Aloha and Happy Thanksgiving,

Here in the United States we celebrate Thanksgiving Day today. It is my favorite holiday. A day dedicated to gratitude and thanksgiving. What could be better than gratitude and love? Lots of people use it as an opportunity to overeat but I love having people over, cooking, celebrating and truly giving thanks for everything. I am so grateful I have a wonderful home, a great family, friends and each of you. Thanks for allowing me to be part of your life.

As the holiday approached thought about what I wanted to give you. I finally decided I wanted to share a story from my book, The Toltec Way. It is about a village of people who learned the power of gratitude and love. At first I was just going to record it as an audio but then decided to make a video instead. I hope you enjoy it.

Here is the transcript of the story if you want to read along.

From The Toltec Way:

The Villagers Find Abundance

It had been a short, cold summer. The frost had come early and many were afraid that there wouldn’t be enough food for the winter. A heaviness settled over the village and people walked hurriedly, bent over, wrapped in their blankets, not even looking at each other. Fear filled their hearts and tempers were short. The Grandmother was saddened, her heart hurt as she saw the beautiful seeds of love dying.

The talk of war started gradually, first with the young braves. They complained about how their neighbors were killing their deer and picking their berries. At first the others laughed because everyone knew the deer and berries belonged to the Great Spirit. But the talk of war soon took on a life of its own. It was a way for many of the people to channel their fear.

The old women heard the talk and wept silently at night. They knew firsthand the pain of war. They had lost many sons and husbands over the years but war had not visited their village since the Grandmother had come to live with them. One by one they came and sat at the Grandmother’s fire; they talked about their fears, and asked the Grandmother what they could do.

“Forget your fear, walk in love. Look at the way others walk through the village. Walk not in fear. Share your love and your light as you move through the village; look at each person you pass and bless them. Share what you have, know that the Great Spirit will provide.”

The old women left muttering to themselves. It was easy for the Grandmother to say; they knew death waited for all of them this winter. Their hearts were too full of fear to heed her words.

The talk of war continued to spread. People no longer shared their meals and families built their fires alone.

The hunters went out and came back empty handed. They cursed their luck and muttered in anger about the neighboring villages. They knew the spirits of the land were against them and that many would starve during the long winter ahead. The grumbling spread throughout the village.

Finally the elders called a council meeting. The young warriors stood outside, their faces filled with anticipation and fear. War was the answer and they all knew it. They would raid their neighbors, kill them, and take the food that had been stolen from their lands.

The meeting had been going on for most of the evening. The energy of war filled the air and the crowd was thick around the gathering place. There was barely room to move, when suddenly the crowd began to part.

The Grandmother walked slowly and deliberately toward the meeting place. As always her eyes were filled with love but there was a sadness and a determination few had ever seen before.

A murmur went through the crowd of women and young warriors as she lifted the skin covering the meeting room door. Women weren’t allowed in the council meeting but no one dared stop her–she was, after all, the Grandmother.

The men fell silent as she entered. She looked around the room, meeting the eyes of everyone present, and she walked over to the Chief and stood in front of him. She looked deep into his eyes, then turned, and faced the fire as she raised her arms in prayer. The fire crackled, growing brighter by the moment, and the wind outside began to howl.

“I call upon the power of love. May only love be present here and may its light wash away any illusion of anger, hatred, or fear. I call upon the ancestors and all those who have gone before us or will come after us. May their wisdom and light be present here as well.”

The air began to shimmer and the people could feel the loving presence of the Great Spirit. The Grandmother stood in silence, her eyes closed, and her hands open facing the sky.

When she finally spoke her voice was filled with gentleness and power. “What is it you want to create? Why did you gather here tonight? Will war really solve your dilemma?”

Everyone started talking at once. The voices of fear were loud and raucous. The Chief stood up and everyone fell silent.

“Grandmother, you know we don’t have enough food for the winter and our neighbors kill our deer. We must protect our village. We must survive.”

The Grandmother slowly turned and looked at the Chief.

“At what price?”

The Chief began to speak and the Grandmother silenced him. No one silenced the Chief. When he again tried to speak she turned and looked at him. Her eyes were full of fire. His mouth continued to move but he couldn’t utter a single word.

“I said silence. I have enjoyed your loving hospitality for many moons. I have never interfered with tribal matters, but you have gone too far. Do you remember nothing I taught you? Do you so easily throw away the gifts of love? This village has grown and prospered because of the love you so freely shared. Do you love only when you feel safe? Do you turn your back on love as soon as fear starts whispering in your ear? Do you believe your eyes instead of your heart? Everything in your life is a gift freely given. If you try to hold on in fear it dissolves and you are left with nothing but your fear. Is that what you want?”

She looked around and stood before Gray Wolf. He had fear in his eyes and war in his heart.

“What is it you want to create with this war of yours? What is your intent, Gray Wolf?”

“I want to feed my family and take back what is rightly ours.”

“Why do you want to feed your family Gray Wolf?”

“That is a silly question old woman; because I love them.”

“So your intent is to show your love to your family by killing other families?”

She looked deeply into his eyes and touched his heart with her love. For a moment he had seen through her eyes and he saw what was really in his heart. He looked away in shame.

She looked around the circle and the men all lowered their eyes. They too had seen what was in their hearts and they were ashamed they had so easily surrendered to fear.

“If your intent is to love your families, love. Love everyone–especially your neighbors. If you let love be your guide you will always have enough. Fear causes starvation. Love never will. Give thanks for your blessings, bless your neighbor, share your bounty, and live in love.

“Your intent to love must be followed by loving actions. Love expands, fear contracts. If your intent is to love, be fearless in all you do, both in thought and in deed.

“Have you ever seen me want for anything? Have you ever seen me do anything but love? Would love deny you anything? My food barrels are full and yours will be too as soon as you open up your hearts and share. Give in love, without fear, and you will always have enough. As soon as fear infects your thinking you can be sure that scarcity will begin to rule your life.”

The Grandmother turned and walked out of the room. The young warriors were surprised when the Chief emerged a little later and ordered everyone to begin preparations for a great feast. All the villagers returned to their homes and took stock of what they could contribute.

The next day the neighboring villages were all summoned to share in their bounty. Laughter filled the village again, there was plenty of food for everyone, and the Grandmother smiled as the Chief said the blessing. He talked about love and sharing. He talked about always having enough as long as your intent was to walk in love.

The village shared their food with many starving people that winter. Their storerooms were always full. Anyone who came to their village was offered a place by their hearths and given all they could eat. They were sent away with a full stomach, a heart full of love, and all the food they could carry to take back to their families. Many learned the lesson of love and intent that winter.

With love and aloha,
Susan

PS. Watch out for what is coming next!

I was recently asked what one thing changed my life the most. I had a hard time coming up with just one. I know I started my journey in earnest shortly after spending five days in an intensive care unit, on ever machine imaginable and in excruciating pain after a failed suicide attempt. I became very willing at that moment to do whatever it took to change the way I felt about my life. Believe me you don’t have to wait for that kind of a wake up call.

Here are some of things I learned to do that made a huge difference and the one most important thing I did everyday (and still do frequently).

NUMBER ONE:

Realize we really are special. Without each of us the universe would be incomplete, that makes each of us very important. When we learn to truly value ourselves, to love ourselves just the way we are life becomes amazing.

MOST DAILY POWERFUL EXERCISE:

Twice daily look at yourself in the mirror, think of something that creates a warm, loving feeling ( a puppy, your beloved, a sunrise, a hot fudge Sunday, whatever. . .) and then look directly into your own eyes and say I love you. Say it until you really mean it. I did this daily for months and it made a HUGE difference. I resisted and cried at first.

NUMBER TWO:

I dedicated myself to loving and accepting myself just the way I am. Whenever I heard the voice of my inner judge, I thanked it for sharing and once again reminded myself how precious I am.

ANOTHER POWERFUL EXERCISE:

Give yourself a hug, as a matter of fact make it a daily practice to give lots of hugs, lots and lots of hugs. When you give a hug really allow yourself to receive as well as give.

Until next time ….. remember you are loved, you are love and you are lovable.

With love and aloha,
Susan

What really matters to you? What really matters if you want to make permanent, life enhancing changes in your life? What really matters? What do you want to experience more of or less of in your life?

If you talk to a hundred people or read a hundred self-help books you will probably get at least fifty different answers, well at least a few unique ones.

How do you decide what matters?

We can make that choice consciously, based on what we want to create or unconsciously based on our filter system, society or our habitual way or doing things. We live so much of our lives unconsciously. The years tumble by and we look back, wondering where the time has gone. What if instead you developed the ability to be fully present in the moment and fully savor all of life? How would your life be different?

Change is simply a matter of thinking differently. Once we shift our perspective nothing changes and everything changes. We really do swim in a sea of unconditional love and once we fully experience that all of our choices change. We can actually be happy no matter what is happening around us, we make choices that are life enhancing and we create a life that makes our heart sing.

A life that makes your heart sing. Sound good?

What are you willing to do to experience that? Are you willing to consciously choose loving thoughts? Are you willing to have an inner dialog with your spirit? Are you willing to let go of your limiting beliefs and embrace the truth of who and what you are, a limitless being of love and light and laughter?

What it really comes down to is are you willing to allow yourself to be happy? It may not seem like it but it takes a lot of work to be unhappy, to experience limitations, to fail, to feel unloved and to not have enough of everything. Every day you unconsciously have to choose misery, moment by moment and thought by thought.

So let go, surrender to the love and light of your spirit, follow that love and watch your life transform. You are after all a totally limitless being. Let it be ….

With love and aloha,
Susan

Related Posts

When life gives you lemons

How do I find my life’s purpose

Deliberate Intent

Suffering is optional

This morning I was doing some stretches in my hot tub. It is located under a tin roof and it was raining very hard. The gutters were gurgling with water destined for my water tank. I use rain water for all my water needs.

Suddenly I began to think of rain and what a miracle it is, water falling from the sky. Sometimes clouds are fluffy and white, at other time they share their water with the earth. This morning they were gray and dark yet I knew that the sun was shinning just on the other side of them. Rain gives life to the earth and many people are in need of that life giving water.

Cycles of life

Just think about the all the cycles of life. Plants turn CO2 into oxygen, water recycles, we are born, live and die. What an incredible gift each moment is and if we are willing we can allow a simple act like observing the rain to change our entire perspective and in the process change our life.

Life is miraculous and an experience best savored in the moment….

Just some thoughts on a wonderful, miraculous rainy Friday morning.

With love and aloha,
Susan

PS. The drought in Somalia is devastating. Here is link to some organizations that are helping.

Related Posts

When life gives you lemons

The World is a Vast Energy System

Perspective Changes Everything

It is really important to remember the facts, contrary to your beliefs or your experience of life so far:

1. You are limitless
2. You are perfect
3. You have the power to do anything
4. You can create what you want when you want
5. Anything is possible
6. If you believe it you can do it
7. You have the power
8. You are totally limitless by nature

I just want to remind you again because chances are your filter system has helped you create a very different experience of reality. It is time for you to allow your true nature to surface and create your experience of reality from that loving, expansive limitless place. So how do you get there?

