Tag Archives: Positive thinking

DANCING TO YOUR OWN CREATION

Posted on August 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

“Mind is like the wood or stone from which a person carves an image.  If he carves a tiger or dragon, and seeing it fears it, he is like a stupid person creating a picture of hell and then afraid to face it.  If he does not fear it, then his unnecessary thoughts will vanish.  Part of the mind produces sight, sound, taste, odor and sensibility, and from them raises greed, anger and ignorance with all their accompanying likes and dislikes.”  Bodhidharma

 

Responding to Change

How much responsibility are you willing to take for what happens in your life?  Are you creating your life or do you always defer to the ones around you?  What guides your choices?

This has been a very wet year where I live, and I am grateful I don’t live in the drought-ridden part of the country.  As a result of the dampness, a large number of large mushrooms have sprung up in my front yard which is very shady most of the day.  One of them was huge, eight inches across, and several others of two varieties were almost as large.  I’d never seen these before and had no idea if either the squirrels or I could eat them, but I don’t know mushrooms, so I thought it wiser to just admire them.  The squirrels weren’t interested either.

The appearance of the mushrooms, which I think are lovely in their own way, is just one example of how conditions to which we are accustomed may change and surprise us with their uniqueness or beauty.  But change can also be disconcerting, and how we experience it depends on what we think about the change.  We create our perception of what is occurring.  Instead of being afraid that poisonous mushrooms were appearing in my yard, I chose to appreciate their beauty and the opportunity to learn about something new.

Being in Charge of Your Own Thoughts

So many things influence how we think:  our social environment, religious or spiritual beliefs, family or cultural codes of behavior, and past experience.  In some way, we have all been programmed that certain things are good and others are bad.  But as we become adults, we have the opportunity to reprogram our minds.  We can make the decision to be the one who is in charge.

In order to truly be in charge of our lives, we must choose to be in charge of our thinking, for our thinking creates our emotions and together they determine what we create.  The quote from Bohdidharma makes this very clear.  You create what is in your mind and have a choice to hold on to that thought or to release it.  The question you must answer is:  What is the best for you or others affected by your decision?

Release the Resistance Fear Creates

Often we feel fear in our response to something new in our lives.  Will that new boss value the work we do?  Will a parent’s death destroy the family togetherness?  Will marriage take away our independence or bring us more love?  It is always best to release the psychological fears we have before we make a decision.  Fear creates resistance and blocks our ability to see what is best for us.

So, when that tiger or dragon first appears in our thoughts, we need to center ourselves, find that place of quiet in our hearts, and say to our minds, “Release this fear.”  Name it if you can, breathe deeply, and let it go.  These psychological fears have no value for us.  Repeat this gently until the negative image you have created releases.  It is yours to reject.  Then, in the quiet, ask Spirit or the Universe to fill your need and be willing to wait, knowing that what you need will appear, if not then, later when the time is right.

Releasing Your Fear Workshop

This process for releasing fear is what I teach each year in a workshop, “Releasing Your Fear.”  In the workshop, we delve more deeply into the mind and how it works and how to practice this technique so that it is truly useful to you.  If you want to learn more about the September 9 workshop, click here.

Creating Your Joyful Dance of Life

Dancing to our own creation means that we choose to be the choreographer of our dance of life.  We can choose the steps we like best, improvise until the right phrase appears, and practice what flows best until the dance that truly brings us joy appears out of our own creative mental process.  It is not some creator out there who is in charge of our dance, we are.

When we get stuck, instead of creating tigers and dragons, we can envision the positive outcome we want and take the steps to go there.  If one step doesn’t work, we can try another, and eventually the right one shows up. We only have to have the courage to release our fear of what is new, unfamiliar and unknown, focus on what we truly want, and believe we are capable of creating it.

© 2012 Georganne Spruce                                                            ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles: The Answers Are Within, Law of Attraction Journals, Abraham: Accept What I’m Feeling (video), Abraham Hicks: Thoughts (video)

 

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AWAKENING TO JOURNEY WITH GRATITUDE

Posted on June 20, 2012 | 1 comment

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” Thornton Wilder

Do you practice gratitude often?  How deep are you willing to dig to find something to be grateful for on those days when life feels awful?  Are you grateful for change even when you don’t know what will happen?

