METTA CENTER

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

May you enjoy deeper connections of the hearts,

continued blessings of joy, delight and wonder,

fulfillment of your dreams,

harmonious connections with all,

in joy,

in peace,

with ease,

with love.

May all beings be happy.

Children Full of Life

2011-12-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

A deeply moving and inspiring video:

A wise friend said: "I love the way the teacher said when you share/empathize, then you have that person living with you in your heart."

EFT Script: Changing Universe

2011-12-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

One of my clients commented, "No matter how good I have been, I still get punished!" This pattern often stems from underlying beliefs such as "Life is not fair!", or "It is not safe to love/to be happy/to be good".

As my client and I tapped through her beliefs, a thought that we all are free to change Universes bubbled up. It was such an a-ha moment! One where you shout, "of course!" What a liberating and delicious thought it is to consider that we can easily change Universes to a new one that fits us better. Who would have thunk it, eh?

Here's a sample EFT script to free yourself from old patterns by changing your universe. Think of a pattern you'd like to let go of, and tap along the script below.

In this script, I use the aforementioned pattern which troubled my client as an example.

Tapping on the Karate Chop or rubbing on the Sore Spot, say the following Setup Statement either aloud or in your mind.

"Even though no matter how good I have been, I still get punished. How fair is that? I accept how frustrating this has been for me."

"Even though nothing ever changed for me, nothing works out for me no matter how hard I tried, I accept how angry/hopeless/sad I feel about this."

"Even though I don't know why I am still punished, after all that I have done to atone for my past mistakes, I am open to healing this pattern."

Tap on the indicated EFT points and say the reminder phrases, as suggested below, either aloud or in your mind. You can change the reminder phrases to whatever words that fit you better.

EB (Beginning of the Eye Brow) : Nothing ever changed for me
SE (Side of the Eye): No matter how hard I tried
UE (Under the Eye) : It's always the same...
UN (Under the Nose): No matter how good I have been
CH (Chin): It's not good enough!
CB (Collarbone): I still get punished!
UA (Under the Arm): I feel so frustrated about this, I feel so ...(state your feelings here) about this!
TH (Top of the Head): Things are supposed to be better but they are not!

EB: This is not fair!
SE: I am tired of this "nothing works for me" pattern!
UE: I hate this "I got punished no matter how good I have been" pattern!
UN: These patterns don't work for me!
CH: I want to let go of these patterns
CB: I want to release these patterns from my life
UA: I want to be free from these patterns
TH: But, how?

EB: Besides, it's scary to let them go...
SE: What will I replace them with?
UE: They are like old friends, I know them well! They are familiar to me, and comforting although I don't like them. They don't work well for me, but at least I know them.
UN: I am wondering that maybe I don't actually want to change that much!
CH: Yet, I also know that a big part of me is ready to move forward to a life without these old patterns. A big part of me is ready to leave my old and familiar Universe.
CB: It is really hard to do that!
UA: I honor how hard it is for me to let these patterns go
TH: I also honor my courage to be willing to support myself in moving on and growing up

EB: It will be easier for me to move on if I no longer hold on to these old patterns
SE: I will feel freer if I let go of these patterns. I wonder what I need to know before I can let go of these patterns?
UE: What if I can trust myself that I no longer need to hold on to these patterns for safety or comfort or familiarity?
UN: What if I am willing to trust that it's safe for me to move on to a new Universe, one that I have been dreaming about in my heart?
CH: What if I can honor and follow my own heart's calling to change my Universe? Life will be very different indeed!
CB: I would like to follow my heart's calling!
UA: I want to give myself the gift of my heart's dreams!
TH: I want to allow myself to change my Universe

EB: I am free to change Universes
SE: It is alright to let go of the old Universe and all the patterns contained in it that no longer serve me
UE: I thank my old Universe for housing me, I honor my old Universe for holding me, it is time now for me to leave my old Universe
UN: Now, I allow myself to follow my heart's guidance and turn towards the new Universe I have dreamed about
CH: I allow myself to gracefully move into this Universe
CB: I allow myself to be delighted in this Universe
UA: I allow myself to live and love in this Universe. I am excited about it!
TH: I thank my new Universe for calling and welcoming me, I honor my new Universe for holding me.

Take a deep breath, or several deep breaths. Exhale slowly and gently.

Notice and honor what changes within you, if any. Allow yourself to receive new insights from deep within as part of your healing. Allow yourself to feel what is different in your body after the tapping. Allow yourself the time to gently integrate into your new Universe.

If you are not familiar with EFT, you can find a brief introduction to this powerful self-healing technique in my "EFT Tapping Points" webpage.

For information regarding EFT trainings, you can visit these various organizations: ACEP, EFTUniverse, or AAMET.

Disclaimer: This EFT script is provided by Christine Metawati as a good faith effort to expand the use of EFT in the world. It represents her ideas and do not necessarily represent those of Gary Craig or EFT. EFT has yielded remarkable results for many people, but they may not yield the same benefits for everyone. They are definitely NOT meant to replace appropriate medical treatment or mental health therapy. No guarantee of results is either stated or implied. If you use the EFT script provided above, you are advised to take complete responsibility for your emotional and physical well-being. Please consult qualified health practitioners regarding your use of EFT, TAT or any other healing modalities.

Winter Wish

2011-12-07T17:50:00.000-08:00

May you have no barriers in your heart.

May all that flows your way bathe you in loving kindness.

May all that flows through you nourish others with loving kindness.

May you know the gift of the open heart.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Change

2011-10-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

"Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix." ~ Christina Baldwin

Here autumn comes -- the changing colors of leaves, the pale sunlight, the chills in the air, the leaf-dropping breeze, and rainfall that nourishes the earth. Mother earth is again changing her cloak. She looks so beautiful!

Changes take place in life all the time. Life is growth, therefore its nature is to change. Since we are part of life, we are part of the flow of change itself. To me, change is to leave the old behind and welcome the new into our lives. I think suffering comes from resisting the natural rythms and changes inherent in our own unique flow, our own unique imprint of divine life-force.

When change comes knocking in your life, open your door and welcome it! Let go of the old thoughts and patterns, welcome the new seeds of hope and follow your own heart's bidding for more growth. Give yourself the chance to see who you are becoming!

Wishing you blessings of well-being and joy.

Cultivating Faith in Yourself

2011-09-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

(This article was first published in December 2006 Metta Center Newsletter.)

Coming to have faith in myself has been quite a discovery process for me. It has been, and still is, very enlightening, sometimes frustrating and always very fulfilling.

I have learned to cultivate self-faith in these various ways:

Clear the fearful thoughts/perspectives whenever I recognize and feel them. I meditate on the thoughts and release them to Light to transmute the energy, or use EFT, TAT, Reiki or Angel Healing work to shift the thought patterns. I also reframe my thoughts by choosing different and more empowering thoughts.
When I find that I am doubting myself, I focus on the various ways I have come through for myself or others in the past. Here, I practice being aware of my self-talk, and change the pattern from being self-critical to self-supportive. When we remember own past resourcefulness, we remind ourselves of the capacity we have but have forgotten (or didn't give ourselves credit for), and we also invites surprising talents and untapped potential to show up in our lives.
Be still, listen to the calling of my heart and allow it to lead. This practice was the most challenging one for me for it requires the utmost willingness within me to surrender and embrace the unknown.
If I can't get in touch with the powerful faith from within myself for whatever reason, I ask the Angels to fill me with the vibration of faith, and focus my attention on that vibration.

These are just practices and ways that I have found worked well for me. There are many approaches that can help one grow one's faith. If you are ready to develop more faith in yourself, contact me and we can design a mentoring program to suit your needs of healing, growing and learning.

Breathing Meditation 2

2011-09-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

This simple breathing meditation is profoundly easy to do, deeply relaxing and can be very transformative.

Breathing is an activity that we do both unconsciously and consciously. Like our heart that beats without our conscious control, our breathing is mostly under the control of our unconscious mind. Unlike our heartbeat that we have no control over, we can influence our breathing to some degree, both the depth and the frequency of the breaths.

To do this simple meditation:

Drink a cup of water. Find a comfortable place where you can be comfortable and undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes.
Close your eyes, and either lie down or sit down in a relaxed manner. Your spine must be straight and at-ease.
Allow yourself to breath in gently and softly.
Before you exhale, take in a little more breath. This gently expands your breathing capacity. Each time you practice this expansion process, increase this additional inhalation slightly. Do not force yourself to expand your inhalation instead, invite yourself to do so. Let it be a soft and gradual process.
Exhale deeply and slowly, like a sigh.
Repeat step 3 to 5 as long as you feel comfortable expanding your inhalation. But don't go to the point of dizziness or discomfort. There is no point of having you collapsing during a meditation.
After a few minutes of this exercise, your mind might wander. Gently bring your attention back to your breathing without judging or admonishing your wandering mind.
As you practice more, you might start to feel tingling or twitches as energy passages are enlarged and energized by your cleansing and powerful breaths. Your body might even vibrate. This is normal.
Without taking your attention away from your breathing, just allow your experience to unfold easily. You might find yourself relaxing deeper and deeper, you might find yourself feeling elated, the possibilities are endless. Or, you might not have any noticeable experience. Let what you experience be. Enjoy each and every breath you take.

What is Self Realization?

2011-08-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

By Paramhansa Yogananda in "The Essence of Self-Realization".

Self-realization means realizing your true Self as the great ocean of Spirit, by breaking the delusion that you are this little ego, this little human body and personality...

The wave must realize that its reality, as a mere wave, is temporary. It may appear again and again as other waves, but in the end it has to realize that its reality lies not in its separateness as a wave, but in the ocean of which the wave is a manifestation. Realization of its true identity demands merging into the ocean and becoming one with it.

We All Have a Space Here

2011-08-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

(This article was first published in September 2006 Metta Center Newsletter.)

Recently, on a labyrinth walk at Sibley Regional Park in Oakland, I received a profound insight from Mother Earth that I would love to share with you.

As I walk inwardly toward the center of the labyrinth, I noticed a yellow jacket buzzing around me. At first, I was apologetic to it. I said I was sorry that I was bothering it. When the insect still buzzed around me, I started to feel angry and told it to buzz off itself. Then, I started wondering if there was a "better", different, way to respond than the ways I had responded: either being apologetic to or being upset by this insect.

As I thought that question out loud, I heard this thought within me that said, very gently, "We all have a space here."

The yellow jacket came back and started buzzing again around me. This time, I quietly said to it "We all have a space here, you and me." Then, to my surprise, the yellow jacket went away and didn't come back during my whole sojourn into and out of the labyrinth.

At the heart of the labyrinth, I contemplated this statement. This profound truth that is a huge reminder to me. It dawned on me that if we all have a space here, this applies to not just living beings, but also to all energies, experiences, decisions, deed, etc. I asked "You mean, that mistakes also have a space HERE?" The answer came back: "Why not? What is the beautiful gift in the mistake that you just made, Christine?" I was truly touched and clearly saw the value of the mistakes I made, even though I wished I didn't do them. I now understood the meaning of self-forgiveness. It is seeing that my mistakes have a sacred space here, on earth, even if I didn't like them.

We don't always understand the purpose or the value of everything that existed or exists, and we might be prone to judge the existence of things or events or energies we don't like or feel good towards. What if they are valuable in ways we don't yet understand but Mother Earth does?

What if the Soul of the Earth welcomes us all because we all serve a divine purpose? When I say us, I mean us and the various energies within and outside of us, the light and the dark. What if all that has existed, still exists, and will exist on earth is called forth by the All Knowing, Wise and Compassionate Soul of the Earth to serve a plan where we all play a bit part?

I enjoy the thought that the yellow jacket has a space to be here, and as do I, and as do you. There is enough space for everyone. And, I felt a peaceful feeling gently embraced me as I permit myself to accept, appreciate and honor our divine right to be here. And, I thanked the yellow jacket for being my wisdom teacher.

EFT Script: It is Not Safe For Me to Feel Good Enough.

2011-07-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

(This EFT script was first published in October 2006 Metta Center Newsletter. If you are not familiar with EFT, you can find a brief introduction to this powerful self-healing technique in my "EFT Tapping Points" webpage. For information regarding EFT trainings, you can visit http://www.eftuniverse.com, www.aamet.org, or www.energypsych.org)

Many of our physical and emotional issues stem from not feeling good enough about ourselves (lack of self-esteem). The interesting thing that I often notice is that, for whatever reasons, the thought of letting go of the feeling of inadequacy is terrifying for many people.

Using EFT, let's clear out any anxiety we might have about feeling good enough.

Tap on the Karate Chop point or rub on the Sore Spot as you say the following setup statements:
"Even though I don't believe it ist safe for me to feel good enough, I might become a different person and I might not know who I am anymore, I choose to accept myself and my feelings."

"Even though I don't feel safe yet to be good enough, they might not like the new me and I might not like the new me, I choose to relax and trust that my transformation is for my highest good."

"Even though I don't feel safe to feel good enough, I never have, and I don't think I am supposed to feel good enough, I have decided that I deserve to feel better about myself."

Tap on the indicated EFT points and say the reminder phrases, as suggested below, either aloud or in your mind. You can change the reminder phrases to whatever words that fit you better.

Beginning of the Eyebrow: "It is not safe for me to feel good enough."
Side of Eye: "I can't feel good enough yet."
Under Eye: "Yes, I can."
Under Nose: "No, I can't!"
Chin: "What if I changed and I don't like the new me?"
Collarbone: "What if I changed and they don't like me anymore? I feel anxious about that!"
Under Arm: "I am afraid to feel good enough. I am not supposed to!"
Top of the Head: "I don't think I am ready to feel good enough. I am convinced it is not safe yet for me to feel good about myself."

Beginning of the Eyebrow: "What if I am wrong about this conviction?"
Side of Eye: "What if it is safe for me to feel good enough?"
Under Eye: "I have decided that I deserve to feel good enough because I am enough no matter what."
Under Nose: "I have decided to feel relaxed about feel better about myself."
Chin: "I choose to trust that it is safe for me to change my opinion about myself."
Collarbone: "I choose to change my energy by changing my thoughts about myself."
Under Arm: "I have decided that I am enough now. I choose to feel good enough now."
Top of the Head: "I love feeling good enough now."

Take a deep breath, and exhale slowly.

Just notice what shifts or changes occur within you: a change of breath? A release of energy? A relaxation somewhere in your body? Any memories or insights? Just notice what unfold for you.

Disclaimer: This EFT script is provided by Christine Metawati as a good faith effort to expand the use of EFT in the world. It represents her ideas and do not necessarily represent those of Gary Craig or EFT. EFT has yielded remarkable results for many people, but they may not yield the same benefits for everyone. They are definitely NOT meant to replace appropriate medical treatment or mental health therapy. No guarantee of results is either stated or implied. If you use the EFT script provided above, you are advised to take complete responsibility for your emotional and physical well-being. Please consult qualified health practitioners regarding your use of EFT, TAT or any other healing modalities.

Angel Healing: Clearing Cords

2011-07-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

I love working with angels and beings of light. They are powerful yet gentle beings. They are willing and happy to help us release difficulties and bringing more peace into our lives. However, because they respect the law of free will, they can't interfere with our lives unless we specifically ask for their assistance.

I teach this technique of clearing dysfunctional and imbalanced etheric cords in my Angel Healing workshops. I feel inspired to share with you this easy and effective process to work with the angels.

Etheric cords are invisible energetic cords we form with people we are in relationship with. You can envision these cords as telephone lines made of energy. These cords facilitate the movement of energy between people and form a higher means of communication.

Cording takes places at an unconscious level. Energetically, you are wired to establish a cord to those you are in relationship with. It doesn’t happen when you just pass a stranger. The exchange of energy is almost always mutual but in some cases soul energy can be sent to or taken by another causing an imbalance or loss of soul energy.

I like to think of these cords as cell phone lines. If you don’t hang up your calls, guess who is paying the bill? It is not free to keep these phone lines open unnecessarily!

Why do we want to release relationship cords? Sometimes being corded to a person is not for our highest good because:

We could have ended a relationship but we are still intimately connected with their energy making separation more difficult.
We could be co-dependent and supporting another with our soul energy. Thus, arresting the other person’s and our own empowerment.
When we plugged in to another person whose energy is lower in vibration (holding anger, hatred, etc.), we can feel drained.

In these cases, it is beneficial to remove the cords and reclaim our soul energy. When we release cords, we do not impair nor terminate the relationship (unless that’s what we consciously want). The cords can always be reestablished by mutual consent.

I love asking Archangel Michael to help me with cord-cutting. But, you can ask other angels or Jesus, Buddha, Mother Mary, Kwan Yin, Mohammad, Krishna, Tarra, and other Beings of Light to help you as well.

You ask their help just by saying a decree, a short prayer, in your heart: "Archangel Michael (or another angel of your choice), release all cords of fears that are available to be released for my highest good."

The experience of releasing cords is varied from individual to individual. It takes anywhere from several seconds to 1-2 minutes. Some people experience this process as feeling something being gently unplugged from their body. Others experience a release of energy (heat, or tingling or other sensations) while some experience nothing. When you stop feeling any sensations, or you feel complete, then the cord clearing process is done. Remember to thank the angel or being of light that helped you.

If you feel blocked during this process, say: "Archangel Michael, I choose to trade fear with peace," and your cord clearing will now proceed and be completed. Again, notice what you feel as the process happened.

Many of my clients reported physical pain relief in the areas where the cords were attached to originally. Some clients reported that their lives flows much smoothly after the cord-cutting/release process.

Try this process for yourself as often as you like. I do it at least twice a day, when I wake up and before I go to sleep. The angels and beings of light will always keep your highest good in mind, so you can't harm yourself or anyone else as you release old, dysfunctional etheric cords from your energy space. Notice what positive changes happen in your life as a result of regularly clearing and cutting cords. Thank the angels for helping you. Remember to thank yourself as well for being willing to care for your spiritual hygiene!

Enjoy working with the angels and experiencing their incredible light and love as you create your amazing life!

A Child of Crossing Places

2011-06-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

"A Child of Crossing Places." I simply love this phrase! It touches me in such a beautiful and moving way.

I first heard this phrase when reading "The Seeing Stone," by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It's a young-adult book, and it's about a young boy named Arthur who is given a magical seeing stone. In the book, “crossing places” refers to places where one aspect of life meets another, such as the shorelines, sunsets or sunrises, butterfly cocoons, seasons, and others.

Crossing places are mysterious, full of potential, unpredictable and transformative.

Our inner conflicts are like these crossing places: two seemingly different and conflicting forces of interests. Unlike nature, however, we often feel uncomfortable with our “crossing places,” wishing that they were not there.

We can learn from nature’s ample examples to help us resolve our inner conflicts gracefully. Instead of having to choose sides or somehow force both sides of our inner battles to work together, we can be graceful with both sides of the conflicts. We can take the time to discover and understand what the needs and desires are connected to each side of the conflict. We can communicate what we want to create to these conflicting parts of us, like having an inner meeting. Lastly, we can trust that an inspiring wisdom, coming from a deeper need for inner peace and well-being, will come forth to guide us on how to transform the inner battlefield into a beautiful glade.

Inner conflicts are spiritual training grounds for us to learn to create new, beautiful and healthy ways of beings to meet our various needs and dreams. They are opportunities for us to bring into harmony what was separated and conflicted within ourselves, to expand spiritually, and to practice creating and experiencing more joy in our lives.

One lovely afternoon several weeks ago, I was walking through the gorgeous nature we have in abundance here in the East Bay. I was lost in reverie, watching the leaves glistening in the sun and listening to the wind's song. I was enjoying the feeling of being one with what I see, and being at peace. Then, out of the blue, a sense of uneasiness crept in. I was also aware of feeling really safe being in the area, I knew this fear was not warning me of an imminent physical threat. I was curious, and I asked the fear what it wanted for me. It said that it wanted to make sure I don’t lose myself in this nature world, and to remember I had another world to go back and attend to -- i.e. home, family, work, friends, etc. Hearing that anxious voice inside me, I was filled with compassion for this part of me. It was so afraid that if I were to enjoy one world, I would give up another. It didn't know (or perhaps, didn't believe) that I could have one foot in heavens and another one on earth. It was just doing its job to make sure I stayed in integrity with my commitments.

A wise teacher once told me that often our problems happen because we think in terms of "either/or" instead of "both/and." We have trained ourselves to make sacrifices that we do not really want to make for the sake of "peace" and "harmony.” In the process, we tend to lose ourselves.

So, wanting to allow space for all experiences, I comforted the part of me that felt afraid. I spoke to myself gently that I was not giving up this world while I visited another. I told myself that I could experience BOTH. “Really?" This part of me sounded unsure. I reaffirmed that I wanted very much to give myself permission to be at peace holding both worlds at the same time. To my surprise, I felt a sense of deep comfort. It was as if my decision to allow myself to feel at peace about my different worlds transformed the fear into peace itself.

I stood there, feeling both bewildered and relieved having this FULL permission to be in one world, without worrying about forgetting the other.

That's when the phrase "A child of crossing-places" came gently back into my consciousness. With a smile inside my heart, I understood while we make our life choices exploring the gamut of human experiences, we are also given the space to transform the seemingly conflicted interests and forces within ourselves.