Guided Meditations: another powerful tool of change

Meditation in any form is an incredibly powerful tool of transformation. Guided meditations are another form of meditation. Meditation allows our limitless nature to bob to the surface, remember it takes effort to believe and experience limitations. You are limitless by nature. So making meditation a daily part of your routine will make a big difference in your life.

Guided meditations help to distract your filter system and your habitual thinking long enough for you to experience the real version of reality. There are probably millions of guided meditations available out there. I have a number of free ones on my web site and shortly there will be a lot more. The nice part about guided meditations is, the words also take you on a journey—a journey that can deepen your connection with your limitless spirit.

Looking ahead: The book I had the most fun writing was The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Short Meditations. It contains 60+ meditations that you can use to let go of your filter system. The book has been out of print for some time, but I have some good news brewing on that front and will say more about it soon.

Listening to Some Quiet, Soothing Music

Another way to quiet your mind long enough to feel your limitless nature is to listen to soft, soothing music. I find flute music very soothing … find your favorite music, focus your attention on it, relax and connect with the ‘real’ you. Let your mind chatter on, ignore what it is saying and tune in to the music.

Looking ahead: I have been experimenting with binaural beats in some of my guided meditations and they add an interesting depth to music and to the meditation. You’ll be hearing more about this soon too, so stay tuned.

In the Short Term…

I’ve put together a little bundle of tools to help you out this summer. It includes the music CD I created with Devakant and my audio program on meditation plus some other helpful extras. The special bundle is only available for 3 days starting today…

Summer Music and Meditation Special

With love and aloha,
Susan

Jerry Hicks is sick – do we send love or fear?

I recently heard that Jerry Hicks was ill and I was curious. I enjoy Abraham’s teachings and in trying to find more information I found out something very interesting.

First I Goggled Jerry Hicks illness and got pages written mainly by cynics rejoicing that the Abraham scam would finally be revealed. Then I used a few other search engines and got varying results.  Answers.com’s results included affirmations, Unity Church and references to Louise Hay. Even the search engine have a perspective. They aren’t neutral fact finders.

Even on the more ‘loving’ sites I found an underlying theme that since he was sick he either did something wrong, wasn’t following the teachings properly or the teachings themselves obviously had no value. I have observed people for years doing that. On occasions a student has placed me up on a pedestal and when they ‘found out’ I was just a human being experiencing life they were disappointed and angry.

There is no right or wrong, there is just what is and what we do with it

Society is based on the paradigm of domination: right and wrong, good or evil. I think of it symbolically as a line. Domination is always based on judgment which in my opinion is generally always fear based.

I prefer the paradigm of dominion because it allows us to let go of right and wrong and lovingly deal with what is. Dominion is based on the realization that everything is a matter of perspective, that we all have a unique view of life and that our perspective depends on where we are standing on the sphere. I think it is much easier to see life in a loving manner with compassion and understanding from dominion.

There is nothing wrong with illness. It just is, it is an experience and how we experience it depends on where we are on the sphere. I prefer health. I prefer feeling vital and alive but at times my body gets sick. How I feel about that and the choices I make are very different when I view it from dominion.

Does being sick mean you did something wrong?

I think not. Being sick means you are having an experience and not necessarily one you are enjoying a whole lot.  When I first started exploring the idea that I created my reality I got a cold. I judged myself very harshly. I was miserable and really knew I had done a ‘bad’ thing. When I let go of the idea of right and wrong my experience of creating my reality changed a lot.

I still occasionally get colds. When I notice my body is ‘getting  a cold’  I surrender and allow my body to do whatever it needs to do, I relax into the experience and the cold generally lasts a few days. I no longer judge myself if I forget to take care of my body.

So Jerry Hicks may be sick. There is no need to judge him or think he is a fraud or assume he isn’t following Abrahams teachings correctly. His body is having an experience. I choose to send him lots of love and see him happily experiencing whatever he chooses to create consciously or unconsciously. He and Ester have shared lots of wonderful information and seem like very loving and giving people.

If you don’t have something nice to say

My mother’s favorite saying was, “If you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all.” She didn’t know anything about energy or likes attracting likes but all in all her saying is not a bad idea. I send Jerry and Ester Hicks all my love and prayers for everything they want.

I hope you do too. If not you might want to remember that judgment and anger are a lot like holding onto a hot potato. You are the one that gets burned not the person you are thinking about throwing it at.

With love and aloha,
Susan

What a powerful phrase. Emotional poison …. we can poison our lives, we can poison our relationships, we can poison our passion, we can poison … we can poison. That is the point: we can poison anything with our thinking. Don Miguel Ruiz uses that phrase a lot in his teachings.

On the other hand we can also create anything we want with our thinking. It all depends on how we focus our attention. Life is and then we tell ourselves a story. What is our intent in telling that story? Does it allow us to be happy? Does it facilitate a deeper connection with our filter system or with our spirit? Fear or love? Does our habitual way of thinking take us in a direction we want to go? Are we getting the results we want in our life?

If we aren’t experiencing the emotions, events and outcomes we want in our life we can explore changing our perspective. It will have a very powerful result if we are willing to be honest with ourselves and make the necessary changes in our thinking. Life really isn’t about ‘out there.’ Our experiences in life are a reflection of our internal perspective.

Perspective = awareness + intent

Perspective is defined as:

a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface

the state of one’s ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship

the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship

a mental view or prospect

If our intent is to be happy we will focus our awareness one way. If our intent is to maintain our filter system (to be right) we will focus our awareness another way. The results we are getting, our emotions will show us what our intent really is. If you are happy most of the time your intent is to be happy and if you find yourself being judgmental, angry or sad a lot of the time that was your intent as well.

So, how do we change our intent?

Intent is a fun concept to play with. Did you ever play with clay as a child? An artist can no doubt get the clay to conform to their wishes. When we first start playing with clay our outcomes reflect our lack of skill. So it is with intent. As we become more proficient with intent our life becomes a beautiful reflection of our true essence instead of a reflection of our untrained, habitual mind.

So perhaps we don’t need to change our intent. What we need to do is consciously choose moment by moment what we want to create. Practice, play, adapt, play, change our thoughts, observe, modify, play, praise and then do it all over again with love.

Questions can set us free

Using our awareness to notice our subtle inner dialog. Infusing that dialog with questions that lead us to our essence. Questions that inevitably lead us to the limitless, loving, expansive beautiful being that each of us really is.

What do I want to create?
How can I see this through the eyes of love?
What would love do?
Would I really like to be happy right now or hold onto my perspective that is causing me pain?

Or you can use the 4 questions of Katie Byron:

Is it true?
Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?
Who would you be without the thought?

However you do it give yourself the gift- embrace your birthright to be happy, joyous, free and living the life of your dreams.

With love and aloha,
Susan

PS. Check back soon. I will be re-launching my web site with lots of great stuff.

A student recently posted this on the apprentice e group:

I was recently told of an African tribe that does the most beautiful thing. When someone does something hurtful and wrong, they take the person to the center of town, and the entire tribe comes and surrounds him. For two days they’ll tell the man every good thing he has ever done.  

The tribe believes that every human being comes into the world as Good, each of us desiring safety, love, peace, happiness. But sometimes in the pursuit of those things people make mistakes.

The community sees misdeeds as a cry for help. They band together for the sake of their fellow man to hold him up, to reconnect him with his true Nature, to remind him who he really is, until he fully remembers the truth from which he’d temporarily been disconnected: “I AM GOOD”.

You could do the same thing for yourself. Every morning look in the mirror and remind yourself how wonderful you are. If you find yourself judging yourself or others or thinking negatively once again look in the mirror and remind yourself of your perfection.

At the end of the day take a few minutes to review your day. If there are any moments you think are less than loving, forgive yourself and the once again look in the mirror lovingly. Look deeply into your eyes and remind yourself how perfect and wonderful you are.

Ever event in life is either love in action or a call for love. Love is always the answer so love yourself into bliss and happiness.

With lots of love,
Susan

Related Posts:

When life gives you lemons

The World is a Vast Energy System

How do I find my life’s purpose

How does the nature of prediction change the actual prediction, the predictor and the recipient of the prediction? The Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that it is impossible to know both the exact position and the exact velocity of an object at the same time. Simply put that the observer affects the observed. So how does that apply to life and does it?

Heisenberg uncertainty principle in life

Early on in my spiritual journey I went to psychics. They would make a prediction and then I would sit back and wait for it to happen. I often stopped doing what I had been dong and simply waited. Their predictions rarely occurred. We are the creators of our reality, there is no fine print that says except for this. Psychics can see probable futures, potential realities. It is up to us to create the prediction. Once a woman predicted I would find my dog dead outside my door. I didn’t choose to experience that so I didn’t.

To observe any particle, smaller particles must first be reflected off it. When that happens the location and the speed of the particle is affected. We all have the ability to explore potential realities and then decide which one we will create. The one that we give the majority of our attention to is the one that most likely manifests.

What if you ‘knew’ you were going to die in three weeks? Would you spend all your money? Would you give everything away? What would you do? But what if that ‘knowing’ was based on faulty information? What if three weeks came and you were still alive?

Judgment Day: May 21, 2011

I recently read an article about a Christian family, the parents believe in the rapture. They stopped working and have spent all their time spreading the word about judgment day. Since their children wouldn’t help them they told them they were going to be doomed to hell with the rest of the evil non-believers. What kind of a future are they creating?

I could be wrong but I doubt that God or the creative force of the universe judges. I doubt that only one religion will go to heaven and everyone else will go to hell. Is the end of the world coming? I doubt it will arrive on October 21, 2011 either. Planet earth may stop supporting human beings at some point in the future and a different species may become the dominant one but who knows?

Okay I will  get off my soap box now…..

A prediction I am pretty sure of but I could be wrong …

According to the Toltec tradition the world is a vast energy system. Love expands, fear contracts. If we focus on love, acceptance and joy our lives will expand. If we focus on fear, judgment and anger our lives will contract. And will that prediction affect your life? I hope so.

My favorite prediction is that if you do random acts of kindness on a regular basis  you will feel good and so will others.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I know we are all experts at arguing for our limitations. At times I have that honed to an incredibly fine art. Before I know it I am down the path of limited thinking, totally convinced I am right and forgoing the pleasure of being deliriously happy. And don’t you dare even suggest I might be wrong!

The other day I was teaching a class and a woman suggested giving up suffering was dangerous. At first I thought she was kidding but after a short conversation I realized she was really serious. We talked for a while, I made some suggestions and clearly she was very attached to suffering.  I remember making a similar agreement to a therapist I was working with before I began my spiritual journey.

Still attached to suffering?

