METTA CENTER

"The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson   As I meditated today, I asked the Universe what will be helpful for me to focus on. A swift and powerful feeling of sweetness filled my heart. The message came clearly: "Keep Loving". In the spirit of that message and giving thanks to all that has supported our lives, I would like to give thanks to the Universe for you, for your unique presence in the world and for bringing your blessings to everything and everyone that crosses your paths. With appreciation, Christine  2020 has been a challenging year for pretty much everyone worldwide. Here are a couple simple self-healing tips to help you connect to more inner peace as you move through this period. Using  EFT , you can tap with the setup phrase of: "Even though I am having trouble accepting (whatever the situation is), I deeply and completely love and accept myself and choose to feel love and appr...

(This article was first published in November 2008 Metta Center email newsletter.) I was asking Spirit about what to write for this newsletter that would be most beneficial for my readers. Spirit answered, "Remind them of their Truth." Hmmm, I didn't know what that meant, to tell you the truth. (No pun intended.) So, I asked for more guidance on it. Spirit showed me that deep inside ourselves, we already know that all is well -- that all has always been well, will always be well and can only be well. Often, however, we don't remember this Truth. Like many of you, I don't always feel that all is well nor do I think that everything is well all the time. Again, I asked for more guidance. And, this time, Spirit asked me a question: "Have you ever seen your daughter having a tantrum and feeling anxious about something and you know it was not as big a problem as she thought it was, and that all is well, because you have the advantage of having a broa...

(This article was first published in May 2006 Metta Center email newsletter.) Joy, I think, comes in two flavors: the euphoric feeling (Hurray! Amazing! Yes! Hallelujah!) and the easy-and-happy feeling (Ain’t life good? Ahh, bliss, life is sweet!) Both flavors are delicious. How do you get to joy, and how do you maintain it? There are many paths to joy, as many as the grains of sand. Recall the various times you felt happy, and at ease. Was there any one formula for your happiness? Or were they varied, and in that variation, you felt alive and happy? What is “joy” to you? Perhaps your joys come in predictable patterns: you love nature, flowers, clouds, winds, water, music, birds, etc. So, by allowing yourself to experience and notice these wonders as much as possible, you feel joyous. Some of your joys may not be so predictable. They might come from your allowing your self to grow in your awareness, to bring healing to yourself, to explore life, to have adventures, to rest, to listen...

(This article was first published in the July 2007 Metta Center email newsletter.) When we embrace the soul's prompting to follow our inner desires and timing, the deeper wisdom of the soul is expressed. Here is an example from a Reiki/EFT session where I had the joy to witness the soul at work. This is why I love my work: when we trust our inner guidance, everyone involved is uplifted --  it is pure magic in action! This client had been a shy person for most of his life.  He came to our session without really knowing what to work on next. So, we decided to leave it to his Higher Self to guide us. As we did our Reiki session, I felt his inner yearning to become more of the person he is capable of being, and yet there was a voice that indicated how shy and fearful he was feeling about becoming who he really is. Here was an inner conflict about moving forward. I mentioned this inner conflict to the client, and we agreed to use EFT to peel the onion and go to the next...

In recognition of the many forms of Light that walk with me on Earth, I am holding this Lakota Sioux Prayer close in my heart. Aho Mitakuye Oyasin All my relations.  I honor you in this circle of life with me today.  I am grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge you in this prayer... To the Creator, for the ultimate gift of life, I thank you. To the mineral nation that has built and maintained my bones and all foundations of life experience, I thank you. To the plant nation that sustains my organs and body and gives me healing herbs for sickness, I thank you. To the animal nation that feeds me from your own flesh and offers your loyal companionship in this walk of life, I thank you. To the human nation that shares my path as a soul upon the sacred wheel of Earthly life, I thank you. To the Spirit nation that guides me invisibly through the ups and downs of life and for carrying the torch of light through the Ages, I thank you....

