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Nature as a temple

7/29/2015

This past weekend, Richard and I traveled to Yosemite National Park in California for some renewal and rejuvenation time. This picture above is one of many majestic views of Yosemite Valley. (There are more pictures below and a video of a waterfall that we climbed.)

Nature is healing.

What's so wonderful is that nature doesn't do anything in particular to heal. Basking in its presence is enough. That's because nature is simply being what it is.

When you open yourself to nature, you become aware of a deeper connection that has always existed. There is no "me" that's here and the "tree" that's there.

You are connected in the Oneness that is all of Life itself.

In that Oneness you become aware of other Truths and Qualities present in nature. Words try to capture its essence -- Beauty, Order, Harmony, Balance, Abundance, Peace, Joy -- but these words cannot name the totality of this Presence.

Too often, in the busy-ness of life, it's easy to forget how much you need to experience Life in its fullness as you do when you're in nature. John Muir, the environmentalist who played a leading role in preserving Yosemite, once said:

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to stay in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

Muir's words reveal his own viewing of nature as sacred, a grand temple or cathedral created by the hands of Divine Spirit itself.

In this spirit of sacred renewal and rejuvenation, here’s your coaching assignment for the week:

Find some time this week to be in nature. This could be the woods, the beach, a local park, or even your garden.
Enter into the space with a sense of reverence, as if you were entering a temple, cathedral or some sacred space. This place becomes holy because you recognize it as so. The ground becomes holy simply because you as holiness walk on it.
Connect with one thing that catches your attention. Open to the idea that you are in relationship with this thing and with nature itself. What is it telling you? What unspoken words are being transmitted into the soul of your being? What senses are awakened within you?
If there's anything to unburden, what would you let go and let nature take for you? Nature is resilient and can carry any worries or stresses you may be holding.
After spending some time with nature, express your gratitude. Give a prayerful bow or say a silent prayer of thanks.

Even a few minutes can be beneficial to your mind, body and heart. See if you can do this practice regularly. And if for some reason you can't make it out to nature, know that you can always bring your mind's eye back to nature when you meditate or sit still at home or in the office. Re-connect through your heart.

Nature reminds you that you are never alone and that you are loved. Any time you need it, nature is there to hold you and support you. Nature is always there, waiting for your remembrance. Namaste.

I'd love to hear about your nature experiences and places you like to connect with nature. Please share by leaving a comment below.

As always, if you need some extra support, know that I am available to be a listening ear and provide some guidance if you'd like clarity on whatever challenges you may be facing in your life. Click here to contact me for a free clarity session with prayer.

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Smelling Your Future?

7/16/2015

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If you follow me on Instagram, you'll catch on pretty quickly that I love good food. I love to cook it, I love to eat it, I love taking pictures of it, and I love sharing good food with others. (The picture here is Filipino food - the food from the country I was born.)

So what does good food and smelling it have to do with your future, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

I had a conversation with a client recently who wanted to be more clear about her vision for her life. Where would she live? What kind of work did she want to do? These are good questions to get you started if you're wanting to be more intentional about your future. The problem for a lot of people, though, is that this exercise is very cerebral, meaning it relies heavily on using your head.

What brings life and "oomph" to your vision is breathing imagination and your senses to the vision.

Here's an example of what I mean. I want you to imagine your favorite food. Close your eyes and bring your favorite food to mind. (For me, it's fried chicken. Or lobster with garlic butter. Yum!)

What does your favorite food look like? Be specific about it's shape, color and arrangement. What does it taste like? Is it salty, sweet, savory, tangy? What does it smell like? Is it fragrant, pungent, sweet? What is its texture or feel? Is it hot, cold, room temperature, rough, smooth? Are there any sounds you associate it with? Does it sizzle, boil, or have a crisp to it?

If you truly imagined your favorite food in this way, I bet your mouth is salivating right now. That's because you evoked your imagination and senses, and it became "real" in your mind. A watering mouth is your body's reaction to your favorite food being right there in your mind's eye!

Just like I asked you to imagine your favorite food, you can tap into the power of imagination and your senses to bring "realness" to a life that you LOVE.

As you paint the picture of the life that you LOVE, what comes up in your mind's eye? Are your surroundings in nature, more urban, or suburban? What does your home look like, with as much detail as possible? How do you feel in this life that you love? If you could sense a smell or a taste to this life that you love, what smell or taste comes up for you? What texture can you imagine as you run your hands on this life? What and who is around you, specifically, that supports you in living the life of your dreams?

You can use this practice of visioning to help you gain a clear picture of a life that you LOVE and invite your whole body into "experiencing" this vision as if it is already happening.

Just as your mouth watered at the "thought" of your favorite food, your body and your life respond in kind to this fuller, more expressive vision that is emerging. In this process, you're creating new neural pathways that attune you to say yes to opportunities and experiences that lead you in the direction of this vision.