As I was leaving I said, “I’ll see you next week” to which she replied, “I don’t think I am ready to give up suffering yet.” She wasn’t in class the next week but as luck would have it as I was driving home I stopped to pick up a hitchhiker and it was my suffering lady. The look on her face was priceless as I am sure was mine when she opened the door.

It was about a long ride so we talked. I started by asking her how she was doing with suffering. At first she looked defensive but after a few minutes she relaxed and we talked.  She explained why she believed in suffering, because it was inevitable. I shared some of my thoughts about perspective, emotional neutrality and paradigms and she got very quiet.  Then she smiled and said maybe I don’t have to suffer after all.

Change is part of life – suffering is a choice

Change is an inevitable part of life, suffering is always optional depending upon what we tell ourselves. I have had lots of conversations about Japan lately. The tsunami caused incredible devastation. If I tell one set of stories about it I have one experience. Since the world is a vast energy system I can launch a tidal wave of grief, sadness and feelings of despair. If I choose to see it differently I can launch a wave of hope, joy, love and expansion. The question is what do we want to create more of?

But how do we watch the news and not react to the stories we see? How do we talk about life to our friends? Recently Masaru Emoto sent out a prayer request for the water around the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan. After that when I thought of the tsunami I thought of that prayer and sent out an expansive energy instead of one of sadness or fear.

When you talk about anything set your intent to send out the energy of gratitude, love and expansion. If there is a news story about violence send out a prayer of love to all those impacted by those actions. When we decide to let go of suffering and decide to share love instead, our lives become truly blessed.

What is it I want more of?

We talk, we think, we react and occasional we stop to ask ourselves what we want to create more of …. deliberate intent can be a very powerful force in our lives when we choose to engage it. A wonderful practice is to consciously watch the news and send love. Consciously watch your thoughts and choose to think expansive ones. When you notice an old habitual thought that creates limitations and suffering consciously choose another one.Fully engage your deliberate intent.

Next time more on deliberate intent ….

Until next time

With love and aloha,
Susan

Related Posts

World Free of Suffering
Perfection – is it really all perfect
How can abuse be okay?

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/22491242[/vimeo]

When I first began my spiritual explorations I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my life’s purpose, what I was suppose to be doing. (I have since realized there are no shoulds and our life’s purpose is to savor every moment but that is another post) I often thought, “If god would jut leave a note on my night stand life would be so much easier.

When I was traveling and doing book signings for Dance of Power a woman heard me say that and was leave a note for me but there was no night stand or table.  Here is one I wrote many years ago. I read it every morning for a long time until I could really feel the love.

A letter from God

To my beloved,

You are wonderful gift to me and to the world. Without you the universe would be incomplete. You are one of my most cherished creations. You are made of love, you swim in a sea of unconditional love and you are absolutely and completely lovable. With each breath I give you the gift of life and free will.

My only desire for you is to be happy. I will give you anything you want, merely focus your attention on it consistently and it is yours. Remember always you are loved, I know your name and I care deeply for you. Share that love, know you are safe and cared for. Know you are eternal, you can never be harmed, you only change form.

You sprang forth out of love and will go back to love. Savor the moment, embrace what is and know I am always just a thought away. I am well pleased in you my beloved.

Your loving creator,
God

A powerful exercise

Write your own letter and read it to yourself everyday for 90 days. Really feel it each time you read it and your thinking and your life will change dramatically but you MUST allow yourself to feel the love each time. If you can’t write about how you stop yourself from believing you are loved. Happiness, joy and the life of your dreams are always just a thought away.

With love and aloha,
Susan

PS My apprentice class will be open until the end of April if you are ready to really change your life.

Have you ever wondered what your life’s purpose is? I find that at some point my students inevitably become curious about why they are here, I know I did. For years I thought I came here to make the world a better place but then about 10 years ago I realized that desire was based on a judgment – that their was something wrong with the world and that it needed fixing.

I have since come to believe that the purpose of life is to realign ourselves with our spirit (wake up) and then savor life (have fun). It is our birthright to be happy, joyous and free.

Awakening to our true nature

We are limitless beings, we are eternal, infinite and immortal. Our true nature is expansive and we are one with the energy of creation. At our core we are unconditional love. Once we hop into a body we forget much of that an align ourselves with our body and our mind. From that perspective life is a very different experience. When we align ourselves with our spirit we see the perfection in everything and we become miracle workers or at least we can.

I think our life’s purpose is to do whatever it takes to wake up to our true nature and live life from that perspective.

Changing our point of creation from our mind to our spirit

When we change our point of creation from our mind to our spirit nothing changes and everything changes. I see all of life as an invitation to make that shift. It is basically the choice to see life through the eyes of fear of the eyes of love. It is the decision to remain in hell or relocate to heaven and we do that by shifting our perspective.

If we make experiencing that shift our life’s purpose amazing things begin to happen in our lives and the lives of those around us. When we align with our spirit we have the power to affect change in the world and we can do it from love instead of judgment and fear.

What is YOUR life’s purpose?

What are you going to make your life’s purpose? Your life’s purpose isn’t preordained, you get to choose.

For many years my soul purpose was to have fun and never mind any spiritual anything. After a number of years I realized that was totally unfulfilling thus began my spiritual explorations. One life’s purpose I kept bumping into was ‘clearing karma’ (hint there is no karma carry over, no debt to pay – guess that could be another post or two). I kept searching until I realized it was totally up to me. We each get to choose. I get to decide what I dedicate my life to and how I do that.

The Toltec tradition views the entire universe as a vast energy system. That energy has consciousness but it responds to energy resonance not rules. You could have been a mass murder most of your life but the minute you shift your point of creation from your mind to your spirit your resonance changes and you are done with the old energy of mayhem. The wheel of karma stops the moment you change your energy.

So the question is:  How do YOU want to define your life’s purpose? What do you want to dedicate your life to, at least for now. The beauty of seeing life through the eyes of your spirit is you realize you are free.

Personal freedom

When I start talking about being totally free, no rules, doing what you want people often get this look on their face, “you must be kidding, a world without rules! Seriously what is my life’s purpose? I want to get this right, I don’t want to waste my time. We need rules”

The paradigm of dominion requires no rules. We all get to define our own. After all in the paradigm of domination there are LOTS of rules but when does having a rule ever make someone observe it, unless they were going to anyway? Do laws against robbery stop robbery?

Anyway back to the concept at hand … personal freedom. Just like your life’s purpose you get to define it and I have found my definition changes as I deepen my connection to my spirit. Perhaps spend sometime defining what personal freedom means to you and make a stab at defining your life’s purpose while you’re at it.

With love, until next time,
Susan

Related Posts:

Some of those obvious truths

Pay it forward

World free of suffering

When life gives you lemons

The three questions:

What was the right time for every action?
Who were the most necessary people? and
How he might know what was the most important thing to do?

Tolstoy’s short story: Three Questions

Tolstoy wrote a wonderful story called Three Questions and the answers to those questions are really a formula for a happy, peaceful and blissful life. It is a wonderful story about the king’s search and the answers life and an old hermit provided him. It is definitely worth reading.

It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right
time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to
listen to, and whom to avoid; and, above all, if he always knew what
was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything
he might undertake.

And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed
throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to any one
who would teach him what was the right time for every action, and
who were the most necessary people, and how he might know what was
the most important thing to do.

The answer to those questions are:

Remember then: there is only one time that is important–
Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when
we have any power. The most necessary man is he with whom you are,
for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with any one
else: and the most important affair is, to do him good, because for
that purpose alone was man sent into this life!”

Now is the only time you have the power to change

How much time do you spend thinking about the past, processing, wanting to change, thinking about changing, wishing things could or would be different? If we take the time to notice we will observe we spend most of our time either in the past or in the future yet the only time we have the power to change anything is right now, in this moment. We have the power to change moment by moment and thought by thought but only while we are in that moment.

So how do you stay in the moment?

That is where it gets easy or difficult depending on the story you tell yourself. When we focus our attention on our breath we are in the moment. When we feel our breath and are one with it we are in the moment until we start talking to ourselves about our breath. Being in the moment is about being, not thinking about being.

Just breathe and be with the moment, be with who ever is with you in that moment and share the essence of who and what you are, your loving presence. It is a wonderful practice that will set you free. When you are in the moment, sharing love success is guaranteed.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Messenger of Water

With love and aloha,
Susan

Angels are everywhere just open your mind and your heart to the signs.

Make Angels on Your Shoulder part of your daily routine and share it with a friend!

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Japan, and the tsunami, and the earthquake, and 2012. Is the end near? No. Not in my opinion anyway; 2012, I think, is the year between 2011 and 2013. It’s entirely up to us what we create.

As I’ve been watching the news from Japan there have been times where I’ve been brought to tears. One of the scenes that I found most touching was a rescue worker and an old man. They came together and they said a prayer. He was looking for his family. It really, really touched my heart, and seeing news stories of little girls selling their toys to send the money to Japan. I saw one little girl that did all these art projects and was trying to sell them to send money.

This week we’ve had the opportunity to come together as a community and reach out in love to Japan. There are many ways to live life, two major ways: Aligned with your spirit, or aligned with your mind, with your filter system—totally different experiences of reality.

If we change our point of creation from our mind to our spirit, everything changes and nothing changes. Our experience of life totally changes. From the perspective of our spirit we can really see the perfection in everything. We really see everything as an opportunity for us to expand our awareness, to share love, to have an experience and then decide what we’re going to do with it.

So if you just practice shifting your point of creation from your mind to your spirit you’ll really be able to see the perfection in events like Japan.

The earth is going through some changes. I think as a species we’re having an opportunity to go through another evolutionary shift. There have been many. When we first inhabited the planet we were hunters and gatherers, and then we began to grow our own crops and we began to become an agricultural society. Then there were the dark ages—not necessarily an upbeat shift, but a different shift. Then came the Renaissance. After the Renaissance there was the industrial age, and now, I think, we’re having an opportunity to make another evolutionary shift.

When we change our point of creation from our mind to our spirit, when we align ourselves with the energy that gives life to our body, rather than aligning ourselves with our body, from that perspective we’ll create an entirely different world, an entirely different experience of life.

In the coming years I think there will be changes. The financial reality has been getting a bit dicey. There seems to be a little bit more unrest in countries. I don’t think it has anything to do with 2012. I just think it has to do with some things just aren’t working, and it’s time to do something different.

In the great depression there were more millionaires than at any other time in history. If you align yourself with your spirit the coming years will be a time for you to savor and enjoy, and have great experiences, and help others, and just really have fun.

If you align yourself with your filter system and you just follow along like a lemming, you might not enjoy the experience as much.

I’m sure there were some people in Japan that weren’t home when the tsunami hit and are still alive. I’m sure there were probably some people that meant to be some place else but were caught up in tsunami.

When we really align ourselves with our spirit, we’re not around when disasters happen.

So give yourself that gift. Give yourself the gift of beginning to really, consciously set your intent to align yourself with your spirit. See what happens. I know my life has improved dramatically as I have.