Raising Our Vibration

I’m having a lot of trouble focusing these days.  Yesterday, as I sat on my deck proofing the paperback version of my book for the nth time, I really felt I was in another world.  The sun filtered through the trees as they swayed lightly in the breeze; their rustling leaves gently accompanied the conversational song of the birds resting nearby.  I stopped looking at the book and allowed myself to become one with this vibrant natural energy.

From deep within, there rose such happiness and contentment.  I could easily have sat there all afternoon, and probably should have.  Filled with gratitude for the lovely place where I live, I also longed to have more time for these positive experiences and realized it had been too long since I had taken the time to practice gratitude.

When I had chronic fatigue many years ago, I awoke one morning in hot, muggy New Orleans to the sound of birds and a cool breeze.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude, and as that feeling filled me, I realized that was the key to retaining a positive mindset—to find something everyday to be thankful for.  I hadn’t yet been exposed to the idea that gratitude could raise our vibration, but I knew what I was feeling lifted my energy, and I liked it.

Using Gratitude to Light the Journey

At a wisdom group I attend, the teacher quoted from an article by Tom Kenyon in which he said one of the best ways to protect ourselves from the negative energy that is so prominent in our world today is to practice gratitude.  Click on his name to read more about this and the effect of the current solar flares on our energy.  I had expected him to outline some complicated process, but his solution was so simple—just find something to be thankful for each day and allow that energy to encompass you.

Gratitude Comes From the Heart

What is so healing about gratitude is that it takes us out of our minds and into our heart and activates the energy of love.  If we are expressing gratitude for a friend, we are remembering the times they have listened caringly to our woes, not the times we were unhappy with each other.  Practicing gratitude calls on us to focus on what is good, and no matter how difficult it may be some days to find something to be grateful for, making the extra effort will raise our vibration and take us out of the darkness for awhile.  Once we have gotten in touch with that positive energy, it is easier to maintain it.

Use Gratitude to Release the Old Ways

Our world is changing rapidly and it is difficult not to experience chaos in some area of our lives.  Most of us are not terribly comfortable with change, but, at this time, the more we cling to the old ideas and the old ways, the more troubled our lives will be.  Gratitude can help us let go, too.  Express your gratitude for what was good about the old ideas, then release them, having faith that what will replace them will be better.  Resisting change only causes more pain.

Turn to gratitude each day to heal and uplift, to raise your vibration, bring some light into the darkness, connect you with your heart energy, and let go of what no longer serves you.  We are being awakened to a better world and a better life, even when it seems everything is falling apart.  But isn’t that the way it usually is?  We have to clear out the old to make room for the new.  Be grateful for the empty container in your life and envision something beautiful to fill it.

What are you grateful for today?  Please share with us.

©2012 Georganne Spruce                            ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5

Related Articles:  2012: Think with Your Heart, Think With Your Heart and Feel With Your Head (Instead of Over-Reacting), The Law of Appreciation – What Are  You Grateful For (Video)

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AWAKENING TO GROW

Posted on May 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.”  Wayne Dyer

Are you open to changing and growing?  Or do you try to keep things the way they are despite the Universe’s hints?

Growing Can Be Challenging

I’m a day late posting this blog because I needed to spend yesterday growing.  It wasn’t the sort of growth I like.  It involved downloading new software and learning to use it, and it was very challenging.  One piece, Scrivener, is what I believe will be a very useful piece of software that will make my writing and compiling books so much easier.  I’ve been putting this off because I didn’t want to deal with the learning curve.  But I couldn’t finish the paperback version of my book without doing this, so I took the plunge.

The second software was unexpected.  When I received the book file from my friend Brad Swift who formatted it, I couldn’t open it because it was zipped.  (You technical people know what this means.)  My operating system is supposed to have the ability to unzip, but, in fact, it doesn’t.  It has a bug in this area, so I had to download another program just for zipping and unzipping.  Isn’t that just zippy!

