The second Sunday in May is designated as Mother’s Day. It is a time to show appreciation and express our gratitude to our Mothers. Remember that the love a Mother demonstrates is special. The unconditional nature of a mother’s love serves as a reflection of Divine love.
Women often find that becoming a Mother changes them in ways much deeper and more profound than they had ever expected. Becoming a Mother is something, which once done cannot be changed for as long as you’re alive. All other roles can change in life, but being a Mother cannot be changed even long after your children have grown and moved into their adult life.
The bond that is forged between a mother and child is unique in our human experience. It is like no other relationship. So as this Mother’s Day approaches and unfolds let us take the time to reflect and remember with appreciation all of the unnamed blessings your Mother has bestowed upon your life. And if your Mother is still with you take the time and this opportunity to express your love and your gratitude to your Mother. It is for this that this day is set aside.
If for just 10 minutes you sit and ponder on what you can appreciate about your Mother, you may find your gratitude and love growing. Let yourself remember the little things that did not seem important at the time that can now be revealed as a blessing and benefit to who you have become, that were provided for you with love by your Mother as you grew into becoming the person you are today.
And if in this recollection you find sorrows that need healing, take this time to forgive and focus on the love and positive blessings that you received. As you express your appreciation and gratitude you will find an increase in understanding and compassion for this woman, your Mother. And if your Mother is still with you take this day to tell her how much your appreciate her. Express your love and your gratitude; it is what Mother’s Day is for.
Mother’s Day Quote
M-O-T-H-E-R
“M” is for the million things she gave me, “O” means only that she’s growing old, “T” is for the tears she shed to save me, “H” is for her heart of purest gold; “E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining, “R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell “MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.
– Howard Johnson
And Mothers, take this time to consider and appreciate your children for the love and the lessons of growth they have brought into your life. Let the experience of Mother and Child fill your life in a way nothing else can. Bathe in the golden warmth of these feelings and enjoy and appreciate them as the special experience of life that they are.
The expression of gratitude releases a power in our life.
Gratitude opens the door to letting ourselves receive the blessings that surround us, right here, right now. Gratitude is an antidote to worry. It works on subtle energetic levels to invite into our life what we greet with gratitude.
Expressing our gratitude, turning our attention to all we already have for which to be grateful for opens our minds and our hearts to releasing joy in our life.” – Genevieve Gerard
For just the next minute, the next 60 seconds of your life, see how many things you can find for which you are grateful and express that gratitude. It could be as simple as the cool caress of the air on your skin as the wind stirs, or the easy availability of clean water at your fingertips. It could be for the food that is available to you for today, or the rich smell of your coffee.
What you are grateful for need not be big or important. What is important is that you touch within your heat and within your mind the feelings of gratitude and appreciation. You might wish to make a list to just brainstorm as many things as you can find in your life that bless your life.
Time your minute and begin now. . .
You might notice how much more peaceful and calm you feel. You might notice a joyful fullness in your heart. You might notice how very full and blessed you are in your life and add that to your list of “Little Gratitude’s”.
As you go through your day be aware of the abundance of blessings that fill your life. Celebrate and give thanks for the abundance that is already yours.
Tonight at 6pm PT, Oprah will air an episode on ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’ (on her OWN [Oprah Winfrey Network]) regarding Meditation. It will tell the country about her newfound devotion to meditation and focus on the technique of meditation called Transcendental Meditation introduced to the United States by The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In this ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter’ episode Oprah interviews locals and shares video of a six-hour visit to the Maharishi University of Management last October in the City of Fairfield, Iowa.
Transcendental Meditation is a great entre into discovering the benefits of meditation. It was my first exploration of meditation 44 years ago. You have probably heard of it because the Maharishi became known in the 1960s as the Guru of the Beatles band and the guru of Deepak Chopra.
Over the years the techniques of Transcendental Meditation have impacted the lives of many. The work of the Maharishi lives on today through his worldwide organization. Certified teachers of the Transcendental Meditation technique are available all around the world. Click here to find out more about Transcendental Meditation.