When you find yourself angry, when you find yourself really arguing from your limitations, take a deep breath. Ask yourself, “How could I see this through the eyes of my spirit? What would love do?” Asking questions like that will make a really big difference in your life.

So, thanks for tuning in. Just remember, you are loved. That’s all that real. You are loved. You are lovable because that’s all there is.

I send you my love and my Aloha, and I hope you have an absolutely wonderful day—unless you have plans otherwise.

So, until next time, Namaste!

With love and aloha,
Susan

And the earth moved under my feet . . .

After the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan last week I got a lot more questions about what will happen in 2012.  I still believe 2012 is simply the year between 2011 and 2013 and that it will be much like the Y2K bug, much ado about nothing. Not a very dramatic opinion and people teaching about 2012 are creating quite a buzz and benefiting from people’s fears but my question is: What do you want to create in 2012?

In the Great Depression of the 1930’s there were more millionaire made than at any other time in history. The pictures of the depression are mostly of bread lines and homeless families fleeing the dust storms, not of people living the good life. The images of hardship are more dramatic and catch our attention.

Is the world changing?

When I look at the history of humanity I see a number of evolutionary shifts. The first was when we shifted from being hunters and gatherers and became an agricultural society. At that time we also shifted from feminine goddess worship where we were in alignment with nature and followed our food source to a more masculine, domination based perspective of life and gods. Another shift took place during the Renaissance, the art changed, society changed and we began to see the world from a different perspective. The next shift that took place we called the Industrial Revolution.

I believe we are at a point in history where another shift is taking place, one of awareness, where we have the opportunity to become aware of our true nature. We are beginning to realize we aren’t our bodies, that we are the energy that gives life to our bodies. I believe we will begin to use more of our brain and develop abilities such as healing, intuition and perhaps even something like telepathic communication.

Jesus was an amazing man. He could change people just by being in their presence. He could heal them and raise people from he dead. He told is followers that they could do the same things he did and even better. I believe he was a precursor of the next evolutionary shit.

So what do you want to experience?

We can embrace change and even enjoy it or we can be afraid and try to keep everything the same. Life is all about change. We are the creator of our reality. What do you want to create in the coming months? I live in Hawaii very close to an active volcano. I had several people ask me this week if I was afraid of radioactivity and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I think the events of the past week are a wake up call. We are guest on this planet earth. We can view everything as perfect, as a perfect opportunity to deepen our connection with our spirit or we can continue to argue for our limitations and reinforce our filter system.

So what will you create in 2012? For that matter what will you create next week? Love or fear? Joy or sadness? It is after all up to you.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Yesterday we had 20 earthquakes here on the Big Island of Hawaii and a tsunami showed up in the wee hours. It was quite a day. Madame Pele has suddenly gone quiet, not a drop of lava flowing anywhere after putting on a show for weeks with 100 foot fountains of liquid lava and exploding calderas. The images from the past week or so are amazing.

The theories about current events

I have gotten emails about magnetic shifts, God punishing humanity and a lot of ‘I hope you are okay messages.’ My theory about life is it just is and what matters to me is what I do with what is. When the first earthquake woke me up the news was on and I found myself watching images of the earthquake in Japan. My first thought was to pray and call upon the angels. I know they were already there helping out but a burst of extra love couldn’t hurt.

I emailed the people I work with in Japan and other than being tired (they couldn’t go home because the subway wasn’t  running) they were all fine. Why is all this happening? Because it is. To me the why is irrelevant. What matters is what I do and the energy I project out into my world. I was so happy my first thought upon awakening was to send love instead of becoming fearful, judgmental or anger.

Love or fear

I often tell my students understanding is the booby prize. Focusing on why and trying to understand the reasons things happened seldom helps us open our heart, deepen our connecting with our spirit or love more. Why questions are often futile attempts to avoid our fear and a desire to control life so we feel safer.

Questions like:

How can I see this through the eyes of the angels and love?
What would love do?
How can I be of service?

These question help me deepen my connection to my spirit, add love to the planet and I am better able to see the perfection in everything. I hope you will join me in sending love to the earth, Japan and all the people affected by this event. Imagine love and light flooding the area and say a prayer for everyone’s deepening connection to their spirit and emotional and physical healing.

Life is an awesome adventure, best savored in the moment.

With love and aloha,
Susan

On my Beliefnet blog I am doing a series for Lent entitled 4o days to love. You might enjoy it and find it helpful so please go to my Beliefnet blog Angels on Your Shoulder to read more.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Let me tell you a little story about water lilies that is really all about life, creating what you want, surrender, acceptance and a whole lot of other useful things.

The ponds, the lily and life

I have several ponds with lotus in them. One pond has pink lotus and the other yellow lotus. For several years I tried to grow a white lotus. Last year I nurtured a white lotus plant for months when a huge bud began to grow I was so excited until the bud finally opened and it was pink. It was beautiful but I was disappointed, I wanted a white lotus. I called the man I bought the white lotus from, he apologized and he offered to replace the pink lotus.

A few months later he called and told me he had a white lotus plant for me. When I went over to get it I bought a few other water lilies and I saw this beautiful peach colored lily. He reached into the pond, pulled out a piece of the lily and gave it to me as a gift. It had very fleshy roots and when I took it home my chickens ate most of its leaves before I got a chance to plant it.

I never thought it would survive. One day I went up to the pond and it was in full bloom but the while lotus didn’t have a single leaf and sure looked dead to me. I simply planted the lily and trusted the process with little or no attachment to the outcome. The white lotus I had struggled with (killed several), really , really wanted one, worried about it and fussed with it.  The light came on!

Energetically, what was I feeding these two plants? One I was feeding love, gratitude and joy while the other I was feeding fear, judgment and control. I thought about it, realized lotus plants are very hardy and let go. This is the time of year lotus are dormant and as soon as I let go I notice 4 tiny leaves (well tiny for lotus leaves) then five and at last count 8. Love, trusting the process, surrender and joy sure is a lot better growing medium!

Letting your life blossom and grow

The moral of the story you ask? Life is a vast energy system and much like a garden. If you send out love you get love back. If you keep your garden fertilized (love) and weeded (choosing loving, expansive thoughts) your investments comes back multiplied and filled with beauty, wonder and grace.

Moment by moment you really have only two choices: love or fear. Love and fear manifest in a whole assortment of shapes and sizes, stories, agreements, assumptions and actions but no matter how we disguise them they are still either love or fear.

Perspective makes such a difference

I never cease to be amazed how drastically life can change when we change our perspective and get clear about what we want to create. Once we clearly choose love life becomes so magical and filled with miracles, grace and ease.

These are two photos of the same water lily from different perspectives. How else could you see what is going on in your life and the world? How could you choose love? And what is it you REALLY want to create?

With love and aloha,
Susan

PS. I have opened my apprentice class for the first time in years for a brief time – check it out!

What an amazing video. If a crow can decide to care for a starving kitten what could we do as human beings if we decided to act from love as often as possible and opened our hearts to care for one another?

With love and aloha,
Susan

The Whale… If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.

She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an
environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.

I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.

It’s a good life!

One of my students sent me this and it really touched my heart especially since next month I am taking a group of people to Baja to spend several days with the whales.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I find taking time to reflect at the end of the year useful.

Today I started that process for myself. First I will review 2010. What was my intent for 2010 and what did I actually create? Are there any patterns? How can I use 2010 to make 2011 an incredible year? When viewed through the eyes of love what did I discover about myself and my filter system?

Then I set my intent for the coming year. What is my intent for 2011?

As I sat by the pond this morning I was deeply moved by how much my life has changed over the years. My life used to be chaotic and now I have this incredible place of peace. The sun was just starting to hit the pond, the birds were celebrating the morning with their songs, the fish were feeding and my cat was running up and down a tree.

I could attribute my feelings of joy etc to the surroundings or realize I created those feelings within myself first and then my world reflected them in physical form. I have been getting lots of emails from people who have lost their jobs and some have been looking for work for several years. How do you feel abundant, joyous and grateful when you are about to lose your home?

When I was living in chaos, hiding my car from the repo man and not sure where my next meal was coming from I realized I had a choice. I could focus on what was currently happening in my life and create more of that or I could decide what I wanted to create and allow myself to be grateful for already having it. Some people think of that as denial. I think of it as shifting gears or changing my energy state so I can more easily create what I want.

What is your intent for 2011? Feel it, know it and resonate with it no matter what is going on around you. If you don’t have a job do something each day to create one and then go volunteer some where, help others instead of worrying. Share love and watch your life fill with more love.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I just love this video. If we as people could just be a little like these two.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I often have people ask me for suggestions on books to read. Here are some of the books that really helped changed my life. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! I am starting with the oldies and moving onto the more recent ones.

Number 1 all time favorite has to be Richard Bach’s book Illusions.

A friend gave me a copy of it, I looked at it, had a negative judgment about it and immediately put it away on my bookshelf.

Several months later I was in the midst of a huge drama in my life and picked it. I knew I needed to read it and there was a message in there for me. I kept skipping the handwritten part in the beginning of the book. After reading it several times I finally read the story about the creatures clinging to the side of the river and found an answer to my problem. I love this book and suggest you read the WHOLE thing many, many many times!

My next favorite book is by Jane Roberts. I was so glad when they rereleased these three books in one  volume. They are the story of Oversoul Seven, three novels that explain the nature of physical reality in an enjoyable and easy to understand manner.

The first book i ever read about human potential was Jane Robert’s The Nature of Personal Reality. I would read a few paragraphs and sometimes it would take days to understand or digest the ideas. Now it is how I live but in the 70’s it was ‘way out there.’

When I was really hitting bottom emotionally I found this book or it found me. I was living in Nantucket at the time and remember reading it on the ferry. It was a stormy day and I remember looking out the foggy window wondering if I could ever love myself. Healing my life and having a wonderful life was beyond my capacity to believe at that time. When I look back I am so grateful I actually did the exercises and deciding to change my life. Louise Hay is an amazing woman. Her life is a shinning beacon for millions.

This book really touched my heart. Years later I was privileged to be a workshop leader with her in Egypt. She was such a warm and caring person, very real and living her life based on these concepts. No mater what the question LOVE is always the answer. I was deeply touched by her spirit as well as her words.

I Come As A Gentle Brother is just a wonderful reminder of a loving way to see life. Its subtitle says it all – all we have to do is focus on what is real (the love) and see the illusions (limitations and fear) for what they are reflections of our false beliefs.

These are just a few of my favorites. I will add more in the coming days. Enjoy!

With love and aloha for you,
Susan

I am creating an Amazon bookstore with all my favorites if you’d like to check them out.

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

At least gratitude created miracles in my life. When I began my journey I was so busy focusing on external events I seldom took the time to be grateful. I kept waiting for a burning bush, the perfect lover or the big score financially then I would be happy and perhaps even grateful.