This afternoon, as I was about to start on my next task on my to-do list, I felt a nudge, an invitation to play, from Spirit. I went outside to my garden and took a deep breath, feeling the cool wintry air on my face. I turned westward and saw the tree tops drenched orange in the late afternoon sun, and my heart skipped a beat. The scene was so glorious! So magnificent! In that split second, I felt so deeply nourished. My soul was fed! And, interestingly, I felt so rich, like I owned the world. 'Tis a wonderful feeling! Yes, life is full of riches for us to enjoy, even if they come in small slices of time and in unexpected packages. I invite you to allow yourself to take a moment out of your life and witness moments of life's magic. It is worth your while! You are worth your while!

(This post was first published as an article in September 2008 Metta Center email newsletter. While my daughter is now 15 years old, and not 11 years old as in this story, the message of this post is still relevant today. I invite you to turn your limiting thoughts around and free yourself into your happiness!)   One of the lessons I have learned is that happiness is an inside job. Do you notice that things can be going really well, and yet you are still unhappy? Or, things might go all awry yet you are cool as a cucumber? Something Abraham-Hicks says really struck a cord with me: "Your primary work is to think, speak and do what feels good to you." I really enjoy learning the process of choosing a better feeling thought from Abraham. Similar to changing a diet where you choose a healthier food to nourish your body, learning to think a better feeling thought is choosing to hold healthier thoughts, bringing yourself back into alignment with Source. It is choosing to nour...

A client let me know about this video. In my client's words: "I felt like if he can follow his passion, I can." Isn't it wonderful that inspiration can come through many channels? It is a powerful message that this humble yet talented young man is giving us: follow your passion!  

 A fascinating talk!

 (This article was first published in May 2007 Metta Center email newsletter. While the birds were long gone now, the message of the article still holds true in my heart today. I invite you to consider the miracle that YOU are!) My family and I have been watching a bird making a nest on top of a beam under our eaves. We think it is the future mama bird that is making the nest. There is a red one (we think this is the papa bird) who is always nearby singing to her as she works. It has been four days now since the birds started their nest, and we've seen how the nest is built piece by piece from blades of dried grass, small twigs, dried forget-me-nots. The colors are really lovely, a little baby blue from the flowers, green from the grass and soft greys from the twigs. (I wonder if the mama bird thought of color swatches as she builts her nest!) When I see how much care she is putting into preparing and creating a home for the new lives that are coming, I feel very touched and ...

"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself" ~ Zen Proverb "Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke As I started my day this morning, I was spell-bound by the brilliant display of flowers all around my home. In the Bay Area, spring has definitely sprung! Everywhere I looked, blossoms have burst in a profusion of colors: white, magenta, blue, purple, yellow, orange, red, and pink. Young grasses of verdant green dance in the soft breeze. Delicate new leaves are poking out of bare branches where they have slept through winter. I am witnessing life in its full splendor and spring regalia. So glorious, indeed! I invite you to allow yourself to get away from your desk, from the unfinished busy-ness in your day, and go out and greet spingtime with open arms and delighted eyes. Abandon your worries and obligations, and replace them with a sense of joy and ease, even for just a short...

(This article was first published in April 2007 Metta Center email Newsletter.) Yesterday, I walked past sunlit blades of grass. They smelled so fresh and wholesome as my legs brushed against their blades. I watched the wind run on top of the grass, swaying the tips so gently. The verdant green blades touched me deeply, awakening a sense of wonder and awe. It felt like I was drinking from a fountain of light. I felt filled and full. I felt connected. It felt wonderful. How amazing it is to be in Spirit. In his book "Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling," Dr. Wayne Dyer said, "Think of the word inspiration as meaning 'being in-Spirit.' When we're in-Spirit, we're inspired and when we're inspired, it's because we're back in-Spirit, fully awake to Spirit within us. Being inspired is an experience of joy: we feel completely connected to our Source and totally on purpose; our creative juices flow, and we bring exceptionally high energy to our d...

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."

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 mat...

(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 cred...

"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...

"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

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 o...

(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...

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