Spiritual Growth: The Potency of the Season

The last few weeks of the year offer us a rich opportunity for contemplation and reflection as well as a fertile time for planting new seeds to grow in the upcoming year.

To offset a bit of my tendency toward impatience, I love to use the time frame of a year – all of the seasons – to notice how I’ve changed and grown.  And then, to set my sights on how I would like to continue to uncover and express more of me in the year to come.

If you’d like to join me, here are some of the things I love to
consider . . .

With little judgment and criticism and lots of curiosity and generosity, what were the highlights of 2010 for you?  What made those events meaningful to you?  In what areas did you grow the most?  Breakthroughs?  Transformation?  What new discoveries did you make about yourself?  How did you express yourself more fully?

As you look forward to 2011, what excites you the most?  As you imagine your conversation with yourself a year from now on December 28, 2011, what thrills you to have brought into reality in your world?  What makes that important to you?

Spiritual growth of making ourselves as we desire.

At age 15, I made this plaque for my grandma – apparently already aware of our spiritual growth potential!

What qualities of being would you most like to cultivate in the next year?  Is a theme or a focus calling you?

In Mike Dooley’s new book, “Manifesting Change,” he says it couldn’t be easier.  Get clear on what you desire, move in that direction and let the Universe handle the details.

My two big commitments for 2011:
– Deepening self-love
– Expanding self-expression

I’ll be taking time this week to write down some specifics of what I desire in 2011.

Care to join me?  

Spiritual Growth: Solstice Lunar Eclipse

Here in the northern hemisphere, the darkest day of the year is amplified this year by the lunar eclipse that begins tonight, Monday, December 20, at 10:27 pm MT.  This is the first solstice lunar eclipse since 1554!  Nature is offering us a rare, powerful opportunity to use her lunar and solar energy to co-create the world we desire.

Take some time tonight and tomorrow on the Winter Solstice for positive prayer, ritual, meditation, reflection and contemplation.

Spiritual growth of using the energy of the Solstice Lunar Eclipse to bring our desires into reality
Using the energy of the Solstice Lunar Eclipse and the Winter Solstice to bring greater awareness of peace, love and connection to our actions . . .

Make beauty, make love, make music, make new heart-centered ways of being.  Send blessings to those around you and all around the world.

As we welcome a new season, a new year, a new decade; may we consciously choose new ways of thinking, new ways of being, new ways of acting.  

Choosing:
– Love
– Peace
– Acceptance
– Openness
– Connection
– Joy
– Abundance
– Courage
– Lightness
– Laughter
– Harmony
– Ease

Refraining from:
– Fear
– Conflict
– Judgment
– Close-mindedness
– Separation
– Rejection
– Scarcity
– Safety
– Heaviness
– Seriousness
– Dis-ease
– Struggle

Use this powerful time of transition and change to make positive plans for you and your life and to hold a new vision for the world . . .

Deeper Learning: Victim or Creator/Owner?

This past weekend I attended a workshop in which I gave myself two workshops for the price of one!  The first workshop was the one I signed up for: A two-day course on understanding men that I attended with my sister, Cathy, and niece, Alisha.  The workshop content was life-changing and I loved sharing the experience with Cathy and Alisha.

The second workshop involved my experience of the workshop facilitator.  She seemed like a combo dictator and preschool teacher.  I don’t respond well to either of that combo.  I felt like an angry victim because I was committed to creating a new experience with men from the workshop material and I loved learning with Cathy and Alisha. And, I hated the rigidity and condescending nature of the environment and facilitator.

One of my key growth areas this year involves being a Creator/Owner rather than a victim in every situation.  So, here I had created this incredible second workshop – just for me – to practice my learning. 

Conscious relationship, spiritual growth of choosing creator/owner rather than victim.
That poignant spiritual growth moment in which I actively choose to rise above my inclination to believe I’m a victim and consciously choose to create whatever I desire . . .

After reflection and debriefing with several of my favorite professionals, I realized that as I took myself out of the role of victim with men, I then transferred that role to the workshop leader.

I was fairly shocked (and then relieved) to see how committed I have been to having a villain in my life.  If I hadn’t needed a villain in the workshop room, I’m sure I still would have found the workshop leader’s rules overly rigid and juvenile.  I probably would have been annoyed.

Way beyond annoyed, I instead felt traumatized.  I had a bit of a meltdown Saturday morning and another Sunday afternoon.

Back to being a Creator/Owner rather than a victim.  I signed up for the workshop to learn new ways to create empowering and fulfilling relationships with men.  Apparently my second agenda involved becoming viscerally aware that I no longer need a villain – man or woman – as a main character in the story of my one precious life here now!

I continue to ask myself:
– What do I choose to create?
– How can I do that – even here?
– What is going on that feels like victim to me?
– How can I transform that now?