I was working from the outside in instead of the inside out. The world is a perfect reflection of our filter system so expecting the world to bring us happiness is like putting the cart in front of the horse. My life really changed dramatically when I began to focus on gratitude. When I am grateful fear dissolves and happiness begins to filter into all areas of my life.

The simple act of deciding to be grateful for whatever was in my life totally transformed my life. There is always something to be grateful for even if it is just gratitude for our next breath.

In the United States today is Thanksgiving Day. If you want to live the life of your dreams I suggest you make everyday Thanksgiving Day.

With love, aloha and a lot of gratitude,
Susan

Check out my free video series on the Art of Allowing

Tonight at 8 PM eastern Time I will be having a live tele-ceremony. When I studied with don Miguel and Sister Sarita she taught me how to perform a beautiful ceremony that helps send all souls to the light, to honor all those who have passed on and to release anything that no longer serves you. I hope you can join me tonight.

You can listen to the recording of the ceremony here:

http://AttendThisEvent.com/?eventid=15814920

It is never too let to join the ceremony.

With love and aloha,
Susan

It is so good to be home. I still have not fully adjusted to the 13 hour time difference so I am still awaking at odd hours. This morning I got up at 3:30 and started to meditate. After a bit of mind chatter I got to that place of no time where only God/universal consciousness or whatever you want to call it exists. It felt incredible to float in that sea of love.

Imagine living all of life from that place! We can if we stop listening to our mind. I find it helps to hold the image of thoughts being a passing illusion like painting on water. The brush causes the water to swirl immediately erasing the thought. If I fight with my thoughts, resist them or believe them they impact my life and the way I feel.

I practice allowing my thoughts to be like the wind and simply allow them to pass on by. A tree doesn’t resist the wind its leaves just rustle, the limbs may sway but the wind just keeps moving. Of course if the wind is very strong it can damage the tree and even uproot it. Our thoughts only have that sort of power if we give them that strength. When we focus on our thoughts or perceive them as real they can uproot our life.

Like the story of the two wolves, depending on which one you feed the other withers away. A simple and powerful practice is to view your thoughts as impermanent, without the power to affect you. Practice being the observer and watching them go by rather than believing them or giving them the power to create your experience of reality.

Thoughts aren’t real. The only thing that is real is that sea of love. Anything we can do to live there definitely improve the quality of our life.  Watch the water swirl and focus your attention on love.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Check out Art of Allowing. Its a great way to shift your experience of reality.

I am in Lithuania and today is my last day teaching in Nida. It is a beautiful place and I love coming here each year. When I am in the presence of such beauty fear is a distant memory.

Last night I had lots of strange dreams and when I awoke the room was full of what looked like a swarm of small back bugs, millions of them. I just looked at them, took a deep breath and thought, “Well they aren’t bothering me so no harm.” When I really woke up of course they were gone.

There was a time in my life I would have been terrified. When I shared my dream over coffee I could see people thinking black = bad energy. Funny how our filter system is wired up with so many beliefs that in turn create our reaction to life.

Personal freedom for me is the ability to choose how to act rather than react to life. I have spent three weeks in this beautiful old fishing village and I am sad to leave. Today I can embrace and even savor the sadness while feeling love, gratitude and joy simultaneously. My emotions are no longer so black and white. What a gift all the colors of the rainbow are.

With love and aloha,
Susan

With love and aloha,
Susan

I love the idea that everything is perfect. At first I had a hard time with the concept. How could death, illness, hunger and suffering be perfect? Then I began to explore the idea of my filter system, that my experience of life was really created by my beliefs, agreements, assumptions and attitudes.

When I see life from a limited perspective I miss much of the beauty. What if this really is a prefect world? There are, after all places people can have more than enough and places people can experience lack and limitations. Who am I to say that no one has the right to experience whatever it is they want to experience?

If I demand there is world peace what about the people that enjoy making bombs? I would make them suffer in order for me to feel safe. What if instead there was a world of choice? A place where everyone gets to choose what they want to experience and there is room enough for it all.

Wait a minute there already is! There is a planet called Earth, where there are places of peace and places of conflict, there are people who have more than enough food and others who don’t. There are hundreds of country with different cultures, religions and climates. What if life really is perfect after all?

What if we come here to learn how to see the perfection? What if this is a place where we come to learn how we create our reality? What if we come here to experiment with conscious creation? What if this is a place we come so we can have lots of opportunities to practice, try and then try again? What if we eventually learn to create exactly what we want when we want it, but that only happens after we understand about love and perfection? What if judgment curtails our freedom and our ability to choose?

What if this world really is perfect and it is just a place we come to practice and enjoy? What if we don’t have to change a thing except our perspective?

Interesting thought isn’t it?

With love and aloha,
Susan

By changing how we think we change our lives

By being loving we feel better

By offering love instead of fear we make our corner of the world a little bit better

Life is all about change, we can embrace it or fight but regardless change happens

Happiness is always just a thought away

We can think that thought no matter what is happening in our lives

Choosing happiness takes practice

Life is and then we tell ourselves a story, our experience is based on our story

We can change our stories

Life is a grand adventure and a fatal disease (our bodies all die we don’t)

You are an energy that gives life to your body

You are a spirit, a ghost from the ethereal realms meant to have fun

There are no tests in life just opportunities to connect with our spirit or our mind

We are limitless, all of our limits arise in our minds

Our choice is love or fear, love gets more enjoyable results

You are the creator of your life

You are one with everyone and everything

Life can be elegantly easy and effortless (I love the sound of that)

Care to add a few of your own?

With love and aloha,
Susan

I am making videos of some of the most popular blog posts. I hope you enjoy. If you have a topic you’d like me to write about just drop me an email.

Late one night I was sitting at a gate in Seattle waiting for my flight. A young boy sat a short distance away sobbing. His parents were very upset and yelling at him. His mother was telling him how selfish and self-centered he was. Periodically the father would angrily add to the discussion. The boy’s sister sat and watched smiling smugly. The boy was unable to catch his breath he was crying so hard. Several people moved away obviously uncomfortable about the exchange.

The young boy kept trying to defend himself and his mother continued to tell him how wrong he was. I felt powerless as I watched the drama unfolding before me. I wanted to run over and say to them, “Stop! Don’t you realize what you’re doing to your son?” The young boy’s sobs continued to deepen and his whole body trembled. After a few more futile attempts to communicate his feelings his eyes stopped focusing on his parents, his body was present but you could tell he was no longer listening.

As a young girl I too had cried as I listened to my mother yelling at me about being so selfish. I never quite understood what she was talking about. I tried so hard to please her yet I always seemed to fail so miserably. Eventually I stopped crying and became defiant. It was safer to be angry than it was to be sad. Long before that I had stopped feeling lovable. By then I knew there was something inherently wrong with me, how else could I fail to make my mother and everyone else in my life happy. But deep down inside of me there was a little voice I seldom heard that said, “What about me?”

As I watched that young boy I realized I was witnessing the creation of that part of him that would always feel unlovable. With each word and gesture his parents were reinforcing the beliefs that, no matter what he would never do anything right and that he was unlovable. As he retreated further and further into his mind’s chatter I could only imagine what decisions he was making, ones that would affect his ability to feel loved, to love others, to be intimate, and to experience freedom, joy, and happiness.

It is in those darkest hours when we feel so alone, when we have to face the end of a relationship or the death of someone dear to us that we need to feel loved and that is also often a time we feel most unlovable. Recently I realized a good portion of my life I had been unlovable. I wasn’t unlovable because there was something wrong with me. I was unlovable because I had walled myself off from love, no one could love me because I couldn’t and wouldn’t let love in. Love was just too scary and painful.

That realization was incredibly freeing for me. There wasn’t something wrong with me after all. Feeling unlovable was an accurate description that had nothing to do with me being a valid, worthwhile human being. Feeling unlovable simply meant that I was unable or unwilling to allow myself to feel loved at that moment.

Intimacy is such a funny thing. As a species we seem to crave it while at the same time doing everything possible to avoid being vulnerable enough to experience intimacy. I think of intimacy as “into me see.” If I feel defective or unlovable I am certainly going to protect myself. I am not going to willingly allow you to get to know the real me.

Chances are, if I feel unlovable, I don’t know the real me either. I am not going to let myself know what I’m feeling or what I want or need. I am going to find some way to numb myself out – to avoid intimacy with myself as well as you. I may even try to please you in order to get you to like me instead of focusing on my own wants and needs.

When my flight arrived in Anchorage I saw that little boy struggling to get his parent’s bags off the carousel. By now it was well after three in the morning and there was this little boy trying to get mom and dad to love him. Do you remember what it feels like to try to get someone to like you? Have you ever given up part of yourself to try and save a relationship?

I believe that as human beings we need to feel loved or lovable. We all learn to express that need differently. Some of us become demanding and try to control other people’s behaviors, others become whinny, some become like a bottomless pit, always needy. We can cover up that need with anger or indifference; we can hurt one another or even kill one another. To hide that need we can use something such as an addiction or simply wither up and die inside. Unless we face that need directly we actually cut ourselves off from the very thing we so desperately seek.

As I watched that young boy I realized the reason I had felt unlovable all those years was because I was . I was unable to be loved, accept love, or even love myself. Those decisions I had made long ago as a little girl had trapped me in a prison – as a young girl I wasn’t able to realize that I had an endless well of love within my heart; that no matter what others were saying I could use a gentle inner voice to remind me that I was perfect just the way I was.

As a child I was told sticks and stones could break my bones but words could never hurt me. In my life that hasn’t been the case – no one has thrown stones at me but I have heard many unkind words. Those words lose their sting when I learn to be loving toward myself. I am lovable when I am able to love myself.

Freeing myself from the echoes of all the old wounds is a process of learning to be my own best friend. I must learn to listen to myself and make sure all of my internal commentary is nonjudgmental, loving and kind. I need to become aware again of my wants and needs.

Part of me wanted to go over to that little boy, hold him in my arms, and tell him how wonderful he was. I wanted him to know that he was loved and very lovable. I wanted to ask his parents what they wanted to create in that moment. I am sure they loved their son. I’m fairly certain they had no idea how deeply they were hurting their son. They simply wanted him to modify his behavior.

When I think of all the wisdom I dismissed as a child because of miscommunications. My mom wanted to help me avoid some of the pitfalls she had encountered in her life. All I could hear was I was doing it wrong one more time or my mother’s way was the only right way. I wasn’t able to feel her love no less internalize and use the wisdom of her years.

I have learned to go inside and see what I am telling myself whenever I am reacting to someone else’s words. When I need to defend myself or in some way feel judged or devalued I am the one creating those feelings. If I feel unloved today I know it is because I am unavailable to being loved. If I am feeling judged I am the one doing the judging. No one can affect the way I am feeling unless I agree with what they are saying. What freedom, today I can chose how I feel regardless of what is going on around me.