Like molding sand on the shore into sandcastles, being a child of crossing places simply means that it is natural for us to have these inner conflicts to "play" with, because we have the innate capacity and wisdom within us to transform the powerful potential energy inherent in our inner conflicts into new, beautiful and healthy ways of being, seeing, thinking, feeling, having, and doing in our lives.

What would you like to transform your inner conflicts into?

Encouraging Thoughts

2011-06-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

"Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. If it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed. Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings." ~ Rumi

"You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps. Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping. Even those who limp go not backward. But you who are strong and swift, see that you do not limp before the lame, deeming it kindness." ~ Kahlil Gibran

"Change is created by those whose imaginations are bigger than their circumstances." ~ Unknown source

Nature as Elixir of Peace

2011-05-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

(This article was first published in March 2007 Metta Center email newsletter.)

Nature has always inspired the feelings of peace and joy in me. However, I haven't always understood the value of spending time in it and accessing the magic it offers.

There were times where beautiful days, rain or shine, were presented to me and I didn't even notice because my focus was elsewhere (to past, present and future problems). That was my old habit.

One day, it dawned on me that I have this programming to fix all of my problems before I allow myself to be at peace. I realized that this programming had been in place because it was useful at some level. It had kept me from being too lackadaisical and complacent, and from running away from my issues and not dealing with them. So, it served me a great and holy purpose. Since this programming no longer served me, I decided to clear it by first thanking it for its loyal service and send it to the Light for release. Next, I claim my new programming by affirming my right to be at peace, in all ways, and to feel peaceful even in the midst of problems.

I read a quote from Theodore Rubin which says: "The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem." I thought he was right on!

I remembered how much better I always felt after I had been outdoors and engaged with nature. I decided to make that my practice and it has turned out to be a profoundly powerful and beneficial elixir for me to be in touch with peace.

Connecting with nature is a cornerstone practice for my day now. I make it a practice to commune with some part of nature that is accessible to me, at least 2-3 times a day for 5-10 minutes each. Where I live, the wind, sun, sky, hills, grass and trees all speak to me of love and peace. My garden offers a wonderful collection of colors and scents which delight my senses. Whenever I feel stressed, taking the time to connect with nature, even if it's just for 3-5 minutes, does wonders for me.

Nature has been a graceful and supportive teacher to me. It gently reminds me to direct my focus to what is important to me: Peace.

Miracles of Spring

2011-05-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day it is today! The sky is blue, the blades of grass dancing in the gentle wind, the sun light bouncing off the leaves creating such an ethereal scene in front of me. The birds are singing happily. The rain had nourished the Earth with its liquid joy and blessings of growth.

I think flowers are Heaven's messengers on earth reminding us of the delights in life. Just looking at them, I feel all tickled inside, happy and light.

Spring is so filled with life renewed and remembered. It is a celebration of Life itself. Ah, life is so beautifully, intensely, gloriously, and magnificently alive! What a delicious feeling that is!

Wishing you blessed and light-filled days in your world!

EFT Script: Releasing the Limiting Belief " I Have to Struggle or Fail Financially."

2011-05-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

(This EFT script assumes that you already have a working knowledge of EFT. If you are not familiar with EFT, you can find a brief introduction to this powerful self-healing technique in my "EFT Tapping Points" webpage. For information regarding EFT trainings, you can visit http://www.eftuniverse.com, www.aamet.org, or www.energypsych.org)

Here's an EFT script to help you release the pattern of struggling financially, or have challenges on getting your finances on a healthy track.

Say this statement to yourself, "I have to struggle or fail financially." Check how true it feels in your gut (not how logical it is). Give this "truth-meter" a measurement: 0 = not true at all, 10 = most true. Make a note of it.

Take a deep breath, and let's do some tapping. Ready?

Tap on your Karate Chop, or rub on your Sore Spot, while saying the following setup phrases (the words are suggestion only, please feel free to change them to whatever words that fit you better):

"Even though I have this subconscious belief to struggle or fail financially, I don't know what it could be yet and I would like to bring healing to it."

"Even though I have this belief to struggle or fail financially, it makes no sense but here it is, I deeply and profoundly accept myself without judgment. I wonder what could be the positive benefit of having this belief?"

"Even though I have this belief, maybe I concluded it's best to struggle or fail financially when I was a kid, or maybe I learned it from people around me, or maybe I thought that is just my lot in life, I accept myself right now and I am open to changing this belief to something that serves me better in my life."

Tap on the indicated EFT points and say the reminder phrases, as suggested below, either aloud or in your mind. You can change the reminder phrases to whatever words that fit you better.

Beginning of the EyeBrow: "This subconscious belief to struggle or fail financially."
Side of Eye: "Don't know why I would have it but I believe I do."
Under the Eye: "This powerful belief."
Under the nose: "Don't know what it could be about."
Chin: "Would be nice to figure out what it's about."
Collarbone: "I wonder what the purpose of this belief is."
Under the Arm: "This subconscious belief is trying to do something good for me but I don't know what."
Top of the head: "I am open to understanding its purpose in my life and maybe I can find a more positive belief that serves the same purpose or better."

Continue tapping on the top of your head for a few more moments or until you have some information about the purpose of the limiting belief. The information may come to you as a flash of insight, a memory, a word, an image, a scent, a sensation in your body, a sound, a taste, or an emotion. In whatever form the information comes, accept it graciously and appreciatively. If no information come to you, that's alright.

Next, continue tapping:
Beginning of the EyeBrow: "This subconscious belief to struggle or fail financially."
Side of Eye: "What would be the downside if I let it go?"
Under the Eye: "This powerful belief."
Under the nose: "What would happen if I let it go?"
Chin: "Would be nice to figure out what it's about."
Collarbone: "I wonder if I can feel safe without this subconscious belief anymore."
Under the Arm: "I wonder if I can BE safe without this subconscious belief anymore."
Top of the head: "I wonder what will change in my life without this subconscious belief? What if everything change? Am I ready for that?"

Positive rounds:

Beginning of the EyeBrow: "This subconscious belief to struggle or fail financially."
Side of Eye: "I was afraid to let it go."
Under the Eye: "But I think I am ready to do so now."
Under the nose: "What would happen if I let it go?"
Chin: "I think it would be safe for me to let go of it now."
Collarbone: "I think it is safe for me to let go of it now."
Under the Arm: "I would like to free myself from an old programming and update my system to serve my life and my family better."
Top of the head: "I would like to trust that I am safe even if I let go of this old subconscious belief."

Beginning of the EyeBrow: "This subconscious belief to struggle or fail financially."
Side of Eye: "I have been afraid to let it go before."
Under the Eye: "I appreciate my willingness and readiness to do so now."
Under the nose: "I appreciate my courage to let go of this old belief."
Chin: "I think it would be safe for me to let go of it now."
Collarbone: "I think it is safe for me to let go of it now."
Under the Arm: "I would like to free myself from an old programming and update my system to serve my life and my family better."
Top of the head: "I choose to let go of this old subconscious belief now. I choose to believe that is safe for me now to thrive financially easily and joyfully, and (...... fill in the blanks with whatever information that might have come up earlier as far as the purpose of the old subconscious belief.)"

Take a deep breath. Or several deep breaths.

What do you notice that is different within you? What memories, emotions or new thoughts popped into your mind while tapping?

Again, say this statement to yourself, "I have to struggle or fail financially." How true does the statement still feel to you? Has the truth-meter measurement changed compare to the measurement before you began tapping?

Sometimes beliefs are copied from others and sometimes they are constructed based on our past experiences. Our memories often give us a clue of how a particular belief was started.

If memories came up for you during the tapping above, your mind could be presenting you with a request to heal the memories especially if the memories have emotional intensity in them. With EFT, we can neutralize the emotional intensity in memories, and thus, begin to shift the beliefs connected with the memories.

You can enlist the assistance of a qualified EFT practitioner to help you neutralize the memories, or if you feel comfortable enough to do it yourself, you can use the Tearless Trauma Technique (developed by Gary Craig) to gently release the emotional intensity from the memories.

Do remember to take full responsibilities for your decision when you choose to tap on yourself. This means, don't go where you don't belong, stop tapping and seek professional help if you feel the intensity is too much for you to handle on your own, and please be gentle with yourself.

This EFT script is provided by Christine Metawati as a good faith effort to expand the use of EFT in the world. It represents her ideas and do not necessarily represent those of Gary Craig or EFT. EFT has yielded remarkable results for many people, but they may not yield the same benefits for everyone. They are definitely NOT meant to replace appropriate medical treatment or mental health therapy. No guarantee of results is either stated or implied. If you use the EFT script provided above, you are advised to take complete responsibility for your emotional and physical well-being. Please consult qualified health practitioners regarding your use of EFT, TAT or any other healing modalities.

Hope Springs Eternal

2011-05-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

In one of my recent meditations, I was reminded by Spirit that we bring the energy of hope and love onto the planet, by allowing ourselves to be happy and appreciative of our lives.

Like the rain that comes in spring time, inviting seeds to grow into seedlings, our feelings of happiness and appreciation nurture the energetic seedlings of hope and wholeness for the collective consciousness.

When I asked how we can best support those who are affected by the latest current events (Japan, Middle East, etc.) Spirit answered, "Appreciate them."

How can our feelings of happiness and appreciation help anyone, or make any significant contribution, especially to people who live far away?

At the energetic level, when we allow ourselves to be happy and feel appreciative, we feel amazing! And this beautiful, radiant energy invites everyone across the globe to rise up to that vibration as well. This life-giving energy helps others on the planet permit themselves to hope and love despite the challenges they are facing. This delicious and powerful influence also contributes to those people with whom you interact directly. They will benefit immensely from the clarity, wisdom, generosity and joy that you radiate from your place of contentment and appreciation.

Like the joyous and magical notes of birdsong, your celebration and appreciation of life anchors more unconditional-love into the planet, literally bringing heaven to earth.

So, go ahead, find ways to uplift yourself. Let your heart sing. If that's your job on earth, isn't that a wonderful job to have?

Exposed!

2011-02-11T22:42:00.000-08:00

Recently, I came across this limiting belief that is fascinating to me. It's about being exposed. But not about hiding some inside flaw from being found out by others. It is about keeping the information that we are loved from being exposed even to ourselves.

The belief I came across was along the line of "if we even try to remember we are loved, we are not safe." It blew my mind when I finally understood the full grasp of this thought pattern! Ever felt like a fake? Well, duh, it made sense to me how we could feel that way especially when we don't allow ourselves to remember, let alone, know and embody our own deepest truths.

Incidentally, I was realizing that remembering something is a kind of like exposing what was once hidden in our mind, isn't it? What was buried, hidden or lost in the deep folds of our psyche is now in clear view again.

So, how does this belief manifest as a limitation in our lives?

It can show up as:

Feeling unsafe and vulnerable about claiming the right to be who we really are.
Feeling vigilant and guarded about life, not fully trusting the flow of the universe and ourselves.
Holding ourselves back in important areas of our lives.
Limiting how much we allow ourselves to experience our heart's desires (whether it is abundance, health, relationships, inner peace or satisfying work).
Sabotaging ourselves, despite our best intentions.

Why not just release this belief and transform it to something that serves us better? A-ha! This is where it gets interesting. I was fascinated to hear so much resistance and rebuttals about why one might need to keep this limiting belief even if it is deeply and widely limiting in one's life. I heard the resistant thoughts within myself as well as others to whom I posed the question, "What keeps you from remembering that you are loved?"

I will be a spoiled brat if I remember that I am loved no matter what. (I have to admit, this was what I thought.)
We will stop innovating, growing and expanding and eventually fall, like the Ottoman empire. (This is a good one, isn't it?)
I would be so cocky in my speech that I wouldn't stop to think that my words might be hurtful until it's too late.
Other people will be jealous of me and exclude me.
I am not comfortable walking around feeling and knowing that I am loved when so many others don't feel that way. I don't want to be that different or special!
I will have to fight others, because they want to convince me that I am not lovable, and I really hate conflict.
I don't want to remember I am loved, because when I do then I will also remember that love ends.
If I believed I am loved and that is not my experience, I will feel hopeless. I don't ever want to feel hopeless. (Alternately, you might have the desire to avoid feeling embarrassed. Think about what emotions you prefer not to feel.)

I am sure these are not the only resistant thoughts to this very interesting pattern!

You might uncover your own resistance to remembering that you are indeed loved. Anything come to mind yet? You might have just one, or you might have a list of resistant thoughts. Or you might remember times when love got you in hot water. For example, you might remember when you were treated poorly by those who were jealous of you having the love that they wanted; or the reverse, you treated others poorly because you took the love you had for granted.

If you would like to let go of this story that you are not loved and would like to begin resonating with the belief that you are loved, you can use EFT or TAT to neutralize the resistant thoughts or memories. Honor the old story for how it has served you, and appreciate yourself for being willing to be loved in grace.

It is such a revolutionary and liberating act to expose our own deep truths to ourselves and the world. Can you consider the upside of remembering that you are loved? How would you feel? Who would you be? What would be different in your life? What would you now allow yourself to be, to have and to do that you couldn't before?

Go for it. Expose to yourself that you are loved!

Here’s an EFT script you can use on this topic.

Tap on the Karate Chop point or rub on the Sore Spot as you say the following EFT Setup Statements (please feel free to substitute the words to something that fit you better):

“Even though I am afraid to remember that I am actually loved, it has a lot of repercussions I am not completely happy with, I accept myself and my feelings deeply and completely.”

“Even though it is best if I don’t remember that I am loved, it is also possible that a part of me is inviting me to change my perspective. I wonder if it can be safe and even helpful for me now to remember that I am loved.”

“Even though I am afraid to consider that I am loved, especially after all that happened, I deeply and completely accept who I am without judgment.”

Tap on the indicated EFT points and say the reminder phrases, as suggested below, either aloud or in your mind. You can change the reminder phrases to whatever words that fit you better.

EB: “I am afraid to remember that I am loved.”
SE: “It is not safe to remember that!”
UE: “Best if I forget this whole idea that I am loved. It will only get my hopes up to be dashed down again.”
UN: “It’s better for me and everyone else if we just don’t think about it anymore.”
CH: “What do I get for remembering that I am loved anyway, other than heartaches and unpleasant surprises?”
CB: “I would rather not remember that I am loved. It’s not true for me anyway.”
UA: “Yup, I am not loved. That’s my story and I am sticking to it!”
Gamut point: “I don’t want to remember that I am loved.”
Top of the head: “There is no use in even considering that I am loved!”

2nd round
EB: “Wow, I didn’t know I have strong resistance about believing that I am loved!”
SE: “I must really not enjoy the experiences I had when I thought I was loved.”
UE: “I am sorry that they happened to me.”
UN: “It was sad (or scary, or upsetting, or…)”
CH: “No one knows how hard that was for me. No one knows how that has affected me and my entire life!”
CB: “But it is all in the past now. That is over now.”
UA: “I want to send healing love to my heart, and all other places that still hurt inside.”
Gamut Point: “I choose to send love and healing to all of me right now.”
Top of the Head: “Sending love to all parts of me that hurt. I love you!” (Tap for as long as you need.)

Positive round
EB: “I love you, (insert your name here)!”
SE: “Yes, I love you!”
UE: “I thank you!”
UN: “Thank you for being here to remind me that I can love myself and that I can send love to all parts of me that hurt and bring healing to them.”
CH: “I am sorry it took me so long to remember that my love is good enough to heal what hurts.”
CB: “I love myself, and my love is good enough for me! I have been looking for love in the wrong places!”
UA: “I am willing to find proof that I am loved instead of just looking for proof that I am not.”
Gamut point: “The Universe has infinite ways to let me know that I am loved and that’s what I want to experience from now on.”
Top of the Head: “It might be fun to look for all the beautiful ways the Universe invites me to notice that I am loved fully, deeply and profoundly! I am looking forward to remembering that I am so loved! And this time, maybe I can even handle this knowledge gracefully!”

Take a deep breath!

This EFT script is provided by Christine Metawati as a good faith effort to expand the use of EFT in the world. It represents her ideas and do not necessarily represent those of Gary Craig or EFT. EFT has yielded remarkable results for many people, but they may not yield the same benefits for everyone. They are definitely NOT meant to replace appropriate medical treatment or mental health therapy. No guarantee of results is either stated or implied. If you use the EFT script provided above, you are advised to take complete responsibility for your emotional and physical well-being. Please consult qualified health practitioners regarding your use of EFT, TAT or any other healing modalities.

Soul Nourishing Practices

2011-02-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

We nourish our body with healthy food (hopefully!). You know the feeling of contentment when your belly is full with good and tasty food? How about nourishing our soul, too?

When we nourish our souls, we feel great, fulfilled, happy, alive, vital, eager, energized and inspired.

Here are some of my practices for nourishing my spirit and cultivating my connection with Love:

Spend some time, either quietly or loudly, appreciating your life, your home, your work, your clients/friends/coworkers, your family, your health, and yourself. You can do this when you just wake up or when you are about to go to bed.
You can also do a Gratitude Walk, as you walk in nature or out doing your exercises, you can appreciate what you notice along the way. You can create a Gratitude List or even a Gratitude Journal, where you write down all that you are grateful for in your life. This is a great resource to look at to help you resonate again with joy.
Think of something that brings a smile on your face. When you are in touch with that good feeling, sense where it is the strongest in your body and allow it to grow easily. Radiate this good feeling to all parts of your body, to your family, to your world and to the Universe. You can send this good feeling to people you have difficulties relating to or you want to forgive, and you will find that this practice can heal these difficulties in wondrous ways.
Do a "Metta" (loving kindness) meditation: say gently to yourself, "May you be in peace...May you be at ease... May you be happy... May you be healthy..." Then, think of someone you love, and say the same thing to that person. And, you can direct this loving kindness energy as often as you want throughout the day and as to many people as you wish.
Take 5 minutes to stop and look at the beauty and wonder of life around you. Listen to the birds, look at the flowers, feel the wind, smell the air, taste the rain, observe a bug, bask in the sun, look at the stars... Allow yourself to be enchanted by nature and adore every bit of it! Unconditional love is everywhere, and to feel it, all you need to do is to tune into it!
Spend some time to dream Big and Audacious Dreams, just for fun. No need to get attached to results, just let your imagination and heart take flight. Allow yourself to follow your bliss in the direction of your dreams, even if you feel afraid.
Play!!! Get in touch with your creativity: draw, paint, write, carve, etc. Allow yourself to be free to get dirty: do some gardening, play in mud, roll down the hills, get covered in paint, etc. Get in touch with your inner child: get on a swing, play hide and seek, or other games that delight you!
Laugh a deep belly laugh for the sheer joy of living!

Oh, How Sweet It Is to be Love...

2011-02-01T22:05:00.000-08:00

(This article was first published in the February 2008 Metta Center Newsletter.)

It is interesting for me to observe that the more I appreciate, adore and accept all of life, the sweeter I find life and the more loved I feel.

Of course, it feels so counter-intuitive to feel loved when I am the one doing the loving. But, here in lies the wisdom of love - when you give it freely, without expecting anything in return, you receive it in return. I believe that when we love, we feel good inside because we are in complete harmony and integrity with who we truly are, Love itself.

I enjoy being Love and allowing love to flow through me, or should I say more accurately, allowing myself to flow with the energy of my Source, the Love within me. Sometimes, it feels like my stomach and chest is being tickled with mirth and laughter. So much joy, love and wonder flow through me. I feel expansive, clear, peaceful, safe, powerful, free, playful, soft, happy, compassionate and kind, all at the same time. It is truly an amazing and glorious feeling!

My journey to love hasn't been all rosy and sweet. Yet, during this journey (still on it), I have grown wiser, clearer, healthier, happier, and freer. I have many friends and teachers, physical and non-physical, along the way, and all have helped me come to learn to trust, to love, to honor and to recognize the love that I truly am as well as to see the love that we all are and surrounded by.

One of my biggest A-ha moments was to realize that at each moment, I have the freedom to accept my Soul and Life's invitation to resonate with Love and Light, or to decline it. For quite some time, I struggled with that, believing that it would be very difficult for me to hold the Love and Light resonance if I still held remaining dark resonance (fear), and that it would take me a long time to build the faith and courage to leave what I was familiar with and plunge ahead to the unknown. It dawned on me later that it really was not as hard as I believed it would be. To be the Love that I am, I was not required to go through such contrast of darkness one moment, and brilliant Light, the next. I had the expansiveness to hold both as I allowed my healing journey from darkness to light. That was such a liberating thought: to allow myself to accept who I am now as I embrace and become the deeper Me. That was one of the cornerstones of my practices of love: accepting myself where I am now and allowing myself to be.

Words don't teach, life does. As I allow myself to be, I am more allowing of others to be as well. When I hold the perception that nobody has to be different (not even myself) for me to feel good, my relationships with others (and with myself) have improved tremendously. It is indeed eye-opening for me to see that the best way for me to be in harmony with others, especially with my loved ones, is for me to be in harmony with Me! When I do that, I can see that I am co-creating peace and harmony!

Inspired by the teachings of Abraham-Hicks, my idea of self-love is to be selfish enough to want to feel good, and to allow myself to feel good by choosing to maintain my connection with the Source of my well-being. I do this through appreciating, acknowledging, accepting, honoring, respecting, adoring, recognizing the beauty, wonder and goodness in me, in others and in life.