Oneness Will Bring Us Help

Fortunately, I had some good help—from Brad, who is a coach and creative thinker.  We tried everything to get that file open, but finally had to admit, something was wrong with my computer.   I also had a great tech, Jeffrey, from Scrivener emailing like crazy, analyzing and suggesting the next step.  It was a long day.  Sometimes I left the computer to cry, sometimes to scream.  I even stopped to read inspirational thoughts once.  That didn’t help.

Well, I messed up the downloads more than once, but fortunately I could delete them and try again.  I wanted to give up more than once.  My brain felt totally fried.  Despite a part of me saying, “You don’t have to do this now,” I knew I did.  I knew that if I gave in to that part of me that is the helpless little girl, I would be very unhappy with myself.

Awakening to Our Inner Strength

You see, as a child who was often sick, my overprotective mother often told me I was too weak to do something or that I would hurt myself if I pushed too much.  So, I felt weak and helpless for a long time until I began to dance and feel strong.  It’s at times like this that my little girl sneaks out again, and I have to remind that part of me that I have recovered from helplessness and can do this difficult thing.

We all have messages from the past that occasionally haunt us, but if we are willing to grow, we say, “Ah, there you are again.  Sorry, but I need to move on.  I’m grown up now.”  Just as flowers need good soil, enough sun and water to grow, we must nourish our own growth.  It may involve feeding our inner selves with meditation, a walk in the forest, or an inspiring book.  Or it may mean trying to do something we have no idea how to do and deal with the frustration and our deflated egos as we try and fail and try again until we succeed.

Having the Courage to Try

Despite my mother’s fears that I would hurt myself, she taught me a contradictory message that has been so powerful.  She insisted that there was no disgrace in failing, only disgrace in not trying.  If you never try, you’ll never know if you can do it, and you’ll always wonder.

My file is now unzipped with the document sitting beautifully in the new software as if it had been born to live there.  Do I know how to use this program?  Sort of.  But I’ll learn more, and I’m already envisioning how it will help me write my next book.  Thank you, Brad and Jeffrey.  And when this paperback is on sale, I’ll let you know because it is a story of growth, despite many challenges, and I hope it will help others to grow too.

How have you grown lately? Please share.

©2012 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles:  Eckhart Tolle – Facing Adversity, 5 Ways to Let Go of Resistance, A Constant Self-Growth, Awakening to the Power of Pleasant Thoughts

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AWAKENING TO YOUR TRUE IDENTITY

Posted on April 11, 2012 | 1 comment

“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you are not.”  Denis Waitley

How would you describe yourself in one sentence?  Do you define who you are from your deepest core or do you define who you are based on what others think of you?

We are all spiritual beings and that means that we are part of the creative energy, the core DNA of the universe.  Because of this, we are all, at our centers, good, but we are also in this life to learn lessons, and those challenges may lead us to focus on our weaknesses.  Many times we forget who we really are and create stories about ourselves that are judgmental and negative.

Avoid Accepting Another’s Negative Vision of You

The negative stories that can create serious blocks in our development are the ones that come from childhood.  When I was four years old, I had rheumatic fever and developed a heart murmur that I eventually outgrew by age twelve.  During that time, I had many childhood illnesses.  As a result, much of my childhood was spent in bed, not being active.

When I was fifteen, I had a modern dance class at school and saw that, through dance, I could develop the strength I lacked.  I pursued this interest in dance at college, studied professionally, danced in a company and taught.  By the time I was an adult, I was very strong and energetic, but my mother continued to see me as weak.  Throughout my young life, she worried that I would make myself sick and warned me that what I was doing could hurt me.  For years, she was unable to let go of this image of me, and even after I rejected it, it lurked in the dark corners of my mind ready to undermine me.

Don’t Let Limitations Define You

I developed the idea that being tired was the equivalent of getting sick. What held me back in many endeavors was that I didn’t think I was strong enough to put forth the effort required to be successful. Even as an adult, I sometimes stopped short of achieving my goal because I was afraid I wouldn’t succeed.  It took me a long time to push past this and realize it was my mother’s vision of me, created out of her fear, not who I was.

