LOVE

Love is the one word most people associate with Advent. When God/Source first created humans, they lived with God in the garden and love was all they knew. It was the character and nature of God and of his human creation. But there came a time when the humans used their free will to separate themselves from this love and fear entered the world. Over the years, this fear increased, and people forgot how much God/Source loved them, they forgot they were all from the same source. People started seeing each other as the enemy and wars broke out.

God then sent Jesus to remind humankind that God still loved them, that they were created to be love and extend love to each other, that love is a better way to live than fear. For this reason, I celebrate Christmas as it reminds me of how grateful I am to Jesus, the message he taught and lived. As you look around the world and see the hatred, divisiveness, separation and fear, allow the Christ spirit within you to shine brightly through the darkness, to cast out fear, to offer forgiveness and to show kindness to both friends and enemies. Love is the greatest force on the planet, the most underutilized force, and the solution to every problem.  Some people may have a difficult time accepting or receiving your love but love them anyway. Not just at Christmas, but all year through.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

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JOY

I used to think joy and happiness were the same thing. I now realize they are quite different. Happiness is external, based on things, places, thoughts, events or people going on around you. When you eat your favorite foods, when your favorite sports team wins, when you pass a test you feel happy. The feeling of happiness is a momentary feeling and then passes away. Many people look for happiness in life rather than joy because happiness is what they know, they have never experienced joy.

Joy is internal, based on an eternal spiritual connection with God/Source. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. There is an inner strength to joy that happiness lacks. Joy can spontaneously erupt from within you when something good happens. But Joy can also be experienced when something bad happens. It is like hope, in that there is this inner knowing that propels you to find the good in bad times, to find the love in fearful situations, to seek the growth and opportunities in challenging situations. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning. Any woman knows the pain of labor and the joy that overwhelms you and extinguishes the pain when you hold your baby for the first time. There is the simple but overwhelming joy of just being alive, listening to your heartbeat, being aware of the greatness God planted within you.

I like the word joy because it is in my name. But I also like it because of how I feel when I experience it. Joy is a high vibrating emotion, it is hard to be quiet and still when you feel it. Joy causes you to shout, to jump up and down, to break out in singing or dancing. It keeps the smile on your face. So instead of settling for happiness, learn how to cultivate JOY in your life.

PEACE

Everyone uses this word peace, and yet it has many different meanings depending on the context of which it is used. To me, peace always starts within our hearts. If we are not in a peaceful state, we are unable to bring peace to our family or the greater world beyond us. I use to believe peace was the absence of conflict. I now understand that peace is a state of mind I choose even when I am surrounded by conflict. I acknowledge the conflict, but I do not become immersed in it. I choose to listen to relaxing peaceful music. I breathe when everything within me wants to tighten up from worry or stress. I choose to spend time in meditation and prayer, connecting to the higher source of Peace. I spend time with peaceful people. I choose to spend time around the peaceful vibrations of nature. I do things that I love, that nurture my soul. And as I do this, the solution to the conflict, usually appears. No one can give you peace of mind or inner peace but yourself. Give yourself the gift of peace this season.

Peace comes when we are in alignment with our greatest good, living our life purpose. When we reconnect with the God who created and loves us and allow this life force to move through us. Peace comes when we choose to see other people as an extension of ourselves. Instead of fighting against them, focusing on our differences or competing against them, we seek to understand them even when we do not agree. We realize we all come from the same Creator God. We embrace diversity instead of fearing it. We offer forgiveness. We live from love rather than fear. We become the peace we want to see around us.

World peace can only manifest when each of us as individuals choose to live from a place of inner peace. It is not something a government can declare or legislate. It is not something a war can produce. It is not something you can buy or bribe with lots of money. It is not something that comes by ignoring the pain and conflict around you. It is not something that is created through protests. Jesus was called the prince of peace. He lived in a time similar to ours with war, anger, fear, destruction, religious and political conflicts all around him. He acknowledged all of this, standing as a witness to this he called it out at times, and yet he did not allow himself to be consumed by it. Instead, he chose to increase the love and peace flowing out of his being into the world around him. Ultimately for this peaceful stance, he was killed. Some people fear peace, they need the drama, fear and conflict to make themselves feel alive. It is the only way they know how to connect with others. They have never felt or experienced the power of love and peace. Extend peace to them, even if they reject it.