The practice of meditation has been a core experience in my life that has impacted every area of my life bringing me to a life of joy.” – Genevieve Gerard
Although in the 44 years since I began meditation, through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, my experience with mediation has grown and expanded and I will always be grateful to the Maharishi for his life and his work in bringing such a valuable gift to the Western World.
To thank and honor our teachers who have come before us and their teachers who have come before them is to understand that meditation has emerged from the ageless wisdom through time as a guidepost to mankind’s spiritual journey.
Through meditation we can integrate our mind, our emotions, our bodies and our Soul and become all we were meant to be, to live fully in harmony and joy.” – Genevieve Gerard
Please tune in to Oprah’s episode today and support her and the millions across the planet who are opening their hearts, their minds and their souls to the life changing and life enhancing experiences of meditation.
Sneak Preview:
Oprah Visits America’s Most Unusual Town
Oprah Winfrey on Transcendental Meditation
On December 7, 2011, Oprah Winfrey was featured in a candid, one-on-one interview with Dr. Mehmet Oz and discussed how all 400 employees at Harpo Studios now meditate and how much of a difference meditation has made in her life and the lives of her staff.
The first day of spring brings with it a resounding of new hope.
This hope, this promise lies deep within your collective unconscious mind as the coming of the warmth; the increase in the light heralds the bounty of a new season of growth.
This transition speaks to your memories of a time of plenty after a winter of deprivation and lack.
As you welcome this transition in the seasons, and the light turn the creative power of your mind and the awesome force of your will to support and envision a kinder world where prosperity frees people from the burden of fear of lack. If everyone who reads these words unleashes their potential to connect with the Source of their being as the Source of their supply, dramatic change can manifest.
You can each do this as a ritual of welcoming the Light, not just the light of the Sun that the spring equinox heralds, but the Light of Consciousness. You can join your forces with the group influence of those who desire a better world, not just for yourself but every man, woman, and child who walks on Planet Earth.
You can try a little experiment in celebration of the Spring Vernal Equinox which signals the return of the Light.
You can dedicate 3 minutes of your day in which to focus on what your world would be like if everyone, everywhere had enough. Enough clean water to drink, enough food to eat, and enough shelter from the elements, enough abundance to free them from the crippling fear of lack, enough.
As you do this, put away any fear of shortage, recognizing shortage as an illusion that interferes with the free flow of energy from Source to abundance. Discipline your mind to focus on this image, this thought form in faith and trust that energy follows thought. This is a basic tenant of how energy works in the universe. You may not see the results of these 3 minutes of service right away. However, it is not important that you do so.
You may find that to focus your mind for just 3 minutes is harder than you thought it would be, but release any negative thought, release any fear that may cross your mind during this designated 3 minutes.
Return the power of your mind to the vision of a world of abundance.”
– Genevieve Gerard
Let this work in the Light and celebration of the Light, be a work of service. Then trust and know that the energy of Grace and Love will flow forth from you into the world. As you send forth the healing power and transforming Light to help the world and heal the world with Will and Intention affirm your connection to your Soul and see this work as not just an act of your Will and decision of your personality, but an act of Soul-Personality integration and fusion.
Last, detach yourself from any desire of any specific results beyond the vision created. Then express your gratitude, that the laws of the universe around the workings of energy will work to bring into manifestation the service you have done today.
Namaste and Happy Spring Vernal Equinox Celebration
P.S. On Sunday, March 20th, 2016 in the United States, the vernal equinox silently arrived, signaling the start of spring. The vernal equinox is one of two times during the year when the length of day and night are almost equal (as depicted in the photo above.) Vernal means “of spring” and equinox means “equal night.”
Joy in life is even more important than happiness. Many issues can impact whether or not you feel happy. And, although I have often said and long believed that happiness is something you bring to life more than you receive from life, joy is a spontaneous expression that can permeate your life, adding depth and dimension to the most mundane events and activities.
