Dr. Susan Gregg's Official Web Site

Episode 85

Patti Buchanan — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:17:01 +0000

Would your life be different if you allowed yourself to move toward your happiness rather than move away from pain? In this episode I discuss the distinction and how it allows you to surrender to your spirit.

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How can you really be happier?

Susan — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:40:13 +0000

Happiness really is only a thought away. I know you’ve heard that before. Bust just hang in here with me for a bit. I promise it will be worth your time.

A few steps that will make a HUGE difference

I am not talking about positive thinking I am talking about training your mind to see, hear and feel differently about life. Once you do that your life can become amazing! The Toltec Tradition talks about three masteries: awareness, transformation and intent. Fully harness them and anything is possible.

1. Expand your awareness

All of our emotions are created by what we tell ourselves about what is happening. We never see life directly, what we see is our projection of what we believe is happening. The first step is to allow yourself to be aware of that fact and practice consciously choosing to expand your awareness of your inner dialog.

Life is and then we tell ourselves a story. It is the story that creates our emotional response. We are constantly reacting to our story about life, not life itself. The more aware we are of the story the easier it is to change. Once we consciously choose our story we can choose happiness instead of misery on a regular basis.

2. Now ask yourself a few new questions

Habitually we tend to ask ourselves questions like:

Why did this happen to me?
What did I do to deserve this?

Or we make observations like:

Life isn’t fair.
That is so wrong!

Start asking yourself questions like:

Do I want to be right or do I want to be happy?
How can I see this differently?
What can I tell myself that will create a sense of joy and ease right now?

3. Decide how you want to feel

Happiness is simply a matter of deciding how you want to feel and telling yourself a story that will produce that feeling.

But isn’t that denial? The truth is the truth!

Actually the truth is relative. I suggest you adopt a new paradigm in life, one that allows you to feel peace of mind, loved and makes it easier to create what you want when you want it. I’ve talked about it before. For a lack of a better name I call it dominion. If you go to my website and type in dominion in the search box you will find podcasts and articles galore.

In the paradigm of dominion our vision of life becomes expansive. In dominion, everyone is part of a greater whole, everyone is an equal and integral part of the circle of life. We are no longer residing in an either/or situation; the whole and the person become one. A person truly living in dominion cannot make a choice that will harm another. Rather than being fear-based, dominion is based in love, unconditional love for the self and all other beings great and small.

So happiness is simply a matter of retraining your mind to see the world through the eyes of love instead of fear. And what an amazing difference that makes. Thankfully you really don’t have to change your entire life in order to be happy you just need to retrain your mind.

Bliss is your birthright and it is just a thought away.

With love and aloha,
Susan

My Art of Allowing program will help you make that shift. Check it out.

5 subtle ways we block love

Susan — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:05:27 +0000

What is the key to a happy, successful life?

Love. Not the romantic here today gone tomorrow love but the profound love that allows you to connect with your spirit and know who and what you really are.

A lot of us spend our entire life searching for love when we actually swim in a sea of love. You live in a universe that is more than willing to grant all of your wishes yet so often we yearn for more. We can have anything we want yet we are experts at snatching failure from the jaws of success.

How is it we do that?

How do we disconnect from the essence of who and what we are?

How do we block the flow of love?

1. You forget to be grateful for what is.

When we keep wanting more and forget to give thanks for the what already is on our life we disconnect from the love that always surrounds us. An attitude of gratitude will allow you to let the love in and move in the direction of your bliss. My Hawaiian teacher talks about making a Mahalo card. You write all the things you are grateful for in the card. Basic things like your life and all the little things we so often take for granted. Then if you are in the process of allowing something new into your life you give thanks for it as if you already have it.

2. You forget to share aloha

Aloha is a word that tourist are told means hello and goodbye. It is so much more than that. Aloha is a way of life. Aloha is living life from a place of love, with gratitude, generosity and an open heart. It is a beautiful, profoundly spiritual way of living. Just a small example of living aloha is when you stand in line rather than just waiting you can send love and gratitude to all the people around you.

3. You forget to open your heart to what is

We can have an open heart, love what is and have a positive expectancy of what is to come or we can try to control things, worry and let fear darken the horizon. Opening our heart to the limitless possibilities feels so different. It is expansive and very freeing. For a moment just breathe in and imagine your heart fully opening. How does that feel? Allow the love in and watch magic occur.

4. You worry

When you are worrying your energy is very contracted. When you are jealous about someone else’s success you have cut yourself off and have stopped the love from flowing into your life. Practice celebrating other people’s success and watch what happens in your own life.

5. You forget to allow your light to shine

You are a limitless being of life. Totally limitless. All of your limitations exist because you allow yourself to disconnect from the essence of who and what you are. When you freely and lovingly let your light shine bliss is only a thought away.

Living from a place of aloha, from love and gratitude is something that takes practice. Allowing all the goodness and sweetness of life to flow freely through you and to you is an art. The more you practice it the more wonderful your life becomes.

When I was studying with Don Miguel Ruiz and his mother I used to get frustrated. My life was a mess and gratitude, love and aloha were certainly not regular practices in my life. One day I told Leslie, one of the advanced students that all this stuff seemed like brain washing. She looked at me and smiled. She said, “Your brain needs washing.” It certainly did.

Are you willing to wash away your limited thinking? Are you really ready to allow your life to really change?

With love and aloha,
Susan

Need some help allowing the good stuff into your life?

Episode 84

Patti Buchanan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:04:15 +0000

Have you ever wondered what the Toltec Tradition is or what meditation is about? What the heck can this do for me? In this episode I discuss the basics of both and how they can profoundly change your life. Enjoy!

Listen now:

Cosmic breadcrumbs

Susan — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:12:05 +0000

I was recently talking to someone about the importance of following their inner guidance. She was confused about how to do that so I suggested she follow the cosmic breadcrumbs. Of course the next question was, what are cosmic breadcrumbs?

Cosmic breadcrumbs are different for each of us. Some people see ‘signs’ while others ‘hear messages’ and some people just ‘feel’ or sense something. Cosmic breadcrumbs arise from an alignment with our spirit or our true essence.

How do cosmic breadcrumbs show up in your life?

I learned the hard way to pay attention to the subtle whispers of my spirit, to my intuition. I would get a feeling or start seeing messages or hearing a song and ignore the signs. Then an event would happen in my life and I would think I knew better. I had a feeling that person was lying or that if I parked there my car would get hit. I learned to listen by not listening.

When I began studying with Don Miguel Ruiz it made no logical sense. The classes were taught in Spanish and I didn’t speak Spanish. Meeting the woman who introduced us was the result of me going to the ‘wrong’ church. Had I not listened to my spirit my life would be totally different and I am eternally grateful I did follow that guidance. I have never regretted following those cosmic breadcrumb no matter how odd they seemed at the time.

Change only takes a little bit of willingness

You have all your own answers. There is nothing new under the sun. It, whatever it is, has all been said before. There is no out there yet we live in a world filled with others and an incredibly sensual out there. Finding and following your cosmic breadcrumbs only takes a little bit of willingness.

I always smile because I know everyone that is in my life has been led there by breadcrumbs. Welcome to my world. Maybe someday I will tell you the story about the Cosmic Cappuccino House.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I love Alicepopkorn’s images. Her photos inspire me.

Synchronicities, life and death

Susan — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 01:15:50 +0000

A dear friend and student, Red Earth died this morning.