One of my intentions is to walk on this beautiful earth with love and appreciation of life in every moment. I make it my practice to find what is good in me, in others, in life and in everything. Sometimes, I find it difficult to do so. In these cases, I remember that these challenges are life's invitation for me to remember to resonate with Love again.

When I adore, accept and appreciate, I experience not only this warm glowy feeling inside me, I also feel full and filled with abundant well-being. We all can connect to our Inner Source of well-being and powerful love. We all can experience the wonderful and delicious feeling of being Love itself! It begins with appreciating ourselves, the one person whom we are with 24/7.

May you discover, enjoy and bask in the joy and beauty of the Love that you truly are!

A BLESSING

2011-02-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

by John O'Donohue

May the light of your soul guide you.

May the light of your soul bless the work

You do with the secret love and warmth of your heart.

May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul.

May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those

Who work with you and to those who see and receive your work.

May your work never weary you.

May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement.

May you be present in what you do.

May you never become lost in the bland absences.

May the day never burden you.

May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams,

Possibilities and promises.

May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.

May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected.

May your soul calm, console and renew you

Spiritual Practice: Violet Flame Meditation

2011-01-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

No matter how we choose to cleanse, clear, and heal our body and energy field, it is vitally important to do so regularly. Just as we have physical hygiene, it is really important to have energetic hygiene to maintain our well-being spiritually, mentally and emotionally.

We live in a psychic soup. One way to clear our energy field from psychic debris that accumulate is to use Violet Flame Meditation.

Violet Flame is a gift from Saint Germain to our world. It is an energy of a high vibration that transmutes all negativity within us into positive energy. I find it best if you keep an attitude of appreciation and a beginner's mind when you first do this spiritual practice so you can fully experience the subtle changes in your energy field.

To do this meditation:

Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes.
Breathe deeply and easily.
Quietly, say a decree invoking the violet flame: “Divine Presence and Saint Germain, please charge Violet Flame in, through, and about my body and energy field, consuming all negative energy.”
Visualize, or sense, yourself surrounded by the violet flame.
Allow yourself to enjoy your transmutation experience. Notice any subtle sensations that you experience during the process.
When it feels complete, say, "Thank you" and see or sense the violet flame disappear.

Notice how differently you feel after this meditation.

You can send violet flames to your family and friends, and even a city, to help them transmute negativity into positive energies. You send it as you would send a prayer or as you send thoughts of love.

What Enchants You

2011-01-25T15:51:00.000-08:00

(This article was first published in the January 2006 issue of Metta Center Newsletter.)

When you allow yourself to be enchanted, you are saying yes to life. Saying yes to life opens doors for opportunities and inspirations. Saying yes to life means you are in alignment with the flow of life. Saying yes to life means spending less energy resisting, thus, less pain and suffering. Saying yes to life connects you to your own spirit. You experience more ease, peace and joy.

When I feel stuck or restless, I recognize this as signs that I have been in resistance. My old pattern was to grit my teeth and stick it out. “Don't give up, keep at it!” I would think to myself. It was not an option to give myself 5 minutes to pause and to do something that enchant me, whether to admire a beautiful flower, or look at the sky, or feel the breeze or listen to nature. By persistently pushing, I ended up spending a lot of energy in getting myself out of whatever it was that I was stuck in, and not being very effective at helping myself either.

Now, I have learned that spending just 5 minutes to pause, reflect, admire and appreciate life in all its myriad of forms is all I need to bring me back in touch with ease and peace, which is the power of Spirit. This is the power of my spirit, your spirit, our spirit.

Each of us has the ability to connect with our divinity 24/7. One way to consciously connect with this divine power within is to give ourselves the permission to be in joy. When I spend 5 minutes to be enchanted and in wonder, I find myself filled with delight and a sense of aliveness, effortlessly. When we feel good, we vibrate higher and we invite more of the joys and ease in life. We also find that we increase our capacity to respond to life challenges with more grace and trust.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

May you easily find yourself surrounded by and recall the feeling of fresh beginnings, a sense of new and wonderful possibilities coming your way, the spirit of joy, and the expectations of hopes fulfilled all year round!

A dear friend has forwarded this beautiful music to me as a New Year's gift. Listening to Eric Whitacre's angelic Virtual Choir, "Lux Arumque," transported me to a heavenly realm. May this beautiful and magnificent expression of the spirit of humanity be a gift to you as well.

To find out more about this amazing story of how people from all over the world has come together and made this sublime choir: http://ericwhitacre.com/the-virtual-choir.

With love and blessings now and throughout the year,
Christine

Appreciation Virtual Circle

2010-12-31T20:37:00.000-08:00

One of my dear clients asked me to join a little experiment in appreciation. We spend a minute each day, at 9pm exactly, to send appreciation to each other and ourselves. This circle now is 3 people strong, and you are invited to join us if you would like to participate in this beautiful experience that transcends time and space.

If you would like to join us, it's easy:

Set an intention to join the appreciation circle for one minute at 9pm every night. You don't need to know anyone in the circle to join.

When we send out appreciation, it is a well-being wish. It is one of the most potent forms of prayer.
You can send your appreciation about life, people in your life, or about yourself in whatever way that feels right to you. There's no right or wrong way to do it. A general attitude of gratitude is fine, a simple thankful thought is fine, you can simply wish well-being to yourself, others and the whole Universe... Truly, whatever feels best for you at the time is fine.
Some variations (the credit for these go to R.S.): you can put your hands on your chest and visualize your smiling heart, or you can put your hands on your heart while breathing into the belly, or your can put your hands on your heart while breathing in love in the inhale, and radiating joy on the exhale.

Be creative and follow your intuition as to how you would like to celebrate and appreciate life, others and yourself.

One of the participants in the circle recently shared this with me: "It's really great! Because what happens to me when I do it is I feel like the top of my head blows open and things come out of it. I think it really changes how I look at different things in my life. It has been really cool. I just never realized how powerful a minute is in a day!"

Luxuriate in You!

2010-12-31T20:27:00.000-08:00

I was walking in the meadow up the hills from my house, communing with Nature, when I found myself singing a ditty I made up at the spot. "It's getting greener every day," was what I sang to the grass.

Then, as I was basking in the feeling of pure joy, celebrating the grass, the song morphed into, "There is more love every day..." When I first noticed that the words had changed by themselves, I stopped singing. But, in the next breath, I found myself smiling even bigger and so I decided to sing it all the way home, "There is more love every day..."

It was so much fun! I felt brilliantly alive and grand like a majestic oak tree. I was deliriously happy! I don't think it's because the song I was singing was going to be a hit song by any means.

Interestingly, later on the same day, I read Tapas Fleming's wise words in her newsletter: "When we're actually luxuriating in who we really are, we're not having problems and there aren't lessons to learn or things to figure out about core issues. Things may come up that aren't to our liking, but from the relaxed perspective of being at home in ourselves, they're not problems."

I realized that was what I was doing: luxuriating in who I really am - simple joy and peace! No wonder I was feeling so awake and happy! And yeah, there were no problems that day, either! (There might be, but from the point of view of being so alive, I couldn't tell if there were any problems. I just knew that life is great!)

Try it for yourself. Give yourself time to enjoy who you really are. And love the fact that you're allowing yourself to do it. I think you'd like it very much.

2010-12-31T20:24:00.000-08:00

You are Amazing!
You are Marvelous!
You are Wonderful!

These are the words that Spirit would like me to tell you. If no one has said these words to you today, please let me be the first one to do so.

2010 has been a glorious year! It has been a year filled with delights, healing, miracles, and abundance for me. You are a part of this deliciously joyous year, and I want to thank you for your presence in my world.

Wishing you a New Year filled with exciting possibilities and joyous adventures! Happy New Year 2011!

EFT Tapping Tip: Reduce Holiday Stress

2010-12-03T23:55:00.000-08:00

As November rolls to an end, the holiday season is also just around the corner for many people. For some, the festive season can bring added stress as well as painful memories.

There are many ways to manage the holiday season so that you can enjoy the season with more ease, grace and peace.

Here are some tips:

Set your intention as to how you would like to feel during the holiday season.
Decide what activities you would enjoy doing. Let go of or delegate activities you don't enjoy.
If you find yourself feeling resentful or uptight, use EFT and tap.
If painful memories come up, acknowledge your feelings. Use EFT to help dissolve these painful memories and bring more peace to yourself.
Eat healthily, avoid sugars and alcohol as much as possible. Just because festivities are typically associated with these substances, doesn't mean your body does well with them.
Take time to nurture yourself with quiet moments to journal, walk in nature, and breathe fully and consciously.
Remember that there's always something or someone you can appreciate; find it and spend time in appreciation for it. Think of some wonderful things that are happening in your life right now, no matter how small they might be. It will uplift your mood and energize you.

Here are some EFT Setup Phrases that might help you reduce some of the holiday stress. Feel free to change the words to suit your particular situation and to make the phrase resonate with you better.

You can choose one Setup Phrase for each EFT round (and say it three times) or you can mix-n-match three Setup Phrases from the list. Tap on your Karate Chop point or rub on your Sore Spot as you say your Setup Phrase:

Even though I feel so stressed out and uptight right now, and I am dreading the holiday season, I accept myself and my feelings.
Even though I feel exhausted just thinking of Thanksgiving (or whatever holiday it is you celebrate), and it is not even here yet, I choose to be relaxed about it and perhaps I might even enjoy it.
Even though I don't enjoy Thanksgiving (or whatever holiday it is you dislike) and all that comes with it, I deeply and profoundly accept and appreciate myself.
Even though I feel so guilty because I am so busy and can't spend enough time with (myself/my kids/my family/etc.), I forgive myself for not being a super (mom/dad/brother/daughter/etc.) I accept myself and I accept that I am doing the best that I can. I wonder what changes I need to make so that I can spend more time with the people who are important to me.
Even though I am afraid I will get frustrated (in the family dinner/with my husband/mom/kids/etc.) when they ...(fill in the blanks with the person's behavior that usually triggers you), I choose to be surprised by how patient and understanding (or whatever state of being you would prefer) I can be.
Even though I can't help but worry about money around the holiday season, it has always been that way in my family and will always be that way, I choose to accept myself and decide to release this association of money anxiety and the holidays. I choose to let it be surprisingly easy for me to feel relaxed and at peace this holiday season and in all future holidays.
Even though the holiday season often brings up painful memories about ...(fill in the blanks with whatever memories that bother you still), I accept myself and the holiday season anyway. Maybe it is time to let this memory go (if that feels appropriate to you) and I am ready for a wonderful and lovely holiday season, and that begins this year!
Even though I typically feel (stress/sad/resentful/...) during the holidays, I deeply and profoundly accept who I am and how I feel. I have decided that it is possible for me to feel peaceful, at ease and joyful this holiday.
Tune in to whatever feelings you have related to the Setup Phrase you have chosen, or pick a reminder phrase that works for you, and tap on the EFT points on your face and your body.

After each EFT round, take a deep breath, exhale slowly.

When you feel complete, take a moment to notice any shift or change within you. A change of breath? A big yawn? A release of energy? A relaxation somewhere in your body? There is no right or wrong answer. Just notice what unfolds for you. You can further neutralize any "yes, buts..." (called "tail-enders" in EFT parlance) or any bothersome memories that come up after each round.

I love hearing your feedback. Please feel free to send me an email about your experiences using this EFT Tapping Tip.

Note: For those who are not yet familiar with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), you can check the "Resources" section of my website to learn about EFT tapping points. Please visit www.eftuniverse.com to download the free EFT manual and to browse through the rich library of EFT articles.

Giving Thanks

2010-12-03T23:47:00.000-08:00

Giving thanks to all the good in our lives can be done every day, as I am sure you all do in one fashion or another. We can do it quite effortlessly with a simple nod, a wink, a pat, a thought, a smile, a hug, a "thanks!", a kiss, a dance, an appreciative whoop -- all are ways to express appreciation.

The best thing about appreciating someone or something is that we can't help but tuned into the energy of love. As we tune into that vibration of love, we are not only the generator but also the recipient of this beautiful connective energy. It really is an amazing feeling to be giving and receiving love in the same instant!

I was recently in a meeting where the person I was meeting with brought her two-year old son along. He was a VERY shy boy, and didn't say a word during the entire one-hour meeting. For a young child, one hour must feel like an eternity. He tried to amuse himself as best as he could, playing with his yellow toy bus as he positioned himself close to his mother. There were times when he seemed really bored with his toy and he would put his head on his mother's lap. She would stroke his head gently, acknowledging him and soothing him with her touch. At the end of our meeting, I caught the boy's eyes as he happened to look my way. I smiled at him and whispered, "Thank you!" This quiet little boy's eyes sparkled and he flashed a big and brilliant smile. He clearly understood that his efforts were being recognized and appreciated. This boy, who didn't utter a word for an entire hour, was giving me an ear-to-ear smile! Yes, I was the one who technically "gave" thanks, but I sure felt like a million bucks receiving that smile!

The next time you give your appreciation to something or someone (even yourself) notice how good it feels as you give thanks. I wouldn't be surprised if, with each appreciation you offer, you are bringing heaven closer to earth.

Meeting Angels and Beings of Light

2010-10-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

(The following post was first published as an article in May 2005 Metta Center email Newsletter)

How do you connect with Angels and Beings of Light? How do you know who your guardian angel is? You can connect to Archangel Michael, Archangel Raphael, Archangel Gabriel, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammad, Krisna, Tara, etc. And, since there is no ego in their realm, they really don't care whom you called upon. They are just happy that you are willing to turn your attention to the Light Realm for assistance.

No, you don't need incense or candles to make contact with them. If the act of lighting incense and candles brings you to a relaxed state of being then, by all means, enjoy your ritual. But, know that it is not a requirement to connect with these loving beings.

You don't need to believe in them either, even though trusting them will bring clarity to the communication line between you and your angel. Think of doubt as static noise in your communication line.

So, how do you connect? For a first timer, I would suggest that you relax, you can be sitting up or lying down, close your eyes if that helps you cut out distractions. Make an intent in your heart to connect with the Angelic Realm. You can say something like this "I intent to connect with the realm of the Light. I would enjoy a connection with an angel or being of light." After that, just wait. Notice what unfold as your request is being honored. Be open to experience something different than what you expected.

Some people may feel an immense sense of joy or peace enveloping them. Some experience a wonderful flower scent. That's how I first connected with mine!. Some people connect with their Angels through pictures or images. Some people hear a gentle and loving thought or a word flash in their mind. Some people hear some sounds, perhaps not voices but more like simple sounds. Just relax and explore how your unique way of connecting with the Higher Realm feels to you.

Keep in mind that when the angels speak to you, it might sound like your own voice, so you may discount it as your imagination. But, pay attention to the quality of that thought or voice. The angelic communication has a very clear, crisp and loving quality to it and yet is very powerful in its certainty. It is never boastful or demanding. Not even commanding. Those of you who have watched the "Ten Commandments" may be disappointed that the voice of angels are not booming loud.

For a first time experience, I recommend that you keep your angelic connection simple. Just enjoy the experience of sensing and knowing the Angel or Being of Light. No need to ask any questions that takes you to your head instead of staying in your heart. Later, you can start communicating in words, ask your questions and listen for guidance.

If, after a first try, you still do not connect, don't give up. Like I said before, your request to connect with the Angelic Realm will always be honored. Perhaps there's too much static (self doubt) that muddle the connection. Try again.

Connecting with Angels is a very satisfying experience for me. I hope you would enjoy it too. I would enjoy hearing your feedback/comment about your experiences. Please email me with your stories!

Chinese Bamboo Tree Fable

2010-10-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

You take a little seed, plant it, water it, and fertilize it for a whole year, and nothing happens.

The second year you water and fertilize it, and nothing happens.

The third year you water it and fertilize it, and nothing happens. How discouraging this becomes!

The fourth year you water it and fertilize it, and nothing happens. This is very frustrating.

The fifth year you continue to water and fertilize the seed and then sometime during the fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree sprouts and grows ninety feet in six weeks!

Sometimes, our healing journey and growth process can feel like the story above. Nothing happens after all this work! Have heart. Allow time for the process itself. In other words, what may appear to be "not working" or "not healing" is often a deeper need to experience growth, learning lessons of patience or receiving, learning to appreciate the present, learning to respect and care for yourself, and so on. And, at the end of this nurturing period, when all pieces fell into place, you'd either notice the changes you had hoped for, or you'd move to a different state of being such that your desire is no longer the same as when you started.

A Rumi Poem: A Garden Beyond Paradise

2010-10-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world.
The forms may change,
    yet the essence remains the same.

Every wondrous sight will vanish, every sweet word will fade.
    But do not be disheartened,
The Source they come from is eternal—
growing, branching out,
    giving new life and new joy.

Why do you weep?—
That Source is within you,
and this whole world
    is springing up from it.

The Source is full, its waters are ever-flowing;
    Do not grieve,
    drink your fill!
Don't think it will ever run dry—
This is the endless Ocean!

From the moment you came into this world,
a ladder was placed in front of you
    that you might transcend it.

From earth, you became plant,
from plant you became animal.
Afterwards you became a human being,
endowed with knowledge, intellect and faith.

Behold the body, born of dust—
    how perfect it has become!

Why should you fear its end?
When were you ever made less by dying?

When you pass beyond this human form,
no doubt you will become an angel
and soar through the heavens!

But don't stop there.
Even heavenly bodies grow old.

Pass again from the heavenly realm
    and plunge into the ocean of Consciousness.
Let the drop of water that is you
    become a hundred mighty seas.

But do not think that the drop alone
becomes the Ocean—
    the Ocean, too, becomes the drop!

~ Jelaluddin Rumi

"A Garden Beyond Paradise: The Mystical Poetry of Rumi"
(translated by Jonathan Star), Bantam Books, NY, 1992.

EFT Script: Releasing the Fear that Success Creates More Opportunities for Failures

2010-09-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

(This EFT script was first published in Metta Center newsletter, September 2010.)

Success and failure are siblings, I believe.

Failures are great learning opportunities and help us build a strong foundation for future successes. Success brings us to new experiences where further successes (and failures) are possible.

Sometimes, we keep ourselves small and not very successful in life because we fear that our success might lead to unwanted failure.

So here's an EFT script to release the fear that success can create more opportunities for failure.

Tap on the Karate Chop point or rub on the Sore Spot as you say the following setup statements:

"Even though I am afraid that my success can create more opportunities for me to fail, I deeply and completely accept this fear and myself."

"Even though I don't like the thought of failing after my success, so a part of me would rather sabotage me from achieving my success to protect me from further failures, I deeply and completely accept who I am without judgment. I appreciate all of me."

"Even though I feel this fear of more painful failures, and this fear often holds me back in my movement forward in my life, I forgive myself, I forgive this fear, I forgive everyone involved, and I am willing to heal this fear. I know I deserve to move freely and joyously towards my success. I am willing to consider that it can be safe and fun for me to be successful."

Tap on the indicated EFT points and say the reminder phrases, as suggested below, either aloud or in your mind. You can change the reminder phrases to whatever words that fit you better.

Beginning of Eyebrow: "I am afraid that my success can create more failures for me."
Side of Eye: "I don't want to fail anymore. I don't like failures. I don't want to be open to more failures. I have enough of failures in my life."
Under Eye: "I am angry about the times I failed myself or others, or the times others failed me."
Under Nose: "Success feels like it can open possibilities for more failures. I don't like what success can mean to me."
Chin: "A deep part of me is not keen about being successful and all that it means and all that it might bring."
Collarbone: "Success doesn't feel safe for me."
Under Arm: "I am not certain success is safe for me."
Inside of Wrist: "I have no idea how negatively I have thought of success. No wonder I sabotage my success as a way to keep myself safe."
Top of Wrist: "I wonder if it is time to release this fear. What if success also can create more opportunities for more success?"
Top of Head: "Would I like that?"

Beginning of Eyebrow: "I am open to healing this fear. I am open to letting go of all the anger, resentment, grief, disappointment and other negative emotions I have held connected to my past failures. I am even open to forgiving others for their failures."
Side of Eye: "I am open to experiencing that success can be safe for me."
Under Eye: "I realize that what I do with my success is up to me. Yes, there are opportunities for failure but there are also opportunities for success. And I am open to experiencing that my each of my success inspire me to create more successes in my life."
Under Nose: "I have decided not to be afraid of failures anymore. I have decided not to be afraid of successes either."
Chin: "A deep part of me might still feel afraid of my successes. I wonder what it needs to feel comforted and calm."
Collarbone: "I choose to listen to my inner guidance as to what would be comforting and calming for me as I create and embrace my success."
Under Arm: "I choose to be open to considering that success is safe for me."
Inside of Wrist: "I choose to view success as a positive experience. I no longer need to sabotage my successes as a way to keep me safe."
Top of Wrist: "I invite and direct my whole being to heal this fear and to release this old pattern of sabotaging my success. I am eagerly anticipating my successes and having fun at creating my fulfilling life."
Top of Head: "I would love that very much!"

Tap as often as you like to shift your energy on this topic. If you find that you continue to have residual fear that success leads to potential failures, it can be very helpful to tap on specific past events connected to this. Usually it is not the failures that we fear, but the backlash of negative emotions connected to those failures.

Remember that we have the power to release our own negative emotions and shift our thoughts. We no longer need to fear either failure or success.

