Sit Back and Brew

If you are a coffee aficionado, what do you experience when the coffee is brewing?  Do you enjoy the smell of the ground coffee being saturated with hot steaming water anticipating the finished product with glee?  Or are you impatient, perhaps even getting a cup of coffee while it’s still brewing?   Perhaps you’ve done both, I know I have!

Brewing is a very important stage in the realms of creativity, life transitions, emotions, career, relationships… the list is endless.  For the sake of this blog post, I’ll be pondering the idea stage in relation to creativity.  The brewing stage is a time when you are receiving new ideas and yet not knowing the “how’s” just yet.  In our download, drive through world, we can get caught up in the idea that things need to manifest now.  And yet, that is not how nature, the Universe works.  The brewing stage asks us to slow down and receive. 

I’ve been experiencing the brewing stage this year as I find myself speaking ideas into my phone voice recorder, writing things down on pieces of paper (that drive my hubby crazy), starting some things and not finishing them.   I am in the brewing stage and I am learning to embrace this as a very important part of the creative process.  This can be an exciting stage because the possibilities are endless.  When you decide, you narrow choices down. 

If you are in the brewing stage, here are some helpful tips to support you there;

1)Name and claim that this is where you are. It’s takes the edge off striving and keeps the ideas coming.

2)Write, journal, collage your ideas and feelings.  This will offer you rich material to come back to and it may open the door to even more possibilities.

3) Share your ideas with a trusted confidant that will listen and hold the space for you to brew.

4) Attend workshops online or in person to keep your creative juices flowing.

5)Explore what other people are doing/creating in the realm of your ideas. 

Gather, sit with, honor, ponder and embrace the brewing time. You’ll enjoy the end product that much more when it arrives. 

This virtual cup of coffee is for one of the biggest coffee lovers of all time, Rev. Steve Bolen. With love  to you Steve!

Turning on Your Inner Light

 “Here comes the sun, and I say, it’s all right” The Beatles

Summer Solstice is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, occuring on June 21, 2010.  This is the longest day of the year, when there is more light than darkness.  The  sun is the fire element  which represents Spirit; your inner light,  energy, chi, and  movement .  Fire contains within it the ability to transform, changing something from one state to another.    It is times of darkness, we rely on our fire element, as it is our inner light (soul) and our connection to Spirit that can carry us through difficult times.  By relying on our inner light, we strengthen our spiritual muscles.  The Solstice is a great time to consider how the fire element applies to you.  

• Where are you in terms of goals you have set for yourself this year; the seeds you have planted?
• What goals, relationships, ideas need to be renewed or released?
• How much light are you allowing in to your life?  Are you being a good receiver?

The Solstice is a wonderful time to think about these questions and create a ritual to honor the day, your goals, your Soul.  Ritual is simply the physical act of a prayer or intention.  The following are some ideas for celebrating Solstice with a ritual and aligning with nature for harmony within;

1. Create a bouquet of flowers in bright colors in your home
2. Write a list of  what requires renewing, manifested, or released and burn it (transformation)
3. Pray, meditate, visualize abundance and growth
4. Play music and celebrate the fullness of what you do have right now.  Be in gratitude.

Fellow Soul Coach and friend Mary Dixon, has this suggestion for Solstice; “ send prayers for good growth for yourself and the plants, for passion and play to let loose, for your dreams and projects to become real and concrete. Autumn will become a time of harvest, review and heading more inward.” Check out Mary’s marvelous website at www.thirdeyesouljourneys.com; she is not only a gifted Soul Coach, but a gardener of lavender, Reiki healer, and photographer.

Take time to thoughtfully listen to your soul at this time. Rest, renew, and rejoice in the abundance  that surrounds you!

Letting go of the old…

…welcome in the new year!