One of those synchronicities, I couldn’t sleep last night so I went up to my office and meditated. At some level I must have heard the phone ring. Her family had called saying she was struggling, her breath was ragged and asked for my help. At almost the same time I awoke and immediately went into a mediation and sent her love, lots and lots of love.

I know she is free of pain now and dancing amongst the stars. As my Hawaiian kumu says, death is merely a change of address and we always leave a forwarding address. The living just sometimes forget that and feel a great sense of loss.

While we were in Peru I had her record some of her favorite chants. Here is her beautiful voice as captured on my iPhone.

Fly freely my friend.

With love and aloha,
Susan

How a Stack of Paper Could Change Your Life

Susan — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:29:10 +0000

When I was much younger, a family friend did a little demonstration for me that I will never forget. He asked me to take a piece of standard, ruled notebook paper from my folder and place it on the dining room table. I did it in about 5 seconds and he then asked me how difficult it had been.

Of course I thought it was a trick question at first! But I knew he was a very smart guy and wouldn’t ask unless there was likely a good reason. So I humored him and said it was beyond easy. (I had learned to humor my elders a lot by that age as they seemed always to be either baffling or boring.)

Then he asked me if I thought it would also be easy to do that every day for a year. Of course I quickly said it would be too simple to even think about.

Then he asked me to count out 365 sheets of paper, one by one, right then, and place them in a stack on the table.

You can imagine my response.

“No.” was an understatement and the demonstration had quickly changed from a curiosity to something that looked suspiciously like work. But that was exactly the point.

What was easy as pie when done over the course of a year, every day, suddenly became boring, misery-making work when attempted all at once. And not only was it work, it was, more importantly, something that I wouldn’t even consider doing at all.

That lesson has never left me. I know now that when I take small actions, make small steps consistently, even the tiniest actions keep building and building over time. And if those actions are positive ones, things that move me toward my fondest wishes and desires, before I know it, I can have a hell of a lot more than a stack of paper sitting on my dining room table.

And as it turns out, this is the only way anything great, or small, or wonderful has ever been accomplished! We can actually use this principle to completely re-make and transform our lives for the better.

If It’s So Amazingly Simple, Why Doesn’t Everyone Do It?

The concept of small, easy steps taken daily seems simple, even to a child, but the real issue isn’t about this idea at all. The real problem arises with the nature of consciousness, or should I say, unconsciousness.

When we are born, we have only the obvious things to do and there’s not much, if any thought that goes into the actions we perform.

As we grow older we become aware of the amazing powers we have. We can actually make choices and create specific outcomes in our lives. At least within the boundaries of reality like gravity, other people, and tempting ice cream treats.

But a funny thing happens, or actually keeps happening, at the same time we are making all these marvelous and amazing conscious choices. We still have, and continue to create, unconscious behaviors that influence our ability to make choices and take actions toward our goals.

These unconscious behaviors can either support our conscious goals or sabotage them. Unfortunately, it ends up being a bit of a crap shoot since the very nature of these unconscious behaviors is the fact that they’re unconscious! Some behaviors will help us, other’s will sabotage—it’s really a roll of the dice.

And this is why the simple principle illustrated above—taking small, easy actions over time—never seems to work like we think it should.

Here Comes the Real Challenge

So what do we do? It’s a little much to ask that we suddenly become conscious of our unconscious behaviors—the very things we can’t see. It’s actually impossible. But the solution is also quite simple.

Luckily for us, although we can’t see our own unconscious behaviors, it’s a snap to see everyone else’s. And herein lies the secret to major, glowing, joyful, stupendous success when you make the conscious choice to seek out others who can help you.

But when was the last time you walked up to someone and deliberately asked them to tell you about your bad habits? Never? Almost never? Right, I thought so. Well, I didn’t say the solution was easy! But there are harder and easier ways to go about it.

Find a Loving Group of Peers Seeking Similar Goals

I think the worst thing we can do is ask close friends or family to give us this kind of personal feedback. They tend to have a vested interest in the version of us that they already know and love. And sometimes, your changing is not such a good thing in their eyes.

Granted they can also see things that you can’t and may also get at deeper issues because they’re so close to you, but even then, it’s also harder to accept advice from them—it may create resentment on both sides. It’s sort of a spiritual, double-whammy challenge in that respect.

What we need is someone who doesn’t know as much about who we have been, but who we want to become. And that’s why supportive groups have gathered for mutual self-transformation throughout time.

Finding and joining a group is the key to creating some of the most rapid, positive change in your life. It will help you put into place all the simple and easy daily practices that you may have wanted to do for years.

But beyond that, it will also help you quickly notice when you veer off course and get stuck in old, unconscious, negative behaviors. You can feel safe asking for help. You can offer the same kindness in return. Over time, the group can become a wonderful, safe haven where you grow your lovely dreams into a brilliant new reality.

Ultimately, a group with an experienced guide, all working toward a similar goal of positive life-change will help you create a reality that’s worlds better than the one you may have decided was the best you could hope for. It doesn’t matter which group you join, just make sure it’s one in which you feel safe to express yourself and know you’ll be accepted for who you are now and who you want to become.

Perhaps today will be the day you take out your sheet of notebook paper and put it on the dining room table.

P.S. – This month is Apprenticeship Class month and that means the doors of the wonderful group that I work with are open until the end of February. If you are ready to take your own self-development to the next level and start down a wondrous new path, I encourage you to find out more and apply for membership. I would love to welcome you into this warm, safe, and transformative group!

9 Questions About Happiness ….

Susan — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 22:04:53 +0000

What have you done in the pursuit of happiness?
What have you denied yourself in the pursuit of happiness?
What role does happiness play in your life?
What makes you happy?
What really brings you joy?
What is your passion?
What are you really, really passionate about?
What would life be like if you were following your bliss?
What is bliss?

The quality of your life is really dependent upon the questions you ask yourself. I can guarantee that if you spend some time with these questions you will come to a better understanding of happiness.

Happiness is an inside job

There is nothing external that can bring you happiness. Happiness is creating by what you tell yourself about what is happening. We may think more money or a wonderful relationship will bring happiness but it won’t unless we create that feeling internally first.

Life is and then we tell ourselves a story about what is. It is the story that really matters. Change your story and your life can change drastically. You can be happy no matter what is happening in your life and in the world around you. Happiness is a choice and when you make it part of your journey instead of a destination what a wonderful life it is!

With love and aloha,
Susan

A Daily Reflection: The wind

Susan — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:06:05 +0000

I just started making videos of some of my daily reflections. Here is my latest. Enjoy!

With love and aloha,
Susan

Episode 83

Patti Buchanan — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:57:27 +0000

How do I stand in a place of love when life offers challenges? How do I care for myself when someone I love suffers? In this episode I explore how to put yourself first so you can feel love while living without drama.

Listen now:

Joy really is our birthright

Susan — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:38:49 +0000

Earlier this week a friend gifted me three Butterfly Koi. They were pets of an 80 year old gentleman who wanted to find a good home for them. They are quite personable and beautiful. I agreed to adopt them but I needed to get a place ready for them. I went up to my lotus ponds this morning to fix a solar pump and clean up the pond. It is a beautiful sunny morning and I really enjoyed playing with the pump, cleaning it and was excited when I finally got the water bubbling and gurgling into the pond.