I’ve always been inspired by Laura Hillenbrand who wrote the best-seller Seabiscuit while she had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Not only do I love her book; I admire her courage and strength.  She did not let her limitations define her.

Do you let your limitations, the things you are not, define who you are? Do you think, “I’m a decent, competent person who is out of a job,” or “I’m a loser because I’m out of a job.”? Limitations are only one aspect of life.  Don’t let them define you.  When you define yourself in a positive way, it raises your vibrational energy.  Not only does that make you feel better, it draws more positive people and experiences to you and may decrease the restrictions in your life.

Practice Positive Spiritual Principles

I’m not suggesting that you ignore the things in your life that aren’t working well, but affirming what you want and taking some steps toward making them a reality will move you forward more quickly than focusing on the negative aspect of the situation.  Of course, ideally, we look honestly at the situation, release our ego-attachment to the outcome, and do what we can to correct it.  Affirming with genuinely positive emotion that somehow we will find a solution to the problem adds more positive energy to the mix. However, what we think we need isn’t always what we do need, and the universe is kind enough to correct our delusion.  My spiritual teacher used to say that we will get what we need, but it may not look like what we expected or come at the time we expect.

Manifestation may also be blocked by a contradictory statement.  “I affirm that my illness will be healed in three months, but I accept this may not happen.”  The last part of the statement cancels out the first, so the energy that is created by the positive statement is neutralized by the negative.  Be aware that all statements that begin with but contain fear and fears block manifestation.  It is worthwhile to look beneath your negative statement and ask, “Why do I believe I can’t manifest this?”  If you truly believed you could manifest your desire, you would not need the qualifier.

Believe in Yourself

Believe that you are part of this magnificently creative universe.  Believe that what you manifest is a step forward and that you have succeeded even if it doesn’t exactly meet your expectations.  Believe that as you practice spiritual principles, that you will change your life for the better.  If you are not the person you want to be, know that you are in charge of who you are and commit to accepting what is best about you, knowing that is who you truly are and take action to change what you don’t like, knowing that the universe supports all that is good in you.

What negative ideas about yourself have you discarded lately?

© 2012 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles:  5 Ways to find Your True Identity, Becoming the Person You Were Meant to Be:  Where to Start by Anne Lamott, Total Recall of Who We Are: Stop Thinking and Start Being 

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AWAKENING TO THE POWER OF PLEASANT THOUGHTS

Posted on March 14, 2012 | 1 comment

“The pleasantest things in the world are pleasant thoughts and the great art of life is to have as many of them as possible.”   Montaigne

Do you often think pleasant thoughts?  What do you do to create them?  Does your feeling good depend on external events or internal ones?

A website from which I received a newsletter sent an over-the-top marketing piece on a book on abundance.  In the audio presentation, it made a statement that the advice the book had to offer was not new age, airy-fairy stuff.  I turned it off.

Over the years, I’ve explored many spiritual techniques.  Some worked for me; some didn’t.  Many would probably fall into the classification of new age stuff.  Over time, I’ve found that two approaches to making my life better always work—releasing my fear and expecting the best from all circumstances, one version of positive thinking.  I also believe in that airy-fairy idea that our thoughts create our reality.

Awakening to Pleasant Thoughts When We Have Challenges

Recently, I published my book Awakening to the Dance: A Journey to Wholeness in e-book form on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  Today, I excitedly ordered the proof copy of the paperback edition.  Reaching this point with the paperback was not an easy task.  I definitely had to practice what I preach because obstacles constantly arose along the way, particularly in getting it formatted attractively.

So, I practiced my stuff.  Even after the first two technically astute people were unable to solve the formatting problems, I continued to affirm that the person who could solve the problems would appear.  I asked Spirit to help me accept that this was all in Divine Order.  I continued to network, letting people know what I needed.  After all, the first two people who tried to help had appeared unexpectedly and were well-qualified.  Then, of course, the right person showed up.