Joy springs forth in your heart and your mind, not so much from what you are doing but from the way you are being. When you are being appreciative of the myriad of little things in life, joy fills your heart. It may be as simple as enjoying the cool caress of a breeze on your skin or the fresh smell of the air after a rain. Thousands of little things in life that could easily be ignored as we hurry and scurry through our busy lives, when we stop to notice them and appreciate them can be a wellspring of joy in your life.
Awareness of the world around you seems to be one of the key and essential elements to bringing joy to your life. Likewise, gratitude for what comes to your awareness also seems to be a portal to experiencing joy.
What is amazing is that these awareness’s and gratitude’s need not be about major happenings in life. The little pleasures, the simple pleasures, serve to stimulate the wellspring of joy as a natural result of living a normal life.
By being aware and being appreciative of what is available for us in life, we bring into our life hundreds and even thousands of moments that are joyful.”
By the time the day has passed we find that we are, through these simple techniques, living in joy. It was the realization of this fact that led to my development over the past 35 years of a collection of (12) twelve activity based awareness meditations that I published as a 4-CD set called Meditations for Daily Joy.
In my own spiritual and meditative life I began to observe that engaging in life with greater consciousness, focusing my awareness, expressing my gratitude and expanding my understanding of the connectedness of us to one another lead to my life becoming more joyful everyday.
This did not mean that I never became upset or sad, or walked through life inside a protective bubble, but that the pervading experience in my life, in the midst of the challenges and trials was one of joy.
Gradually my experience of joy increased. I was able to see the many blessings in life. Celebration, praise, hope and promise became common experiences in my life drowning out the voice of fear and leaving in its stead trust and faith.
Knowing that no matter what touched my life each day I could bring forth so much joy that was wonderful and special that I drew the strength to face each dawn excited by the potential of what beauty and blessings were in store for me today.
In all of my work and in all that I teach, I wish you an abundance of joy in your life.
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Want To Know How To Sleep Peacefully
This 18-minute “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” CD was created especially for people who suffer from sleep problems, sleep deprivation, sleep disorders and have difficulty sleeping.
According to the research and sleep studies of the National Sleep Foundation, more than 70 million Americans report they have trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep every night.
The frustration and fatigue of problem sleeping can become cumulative and have a negative impact on all areas of your life. You can begin to feel that your life is out of control. You especially know that restful sleep is necessary for good health and the enjoyment of life.
Now, you can regain control.
Simply by listening, you will experience a deep relaxation process that allows your mind and your body to truly relax for a restorative sleep that lets you wake up feeling refreshed and energetic.
This process is so effective, people who can’t sleep have reported being led to sleep in the first few minutes after laying their head on the pillow. Others who wake up in the middle of the night now find they are able to go right back to sleep again and sleep in if they want.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace delivers the key that unlocks the door to a sound, restful sleep night after night. Utilize Genevieve Gerard’s decades of experience helping people gain control of their lives through mastery of the mind-body relationship as she guides you to achieve deep relaxation, go to sleep quickly and stay asleep all night.
Sleep Quotes:
The CD on Sleep has changed my life. I now begin the CD when I get into bed and never hear it end as I am fast asleep and stay asleep until morning. It is so relaxing and the voice is so soft and soothing!” -Alma V.
I certainly sense a gentle assurance and deep peace… drifting gradually but surely deeper toward sleep. It is masterful!” -Doug R.
After years of tossing and turning and looking at the clock to see what time it ’could be‘ I finally got a restful night’s sleep. The soothing voice of Genevieve lulled me to sleep in the first few minutes after I went to bed. What a difference for me as I usually am not able to fall asleep. I slept soundly and felt rested in the morning. Frankly, I cannot wait to go to bed tonight…. sweet dreams.” -Sandy K.
Click here to own your copy of Sleep In Heavenly Peace and learn how to sleep peacefully.