As I walked back to the house I was really struck by the quality of my life. This truly is a life beyond my wildest dreams. I am so glad I didn’t stop when I hit the rough spots, felt hopeless or wanted to settle for what was.

It is Sunday and I was reflecting on the apprentice class tonight.

My passion is showing people how they can live the life of their dreams. I often reflect on what I did. While I studied with Don Miguel Ruiz and his mom literally thousands of people came and went. I remember when Don Miguel told me only myself and another man had done what he told us to do. The only difference I saw was I did the exercises.

“Come to the edge, he said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them and they flew.”

Guillaume Apollinaire

It is hard to do it alone

I’d like to invite you to my upcoming apprentice class. I’d love to show you how to live the life of your dreams. I am going to be having a free introductory class later this month. You’ll learn a lot, get a bunch of tools and get to see what it feels like to be part of a group with the intent to experience personal freedom.

Hope you are having an awesome Sunday. I’ll post pictures later of the Butterfly Koi and their new home.

With love and aloha,
Susan

The Koi’s new home

Susan — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:53:12 +0000

Here are some pictures of the Butterfly Koi being released into their new home.

And if you are interested in the free Apprentice Teleclass you can go here to type in your questions now and to attend later.

With love and aloha,
Susan

If You Want to Go Far, Go With a Group…

adminzen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:17:20 +0000

For years I was a loner. I didn’t believe in depending on anyone or anything. I thought I could figure life out by myself and I spent many years trying to do just that. But at one point it dawned on me that every single unhappy day I stumbled through was almost identical to the previous one. And on that day I decided it was time to really change my life—to finally see if I could figure out if ending the pain and suffering was possible and how to do it.

At first I read books on spirituality and applied myself sort of randomly to the task of finding joy and peace. I would spend a little time thinking about how great it would be to have a better life and I’d be excited about it for a while. But then my excitement would wane and I’d find myself back where I started: depressed and nowhere closer to my spiritual goals.

Even though I felt I really wanted it, pursuing a spiritual life by myself was hard. In fact, it turned out to be impossible. I couldn’t stay focused and disciplined and it meant I didn’t make any real progress. My choice to go it alone didn’t work very well at all.

Over time I did make some small progress and life started improving slowly as my spiritual journey became an important part of my life, but it was taking forever and that too was a reason for me to feel depressed about it all.

The real turning point was the moment when one of my first teachers pointed out that, “…it’s hard to return to being one when you are doing it alone.” The way she said it made me laugh and I got it.

Community Paves the Way

Have you ever wondered why so many religions and spiritual traditions have a community aspect to them? When we come together as a group, our energy multiplies and empowers us. It becomes much easier to connect with the divine.

Ultimately becoming one with your essence is about learning who you are and it’s a journey only you can take. The strange thing is, being surrounded by a supportive group and having the assistance of a loving guide makes your solitary journey so much easier. In fact, in some ways, it’s the one thing that can make it possible at all.

Our limiting beliefs are invisible because our beliefs form our version of reality. It’s the old story of the fish who doesn’t realize it lives in water.

When I first started studying with Don Miguel the classes were taught in Spanish. I didn’t speak Spanish, but I knew that this group was where I belonged. It may sound strange, but even though I couldn’t understand the language my life began to change.

The energy of the group enfolded me and helped me feel safe enough to embrace change. It helped me feel confident in taking my next solitary steps on my journey because I knew I had the group to support me if anything went wrong or just didn’t work like I expected.

Eventually, the group became a very, very powerful part of my journey and ultimately helped me achieve my transformation from depressed and unhappy to grateful and thrilled to be alive. Yes, I still had to do it by myself and yes there were always painful and challenging days, but with the group I was no longer alone when I was by myself, if that makes sense.

Your Filter System is Invisible—To You

I call our belief structure our filter system for a reason. Our beliefs, agreements, assumptions and attitudes filter and distort our experience of reality. We never see reality. What we see is our filter system and we call it reality.

Personal freedom arrives in our lives only when we release our filter system, but seeing our own filter system is almost impossible when we try to do it alone. It’s a lot easier for us to see someone else’s filter system though, and that’s why we are part of a group.

Together, as a group we can see and help each other in ways that are far more powerful than anything we could do alone. We all help each other to see what we can’t see on our own, namely, our filter system and the ways it hides from our view.

Of course, the group also supports you when you forget your goals and wonder where to turn. And we also have the opportunity to support our fellow classmates. In fact, this is an important part of the experience. When someone else needs support, a funny thing happens. As we reach out and help others, there are lessons that we would never have learned had we been sitting in our rooms, alone and unneeded.

So, whether you work with me and our lovely group who get together on the phone every Sunday (as well as online) I really encourage you to avoid the lone ranger routine and seek out a group of fellow seekers who care as much as you do about making their lives as wonderful as they can be.

The Group Window is Closing Soon

When I completed my apprenticeship, Don Miguel told me to go and teach in my own way. I spent a lot of time in prayer and meditation trying to come up with the best way to share the love and wisdom I received from Don Miguel and his mother, Sister Sarita. Eventually I came up with the format for the tele-apprentice group and it’s had a huge, positive impact on everyone who’s participated.

I haven’t invited new members into the group for quite some time. In fact, in order to join the apprentice group before now you had to be signed up for my Mastering Life course which is a 1-year commitment.

But until February 29th, you have the opportunity to join this dynamic group of loving and supportive people. There’s no long-term commitment and the price is a lot easier to manage than the Mastering Life course.

If you think you might be ready to shift your consciousness and move to the next level of creating a life of your dreams, I do encourage you to consider the apprenticeship program. And again, whether it’s with me or someone else, I sincerely encourage you to begin it now—it’s the only time you have.

With love and aloha,
Susan

P.S. I would love to hear about your experiences of going it alone, or working with a group. Have you tried either or both? Which worked for you? Please leave a comment below and, to encourage you, I’m giving everyone who comments a copy of a new video I’m currently working on about your brain’s neural network and how understanding it can help you make permanent, positive changes possible. One-word comments don’t count! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Heaven or Hell: Happiness or Misery?

Susan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:41:29 +0000

Where do you spend most of the time?

Heaven and hell are only a thought apart. The slightest change in perspective will make a huge difference in your experience of life.

You can watch the news and react negatively. You can get upset while driving in traffic. You can look at your bills and feel stressed. You can hate your body. You can want to change and never seem to get there.

OR …..

You can remember that you are the powerful creator of your life and create exactly what you want, thought by thought.

The world IS a vast energy system!

Are you getting tired of me saying that? Love in love out. Fear in fear out. Judgment in more of what you judge coming at you. By practicing love and acceptance you will find change just begins to happen. Change really is a matter of changing your perspective in the moment. Our thoughts are consciously chosen based on our realization that all of life is emotionally neutral and the realization that our choice of love and acceptance REALLY matters or they our thoughts are habitual.

Do you want to be right or be happy?

People always ask me why they are mutually exclusive. When we want to be right we want to hold onto some limiting belief, being right excludes acceptance, compassion and loving what is. The decision to be happy invites us to see life in the most expansive and loving manner.

Keep thinking like most of society and bliss will remain illusive. Learn to see life differently and happiness, joy, health, bliss become second nature.

Heaven or hell, it really is your choice. There are no victims in this universe just people caught in the illusion.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I have some great classes coming up you might want to check out.

Why is the Mentoring Process So Powerful?