Clearly, something was wrong with the document, but when Brad Swift began working with it, I kept sending him positive energy and pleasant thoughts, believing that the problem would be solved. Now, Brad is a Life on Purpose coach and visionary writer who also maintained the attitude that we could solve these problems.  By converting my manuscript into a special software program, Scrivener, he was able to create the interior for my book that was exactly what I wanted.

Combining Positive Thinking With Action

Thinking only happy thoughts and not doing what needed to be done wouldn’t have solved the problem.  It took both.  Montaigne says that the great art of life is to have as many happy thoughts as possible.  It’s a matter of choice.  Once again, we can focus on what isn’t working or we can envision what could be better and take steps in that direction.  No art is created spontaneously.  The painter has to put brush and paint to the canvass.  The dancer has to put her  visions into movement.  The musician has to put notes on a staff in order to create a sonata.

Still, I am often amazed at how quickly what I need manifests when I trust that it will come to me.  Having pleasant thoughts requires us to trust.  As we take the steps to improve or expand our life, we also need to express gratitude for each good thing that happens.  I mean every little thing—no matter how small the event, your gratitude creates positive energy.  It only takes a moment to say “thank you” to a friend or to Spirit.  Let it become a conscious habit.  As that energy uplifts you, that energy radiates into the world around you drawing more good to you.

Having a Spiritual Back-up

This is why it is so important to develop a spiritual life that is integrated with our everyday lives. We are spiritual beings whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.  I know that much of my happiness comes from my connection with Spirit because it is a loving source to which I can always turn for guidance.  With this kind of back-up, it’s easy to think pleasant thoughts.

With spring appearing early all over the country, how can we not feel more positive?  Nature is awakening and blooming.  The migratory birds are back.  The sound of children playing outside echoes through the neighborhood.  Even the economy is doing better.  We could easily be singing a chorus of thank you’s every day.

What are your most pleasant thoughts today?

© 2012 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles:  How to Attract Positive Energy and Dispel Negative Energy, The Power of Positive Thinking

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AWAKENING TO LOVE THE WORLD, PART 1

Posted on February 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”  Rumi

How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Did you do something special for a loved one?  Did you perform a service for someone less fortunate than you?  Or did you feel depressed because you had no one to celebrate with?

It’s difficult sometimes not to get caught up in the mystique of Valentine’s Day or to want to ignore it completely because it is such a commercialized celebration, but the way we experience any holiday is a choice.  No one has to buy into the commercial version.  After all, this one is about love and that may take many forms.

Love Expressed Through Sharing

My Valentine’s Day was not romantic, but I felt showered with love.  The Universe has been good to me recently.  I will probably have my book Awakening to the Dance: A Journey to Wholeness on Amazon as an eBook by the end of this week.  Yesterday, I spent the day working with Joseph D’Agnese who did my formatting and taught me how to use the Kindle Reader on my computer so I can proof the book.

This fellow writer loves to help other writers and overflows with enthusiasm and encouragement. Especially at times when I doubted that I could really complete this project, his positive attitude spurred me on.  He has answered my endless questions, even taken time from his own writing to format my book.  His generosity creates the kind of energy that makes competition obsolete and proves how powerful sharing can be.

Love Expressed Through Following Our Passion

This has been a long journey for me—almost ten years since I began the book.  But I always knew it was meant to be because every step of the way, what I needed showed up.  That hasn’t always been true for the rest of my life, so what was different about this venture?  Most of the time, when I think about the book, I feel excited, I feel love for it and for all those in the story who have been part of my journey.  This positive, uplifting energy expands out into the world and draws to me what I need.

Not only have I drawn the classes and assistance I need, I have drawn people into my life who support my success and share with loving and positive energy.  They have helped me to see my life and the world in a positive light and to learn to focus on what is good.  Wayne Dyer once said, “Loving people live in a loving world.  Hostile people live in a hostile world.  Same world.”  What we focus on can make all the difference.

