Live Your Dreams~Now!

“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” ~ Seneca

Life is precious.  On your journey here, you mostly get to choose your experience.  What are you choosing and what dreams are you still holding in your soul?  What do you want to experience during your precious life? 

Grieving tends to bring this question into laser focus, as loss is a transition and it forces us to take stock of our lives.   We are not the same after losing someone we love, or after a divorce/relationship break up, or job change.  Grief breaks open the verneer and lull of everyday life and carries us deep within ourselves.

I recently lost a friend, and for me it was a shock,  as I did not know she was experiencing a health challenge.  She was a vibrant, bright, positive person and thoughtful friend.  Her death caused me to pause, feel deeply, and reflect.  I knew some of her hopes and dreams, some accomplished, some not.    

If there are things you still want to experience in your life and you are waiting for fear to disappear before you begin, you’ll wait forever.  Fear is part of life’s journey. You must feel the fear and do it anyway if you want to make headway with your hopes and dreams.   My friend demostrated this by having fear of playing the violin  and singing for an audience. As terrified as she was, she did it anyway.  She climbed Machu Picchu, lead therapy groups and classes, and was in an online writing class with me that made us all vulnerable. She did all these things with fear by her side, but she did it anyway.

My wish for your soul is that you will begin something you have been putting off and begin living even more fully, right now.   May your journey be full with joy, grief, fear, sadness, excitement, and all the emotions of the flowing water element.  Feeling and being grounded here on earth IS your experience.  Live right now, with feeling!

 Blessings to you dear Kim on  your continuing journey… 

Kim Cresse

Business & Life Vision Map Workshop

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.

Tending the Garden of Your Soul

Since spring has sprung, I’ve been busy on the weekends tending to my garden.  After yet another weekend of fertilizing, watering, weeding and just all around sprucing up the garden, I sat back and noticed how it has flourished.  My garden is in full bloom, the plants are healthy and thriving. I feel so happy being surrounded by all this life around me. My hard work paid off – my vision, attention, diligence, care.  All brought about growth, transformation and blooms.

And so it is with our lives.  What we put attention on grows; unhealthy or healthy.  If you nurture mold and give it what it wants, it will grow!  Same with our thoughts, intentions, and prayers.  When we focus on what we want to create and put an action plan in place, we have a better chance at bringing about our soul’s hopes and dreams.

How are you tending your soul right now?  Sort  through the different areas of your life and notice what is working and what is not. Next, jot down 5 areas that could use some tending, then ask your soul these questions:

1. What element is needed in order to bring about balance?  Water/Emotions, Fire/Spirit, Earth/Physical, Air/Thinking 
2. What seeds have you been holding onto and not yet planted? 
3. What needs to be weeded out or harvested? 
4. What old belief system is holding you back?  Challenge it.
5. What has worked in the past in tending to this area of your life?  Implement it.

Soul tending takes awareness and mindfulness.  Moving through life unconsciously is not as easy as it sounds; there is a toll.  It is called the unlived life, the garden that never got planted.  You can start right where you are as it’s never to late to grow.  As long as you are here, you have the opportunity to learn, change and bloom!

The Hummingbird Effect

“Slow down, you move to fast. You’ve got to make the morning last.” Simon & Garfunkel – Feelin’ Groovy

My husband and I both had corporate jobs at the time we got married.  I traveled in my work, we built a new home built and we were living in a new city. Life was very busy.  We didn’t realize how much we were missing in daily life until we slowed down enough to begin taking it all in.  We learned  “The Hummingbird Effect” from my husband’s grandparents, Ben and Dorothy, Gram and Gramps, visit to our new home in the springtime.

During Gram and Gramps visit, we found ourselves outside on our back patio quite a bit.  We apologized that we did not have a water scene for them to look out on – as they have a breathtaking view of the Long Island Sound from their home.   Gram and Gramps said they did not require water to enjoy nature and they began to point out all the abundance of life in our yard.  Gramps pointed out the time of day the birds would roost – we didn’t even know what that meant!  It means – getting ready to rest - slowing down.  As they both observed and identified the abundance of nature in our yard, and we observed them, we eventually began to move to a slower rhythm.  We slowed our pace and realized how filled up we felt by being quiet.

I’ve named this slowing down “The Hummingbird Effect”  because you have to be very still to observe hummingbirds.  During Gram and Gramps visit, we were intently watching the  hummingbird feeders and all the buzz surrounding them.   Suddenly a hummingbird flew towards Gramps, hovered in front of his face, and looked him in the eye.   Gramps froze.   It was a magical moment and memory for us all.  Did the hummingbird connect with Gramps because he was connecting with the birds?