Susan — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:55:47 +0000

In this video I talk about what a mentor is and what one isn’t. I discuss some of my own experience working with my past mentors and I hope I make clear just how powerful, supportive and life-changing mentorship can be.

Questions and ideas explored in this video:

What is a mentor?
How does mentoring help you explore your beliefs?
What a mentor ISN’T.
What the mentoring relationship is really all about.

My Transformational Mentoring Program is still open for a little bit longer (until midnight February 1, 2012) and there is still a place left for you if you are ready.

You can find out more and apply here: Transformational Mentoring Program

3 Concepts that Changed My Life

Susan — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:23:07 +0000

In this video I talk about how three simple concepts changed my life from one of suffering and unhappiness to a marvelously magical, daily experience. I talk about how I started my journey in Vermont and how I ended up where I did as a direct result of these concepts.

I hope the example of my process and experience will help you as you move toward the magical life that is your birthright…

Remember, the life you have now is the result of all your previous thoughts and actions. You have the power to completely alter the trajectory of your life for the better and the time to start is right this moment. Don’t put it off another second!

P.S. My Transformational Mentoring Program has only 4 spots left. It’s still open for a little longer and I sincerely encourage you to watch the special video I created that explains the entire program and how it can help you rapidly move to a brilliant new place in your life much faster than you might by going it alone.

Episode 82

Patti Buchanan — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:58:48 +0000

What is your definition of Ego? Is it habitual mind chatter or your ego talking? Are you ready for some new thoughts? In this episode I will discuss how to work with your ego and the thoughts around it.

Listen now:

Power and magic

Susan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:50:08 +0000

Photos by Alice Popkorn

In the Toltec tradition the world is divided into knowable and unknowable, power and magic. The unknowable is unknowable so there is no reason to waste your time trying to understand it. I love that concept.

I remember when Don Miguel said he was going to teach a class about magic the following week. I was excited all week long, finally I was going to able to wave a magic wand and create what I wanted. Power and magic is also very simple and logical but an explanation that was not very satisfactory to my rational, linear fear-based mind. I remember when Don Miguel said he was going to teach a class about magic the following week. I was excited all week long, finally I was going to able to wave a magic wand and create what I wanted.

Power is unmanifested or potential energy. Magic is the result of our translating that limitless energy of creation and unconditional love into three-dimensional, physical reality. The world as we see it is all magic. Not exactly what I wanted to hear 20 odd years ago. I wanted a magic bullet that would change my life, instantly. We translate that energy through our filter system. Everything in our life is there by invitation, everything that isn’t in our life because we haven’t invited it yet.

We are all magicians. They key is beginning to translate that limitless energy consciously instead of habitually creating based on our old beliefs, agreements, assumptions and attitudes.

What I would have missed

I just finished making a short video for a retreat I am having in May. When I watched it I was struck by the fact that these were all amazing images of my life. When I was a student I felt so hopeless about my life ever changing I tried to kill myself. As I watched that video my thought was, “Wow, what an amazing life I would have missed.”

I keep talking to people about creating what they want and the endless possibilities life holds, what amazing magic and miracles your life will hold if you are just willing to change your thinking and make different choices. As I watched that video the magnitude of those words really struck me.

What are you missing?

When I studied with Don Miguel hundreds of people came and went. About 7 years after I finished my apprenticeship I went to a gathering Miguel was having for Easter. There were hundreds of people in attendance. He called myself and on other man to the front of the room. He said in all the years he had been teaching he and I were the only ones that had done what he said, “To go and teach in our own way.”

I thought about all the people who studied before and after me. The only difference I could see was I did all the exercises. I had taking action each day to retrain my mind. Even when what Miguel asked of me made no sense and challenged my beliefs, I did it. In hindsight that was the whole point. He helped me let go of my limiting beliefs.

You could start by embracing the belief that happiness, joy, abundance and living your bliss really are your birthright. When you have doubts just reaffirm that and watch the magic begin to happen.

I am about to open up a program that will help you do the same thing. I am only accepting a few people and if you aren’t wiling to spend at least 10 hours a week I ask that you don’t bother to apply. Change occurs when we are willing .

With love and aloha,
Susan

I will be opening the program up on January 25 and will be accepting only 4 people, so stay tuned.

Do you want to change?

Susan — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 04:31:49 +0000

Would you like to get different results in your life?

Of course, if we want different results we need to make different choices. Generally when we are getting results we don’t like our choices were fear based. So creating what we want is simply a matter of choosing love.

Love is free of judgment. When we are in judgment of what we’ve created we are firmly in the territory of fear. In order to change we must embrace what is, love it if you will and then make a new choice.

How do we love what we hate?

The key to change is love. We must see our judgment and fear, recognize it for what it is and then love it.

You don’t have enough money, how do you love being broke?
You are overweight, how do you love being obese?
You are lonely, how do you love being alone?
You hate your job, how do you learn to love it?
Your partner is angry and abusive, how do you love them and yourself?

The world is a vast energy system.

Energy is always in motion, either expanding or contracting. Love expands, fear contracts.

If you focus on not having enough money your energy contracts. If you focus your attention on having more than enough money your energy expands. So focusing lovingly on having lots of money and realize that not having enough created the desire to have more money, so love it for that creation.

You have an addiction which restricts your experience of life. So you focus your attention on the feeling of freedom and love the addiction for showing you what a gift freedom is.

Focus lovingly on what you do want and see what is as a gift, the gift of showing you what you really want.

Change can be easy, fun and expansive.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Episode 81

Patti Buchanan — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:46:40 +0000

Do you desire smoother more expansive relationships? In this episode I explore how all life is a relationship. When we allow ourself to connect fully to our spirit, shifting our perspective from our mind to our spirit, we change our experience in all relationships.

What if I had Toltec Wisdom as a child

Listen now:

2012–what will you create?

Susan — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:23:06 +0000

I want to wish all of you an awesome 2012.

I talk to so many people that have fear about their future, especially about 2012. I made this video as a reminder and as a holyday gift for you. I know this can be the best year yet, if you are willing to set your intent and change your old way of thinking.

Allow love to be your guiding force and bliss to be the place you live. I hope you enjoy the video. It is my gift to you.

Mele Kalikimaka and Hau?oli Makahiki Hou

With love and lots of aloha,
Susan

World free of suffering

The Art of Allowing Holiday Re-Opening Special…

What do you want to experience – right now?

Susan — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:49:26 +0000

Here is a short video about savoring the moment. I hope you enjoy it.

With love and aloha,
Susan

PS.

P.S. My newly re-opened Art of Allowing Class is a huge hit! And the holiday bonus is still available until midnight Hawaii time on December 21, 2011. I think this program is just the sort of spiritual self-care that I wish I had had access to years ago. I hope you’ll take advantage of it if it’s the right thing for you right now.

Episode 80

Patti Buchanan — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:36:30 +0000

Is the universe safe or hostile? In this podcast I explore the question- What would change for you if you had endless possibilities and were safe? If you align with limitlessness and love you create more of that with endless possibilities. If you align with fear you create more of that. Change the way you think and change your reality.

Listen now:

Emotions Overwhelming? Want to Transform Holiday Stress?

Susan — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:55:21 +0000

I just read an article about releasing bottled up emotions and getting rid of the emotional leftovers from childhood. The woman had been terminally ill, recovered, thought she should only experience gratitude forever more and seemed to think emotions were damaging. Well they can be but not the way she thinks.