Affirmative Prayer: Ecstatic Union

As I start to look “over there”
to find my happiness,
I take a deep breath and pause.

I open my eyes more fully
as I begin to breathe more slowly.
And I see.
I feel.
I know.
From deep within.
Ecstatic Union.

Ecstatic Union with my breath.
Ecstatic Union with myself.
Ecstatic Union with the Divine.
Ecstatic Union with All That Is.

Ecstatic Union with what is right in front of me.
Ecstatic Union with whomever is right in front of me.

Affirmative prayer: Ecstatic Union, connected to All
Ecstatic Union: Present in this precious moment to all that is . . .

Ecstatic Union with the silence.
Ecstatic Union with every noise.

Ecstatic Union with the darkness.
Ecstatic Union with the radiant Light.

Ecstatic Union with what I would love to run from.
Ecstatic Union with what I’d love to hold onto forever.

Ecstatic Union.
I need not look “over there.”
I am.
Ecstatic Union.

– Ann Strong

Conscious Choice: When Your Ship Is Sinking

I watched the movie, “Titanic” for the second time over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  One of my favorite things about watching a movie more than once involves getting to pay attention to different things because I already know the outcome.

What mesmerized me this time: how differently people reacted as they came to understand the certainty that many of them would die.

In the spring of 2001, my dad was in hospice.  At that time, someone told me that we each die as we lived.  Not much of a surprise when I thought about it.  And, I do remember that I was expecting, perhaps hoping, for something different from my dad in death than I received from him in life.  I took that opportunity to reflect on how I wanted to live so that when my time comes, I will be dying in a way that feels true to me, my life, my legacy.

As the Titanic was sinking, many people were panicking and all of their actions were completely focused on doing whatever they could to survive, at the cost of whomever was in the way.  Others were trying to save themselves and did try to help another – if it wasn’t too inconvenient.  Still others went to great lengths to save another, maybe even at the risk of their own peril.  One of the main characters tried to buy his safety with a pocketful of cash.

Conscious choice, spiritual growth of being who I choose to be, in life and in death.
Even as our ship is sinking, we have the opportunity to make a conscious choice about who we are and how we behave . . .

The people who most intrigued me consciously chose to accept their fate and gracefully go down with the ship.  The captain who took the wheel until the water rushed in and swept him and the wheel away.  The builder of the ship who took his last drink by the fire.  The mother of two children who quietly sang to them, after she tucked them into bed – for the last time. 

The most amazing to me: the musicians, a string quartet, who calmly played cheerful music amidst chaos and bedlam on the first-class deck until minutes before the ship went down.  The leader finally said, “Let’s call it a night.  It’s been a pleasure playing with you.”  They disbanded.

Alone, he then picked up his violin and began playing more somber and haunting – appropriate – music.  The other musicians, who had begun walking away, stopped.  They then all turned and came back to joined him in their last few songs of that lifetime.

I want to be those guys in my life and my death!  Offering my gifts to the world, even when it seems the world is in too big a mess to receive my gifts.  Confidently, consciously and courageously being who I am fully, with dignity and devotion, even with my last
breath . . .  

Affirmative Prayer: Imagine a World Powered by Gratitude

What if, just for today,
I feel grateful for everything in my life?

I’d start with the obvious:
My health, my home, my friends, my family.
My wonderful work, my bills all paid.

I’d move on to everyday joys:
My cat sleeping in my lap,
The crisp, cool autumn air,
This delightful pumpkin latte,
The way the sun streams into my office,
My comfortable chair,
And my fabulous Pandora radio.

Affirmative prayer: gratitude for Jasmine.

One of my biggest reasons for gratitude this year, Jasmine joined our family on Easter this year. Her sheer joy and exuberance makes affirmative prayer spontaneous for me!

I’d contemplate all the gifts I feel honored to offer the world:
My love, my enthusiasm, my centeredness,
My clear thinking and my insightfulness.

I’d revel in the gifts I receive from others today:
Their love, their generosity, their kindness,
Their encouragement and their patience.

I’d thank God for the gift in what I consider “challenges:”
A misunderstanding and disagreement with a friend,
A seemingly missed opportunity,
What looks like self-sabotage,
Yet another headache or heartache.

I’d thank God for showing the face of God
All around me and from within me.

If I thought of anything for which I didn’t know
how to feel thankful, I’d feel gratitude
for the opportunity to see from a bigger perspective.
Until I could.

And then,
I’d feel profound gratitude for this incredible privilege
to be here now, alive on this planet,
contributing what I came here to give.

And then,
I’d do it again tomorrow.

– Ann Strong

What are you grateful for today?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

Conscious Relationship: Celebrating Our Connectedness

“Today I blatantly and boldly care.”
“Today I bridge needless divides.”
“Today I sincerely desire blessings for others.”
“Today I enjoy inspired sharing.”
– Dr. Roger Teel, Spiritual Leader of Mile Hi Church

I’ve gotten away from using affirmations because in the past they have often felt trite or downright untrue.  Yesterday, in church, I became re-inspired by the power of an affirmation as a compass.

