How to Stay Spiritually Vibrant During the Holidays

The holidays, for most us, are about activities that cascade down on our lives like a torrential rain storm (or for those of us in snow country – like a blizzard.)

In the month of December, we will partake in a multitude of activities that involve pressure, traffic, shopping in crowded stores, shopping online, meeting needs, wrapping presents, decorating, eating, shopping some more, cleaning, singing, praying, celebrating, gift giving, gift receiving – and eating some more.

We will endure not only a mad dash of activities but a roller coaster of emotions. We will go from burdened to elated, miserable to joyous, frustrated to reverent – all in about 30 days. Whew!

The closer we get to the holidays (especially those who celebrate Christmas) the more frazzled we become until we crash on Christmas day, emotionally wrought and physically exhausted. We will have probably neglected ourselves and over eaten.

If someone asked us, “Why do you do all of this thankless work?” we‘d be stumped for an answer.

So how can we stop this downward spiral TODAY?

First…We have to step outside of our lives or get off the hamster wheel. Spiritually this is called ‘aspiring to the witness viewpoint.’ When we successfully shift to a broader vision or perspective, we will probably take a deep breath and sigh attaining a sense of inner peace.

Second…We have to intend to connect to the best of the holidays. If we do this right, we will begin to see the complete rapture in the children’s faces, to once again feel the true blessings in giving, and to engage fully in preparing our homes for those we Love. We will find pleasure in the cooking, decorating, cleaning and coordinating. In fact, all of the tasks will pass by us in a blur of tinsel and good cheer!

Now...if we were asked, “Why do you do all of this thankless work?” our answer would be obvious, “To honor the upcoming holiday!” or “Because of the children!” or “Because it’s all about Love – and nothing is better than being a part of that Love!”

It’s all about perspective or aspiring to the witness viewpoint. The holidays are about sharing with family and friends. We gather in the name of celebration, ceremony and religious tradition. We gather for gift giving, gift receiving and to share the Love in our Hearts. In the sharing, celebration and Love is the best of the holidays.

If all else fails, hum a few bars of “Jingle Bells” and the skies will part, and you will be showered with blessings!

Hey, it could happen :-)

May your life be blessed with Joy and Love this holiday season!

A Spiritual Crossroads for Adolescents: The Powerful Influence of Past Lives

Occasionally I write up information for one of my clients that seems it may appeal to a broader audience. This is one of those articles that I feel may have an interest for those who do spiritual counseling, those who have children - and those who ever were children themselves!

Feel free to contact me directly about this topic at Corinne@Spiritual-Healthcare.net, leave a comment, or a post at The Wellness Project Message Board.

At around 14 years of age both young women and men hit a point in their personal growth when they are boldly and innocently wide open to what life has to offer them.

There is a day they step forward into their life at the crossroads between childhood and adulthood, and everything changes. On this day, they stake out a claim in the world for themselves. Their attention turns fully towards the world outside of their childhood home and they ask, “Who am I in the world?” They turn and face the unknown, on this day, with complete and total confidence in their ability to live life in their own independent way.

In their innocence, they presume they can handle anything. They believe they know everything they need to succeed, and they believe in their own invincibility. They also believe completely in the wisdom of their peers.

As they boldly step into the world, they are bombarded by experiences that far out distance their knowledge and that of their peers. Life is not what they had anticipated. The scope of what they discover seems overwhelmingly immense. Some of their experiences are understood. Some are unfathomable. It is guaranteed that their lives will be touched in powerful ways physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

They have no context to evaluate these new experiences, especially the past life connections which become a part of them in a flood of sensations. They will have no recall about the specifics of these past lives only the sensations which they will not be able to process. The past lives will create feelings and thoughts that will not make sense in the context of what they consciously know.

This is a time when worlds collide and the total spiritual experience of the adolescent’s Being-ness meets them on the road of life. Often times this creates tremendous confusion and suffering.