I was tempted to respond and tell her freedom is just a thought away but as I read some of her other articles I could clearly see her filter system and realized my comments would be unwelcome.

Ironically our filter system creates all of our emotions. We don’t have to forgive or release or do any other dance to be happy, joyous and free in the moment. All we need to do is clear out our filter system. We only need to be willing to see things differently and that can happen in a moment or take lifetimes.

We never see reality we only see our filter system

What exactly is our filter system? It is the sum total of our beliefs, agreements, assumptions and attitudes. I called it a filter system because we literally filter our experience of life through it and then ironically begin to believe it is reality.

All of our emotions are the result of our inner dialog which is generated by our filter system. All of life is emotionally neutral. There are no emotions inherently attached to anything but try to tell that to our filter system. We believe our beliefs and have emotions dependent on those beliefs.

We’d rather be right than happy

More people commit suicide during the holidays than any other time of the year. Why? Because we have an image of what the holidays mean: family, happiness, love, peace on earth, joy, peace of mind, the perfect gift, the list goes on and on. When the experience doesn’t live up to our expectations our emotions can become overwhelming. Ironically we define both the experience by what we tell ourselves and we define the expectations or at least our filter system does.

In hundreds of different ways we fight to maintain our filter system and don’t even realize that is what we are doing. No matter what is happening around you YOU CAN BE HAPPY if you choose to be happy.

Listening to that quite still voice

There is the quiet still voice of our spirit, that limitless part of ourselves that sees only love. There is also the raucous, loud, demanding voice of our filter system. I never learned to listen to the voice of my spirit as a child so I was engulfed by the emotional perspective of the people around me. At times I still am and as soon as I am tired of being off center and I can reconnect with my soul and be at peace.

When you listen to the voice of your spirit your filter system dissolves and you see only peace. You make your choices based on love and magic and miracles become a part of everyday life. It does take practice. How many years have you practiced reaffirming your filter system and believing it?

Is the dog wagging the tail or the tail wagging the dog?

Are we choosing our emotions or are our emotions dictating our actions? The lighter emotions like joy happiness, bliss, gratitude are healing to our bodies. Anger, sadness, hopelessness are toxic to our body. In the Toltec tradition the universe is viewed as a vast energy system. Law of Attraction talks about much the same thing. If we want abundance and ease in our life it makes sense to create emotions that will support that.

Emotions overwhelming?

Simply take a few deep breaths, allow yourself to get centered and tell yourself a story that promotes a feeling of ease. It really is as simple as changing your thinking. Granted that takes practice but so does holding onto your filter system. In five years which do you wish you had practiced?

Stress and the Holidays?

I prefer to think of them as the holydays, an opportunity to celebrate what is and decide what I want to create next. Life can be a wonderful celebration of what is with the understanding that you get to decided how you feel about whatever is. You can empower yourself, begin to create more of what you do want and just plain old be happier. Just practice consciously choosing your thoughts.

With love and aloha,
Susan

P.S. – I have a program designed specifically to help you change your filter system and I just re-opened it with a lower price and a holiday gift. It’s called, The Art of Allowing and the video below explains more about your filter system, where it comes from, and how best to change it using the Art of Allowing program. When you practice listening to the voice of your spirit, and make it a weekly and even daily exercise, you move into that peaceful space and are able to stay there with more and more ease. Find out more about the Art of Allowing and the holiday gift that is still available…

photo by Alice Popkorn

Some Related Posts

Engaging the Senses

adminzen — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:40:06 +0000

In this video I talk about some of the techniques that allow us to make lasting changes in our lives. Specifically, I talk about how the Art of Allowing course uses certain techniques and why those methods are so great at helping you drop your old beliefs, agreements and assumptions about life. Watch it let me know if you have questions in the comments below.

Aloha,

Susan

P.S. The Art of Allowing course has just been re-opened! The price has been updated and there is also a holiday bonus available when you sign up now. Check the new Art of Allowing course out here…

Does change have to be difficult?

Susan — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:35:59 +0000

What about easy and effortless?

Change really is simply a matter of retraining our minds. Make some rock solid choices about what we are going to believe about life, what we really want and allowing it to be so.

I always loved it when Captain Piccard would raise his hand and tell the bridge staff to, “Make it so.” I had a puppy that took many, many reminders that the outdoors not rugs was the place to pee. I reminded her until she agreed. Was it hard, not really. It just took a bit of patience and a lot of reminders.

Dogs, when well trained are wonderful and very loving companions. Change can be easy if we are willing to allow it to be. We can begin to habitually create what we do want on a daily basis instead of more of the same old same old that we don’t want.

Your brain is plastic

It’s not made of plastic but it is plastic as in it is highly transformable. We aren’t hard wired, even as adults we can retrain our thinking. Some studies have even shown that people can rewire their ability to walk and talk after massive strokes.

I look at our thoughts as being either conscious choices or habitual thoughts. Today you will think approximately 50,000 thoughts and 95% of those thoughts will be the same thoughts you thought yesterday. Lots of habitual thoughts. Heck just a LOT of thinking go on that isn’t really thinking. It is a lot of repetition of thoughts that have been around since you were a little kid. Time for a change of station perhaps?

So how do you retrain your mind, easily?

I have found that the more senses we involve the easier change becomes. When we were young we were immersed in our senses, we felt a whole lot more than we thought. That was why we it was so easy to create our filter system.

Affirmations are very powerful agents of change, if we really feel what we are saying. Clearly picturing what we do want and feeling ourselves already having it works well to. Changing our point of creation from our mind to our spirit allows us to release out limiting thinking and realign ourselves with our limitless nature.

You really are limitless you know, unless you believe your mind’s version of reality. The fear based one. When you align with your spirit you know life is a fun adventure where you get to play with energy and can use that energy to have wonderful adventures. Those are three really wonderful ways to make change easy.

Meditation is a fourth powerful tool of transformation. Poke around my website. There are lots of free resources that will help you with all four modalities.

I have two powerful programs that will help you transform your life

This is the advertising part of the post least you have any doubts ….

I am re-launching my Art of Allowing program. It is specifically designed to make change easy; to capitalize on your brain’s inherent ability to change. Begin make BIG changes in your life right now. Watch for an announcement in the next day or two for a holiday special on this special program.

I am accepting 6 people into my transformational mentoring program. There are only 4 spots left. Click her to watch a video that explains it all.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Susan — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:13:43 +0000

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!

Spiritual Practices and Serendipity

Susan — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:35:08 +0000

Index Cards

I’ve spent the week in Honolulu and last night I went shopping. When I began my spiritual journey I used a lot of index cards. I’d write down quotes from books, thoughts, affirmations and anything else that would help me retrain my mind. I would carry them with me everywhere and whenever I started feeling afraid, hopeless or miserable in any way I’d read them. Sometimes I’d read one card and reconnect and sometimes I’d read the whole pack.

Earlier in the day I had been thinking about an upcoming class I will be teaching and thought I would make creating a set of index cards one of the assignments. I got back to my hotel and in the bottom of one of the bags I found an index card with an affirmation on it. It says, “ It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”

What a beautiful conformation of my earlier thought. Get a pack of index cards and get started. Index cards certainly transformed my life.

Spiritual Practices take practice

Creating bookends, something you do every morning and each night really makes a big difference in life. Using them to set a joyous, conscious intent for the day acts like a catalyst for a miraculous day. We are either consciously or unconsciously riding the energy wave of our intent.