I feel excited to blatantly and boldly care!  I’m tickled when I notice an opportunity to bridge a needless divide.  I love to remember that I do sincerely desire blessings for others.  And, I was born to delight in inspired sharing!

Thank you, Dr. Roger, for highlighting these opportunities to celebrate our connectedness!

Spiritual Growth: Taking My Place

“The rest of creation is waiting, breathless,
for you to take your place.”
– David Whyte

2010 has been my year of “taking my place.”  Yet, I didn’t know that until late in the year, in November 2010.

Usually, around the Winter Solstice of the preceding year, I listen for guidance about my intention/theme for the upcoming year.  I did not receive one last year for 2010, even though I sat, listening on several occasions.

So, I let it go.

And, I hired a new coach to help me take my business to the next level.  I knew that I would grow in the process – of course my business growth would directly correlate to my personal growth.

And, I now know why I never received a theme for this year.  Both my personal growth and business growth has called forth more of the fullness of me in every way – more of my devotion, fierceness, lightness, love, courage, humility, discipline, detachment, playfulness, surrender, tenderness . . .  I have grown spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically.

Spiritual growth: self acceptance, self expression

While I probably won’t be climbing a rock wall this lifetime, this year I have sometimes felt like I had, indeed, made it to the top!

Some of the year, I have felt like a fumbling beginner, taking my first awkward steps.  Sometimes, I’ve felt as though I were scaling a sheer wall, without training.  At other times, I’ve felt sure I could leap tall buildings in a single bound . . .

Even with my awkwardness, I have a clarity, knowing and strength about who I am that I have never had before.  I am expressing myself more fully every day, often astonishing those who have known me a long time and sometimes even myself!

And, I am just beginning to sense the absolute freedom and joy in letting go of pretending, worrying, pleasing, resentment,
judgment . . .

Wow!

Spiritual Growth: Better Loving Daily

“Please tell me how I can love you better.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh

Recently I chose to dive into the invitation issued by Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh, to ask my loved ones the question, “How can I love you better?”  I received my first answer from my niece, Alisha, and began to earnestly pay attention to what she had requested. I noticed how, if and when I could do it, and also, under what circumstances I felt I couldn’t.  I loved having the focus of a specific act that felt good to her and that I could offer her.

Conscious relationship, spiritual growth of better loving daily

It tickles me to visually record the death and rebirth in my neighborhood – part of my spiritual growth of loving me better!

And, then I realized I had started looking outward prematurely.  Just as it is on a plane, it’s best for me to put my oxygen mask on first and then help Alisha or anyone else who needs help, it is also best to ask myself ( and answer) the question first.

So, I have begun asking myself each day, “Ann, how can I love you better today?”  I have been surprised and delighted by the variety of answers.  

“Refrain from a certain automatic response with one of my more challenging friends.” “Take a longer walk today.” “Play my new music.” “Get out in the sun.”  “Take some pictures.”

And, of course, as I fill my own cup a bit more, then I have more love to give!  What a fun easy way to fill my cup a bit more each day, “Ann, how can I love you better today?”  Ask. Listen.  Take the loving action.

And, then go ask someone else, “How can I love you better?” Ask. Listen.  Take the loving action.

Repeat as needed . . .

Spiritual Growth: Stable and Secure

The desire for stability and security seems to be in the air right now.  Maybe it’s the time in history, the time of the year and the time in the election cycle all culminating in the energy of “dear God, please give me some certainty.”

For me it shows up in desiring that from my sweetheart, for one of my clients it shows up in seeking it from her business, for another client it looks like her measure of how she’s doing as a mother and for a friend it shows up in asking for security and stability from her job.

The tough thing about looking for our security and stability from another person or situation outside ourselves: we can’t control anyone or anything outside of ourselves.

I am in charge of my security and stability regardless of what my sweetheart, my clients, my friends, my family, the economy or the weather is doing!  That’s the good news and the bad news!

While it’s not always easy, it is worth every moment of practice to come to know that in every cell of my being.  As I turn to my Source, my God, my inner knowing, Love, the Universe and affirm “I AM stability, I AM security,” that’s something I can take to the bank.

Spiritual growth of knowing that with my God, with my Source, I am stability, I am security.

Spiritual growth: As I my know my God, know my Source, then I know I am stability, I am security . . .

When I feel I must have someone else do or not do, be or not be something before I can feel stable and secure, then I am in a precarious position.  As soon as I notice that I am looking outside for my good, for my stability, for my security, I use that moment.

I take a deep breath, turn within, acknowledge God as my Source and affirm that I am Love, I am stability, I am security.  What a fantastic practice . . .