This point in a young person’s life will guide them for the rest of their life and hi-light the nature of the suffering they must travel through to meet their personal challenges.

If we as parents and counseling professionals could realize the full implications of this adolescent spiritual crossroads, the highest good could be served.

With blessings for deeper understanding and wellness, I wish you a good day.

We had our First Snow the other Night and the Angels Spoke of Healing

On the evening of November 9th and into the wee hours of November 10th, it snowed here in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.

It wasn’t a lot of snow, maybe - 2 inches but the impact of those few inches was felt, loud and clear. Those whispering, angelic voices were mocking me, I knew it!

I could hear their calming, sweet voices whispering words of support and inner peace. “Rest…Be at peace…Time for reflection…Sleep well…”

But…I resisted shouting, “It’s too early for snow! I don’t have the new all weather tires on my car yet. I haven’t finished raking the leaves in the side yard. The lawn furniture is still outside. I haven’t cut back the perennial grasses yet. Oil prices are out of control! If it is cold this early in the season, I could run out of wood for the wood stove. Is anybody out there listening???” SIGH.

So…this morning, it was 20 degrees at 7:00am – a true sign that winter is here to stay. I guess I’ll have to get over my resistance, put the snow shovel by the front door, and prepare myself to “rest" and “be at peace.” DOUBLE SIGH.

I did get out and take a few pictures from my front porch – and I must admit it is beautiful. Isn’t it?

Chopping Parsley, Saving the World

…One person at a time…

The other morning while chopping parsley for an omelet my office phone rang, and since I had been working recently with the person on the caller ID with some serious issues, I put on my head set and picked up the phone.

My client began to excitedly report his excellent progress. He was seeing the world with new eyes.
(Chop. Chop.)

He was seeing his childhood as something he could heal.
(Chop. Chop.)

Although his mother has been dead for almost twenty years, he’d had a dream about healing her alcoholism and violent ways.
(Parsley swished off the board into the beaten eggs. On to the red onion.)

In the dream, his mother had hugged him, told him he was a good, little boy – and it had felt wonderful!
(Chop. Chop.)

He now saw exactly how he had held onto getting her approval and how it had damaged his self worth.
(Chop. Chop.)

He was free to be himself! He was valuable in his work!
(Swish. Diced red onion added to the egg mixture. On to the mushrooms.)

He was going to teach healing of the inner child to his addiction support group
(Slice. Slice.)

He felt lighter and grateful for our last session.
(Slice. Slice.)

He now realized how powerfully he’d resisted healing himself to be able to say to his support group, “I understand your pain.”
(Swish. Mushrooms into the egg mixture. Pan on. Butter melting)

His revelation was, “I don’t have to be sick myself. I can only model what I have accomplished myself!”
(Egg mixture into the pan. Sizzle. Sizzle.)

“My resistance was so powerful! I am great at resisting! My personal power has always been most evident in my resistance.
(Stir. Stir.)

“I am going to teach how to release hidden power! This is great!”
(Stir. Stir. Multi-grain bread. Toaster on.)

“What do you think? This is good stuff, right?”
(Eggs on the plate. Steaming.)

“Yes,” I answered. “You’ve done fantastic personal work.”

“I knew it! I just wanted to share this with you.”
(Toast up. Buttered.)

“Thank you for sharing your wonderful news,” I answered.

“Well, I leave you to your day and will talk to you on Wednesday.”
(Click. Phone disconnected. Breakfast ready.)

I smiled. Sometimes I do good.
(Forkful. Mmmm.)

Surrendering to Car Repair

The day after I began writing a blog entry called “The Spiritual Process of Surrender Gone Wrong” the Service Engine Soon light on my car dashboard flickered on – again! Five hundred and fifty dollars had bought me three whole days of carefree driving. It was hardly worth the cost.

I had felt triumphant after the light had gone on the first time. The dealership had originally given me a long list of possible problems associated with the warning light that totaled a whopping $3,000!!