From this wonderful visit with Gram and Gramps forward, we began to take more interest and care of our yard.   We grew to love this “extra room” of our home as it has continued to help us slow down and just be.    We find we are more centered and aware of our surroundings and ourselves as we consciously take time to be quiet and become an observer. 

You can implement The Hummingbird Effect wherever you are as it’s about being an observer in your own life.   Stop talking, sending, doing, and take time to listen and observe.   It is in listening that you open the door to your truth, authentic self and the messages from your Soul.

Feeling Upside Down?

With our outer world in so much upheaval and change, it can seem difficult to stay grounded and not give in to the fear that surrounds us.  And the fear is now being labeled as “pandemic”.    If you totally give in to this fear, you are missing out on the now of your life.  Right this minute – it’s all you’ve got. 

Just like a roller coaster ride, life can feel scary when we don’t know where we are going or what hill is ahead.  Sitting in uncertainty can be very uncomfortable – but it doesn’t have to be. 

Here are some easy steps you can take if you ae feeling upside down lately;

1. Do something physical – walking, pulling weeds, playing with your children, yoga.  Doing a physical activity moves worry energy and creates endorphins that can help you feel better.
2. Spend time in nature, get outside.  Nature has a way of calming and absorbing your fears.  If you cannot get outside, take a mini spa break and imagine yourself in your favorite place in nature.  A quick trip to the sea or a forest in your mind can instantly calm.
3. Start clearing your clutter.  Again, this activity moves energy and you will end up with a sense of accomplishment and a clearer pathway to hear your soul’s voice.
4. Create a list of what is positive in your life.  When you focus on what is working, it will help you climb up any mountain that appears.  This gives you strength.
5. Decide to enjoy something in this day, no matter what.  Each moment adds up to your life.  Be here now.

We are all riding this roller coaster together.  Hold on to the bar and stay grounded!

The Bigger Picture

This week I was in communication with friends all over the globe; a Skype from New Zealand, a voice mail from Germany, email from Nova Scotia, Canada and phone calls with my friend that lives in Hawaii.  If you had told me last year at this time I’d be conversing with all these wonderful friends, old and new in such far and distant place from where I live, I might not have believed it.   As  I’ve reflected on all this communication in one week with awe, it left me thinking about the word expansive. The  Webster’s dictionary definition of expansive is; to unfold, to open, characterized by a free and generous nature.   I’ve noticed that as I am willing to stay open to other ways of looking at things, my world expands, literally.

When we stay small and hide, we get more of the same.  Staying small in our thinking creates ridgidity; it’s tight, constrictive, and doesn’t allow anything new in.  When we open up and consider other ways of looking at something or even someone, we open to new possibilities.   Consider how the world was thought to be flat at one time.  Someone had to think bigger!  And when they did, many new discoveries began to appear.

In these changing times it’s important to stay open and look at things from other angles.  In the  28 Day Soul Coaching © Program, we expand our thinking by examining our core beliefs during air (mental) week.  Our core beliefs are decisions we’ve made at important turning points in our lives.  And even though events may have occurred in the past, these core beliefs can run our lives in the present.  I just read a quote in a magazine that said “stop replaying past potholes“.   And that is what we are doing when we do not listen to our soul.

 Take time to challenge your  beliefs and reframe them.  Warning; only consider this challenge if you desire more creativity, happiness, friends, a peaceful center, ideas, and a profound sense of fun to come into your life and relationships!

Earth Element – Getting Grounded

“Earth’s crammed with heaven.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Earth is the element that grounds, earth IS the ground!  During the 28 day Soul Coaching program, we enter into our physicality and the world of matter during earth week.  Earth is where we are rooted, it is our source for living.    Our physical self is where we express and experience all the other elements; our thoughts, feelings, and spirit.   Our body is home for all the elements combined.

Some questions to ponder in regards to the earth element are; how well do you take care of your body?  What distractions or addictions take you “up” and out of your body?  How often do you spend time in nature or notice it?  Where do you feel most at home?

During the 28 day Soul Coaching program, the earth element is the last element we move through and experience.  This is because this element is home for all the other elements, it holds them.  I’ve been sharing my own journey of moving through the 28 day Soul Coaching program, and it was during earth week I found my new office home.  I had moved through each element during the process of  changing office locations.   After taking a leap of faith during fire week; moving without a new office in place,  my new office manifested and became real.

The earth element reminds us to be present, be in the now, and experience our Soul through this growing, living element we call home.

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!

« Previous Page