is responding. I am feeling poses in ways I haven't felt before, my energy has come up and though my body is sore I am sleeping really deeply. My breathe has become deeper and stronger and I have slipped deeper into poses than I have ever gone before with ease.

Yoga is all about challenging yourself and going deeper and farther. Your instructor isn't going to notice (not always anyway) if your pushing into your poses or if your just going through the motions. If your going to class once a week and faking your way through the poses your really not going to get much benefit from the practice and will probably quit without ever knowing the true beauty of the relationship you develop with your own body.

I love the practice of yoga and cannot think of anything i would rather do which I think is a key to working out, find something you love doing and stick with it.

Trust

I've been thinking about trust lately and have had a few conversations on the topic. It seems to be a theme in my life right now, again. I learned some time ago that trust, like most things, starts within oneself. It is very easy to learn not to trust yourself. Every time you make a promise to yourself and you don't follow through you are losing trust in yourself. If you make a decision to work out beginning on "x" day and "x" day comes and you don't follow through your trust in your self and your confidence deteriorates. When you make a commitment to yourself to stop smoking and you don't do it or you restart, your losing trust in yourself.

On a bigger scale and where trust becomes a more serious issue is in personal relationships. When we cheat on a partner we become all too aware of how easy it is to deceive people and we think "If I'm doing it then everyone else must be doing it too!" I was watching a television show today, can't recall what it was but there was a man who had been repeatedly beating up his wife and daughter in fits of rage. His reasoning was that he was told by other people that she was doing drugs and cheating on him. She was a very pretty girl and just from looking at her you could tell this probably wasn't true. He had asked her many times and she always denied it. He was convinced that everyone was right and his wife was lying to him. Why? Well, lie detectors were given to both people. She was asked about potential drug use and having affairs to which all she replied "no". The test results were conclusive that she was NOT lying. Then it was the husband's turn, he was asked about having sex with any other women besides his wife since they have been together and asked about repeated sexual encounters to which he replied "no". Test results? He was lying.

This isn't suprising really. Many people who cheat on their spouses believe that the spouse is cheating on them. Why? Because they know how easily it comes for them and assume that all people must be like they are. Cheaters will often accuse the spouse of things they themselves are doing. It's called a mirror effect where we project our own images onto the people around us. Some relationships have this effect more than others. I think when it comes to do things that we know are hurtful or wrong we project even more to ease our own suffering of that kind of person we have become.

The universal law of resonance says, when you can trust yourself you naturally draw trustworthy people to you. If you cannot trust yourself then you will naturally draw untrustworthy people to you. It's pretty simple.

I think when you first meet someone it is natural to be somewhat cautious of them. For me trust builds with time, the longer I know someone and see their character the more trust and faith I will put in this person. If they show me that they cannot be trusted then naturally my trust diminishes. I also don't expect people to trust me right away either. I know in time they will and that it is a process.

I have also found that when trust is an issue in your life and you cannot decide whether to trust them or not (assuming they have given you no reason not to) you have to make a conscious decision to trust or not to. Make a commitment to trust, even if you get hurt or make a decision not to and move on, either way it is your choice. Once you make the decision to trust and stay with it your trust will start to grow and you will realize you really don't have to "worry" about trusting just decide to.

Tell me your thoughts on trust, are you trusting right up front or does it take you some time to trust? Have you experienced someone who was mistrusting of you and you found out later that the reason was because they weren't being honest with you?

IS Freedom Possible?

A friend of mine had posted something about freedom on his blog and after I read it have been thinking a lot about the topic. My response to the post was that freedom is an illusion and upon thinking more about it I have confirmed my thoughts of illusion. In order to be really free a person would have to have no attachments at all. No electricity, no house, no possessions, no family etc. Each little attachment we have chips away at our freedom. I think we humans also have a tendency to impose restrictions to our freedom where there are none. Tell me your thoughts, please, I would love to hear them.

Juicer Experience

So, I have been through a lot in the last couple years and my body is starting to feel it. Sluggish, lazy, gained a bit more weight etc etc. My mom dying from heart disease has also made me think a bit more about my own health. I decided to kick my addiction to unhealthy carbs and I acquired a Jack La Lanne's juicing machine recently and decided to give it a try.

Before I go to far, for those who don't know who Jack La Lanne is here is his web site ttp://www.jacklalanne.com/

Here is a picture of Jack and his wife (Jack is now 94 years old)

I think this man is AWESOME and look how amazing he looks today!!

Yesterday my friend Ashley came over and we were talking about the juicer and she says (cause she is an amazingly smart and talented woman) What about the fiber? I didn't have an answer and I still don't so once I research it a bit more I will update everyone on that. After having this conversation with Ashley I decided to do a pictorial of my very first experience with juicing.