I had been cool and steely when I asked, “That I need new tires, which is the only thing I understand on this list, can not be indicated by the warning light – so this is my question, what on this list do you have to do to turn the light off?”

Sheepishly I’d been told, “Maybe, this.”
Well, as I said, that work lasted three days.

Is car repair such an inexact science that the mechanics can not figure out exactly what goes on in the engine? It’s a machine, albeit a complex one, but it is still a machine! One part interconnects to the other! Find the breakdown in the chain – and fix it!

I’ve heard all the reports about how often women get ripped off with car repairs. I felt disappointed, frustrated, angry and victimized. What was going on here?

Before I answer that question, let me back up at bit and share part of the original piece I began for “Surrender Gone Wrong:”

All of us, at one time or another, can become
1) frustrated, confused or lost in our challenges. We become
2) attached or dedicated to carrying our burdens around with us. We experience our troubles as heavy weight on our back or on our shoulders. We are emotionally distraught and our thoughts return to the same unproductive cycle again and again. At some point in this dysfunctional process,
3) the spiritual seeker will follow their training and Surrender to What Is. If the Hidden Teachings (the inner Truth or the silver lining) in the challenge are not discovered, then there is a further descent into
4) a loss of self or feelings of ungrounded-ness. Next in the process, there is a descent down into feelings of
5) defeat or victimization. Take it all one more step down, and you devolve into
6) stagnation or nothingness – or Surrender Gone Wrong.

Since I had derailed spiritually at step 3 and become ungrounded then victimized, I decided I had to do some personal work.

So what are the Hidden Teachings in having the service engine light come on twice? Pay attention? That seems obvious. Be cautious? Are there things about me I need to attend to? Is there a physical issue I need to address? Am I being called to have a full blown temper tantrum? To be patient? Now I was driven to resolve this.

Since the light said “Service Engine Soon,” maybe I had to pay closer attention to an issue that is subtle today and non-specific. Was there something going on with a family member? A friend? Was it going to be a tough winter? Maybe I should buy snow tires. What about my dog? Should I get him to the vet?

Exhausted with meaningless digression, I sat back. I knew that when I hit on an answer, I’d feel it. There would be that warmth and peace that wells up from the inside out – and I would know I’d gotten my answer. I put my pen down, ran my hands through my hair and gave it a yank out of frustration – and then I got it!

It’s a car! It’s only a car! My life is not a predictable sequence of cause and effect events! My body is not a machine because it can regenerate and replace old, worn out parts. It responds to every one of my thoughts and emotions, and it continues to function and thrive when I sleep. A machine can do none of the above.

My body is a miracle of interwoven interactions. Each cell has a mind of its own, is absolutely committed to the synchronicity and community of its family of cells, works in complete harmonious cooperation with my organs…and is, at the same time, blindly devoted to orders, suggestions and unconscious directions from me.

I got it! I am not a machine! On a spiritual level, I believe I get better and wiser for every day I live. Thank you, my dear car, for reminding me that I am part of a magical, fantastic interplay of happenstance, a magnificent orchestration, spontaneous brilliance, Divine Inspiration and all that is of the highest good. What a relief!

I relaxed back into my revelation with a sigh. It was all just a reminder. Now that was Surrender Gone Right. There was no defeat, victimization or stagnation. I had gone from Surrender to What Is to self-revelation.

Thanks for listening! There are spiritual lessons everywhere.

P.S. Right after I had my revelation, the mechanic came out and said, “Which do you like better $85 or $700?” (Was this a trick question from the Universe?) I responded hesitantly, “$85?” And he cheered, “You got it! You win!”

Ah, yes I had.

Why are we so uncomfortable with someone who is different from us?

Why are we so suspicious, even fearful, of something that is not like we are? We judge the clothing people wear, the way they talk, their hairstyle, their car, their food preferences, their religion and even their shoes – as if there is some formula for acceptance that we alone are privy to!

If someone is not like us or doesn’t align with the rules of our community, we reject or humiliate them, or label them dangerous.