This EFT script is provided by Christine Metawati as a good faith effort to expand the use of EFT in the world. It represents her ideas and do not necessarily represent those of Gary Craig or EFT. Complete understanding of EFT and the EFT training videos are available at http://www.emofree.com.

Whispers from the Universe

2010-09-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

What shall I write about today, my dear friends, other than that you are loved more than you realized. You are valued and treasured. You are more powerful and resourceful than you give yourself credit.

It is sometimes difficult to believe these words.

I wonder, what do you need in order to know that you are loved, valued and treasured? What do you need in order to recognize that you are powerful and resourceful?

Make a list of these needs, if you like. But, when it is all said and done, throw the list out.

Just simply allow yourself to feel the love that is here for you, right now, in this present moment. Let the Universe show you the myriad ways you are loved and appreciated for just who you are, as you are. No list needed, no achievements required, no debts to be paid. The key here is simply to let, to allow. Allow yourself to be delightfully surprised and deeply touched by how creative the Universe is in reaching out to you.

How powerful and resourceful do you think you are? You are powerful and resourceful enough that you can turn your thoughts around. You can create new thoughts. You can think better feeling or worse feeling thoughts. You can turn your negative emotions into positive ones by merely changing your thoughts. You can turn your life around. You can deliberately create what you want to experience in life. My heart sings just imagining the moment you realize you are in charge of your amazing power of creation that has always been there, waiting for you to recognize it and use it deliberately to enhance your life.

Yes, my fellow travelers, we may have different paths in realizing our well-being. But the message is the same: we are loved and we are powerful love itself.

Celebrating You

2010-09-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

I was sitting in contemplation when an inner voice said to me, "Do you realize that we often criticize ourselves when we make the smallest mistakes, and we don't celebrate ourselves or feel proud of ourselves until we accomplish something 'grand,' whatever that thing is? And, when we finally reach that big-goal, often after much stress and effort, before we even have time to savor our success and celebrate ourselves, we immediately give ourselves the next thing to do. We are bad if make a small mistake and only good if we make a good, huge, achievement. Don't you think that is out of balance when we do so to ourselves?"

Hm, a good point, I thought.

Looking at my own life, I can see places and times where I did just that, I got upset with myself for a small mistake and I didn't even realize when I did something significantly important for myself, my family or the world around me.

Have you done that? Do you do so often?

Well, how about joining me in a daily practice of being aware of and validating our successes, our accomplishments, all the things we do well, no matter how small? We can start small, just doing it for a week or so. If it feels right and good for you to continue this practice after a week, feel free to do so.

Here's the plan.

We do so many things right every day. If you think about it, our body knows how to do so many miracles of life for us: breathing, processing food, standing straight up, walking, seeing, eliminating toxins, and so much more. Do you know that just to stand upright, the body orchestrated an amazing amount of coordination among muscles, bones, and nerves?

Most of us know how to brush our teeth. It is something we do quite effortlessly. Think of the many various little tasks that go with that small act of caring for ourselves: we are able to squeeze the toothpaste tube and put the paste on our toothbrush just so, we can maneuver our nimble fingers to grab the brush and move it around our mouth in just the right amount of pressure so that we don't hurt ourselves, and some of us probably go through great length choosing a specific toothpaste to use. Imagine all the effort just to clean our teeth. How about all the other ways we take care of ourselves? Thank yourself for driving safely to work, for crossing the street safely, for nourishing yourself. (Never mind if it's junk food now, you'll get out of that habit as you find balance within yourself.) How about all the various ways we contribute to our family, our community and our world?

When I invite you to celebrate your successes and brilliance, in whatever size they come in, I don't mean for you to go around being righteous and telling people off when they criticize you or find fault with you. No. I mean for you to look at yourself with a fresh eye, be aware of all the wonderful things you are already doing so well on daily basis, and validate your amazingness reverently.

If, say, after a week of doing so, you begin to feel the sweetness of appreciation naturally welling up from within you and radiating out towards others, spend a moment to hug yourself and whisper to yourself, "Thank you for paving the way and bringing me closer to Love's Presence."

And, you and the Universe can wink at each other and celebrate your finding the sweet balance within yourself. Congratulations!

The Blessings of Motherhood

2010-05-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

I have my daughter to thank for my spiritual awakening. Prior to her arrival on Earth, I knew very little about myself. (Although I didn't know it at the time!)

Recently, a client shared with me that she believes when a woman becomes a mother, she has to give up her freedom to make choices. This is probably a perspective that many modern women hold. I certainly remember thinking that way myself. I was afraid of children.

Yet, I have one of my own despite the fears of being a mother. After all the trials and tribulations of motherhood, I have grown so much emotionally and spiritually that I do not wish to trade the experience for anything else. My daughter is one of the most important teachers in my life. Because of my desire to connect deeply with my daughter, I have learned how to honor who I really am so that I can honor who she really is. I learned how important it is to communicate clearly and listen deeply. I learned how to set clear intention and create from my inner world. I learned to take responsibility for my own feelings, and that it is my job, not hers, to make me feel good. I learned how to trust in the unseen. I learned how to play like a child again and find delights in life. I learned how to be forgiving and compassionate. And, most importantly, I learned how to profoundly love. Yes, I feel blessed beyond measures!

So, to all the children in the world -- including you! -- thank you for your sweet and abiding love, and for having the courage to shake up the generation that came before you. Your joy and strength of spirit are inspiring. Thank you for being here!

Gift From a Buddhist Monk

2010-05-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

A client, who is currently in Japan, emailed me her personal experience. It is such a beautiful story, I want to share it with all of you. Thank you, N.M., for giving me the permission to include it in this newsletter!

It was a long weekend, so we went to Kyoto to our favorite temples. I went to the Tenryuji temple, which is the Zen Buddhist temple, but it was so crowded-I didn't feel that peaceful.

My Buddhist monk moment came right here, in Okayama, in front of Big Camera, one of the biggest electronic stores.

Often times, I see monks doing a standing chant in random places with a bowl for donations. (They are holding it, so it must make their arm sour -- that what I think about.) There was one in front of the Big Camera. It was so hot, and I kind of felt sorry for him since nobody was giving any money, so I gave him 1000 yen (about 10 dollars) as I was walking, without slowing down.

Then he yelled, "Stop!" And when I approached, I saw his monk hat had duct tape all over and he had the biggest smile.

He then quickly asked me when was I born. I was confused but told him, and he said that this year is going to be a great year for me. I guess it wasn't the information, but just talking to him that made me so happy. I felt really like screaming joy noises!

I went into Big Camera (where my son was doing research on video games for his classmate) so that he could meet the monk. The monk told my son, wow you had a really crappy year last year (no kidding) and he said hang in there for 6 more months and you will have 5 great years. As he was saying this, the monk was so joyful and happy. I noticed that his kimono was full of holes, though very clean and pressed.

I was thinking for the rest of the day that I wish I had a ton of money so I can give him that money. But even one of the world's richest men, Bill Gates, needed more money from Warren Buffet to save part of the world, so my thought is flawed. This monk was incredibly happy -- one of the happiest person I have ever met in my life. He really does not need my help. In fact, he helped me! I needed his help.

I just need to wrap my mind around the fact that the "usual needs" are really social needs. I am still feeling like I need to help him with money. (Why does the world boil down to this? The currency of life for so many of us.) I got the message though. In exchange for 1000 yen, just a piece of paper in my wallet, I got sunshine in my heart and singing in my soul. Was he God? Definitely. Can I take that with me when I go? Definitely. So I was the one who was given the "nasake." (In Japanese, compassion for the one who should be felt sorry for.) I am hoping to live for slightly longer because Life is actually fun now.

Do you trust your intuition?

2010-05-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

(This article was first published in May 2006 Metta Center Newsletter.)

Intuition is our great ally, a great force, to help in our journey of realizing who we are. It is one of our greatest gifts, and yet we don't always trust it.

One of the issues that many of us have about trusting our intuition is that we can't distinguish which voice is intuition and which voice is just habitual mind-chatter. When we feel that "warning" in our stomach and start feeling anxious, is that our intuition? Or, is that habitual fear-based thoughts talking?

The power of discernment is what we need to distinguish the voice of inner guidance vs. the other voices. Ask the Universe to help you grow this power so that you can hear your inner guidance the loudest, and give you the courage to follow it. As you learn to discern your voices, watch yourself and your life unfold in magical ways.

Another issue we have about trusting our intuition is one of safety. Because intuition often will call us to new and unfamiliar places, we might sense or feel the perceived "danger" in following its call, especially if we hold fear of strange places. We might feel threatened by the unfamiliariaty of new situations and we might even judge our intuition as "faulty" or "untrustworthy" if we find ourselves in challenging places. What we often unconsciously want is a guarantee that we'll be OK if we follow our intuition.

But, what if our intuition is a tool for our spirit to challenge us to find out that, as spiritual beings, we are always safe, and that we can survive the unknown? What if intuition is a tool so that we can explore our strengths, discover and grow ourselves?

What if we let go of our need for guarantees that we'll be OK if we follow the intuition and start developing a practice of trust?

Can you imagine a life where you rely on this inner power to help, guide and support you?

This beautiful partnership between you and your intuition is like any other relationships, it thrives on trust, respect and love. Acknowledge the presence of this power and develop the thoughts and beliefs that support self-trust, self-worth and self-love. You will have a reliable and most loyal companion in your journey on the river of life.

Energy Follows Thought

2010-05-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

(This article was first published in the Oct/Nov issue of Metta Center email newsletter.)

When I first heard "Energy follows thought," it was all "hocus-pocus" to me. Life, however, is a great equalizer and teacher. After several "unhappy" life conditions (illness, relationship issues, etc.), I looked deep inside myself and, sure enough, I found that I held many negative beliefs that matched these "conditions". Apparently, I had been manifesting negative thoughts. When I decided to shift the thoughts connected to the issues, I noticed that my outer situation changed as well.

Often times we manifest negative results unconsciously. What we feel, think and believe the most is what we will attract.

Have you found that your positive affirmations don't always work? The problem is that these affirmations are not your prevalent thoughts. They are just a very thin veneer over a bunch of outdated and perhaps negative habitual thoughts. Just saying the positive affirmations won't shift your energy much because you are swimming upstream against a current of old thoughts.

Wouldn't you like to wake up to your ability that you can create what you desire by taking full responsibility for your current thoughts?

To shift any situation in your life, try the following three simple, but powerful, steps:

Have clarity on what you want (instead of focusing on what you don't want)
Be in appreciation of what you already are, have and do; Trust that what you order from the kitchen of the universe will arrive at the right time for you
Healing your emotional clutter and shift your limiting beliefs

To help in shifting your thoughts, ask yourself these questions: is it true? How do I react when I think that thought? Who would I be without that thought?

I believe that we are all wizards, we are already creating what we "want" based on our most prevalent thoughts. We can learn to create our own world by being aware of what we are thinking, feeling and believing. It is a simple concept, but may not always be so simple to do. Start by noticing where you spend most of your thoughts now. That step can give you great big clues as to what you are attracting into your life.

I wish you peace, love and joy!

Explore and Soar.

2010-04-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

I read these words on a cover of a magazine recently and started thinking how glad I am that I have given myself permission to explore my spiritual side and learn so much from so many different sources. My life has changed in such profound ways. I have changed.

Now, I am inviting you to give yourself the permission to explore the realm of the divine both within you and outside of you. Explore the realm of energy, of everything and nothing. Find out how high you can soar. How would your life be different if you give yourself permission to explore and soar? Where would you be?

Know Your Mind

2010-04-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

(This article was first published in Metta Center Newsletter, April 2005)

I would love to introduce you to the term "writing on the wall". Coined by Gary Craig, the founder of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), it refers to the sets of beliefs, shoulds, shouldn'ts, can, can'ts, etc. that we have agreed to, consciously or unconsciously, as "truths" in our individual consciousness.

How did the writing get on our wall? In childhood, we received numerous messages from our well-meaning parents, teachers, friends, leaders, media, etc. We often formed our self-image and hoped to make sense of the world based on these "truths". We consult the writing on our walls to determine whether something is appropriate or acceptable to us, whether it is a "good" or "bad" idea, etc.

The writing on the wall can be very positive and supportive in helping us achieve success in the world. At the same time, many of these "truths" limit not only our self-concept but also hold us back.

Perhaps, you remember the time at a young age when you heard someone you respected said something like "Susie is so rude!" or "That's a terrible shot!" in a disapproving tone, etc. The writing on your wall may look like this: "Perfect = safe, imperfect = not safe."

This type of writing on the wall may propel you to be determine to do your best, but it can also create a feeling of constantly insecure because you might just fail to be perfect at any given moment. That could lead to fear of making mistakes, fear of changes, procrastinating, feeling inadequate, fear of intimacy, etc. The accumulation of stress from these issues could create dis-ease in the physical realm.

So, when you find yourself feeling limited or stuck in a particular area in your life (feeling frustrated is usually a good clue that you are stuck), it is time to find what writing on your wall is holding you back. Do remember that you can always erase the writing on your wall, i.e. change your mind, anytime. Then, sit back, and notice how things shift and flow more effortlessly now that you have created more space by the mere act of changing your mind!

Growing Self

2010-04-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! I love watching all the new buds and branches shooting out from plants. It has been magical indeed to watch my plum tree blossoming and then, poof, the blossoms fell and new green leaves came out to adorn the tree. How did the tree know how to do that? Nature's designs are amazingly intelligent and graceful.

Do you ever wonder how we grow? Our bodies just grow, from infant-hood to childhood to adolescence to full grown adult. For most people, the process of growing is very effortless. You don't wake up each day and say "OK, now, I am going to grow 1mm today" or "I am going to grow one more new cell for my nails". It's just done. Simple as that.

Most of us need to enlarge our self-concept. We may see ourselves as a bag of bones but, in truth, we are eternal, multi-faceted and multi-dimensional spiritual beings having a human experience. It's time to think of ourselves as much larger and grander than just a physical and emotional being confined in a body.

So, how do we grow our mind, emotion and spirit? Could that process be just as effortless and simple as we grow our body? Can it be joyful and easy? What has your experience been? How would you like it to be? Declare how you would like your learning and growing experience to be now and let yourself be delighted by nature's prowess to help you grow as you have designed it.

What a "Full" I am!

2010-04-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was thinking how so many of us (including me) are afraid to be a fool or make a fool of ourselves. Then, all of a sudden, the word "full" just floated in my mind, replacing the word "fool."

And with that simple change I saw things with a different light! It dawned on me that when we are afraid of being a fool, we are afraid to be a full or abundant being in our own right. We are afraid to make ourselves full and be filled with our own Spirit. Hah! What a new thought for me!

I was painfully aware of the various (and creative ways) I have chosen to stay small and withhold the fullness that I am because I didn't want to be a "fool." I know I have patterns where the "fool" in me got pushed aside for the voice of reason.

So with this realization I have decided to no longer be afraid to be either a fool or "full" anymore. I choose to fully embrace the fool in me and honor the gifts of this archetype. I choose to live a life full with delicious possibilities and delightful wonders. I choose to live a life where I AM the limitless and joyous possibilities.

Oh, what a liberating feeling this is!

"It's no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

Stop and Hear the Music

2010-03-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

(Collected from email, March 2010) Worth thinking about...

In Washington, DC, at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About 4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $200 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . . .

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

River of Gold

2010-03-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

"Each moment is actually a stepping stone--another chance at bliss." ~ N.M.

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to see "Man of La Mancha". In one of the scenes, Don Quixote was observing that as he held dying comrades in his arms, their eyes seemed to ask him why. He said: "I do not think they were asking why they were dying... but why they had ever lived."

That line struck a chord inside me. Why do we live at all?

I have been contemplating that question. Why do we bother to live at all? Why do we come here?

Many of us might think that we didn't choose to be here and were just plunked down by happenstance. We could have been dropped on a different planet, but here we are on Earth right now, reading this newsletter.

But, what if we did choose our presence here? Why did we come to live in this body, in this particular time-space?

A few days later, as I was walking in nature, enjoying the spring-like weather, I found my answer.

I was walking on this muddy rocky path, looking at the green hills yonder, basking in the gentle breeze. The sun shining just ahead of me made the muddy path looked like it had a river of gold streaming in the middle of it. It was magical!

My brain knew it was muddy, wet clay underneath my shoes. My heart skipped a beat seeing the beauty and marveling at what I saw. That great feeling, an instant only, was enough to answer my question.

For that instant, I knew that the mud path was a blessing to me! It had value beyond its physical appearance. It had given me a safe place to put my feet on the ground and, at the same time, it uplifted my spirit to a higher perspective to touch the divine! The existence of this path was a blessing to all that crossed it. It was a glorious path!

I knew, then, that I live because life is glorious! I live because I am a glorious life, and like that path, I am a blessing to All There Is!

You live because you, too, are a glorious life! You are a blessing to All There Is! I invite you to surrender to this delicious possibility. Allow yourself to believe it, be it and live it!

The Secret of Happiness

2010-03-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

(From "The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness" by Joel ben Izzy. This book is about the author, a storyteller, who lost his voice due to cancer and his healing journey. This is an inspiring and wonderful book!)

Story Origin: Sufi Muslim, Turkey

Nasrudin is known much for his wisdom as his foolishness, and many are those who have sought out his teaching.

One devotee tracked him down for many years before finding him in the marketplace sitting atop a pile of banana peels - no one knows why.

"Oh great sage, Nasrudin," said the eager student. "I must ask you a very important question, the answer to which we all seek: What is the secret to attaining happiness?"

Nasrudin thought for a time, then responded. "The secret of happiness is good judgment."

"Ah," said the student. "But how do we attain good judgment?"

"From experience," answered Nasrudin.

"Yes," said the student. "But how do we attain experience?

"Bad judgment."

An Invitation to Blossom

2010-03-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

(This article was first published in the March 2006 edition of Metta Center Newsletter.)

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anaïs Nin

When I first read this quote, years ago, I was struck by the enormity of the truth resonating from these words. I felt it with my entire being. It has since been one of my favorite quotes that I go back to when I need an inspiration to renew my hope and grow my courage.

This quote is so poignant to me now as we move into Spring where renewal and growth are obvious to the senses. Spring is practically bursting with new life: the flower buds are swollen and some even have blossomed, new branches are extending, soft green shoots are poking out from the cold ground, fresh flower fragrance is in the air. Mother nature is renewing herself after a winter of quietly gathering her potential for growth. It is as if She is telling us, “Trust that spring comes after winter. Enjoy the show.”

I remembered how my whole body felt quiet as I absorbed the impact of Anaïs’ words in my being. I remembered feeling deeply touched, teary-eyed and relieved at the same time. I was reminded, in a very gentle way, that the universe has a built-in and fail-safe mechanism to help me grow to my fullest potential, if I ever decide to do so. I was reminded to have faith that change always happens, even if it doesn’t look like anything had or could or would. I was also reminded that it is up to the flowers, not the farmer or the gardener, to decide when to blossom.

It is up to us to decide when we will change from bud to blossom. It is up to us decide when we will stop playing small and embrace our magnificence. It is up to us when we will transform our pains to joy. It is up to us to decide how much pain we want to endure before we decide to recognize and answer our spirit’s invitation for us to heal, change, grow and shine.

That’s a lot of power and responsibility, you say.

Yes, that is. And, when you decide to take the risk to change, you can trust that you have the wisdom within you to guide you through the fascinating process of renewal and growth.

Enjoy the show.

No More Singing Jitters!

2010-03-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

Diane (not her real name) felt stage-fright singing in front of a huge audience. She knew she was a talented singer because she had received many accolades for her work. Yet, when it came to singing in front of a big audience, she would fumble, forget her lyrics or just feel ill with anxiety.

When we talked, she was a few days away from performing in front of an audience of 200. She felt nervous just thinking about it, with an intensity of about 3 or a 4. She said that perhaps if she was sick before the performance then she would have an excuse for not performing perfectly. I asked her what would happen if she “failed.” And she replied that it would be the end of the world for her.

With such a strong statement, I suspected that her intensity was in fact higher than what she reported.
I inquired into why she needed to be perfect, and she recounted the story of hearing her brother being hit by her father because he wasn’t “perfect.”

We tapped:
“Even though I feel nervous, I don’t know the words for the whole song yet, I deeply and completely accept myself.”
“Even though if I failed, that would be the end of the world for me, and that won’t do, I want to trust that I will be OK anyway.”
“Even though I need to be perfect, if I am not, I will be hit just like my brother was, I deeply and completely accept how I feel.”

The tapping about her brother brought up a lot of sadness (intensity level 9) and tightness in her throat. She felt fearful and hurt for him. Diane was surprised at how intensely she felt her feelings. So we tapped on the event where she remembered her brother being punished.

“Even though I can still hear his screams, I deeply and completely forgive myself for not coming to his aid, what can a little girl do?”
“Even though I can still hear his cries, I felt so sad and hurt for him, I honor how hard it was for us both.”
“Even though I have this ‘bedroom’ scene in my head, I choose to let it go. I was sad, scared and confused, and I accept how I felt.”

Then we tapped on the meridian points:
“His screams…”
“Still echo in my ears…”
“I couldn’t help him…”
“What could a little girl do…”
“I need to be perfect…”
“It’s not fair…”
“I forgive myself for not helping him out…”
“I would get hit too if I try to help my brother…”
“I forgive myself for feeling afraid of being hit and hurt…”
“I was confused, scared and sad for both of us…”

After several rounds, she reported that she felt lighter and her throat was less tight. The intensity had fallen to 0.