A great question is: What do I want to experience more of?

Once you decide what you want, focus your attention on having it, align your thoughts and consciously take steps to move toward your desired result.

As my little index card reminded me, once belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen. Convince yourself that you deserve it, that you can have it and be willing to take the necessary actions. It will surely show up.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Episode 79

Patti Buchanan — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:28:58 +0000

The Angel of Death- an opponent to be feared or a gentle reminder that we live through choice. In this podcast I discuss the gift of life and how we grow through using our perspective to live fully.

Listen now:

Do you know your value?

Susan — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:38:45 +0000

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

Episode 78

Patti Buchanan — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:25:35 +0000

How would it be to let go of looking for love and validation outside of yourself? In this episode I talk about loving yourself, letting go of the habits that hold you back, and getting out of your own way. Are you ready to consciously create your own choices?

Listen now:

Episode 77

Patti Buchanan — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 21:04:41 +0000

In podcast 77, I got a wonderful e mail from a listener. Some of the questions were: How do I deal with having to kill ANY living thing to sustain my life? How can I see this as a safe universe if I need to impose my will on another in order to live? In response we’ll take a look at energy, perspective and living a limitless life as well as lots of other good stuff. I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Listen now:

Ever thought about your thoughts? Where do they go?

Susan — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:14:12 +0000

How many miles have your thoughts traveled?

I once read an article about how far out in space human beings original radio signals travel each day. I saw a science fiction movie in which ET’s were attracted to earth because of TV shows from the 50’s (what a scary thought!)

Imagine each and every thought or word you have ever had or spoken. Think of them traveling into space, forever held, forever spoken, forever reverberating through space, for all time, eternally. Are there any words or thoughts you wish you could take back?

Our thoughts create our emotions and they dictate how we feel

This world is a vast energy system. We are like radio towers constantly receiving and broadcasting. Our body uses our five senses to translate energy so we touch, taste, feel, smell and hear the world. Think about how you feel when you are really happy. Think about how it feels to be very disappointed. You just created those feelings, the world didn’t.

Your thoughts do become things. Your life reflects what you have focused your attention most frequently. What do you think about that? Ready to change your thoughts yet?

Did you know that every rainbow is unique?

Each rainbow is formed from light that hits your eye at a very precise angle. Someone standing next to you will see light from a slightly different angle and therefore see a different rainbow. I love rainbows and no one else can see the same rainbow as me.

Without you the universe would be incomplete. You matter. Focus on loving yourself unconditionally. Affirm your value and watch your life transform.

Today is the only day you have the power to change and you can start it over right now by knowing you are loved, you are love and you are lovable.

With love and aloha,
Susan

I am opening up my apprentice class for the month – great way to change your thinking rapidly and create a life based on what you do want …. just a thought

Episode 76

Patti Buchanan — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:17:26 +0000

The paradox of pono, did I invite this in my life? How can life be perfect when there is so much suffering? In this podcast, I talk about seeing perfection from dominion versus domination and allowing that to work in your life. Enjoy letting go of judgements and letting more love in your life!

Listen now:

How do you create a happy life?

Susan — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:39:46 +0000

What is a happy life anyway? How do YOU define happiness. For some people the idea of working for yourself is absolutely terrifying while for others working for someone else is depressing.

Years ago my aunt asked me when I was going to get a real job - you know one where you work for twenty of thirty years, get a gold watch if you are lucky and retire. Well for some people these days that job has turned into pay into a retirement plan, go to retire and find out you don’t have any money. I haven’t had a real job in years, I have followed my inner voice and for over twenty years I have done what I love everyday. What a wonderful life and such an incredible gift although my aunt never thought so.

What denotes happiness for you?

Is happiness having a job, a relationship, a beautiful home, traveling, staying home, lots of friends, more time for yourself, a new car, freedom, more structure? To be happy or not to be happy, that is the question. It helps to realize that we all define happiness in a different way.

When I do counseling for couples I ask each person to write a list of how they feel loved and then exchange it. One couple I worked with had a disagreement about how coming home should look. The wife wanted to talk about the day while the husband just wanted some alone time. Neither person was willing to compromise so eventually they went through a rather messy divorce. I always find it sad to change love into anger simply by not listening. So often we would rather be right than happy.

Happiness is always just a thought away

There is no ultimate definition for happiness. In my hippie days I went to Jamaica. I had very little money and traveled around using the local buses and staying with people in huts. To the Jamaicans I was rich. According to my mind I wasn’t because I had no idea how I was going to pay the bills when I got home. Happiness and wealth is relative.

So how do you create a happy life? It is really easy. No matter what is happening in your life tell yourself a story about the event that generates happiness. Simple but often not easy. Like I said, we would often rather hold onto our perspective, our old, limited way of seeing things rather than be happy.

Change your perspective change your life

The Toltec tradition has three masteries: Awareness, transformation and intent. You really can be as happy as you make up your mind to be happy. Change your awareness, set your intent to be happy and then transform your thinking.

If you look at the image to the left you can see a young woman with a hat or a very wrinkled old woman. It is a matter of perspective. The same thing is true in life. We can see it through the eyes of love and have a joyous, happy experience or see through judgment and fear and create misery, pain and suffering.

Spiritual practices take practice. Decide to practice seeing life as a perfect opportunity to either deepen your connection to your spirit and be happy or reaffirm your limiting belief system and be not so happy.

The choice is yours moment by moment and you can see your choice clearly by observing what you are feeling emotionally. Changing your perspective is so much easier than changing the world. The paradox is as you change your perspective your life changes too.

I will soon be opening my apprentice class again, so watch for the announcement. It is a powerful way to change your perspective.

With love and aloha,
Susan

World free of suffering

Episode 75

Patti Buchanan — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:38:26 +0000

Do you feel a safe universe is part of your birth right? Can you imagine aligning with love rather than fear or suffering? In this podcast I talk about these concepts and how to work with them in a loving universe.

Listen now:

What really matters?

Susan — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:48:44 +0000

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

Episode 74

Patti Buchanan — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:02:25 +0000

Are you ready to create whatever you want, when you want? In this episode I explore ways you can grow beyond your expectations when you allow yourself to connect with your spirit.

Listen now:

Conscious creation: the illusion of control, is it fear or love?

Susan — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:20:42 +0000

Are you using your filter system or aligning with your spiritual essence

We are the creators of our life experience. We either create that experience from our filter system and fear or our spirit and love. Where we focus our attention makes a huge difference.

You are a limitless being. Your thoughts are not real and are usually assumptions about reality that have no basis in fact. So often I watch people embrace the idea that they can create what they want when they want it. They are overjoyed because it is reassuring to think we are in control of our reality. If we are in control then we are safe.

That desire for control is fear based. When you are aligned with your spiritual essence you know you are safe no matter what and there is no need for control. You can easily surrender to what is and savor the moment.

Sunrise, sunset – the tide is in the tide is out

When the sunsets I never worry if it is going to come up again the next day. When I watch the ocean sometime the tide is high at other times low. I have learned to apply that concept to my life. Sometimes I have lots of money, the tide is in. When money is not as plentiful I realize the tide is out and it will turn around again. The same is true about health, energy, love and time. When I view it that way love is ever present. When I feel the need to control things or worry about what is, fear is once again the master.

