Aloha,

When I began studying the Toltec tradition I was depressed and suicidal. By using many of the tools, exercises and the basic philosophy of Toltec wisdom I was able to transform my life. Today I live in a beautiful home in Hawaii and do what I love on a daily basis. Thanks to several suggestions I will begin to share more of the exercises and that basic wisdom in this blog.

I want you, my reader to experience the same freedom, happiness and joy I experience on a daily basis. So if you have any questions just drop me a line and I will gladly answer them.

We all have to breathe or we die. In many spiritual traditions the breath is thought of as the point of connection between the spirit and the body. Since we have to breathe anyway why not use our breath creatively to improve the quality of our life?

Toltec Wisdom has a wonderful way of using the breath called recapitulation. Depending on who explains the process it can be daunting or extremely simple and useful. When you breathe mindfully, with full intent you can use your breath to let go of what no longer serves you and connect with your limitless nature.

My favorite way of using recapitulation is to exhale and let go of any turmoil or upsetting emotions I am having. I can be having a conversation with someone and exhale mindfully without them noticing. So, I exhale mindfully until I feel a sense of release. Then I consciously inhale a sense of peace, love and well-being.

By consciously choosing how to use my breath in a few moments I can once again feel a deep and abiding connection to my spirit. I find that when I choose that sense of connection I can make my decisions based on love and choose how to act rather than reacting to life from a place of fear.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Toltec Wisdom talks about the power of our spoken word. One of the most powerful exercises I ever did was having a day of silence. When I finally spoke after being silent for a day I realized how much energy words carry.

Toltec wisdom views the world as a vast energy system. At one point Miguel had me practice looking at pictures, allowing myself to go into the picture and feel the energy.

So with those words I will now return to

Wordless Wednesday

These are flowers that surround my labyrinth. I hope you enjoy their power, beauty and peace.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Dale’s foot is all healed and she is once again enjoying life in the great outdoors. Here is a picture of her drinking water out of the fountain in my meditation circle with St. Francis looking on.

Animals are amazing. I learn a lot from caring for them. They sure seem to live totally in the moment. I was concerned that Dale would have a hard time walking after loosing one of her three toes and it hasn’t even phased her. Her life goes on pretty much as always.

As I started to write this post she stood out in the front yard and raucously asked for her afternoon treat. I cut up a banana, she yummied it down and now she is off enjoying the rest of the day.

I used to be bothered by the fact that I seemed to attract wounded animals. I would feel bad that they were suffering. It took me a few years to realize I was projecting my assumption about suffering on the. They came around because I am tuned in and do care for any injured animal I find. Earlier this year I saved a young cardinal that got stuck in a sticky fly trap and the other day I buried a bird I wasn’t able to save under my avocado tree.

Here is a picture of Boots who caught the bird now fertilizing my avocado tree. She weighs three times as much as Dale yet she is afraid of chickens. Some day I’ll get a picture of my chickens chasing the cat!

Animals have given me the opportunity to apply the concept that we volunteer for all of life’s experiences to a new level. I remember hearing Abraham (of The Secret fame) say that there was no shortage of spirits willing to inhabit animals bodies, including the ones we eat as food. The inhumane way we slaughter animals is simply another opportunity for us to experience what we aren’t so we can remember what we are.

One of the most profound gifts life has to offer is the contrast. Without both light and dark everything would look the same so we wouldn’t be able to see anything. Without fear, love wouldn’t seem so special. Without sadness, joy would be as rich an experience.

What contrasts in your life could you celebrate instead of judging or resisting?

With love, aloha and celebrating diversity,
Susan

Aloha,

Some folks have asked me about the little E card on my blog site. A while ago my web magician Zack signed me up for EntreCard. It is a way to meet other bloggers and let people know your blog exists. I have gotten to read and thoroughly enjoy some blogs I never would have known existed otherwise.

It has a long list of blogs with a variety of topics so you might want to check EntreCard out. Right now they are having a promotion. They have just added a new feature so you can link more than one blog to your account and they just released a free e book telling you all about the ins and outs of EntreCard. If your curious you can go to this link and download it.