Then Diane suddenly remembered a specific event from long ago: she forgot her lyrics as she sang in front of her entire graduating class in her high school graduation ceremony. There were 400 people watching her.

“Even though I forgot my lyrics in front of my whole school, I forgive myself.”
“Even though I saw their eyes looking at me, and something in me got spooked that I forgot the lyrics I had practiced over and over again, I forgive myself.”
“Even though it was unforgiveable what I did, how could I let myself down in front of the whole school, it was so humiliating! I want to forgive and accept myself anyway.”

“I mixed up the words…”
“Hit three wrong notes…”
“In front of the entire crowd…”
“What an embarrassment…”
“I was a failure…”
“I had to compete to win this opportunity, and how could I let myself down this time…”
“Their eyes…”
“The look on their faces, I can’t bear it…”
“I was imperfect and I felt so humiliated…”

We did several rounds of tapping on this scene. Then I asked her to run the scene in her mind again using the movie technique, and asked if there was any remaining intensity. She said that it was all 0.

Again, a new movie came into her mind. This one was a more recent incident where she sang in front of a crowd and again, forgot her lyrics. She felt that she had let herself and her singing teacher down. We tapped on this incident, which had an intensity of 6, and got it down to a 0.

I asked her what she would like to experience instead of the nervous feelings. She quickly answered that she would like to uplift her audience. She would like to be able to allow God’s gift to come through her so people can be in joy as they listen to her. She knew she has a gift from God, yet she was getting in her own way. As she spoke, her intensity soared again to a 10, and her throat became tight.

She burst out saying that she didn’t want to live up to her audience’s expectations. She wanted them to hear the sound of God without associating it with her. She would like the audience to just enjoy God. She would like everyone to be touched, to feel the message and experience the sound. She would like her audience to leave with the feeling of joy and light.

We tapped:
“Even though I feel nervous singing in front of a huge group, what if I forgot my lyrics again and embarrassed myself again, I choose to remember I am singing because I want to let God’s voice pass through me and uplift my audience.”
“Even though I feel afraid of letting myself down again, I choose to be the vehicle of God’s voice and allow this voice to bless my audience.”
“Even though I am afraid to forget my lyrics again, it’s easier to believe that I will just fail again, I am willing to be the channel of God’s grace.”

“I might forget my lyrics again…”
“Or I might not...”
“I invite the part of me that forget the lyrics to relax…”
“To be a vehicle of God…”
“To be a vehicle for peace…”
“I am wishing to be the channel of God…”
“I would like to let God’s voice to pass through me…”
“Letting me be the vehicle of grace…”
“Starting with me, being at peace with myself…”
“Allowing myself to feel light and joyful…”

We did a few more rounds of tapping on her intention to uplift the audience and allowing herself to be a vehicle for God’s voice. Her throat was open and relaxed by the end of our session.

A few weeks later, I emailed her to find out how her performance went. This was what she said: "The performance went well. I had little or no problems with nerves. I even had issues with phlegm in my throat and had to stop a couple times - which would have freaked me out before - but I was fine."

She sent me an mp3 of her performance, and what I heard uplifted my spirit indeed!

EFT Script: Being More Present

2010-02-23T17:57:00.000-08:00

(This EFT script was first published in Metta Center newsletter, March 2009.)

Our power is in the present, in the Now moment. However, so many of us have learned and trained ourselves to live in the past or in the future and ignored the beauty that is present in the moment. When we feel stressed, overwhelmed, or fearful over something or someone, it is an indicator that we have temporarily lost sight of the Now.

Of course, you can always bring yourself back to your powerful and precious Now by doing simple breathing meditation or simply focusing on something pleasant in the Now. But for many of us who have been entrenched in this habit of dwelling in the past or worrying about the future, it can be quite challenging to practice living fully in the present.

So, here's the EFT script that can help you become more present in your Now. Shorten the sentences or change the wordings to fit you better. Use this script as often as you like. I have included two more additional tapping points: the inside and outside of the wrist. Tap on whichever wrist you prefer.

If you want to let me know about the shifts that you experience in your energy system, or in your life, as a result of using this EFT script, I would love to hear it!

If you are not familiar with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), you can find a brief introduction to this powerful self-healing technique in my "EFT Tapping Points" webpage. For a complete, standardized EFT training and further information, please visit: http://www.emofree.com.

Tap on the Karate Chop point or rub on the Sore Spot as you say the following setup statements:

"Even though I don't know what it means to be fully present in my Now, and I judge myself for that, I deeply and completely accept who I am. I choose to appreciate all of me and where I am right now."

"Even though I am not able to be more present in my life, I forgive myself, I forgive any resistance to being present, and I forgive everyone involved. I know I deserve to freely and joyously embrace my Presence. I am willing to consider that it can be safe, and even satisfying, for me to be present. I choose to enthusiastically and joyously embrace my Presence now!"

"Even though maybe a part of me feels deeply threatened about being more present in the now, I deeply and completely love myself and accept all of my feelings. I give all of me the permission to be open to the idea that being present is a safe, delightful and wonderful experience."

Tap on the indicated EFT points and say the reminder phrases, as suggested below, either aloud or in your mind. You can change the reminder phrases to whatever words that fit you better.

Beginning of Eyebrow: "I don't know how to be more present in my now."
Side of Eye: "Maybe a part of me doesn't like to be present for whatever reasons."
Under Eye: "I judge myself for not being present."
Under Nose: "I have a powerful resistance to being more present."
Chin: "I don't want to be more present. Why should I?"
Collarbone: "The truth is, I don't know what it means to be present. I am afraid of what I don't know."
Under Arm: "A deep part of me is not certain that it is safe for me to change, and this part is running the show."
Inside of Wrist: "This part is telling me that I really don't need to be more present."
Top of Wrist: "I wonder if it is time to release this fear?"
Top of Head: "What if being more present is safe and is for the highest good for me? Would all of me be willing to trust this possibility and relax into this exciting potential?"

Beginning of Eyebrow: "I am open to healing this fear of being more present. I am open to knowing what it means and how it feels to be fully present in the Now."
Side of Eye: "I am open to considering that it is safe for me to release the resistance to being more present."
Under Eye: "I choose to accept where I am and who I am being now."
Under Nose: "I am willing to feel safe in my present moment. I have decided to embrace my Presence."
Chin: "A deep part of me might still feel afraid of being more present, I wonder what it needs to feel comforted and calm."
Collarbone: "I choose to listen to my inner guidance as to what would be comforting and calming for me as I welcome the experience of being more present in my Now"
Under Arm: "I am willing to consider that surrendering to my Presence is a safe and satisfying experience for me."
Inside of Wrist: "I no longer need to sabotage my desire to becoming more present in the Now."
Top of Wrist: "I invite and direct my whole being to heal this fear and to release this old pattern of sabotaging my being more present. I choose to relax and be at peace. I choose to trust my Presence and have fun at being more present."
Top of Head: "I love knowing that I am learning to be more present in my Now. I m proud of myself for being willing to learn, grow and change. I feel strong, safe and free. This feels good."

This EFT script is provided by Christine Metawati as a good faith effort to expand the use of EFT in the world. It represents her ideas and do not necessarily represent those of Gary Craig or EFT. Complete understanding of EFT and the EFT training videos are available at http://www.emofree.com.

Love and Grace

2010-02-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Our relationships can help us grow personally and spiritually. They invite us to rise to the challenge to be our true Selves. They invite us to allow ourselves to align with the unconditional Love we are inside, the love we want to give and receive.

The most important of all the relationships we have is our relationship with our deep inner Self - the Love we hold within us and the Life that is us.

Gently, just observe how often you accept and love yourself on a daily basis. How much do you trust your own goodness and gifts? How do you treat yourself? How do you perceive yourself? How do you soothe, comfort, care and support yourself? Do you bother to give your Self the time of day? Are you caging the Love you hold within, keeping it from radiating out and thus depriving yourself of your own fulfillment?

You can't afford to deny the importance of You, the importance of being the Love that you are. It hurts deeply when others invalidate the love you have to offer and it hurts even more when you resist your own Self from expressing fully.

How can our relationships help us to be the full expressions of ourselves? The conflicts that arise within these relationships challenge us to see what limiting stories we have insisted on keeping. It is often unpleasant to have these conflicts, yet their purpose is holy: to help us free our Self! Through these conflicts, we are given plenty of opportunities to re-author our old stories. You know when you have successfully rewritten your stories when you see your relationships change, improve and flourish. Truly, your relationships can be the path to your own liberation. So bless all your relationships, difficult ones or not, for they give you plenty of opportunities to consciously realign with your Inner Self and express the abundant Love that you are!

I recently received an inspiring email from a dear client of mine which illustrates how her work to be true to her Self helped her come to a wondrous space in her life: "I have been meaning to share an amazing experience with you for weeks now. You have been helping me throughout the Fall to release the resentment I felt towards my husband. Well, one moment about three weeks ago - I think this is what people call Grace - it went away. It just was all gone. I felt free and different. It never comes back. It's not like I forgot everything. It was that nothing had charge anymore!! I was only filled with love towards him. It still makes me want to weep because it was so beautiful."

I love what she added: "If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. Hope we all continue to believe in miracles and live a magical life."

I invite you to tend and nurture your most sacred relationship, the one with your Inner Self. And create the Grace-filled life that is possible for you!

Nature Boy

2010-02-09T00:23:00.000-08:00

As we are thinking of love this month, or any other month, here's a song that might stir the beautiful Love deep in your core.

This song was originally sang by Nat King Cole (album: "The Greatest of Nat King Cole" LP Capitol). Words and music by Eden Ahbez. This song was #1 Billboard for 8 weeks in 1948.

Click here to listen to Nat:

Click here to hear this song ala Pomplamoose (a really cool two-person Bay Area indie-band that I just recently discovered!)

Lyrics:

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise
Was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings
This he said to me
"The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return"

Stepping into the Light

2010-02-09T00:17:00.000-08:00

"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see clearly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Jerry" (not his real name) asked me to help him move past his painful feelings of loneliness and his need to be connected through touch. He found that his feelings and needs were getting in the way of his relationships.

He quietly suggested that perhaps instead of simply getting "rid" of things that didn't work, maybe it would be helpful to give himself a "replacement" item that he would like to experience in his life. I encouraged him to follow his inspiration and asked him what that replacement item would be. He thought for a moment and then very softly said, "I choose to trust that I will be loved again."

As soon as he made that choice, his energy body sighed with relief and he burst into tears. He sat for a while as his body rocked with sobs, releasing the old energies and absorbing the new and beautiful energy he had just claimed for himself.

What moments of grace! He was hearing and answering the call of his own Soul. When he chose to permit himself to trust that he would be loved again, he opened the portal to allow himself to love again. He was courageously choosing to connect with his own Source -- his eternal Self.

As he relaxed into the new energy he has chosen to live in, he gifted more healing to himself. At one point, a huge shift of energy practically flew out of his body. I asked him what he was doing at the time; he said, "I just decided to surrender and be here."

He was beaming with light at the end of our session, graceful and sublime like a rose. I was crying as I witness such a beautiful unfolding of light suffusing his body, connecting heaven and earth. I was in the presence of Love itself. It was completely awe-inspiring! And still he had more wise words to share: "To experience one's Self through the thoughts, the touch, the light of another is the essence of not being alone."

Being in the presence someone who is one with his Source is truly a joy untold.

Self-Love = Egotistical?

2010-02-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

My daughter asked me a thoughtful question: "Mom, is it OK for us to feel a 10 about ourselves?"
Some background: many of you who work with me using EFT know that I use the scale of 0 to 10 to measure the intensity level on feelings as well as the "truth" of belief-statements. So, my daughter was simply indicating a scale, in this case "10", in how good she was feeling about herself.

This question struck me as very poignant for several reasons: (1) there was a possibilty that it is not "OK" to feel good about ourselves, (2) that despite the belief I share openly with my family that we all deserve to feel good about ourselves, she is clear that, outside our home, this belief is not shared with her circle of friends in school, which led me to point (3): while my daughter attends a school that believes in developing children's self-esteem by honoring who they are, the influence of the message "it is not ok to feel so good about yourself" is still very strong.

I chose to answer her question with another question: "Why wouldn't it be?" She answered, "Some of my friends think that it is selfish if I feel great about who I am, or if I think I am a '10'. I wonder if I am being egotistical?" Sensing that she needed an assurance, I shared my viewpoint that "If you see yourself as a '10', and you see others as a '10' even if you don't like their behavior, then I think you can safely say that you are not egotistical. If you think you are a '10' and all others are '1' or '2' and you have the right to walk all over them, then you might get into egotistical territory." I didn't know if I was correct or not on this, but this is how I view the situation. My daughter seemed hugely comforted.

Then, she asked again, "What if your friend who feel like a '5' gets mad at you because you are feeling like a '10'?" I shared with her what I learned from one of my teachers: "Another person's refusal to honor and love themselves is none of my business." So, together, we decided that she didn't need to bend down to match the level '5' if that's not how she was feeling. No one ever needs to. She is always allowed to feel as good about herself as she wants to feel, and she can allow others to feel how they want to feel about themselves. It is not her responsibility to make others feel good about themselves, especially at the expense of her self-love.

Her eyes beamed with peace as she embraced that liberating decision. As a mother, I felt a sense of relief and compassion flowing through me. I remembered struggling with the same question until my mid-30's. I felt grateful that she had a chance to have what I hope to be a different and more life-affirming perspective on self-love.

My definition of self-love involves respecting, accepting and appreciating myself. It also involves giving myself the validation and recognition I deserve, and being honest with myself about my feelings, needs, desires, limitations and strengths. It involves being patient as I grow in my awareness and learn how to love in life, allowing my gifts and talents to shine and benefit the world I have chosen to be my home. I believe that, as part of self-love, it is also important that we develop the ability to set boundaries in a respectful, and truthful way to others and ourselves.

I love this affirmation from Louise Hay: "I come from the loving space of my heart, and know that love opens all doors. I have come to this planet to learn to love myself more, and to share those love with all those around me."

It is more than OK for each of us to love ourselves and feel great about who we are, I think it's divine!

Metta Meditation

2010-02-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." ~ Buddha

The practice of metta, or loving kindness, cultivates unconditional friendliness toward the self and others. It raises the vibration of the person practicing it as well as the people receiving the energy of loving kindness itself.

In this simplified version of the traditional form of metta meditation, send metta to yourself by inwardly repeating the following verses: "May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be at ease. May I live in peace." Repeat the phrases several times, noticing and accepting any feeling that arise from deep within your heart chakra.

Then, bring others to your mind and silently direct those wishes to them, replacing the "I" with "you". If you like, as you go about with your day, direct these thoughts and metta to everyone you meet.

The Gifts of a New Year

2010-01-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

New Year is an exciting time for me. It is true that we can start anew any day, any time and every day. However, New Year always holds a special energy of growth for me. There is an energy of excitement, and anticipation of all wonderful things. And, the New Year bears with it powerful potentiality ready to express itself.

Setting your sacred intention for the New Year is a powerful step to consciously create the year that you want.

Unlike a New Year's resolution, setting a sacred intention for the New Year is not about just setting goals to be reached. It is more about setting the "flavor" for the year: what spiritual qualities would you fill your new year with?

For example, if you would like to have a year of meaningful work and deep connection with others, your intention could be something along the line, "I intend to create a meaningful life for me filled with fulfilling work and loving relationships with others." Maybe what you would like is to explore and enjoy life beyond what you are familiar with, then your intention could be "I intend to experience more joy and wonder in my life. I intend to grow with ease." Make sure that you set sacred intention that resonates with you at a very deep level and that you feel delighted at the thought of this intention guiding you throughout the year.

Once you set this intention, visualize or feel what it looks like to be living your intention. If you can't imagine or guess what a meaningful life looks or feels like, just relax and tune in to the feeling of being fulfilled. If there is mind chatter that diminishes your intention, thank it for its input and turn your focus back to the good feelings and your sacred intention. Don't worry about the "how-to"s at this stage. This is the stage where you plant the seed. You can trust that there is information available within the seed to guide its germination and growth.

If you like, you can do a mini-ritual where you write down your sacred intention on a small piece of paper. Then, plant this paper into the ground under a plant that you love.

Throughout the year, your sacred work will be to nurture this intention. Take stock of your current life to see how it is aligned with your sacred intention. What parts of your life are no longer in alignment with it? To be in integrity with your intention, some parts of your life will need to be let go and you may need to learn new ways of being. Regularly check with yourself: What do I need now to further support my sacred intention?

Remember to focus on gratitude, hope and faith. These are energies with high vibrations that will speed up the manifestation of life experiences that fulfill your sacred intention.

Wishing you a year filled with delight, peace, and joy!

Forgiveness

2010-01-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

I call this the other "F" word.

No, not because it is insulting or derogatory in any way. It is just that it has so much charge associated with it, almost like the word "God". Many people are turned off by it, and some people get defensive when this word is mentioned as a possibility to heal and change a situation.

I think that is because we each have such varied definitions of forgiveness.

Oh yes, I have heard about forgiveness since I was a little girl. What I thought as of forgiveness was simply not to talk about the issue or think about it anymore. On the surface, all was "forgiven", but not really.

In my early 30s, something happened in my life that shook me to the core and brought out all my fears. I felt bewildered, trapped and scared.

Right around that time, someone gave me a book by Gary Zukav "The Seat of the Soul". I read it to take my mind off the situation. And, somewhere in it, I remembered reading that when we are faced with a challenge, practice going within to ask what our soul wants us to learn through the challenge.

I had nothing to lose, so I tried this exercise. To my surprise, I heard a reply from within: "To forgive."

I wasn't expecting anything would actually happen, so I was surprised to hear anything, Something or someone from within was actually answering me.

However, I didn't know how to forgive. I could think of Jesus' famous words on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they were doing." But that didn't feel right to me because I was so sure the people involved knew what they were doing, so I wasn't going to use Jesus' line because it didn't feel congruent to me. So, I asked myself another question: "How?"

I was flashed with a loving feeling, what I now recognized as a feeling of gratitude. I understood that all I need to do to forgive is to send this loving feeling outward to the situation and the people involved.

So, I did as guided, not knowing that this little decision to obey my inner guidance would have such an incredible impact in my life.

To my surprise, within a day the situation was changed 180 degrees, and the people involved came to an understanding. The end result actually was quite to my liking and felt right to me. What a miracle for me.

That's when I understood the meaning and the power of forgiveness.

It wasn't about "Oh, what happened was OK, I can handle it" (because I couldn't, frankly speaking). It wasn't about "I forgive you because I am so enlightened" (because I didn't even know how to forgive at the time). It wasn't about "I forgive you because what is happening is OK with me" (because it wasn't).

To me, forgiveness is about opening up to feel the love inside me when it was hard to find it all around me. It was about giving myself the permission to feel better no matter what was happening outside.

Come to think of it, forgiveness was really about practicing to remember the love that I have within me. Forgiveness is really about me -- not about the other people involved.

May you discover the love that you are capable of being, having, receiving and giving.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

You suppose you are the trouble
But you are the cure
You suppose that you are the lock on the door
But you are the key that opens it
It's too bad that you want to be someone else
You don't see your own face, your own beauty
Yet, no face is more beautiful than yours.

- Rumi

Here's to your blossoming and growing in bliss, peace, joy, abundance and light!

Namaste,
Christine

Breathing Meditation

2009-12-25T00:55:00.000-08:00

One of my clients has taught me this simple and yet profoundly beautiful meditation.

The instructions are simple:
1. Breath in love
2. Breath out joy
3. Repeat ad infinitum until you feel done

Give it a try. I found that this meditation quickly aligns me with such delicious feelings of well-being!

Thank you, R.S., for sharing this wonderful meditation with me.

Stillness

2009-12-25T00:53:00.000-08:00

It is winter here in the Bay Area. The temperature has plummeted, the rain has visited, the sunlight is paler, and many of the trees have dropped their leaves. Mother Earth is making space for a new beginning.

Winter inspires gentle stillness within me. In that stillness, I can feel the acknowledgment of what has been and the quiet excitement of what is to come. Winter teaches how we can hold a graceful balance between the old and the new. It teaches how we can honor the process of transformation.

Take a moment to be still and go inward. Honor that place, where what has been and what is coming can come together in peace.

Thank You, 2009!

2009-12-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

What are you happy with in 2009? What are you grateful for? What surprised you this year?

I love using EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to tap while naming what I am grateful for and appreciate in my life. This process allows me to embody the vibration of appreciation (which feels really good!) and also shifts my energy even more towards Love. Not only do I feel very peaceful, but I also notice that it is easier to attract what I want in life when I vibrate in this gratitude state!

So, here's an example of my Gratitude Tapping that you can use to express your appreciation for 2009 as you welcome 2010! Of course, change the words around to fit what you are truly grateful for.

I skip the Karate Chop point and go straight to the meridian points on the face, body and head. I also skip all the tapping points on the fingers, but you can definitely add them back into your gratitude tapping routine. For details on EFT Tapping Points, click here.

Eyebrow: I am grateful for a life full of growth, joy and well-being that I have been blessed with this year!

Side of Eye: I appreciate my health, my freedom, my body, my family, my friends, my clients, my colleagues, my students and teachers, my home...