This holiday season and into the new year, pursue peace with God,
peace within oneself and peace among humanity.

 

 

 

Hope

The Christmas season has arrived, and as I was wondering what to write about, the idea of advent came to me. Growing up I attended a church that celebrated this every year but as an adult, I have not participated in churches who do this. It is a simple concept, each week you focus on a word and symbol that come from the Christmas story. So, this week, the word is HOPE.

Hope is an attitude we wear while we wait for something positive to happen. It keeps us focused and moving forward even when things around us may indicate a different outcome. People who lack hope, tend to believe their life circumstances will only get worse, not better, and may eventually manifest this hopelessness through suicide or taking the life of others.

We are told to never give up, keep hoping, keep working toward that goal and keep praying for that relationship to improve. People share stories of how persevering through challenges with hope got them through, and we love to hear these stories.

We are told to never give up, keep hoping, keep working toward that goal and keep praying for that relationship to improve. But things never got better. People share stores of how because of hope they remained in dead end jobs, stressful situations or abusive relationships for way too long. Relinquishing hope in these situations is difficult as we feel like we have failed in some way.

It is important to use discernment to know when hope is working for you or when hope is working against you. To know when to stay in the game with hope and when to shift your hope toward a different direction. “I hope it will happen.” This hope is based on external circumstances, so your hope is shifting in intensity based on what you are seeing around you. “I know it will happen.”  This hope is based on an inner knowing that what you are putting your hope in will come to pass, regardless of what external circumstances tell you. It is that intuitive voice within you that will always guide you to what is in your best interest.

Next Week: Peace

 

 

A Lifestyle of Gratitude

With your mind and thoughts, you give thanks and with your heart and emotions you feel gratitude. Together you have a powerful force to create a better life for yourself and those around you. Try waking up each morning with the intention of looking for things to be grateful for or creating opportunities throughout the day so others have a reason to be thankful. Now when you walk out the door you are already in a positive mood. And before you go to sleep at night, review your day, giving thanks for what you experienced.

• You will find yourself looking for the best in people rather than focusing on their faults.
• You will find yourself looking for kind deeds you can do for others just to see the smile and surprise on their faces.
• When making decisions you will ask how your decision will affect others, not just yourself.
• When something unexpected happens that could steal your joy, you will stop and find something positive to be thankful for.
• You will feel more relaxed, happier and friendlier throughout the day.
• You will be less prone to materialism as you will appreciate the things you have.
• You will feel closer to God/Source as you notice and acknowledge all the blessings, large and small in your life.
• Gratitude is a high vibrational frequency, you will be healthier with increased levels of energy.
• People will want to be drawn to you, a thankful person is much more enjoyable to spend time with than a complainer.

I want to challenge you to create the intention that the meaning of Thanksgiving Day will be something you will take with you after the meal is over, after the family and friends have left, and make it a lifestyle that you embrace into all of 2019.

An Attitude of Gratitude

It is that time of the year when we focus on being thankful, soI want to write about some of the benefits of being grateful. But first, I want to explain the differences between the word thankfulness and gratitude. Thankfulness is a feeling we have after we have had a positive experience of some type. When someone does something for us that we appreciate, we thank them. We make lists of things we are thankful for.
Gratitude is an attitude of the heart that is deeper than thankfulness. During difficult circumstances when there appears to be nothing to be thankful for, gratitude looks for something to be thankful for. Gratitude takes the time to reflect on the person and the action they did for us, how it positively affected us, how we feel toward the person because of the interaction we had with them. Gratitude is a high vibrational feeling very close to love. In fact, it is hard not to feel love when you are in a state of gratitude.

One of the benefits of an attitude of gratitude is that it can transform any situation you are in. When you are feeling upset, anxious, frustrated or angry, stop and find something you can be thankful for. It does not matter how small or big a thing it is. As you focus on it, you can move yourself from that low vibrating feeling state to a higher one. Now focus on this new feeling and something else you can be thankful for and it will continue to get easier for you to generate more good feelings. Visualize yourself as climbing up the stairs to happiness and contentment. Each step is something else to be thankful for and brings you up to a higher vibrating emotional frequency. Then when you look back at that initial thing that was causing you so much distress, you will see if from a higher perspective and it will lose the hold it had on you and you will receive insight into how to deal with it.