So if:
You are tired of no sleep
You just can’t sleep through the night
You want to know how to sleep
Just click below and eliminate your sleep deprivation and finally get a deep sleep.
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Someone you trust has given you the link to this hidden offer. Order today and we will add a special bonus of our Relax & Release MP3 download to release stress (see below.) Just click on any of the “Add To Cart” buttons on this page to take advantage of this special bonus bundle not offered anywhere else.
Relax and Release CD
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Source: American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” report, 2010
Long-term stress can increase the risk of diseases like depression, heart disease and a variety of other problems. A stress-related illness called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a peak emotional traumatic experience like war, physical or sexual assault, or a natural disaster.
Click here to own your copy of Sleep In Heavenly Peace with the bonus download of Genevieve’s $14.99 Relax and Release guided visualization.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE – BUT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING TO
HELP REDUCE THE STRESS IN YOUR LIFE
According to a 2011 Mayo Clinic article:
Relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms and
help you enjoy a better quality of life…
Relaxation techniques are a great way to help with stress management. Relaxation isn’t just about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the effects of stress on your mind and body. Relaxation techniques can help you cope with everyday stress and with stress related to various health problems, such as cancer and pain.
Whether your stress is spiraling out of control or you’ve already got it tamed, you can benefit from learning relaxation techniques. Learning relaxation techniques is easy. Relaxation techniques also are often free or low cost, pose little risk and can be done just about anywhere.
Practicing relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms by:
Slowing your heart rate
Lowering blood pressure
Slowing your breathing rate
Increasing blood flow to major muscles
Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
Improving concentration
Reducing anger and frustration
Boosting confidence to handle problems
To get the most benefit, use relaxation techniques along with other positive coping methods, such as exercising, getting enough sleep, and reaching out to supportive family and friends.
The Relax and Release and Sleep In Heavenly Peace guided visualizations work with your body’s natural physiology to create a relaxation response, free body and mind, and enhance your enjoyment of life. The Relax and Release techniques can be used anytime, anywhere, to transform your day, and in minutes you’ll return to life relaxed, refreshed and restored.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:For decades Genevieve Gerard has taught Transformational Consciousness – from first awakening to enlightened awareness. She helps you experience the joy that results from relaxation and meditative techniques. Her work today is setting the stage of a worldwide vision to help you connect deeply with your self and with your higher source.
Click here to get your Sleep CD and your bonus download of my Relax and Release guided visualization now. You deserve a break for all of your hard work.
Now is the perfect time to treat yourself to something that will make a difference and finally relax and release stress.
The power of forgiveness, and the miracle forgiveness can create in your life, is the theme of Master Charles Cannons book “Forgiving the Unforgivable” which is being released today.
Any of us on the spiritual path know the challenge of having to “walk our talk’ and demonstrate what we teach others through the trials of life. The experience of the India Mumbai terrorist massacre was such a life event for my dear friend Master Charles Cannon. His response to the pain, the loss and the horror of his friends and followers being mowed down in a ruthless Pakistani Muslim terrorist attack while guiding a group of 24 Synchronicity followers through India are the events that are chronicled in this book.
Just the year before the terrorist attack I had traveled in India with Master Charles and his group and we had spent time in the 5-star Oberoi Trident Hotel where part of the attack took place. I had been invited to return the following year with him and his group on that November 2008 fateful journey (some call it 26/11) but had felt it was not my time to go back to India. In the massacre he lost his long time friend and supporter Alan Scherr.
I lost my dear friend Alan to the senseless loss in a killing motivated by forces that barely make sense to us as Americans. Receiving a phone call during the 45-hour siege, directly from Dr. Steven Hinkey who was at Master Charles’s ashram while the attack was taking place made it even more real to me. The tragedy was further compounded by us finding out later that Alan’s teenage daughter Naomi had also been murdered in the attack.
Making sense of the senseless and demonstrating the spiritual power of forgiveness is chronicled in this book. It is a rare opportunity to share in the journey a spiritual guide must take to find healing and peace from such a personal disaster.