Under Eye: I love experiencing new things and discovering more of who I am and what I am capable of...

Under Nose: I appreciate my freedom to be whom I want to be...

Chin: I am so grateful for the opportunities and support to grow in all aspects of my life, to joyfully fulfill my life purpose and to do what I love...

Collarbone: I love knowing and experiencing that there are always beauty and gentleness around us...

Under Arm: I love the insights, guidance and inspiration I receive every day. I love feeling so connected to my Source! I love the synchronicities I experience regularly in my life...

Top of Head: I appreciate all the blessings in my life! I am delighted to know that I live in an abundant Universe and I welcome the many more blessings that are coming my way!

Please note:
The EFT script above is provided as a good faith effort to expand the use of EFT in the world. It represents my ideas and do not necessarily represent those of Gary Craig or EFT. Complete understanding of EFT and the EFT training videos are available at http://www.emofree.com.

Faith

2009-12-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

The following post was first published as an article in December 2006 Metta Center Newsletter.

As the holiday season approaches, I couldn't help but read all the messages of peace, hope, joy and love everywhere I look. These messages delight me because, whether or not they are consciously noticed at all, they subliminally invite us to explore and experience these wonderful qualities of ourselves. Ask yourself: Do you give yourself the license to feel and accept these high vibration feelings, or do you shrink away from them?

This season also brings me to contemplate the topic of faith, particularly faith in oneself. What is “faith” really? Is it a conviction, or is it trust? What does it feel like, to have faith in yourself? How do you know if you have enough of it? And, if you are short of it, where do you get more?

To me, having faith in myself means having complete trust that I contain within me all the skills, talents, guidance and wisdom I need to manifest my spirit, my own unique signature and vibration, into the physical world. When I have faith in myself, everything is possible and doable. When I have faith in myself, in my heart and inspirations, I am one with the universal creative power. When I have faith in myself, I feel engaged in life. Obstacles are not problems, just challenges that are surmountable.

When I have lost faith in myself -- or perhaps more accurately, when I hear fearful thoughts within me and value the fears more than the faith in myself -- I will feel "off". Life becomes a series of tedious and complicated processes. Small problems loom huge. I feel stuck, irritable, anxious, confused, flat or simply depressed. When these symptoms appear in my life, that's a clue to me that I am heading off course.

To stay on my spiritual path, Spirit is constantly inviting me to cultivate more faith in myself, to remember who I really am, and to develop even more trust in my inspirations. I often happily oblige, but when I resist it, that's OK too; it simply means I have more learning to do, particularly on loving myself. This is the time for resolving my shadows, healing past wounds, recognizing my unique contributions and potentials and learning new ways to fill my own needs. As I do my spiritual work on myself, I grow in my understanding of myself. I grow in my compassion and faith in myself, and in all humanity.

Cultivating faith in myself has been a journey of understanding and accepting who I am, where I am and where I am going.

I love this quote from James Thorton: "Ultimately, we must learn to trust ourselves. When we do this intimately and intelligently, the world opens full of meaning before us. We find that we ourselves are the doorway to a fathomless understanding of the source of life itself. We need only to learn to walk through it."

Wishing you great peace, wonders and joy as you walk through your life, learning to unfold your magical self, one inspiring breath at a time!

Accepting Grace

2009-11-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

On this coming Thursday, in the U.S. we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Holiday. A special day in the year that is set aside to appreciate our blessings.

Receiving all the myriads of blessings in our lives with joy and gratitude is a powerful and uplifting spiritual practice that can be easily done on a daily basis.

It is easy to be grateful when things are going our way but what about when the events in our life are not to our liking? Accepting our "fate" may feel like defeat and where's the glory in that?

Here are some tips to help you to feel good (and grateful) about your life, even when things are not going well:

Take the time to find something in your life that is going well. I found that when I pay attention to the beauty, the peace, the harmony, the quietness, the gentleness, the ease, the spaciousness, the safety, and the love that IS around, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
It is so helpful to remember that we are all worthy to receive grace by virtue of who we truly are: spiritual beings in human form and beloved children of the universe.
Think of some of the blessings that other people have brought into your life. Perhaps a stranger offered a kind word of support or comfort during a difficult time, or maybe a friend offered a word of guidance or inspiration that helped take you to a new vantage point. Focus on your heart and visualize a gentle glow in your chest. Feel your heart swell with gratitude as you reflect that all these blessings were offered to you in the spirit of love.
Contemplate this possibility: even those whom you have difficulty loving are offering you their love. Maybe it is not the kind of love you want, but it is love the best way they could give you. When you begin to see that all that has ever been offered to you is love, whether or not you like the particular flavor, you will find it easier to accept grace.
Use EFT or TAT (or whatever other energy therapy tools that you prefer) to shift your limiting beliefs involving love and worthiness, such as: "Nothing can change for me, I will never be loveable enough, worthy enough or good enough," or "There is nothing in this world that I truly love," or "There is nothing worth loving in this world," etc. You will find yourself in a better-feeling place where you can be open to new perspectives about your situation.

I believe that is the power of grace -- seeing what is already present with new recognition and appreciation. It is a practice of trusting in the abundance of the world around us, and remembering our own true worthiness.

The Power of Gratitude

2009-11-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

"Gratitude is heaven itself." ~ William Blake

Offering gratitude is way to open your heart. Gratitude is an outflow of positive feelings and, in return, you receive an inflow of positive feelings. This flow of energy exchange keeps your heart soft and open, ready for more blessings and giving. It improves your mood and attitude about life, and it opens you for more wonders in life.

As we approach Thanksgiving Day and the holiday season, I invite you to take some quiet time for reflection. Just remember and appreciate all that you are, all that you have and all that you have done. Notice what that does to your heart chakra.

About five years ago, I started my daily ritual of giving thanks when I woke up in the morning and when I go to bed at night. This daily ritual helps me honor and value the everyday blessings in my life. This practice also helps me be aware of the wonders of the world and be in the child's mind, open and receptive. Here's another gratitude practice that is easy to do and definitely will have a positive effect on your life: keep a gratitude journal where you write for 5 minute each day about what you genuinely feel grateful for in your life. You can usually sense a shift in your energy level afterwards.

If it has been your annual routine to get busy and stressed out around the holidays, perhaps this is the year you could pause to remember what is most important for you this season. Set your holiday intention. Is this a season where you would like to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones? Perhaps this is the season where you would like restore balance in your life and be more relaxed? Or, maybe this is the season for you to count your blessings and rejoice in every moment. Whatever your intention is, align your actions with it, and you will find a different kind of holiday season unfolding for you: one that is more fulfilling, filled with mirth and more ease.

I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Pivoting

2009-11-05T17:41:00.001-08:00

Divine Energy, which flows through everything and all of us, is always accessible to us.

Accessing the Divine Energy is quite easy. Just intend to do so. Take a moment now, and say to yourself, "I intend to connect with Light", or "I intend to connect with my Divine Source," and wait for an experience. Intend and decide that you can connect and align with your Divine Energy quite effortlessly and it will happen for you in that manner.

Your experience will be different from another person's, for your connection and your relationship with your Divine Energy is uniquely yours. Please don’t compare what you experience with another person's experience.

There are times when it is more challenging to connect with this wonderful, beautiful part of you, especially if you have been focused for a long time on that which is not working, what you do not have yet, or what you are doing wrong still in your life.

How do you get from a place where you feel separated from your Divine Source to a place of alignment and connection with it?

Abraham-Hicks in the book, "Ask and It is Given," teaches a process called "Pivoting." (I love the work of Abraham-Hicks, a non-physical teacher of the Law of Attraction that is channeled through Esther Hicks.) The Pivoting Process helps us turn our attention away from the negatives or the "potholes in life" and deliberately switch our focus to our preferred experiences. In other words, it is a process of changing our vibration so that rather than resisting the negatives or focusing on them, which keeps us in the same vibration and attracts the same stuff again and again, we turn our focus around and thus we offer a different vibration from within our being so that we can experience what we want instead.

Here's how I have done it:

I feel negatively, that is, I notice that I am holding or feeling negative emotions, it is a clue that I am presently looking at something I don't want. As I get intimately clear about what I don't want, I receive clarity about what I do want.
Based on this clarity of what I want, I imagine that what I want is already fulfilled. (I see it, feel it, know it, smell it, taste it, hear it, basically in whichever way that tells me, "Yup, that's what I want.")
I decide to relax and trust that my Source, my Soul, is now experiencing that new state of being, and that what I want to experience is already manifested.
I take the time to move into alignment with my source by deliberately looking around me and finding all the blessings of well-being that are already here in my life and appreciate them.

This is such a simple but powerful process to apply, helping yourself feel better and moving you to a higher vibrational level.

To give you an example, one day I had a splitting headache. The various energy therapy methods I tried on myself didn't help, and, I was despairing. Then, I remembered this process. When the headache happened, I knew what I wanted to feel was well-being. So, I relaxed, and looked around for evidence of well-being around me. I saw a beautiful flower bobbing in the wind, and it was so lovely! In that split second, the headache was gone completely. Then, I went back to notice that my headache was gone, and the headache came back. I did this back and forth several times, and decided that I preferred well-being, and I took my attention off the headache and put it completely on all the beautiful blessings in my life. I was well.

Give this process a try whenever you feel negative, and see how it works for you. Try it for a week. You will be delighted to see and know how capable you are in re-connecting again with your Divine Source.

A Universe in Balance

2009-11-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

I feel so very blessed indeed.

Today, I saw the harvest moon rise over the hills on my right side as the sun set over the San Francisco Bay on my left side! I was witnessing a perfectly balanced moment in life.

Later, my husband told me that on his flight out to Denver early this morning, he saw the moon set and the sun rose. What an amazing synchronicity! He, too, witnessed a perfectly balanced cosmos in motion.

Wow.

Yin and Yang, the sun and the moon, night and day, dancing in perfect harmony. I sighed in great awe and love for this great gift of an amazingly balanced universe.

My heart is still singing with pure gladness! It feels so brilliant and expansive with joy! I simply LOVE this feeling!

A Message from Archangel Michael

2009-10-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Archangel Michael's name means "he who is like God" or "he who looks like God". To me, his vibration is one of infinite love and patience. I could be throwing a fit, angry at God, and he would still come to my side. I don't always hear him, but he always makes it known he is here with his vibration of love and faith. If you are in a pinch, or just want to try to connect with him, call him. You can say "Archangel Michael, please come to me now. I need to talk." and then just talk like you would with a friend. Don't worry, you are not insane when you hear him. He is very real and very gentle.

Beloved,

Much have you learned, o dear ones. You have come a long way since you began your journey home. Fear not that you must suffer more.

Light is strong now on earth. We are preparing for the return of the Christ consciousness in each of you. Be willing to accept the Love within.

There are sorrow in some of you. Please release them to us. We cannot take your burden away without you giving them to us. We have not abandoned you. We have always been with you. Have faith that you are heard.

Some of you demand a guarantee of safety in passage. Do you know not that there is nothing that can truly harm you, o powerful ones? You fear to know who you truly are.

When you realized that you are Light, you are home.

This message is ended with so much loving energy for all of us. Close your eyes for a moment, and see if you can feel or sense it. Notice your heart area. Give yourself some quiet moment to receive such unconditional love.

Dare to Be Clear

2009-10-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

This article was first published in Metta Center email newsletter (October 2, 2007 issue.)

"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from." ~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

A while back, a client asked me, "Do you ever get overwhelmed?" To which I replied, "Of course!"

I have come to understand the teachings of this emotion we call "overwhelment." I have learned to appreciate and celebrate its message, and its energy can be harnessed to gain powerful clarity into what is needed to bring my life back to balance.

Feeling overwhelmed is an indicator that we are not centered in our being. Think of it as being out of the range of joy, love and appreciation that is our natural element. When we heed the message of this emotion and choose to apply its wisdom in our life, we can turn our situation around for the better, and grow in the positive direction without having to undergo further downward spiral into blame, procrastination, excuses and so on.

For many people, the key signals of feeling overwhelmed are discomfort and constrictions in the physical body, the feeling of emotional chaos inside, a sense of mental confusion and spiritual disconnection. In other words, our body, mind, emotion and spirit, our whole being, is giving a loud alarm bell to tell us that a new direction is needed so that we can bring ourselves back to peace and well-being. Can you see the gift in this emotion? This emotion is alerting you, "Dude, you're going the opposite way from where you want to go!"

But many of us have become trained to ignore these early signals and too often simply tough it out. Some of us have even been trained to fear these signals. Some of us judge ourselves for having these signals, as if we are not "powerful" or "strong" enough to withstand the conditions. These habitual responses come at a cost to ourselves because instead of gaining the wisdom of clarity we could get from appreciating the signals, we become lost in the symptoms and the dis-ease that comes with them.

So, I encourage you to notice this negative emotion, accept it and thank it for being present to guide you. Then, take the steps to identify and apply its message to help you help yourself.

When you recognize that you are feeling overwhelmed:
1. Allow yourself to stop (or at least slow w-a-a-a-y down,): Take a deep breath, and create space for you to inquire within for the hidden gem of wisdom. Rather than beating yourself up for feeling overwhelmed, honor your emotional information. When you accept and value the higher guidance inherent in this (or any negative emotion) you allow Light to enter and guide you.

2. Dare to be clear: Set your intention to be clear of what your Inner Being is guiding you to know so that you can go back to your center and find peace. You can start with an inquiry: "What do I need to know now to bring me back to peace?" Or, "What is it I am being asked to be clear about here?" Or your can just allow the right question to bubble up from within you. Take the time to evaluate, amend and clarify your values and intentions because these easily have changed as you continue to have new perspectives in life. Your Inner Being is constantly inviting you to expand yourself and your life in an easy and graceful way towards that which you value most and want most in your life.

3. Lead yourself: Honor your inner guidance and change your course. Allow yourself to adjust your priorities and shift your focus to be in alignment with new values and intentions coming from your new clarity. Of course, this means invariably that you enter into new territories -- new ways of thinking, habits and actions. Welcome this opportunity to grow according to your inner rhythm!

This deliberate process of changing and growing is not without effort, but it feels effort-less and wonderfully exhilarating and fulfilling! It is co-creating your life by connecting to the inspiration of your own Divine Self!

So, celebrate your awareness of your feeling of "overwhelment"! Dare to be clear about what you value in life and lead your life by the light of your own clarity!

Meditation: The Joy of Breath

2009-10-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple and powerful meditation to help you connect with the true power and magic of your breath.

Often we take our breath for granted. Do you ever wonder what you would experience if you spent time honoring and marvelling at each breath you took in?

Ready to find out?

Here are the steps:

Get comfortable, either standing up, seated or lying down. Just allow yourself to feel at ease and deeply supported by the ground, the chair, or whatever surface you are on.
Close your eyes and take several nice, deep breaths. Allow your mind and body to relax.
Be aware of your breaths. Notice the temperature of your breath coming in and going out. Notice how your chest or your belly gently moves up and down in sync with your breathing. Notice that each breath is so unique and different. Spend some time doing this and you will feel even more relaxed.
Next, allow yourself to do something different with your breath: honor it, marvel in it, adore it, love it, enjoy and appreciate it as the most precious gift you have received.
As you spend time tuning into and appreciating each breath, notice what feelings, thoughts, sensations or impressions come up for you. If you notice nothing, that's fine. If you notice something, be aware of it.
It usually feels really good to just spend time appreciating each breath, because it is such a sacred connection with your Life Force, with your Spirit. So, take your time and continue appreciating your breaths for a few minutes or so. If you find your mind wandering, don't worry. Just come back to your breathing and honor the breath again. You will find yourself feeling more and more relaxed as you appreciate your breaths.
Honor your inner experience and sacred deep connection with your Life Force. As you honor your breath, you honor YOU. During this process, you might find yourself accessing your own deeper wisdom, truths and knowing. Insights, inspirations and realizations might pop in spontaneously. Embrace them and thank your Spirit for the information.
When you feel complete and ready to return to the here and now, spend some time appreciating yourself for taking the time to do this meditation, and thanking your body for its service to your life.
If you find this meditation helpful, you can practice the breath appreciation anytime, even with eyes wide open.

If you have any pains (emotional or physical), often the pain will subside within a few moments as you do this simple practice. I found myself smiling through the aches and pains of the flu I had last week. It was a truly amazing spiritual practice for me.

Remembering Self

2009-10-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

If you knew of a very sad, scared, lonely, or angry part of you, what would you give it to heal it? So very often we look outward for sympathy, for assistance, for support, for gifts of love. But we forgot to look inward and give what we want to ourselves.

Recently, I was very ill. While lying in bed, I took the time to go inward and seek the root-cause of my illness and bring healing to it. In my inner journey, I met a very sad part of me deep inside, where both time and I had forgotten her. There she was suddenly, front and center, both a visual image and a knowing. I knew from reading the Abraham-Hicks books that if whenever I feel a powerful negative emotion that means there is something really important that I want. I noticed how sad this part of me was, so I asked her what she wanted to feel better. She just looked at me, confused, as if she didn't know what to do with that question. No one had ever asked her before what she wanted. She started wailing because she realized how long it had been since she asked for anything for herself, and she had forgotten what she wanted. She couldn't even remember who she was anymore, and that upset her even more.

Can you imagine how my heart just ached to see this part of me so miserable? I was basking in the glory of Light every day, and there she was, confused, not knowing who she was.

I gently guided her back to her right to ask for what she wants, for her right to know who she really is. I invited her to consider she might be coming from the same Source I do. She spent a long time just gazing into what seemed like a forever-space for me. It was a field of void. Carolyn Myss called this field "Potentiality." I didn't know what this part of me was thinking; I just waited by her side patiently. She turned to me slowly, still with a sad smile, saying that she would explore the time-space continuum and find what she was looking for. She finally remembered that she was free as the wind, and that was good enough to start her on her own journey.

I cried lots and lots. I never knew that a part of me felt so lost. I knew I was being shown how to find my lost self and bring her back to Light in a new way. This was a process of reuniting the parts to the whole. As the interaction came to a close, I felt warm feelings radiating out of my chest, throughout my torso and back. I felt movement in the shape of eternity (the sideways figure 8) on my 3rd eye, my shoulders, my hips and my ankles, weaving in and out, connecting my left side and right side. It was as if I was being weaved or re-knitted.

I think this incredible spiritual experience taught me that a simple gesture of self-love and kindness can powerfully move a person towards wholeness and healing.

I invite you to consider reaching inward, listening deeply, and giving to yourself that which you seek from the outside world. Then, be ready for the magic to unfold from within you, helping you remember who You really are!

You Can Have It All!

2009-09-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

There is no limit to the joy you can have

There is no limit to the love you can receive

This is the message I received from Spirit and I want to pass it along to you. Close your eyes for a moment, and take a deep breath. Just let yourself feel the great love that surrounds you and is available to you at each moment, with each breath. Yup, right now, if you want to. Go ahead, the world can wait...

Isn't it simply delicious?

The Power of Now vs. To-Do List

2009-09-14T11:00:00.001-07:00

A client of mine recently e-mailed me, "Don't you think 'The Power of Now' and to-do lists are polar extremes?"

I was struck by his astute observations. Sometimes I do feel that my to-do list is taking me away from being present in the moment.

Interestingly, earlier that same morning, I was being presented with the opportunity to choose: go with the flow and do what I want to do (visit the U.C. Botanical Garden), or do what is on my to-do list.

I decided that, since my priority in life is: my Spiritual Self first, my family second and work third, I chose to go to the Botanical Garden. It feels very good whenever I stick to my priorities and connect with my Self first.

When I arrived at the garden, I noticed that I was feeling quite excited with anticipation of the wonders I would see there. By the time I reached the Garden of Old Roses, I was positively elated and giddy like a child. I wondered why aren't we more joyous as adults? I heard myself answering, "Because it is more important to be 'together' than to be happy." This is funny, because I can see how that has been true for me many times, and perhaps it is true for you as well. We, as adults, are expected to be calm and collected even if we are happy. The expression of joy often is expected to be contained and controlled, especially in public places. one must "act like a sensible adult."

After appreciating my subconscious for bringing up the limiting belief so I could shift it, I decided right then and there to allow myself to fully express the delight I felt inside me. I decided to let my joy flow out of me in whatever way it wanted to. I blessed the world I saw with love, poems, songs, laughter and appreciation. And what a powerful and unparalleled NOW I experienced in that time-space: each moment was sweet, special and beautiful. I was having a wonderful date with Life!

I noticed that as I appreciated Life, I was feeling appreciated, blessed and fulfilled in return. I felt very spacious inside!

I sat on a bench just smiling and loving life. And it only took one hour out of my day.

Later, when I was ready to begin with my to-do list, I was eager, energized and inspired. I was very excited to begin my work. I loved that the first email I read was from my client with the question above. I saw it as a sign from the Universe that taking care of my Spirit first was the right choice for me.

Because of the spaciousness I felt within, it was so much easier for me to be present when I took care of my to-do list. I also had the extra added benefit: my Presence infused my tasks with a new level of joy and lightness of being!

If you find yourself fighting your to-do list, perhaps you might consider that you are being invited to take care of your Self by connecting with your Spirit first. Accept that invitation! And be open to be delightfully surprised at how effortlessly and effectively you can take care of your to-do list.