“Intention goes where energy flows”~Denise Linn

I have a time honored tradition on New Years Eve of being intentional about what I want to let go of in my life and my desires for the New Year. This tradition begins with a ritual. Rituals are an energetic bridge between heaven and earth; they are a physical act of a prayer. Michael Davis, author of “Rituals-Light for the Soul” writes this about the meaning of ritual; “the value in any ritual comes from its ability to connect you to a larger context that clarifies your relationship to yourself, others, and your place in the universe. Whether the names used are God, nature, ancestral wisdom, or the great mystery, a relationship is established that both nourishes and instructs”.

Here’s how to begin;

1) You will need paper and pen, your memory and imagination, that’s it!

2)Create a list with the heading “What I Release from my Life”

3)Create a list with the heading “What I Welcome into my Life in 2011”

In order to get you started on your lists, here are some areas of your life to consider:

Inner Qualities Outer Qualities

Feminine/masculine side Physical health & wellness

Confidence Work/Career

Spirituality Relationships; love, friends, family

Emotional health Fun; travel, hobbies, social

Loving nature Prosperity/financial health

Releasing

Reflect on 2010 for a moment and think about what did not work well for you or where you may have been out of balance in the qualities listed above.

If you have a safe fire source, burn this list and watch that which you no longer serves you, burn away. Or you can rip/shred the list; just make sure you release your list in some manner.

Welcoming In

Visualize December 31, 2011 as you reflect back over the year. What would feel satisfying to your soul if it had manifested?

Put this list in an envelope and place it in a favorite book or on an altar/special place in your home where it will be held sacred all year long. Light a tea light candle in honor of your welcome list and allow it to burn out. This ritual holds light around your intentions.

There is no better time than right now to be intentional about your life. Times are a changin’, and the energy is shifting,. Ride the wave of this energy by declaring what your heart and soul desires. I’m holding the vision with you for a 2011 filled with heaven on earth and in your life!

I’ll be including my annual Soul Vision Map in January during my January 15th Women’s Retreat for the Soul Day.  You’ll create a “vision board” for 2011 with your soul’s hopes and dreams. Contact me directly at 678-296-1278.

Igniting the Fire Element

“Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Chinese Proverb

In my last article about the water element, I mentioned that a change came about for me during water week.   I needed to find new office space fast.  After allowing all the emotions (water) to surface and move, I received even more clarity.  I absolutely knew what I had to do.  This is the benefit of listening to your soul – a knowingness rises up from within as you clear the clutter from your soul.  During fire week, I made a decision to move out of my current office and put my things in storage, without knowing where or how I would land.  How did I do this?   Fear surfaced so I tuned into that knowingness and ”walked through the fire”.  I decided to trust and move ahead in faith.  This is no easy task and the process can be much like a toggle switch from fear to faith.  However, when your soul speaks and you listen, a deep peace resonates within.  This, is the fire element.

The fire element represents Spirit; your inner light,  energy, chi, and  movement .   Fire contains within it the ability to transform, changing something from one state to another.      It is times of darkness, we rely on our fire element, as it is our inner light (soul) and our connection to Spirit that can carry us through difficult times.   By relying on our inner light, we strengthen our spiritual muscles.  This is how faith and trust are developed. Fire also represents your visions, dreams and inspiration.  Fire makes us expand and reach out beyond our physical senses.  This element connects us to the unseeen.

During the 28 day Soul Coaching program, we identify fears, patterns and habits that may be keeping you from hearing your soul during fire week.    The fire element teaches: reach deeper and vision higher.  YOU, are so much more than you think you are!

Kindle Your Light

Kin-dle; to light up, illuminate, or make bright.

How is your inner light these days?  Does it burn brightly like a well stoked fire or can you barely find the embers aglow?

The following are 5 ways to begin stoking your internal fire and begin glowing;

1. Create a gratitude list – write down who and what you are grateful for in your life.  You’ll discover how prosperous you truly are.
2. Choose to be around people who empower you and lift you up.
3. Be generous with your time and talent and give in the most unexpected way.
4. Journal – a great way to connect to yourself, your Soul

By connecting consciously to your internal light, you affect not only yourself but those around you.  To quote Marianne Williamson, “and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same”.

May you shine even brighter in 2012!