METTA CENTER

(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...

Giving positive energy to others creates spiritual well-being. Imagine the light and love of the universe flowing into everyone you interact with today, bringing them peace and well-being. Give them your full attention and appreciation. Please remember to take some time to also give yourself your full attention, appreciation and love as well.

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious." ~ Albert Einstein Several nights ago, I was out looking at the stars during my "blue time," the time in the early evening when the sun has just set and the world seems to be under water with blue hues everywhere. I love that time of the day, it feels magical and wondrous to me. During that time, as I ran my fingers along the blueness as if I could touch its essence of gentleness, I felt and heard the blessings: "All this peace, beauty and love is for you, for your family and for the world, Christine." In that moment, I felt deeply connected to a such delicious source of contentedness and I found my body tingling in ease. I said "I accept, I accept, I accept." It felt really good to allow and accept blessings. At that moment I remembered again that there is nothing but love, even if I sometimes forget. I love opening up, tapping into and allowing myself to connect to the Divin...

(This post was first published as an article in April 2008 Metta Center email newsletter.) I was outside enjoying myself, reading a book that has captivated my heart and soul. The weather was beautiful, the garden was fragrant, my family was with me playing outside. All is well. I felt peaceful and complete. Despite that slice-of-heaven moment, however, I noticed some quiet stirrings of unease and restlessness in my chest. I stopped my reading, and check inward with myself. I brought my attention to the sensations I felt on my chest, and gently waited for an inner response. "I feel lost. I don't know what to do. I have no purpose," came the answer from within me. I was aware of a feeling of confusion that accompanied the restless energy. This answer came as a surprise to me because I was very clear about what my purpose was on that day. My purpose was to be in love with life, and I was doing it so well, I thought. Because of my self-healing practice in working wit...

 (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 ...

Love requires no practice. Love is. One cannot practice is-ness. One can, however, practice the decision to love.   ~ Emmanuel (from " Emmanuel's  Book: A Manual for Living Comfortably in the Cosmos ")

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

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!

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 ...

(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...

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 a...

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 wo...

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 e...

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"

"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, releasi...

"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.

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 face...

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 ...