There is No Limit to How Much Joy We Can Receive

2009-06-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

I was sitting on the grass in my garden, looking at the blue sky, and I asked myself, "How am I feeling now?" And, the answer came, "I am happy." I was feeling happy for no reason at all. Just pure happiness. Simple and pure. I felt like a child, so delighted and in love with life!

I laughed with such great joy!

In that moment of clarity, I realized that there is no limit to how much joy we can receive. There is absolutely no limit! To top off this sweetness, we don't even need a reason before we can allow ourselves to feel so happy. We don't have to win, or to be right, or to be well, or to be whatever we think we need to be, to have or to do before we can allow ourselves to be in joy.

We can be joyous because we are Joy incarnate.

A client told me once that, to him, happiness is elusive like a butterfly. It never comes when you want it to.

I think happiness comes when we allow ourselves to receive it without putting a condition on when we can receive it or how much of it we are allowed to have.

Meditation: Going to Your Source

2009-06-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Inside Michael J. Tamura's book, "You Are the Answer," there are several simple exercises to help you nurture your intuition and awareness. (To find out more about his work and his lectures, visit his website at www.michaeltamura.com.)

For fun, I practiced one that is called, "Awareness Exercise: Seeking First That Which Gives Everything." It is so wonderful that I want to share it with you!

When I do this meditation, eyes opened or closed, I connect to a beautiful energy of peace, love and joy. I can feel how deeply accepted and loved I am by my own Spirit. Not only that, I am aware that my awareness is aware of many things at once, which is simply amazing to me.

So, here are the steps, adapted from Michael's book:

When you are new to this meditation, you might want to do it with your eyes closed to help you focus more easily. Find a time where you can be free of interruption for about 10-15 minutes, and find a place to be comfortable in. Close your eyes.
Relax your body, take several deep breaths, easily and gently.
First, bring your awareness to your breathing.
Next, bring your awareness to your body, noticing your toes, your legs, your hip, your abdominal area, your chest, your back, your neck and your head.
Next, allow yourself to be aware of your emotions and your thoughts. Allow whatever you are feeling or thinking to just be there. There is no need to fix or change anything.
By now, you are aware that you have an awareness.
Say "Hi!" to your awareness like you would to a friend. Michael Tamura says, "Your awareness is your friend!"
Then, gently, ask your awareness to go "towards that which gives me everything," and it knows how to find this. Just relax and observe.
Allow yourself to be surprised with where your awareness takes you to.
When your awareness is first given this task, there could be some confusion and it might first go to your mom, your dad or a person whom you have had assigned the role of "the giver of everything I need." But, you will notice that your awareness has an incredible way of discerning that these people are not truly your Source. Keep reminding your awareness to go toward that which gives you everything. Your awareness will move on until it finds your Source.
Notice what you observe when you feel that your awareness has arrived at its destination.
Notice what changes within you as you connect with your Source. Notice what changes in your awareness. Take a deep breath.
Allow yourself a few moments with your Source, taking deep breaths as necessary.
When you feel complete, say, "Thank you" to your awareness and yourself.
Take a gentle deep breath, stretch and open your eyes.
Notice how differently you feel after this meditation, before you get up and continue on with your day.
Allow yourself to bring back with you the best feeling from the meditation.

Just for fun, after you are familiar with this meditation, do it with your eyes wide open!

I noticed that when I did this meditation with my eyes wide open, I was in love with everything I see. I was amused and delighted with life. Looking with the eyes of my Source, everything was beautiful and perfect as it was -- nothing to fuss about. I simply love the glorious and liberating feeling of deep peace and contentment I felt inside of me!

Enjoy this meditation! I would love to hear about your experience practicing it.

A Healing Song

2009-06-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

H.P., whose story I shared below, has written a beautiful song that I want to share it with you (with her permission, of course.)

I love her uplifting lyrics and soothing voice. I hope you find this song healing and inspiring for you as well.

This is how she described her song to me,

"I went out to watch the sunset and it was wonderful... I also felt inspired to write a song after our session, so i came home and recorded it... It is not done, I need to fine tune it, but here is what I have so far. I am not playing the guitar, it is prerecorded on garage band."

Thank you, H.P., for sharing the beauty of your spirit.

Click here to listen to it.

Taking Care of Self

2009-06-08T18:54:00.001-07:00

How would you like to care for yourself? How would you like to be cared for? What does caring for yourself look like? What within you is asking for your care and attention?

We all care for ourselves, one way or another. We care for our physical selves in obvious ways like driving carefully, brushing our teeth, eating nutritious food, dressing and housing ourselves, and so on.

There are also numerous ways we can care for ourselves emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

My client, H.P., recently wrote me her insights about what taking care of herself is about. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do.

I got to communicate with my dad.

At first, I was just watching myself as a one year old playing with him... Christine then asked me how it feels to be with him... It felt safe, comforting,and free, like I was "home."

Then Christine said, "He lives on a higher plane and h.e has a lot to teach you, what is he saying?" ... And then it got really quiet and I heard him say, "I love you, and please don't take life so seriously," and then he hugged me as the one year old and me as I am now... We were all three hugging...

Then the one year old was left alone, he went away.

Christine asked how she feels, and I said confused, sad, afraid... She told me to hug the one year old, and ask her what she needs from me... She said she just needed me to be there to hold her and love her and not try to fix how she is feeling... so I did just that... And all of a sudden, I felt so free and light, and my anger, confusion, grief... all that stuff I must have felt then and carried with me until today... was leaving my body...

It was so crazy... I am experiencing that, when you take the time to go in and look at old wounds and face them honestly, they heal... I feel like a huge weight has lifted off of me. It is so hard to even explain...

For the first time ever, I understand what it means and feels like to take care of yourself. It means deep listening and finding the origin of your pain and then shining your light of unconditional love onto those parts of you that are screaming for your attention, and then giving them a hug.

Gently Held

2009-06-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir

I haven't been feeling well lately. Yet, I was inspired to go to nature for some sunshine and to celebrate life anyway.

As I walked in the meadow up the hill from my home, admiring the gentle ripple of the grasses, I felt a gentle and peaceful energy enveloping me. It was as if Mother Earth had embraced me in her arms. As I walked down the path, I felt all tension and resistance just melt away from my body. I felt like there was a cocoon of softness around my physical body. It was a new and strange sensation, and I loved it!

I allowed myself the experience and appreciated every sweet moment of it.

The tranquility available in nature is so inspiring, healing and comforting. I invite you to treat yourself and go out there to commune with nature. May you feel yourself touched by Grace, and held in gentleness and love.

Making Space for Spirit

2009-05-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

The following post was first published as an article in June 2008 Metta Center Newsletter.

Sometimes we are afraid to say "no!" to the outside obligations that inch into our lives. I have learned to say "know," instead of "no": it is up to me to know what is most important for me at this moment. This strategy helps me set clear boundaries and create more space for me to focus my energy on being, having and doing what's truly meaningful for me.

Creating space for yourself is creating space for your Spirit. It is really not difficult at all, actually. Definitely not rocket science. In only requires your commitment to the key concept that you are an important person in your life.

When we make room for our Spirit, we make room for ourselves to remember who we are inside: joy-filled beings! We make room for grace, ease and light to be in our daily lives. We make room for being more in balance. Happiness is not just something that comes once in a while, but a state of being that comes from being in full and constant connection with our Divine Self.

Meditating, chanting or toning, praying, self-healing, doing yoga, dancing, listening to and playing music, painting, gardening, walking in nature, writing, reading, laughing and playing with your family or pets are examples of ways you can begin to create room for your Spirit to be part of your life. But, the best way for you is tailored just for you. Ask yourself, in a quiet and gentle way, "What makes my heart smile?" And listen for the unique way you can welcome your Spirit into your life.

Your unique way to make space for your Spirit can be very simple. A client came to me seeking help to create inner peace and relieve her anxiety. Her homework was to find time to nurture herself everyday. She wrote to me, "Instead of eating my toast in the car, I sat in our hammock and listened to the birds while I ate my toast. It only took five minutes but what a difference it made!"

Here are some of my own personal practices to make room for my Spirit:

Before I begin my day, rather than jump out of bed, I revel in the still quiet moments. If the birds are up, the day begins with exuberant joy and I revel in that, too!

After those gentle moments, I make an effort to connect with the Life force within me and ask: "How can I serve You today?" I let a word of guidance gently pop into my consciousness. I contemplate that word throughout the day to remind me throughout the day of how I can serve my Spirit.

Throughout the day, I make room for 5 minutes or so to just be and breathe. I watch the clouds go by, listen to the birds, adore the flowers I see, or just feel the wind on my face. These are some of my favorite times of the day!

At the end of day, I check in with myself: "What am I grateful for today?" I allow myself to bask in the glory of the soft glow of gratitude and joy.

I want to remind you of the "I am too busy, and I don't have enough time for me" trap. In reality, you can afford to make time for yourself even if you think you are super busy. Make a decision that there is enough time and you will have time for yourself. It is even more critical to remember to create space for your Spirit when you have a busy day. That 5 or 10 minutes you take to nourish yourself will serve you immensely.

When you make time for your Spirit, you will begin to express and experience more of your expansive and abundant Light in your life. When you create space for your Spirit, you will imbue your life with wonderful synchronicities. When you welcome your Self to be part of your daily life, you are graceful, at-ease and joyful!

Make the room for and open up to the magic of your Spirit!

The Meaning of Life

2009-05-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

I was contemplating the meaning of life when Spirit reminded me of the emails my clients have written me recently. They wrote about their amazing, powerful and wonderful insights and experiences as they found their connection to their Source.

Here's what one person wrote, "After our class Tuesday, I went fishing on the delta and it was a spectacularly beautiful day... I saw a seal swimming slowly through the water close to where I was fishing... He seemed so totally blissful....so totally in the moment... I couldn't help but think back to our work together and how feeling and being joyFULL. Not only is good for the individual but to every one around the individual..."

"Last night during a little bout of sleeplessness I decided to observe my breath... It felt smooth and easy, no constriction though I wasn't breathing deeply.... and then I began to be aware of the breather not the breath... that part of the involuntary system that is part of my physical self... It brought me back to being aware of how wonderful it FEELS to be living..."

Another client wrote, "I feel so light, so alive and awake..."

I understood that Spirit is saying, "The meaning of life, Christine, is JOY!"

Wishing you a joy-filled life!

Does It Get Any Better Than This? (Part 2)

2009-05-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

In my last newsletter, I wrote about my personal experience with the fear of feeling happier than I was already feeling. (Click here to read that article.)

Here's what unfolded today, about a month since I wrote the article. The timing couldn't have been more perfect!

As I was enjoying my day, adoring my dog and contemplating the meaning of life, feeling free and peaceful, I heard myself thinking, "This is the free-est I can be. I will never be free-er than this." I was keenly aware of a sudden sadness within.

I sat with that information for a bit, choosing to just "be" with that part of me that spoke up. Curious, I did a TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique) on that thought as I sat with it. I also allowed myself to think that the opposite is possible, "This is not the free-est I can be, and I can be free-er than this."

Immediately, I encountered a confused part of myself, "Who will I be if I am freer? I will lose myself. I will not know what to do. I have lost myself before and I don't want to lose me again. It hurt too much."

With great compassion, I validated and assured myself, "That all did happened, true. And, I am OK now. I now know how to find myself when I am lost again. I will listen to my inner guidance and my emotions to direct me home again. I was lost before because I put other's feelings and opinions before mine and ignored my own inner guidance and my emotions. I am so grateful for my Higher Self and Angels for guiding me, and also for Abraham for teaching me about the function of my emotions, and now I know how to use my emotional guidance system to find my way back to Me, and to know Me! It has been a wonderful journey Home!"

New insights and clarity flooded in like a gush of water: When I am freer, I am happier. When I am happier, I feel better. When I feel better, I am even more myself, which means I am less lost!

There was a huge grin of relief from inside of me, relieved that more freedom and more happiness don't mean more risk of losing myself. Instead, it actually means more connection to my Source, to my greater Self. I can embody more of who I AM.

Ahhh, Sweet Freedom, thank you for knocking at my door and inviting me out to play! I can feel that now I have the permission to have more freedom and be even more joyous than I have been before. I love this wonderfully expansive and liberating feeling!

Spiritual Alchemy

2009-04-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

The following post was first published as an article in March/April 2006 Metta Center Newsletter.

Let me tell you one of the stories of Milarepa. He is one of the most widely known Tibetan Saints.

Milarepa had been meditating for years in a cave. The hairs on his body had grown green because all he ate was nettles that he found around his cave. One day, several demons came into his cave, growling fearsomely. They were frothy at their mouths and had red menacing eyes. Enthusiastically, Milarepa invite them to sit with him and offered them his meager sustenance of nettles and water. He treated them as his most honorable guests. Milarepa sang to the monsters he found in his cave, "It is wonderful you demons came today. You must come again tomorrow. From time to time, we should converse."

I love this story because it inspires me to work with the “demons” in my mind. They are the negative voices that created the tensions in my body or beliefs that limit me in some other ways. This story encourages me to be present and open to whatever arises from within and without me with curiosity, instead of with resistance (fear).

Everyone’s “demons” are different and yet serve the same purpose: to show what is negative inside so the Light of your consciousness can transmute the negativity into Light again. This is the art of spiritual alchemy: transforming base metal to gold, transforming the dark recesses of our psyche into well-lit spaces.

We can learn to invite our “demons” in just like Milarepa did, embrace them and get to intimately know them. We can learn a lot about ourselves and understand more the nature of our own mind. We can develop the compassion, grace and wisdom in dealing with the challenges arise in life.

I now have learned to see my “demons” as messengers with important and valuable messages for me that help me grow and develop the life and spiritial qualities I desire.

I have learned that through the challenges and problems where I did not respond the way I wanted to, I have been given a gift of knowledge. I can use this opportunity to see what wounds within me still call for healing. I know now that the people that “push my button” are doing me a favor. Spiritually, they are telling me: “Christine, you still have this button. Do you want to keep that?” What a gift of information! Because of that, I can make conscious choices: yes, keep the button, or no, I rather shift or release it using my energy healing tools or other practices. When I make a choice that is in alignment with my highest good, the “demon” leaves for good, and the same situation doesn't bother me any more.

The next time a different “demon” comes to visit me, I know I am being presented with a new potential for growth and healing. A reason to celebrate because that means the light of my consciousness is growing!

When you decide to invite your “demons” in for a chat, please remember to be gentle with yourself. I found that it is important to cultivate the attitude of self-compassion, relaxation and lightness when you do this important inner work.

May you be in peace and experience lightness of being as you embrace all parts of you!

Law of Attraction = Algebraic Equation

2009-04-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

While I was thinking about Math and the Universe, I saw how Law of Attraction works like an algebraic equation. What manifests in your life matches the vibration you give out. In other words, your vibration is on one side of the equation and it equals, on the other side of the equation, what you are living.

To make it simple: your vibration = what your are experiencing and living.

So, to change what you are experiencing and living, doesn't it make sense that you would need to change your vibration?

How do you do that?

Your thoughts and feelings are your vibrations. Think different thoughts than what you are used to thinking, you will feel differently. Better yet, as Abraham-Hicks recommended so eloquently: "Think better feeling thoughts." Then, as you practice thinking better feeling thoughts and feel better, you vibrate differently.

How do you know what you are vibrating? You know what you think, don't you? Besides, your emotions and your experiences tell you that information.

For example, if you are fighting a lot with your child (that is the experience that you are living), then on the other side of the equation are your vibrations of frustration, anger, hopelessness, sadness, etc. plus your thoughts of "This will never change, this is hopeless, she is so unreasonable, I am so mad at her, why does this happen to me, I don't know what to do, etc."

When you observe your thoughts and emotions, you will quickly notice that all of them boil down to just one or two overriding thoughts. They could be "Life is unfair," or "This is so hard," or "I never have it easy," or "I am not good enough," etc. These thoughts are what you vibrate. This vibration is what you send out to the Universe and what is being picked up by Law of Attraction, which gives you other experiences that match these thoughts. Once you change these habitual thoughts to better feeling ones -- even just allowing yourself to think: "It is not true that [original thought]" -- your experience will change.

It has to. Mathematically speaking.

.9 repeating equals 1

2009-04-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Well, my 12-year old daughter just taught me something wonderful tonight! She mentioned to me that .9 repeating is actually equal to 1.

I was awe-struck: what a brilliant mathematical way to explain the paradoxes of the Universe!

Even if you don't look or feel whole, you are whole!
Even if you aren't perfect or don't think you're perfect, you are perfect!
Even in variety, there is harmony
Even in chaos, there is balance and order

I simply love how mathematics explains the divine principles of perfection and wholeness!

For those of you who are mathematically inclined, here's a link to a thorough explanation of this mathematical phenomena: http://polymathematics.typepad.com/polymath/2006/06/no_im_sorry_it_.html.

What a brilliant Universe we live in!

Does It Get Any Better Than This?

2009-04-02T02:42:00.000-07:00

I was sitting on a tree stump, listening to the wind and looking at the beautiful field of grass dancing in front of me. I felt divine love swirling within and around me. I was in rapture, soaking it all in. It was one of those glorious moments of being so tuned in with nature, one of my sources of joy.

I asked Spirit, "Does it get any better than this?"

Spirit answered, "Yes!" And I was surprised to feel, for a moment, a catch in my heart. I heard myself gasped. I realized that a part of me was scared by Spirit's answer.

Interesting response.

I held myself tenderly to comfort myself. A deep part of me was obviously afraid of receiving "better than this." What I had was good enough.

Later, I checked in with this fearful part of me to find out what I was afraid of. I discovered that it was almost as if I didn't believe I could stand any more joy. This part of me feared that I might cry so hard until there would be nothing left of me.

"There's no rush," I soothed myself. "I can wait to open up to more joy if I, as a whole, wasn't ready to do so yet. I will always be here with me, in joy and sorrows. Yes, what we have created is good enough. More than good -- it's great!" I assured myself. And I trust that when I am ready, I will have the support, the know-how, and the tools I need to welcome more joy.

The interesting question for me then was: "How much joy can I stand?"

Since then, I notice where I purposely sabotage or block myself because I fear that "having it" or "being it" or "doing it" would bring me too much joy. I often laugh at my own antics, while some parts of me are not amused. That's OK; no need to condemn myself for the self-sabotage. Doing so will only make me curl backward and reticent. Instead, I feel grateful for the information that I was so openly given, and honor my own courage to look at myself with clarity.

For me, it's a refreshing and new approach to not just rush in and try to "fix it." It's delightful to see how I'm handling my own resistance. No rushing, no pressuring to be more, no hurrying, no fixing. Just being pure gentleness.

Why am I telling you this? Because if you are finding yourself out of joy, out of peace and in stress, there is a big chance that you might also be resisting receiving more joy yourself. I invite you to be easy, light and gentle with yourself about your resistance. Be kind to yourself.

I notice that, with this gentle attitude towards myself, I have been feeling softer, more allowing and more spacious within. And, interestingly, there is a deeper level of joy in my heart. With that spaciousness, I can feel the pulsing of the life force within me. I can feel the excitement and anticipation gently and surely building up. I can feel that delicious feeling of looking and moving forward with my Spirit to new frontiers in my life. Life is great and it keeps getting better!

Wishing you lightness and joy in this glorious adventure called Life!

Tally-ho!

Dream Story

2009-03-17T23:27:00.000-07:00

by Christine Metawati

The following post was first published as an article in March 2005 Metta Center Newsletter.

This story was given to me in a dream about a year ago. I feel that I am blessed with this incredible dream so that I can share this profound story, rich with symbolisms, with others. May you enjoy it as much as I have had. It continues to be a great medicine for me.

A young man of was sitting by the river. He seemed busy working with his hands. On a closer look, he was busy working with a piece of wood, shaving the bark of the wood with his knife to reveal the smooth white inside of the wood.

Earlier, he had a desire in his heart to make himself a walking stick. As he walked by the river, he found this piece of wood that was just perfect for what he had in mind. The wood was the right height and about the thickness he wanted. He wanted to have a walking stick that was smooth to his touch, and the bark on this wood was rough so he decided to smooth it out with his knife.

He worked diligently like this for a while, sitting by the river. He gently turned the wood from side to side as he shaved the bark off from one end of the wood to the other. He was very happy working like that.

Suddenly, he noticed there were two eyes of the wood staring right at him, and the wood spoke to him angrily: "Curse you! Curse you for defiling my body!" Unbeknownst to this young man, he had picked up a Shaman's walking staff. This piece of wood was enchanted and could talk!

"From now on, every person you look in the eyes will die an instant death!" cursed the wood.

The young man dropped the wood he was so busily working on just a minute ago, and ran back to his village.

There, he found a wooden bucket by the well, and he hurriedly put it on his head. From then on, and for many years afterwards until he was no longer a young man, he had the bucket on his head to protect others from his cursed gaze.

For years, when he spoke to others in his village and to those he met in his travels, he would only looked at their feet. He felt sad and lonely, even though people were kind to him and still spoke to him. He was gladdened, however, that no one had died yet from his gaze.

Then, one day, as he was sitting outside his home, gazing on the ground, he noticed a pair of finely covered feet approached him. He knew that the owner of these feet was not from his village for they were usually bare-footed.

"I am your King," said a regal voice. "I was told in my dream that if I find a man with a bucket on his head, and have him look at my eyes, I shall be healed."