Next time you feel like arguing with someone remind yourself that their opinion doesn’t count unless you let it. Let the other person have their opinion, after all it in no way diminishes yours unless you allow it to. Words can only hurt us if we agree with them.

A wonderful exercise is to carry around a small notebook and whenever you are feeling judged or ‘unloved’ to a few minutes to write down your inner dialog. What are you telling yourself? We swim in a sea of unconditional love yet we have the ability to feel unloved. Noticing how we do that is incredibly freeing and transformational.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I have recently written a series of posts about the controversy about building a mosque in NYC on my beliefnet blog.  For some reason this issue has engaged me. Here is a video blog post. I have a feeling I may have a lot more to say about this topic and I am not really sure why.

What do angels, mosque at ground zero and 9/11have in common? From the comments and e mails I have been getting very few people chose to look at the issue through the eyes of the angels, nor have they asked the angels how else they can see these events.

It was interesting to me. I actually found myself getting rather upset with people’s judgments and of course that meant I was judging them for judging! I view every event in life as opportunity to either deepen my connection to my filter system or to deepen my connection to my spirit. My emotions are a clear indication which direction I am going. Joy, love, acceptance indicate I am getting closer to my spirit. Fear, judgment and anger show me I am reinforcing my limiting beliefs and deepening my connection to my filer system.

Aloha everyone,

I’ve decided to start making videos of some of my blog posts so here is the first one. Enjoy!

With love and aloha,
Susan

Have you ever had one of those white-hot AHA!-moments where you suddenly understood something that  had been eluding you?

Well I just had one recently . . .

I am leaving for Lithuania in a few days and I was trying to get everything done before I left. One of those things was opening up my favorite program, Mastering Life.

I’ve been re-working this apprenticeship program for a while now. As I was going through the class material, I suddenly had a flash. I’m really enjoying the updating process and getting excited about these updates, but I’m feeling really pressured to move faster and try to get it done immediately.

Then my little voice suddenly piped up and said, “Allow yourself to fully savor reading and editing this material rather than just getting it done.”

What a relief. Now, while I spend time in my favorite place in the whole world (next to my home in Hawaii) I will savor re-reading and editing, tweaking and changing.

I was amazed that because I wanted to get things done I forgot to take time to smell the roses. Life is after all a journey best savored in the moment. So I am back to savoring and all is well in my world.

With lots of love and aloha,
Susan

Here is a sweet video of the Beatles singing Mother Nature’s Son with beautiful images of the seasons passing by.

Enjoy!

With love and aloha,
Susan

This is my first video blog. I am sure they will keep getting better and better. I still remember how nervous I was when I recorded my first podcast! Enjoy. Finally the face behind the words …….

With love and aloha,
Susan

Fear is such an interesting emotion. It has stopped so many people from living the life of their dreams, it has allowed events like the Holocaust and encourages so much pilikia (trauma and drama) in the world.

If we decide to move away from fear we create fear to move away from but if we consciously choose to move toward love instead we create love to move toward. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which method would create a more pleasant experience.

Yet, our habitual, knee jerk reaction is to run away from fear. Our bodies are even hardwired to do that but you can begin to make a conscious choice moment by moment until moving toward love becomes your default setting.

How do we do that? The first step is to notice fear from a place of emotional neutrality. “Oh, I notice fear is present.” Just notice, avoid judging or reacting, just observe.

The next step is to make a new choice. How can you celebrate or appreciate whatever is seemingly creating your fear? You may not be able to do it at first but with practice you will be able to do it with ease.

It helps if you begin the practice of gratitude and appreciation before fear shows up. Take you top ten fears and find something the appreciate and celebrate about each one.

Examples:

Fear of death – I can use that to appreciate each moment of my life, stay in the moment and to be grateful for everything I do have

Not enough money – when you get a bill you can celebrate it’s arrival (This one takes practice), give thanks that someone trusted you to pay this bill, give sincere thanks for the money to pay this bill and really feel that. I actually made a special box for my bills decorated with hearts, dollar bills, fairies and angels. I displayed it on my desk and before long my finances changed.

Being abandoned – give thanks for the reminder to spend time opening up to your connection to your spirit and really feeling the sea of love you swim in.

I think you get the idea. Have a love fest instead of a marathon running from fear.

With love, an awareness of fear and choosing gratitude,
Susan

Images of my beautiful yard, imagine sitting here, meditating while feeling the love, magic and aloha.

Impatients by the pond

Plumerias, they smell so sweet

Bananas almost ready for picking

With incredible gratitude for life,
Susan

I love writing teaching stories. I met the Grandmother when I was writing my second book. I started to write story about the Grandmother telling stories to the children of the village. One little girl said, "I want to here the story about the white wolf." My immediate thought was I do too!

She and I have journeyed far together and I have decided my next book will be all teaching stories. Here is the first of many to come.

The Grandmother, the chief and omens

Grandmother pulled her robe closer as she looked up at the stars. It was a cold night for early spring and she wondered what the crops would be like this year.  She loved sitting outside watching the village sleep. She heard the gentle stirring of the wind as it began its morning journey across the land. Off in the distance the coyotes sang and an owl flew overhead.

She felt his presence as he stepped out of his Hogan, silently said his prayers and began walking toward her. Something was deeply troubling him. Perhaps he too felt the quiet whispers of the changes to come.

The horizon was just showing the first signs of light as he approached. Grandmother’s cooking fire was just springing to life as he settled onto the bench he had made for her as a boy.  What a gift watching him become a man. She was grateful he had turned into such a kind and loving leader. Grandmother handed him a cup of tea and slowly stirred the porridge.

They sat in silence, comfortable in each others company. Grandmother heard the owl again and pulled her robe a little closer. Death was in the wind or was it?

“What troubles you my son?”

“I feel the presence of death in the village. I am afraid someone I love will die. What if my wife or my son dies? I know I shouldn’t fear death that it is part of life but I just can’t shake this feeling. The feeling of darkness haunts my every step.”

“Are you sure it is death you fear? Did you talk to the darkness before you gave it a name?” The young man looked at Grandmother for the longest time.

“I am not sure what you mean. I feel the presence of death.”

The old woman poured another cup of tea and looked at the horizon slowly showing signs of the sun’s arrival. He followed her gaze and was struck by the beauty of this valley. He was filled with a familiar feeling of gratitude and peace.

Grandmother smiled as she looked at her young friend. They both sat in silence as they watched the sun come over the horizon. In winter and early spring the light always illuminated Grandmother’s place first, at her age she needed the extra warmth. A hawk flew overhead, circling three times before he screeched loudly and landed on a branch not too far away. He looked directly at Grandmother and began to clean his feathers.

“Each new day is an opportunity. We can fill the day with love and laughter, we can share our light and open our hearts to the gifts so freely given or we can walk with fear.  When we walk with love we have no choice but to see the perfection in all of life. No matter what is happening in the moment we can celebrate or deny the experience and bemoan our fate.

“When I was young I was asked to leave my village. I left in disgrace, failing to see the gift and walked with fear for many seasons. One night an old woman came to me and helped me see life through the eyes of love. She changed my life and shortly after that I came to this village where I was welcomed with love.  Since I met her I see the gift and the love in everything. I have learned to talk with the spirit of all things and am no longer so quick to name things. Once named, they are limited.  Did you talk to the darkness or just name it death?”

He thought for a moment before he replied. “I felt something I did not know. It was strange, like nothing I had felt before. It felt dark and ominous so I named it death. My fear spoke loudly and I forgot to talk with my spirit. Yes, Grandmother I named it before I spoke with it.”

“Really listening to our heart, taking time to connect with our spirit and listening is so important in our lives. I watch people read the omens and watch for signs but not take the time to go within. It is by going within that you will find the answers. If you read the signs, if your definition of the omens comes from an external source they may lead you astray.

“The hawk visited us and if I tell you what that means I rob you of the opportunity to ask your spirit what it means for you in that moment. We often deny our wisdom by projecting the past on the present moment. What you learn from someone else is knowledge. When you listen to your spirit you gain wisdom, a wisdom that comes from the heart of the Great Spirit that is filled with love and will only bring you joy.”

He bowed his head and gently kissed her check. “Thank you Grandmother. I will always remember your words and hold them close to my heart.”

He walked rapidly toward the path that led to the top of the cliff. She knew he would spend the morning there finding the voice of his spirit returning with the wisdom of love.

If only more people would take the time to do that what a wonderful world this would be.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Love or fear. Those are basically our two choices. I have never enjoyed the results I get when I make my choices based on fear. When we open the door at night the light dispels the darkness, the darkness doesn’t flow into the house extinguishing the light. So it is with love.

Here is a list of things you can do to create more love in your life:

Pray
Meditate
Go sit in a church
Sit by a running brook or the ocean – listen, smell and feel
Watch the sunrise or sunset
Go to a park and watch children play
Stop and smell the roses
Light a candle
Go for a walk in your favorite place
Make a list of everything and everyone you love
Consciously chose to feel love
Write down everything you are grateful for
Remind yourself you are love, you are loved and you are lovable
Listen to some uplifting music
Read some love poems

How about you add some ideas of your own?

Read more Fearless Fridays at my Beliefnet Blog:
• 5 Ways Fear Can Improve Your Life
• 7 Ways to Overcome Fear
• Inspirational Quotes on Fear
• View all Fearless Fridays posts

With love and aloha,
Susan

I am on my way home from Peru and still don’t have words for my experience. I am sure it will take me a while to integrate all the ceremonies and experiences. Here are some more images of the trip. If you allow yourself to feel the energy in them you will have a sense of it all.

With awe, love and inspiration,
Susan

I am off to Peru in  a few weeks with a group of spiritual adventurers so what better to meditate with/on than pictures of Peru. These two pictures were taken when I hiked the Inca Trail in 1996, the last time I was there.

Enjoy!

With love and aloha,
Susan

Lack of clean water affects so many people on this planet. I have long supported Charity: Water. 100% of any money donated goes directly toward building wells. Today is World Water Day, let’s all make a difference.

Today if you can’t help financially say a prayer, imagine angels bringing clean, clear water to every person on this beautiful planet. Perhaps forgo a cup of coffee and help the people in Haiti and the world today.

Haiti and the aftermath of the devastating earthquake has been in the news a lot. Here is a video from Charity: Water. Wouldn’t it be  nice if every man, woman and child had clean water on this beautiful planet we call Earth?

With love and aloha,
Susan

I just had two people drop out of this amazing trip so I am letting you know if one of those spots is for you email me immediately. This is a once in a lifetime adventure and opportunity.

Merging with the Divine
Led by Dr. Susan Gregg

April 17^th-May 1^st, 2010

Of all the sacred sites, Machu Picchu is amongst the most talked about and mysterious. Truly there are more questions asked than answered regarding its purpose and ultimate demise. Imagine a city of incredible structures built using 50 ton blocks of stone fitting so perfectly together (without mortar) that you cannot fit a hair between the joints! Five square miles of astrological perfection sits majestically on top of a misty mountain in the Andes (8000 feet). Located two thousand feet above the rumbling Urubamba river, the city remained untouched and undiscovered until Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham explored it in 1911.