Casting your Ballot

If you watch tv, you know election day is soon approaching so this is my annual blog on politics. I don’t care for politics because it is so divisive, and fear based. The sad thing to me is how many Americans do not even question this, and make their voting decisions based on fear. Today we have a government by and for the politicians, corporations, and special interests. Both parties are equally corrupt, with good and bad candidates in each party. I dream of a day when we stop voting for someone because they identify as democrat or republican. How about voting for someone because:

• They have good character
• They treat everyone, even their opponent with dignity
• They refuse to engage in character assignations
• They refuse to use fear to motivate people to vote for them
• They refuse to use fear to influence you to not vote for their opponent
• They talk about what they are going to do rather than talking about everything their opponent is doing.

What is going to turn this country around is not more fear. And when we vote for politicians who propagate fear, we increase the amount of fear in the country. What is going to turn this country around is not a politician, do not look to them as a “savior” type person. What will turn this country toward a more positive direction is when each one of us as individuals choose to live from love, choose to do what is in the highest and best good for all, not just those who think and believe like us. To let go of our victim mentality, to stop seeing each other as an enemy and to realize we are all part of the human family. To treat each other with the same dignity and respect we want to receive. To stop shutting down someone who believes differently from you and instead, seek to understand them. To create a government by the people and for the people. How we vote determines how soon this government will manifest in our country.

 

Personal Manifestation Part 2

I walked into the door of my new place and started to look around. It was like God had left surprises for me all over the place. When I divorced, I gave my husband most everything since I was moving in with my parents. One of my concerns was how expensive it was going to be to buy everything I was going to need, like starting over. Well, God took care of that concern. When I walked in, I saw that the previous owners had left many things for me, most in new or barely used condition. Take a look at this list:

• 3 flat screen TV’s on the walls
• Portable Fireplace with mantle
• Floor rugs, end tables, lamps, desk
• Toaster, Rice cooker, Can opener, Hand mixer, Waffle iron, Spice rack with spices
• Baking pans, Muffin tins, Cutting boards, Cookie racks and trays, Cast iron skillet
• Measuring cups, Loaf pans
• Drawer full of ink pens
• Dining room table with 6 chairs
• 3 sets of towels, Toilet paper, Trash cans, Bathroom scale, Tissue boxes, Hair blow dryer, Full length mirror
• Double size bed with sheet set, blanket and 5 pillows
• Safe (I am taking this as a sign from above that financial prosperity is on its way to me)
• Iron, Ironing board, Brooms, Mop, Bucket, Dustpan
• A jigsaw puzzle (I love these) that had never been opened. Seriously, only God could have orchestrated this one!
• 2 pinecones sitting by the front door (pine trees are my favorite tree, there is no pine tree anywhere around this condo)
• One of the sets of towels had the word “Believe” written on it
• The shower curtain had the following words written on it: Faith, Love, Hope, Forgive

I am feeling so much gratitude and awe in how God orchestrated all of this and took care of my needs. Creative manifestation works. If you want some help in learning how to manifest your desires, contact me, I would love to assist you in helping your dreams come true.

 

 

 

Personal Manifestation Part 1

A few months back I did a blog series on Creative Manifestation. Today and in next weeks blog  I want to share with you something that I was able to manifest to encourage you to believe in what you want to achieve.

In March of this year, Spirit told me that I would be moving out on my own in the fall. I had no idea of how I could make this happen, rents are very high in California, but I decided to start declaring it and telling everyone about this. In May I was sharing this with a friend and she got very quiet and then told me that Spirit told her that someone would be giving me a place to stay, I was not going to have to pay for it. This seemed impossible to me, but I decided if Spirit declared it, I would begin to believe it. At the end of June someone told me they were going to buy me a condo to live in! I would just have to pay the monthly HOA fees. Based on what Spirit had said I should not have been surprised, but I was surprised!! When I got back from my summer travels, we started looking together, they had a location and price limit as this was an investment for them that I would get to live in. This month, I moved in and it is the perfect place for me and my heart is full of gratitude for how God worked everything out.

Next week I am going to share with you what God surprised me with when I walked into the door of this place to live here.