I encourage you all to buy Master Charles’ book and learn firsthand how to survive and thrive through unthinkable disaster, sorrow and pain. It promises to be an enlightening look at how ones spiritual perspective can give you the strength to heal and respond to the events of life. The inner process of spiritual vision and perspective in the face of disaster promises to be inspiring and valuable to us all.
Praise for this breakthrough book:
“This book invites you to relinquish attachment to the stories that define your identity and to discover a deeper, timeless, and formless identity beyond the content of your mind. Herein lies the essence of all spirituality.” — Eckhart Tolle
“Every story of the human journey, every reflection on the appearance of evil, every admonition to triumph over hatred through the power of love – it’s all in here. This is a remarkable book.” — Marianne Williamson
“The most special aspect of this remarkable book is not what you will find in it, but what you will find in you after you read it. You are holding in your hands a book that you will never forget. Ever. It will stun your mind, open your heart and connect you directly with your soul.” — Neale Donald Walsch
Forgiving the Unforgivable is literally a guide to compassion. Destined to become a classic, this riveting page-turner meets everyone exactly where they are on their path and provides them with tips and tools to begin handling every challenge with love and forgiveness, regardless of what others do.
Invest in healing for our world, your own personal evolution and help friends do the same by ordering “Forgiving the Unforgivable” today for yourself and those you love.
Please use the link below to learn more about this insightful book and to benefit from all of the special offers from the community that support Master Charles and his work.
I am sure you will be pleased that you took the opportunity to avail yourself of his wisdom. I am purchasing my copy today.
Get your copy and all of the special bonuses today here:
If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred.
If you want to see the brave, look for those who can forgive.” — Bhagavad Gita
There is a moment when the world is still and pregnant with the possibilities and promise of the new day. The birds rest and wait. The emerging light hovers not yet ready to come into being, but already transcending the deepness of the darkness. The inevitability of the new day lies before us.
What we choose to create of this day is still unformed. The potential of what we wish to create and manifest is like clay in our hands awaiting the touch of the master artists.
This new day is ours to create and to form into that which we need and that which we desire. We can help this day come into being and fulfill its promise by taking the time to meditate and align ourselves with our Higher Self (Soul), and consider our goals and purpose.
This powerful moment before the Light dispels the darkness is ours to ponder on our role as the co-creator of our life and focus our will and intention.”
We can affirm “Today I will be in the right place at the right time for the blessing and betterment of all.” Today we can bring new joy into our life and bring into manifestation what we affirm with the power of intention.
In this brief time before the dawn begins the new day, let us appreciate and enjoy the untapped possibility that lies before us in this moment, in the now free from what has been, in the process of coming into being; right here, right now as the night becomes your new day.
One-step at a time, one day at a time is the key to our ultimate success. Constancy and perseverance result in manifesting our vision. Even if we wander off the path or meander along the way, the step-by-step forward movement will result in arriving at the destination. Just as the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so does constancy and perseverance assure us that we ultimately reach our destination by moving forward.
We can be gentle with ourselves when we miss-step as long as we return to our direction, moving forward, as soon as we notice we have strayed off the path and turn our feet back to the direction we know we must tread.
No progress made along the journey is ever wasted. Each insight gained and lesson learned enhances and enriches us. Just moving forward a single step at a time.
In the vast literature of meditation techniques, there are literally hundreds and possibly thousands of techniques that have been developed over thousands of years to help students of meditation resolve a myriad of life issues and life problems. From this rich storehouse of ancient wisdom, we can draw forth solutions to many of the challenges we face in our modern life.
Some of these techniques may require different words to be easily understood in our modern times, but the wisdom and the power transfers easily into our world to help the student of meditation grow and become all that they can be.
For the New Year resolve to explore from this reach storehouse of meditation techniques and open yourself to the knowledge of those who have preceded us on the pathway to enlightened awareness.