I get the machine ready and I get out the veggies I bought yesterday in preparation of my new juicing routine. Now understand I don't know how to work this machine (how hard could it be, right?) and of course I have not read the directions. I am excited about this process and cant wait to get it going. Oh right, I need a cup so that the juice doesn't end up on the counter! Glass is too tall, have no idea how much liquid to expect from this process and think a large mug should work well. Yeah I know my kitchen looks nothing like Martha Stewart's (sorry)

I'm all set! I turn on the machine and get my veggies out and start feeding them into the hole where I "think" they go. I actually did get this part right. I put in a cucumber and wow it eats it right up. Excited I grab a couple carrots. Already I am in LOVE with the fact that I don't have to cut or peel or slice anything!

After the 2 carrots and one cucumber I realize there is something coming out from behind the machine. Yep you guess it, the FIBER and tons of it. All over the wall, back splash, counter and my tea basket (not shown here) Well I guess that kinda answers the "what about the fiber" question. I get a bag and place it over the out hole so the fiber doesn't go all over the counter again. After cleaning up I am ready to move forward! I get an apple and cut the core out (yep got to cut the core out of the apples, damn!) and I add about 5 sticks of celery to it. Every time I put a veggie in juice comes out and my cup just keeps filling up. I have to admit I was amazed at how much juice is in even the driest of veggie.

In the end this is what came out of this juicing experience. A VERY full cup (cup is more like a soup bowl size) of veggie juice! I was a little nervous about tasting it but I had gotten this far i couldn't go back. One sip .......... and .... hmmmmm.... wow ....... hey that's pretty good! WOW I like this stuff! and Jack was right, one mug full and I have ingested 2 carrots, 1 cucumber,and apple and 4 stick of celery. I would NEVER eat that in a day unless I was eating a salad with a nice big glob of ranch dressing on top and an apple as a snack at some point in the day.

The one question still remains (aside from the fact that we now know WHERE the fiber is) what do you do with the fiber?

To be continued!! Anyone have experience with a juicer? Do you juice? Have you noticed any changes? Have any amazing stories to tell about how juicing has helped you or cured some aweful disease? please share!!

Affirmations for another!

I have recently been using an affirmation that I wanted to share with everyone. Many people are struggling and having a difficult time and at times we feel powerless to help. This affirmation has worked REALLY well for me with almost instant results. I typically use it in the morning, think of a person who is struggling and say their name in the affirmation and by afternoon they will come back to me with good news! Coincidence? NO WAY!

I bless you (name here) with God's almighty good. God's good is now gaining control and all is well!!

Protection Practice

I have personally never been very good with protection practice. I know how to do them and I know the need for them but I tend to "forget" that is until something happens and my awareness opens up to the fact that I'm walking around feeling other peoples energy instead of my own. Energy is amazing and vast. We feel it everywhere and when working with different forms of energy we become more and more aware at how intense these energies can get without our awareness!

Have you ever been in a really good mood most of the day then you run into someone who has been in a bad mood and through the simple observation of this person and by being maybe feet away you find your mood has shifted?
Maybe you had a terrible day and the reverse happens. You meet someone so happy and "up" that you feel great when you have left them and forgot all about what got you in a bad mood in the first place. Maybe your very hyper one day and you go to work and a co worker is in a more mellow mood and you notice that your body and mind start to slow down over time in their presence. Maybe you entered a room and felt GREAT then suddenly developed a horrible lower back pain or a headache for a completely unknown reason.

In all these cases we can rationalize that we "feel" that way because this person did this or they did that, and it changed our mood or in the physical sense we might be "coming down with something" Tuning into energy and whats happening around you can give you more clues to whats really going on. Often these things are happening because we are picking up energy from others.

Now this is not to say that we should blame others for how we feel, not at all.
It's that we are much more sensitive to others than we ever realized.
We are all energy and all our energy shifts and moves and at times or rather most of the time does effect those we come into contact with. In fact it does'nt even take contact for this to happen. Spiritual and Earth energies are also all around us. If you live by the concept that we are all one then your awareness has to be that it doesnt take physical contact with someone to "feel" something.

The best and most fun form of protection I have done is using a bubble.
This method was taught to me by a medium (I wish I knew his name but i don't) and has helped me over the years. When your doing your normal daily routine imagine in your mind a BIG bubble. Like the kind you used to make when you were a kid with the bubble maker only ALOT larger, large enough for you to enter and move around in, about 3 feet from your physical body on all sides. Make it any color you wish and add a door to it. Make it see through with color though, you don't want to be living in the dark! Now open the door and walk into it. Say a prayer and ask that this space and anything in it be protected. Decorate it how you wish, hang pictures on the walls (it wont pop) and fill it with a nice scent.

When you have completed your design you now have a space that you can enter at anytime that is safe and protected. When you feel a need to protect yourself enter your bubble. When you want protection for your car make it bigger and ask that you, your car and your passengers are protected. Place one big enough to cover your home and yard and bless this area as protected. Make bubbles for your pets to keep them safe and for fun teach your kids to make bubbles too!

The mental bubbles of protection :)