Your mind becomes more receptive and drawn to a life you love because it has experienced the vision as a real possibility.

So here’s your coaching assignment for the week:

Bring to your mind an area of your life that you'd like to express more fully.
Now ask yourself these questions: What would I LOVE to experience in this area of my life? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it smell like? What does it taste like? What does it sound like?
Be as specific and detailed as possible as you answer the questions. As you respond, ask yourself, "Am I feeling the LOVE in this? Do I feel JOY when I envision this? Do I feel more FREE as I imagine this life?"
As you imagine a life you love, you can express what comes up for you by writing it out, or you can draw it out on a piece of paper, or you can sculpt it, or whatever means you have to bring a fullness to the vision.

It's not often that people take the time to imagine a life they LOVE. I encourage you to take some time, even a few minutes, and do this. See what comes up for you and share with me if this exercise helped you to vision your life in a different way.

Can your life be like a beautiful garden of roses? Absolutely. Imagine yourself taking the time to stop and smell the roses. And who knows? You might open your eyes and see that the roses have been there right in front of your nose all along. Namaste.

I'd love to hear what you think about using your senses to envision your future. Please leave a comment below. And if you need some extra support, know that I am available to be a listening ear and provide some guidance if you'd like clarity on whatever challenges you may be facing in your life. Click here to contact me for a free clarity session with prayer.

p.s. I'm planning to do a Vision Board workshop this September in both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have any interest in getting notified of the early bird pricing special, simply send me an email and let me know to put you on the list.

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Spiritual Logic vs Common Logic

7/2/2015

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When you're confronted with a problem in your life, one tool that you can use is to apply logic to the situation. What most people don't know is that there are different kinds of logic. Today I'd like to share with you the difference between common logic and spiritual logic.

Say, for example, you'd like to have a certain amount of money show up in your life.

Common logic follows this kind of conversation: "Okay, what's missing? How much do I need, and by when? I need to get this much by a certain date. What do I need to do to get there?"

Seems like a reasonable and sensible approach to a solution, right?

Spiritual logic approaches this differently and follows this kind of conversation: "This Universe is a giving universe and conspires for my highest and best good, simply because I am made of the Universe itself. All the riches of the Universe are already available to me. Knowing this truth, who am I called to be to allow more of this good in my life? In what ways am I being inspired to up-level my own awareness of who I am so that I can see that I am already equal to this good? What actions am I inspired to take that reveals this with joy and ease?"

When you read these two different examples of logic, what do you see as the main differences? What kinds of feelings does each one evoke for you?

This might not be apparent, but there are assumptions underneath each of these conversations.

Common logic assumes that the Universe is made of separate parts. You are separate from the money that you seek. Therefore, if you want money, you have to get the money. There's an underlying feeling of having to work at it to make it happen.

Spiritual logic, on the other hand, assumes that you and the rest of the Universe are not separate but in truth are One. Because Spirit is the Oneness that is all things (both visible and invisible), then you and money are One in this giving Universe.

Therefore, your work is not to "get" anything but to "know" that you are already equal to this Good. The energy, then, is one of allowing and revealing. The feeling is a state of flow.

Both kinds of logic require work but the flavor of work is different. The work in spiritual logic is for you to know this truth and to move into action inspired by this truth. What's essential to this logic working, though, is that you have to believe your reasoning.

If you know in your heart that spiritual logic makes sense but it's a little hard for you to fully embrace, then here's a couple simple phrases that might help. Say, "I'm open to this idea being true in my life." If you're not yet feeling completely open, then say, "I'm willing to be open to this Truth." You can also add, "If this spiritual logic were true, what inspired action would I take?"

Spiritual logic is another form of spiritual practice where you get to train your mind to be open to infinite, joyous possibilities.

So here’s your coaching assignment for the week:

Bring to your mind something in your life that you'd like to experience differently.
Contemplate what common logic would say in how to approach the situation. See what action steps come up for you.
Then contemplate what spiritual logic would say. (Here's a hint: Spiritual logic starts off from a place of love, joy and infinite possibilities. See if you could feel into that as you begin your contemplation. And then see if any different action steps emerge for you.
From there, feel into where you're inspired to move and take action.

Try this out and let me know how this works for you. The exercise here is to be open to approaching life from a more expansive and freer perspective. You have the power to create the life you want.

As Albert Einstein stated, "Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them." Go beyond any limits placed in your life and reach into infinite possibility, and know that you are loved and supported. Namaste.

I'd love to hear what you think about spiritual logic and common logic. Please leave a comment below. And if you need some extra support, know that I am available to be a listening ear and provide some guidance if you'd like clarity on whatever challenges you may be facing in your life. Click here to contact me for a free clarity session with prayer.

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abundant good blog

Nature as a temple

Smelling Your Future?

Spiritual Logic vs Common Logic

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