The whole evolution of human consciousness is yours to explore, to bring to today what we need to create a better tomorrow.
Today is Christmas Eve. Around the world, children await the magical arrival of Santa Claus laden with gifts. Songs are sung and stories are told. Families gather and feasts are prepared. Celebrations abound each according to their own traditions, some more secular and some more religious. Gifts are given or exchanged. People rush around and worry as the hour descends, spending money, wrapping gifts, decorating trees, so very busy, so very determined that a good time is had by all.
But in these upcoming moments to the gaiety and fun, let us take a few moments to focus upon the deeper meaning behind this event. Let us ponder less upon the business and the material gifts to focus our attention on the love that is shared and the bonds that are strengthened. Let us understand the gift giving from Santa as symbolic of the real gifts we are giving one another, the gift of Love. It is that which is tangible long after the toys have broken or are relegated to the latest garage sale. Although the material manifestations pass quickly away to make room for the new latest and greatest trinket or toy, it is the love and the openness of the heart that remains.
So as you give and receive this season consider the true gift that lasts forever, the gift of love. Let that be the mark of the day that you bring into your heart and hold there. Let that be the memory you cherish as you look back upon Christmas.
As you hand one another the brightly wrapped trinkets take the time and intention to consciously imbue the gifts you give with the love in your heart.”
And as you receive the gift that may not be exactly what you wanted, open your heart to receive the love that was intended.
In this is the secret of Christmas revealed. In this is the joy that is shared by the positive energy being created all around us as the positive thought and the desire to demonstrate our love permeates the very air around us even in the midst of the bustling crowds of often rude people as they rush about too busy and too stressed by the season.
It is the demonstration of our love for one another that is the true gift of Christmas. Let us open our hearts to our family and friends to that love. Let us take a moment to consider and ponder that deeper meaning of this season. Let us give conscious thought and conscious consideration and intention to the love we are demonstrating.
And if with Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Christ child tonight let us invite the love of the Christ into our hearts to be shared with everyone whose life we touch in this special season. Sharing the gift of love is a gift we can all give, no matter the size of our wallet. It is a gift we can give without worrying about if it is the right size or the right color. The gift of love is always perfect and lasts forever. It is a gift that keeps on giving long after the dishes are washed and everything is put away.
This Christmas, make the gift of love the biggest gift you give.
Ancient Druids, magic and mystery, all seem to accompany thoughts of the equinox or its sister times, the solstice. Perhaps it is archetypal or an ancient memory of times when our lives were more attuned with nature. There always seems to be something significant about these passages into the seasons.
Various groups around the world use these ancient demarcations of time to call for people to come together and celebrate through ritual or in some cases meditation. Any time that groups draw together with the intention of helping others or healing the planet has a positive impact on the world around us.
Since energy follows thought, the conscious intention of men and women of Goodwill throughout the planet unite to focus upon and celebrate our unity in the human family and help us realize how we are more alike than we are different. Realizing our oneness as a part of the human family and our bond as we observe the common changes that manifest in the world around us with the changing of the light helps bring us together.
The changes in the light from the Sun and the changes in the weather demonstrate wisdom about life that influences us on a subtle, preconscious level. As the leaves begin to change, we can reflect upon the changes in our life and the changes in our self as we journey through life. Autumn often seems a melancholy time to me as we loose length to our days and find ourselves moving forward into winter. It is often a bittersweet time of reflection.
To take the time of this ancient ritual to monitor the movement of the Light through our lives by a special focus on the seasons of our life, whether through meditation, writing in our journal or sitting by the fire with a cup of tea or a special friend, the autumnal equinox provides us the opportunity to observe and evaluate our lives in harmony with the movement of the Sun and our Planet.
Enjoy this day and celebrate all that you are becoming and all the ways you are growing as you journey through the adventure of life.
In the vast literature of meditation techniques, there are literally hundreds and possibly thousands of techniques that have been developed over thousands of years to help students of meditation resolve a myriad of life issues and life problems. From this rich storehouse of ancient wisdom, we can draw forth solutions to many of the challenges we face in our modern life.