On this spiritual journey, we will be using the energies of this amazing country to assist us in experiencing the divine within. Peru is the perfect place for this adventure of ceremony and inner exploration of the heart. We will be joined by several Peruvian Shamans who are great sources of the ancient Inca teachings and traditions.
Using the three levels of the Inca’s mythology of transcendence, we move from the dark underworld of our own minds to the clarity of spiritual consciousness. The snake, puma and condor will be the symbols we use to represent our spiritual ascension for these 11 sacred days together.

Cusco, Ollantaytambo, the Sacred Valley, Moray and Tipon are some of the locations we will explore. There will be ceremony, and deep personal exploration on this incredible and sacred spiritual retreat.

Daily Schedule:

DAY  1 (L,D) Arrival  to Lima in the morning (we suggest that you arrive on the overnight flight to lima arriving around 4:30am). We then fly to Cuzco and go by bus to the Sacred Valley. On the way we will stop in Pisac to see the andean camelids, relax and drink some coca tea for the altitude, visit the Pisac market for some shopping time and relax in the market where we will have lunch. Overnight in Pisac Royal Inka hotel.

DAY 2 (B,L,D) Late start this morning! We will drive to the temple site of Pisac, do a welcome despacho ceremony for the Apu mountain spirits and then have an optional walk to Pisac market, lunch in Pisac, then to Ollantaytambo an incredible ancient Inca city. Two hundred steps lead up terraces to a double-jamb gateway and the Temple of Ten Niches, a long wall with odd protuberances. Above this is the unfinished Temple of the Sun, considered one of the masterpieces of Inca stonework.Six giant monoliths of pink rhyolite are perfectly slotted together with thin slices of stone and oriented to glow with the rising sun.

At Ollantaytambo we will discover the surprising Astronomical Watcher, which lies under the Tunupa’s glance (Part of the Wiraccochan myth) who is sculpted on stone in part of the Pinkuylluna mountain in front of the archaeological complex. In this place of power we offer Coca leaves which are used to send love and thanks to the Spirit of the Mountains, the Apus and to Pachamama (Mother Earth). We will take a beautiful walk to see the famous Pacarectampu Pyramid. Ollantaytambo for overnight.

DAY 3 (B,L,D) Today we will visit the sacred site of Moray – temple of fertility for a meditation and coca hallpay ceremony and picnic lunch. There are four huge natural depressions that have been sculpted into deep terraces. These circles represent for us the Cosmic Spiral, and we work with the energy of this place to connect with the womb of the Mother Earth (Mama Pacha). Time to do a ceremony in order to offer something to her and asking permission to be there. In the afternoon we return to Ollantaytambo to the temple of the winds for a cleansing ceremony.  Overnight at Ollantaytambo.

DAY 4 (B,D) Today we catch the morning train for our ride to Machu Picchu (1.5 hours) where we travel through beautiful mountains and jungle scenery of the Andes before arriving at the site. We will have our first ceremony to ask permission of the Entities of the place: The Puma, The Condor and Lights of Spirits. We visit the Seven Places of Power at Machu Picchu. This entire stone complex is a high voltage magnetic focal point and every invocation made at Machu Picchu is amplified to incalculable proportions. We will spend a few days here merging our energies with this sacred site and deepening our understanding of the Inca mythology. On arrival we will check into our hotel and then take the bus to the site for a shamanic visit, explore the powerful temples of the site and have a meditation. Overnight in Aguas calientes.

DAY 05: (B,D) Return to the site for optional hikes, ceremonies and just to be in the energy of this beautiful site. If we feel good we can hike to the Temple of the moon and the sacred peak of Wayna Picchu (this walk lasts 3-5 hours and is demanding but very special to connect the Hanaq Pacha upper world!) If you go you will have the opportunity to see the Temple of the Moon, part way down the northern side of Wayna Picchu. We will continue our explorations of the Royal Tomb, the Funerary Rock, the Sacred Plaza, Condor Temple and the Inihuatana Stone (known as the “hitching post of the sun” is a carved rock pillar whose four corners are oriented toward the four cardinal points. The Inca were accomplished astronomers, and used the angles of the pillar to predict the solstices). We may also walk to the Gate of the Sun which is the end of the Inka Trail. Overnight at Aguas calientes.

DAY 06: (B,D) Optional hikes to Putukusi mountain 3 hours round trip (very demanding) or walk to the waterfalls of Mandor over the train tracks (much easier 4 hours round trip). Overnight at Aguas calientes.

DAY 07: (B,L,D) Early train ride back to Ollantaytambo then by bus to Cusco, resting time, exploring the city, overnight in the city. (11,500 feet)

DAY 08: (B) Visit of the altars of the city including Koricancha, Inka streets, shaman market and the temple of the heart Kusilluchayoc. Overnight in Cusco.

DAY 09: (B,L,D) Altars nearby the city such as Sacsayhuaman, Kenko and Chacan the temple of the rainbow (Picnic lunch) on the site itself, optional horse ride to the temple. Cusco, the navel of the earth, was laid out on a grid plan to reproduce the shape of a puma, their sacred mountain animal. The pre-Inca site of Sacsayhuaman, high above the northern edge of the city, forms the head of the puma and the Coricancha temple forms the center of the grid. At Sacsayhuaman; (a hilltop fortress looming over Cusco to the north with three ramparts of zigzag walls that run for nearly 300 meters on its north side) we connect with the rocks which contain messages and lessons for a new era through geometrical symbols. Rest of the day is free to explore the city. Overnight in Cusco.

DAY 10: (B) We will drive to Tipon for a purification cleansing ceremony then we will drive to  Wasao to visit one of most popular shamans, Don Martin Pinedo, to receive a blessing and connect with the condor energy. Tipon is a little known Inca ruin complex southeast of Cusco. It consists of a vast walled enclosure with some of the most complex Inca drains, water works and baths, some of which are still functioning. The location is superb, with stupendous views of the mountains and Valley. Uphill from the enclosure is a magnificent Inca aqueduct which we will use for a purification ceremony. Afternoon for free in the city.  Overnight in Cusco.

DAY 11: (B) Today we fly back to Lima for our international flights OR if you are joining us for our extension to Lake Titicaca then we will be taking a bus to Puno.

Extension:

DAY 11: (B,L,D) Today we take our bus to Puno, we will stop on the way to visit several sites of interest including the temple of Wiracocha, the creator of the Andes and have a blessing ceremony and meditation on the site itself. Then drive to Juliaca and Puno. Overnight at Taypicala hotel.

DAY 12: (B,L,D) We leave in the late morning for the temple of the fertility then we will drive to Charcas beach on Lake Titicaca, have a cleansing ceremony, meditation, bathing on the lake, and a picnic lunch. Afternoon bus ride to Puno port for our excursion to the floating islands of Uros – an amazing experience. Overnight at Chucuito.

DAY 13: (B,L,D) We will drive to Cutimbo located on the road to Tacna, experience ancient pre-history caves, then meditating and working on the great Chullpas, places to connect the 3 worlds.  We will have a picnic lunch and take some time to work with the local children, then return to Puno to explore the city and have an early dinner. Overnight in Chucuito.

DAY 14: (B,L,D) Journey to Aramu Muru, we will drive on the Panamerican road to this amazing rock formation which is know as an interdimensional gate! We will have time to be in the energy of this powerful sacred place, do a meditation and have free time to explore. Picnic lunch. Overnight in Chucuito hotel.

DAY 15: (B) We will leave early our hotel, on the way to the airport we will visit the famous site temple of Sillustani, have a final ceremony, then we will continue our drive to the airport of Juliaca for our afternoon flight to Lima and then home.

Costs:

For the main trip itinerary $3395.00 USD double occupancy.

For the extension to Lake Titicaca $995.00 USD double occupancy.

All breakfasts are included in this program and many of our other meals. Our included meals are noted next to each day of the above itinerary and are in parentheses (). Non-included meals may need to be paid for in cash so plan accordingly. All spiritual teachings are included. All tips for the drivers, guides, and bell boys are included. All bus ground transportation is included on this journey. Your international roundtrip air flight is not-included in the cost of the journey, but your internal roundtrip flight from Lima to Cusco/Lake Titicaca is included. Entrance fees to all the ruins are included. Non-included items would include souvenir shopping, personal phone calls, laundry and the tips for your room maid (recommended $1.00 USD per day).

A friend of mine Larry Czerwonka recently posted this on his blog and he was kind enough to allow me to share it with you.

Too much time is spent complaining about what is wrong in our community and not enough time is spent lifting up what is good and thanking the people that are doing good.

When was the last time you came across a letter to the editor that was positive? Why are our days filled with the sounds of people complaining? And are we guilty of adding to the chorus?

Make a commitment that starting today and once a week for the rest of your life you will sit down and hand write a note to someone somewhere thanking them for what they have done. It could be your child’s team coach or their teacher, it could be the person that waits on you at your favorite restaurant, and it could even be the government official that did something you were pleased with.

Be the change you want to see in your community by also being the person pointing out the good that is happening everyday around us.

One note, the thank you MUST be hand written and sent through the mail, an email or computer generated note will not do. Some of you must be there in the words of gratitude.

With love, gratitude and aloha,
Susan

Yesterday was World Hug Day. This morning I remembered this great video. Why don’t you make a sign, go to the mall and make a difference in someone’s life?

With love and aloha,
Susan

The basic intent of the Toltec tradition is to change your point of creation from your mind to your spirit or as Castaneda referred to it, shifting your assemblage point. When you create your experience from the level of your spirit magic and miracles literally become a way of life and fear becomes a wonderful guidepost.

When I am safe and snug inside the bounds of my filter system fear acts like a herding dog, keeping me in line. When I shift my point of creation fear becomes an indicator that I am moving in the right direction. Granted it is a different kind of fear but it is fear none the less.

I often talk about fear based fear and love based fear. Even though they are both ‘fear’ they feel very different. When we are connected to our spirit fear is more love based and isn’t like the monsters under the bed that terrified us as children. Often the path I am guided to by my spirit is unfamiliar and may seem to lead to the edge of the cliff but when I take that leap of faith I can always fly.

So what is your real intent? To avoid fear or to have the faith to follow your spirit’s gentle guidance? I recently watched Wayne Dyer’s movie, “The Shift” and in a round about way it talks about the same thing.

I often say we have two choices, love or fear. I guess what I am saying today is we have a choice how to use fear, either in a loving or fearful way.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

I just finished the a tele-ceremony for All Hallows Eve. If you would like to listen to it just click here. I do it as a guided meditation so you can listen to it and participate at the same time.

I hope you enjoy it.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

Fear creates more suffering on this planet than anything else. It is at the root of all cruelty and much of the violence we see. Fear is a learned behavior and anything we learn we can relearn in a loving and more expansive manner.