Entrecard’s official ebook

Anyone familiar with my blog knows I don’t talk much about the business aspect of the Internet but I do talk a lot about dominion and I think EntreCard is a wonderful example of that paradigm in action.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha,

Yesterday Mother Sarita or as I called her Sister Sarita left her physical body. My Hawaiian Aunty or kumu (teacher) calls that changing address. She was 98 years old. I still remember the first time I met her. I had only been in California a few weeks. I had been taken under a woman named Mary’s wing and she told me I had to meet this powerful healer. She told me to meet her in the Barrio one evening.

From the first time we met Sarita would always greet me with a warm smile and a big hug. I spoke no Spanish and she spoke no English. It wasn’t until several years after I had completed my apprenticeship that I had someone there to translate her words.

I remember the first day I worked with her in the temple. She asked me to bring her a huevo and I had no idea what she meant. She held her hand up and showed me an oval. I brought her everything I could find that was oval in shape. Finally I heard a voice over the partition say, “She wants an egg.” I immediately brought her one, she never lost patience with me and I learned so much from her.

I studied with her in the 80′s when Miguel was still her student. I know her love, wisdom and gifts live on in the hearts of all the people she touched. Thanks to her love I have dedicated my life to helping people achieve personal freedom.

I have so many stories and wonderful memories of all the ceremonies, classes and healings we did together. Sarita, I love you and my love goes out to you and your spiritual family. I know your spirit is flying high, laughing and dancing in the stars.

With love and aloha,
Susan

The quality of our life is deeply affected by the questions we ask ourselves. Questions generally fall into two categories – questions that help us change our perspective or ones that allow us to justify our point of view.

When we asks ourselves, “What do I want to create? and answer that in an affirmative manner, our lives change drastically. Often when I ask people what they want they reply with a list of what they don’t want. “I want to feel loved” creates a very different outcome from the reply “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? All emotions are created by our story about life. We all have our favorite emotions and pet beliefs. We are the only ones that can create limitations in our life. Are you ready to start asking yourself questions that will help you let go of those limitations?

I found it helpful to come up with a list of questions that I asked myself on a regular basis to help me ‘see’ my limiting beliefs. Once you get in touch with one of your limiting beliefs you could visualize holding it in your hand like a small bird, then lovingly let it go and see it fly away.

Here are some questions I find helpful:

How else could I see this situation?
How could I see this through the eyes of love?
What do I really want to create right now?
What would love do?
Who said that? (I do this at odd times during the day when I have observed a thought)
And of course – Do I want to be happy right now or right?

Take sometime and see what questions you can come up with. And as always allow yourself to enjoy the process.

With love and aloha,
Susan

With love and aloha,
Susan

A man loved studying with Buddha so much he brought his best friend to hear him speak. His friend began to hurl one insult after another at Buddha and ask him cynical questions. He told Buddha he thought he was a fraud. The man kept asking his friend to be quiet. His friend just kept getting angrier and angrier and speaking in a louder voice.

When Buddha was done talking the man went over immediately to apologize. Buddha looked at the man smiled and asked him, “If I give you a gift and you refuse to take it who does it belong to?”

The man thought for a moment and then said, “I guess the gift belongs to me.”

Buddha smiled and said, “I don’t accept your friend’s gifts. There is certainly no need for you to apologize.”

Are you going to stop accepting your mind’s gifts of negative opinions?

With love and aloha,
Susan

Today Dale went free. I took off her bandage and let her out in the yard for the day. Her foot looks good. Here is a  picture or her getting ready to walk out the door, with one less toe but she’s walking just fine. As I write this I can hear her cooing noises over by the carport. Her favorite place this time of day.

One of our other chickens Diablo died yesterday and we planted a gardenia on her grave. Today she is blooming and the flowers smell so good. Life is certainly an incredible process. Change is the only constant and it is definitely best savored in the moment.

Here is an article I wrote a while ago. It seemed appropriate given the day.

Freedom’s Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose

One day as I was meditating, I heard Janice Joplin’s raspy voice singing “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” My first thought was, “What a negative idea.” But as I thought about it I realized it did have valid applications in my life. Over the years I have found that the harder I try to hold on to physical things the more rapidly they seem to dissolve. I have come to realize that the feelings of desperation or fear destroy our personal freedom.