Some of these techniques may require different words to be easily understood in our modern times, but the wisdom and the power transfers easily into our world to help the student of meditation grow and become all that they can be.
By opening ourselves to the knowledge of those who have preceded us on the pathway to enlightened awareness, we are able to benefit from truth when it is revealed to us without the limitations of dogma or doctrine. The whole evolution of human consciousness is ours to explore, to bring to today what we need to create a better tomorrow.
One of the simple techniques that is taught through Mindfulness meditation is to focus your awareness on your breath with a repetitive phrase such as “I am breathing in” followed by the thought “I am aware I am breathing in”. This could also be followed by the thought “I am breathing in and out” concluded with the thought “I am aware I am breathing in and out.” For further information about this simple technique look for more information about Mindfulness on the Plum Village website at: http://www.plumvillage.org/art-of-mindful-living.html .
Mindfulness is the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment. It is the continuous practice of touching life deeply in every moment of daily life. To be mindful is to be truly alive, present and at one with those around you and with what you are doing. We bring our body and mind into harmony while we wash the dishes, drive the car or take our morning shower. -Thich Nhat Hanh
Ultimately, the wisdom of all that you have ever been and all that you are becoming is available to you from your higher self (Soul.) To connect to this source of wisdom you can let your mind calm by sitting quietly observing your breath, making no attempt to control your breathing, letting the natural rise and fall of the breath bring you to a centered relaxed place. Then visualize or imagine your Soul as a radiant point of Light above the tip of where your arms can stretch as you reach above your head. As you bring you mind to the calm and quiet that comes from observing the natural rise and fall of your breath consciously with intention open your mind to be receptive to your Soul through your intuition and insight. Then maintain receptivity keeping the chatter of your mind as quiet as possible for as long as possible.
Stress is a physiological response to the events of our lives. How we respond to that stress and what happens to our bodies when we feel threatened dates back to times when life was more primitive and the responses to life events was simpler. When we feel threatened or endangered our body responds by producing adrenalin. Blood pumps away from the extremities into the muscles. This is why when you are feeling frightened or stressed your hands and feet are often cold. The heart rate accelerates, and the blood pressure increases. Muscles bunch preparing the body protect itself from the perceived danger by either fight or flight. This is called the fight flight response.
Prior to the industrial revolution fighting or fleeing was an appropriate response to most risky life situations. Threats were clear and involved survival. The natural selection process of survival of the fittest worked well. If you were the strongest or the fastest you survived. This was accomplished by either overcoming your adversary physically or by fleeing to a safe place away from your adversary. It has only been since the industrial revolution and the development of modern society that this fight flight response became a part of the problem, rather than the solution.
Today, when a boss or a co-worker threatens you, it may be very subtle, but your body responds to the time honored response of generating the fight flight response. However, there you sit with your body primed for a physical fight or a survival flight and that is not appropriate to the situation. And you cope with the perceived threat by swallowing your anger and perhaps creating a pithy remark and go on with your day. But, your body still has that energy stored up for the fight or flight from the situation. That physiological response creates health problems if not released. Chronic high blood pressure, tension headaches, muscle cramping and pains are just a few of the body’s responses to unreleased stress.
Because the body creates the fight flight response as a part of the autonomic nervous system, you must use signals that the body recognizes to turn the fight flight response off. Walking away from a confrontation calmly but then reviewing the issue in your mind throughout the day, then telling your friend or spouse about the threat, only kepts the body in a constant state of readiness to fight or for flight.
In order to relax this response you need to use signals that are recognized by the autonomic nervous system by the body. One of the reasons that running or aerobic exercise work well as a stress relief is that exercise is interpreted by the body as fulfilling what it prepared to do. Another way of signaling the body’s autonomic nervous system is to consciously to control your breath. By doing a deep breathing exercise you signal your body that the threat is over and it is time to stand down. This is one of the reasons that regular use of relaxation exercises or meditation work to improve ones health and well being.