It is as if we want to look into the eyes of someone else and see ourselves. Are we all so egocentric or narcissistic that we, ourselves, must be the only supreme authority on All That Is Truth?

And here is the kicker…underneath all of our judgment and suspicion, we are all trying to be individuals with unique ideas and a mind of our own. In a very unbalanced, conflicted way we strive to be Unique and to Belong.

We all have a primal ability to scan our lives for danger. This has been true since prehistoric times. Our ancient roots also bring with them a need to be in community. The community was our salvation. It literally kept us safe and alive. Without our community, we would never have survived the dangers of our daily lives.

The communities we bond with today can use physical brute force to protect their members, but they are more apt to shame or humiliate when threatened.

So...with the support of our community we criticize and judge. To actually not side with the community means we risk being ostracized – and that is terrifying! Without our primal community backing us, we died. The same response is triggered today. If we lose our community, we fear dying. This death can be literal or figurative. Either way, it is terrifying.

The saddest commentary about our harsh judgment of those who are different from us, is that we are all the same at Heart. All of us spend our lifetime in search of Love. We all long to Love and to be Loved. Every one of us! Why don’t we see that struggle in each others’ eyes and realize we are one, One Family?

We are all struggling to live a good life, to navigate our trials, to nurture our families, to provide for our children, to do a good job for fair pay, and to feel pride in a life well lived. We want to be a good friend, a good parent, a good role model, a good child, to have shelter we call home, to have enough to eat, to feel healthy – physically, emotionally mentally and spiritually – and to Love and to be Loved.

This is my wish…

Next time we look at someone, individually or collectively...may we see the sameness in each others’ eyes.

The Fruitless Pursuit of the 'Why?'

There are so many things that interfere with us feeling truly well – but of particular importance is our often fruitless pursuit of the ‘why?’

Knowing the ‘why’ is a double edged sword and useful only when it is acknowledged for the purpose of promoting healing. When it is not, then our lives grind to a halt and we feel unresolved. Left feeling unresolved, we move to either apathy, anger or depression.

For instance, knowing the answer to the ‘why’ you lost your job is useful if you use the information for careful self evaluation, and as a result make yourself a valuable future employee.

Knowing the answer to the ‘why’ it is not useful if you use the information to gossip, to force allegiance from your former co-workers, to create a vengeful attitude or as justification for bad behavior.

Why do some good, hard-working people lose their homes? The question can make us angry but that wouldn’t solve the tragedy.

It is only when we are motivated to find resolve by the question that we are able to come to terms with our feelings. It is only when we perform a positive or constructive action that we find Inner Peace.

So what happens when there is no answer to the ‘why?’

Why do children die? The question is not really answerable.

Why do the unscrupulous manage to thrive? The question is frustrating to contemplate.

Why did my father hit me and my mother never actually see me? I won’t ever know the true answers to those questions, but I have discovered a level of comfort in realizing they did the best they knew how. And I really believe that.

I have learned from my spiritual studies that the Divine speaks in All Things – which is an important spiritual concept to consider. When I presume that the Divine is speaking, I have to let go. It is then, and only then, that my reflection takes on a very different tone. I know that if I have not found the gold in the dark folds of my life, I must look again with new eyes. Self-revelation always starts with letting go.

If we get stuck in the pursuit of ‘why’ to the detriment of resolution, we must do our best to let go. Beyond confusion, anger, thoughts of revenge or depression is the Inner Peace we are searching for.

I personally believe that when there is no clear or obvious answer, we are to do our best to accept What Is. In our acceptance, we stay open to the possibility of resolution or revelation. If we close the door on the potential for revelation and operate out of any restricting emotion such as anger or depression then our resistance will not allow us to heal.

When we do not know our answers…the challenge is to surrender to What Is and see what unfolds. Our goal is healing, resolution and Inner Peace.

Let go and trust the answer will be self-evident and available to you exactly when you need it.

Click here for the audio download of this blog entry.