Choosing Our Thoughts

My life is very different than it was many years ago before I learned this most basic truth:  our thoughts create our emotions.  At that time in my life, I often felt overwhelmed with sadness and negative emotions.  Although I had learned to meditate and that did help to calm me, it wasn’t enough.  Learning to control my own mind was the key.  I learned techniques to do that by attending a Unity church and later studying Science of Mind principles.  As a result, I felt better about myself and became a more loving person.

When we understand that we can control what we think and feel, it is very empowering.  This is significant in learning to love ourselves and therefore others.  When we feel empowered, we are less likely to let fear control us. We feel more peaceful. We are less afraid to step into new situations and learn new things.  We are less afraid to love and share.  Our very presence creates loving and positive energy all around us, uplifting and helping others and expanding our world.

Romantic love is a beautiful illusion, but the real deal is loving our humanity and that requires us to go much deeper.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will explore Rumi’s quote to further identify some of the barriers to loving and ways to open ourselves to love.

How do you express your love in the world?  Please comment.

© 2012 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles: Dr. Wayne Dyer–Emanating Love, What is Religious Science? 10 Core Concepts of Science of Mind

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DANCING TO THE MUSIC OF YOUR HEART

Posted on January 11, 2012 | 11 comments

“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”    Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Do you ever feel that you don’t belong? Or that the people around you at work or home don’t understand who you are?  Are you searching for more meaningful experiences with others?

Tina Turner Chickens - Biltmore Estate

Is Our Inner Music Positive or Negative?

If you can answer yes, to any of these questions, perhaps you are dancing to the music that others don’t hear. And that’s okay as long as you like the music within. Is it a song of joy and love of life or of depression and sadness?  If you don’t like the song vibrating within you, then it’s time to change it.  If you do like it, then it’s important to just accept you are in a different place than those around you and that’s okay.

It is not surprising that we sometimes feel we are dancing to different music than the people around us.  When we are rooted in Spirit, we often do not share the values of our society at large.  We may try to explain to others who we are, but often they are not ready to hear this, for our different point of view threatens them.  In this situation, we experience discomfort because we feel separate.

But we are the only ones who can release feelings of separation by choosing to raise our vibration.  For example, I have a tendency to sing when I’m drying my hair.  It distracts me from the discomfort I feel holding the much too large hair dryer over my head.  Lately, I’ve been singing “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess.”  I suppose it’s wishful thinking.  When I finish drying my hair, instead of thinking the usual, “Thank goodness that’s over,” I feel cheerful and in touch with my passion for life.  Throughout my day, I dance to the energetic music I created from the heart.

Awakening to the Highest Response For All

We feel good when we feel One with All that Is.  When we meditate or walk by the seashore, we become One with the beautiful energy of Spirit.  In less peaceful situations, we need to allow that core energy to resonate within us.  We do not need to repress our feelings.  We need to feel them, then go within to take the time to choose a wise response.  We need to ask our inner selves, “What is the highest response for all concerned?”  That response will also be the best response for us as well.  We need to learn to be responsive rather than reactive.

The highest response does not always guarantee that the other person will agree or understand our perspective, but it is an opportunity to influence others.  Oneness says, “Those of you who have chosen to experience your awakening amongst the masses are planting the seeds of that heightened perspective in plain view, right where the world needs them most.  The lives of those you touch, even in passing, or teach by example, as you follow your own inner path in their presence, will be transformed by it.” (Pages192-193) Being different is often a blessing.

As with many things, we may not be present to see that transformation in our adversaries.  It will first be internal and invisible.  It may take place years from now.  We need not become attached to knowing what happens.  This was a lesson I had to learn as a teacher.  Over the years, so many students came through my classroom, and I never knew what influence I had on all of them.  I could only do my best and know that those who needed to learn the nonacademic lessons and were ready to learn, would learn.

Dancing With Others to the Music of Our Hearts

When others can hear the music to which we dance, we are energetically drawn to one another.  The more I concentrate on keeping my own vibration up through dancing and exercise, meditation, good food, mental stimulation, and positive thinking, the more I draw  like-minded people into my life.  After all, we are responsible for the song our heart sings.  Although it may be tempting, betraying the song within in order to connect to what is around us is never wise.