A simple exercise that you can use is to breathe deeply into the diaphragm and count your breath slowly by a count of ten. Begin by exhaling sharply and completely, then breath in slowly filling the lungs from the diaphragm up into the chest fully as your slowly count to 10; then release the breath slowly over a count of 10. Repeat this slow full count breathing for about 10 minutes. You will notice that this very simple exercise relaxes you and releases the body from the edge of the fight flight response.
About the author: Genevieve Gerard teaches Transformational Consciousness – from first awakening to enlightened awareness. She helps you experience the joy that results from the spontaneous “touch of the soul.” Browse her body of work at www.GenevieveGerard.com.
As we have struggled with the fear mongering of the Washington DC pundits, the issues of prosperity, how it works and why it does not seem to work at times has been on minds across the nation and the world.
Fear may be the most limiting aspect of all of the “sky is falling” talk of the past month. To try to dispel the damage being done I wrote the article Light a Candle for Hope article where I included both a free downloadable meditation on Abundance and an Invocation to Magnetic Attraction. These are gifts to enhance prosperity in this important time.
Through this period, I have been meditating and pondering about the issues of both abundance and prosperity. It came to me that part of the problem is the thought forms we as a society are using. As I have written in other articles, a basic life principle is that energy follows thought. That means thoughts have power and when a whole society holds a thought form it can become very powerful.
A thought that many holds (and have been keeping for many years now) have become, in my opinion, a part of the challenge for creating abundance on a global and national scale. That is the belief in what has been called “Trickle Down Economics.” In pondering our nation and the world’s current economic challenges, that theory which many use to justify keeping taxes low on the most affluent seems to be demonstrating a fatal flaw. As I considered this issue in depth, I realized that prosperity does not “Trickle Down,” it Blossoms.
As I began to work with that new thought, I saw a beautiful blossoming garden where every plant was growing healthy and strong as it reached for the light and reached out to touch everything that grew near it. In addition and more importantly, produced seeds that create new flowers and new blossoms around it. As I hold that image in my mind, it seemed to reflect truth.
I am not an economist, but I do understand the basic principles of money circulation in the world and feel that focusing on the image of prosperity blossoming is a powerful metaphor for how abundance and the world of money works. The growth from the touch of the blossoms to others and more importantly the release and planting of new seeds in the garden of life are all a part of an image and thought that can help rebuild prosperity in the world through the energy of creation. The petals from our blossom caress the flowers that are nearby. The pollen from one flower helps the fertilization and pollination of all of the flowers in the garden.
Every flower in the garden is beautiful and has its place in creating the lush abundance and beauty of the garden.
This prosperity blossoms image is very powerful because it contains within it a fundamental principle about abundance. When there are good times, not just for those at the top but for all levels of society is when we see the economy blossom and grow. Entrepreneurship brings new ideas and solutions to society. The seeds of new ideas can be planted and create jobs and opportunity for others, who then as those businesses blossom spark new ideas and new growth, spreading out and increasing as far as our thoughts can imagine.
Jobs and opportunity are the solution to our debt crisis. This is reflected in the old adage, as goes Main Street, so goes Wall Street. The very rich need the prosperity of the less rich to move the wheels of commerce. Job creation rather than resource hoarding is a part of how prosperity can blossom. Rather than waiting for prosperity to trickle down, those who have the resources need to think how they can blossom forth.
It is just a single thought. However, we all know, thoughts are powerful things.
So I suggest as a nation and as a world, we consider changing our thoughts and our paradigm to Prosperity Blossoming so the petals of prosperity and the seeds of growth can reach the fertile fields of creativity and potential.
In the Light,
Genevieve Gerard
About the author: Genevieve Gerard teaches Transformational Consciousness – from first awakening to enlightened awareness. She helps you experience the joy that results from the spontaneous “touch of the soul.” Browse her body of work at www.GenevieveGerard.com.