A change of perspective changes your experience of life dramatically and it also invites different results into your life. Love expands, fear contracts.

Love = bliss

If you choose love more often than fear bliss is only a thought away. When you surrender to what is from a place of love it is easy to enjoy the moment. When you surrender from a place of fear that often feels like giving up and it is easy to victimize yourself with fear-based outcomes.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. Focus on love, practice seeing through the eyes of love, know you are love and know only love is real. Watch your life fill with magic and miracles.

Times are a changing . . .

Times are changing. The economy is dicey, terrorist abound. In the Great Depression of the 1930’s there were more millionaires made than in any other time in history. If you align yourself with love you will create an amazing future. If you react from fear, believe in all the news reports and react to them – well I wouldn’t want to live that life. Breadline of philanthropist, you get to choose.

Guess which world love builds?

With love and aloha,
Susan

What if I had Toltec Wisdom as a child

When you hear the voice of the judge use it to set yourself free

Susan — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:25:58 +0000

That inner voice

Our inner dialog isn’t really the problem. The problem is we listen to that dialog, think it is our true nature and then we believe what we are telling ourselves. We forget that all of our perceptions about reality are based on an illusion. Until we change our perspective generally our assumptions about reality are based on the belief that we are separate and limited. We experience life as if we are our body and our thoughts are real. The world is a vast energy system and we forget that as soon as we start describing it, as soon as we start thinking we have broken our connection with who and what we really are.

You are a limitless, infinite, eternal energy presently inhabiting a body. The voice of your inner critic is an indication you have aligned yourself with your mind and not your spirit. Many years ago I was told that I couldn’t think myself into shifting my awareness but I could take actions that would help me experience and in the process remember who and what I really was.

The judge can set you free

Whenever the voice of the judge kicks in I can choose to stay asleep, follow along and remain immersed in my old beliefs, ignorant and unconscious of the real me. If I want to experience my limitless nature I can choose to notice the voice and use it as a reminder. “Oh, there is the voice of the judge. Time to wake up.”

Once I set my intent to awaken I can make new choices and take actions that will set me free. I can begin to consciously create my life and fill it with magic, miracles, wonder and joy or whatever else I want. The inner critic, the judge can be viewed as an alarm clock, granted an annoying alarm clock but an alarm clock none the less.

The two questions I often get are: “How do I remember to wake up and not get caught up in the judgment?” and “What actions should I take?” The first thing I always suggest is change any should into I could or I choose.

How do I remember to wake up?

Early on in my journey I realized I could spend my time moving away from pain and I would create pain to move away from, not the best option. Listening to our judgmental inner voice will certainly help us create pain to move away from. At first things would have to get pretty bad before I would take action. I actually tried to kill myself several times. We can use pain as a wake up call. Once we get tired of moving away from pain (that can take a lot of suffering, it’s up to you) or we can create a routine designed to help us stay awake. I call them my non-negotiables. Once I did that I began to move toward pleasure, connection, love and spiritual awareness.

I find it is much easier to stay centered and connected than it is to get reconnected. So, my answer to that question is decide to move toward pleasure instead of away from pain. When you notice you are in pain take a concrete action that you know helps you feel better. I literally made a list of things and put them in the back of my journal. I knew I could read the list and pick one when my discomfort didn’t allow me to remember what to do next.

What actions can I take?

I no longer have my list of nurturing things in the back of my journal. They are so much a part of my life I generally choose to take an action as soon as joy becomes illusive. That list including anything that assisted me in connecting with my spirit, with that sea of love we all live in daily.

When people ask me what actions to take I suggest they make a list of nurturing things, a personal list of things they find uplifting. When I made my list it was a process of trial and error. It was a wonderful exploration. I got to find so many ways to feel loved and connected to that energy of creation, that loving and expansive energy of unconditional love.

Some of the things I had on my list were:

Meditate
Take a walk
Take a deep breath
Write a gratitude list
Call a friend and talk about all the good stuff
Pet an animal
Help someone else
Sing
Dance
Take a hot bath

I think you get the idea.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Episode 73

Patti Buchanan — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:40:32 +0000

In this episode I talk about the miraculous nature of life. Perspective is everything and everything is a miracle. Are you ready to make choices that really allow you to excel and experience every moment as a miracle?

Listen now:

The miraculous nature of life….

Susan — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:50:56 +0000

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.

Perspective Changes Everything

Some More Tools for Returning to Your Limitless Nature

Susan — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:19:13 +0000

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

You are limitless
You are perfect
You have the power to do anything
You can create what you want when you want
Anything is possible
If you believe it you can do it
You have the power
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

Episode 72

Patti Buchanan — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:13:49 +0000

Is your objective to be happy in life? In this episode I talk about using “bookends” as a concrete step to start and end your day in an empowered state. From here we let the magic and miracles happen!

Listen now:

Perspective changes everything

Susan — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:34:38 +0000

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

Episode 71

Patti Buchanan — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 01:10:08 +0000

Are you ready to see beyond your “filter system”? Is happiness what you really desire? In Podcast 71 I talk about how to move beyond limitations with clarity and choose to be happy.

Listen now:

Forgiveness and beyond

Susan — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:41:21 +0000

I wrote this a number of years ago. I just ran across it and thought it was time to share it ….. enjoy

As so many of us do, I carried wounds from my childhood into my adult life. As a young girl I was molested by some boys. At the time I was devastated. I was sure it was my fault, and when the boys told me not to tell anyone or they would kill me I believed them. Before that I never felt like I fit in afterwards I felt like a total misfit. I was sure life was a complex game and everybody except me knew how to play. When I began my journey of self-discovery in my twenties I ran across the concept of forgiveness and with a great deal of anger and judgment promptly rejected the idea. Over the years my thoughts on forgiveness have changed drastically. Now I believe forgiveness is one of the most important steps we can take toward achieving self-acceptance, peace of mind, and happiness.

We are taught to think in terms of duality: right and wrong, positive and negative, good and bad, black and white, you and me. Our society is based on the concept of domination – the society and the individual are seen as separate – the problem and the solution are two different things. As long as we view the world that way judgment and comparison are very much a part of our thought process. Forgiveness seems like we are letting them off the hook – punishment makes much more sense than forgiveness. We aren’t taught to believe that everything in life is one. But in truth we are all one, everything and everyone is part of the great mystery of life.

There is another way of viewing life, which I call dominion. Symbolically I think of dominion as a huge sphere, a womb that holds everything lovingly within it. How we view events in our life depends upon where we are standing on that sphere. I am not separate from anyone hence no one can do anything to me, they just do it. Viewing life this way makes forgiveness a desirable and understandable component of life. Let me explain. As I embraced the concept of dominion I realized that those boys didn’t do anything to me, I just happened to be in the same place they were when they decided to do something. The boys that molested me dealt with their emotional pain by passing it on to me. It was really all about them. What a gift that realization was for me! Not only was I able to forgive them but I was able to forgive myself and really see the experience for what it was, an opportunity to learn how to open my heart and love at a much deeper level.

I strongly believe that if we learn to live in dominion instead of domination the world would be a much more loving and gentle place to live. In dominion, instead of judging things we embrace them. Life, relationships, and everyday events become an opportunity for us to see our filter system, which is composed of all of our assumptions, agreements, and beliefs. In each moment we have a choice – will I see this through the eyes of my filter system, the eyes of fear and separation, or will I see through the eyes of my spirit, the eyes of love and oneness? In each moment we can choose to either be in domination or dominion.