When we desperately try to cling to things in life we push them away. It is similar to chasing a beach ball in a pool. If you lunge for it, the ball stays just out of reach and moves away from us. If we approach the ball gently it is easily retrieved. Fear and desperation have the same effect in our lives, as we lunge at things in our life, they move away from us.

For me, freedom comes when I have an attitude of detachment. I define freedom as a way of being in the world in which we experience joy, happiness, peace, and abundance in all areas of our lives. When I am trying to cling to someone or something I experience none of these states, instead I usually experience fear and unhappiness.

When I first began releasing fear and desperation in my life I began to view myself as the sky. The sky is always changing yet always perfect. I remembered flying out of New York City on a gray, dark, and dismal winter day. Suddenly the plane broke through the clouds and we were bathed in sunlight, surrounded by the beautiful blue sky.

I began to view the people, situations, and emotions in my life as clouds. The clouds sometimes block our view and we forget our own perfection and the perfection of those around us. This exercise allowed me to develop a sense of detachment. The sky never tries to control the clouds or the sun; it just exists and experiences the changes effortlessly.

As I developed that sense of detachment I also began to experience life in an effortless fashion. Each day became an adventure. Children often awaken with a sense of excitement and anticipation for a new day. Our desperate need to control our lives as adults robs us of that sense of joy.

It sounds rather simplistic but try it for a week or two. Remind yourself that each event is just a cloud passing by and look for the gift it is bringing you. Remember you are an energy as vast and perfect as the sky, you are perfection, you are not the people, places, and things in your life. As a situation arises, detach, remind yourself it is just a cloud and remind yourself of your perfection.

I started this process by doing a simple meditation. I imagined myself as the sky. I allowed my energy to grow and expand until I could really sense myself encompassing the earth. I then allowed myself to experience events happening around me and imagined them as clouds. I allowed them to effortlessly flow by while I remained detached. I continued practicing this meditation until I could create that feeling of detachment in my everyday life. I watch the clouds often now and remind myself of my perfection.

Everything in our lives is temporary, it is only here for a time. As we develop that sense of detachment and release our fear of losing things, we can enjoy everything more fully. Freedom really is just another word for nothing left to lose.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

The sun just came out and one of my chickens is announcing she has just laid an egg by doing her chicken chant. I used to find their crowing slightly annoying, okay a lot annoying until one of my students suggested it was just their way of chanting. Now that I think of it as chicken chanting I actually like it. Funny how when we change what we tell ourselves about something how we feel about it changes as well.

I find Mother’s Day a bitter sweet holiday. My mom died almost twenty five years ago in a car accident. So each year as I honor her my feelings have changed drastically. I was going to post a picture of her when I realized I don’t have any good pictures of her. She hated photographs so she would tear up any pictures she was in. My mom had a persona she tried to keep up most of her life. When I was a child we moved from NYC to a very tiny town in Vermont. She hated living there and claimed the people in town called her the rich bitch on the hill.

She tried to act like a tough old broad but at heart she was a softy. She was a poet and unbeknownst to me, quietly helped lots of people. She embodied the idea of random acts of kindness and I had no idea. Years ago I remember reading something to the effect that if you got caught doing an act of kindness it didn’t count. When she died I followed her wishes of immediately getting rid of all her underwear (go figure) and having her cremated.

The funeral director was my best friend’s brother, he suggested we have a memorial service so we did. I called all her friends from New York and most of them came. I was totally shocked when I showed up at the church. It was full to overflowing. There was standing room only. One by one people came over to me and told me about all the wonderful things my mother had done. All acts of kindness that certainly didn’t fit into her persona. I got to meet a woman I never knew existed before her death.

I planted a red rose bush not too long ago and it is just starting to bloom. Red roses were her favorite. While looking for a photo I found one of her poems. I am sure I read it before but somehow today it meant a lot more to me. She only had the courage to submit a few poems and was never published. In her own words this is one was one of her favorites.

Happy Mother’s Day mom. Your poem was finally published!

Susan

The bright blue eyes,
The wind blown hair,
The small white teeth are almost here,
The slamming door,
The childish voice
All those make my heart rejoice.

She’s home!!
And all but bursting with the news –
That a puffy white cloud led her way
And some small dog was made to stay
Beside her happy smiling self
This little girl that’s two-thirds elf.

Grayce Gregg

With love and aloha,
Susan – with the bright blue eyes