The man didn't know quite what to do. He didn't want to disobey his King for fear of his life for he had heard that to disobey a King's order bore the penalty of death. On the other hand, he felt quite sure that the King would die an instant death if he took off his bucket and looked at the King in the eyes. "What am I to do?" he asked himself in confusion.

At this part, I woke up. So , I suppose this is where we each get to see what medicine this could be for us. How have you limit yourself? What do you believe now that is limiting you? Will you honor your inner King's request to heal yourself? Will you take the plunge and look at your Spirit in the eye? Will you trust yourself enough to accept the challenge to heal your soul?

P.S.
I wrote the above dream-story in March 2005. In November 2007, I read an article, "Dreaming the Secret Wishes of the Soul" by Robert Moss. I was so moved by his article, I sent him my dream-story to hear his thoughts about it.

His reply:
"What a great dream story! If it were my dream, instead of psychologizing over it, I would want to expand the narrative, give it a great ending, and try to get it published somewhere. It has the just-so-ness of the best dream-guided writing."

Since then, following his wonderful idea, I have come back to this dream many times and have been exploring different great endings for it. One of these days, I might just publish it with my favorite new ending.

You can find out more about Robert Moss at www.mossdreams.com

Peace

2009-03-11T16:20:00.001-07:00

On one of my walks in the beautiful nature, these encouraging words flowed right into my consciousness. May they comfort and inspire you as they do for me.

"Find the Peace inside you
It is always there, you never lost it nor can you
You can connect with it
Easier than you think
Claim It
Rejoice in It
Celebrate It
Adore It
Honor It
Love It
Delight in It
Protect It, not with fear
But with gentle compassion and understanding
Let your Peace guide you
Surrender to It
And It will show you what you are made of."

Natural Treasures

2009-03-11T13:16:00.001-07:00

I love going to the meadow up the hill from my house.

It's on a hilltop with clusters of monterey pine trees. It slopes down to a small lush forest in the valley and looks out to the green hills yonder.

I was sitting on a fallen tree branch and looking out at the vista when the trees spoke to me and told me that they love me. I told them I love them, too. I told the wind that blew gently on my hair and face, "I love you!" I said the same to the sun that warmed and soothed me. I could feel love in the air.

The grass shone brilliantly and I let them know how I enjoyed their fresh scent. The sky was blue with little puffy clouds, so serene. The birds sang happily as if joining in my delight.

I saw a red-tailed hawk, nary 50 feet from me. First, it flew to rest on a 20-foot tall tree stump. (I wonder if it can still be called a stump being that tall?) Then, it flew down to the grassy area to eat something on the ground. This majestic bird stayed there and looked my way for a few moments to say to me, "It's all OK!" Then it flew gracefully away.

Nothing was funny about our interaction, and yet I felt this powerful delight rise up from my belly. My joyous laughter rang out clear and loud. Such sweet freedom!

I felt deeply refreshed.

Yes, beautiful hawk, all is well indeed.

We are all glorious!

2009-03-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

I am glorious.
You are glorious.
He is glorious.
She is glorious.
They are glorious.
Yes! We are all glorious!

The Art of Deliberate Creation

2009-03-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Founder of Metta Center, Christine Metawati, CCHT, RMT, CET, offers energy therapy and spiritual coaching. Christine specializes in helping people to increase self-awareness, transform their consciousness, and deliberately create the life that they want.

You probably have heard of the Law of Attraction: like attracts like. Where your attention goes, your energy flows. What you vibrate, you attract. What you give out, you receive.

I really like the definition of Law of Attraction as defined by Abraham in the book "Ask and It is Given" by Jerry and Esther Hicks (www.abraham-hicks.com). This law is simply explained as "That which is likened unto itself is drawn."

This law means that, as powerfully vibrating beings, we can mold our energy to attract our life experiences. In other words, if we choose to exercise our power to direct our own vibrations, we have total freedom and creative control over our life.

Obviously, not all of us feel that way. How often do you truly feel in control of your life? How often do you feel that if such-and-such happened or didn't happen, you would be happier or healthier or better off?

Having applied this law to myself over and over again, I am constantly delighted and amazed at how much my life is matching more and more what I want. It is really eye-opening to realize how much power we actually have in creating our life. I love how reliable, simple and consistent this law is. Creating my life on a conscious level has been one of the most satisfying and magical experiences in my life. I love experiencing synchronicity, experiencing my connection with all there is in such exciting ways.

To give you an example, a couple years ago, I set my intention to have meaningful work that is flexible, satisfying, magical, and allowed me to be in balance with other aspects of my life. I love the fact that I am currently typing this article from my garden, sitting outside enjoying the afternoon sun and wonderful smell of honeysuckle. I am now living my intended creation! If I can do it, you can, too!

Using Emotions to Guide Your Creation Process

You can use your feelings/emotions as a gauge to check where you are in terms of allowing or disallowing your intention to manifest.

Think of three qualities of life that you want in your life, right now. Write them down, and check in with your heart on each one. Ask yourself, "What do I feel when I think of this desire?"

Do you feel peaceful about it? Joyful? Optimistic? Frustrated? Discouraged? Hopeless? Fearful? Despair? Be honest with yourself. Your feelings are really your inner guidance telling you how close you are to attracting that desire into your life. You may be surprised by what you learn.

The way you feel about your desire shows you how aligned you are with it. The more positively you feel about your desire means the more your consistent thoughts (your focus) are aligned with and supporting the desire. This also means you are vibrationally in alignment with this desire and you are in attracting (allowing) mode: the object of your desire will manifest into your life effortlessly.

The more negatively you feel when you think about your desire means the more your consistent thoughts are currently out of alignment with your desire, and thus you are in repelling mode: you will repel or push away what you desire no matter how hard you wish for it or work towards it.

Feeling negative about your desire doesn't mean you will never get it. The negativity you feel actually teaches you quite a bit about yourself. Check in with your inner self to find out whether this negativity is because your inner guidance is telling you that this is not your desire but rather someone else's desire for you, or whether it is because you have negative beliefs about this desire as well as limiting beliefs about your deservingness to have this desire.

If the negativity you feel is because the desire is actually someone else's desire, then drop the "desire" (which could be your mom's, dad's, wife's, husband's or someone else's) and check in again with your inner self to discover what it is you really want for yourself. This is your life, you get to decide what you want to experience. If you find yourself feeling afraid to find out about your own desire, use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) or other processes to release issues around that.

If, on the other hand, it is your limiting belief that is creating the negativity, then allow yourself to transform or reframe that belief. Your soul is constantly inviting you to embrace your unlimitedness. When you transform your negative belief, you acknowledge your unlimited potential. You accept your power and freedom as you unbind yourself from limiting beliefs. As you continue to shed limiting beliefs and allow yourself to choose more empowering thoughts (Abraham called them "a better-feeling thoughts",) you are realigning your energy with your heart's desire. You are allowing yourself to attract what you want.

According to Abraham, to deliberately or consciously create our lives, the process is:
1. Ask (we do this part)
2. It is answered (by Source, Spirit, God, Being, Universe, whatever you want to call this source of energy)
3. Allow (we do this part, too)

Now, if this is so simple, how come not everyone is doing it?

Actually, everyone is using the Law of Attraction all the time, and very successfully, at that, too. The Law of Attraction is always operating, but people often do not intentionally guide their asking (step 1) or the allowing (step 3) steps.

For example, you might sabotage the step of asking for what you want by refusing to take the time to think about what you want to create and refuse to state your intention for fear of disappointment. However, you might spend a lot of time focusing and complaining how you don't have this or that in your life. If you spend a lot of time focusing on the lack, on what didn't go well, on fear and dissatisfaction, that's what you are vibrating at and that's what the Law of Attraction will attract more of.

Or, you might think that you have wanted wealth for a long time, and you think that you have focused on getting more money, doing the visualizations of being wealthy and yet you are still struggling. What you may not be aware of is that, deep down inside, you might be afraid of having too much money, of not knowing how to handle it or not feeling deserving of it. The constant focus, unconsciously, is to stall the arrival of money to prevent your feeling bad. In this case, you unconsciously feel safer if you are vibrating at scarcity, so the Law of Attraction gives you more of the same until you choose to shift your vibration. In this second example, you didn't block the asking step; you blocked the allowing step.

Three Tips to Deliberately Creating Your Life

Here are three tips to fully harness the Law of Attraction in consciously creating your life:

1. Be clear of what you want and why. There is an art to asking for what you want: are you clear about why you want what you want? Is it really your desire or someone else's? Do you make a request or do you demand? Does thinking of what you want bring you joy or despair? Are you aware of what you want or need that brings you true joy? Do you allow yourself to hear your inner guidance about what would be meaningful or best for you? Are you waiting for someone to rescue you and therefore you won't take the time to design your life for yourself? Whatever you are feeling about your desire, the Law of Attraction will bring more of the same to you. If you are not clear or consistent in what you ask, you won't get a clear or consistent result. If you ask because your whole being feels happy and relaxed when you think about it, which means that you are vibrating in happiness and ease, then the Law will attract more happiness and ease to you, as well as what you have asked for.

2. Stay connected with your Source, your Spirit, through gratitude. There is an art to waiting for the answer to come. The vibration of gratitude is very high and with it comes trust and the feeling of fulfillment. This vibration not only allows you to be in full connection with your Spirit, your Source, but also attract more fulfillment into your life. Don't fall into the trap of habit of focusing on what is still lacking while you are waiting. If you are in a rush to receive an answer or to see a result, you will feel uptight and vibrate in the negative zone, thus disallowing your connection to Spirit. It can be hard to hear your own Spirit and maintain a clear connection when there's so much static on the line. The easiest way to stay in tune with your Spirit and be open to more blessings is to recognize and feel appreciative of all the blessings that you already have.

3. Clear out the obstacles. There is an art to allowing. What are you thinking most when you ask for what you want? Do you fear that you can't get it (focusing on can't), must get out of this mess (focusing on the mess), worry can't make it (focusing on won't), etc.? This is where being aware of your feelings and thoughts really help in getting you in a place of allowing and receiving that which you have asked. Practice being aware of where you are blocking what you have asked for and release all obstacles. More often that not, the obstacles are limiting beliefs and judgments that we have taken on as we go through our lives. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), self-inquiry processes and meditation are great tools for releasing limiting beliefs, and so are many other excellent processes and energy therapy tools such as Reiki, Psych-K, BSFF, etc. Use any of these self-help techniques to help you shift your energy. You will find that by changing your vibration, you increase the power of your consciousness, your light, and your power of creation.

I highly recommend that you take the attitude of the beginner's mind and be patient with yourself when you decide to consciously create your life. This is a skill, and you will get good at it with time. Enjoy your process of discovery. Just like when we first learn how to walk, we generally go through several development stages in our skills: our neck muscles strengthened so we can lift our head, we learned to roll over, we learned to crawl, we practiced our balance standing on both feet, fall down several times, hold on to supportive hands or furniture as we practice the movements of putting one foot in front of the other, and then we walk. So, will our skill and proficiency grow as we practice molding our energy to create our lives consciously.

I invite you to peek at, try out, check into, dabble, practice and practice again the art of deliberate creation. You are indeed magnificent creators! You create all the time. Practice consciously creating your life. You are worth it!

Wishing you joy in exercising your power of creativity!

Tap into Connection

2009-03-03T21:11:00.000-08:00

I was watching two blue jays in my front garden, and listening to the songs of larks and other birds. Oh, how beautiful they sounded as they celebrated the start of a new day! I was listening with awe and appreciation.

I had a beautiful realization: "I am not alone. I am NEVER alone."

My first response was, "Huh?" My second response was a deep smile from within me. I felt the new light of understanding unfolding from deep within. It was like watching a flower bloom after long winter days.

With life so abundant and beautiful, how can I ever be alone? All I have to do is tune into whatever pleases me, and I am no longer alone. When I am admiring life, I am connected to the Life Force itself. I am connected to all the possibilities that Life offers. The truth is, I am never alone even if I am by myself or feel alone. If I feel lonely, it's because I have chosen to disconnect from Life for whatever reason. Life doesn't disconnect from me!

This deep and comforting knowing has kept me smiling all day.

So, if you ever feel lonely and wants company, I invite you to tune into life and open your heart to connect with it deeply. You can connect on a soulful level: recognizing the wonder and beauty in the myriad forms of life.

Maybe the wind will touch your heart today, or perhaps a blossom or butterfly will whisper to you about how wonderful you are. Maybe the clouds can help put a skip in your steps.

May you discover your own unique and special ways to tap into the Flow of Life that connects us all.

Connecting with Nature

2009-03-03T02:24:00.000-08:00

Nature is very healing. I have found that observing the wonders of nature can bring us into contact with our own spiritual qualities of love, peace, joy, creativity, abundance, wisdom and beauty.

Wherever you go in nature, be mindful and acknowledge the spirits of the land. Sit or walk quietly and tune into the quality of the place. Breathe deeply, be fully present and notice the colors, smells, shapes, sounds, air temperature, wind directions, and sun warmth or lack of it. Allow yourself to become one with the land, the sky, the grass, the trees, the birds. Communicate gently, reverently, appreciatively and joyously with nature. Notice and feel your Spirit stir as it recognizes its own beauty and wonder.

Allow yourself to feel the warmth of gentle love and the true joy of appreciation in your heart. You will feel renewed and replenished.

Before you leave, take some time to express your gratitude. Bless nature with your joy and love.

"I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines." -- Henry David Thoreau

Asking for Help from Spirit

2009-03-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

I have found that life is an excellent Teacher, always bringing me the most appropriate materials for practicing how I can better align myself with Spirit.

In my healing journey, I have observed that when I feel stuck, very often I attempt to get unstuck on my own. It's a point of pride to prove that I can unstick myself. "Yes, I can do this myself, thank you. No, I don't need your help, thank you!"

For some cases, sure, that's what I can do and is what I need to do to learn that I can help myself. But for other situations, insisting that I take care of the issue myself just plain doesn't work out. I found myself needlessly stuck by being determined to resolve things on my own. These are places in life where I have the opportunity to learn the beauty and joy of asking for help from another person, and that no man is an island. And in many such moments of crisis, I get to learn to surrender, ask for and be open to help from the Spirit.

Asking help from Spirit can be challenging for many people. It is so easy to fall prey to the thought, "Well, God/Spirit/Universe wasn't there before, why would She or He be here now for me?" or "What's the point asking, I won't get the help I need anyway."

I find that when we are faced with a very difficult period in our life, that's when we are willing enough to seek assistance from Spirit. The hard-shelled illusion that we are in control of our life are usually cracked at that time. The healing, growing and learning possibilities in the times of crisis are tremendous. My own humbling process of healing and remembering Light began in such a situation. I learned first hand that help and guidance from the Higher Realm is always gladly given when we asked for it, and we are not alone.

"Ask and You Shall Receive" indeed happens, especially if what you have asked for is for the highest good of everyone involved. I experience this often. But, even then, I have moments of doubting that Spirit is actually listening to me. I learned, however, that when we doubt that the Universe will help us when we ask for it, we are really not asking for help at all. We are asking to prove that we are right about no one will come to help us.

And that is exactly what we get.

If we ask for help and are truly open for the assistance we seek, we shall receive it. Each and every time. The key here is to be "open" to receive help. When we are open, we receive solutions from unusual and wonderful sources.

How do we stay open to receiving help from Spirit? There are many ways. Remembering that you are a beloved part of the Universe is one way. Trusting Spirit, remembering all is well despite appearances, is another. Knowing that it is safe and that you deserve to receive all the good in the Universe is yet another way. You probably have your own unique way of keeping your line with Spirit open, so learn to ask a specific question to Spirit: "What is the best way for me to stay open in receiving the assistance I asked from You?" Let the answer come to you in wonderful and unusual ways.

May you be open and ready to receive all the love and blessings that are coming your way.

Is It Safe Yet?

2009-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

I was using TAT (Tapas Acupressure Technique) to help myself soothe this anxious feeling in my chest this morning. (If you haven't checked out TAT yet, I recommend that you visit www.tatlife.com.)

This anxious feeling was definitely all inside-driven. I am truly blessed with many good things in my outer life: beauty, harmony, love, peace, joy, abundance, and grace. So, the anxious feeling stuck out like a sore thumb. I was guessing that it was the "old shoe gonna drop" syndrome that I sometimes feel when things are going really well in my life.

So, I proceeded to do Step 1 of TAT: "Everything that resulting in me resonating, identifying and connecting with this feeling happened." And I sat with that statement for a minute or two, just being with it. I was making space for energies, impressions, sensations, thoughts and feelings to move through me.

I moved on to Step 2: "Everything that resulting in me resonating, identifying and connecting with this feeling happened, and it's over now. I am OK, I am safe and I am no longer resonated, identified, or connected with this feeling."

I noticed a resistance in my chest as if there was something stuck in it. And, a new thought made itself known. I have long worked with parts of selves, and have gotten very adept at discerning which thought are my adult-self's and which ones are not.

A part of me was very afraid of the healing I was intending. This part said many things. Among which: "I have to have this feeling to be safe, I don't know what I am doing and something very bad can happen to me because of this healing. I don't have the right to no longer feel anxious..."

While my adult self know these are all limiting beliefs that I can transform, release and heal with the energy therapy tools I have learned, my young self -- the one that felt afraid and spoke up -- believes in her thoughts 100%. For some reasons that I am not conscious of, this healing I had just initiated was threatening to her.

So, I took the time to soothe this younger me. I gently held the opposite thoughts without forcing my younger child-self to change her mind. No one likes to be changed. I was just musing and invited her to contemplate with me the possibility of the truth of what I was about to think. She didn't have to change her mind if she didn't want to. It was all very gentle and honoring to me and to my younger self.

Using the thoughts that I received from this part, I created the opposite thoughts, as a way to open up the possibilities and widening my horizon consciously (which is step 2 in TAT anyway):
"I don't have to have this anxious feeling to be safe. It is possible that I don't know what I am doing and yet this healing is still safe for me. It is possible I have the right to no longer feel anxious..."

More new thoughts came in. I was having more communication with my younger self. How wonderful, she was responding to me! More data from her: "I feel really afraid to no longer resonate, connect or identify with the earlier feeling. It's a familiar feeling" I soothed her/myself again, and offered my thoughts: "Whatever that has caused me to feel so afraid to do this healing happened, it's over now and I am REALLY OK. It's safe now for me to continue and complete this healing. It's safe for me to let go of what feels familiar and to feel something better. I choose to no longer resonate, identify and connect with the earlier feeling. I am not abandoning anybody by choosing to resonate with peace and joy."

I felt an inner "OK." There was this "allowing" feeling to go ahead with the healing I had started ten minutes ago. The fear I felt from my younger self slowly dissipated. The stuck feeling in my chest softened and melted. This younger part of me must have felt safe enough to let me continue with my healing process.

As I write this entry, my healing is completed. No more feeling like something bad was bound to happen. And, I feel peace, warmth and relaxation in my chest. An open and gentle feeling. It feels really good inside. A match to the world I see outside my window: fresh, welcoming and gentle! I like this very much!

I have learned that when I (the adult self) honor and be gentle with all parts of me that is "blocking" me or "unallowing" of me to be, do, have what I want, I create a safer world for me internally and a more peaceful world externally.

Having Your Miracles

2009-02-26T19:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

My intentions for this New Year are simple: miracles, abundance and healing.

Miracles are wonderful to experience and really not as hard to manifest as we often make them out to be. To have miracles, first we need to redefine and expand our definition of what a miracle is. Does it have to come with an angel voice, or does it have to be the impossible made possible? Is it enough if the miracle is simply a single tiny life in a barren landscape?

I have learned that when we allow our eyes to open and truly see that there are miracles already happening right now around and within us, we invite even more miracles into our lives. Life is a miracle itself, precious and full of wonders. Our body is an amazing miracle as well!

We allow more miracles into our lives when we allow ourselves to do something different than what we normally would, even if that difference is very small.

Let me tell you about my miracle today.

It was a beautiful and exquisite day today: the sky was blue, the sun shone brilliantly and the cold winter wind was gentle. I decided to go for a walk in my favorite regional park up the hill from my home.

As I walked along the well-loved path, marveling at the verdant green meadow ahead of me, my eyes rested on a fallen tree-trunk. It was silvery, polished by rain and sun for many years, I supposed. I decided to lie down on top of it. No real reason why, other than it looked like fun to lie on it.

I laid myself down gently on it and closed my eyes. I felt the warmth of the sun on the right side of my body and the wintry breeze on my left side. I opened my eyes, and appreciated the pine trees above me with their sparkling needles. I looked beyond them. Lo and behold, on the beautiful blue sky above, there were two beautiful long rainbows on the cloudless blue sky!

A double rainbow for all to see!

What a miracle for me! I laughed delightedly. I wouldn't have noticed this quiet and beautiful gift of joy if I had just continued walking and looking straight ahead. My decision to change my course and to lie down on a tree trunk gave me a different perspective, upward. And that perspective allowed me this experience of wonder and joy.

I chuckled gently at the Universe. I love how playfully the Universe teaches me how to manifest more miracles in my life.

Miracles can happen in big and small ways. To learn to have them, we will need to allow ourselves to make small changes, everyday, even if it's just a change in our perspectives.

I invite you to allow your miracles to unfold!

Wishing you abundance, healing and miracles in 2009!

Christine