When I first introduce these concepts to people they usually say I am asking them to be a doormat. They ask me how I can embrace the rapist or the murderer? When they ask that, I share the story of my family. The Nazis killed my great grandmother during the holocaust while a cousin went back to Germany to fight with the Nazis. Dominion allowed me to accept and understand both a brutal murder and murderer. Many holocaust survivors share that they couldn’t make peace with their experiences in the camps until they forgave the Nazis. I believe that as a species we missed a wonderful opportunity after World War II. If you want to get rid of a dandelion, cutting the head off won’t work. If you deal only with what’s on the surface the weed will come right back; if you dig out the root, the weed will be gone forever.

The legacy of Hitler and the holocaust isn’t just about unthinkable cruelty and genocide. Those were just the head of the dandelion. If we have the courage to really examine the root we will find judgment and our need for domination. I believe the questions we ask as a society often define us. What if we had asked ourselves what caused Hitler to have a filter system that allowed him to make choices that resulted in the death of millions of people? What if we had seen judgment as the cause of all that death and suffering and Hitler as the symbol of our collective hatred, criticism, and judgment? What could we have changed as a society? Where would we be today if we had sought to free ourselves from judgment instead of focusing our judgment on what they did?

Everything in life is a process and by definition a process takes time. Getting to the point that we are even willing to think about forgiveness often takes a long time. I believe exploring the concept of dominion expedites arriving there. When we view the world from a place of dominion our perspective changes and we are able to fully embrace the experience. As we learn to embrace the events in our life the problem and the solution become one.

The first step in our emotional healing is allowing ourselves to freely vent our anger and judgment. It is important not to rush through this step. Do whatever is necessary to release the emotional trash surrounding the issue; write a series of letters fully expressing all your thoughts, judgments, and feelings and then burn them; draw pictures; scream and yell; beat on pillows. After all, if we have a lot of emotional trash hanging around it makes it much harder to move toward forgiveness. Once we release the emotions we have attached to the memory we can begin the process of forgiveness and acceptance and then we can begin to see the gift every event in our life contains.

All of our emotions are generated by what we tell ourselves about the events in our lives rather than by the events themselves. As we change what we tell ourselves about an event our emotions will change as well. Our emotions are really signposts that point toward our filter system. Our filter system is composed of our beliefs, the assumptions we’ve made about life, and the agreements we have made with ourselves and our world. We think we are seeing reality when we are really seeing the distorted version of reality created by our beliefs, the assumptions we’ve made about life, and the agreements we’ve made with ourselves and our world; we see our filter system and not the world.

We often say things like, “You hurt my feelings,” or “You really make me angry.” What actually happens is someone does something, then we tell ourselves something about what happened, and those words generate our emotional response. All the events in our lives are emotionally neutral until we attach an emotion to the event by what we tell ourselves. When we realize our emotions are our own creation we can use them to set ourselves free of our limiting beliefs. We can use the events in our life to illuminate our filter system. Instead of focusing our attention on our emotions and trying to change the events in our life we can change the way we think. We don’t want to suppress our emotions, it is important for us to feel them and do what is necessary to release them. That allows us to have an opportunity to see our filter system in a neutral and non-judgmental manner.

After we achieve a degree of emotional neutrality it is much easier for us to see our filter system for what it is – a collection of ungrounded and limiting beliefs. Our mind would much rather be right than be happy. Our spirit is limitless while our mind feels safer within the familiar limits of our filter system. Once we fully embrace that which our mind wants to judge we can then set ourselves free. At that point not only do we forgive ourselves and anyone else involved with the event but we move beyond the need for forgiveness.

As we move beyond forgiveness and toward acceptance we see the beauty of all of our creations. When we view life from the perspective of dominion we begin to see it as a work of art we create moment by moment. Every event in our life is an opportunity to deepen our connection with ourselves, the people in our lives, and with God, the Great Spirit or whatever you choose to call the Creator of this magnificent universe. After we clearly see the role our filter system plays in our experience of life we often want to release it.

Until then we frequently attempt to control things beyond our control so we can be happy or at least comfortable. We try to change the events in our lives instead of how we see them. When we learn to focus on our filter system instead of what ‘they did’ or ‘what happened to us’ we can learn to be happy no matter what is going on in our lives. We can move beyond forgiveness to a deep sense of acceptance of life just as it is. When we finally realize it has been our filter system that has prevented us from being happy we can change how we think about life.

Changing your mind is a process and it can be an easy and enjoyable one or one that is full of pain and struggle, the choice is yours. To make it a more enjoyable experience create an inner sanctuary for yourself, become your own best friend, talk lovingly to yourself, and gently accept yourself just the way you are. Remember, learning to see life through the eyes of dominion and love is a process that takes time. Give yourself the gift of taking as much time as you need.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Emotional poison

Susan — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 21:12:28 +0000

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.

Episode 70

Patti Buchanan — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:36:06 +0000

Do you desire to live with more peace and ease with less effort? In this podcast I talk about how to align with your essence, let go and live fully!

Listen now:

I am not normally political but …

Susan — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:55:43 +0000

A friend sent me an e mail and I thought I’d pass it on:

I believe the U.S. Congress needs this wakeup call. Pass it on.

Please consider forwarding, if you agree

This is something I believe in and I hope you all read it all the way through.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months; 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971…before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land…all because of public pressure.

I’m asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits

12 years only, one of the possible options below.
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present and future) participates in Social Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

span style=”font-weight: bold;”>5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.

Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system

and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.
LET’S FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree, pass it on.

What a concept!

With love and aloha,
Susan

Loving Yourself Happy

Susan — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 01:25:13 +0000

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

It’s Never Too Late to Have a Happy Childhood

Susan — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:31:24 +0000

There is a wonderful tool called Recapitulation in the Toltec tradition. It literally allows you to remove the emotional baggage from the past so you can see your filter system and understand how that creation arrived in your life. When you recapitulate you can literally rewrite your history.

When I did that I began to remember different events from my childhood. I began to have a happy childhood instead of an abusive one. We create much of our everyday experiences based on our stories about the past so why not rewrite your past? Happy stories create happy present moments. Do you want to hold onto your past or create a joyous life moment by moment? Or as I often ask: Do you want to be right or be happy?

Is the thought of totally rewriting your past challenging?

When I introduce people to this idea the first response I usually get is, “Isn’t that denial?” Remember we never see reality directly, We see our filter system’s version of reality – is that denial? Why not focus on a ‘truth’ that facilitates us creating what we want when we want it?

What do you have to lose by letting go of your “my past is my past and they done me wrong” story? Misery, limitations, being right, blaming others, feeling like a victim, being at affect of the past.

What do you have to gain by rewriting the past? Happiness, freedom, joy, a life of your dreams and the ability to create what you want when you want.

It never is too late to have a happy childhood! When I recapitulated my experience of being kidnapped and molested I got to see my beliefs around being powerless, playing a victim and a variety of limiting beliefs. Once I shifted those beliefs I no longer had a need to judge those boys or feel like it was a negative experience. It was part of my childhood based on some old beliefs. In the context of those beliefs it was a logical outcome. I am free and feel grateful.

At least play with the idea of rewriting what was so you change what will be.

Join me in my free teleclass July 6, 2011 if you have any questions.

With love and aloha,
Susan

Boundaries without limits