How many of your choices are fear based? The main objective of the Toltec tradition is to change the point of creation in your life from your mind to your spirit.

I often get e mails from people that believe one of the greatest opponent of a spiritual warrior is death. Since life is a fatal disease fighting death or viewing  it as an opponent seems like a set up for misery. I believe that if we free ourselves of fear our connection to our spirit becomes so profound that we can walk through the portal of death with total awareness, but I digress.

Learning to shift your feeling state from one of fear to the expansive energy state of love is an incredibly powerful tool. I find the following three step process invaluable.

1. Expand your awareness so you know the many faces of fear.

2. Acknowledge the fear and enhance your willingness to release the fear.

3. Consciously shift gears from fear to love.

The more often we choose love the more we deepen our connection to our spirit and shift our point of creation.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha,

I have been in Lithuania and Latvia for the past month. Today I leave for the USA. I love the people and the countries and I will be very glad to get home. I am looking forward to the enthusiastic welcome of my four dogs and the aloof hello from my cats.

Filter systems are such an amazing thing. Last year this time I was on my way to Vermont to pick up my dad. In June I shared the process of helping my dad transition. It was such a beautiful experience, filled with tenderness and love. In my wildest imaginings I never imagined being so close to my father and feeling such tenderness, immense gratitude and unconditional love. That was only made possible by me letting go of my filter system and all my old stories about my relationship with my dad.

It really never is too late to have a happy childhood. I always knew releasing your personal history was a  gift but as I reflect over the past year that idea has taken on new meaning.

The finally day of the workshops in Lithuania I was moved to tears when one of the women in the workshops had a choir come in and sing “Over the Rainbow” to me. I have always loved that song and was so deeply moved by that experience.

When I got back to my room I had an email a woman had sent out to a variety of organizations with the title, “Gregg brags about murdering her father.” It was a very strong reminder how our filter system creates our reality. What is really real lies beyond the awareness of our minds.

If you haven’t yet, I recommend you let go of your stories about what was and really allow yourself to fully focus on what you want to create.

Talk to you again soon!

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha,

I am in Lithuania enjoying some beautiful sunny weather and biking along the wonderful bike paths in the morning. As always the classes here are very powerful and I enjoy working here very much.

Here are some images from my morning bike ride. I hope you enjoy them! They are wonderful images to just allow yourself to be with and perhaps allow yourself to feel the energy of the place and the joy I was feeling when I took them.

With love and aloha,
Susan

The quality of our life is directly related to the kind of questions we ask ourselves. If we ask ourselves, “why did this happen to my” or “why do bad things happen to good people?” we will have the opportunity to feel like a victim and stay the same.

If we really want to make a difference in our lives than we ask ourselves questions like:

What do I really want to experience?
What actions can I take to create that?
What belief, agreement or assumption is operating in my life?
How can I see this differently so I can feel happy, joyous and free right now?
What questions would assist me in connecting with my ability to consciously create my experience of reality?

It isn’t a race to get from one question to the next. Take time to fully explore one question in depth. Butterflies are pretty as they dance from flower to flower but I am not sure how in touch with the nature of reality they are.

When I explore a question I find each exploration leads logically to the next and to deeper and deeper awareness of how my filter system works. If I really want to get different results in my life I focus my attention on seeing my filter system. As I do that I will see how one thought leads to another and how my thinking colors my choices. Once I see my filter system it is easier for me to modify my thinking.

Questions are meant to assist you in seeing the magnificence of your filter system – how perfectly it fits together and how it consistently creates the same results. It is seamless and invisible to the naked eye yet it automatically and with no effort on your part drives all of your choices and hence the results you get in your life.

See its magnificence – see how your beliefs, agreements and assumptions fit together to create your experience of reality – once you really see the system, the entire system for what it is and what it creates change isn’t very far away.

My emphasis on coming from the perspective that there is ‘no out there’ came from a near death experience. Many years ago I had tried to kill myself by taking cyanide. I died and found myself swimming in eternity with all the emotions, thoughts and feelings I had run away from – talk about hell!! In that moment I realized there was no where, including death to get away from my filter system. At that moment I decided to do whatever it took to see my filter system and release myself from its bondage.

If you view life from a perspective that there is NO OUT THERE you will be able to see your filter system more clearly. As we clean out our filter system the ‘out there’ that we play in will change and life will become even more magical. Frame your questions so they will help you will see YOUR beliefs, YOUR assumptions and YOUR agreements. You can change them. If you focus on changing out there without taking responsibility for your creation you will doom yourself to creating more of the same old same old.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha,

For the past five years I have gone to Lithuania in September to teach workshops for a month. This year I am going earlier because Latvia has asked me to come. When they asked me to come the first time I had no idea where Lithuania was or anything about the people or the country. I just knew they were literally half way around the world from me. I absolutely love going there and have fallen in love with the country and the people.

It takes me a long time to get there. I will leave tonight and won’t get there until Thursday. I learned the hard way to stop half way there and rest. Lithuania was the first country to break away from the Soviet Union. Latvia and Lithuania are the only two Baltic countries that still have their original languages.

The first time I went to Lithuania I was deeply moved by people’s openness and desire to connect with their spirit. There was one woman who carried a photo of an angel that helped her survive WWII. Over the years I have brought home many angels that were lovingly given to me, long before I wrote my book on angels.

They are amazing people. When they became independent their economy was in ruins and they had to reinvent themselves and their country. I have learned so much from watching them change and grow and look forward to sharing some of that love and wisdom with you in the coming weeks.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

I first posted this in February. We have almost raised enough money to build a well.  I would certainly like to be able to make a difference in the lives of a village.  Can you please help me do that? It is my intent to help build a well and we are almost there. Every dollar you contribute goes directly toward the well, not one cent is spent on administration or anything else, it ALL goes toward the cost of the well.

The house I bought on the Big Island of Hawaii has catchment water.  There is no municipal water system so I catch rain water from my roof. I liked the idea, it seemed very ecological. It does require work on my part to keep the water clean and drinkable. I have to change water filters and since we have acid rain due to the volcano I have to check the Ph and add baking soda. I also have a UV filter to kill the nasty things that can grow in water.

It takes me about a half hour a week to take care of the water system. When I had the UV filter installed they cleaned the water pipes with peroxide. I was shocked by all the black crud that came out. Up until then I had only used the water for bathing, not for drinking. I am very mindful of the fact that plentiful water is an incredible gift.

I was shocked to find out that 1.1 billion people have no access to clean water on this planet and that more children die from drinking contaminated water than any other cause. I have set my intent to build as many wells as possible.

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a webinar about clean water and find an organization dedicated to providing clean water to villages. I had one of those ah ha moments and decided to help in whatever way I could.

If you click on this link you can watch a short video and then hopefully you’ll click the other link and help me give a village the precious gift of clean water.

Be an angel and give people the gift of clean water. We take fresh water for granted. We open the tap and there it is, but in so many places on this planet clean water is a luxury. And a shower or a hot bath is unheard of.

Click here

100% of what you donate goes directly to the project, every last cent goes toward drilling that well! And once we meet our goal, within a year they will send us photos of the finished project. Imagine a child will live because you gave them the gift of water.

My other blog, Angels on Your Shoulder is dedicated to providing the miracle of a well to as many villages as possible, each well costs $5000. Just watch the video and then follow your heart.

Please help me, be an angel and help these people have clean drinking water today. Thanks and please ask all of your friends to help too.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

Several years ago I watched the movie Pay It Forward and really enjoyed it. The other day I was thanking someone for an act of kindness they had done and they said, “That’s okay I was just paying it forward.” I did some goggling this morning about pay it forward and was really happy about the results.

I infuse my teaching of the Toltec tradition with the idea of living from a place of dominion and people always ask me how do I do that in a world based on domination. I now have a great answer – pay it forward. Believe me paying it forward will change your life and it really feels good!

Here is a short quote from the book by Catherine Ryan Hyde:

“You see, I do something real good for three people. And then when they ask how they can pay it back, I say they have to Pay It Forward. To three more people. Each. So nine people get helped. Then those people have to do twenty-seven.” He turned on the calculator, punched in a few numbers. “Then it sort of spreads out, see. To eighty-one. Then two hundred forty-three. Then seven hundred twenty-nine. Then two thousand, one hundred eighty-seven. See how big it gets?”

Here is a neat video about a woman paying it forward by being a foreclosure angel.

What three small things could you do to pay it forward today?

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

An image can take us places and submerging ourselves in the image is a powerful exercise that can help us retrain our minds so they become the powerful tools they were meant to be.

connection, spirituality, meditation, prayer

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

The Toltec tradition teaches us how to change our point of creation from our mind to our spirit. Instead of creating our reality based on our filter system we can learn to consciously create our reality.

If you watch the news, listen to the economic forecast  and create your reality from the level of your mind you are likely to experience fear and create lack and limitation in your life. On the other hand if you deepen your connection to your spirit and watch the same news you are much more likely to find opportunities for success, abundance and prosperity.

The Law of Attraction speaks about energy vibration. We attract people, places and things that resonate at the same energy level that we are projecting. Our filter system is filled with limiting beliefs, agreements and assumptions so the energy we project is of a lower vibration. Our spirit is limitless so the energy we project from that level of consciousness is very expansive.

So the results you can create in your life, no matter how bad the economy is will improve exponentially as your connection to your spirit deepens. I am rereading a wondering book called, “Practicing the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence. He was a humble monk in the 17th century who through constant prayer developed a conscious connection with God. He was an amazing man in his humility and his love of God. He worked in the kitchen until he was no longer able to stand and then he made sandals. He felt loving his neighbor was the same as loving God. “He took pleasure in making them as content as angels.”

Brother Lawrence found that by giving, he received and by being of service, he was fulfilled. By letting go of his mind he was able to connect to his spirit. He called it practicing the presence of God. Worry is energy you expend creating that which you don’t want. So every time you feel fear what if instead of worrying you consciously chose to focus on what you do want to create?

Fear contracts so it creates lack and limitation. Love expands so it creates abundance and deepens our connection to our limitless nature. What do you want more of in your life?

With love and aloha,
Susan

Aloha everyone,

How much does fear affect your life? How often do you make your decisions based on fear? How aware are you of your fears?

The three masteries of the Toltec tradition are awareness, transformation and intent. Changing your point of creation from your mind to your spirit requires mastering all three. Being aware of your fear, embracing it without judgment and knowing how to transform it into love will totally change your life.

Hear are few ways to work with your fear:

• Observe it and remind yourself what it is you’d like to create
• Consciously create fear when you are feeling safe and then let it go
• Avoid feeding your fear by reacting to it with more fear
• Laugh at your fear, turn it into a cartoon version of life
• Connect with your spirit and choose how to act
• Practice acting rather than reacting

Have fun working with your fear and if you have any tips you’d like to share feel free to post them in the comments section.

With love and fear, practicing choosing love,
Susan