If you continue to dance to the beautiful music within you, others will begin to hear the music of your heart and soul.  Blessings for the New Year.

© 2012 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles:  Beyond the Beyond (how music and prayer transformed Tina Turner), Heart Chakra Meditation, Conflict Resolution or Heart-Centered Communication

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BEING GRATEFUL FOR THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

Posted on November 23, 2011 | 2 comments

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day.  What are you thankful for? If your life couldn’t be better, do you take the time each day to say “thanks?” If you’re having some challenges in life, can you look beyond them to see what is good?  If life is a disaster right now, are you willing to hunt for one simple thing to appreciate?  Maybe it’s the song of a bird or the smile of a stranger you meet on the street?  That one small thought of gratitude can change your life.

“It is impossible to be negative while we are giving thanks.” Donald Curtis

Gratitude As Daily Practice

Since I’ve incorporated expressing my gratitude into my daily life, I find that this always uplifts me regardless of the specific circumstances of the day.  Although I may go over my gratitude list during meditation, I have chosen to take it further than that.  At the moment when something good appears, I say “Thank you.”  The energy of those words seems to uplift the energy of the experience even further.

Creating a Positive From a Negative Experience

What is perhaps the most challenging for us all is to be thankful for the unpleasant experiences in life.  They come into our lives to help us learn lessons although we often only see what we learned in retrospect.  In the 1990s, I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  I had probably had it for two years before I was diagnosed because I couldn’t remember when I hadn’t been exhausted.  Most doctors knew nothing about it or discounted its existence.  Fortunately, I was able to find a wonderful doctor through a friend who had it.

I had to radically change my life in terms of going to bed at 9:00 pm, eating only organic food, eating only certain food, taking dozens of supplements, and avoiding stress.  In order to afford the treatment, I had to continue teaching full-time.  Because I was exhausted all the time, this strict lifestyle seemed overwhelming at first, but it did heal me.  Many of the changes became a part of my life even after I healed and have made me very healthy.  I have none of the physical problems most people my age do and the ones I have are very minor and don’t limit my activity.

When we can learn something from a negative experience and can feel thankful for the lesson, it transforms our memory of the experience.  We can focus on what is good and let go of feeling like a victim.  We can be grateful that what we have learned from the challenge makes us healthier or happier or more competent or more loving.

Gratitude Uplifts Us

Do I wish I had not had to go through this experience to learn how to be healthier?  Of course I do, but that’s not the point.  Like so many things in life, we do the best we can until we learn better.  That’s why I’m grateful for the journey.  I know that if I stay open, I will continue to learn and that always improves the quality of my life.

On this Thanksgiving holiday, may you be blessed by the gratitude you give and receive.  May your spiritual journey enrich your life.  From all the lessons you’ve learned, what is the lesson you are most grateful for?

© 2011 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles:  Seven Practical Steps to Turn Around a Bad Experience, How to Raise Your Vibrational Frequency

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AWAKENING TO HAPPINESS

Posted on November 9, 2011 | Leave a comment

“Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.”  Count Leo Tolstoy

It seems to me that the fall leaves are more brilliant than in past years.  Their colors vibrate with an intensity that feels like nature is joyfully expressing its aliveness.  Or is it just me?  Is the vibration of my energy higher than usual? Am I the one that is more alive?

Something significant has transformed my life.  Most of the time I am happy.  This was not the case in the past.  Today, many sources tell us that the vibration of the Universe is speeding up to lead us into a new age of peace, love, and community.  This change affects us all, and if we are in alignment with ourselves, we will flow with this new energy.  Not everything will be perfect and joyous, but our expanded awareness will allow us to make better choices and these choices will help us to be happier.

Thoughts Create Emotions

Despite the fact that this energy may be helping me to feel happier more often, I think there’s more to it than that.  Our thoughts create our emotions, and I choose to monitor my thoughts.  Reading certain books has reinforced the idea that how I think about a situation will determine how I experience it.  Any of the Abraham books by Esther and Jerry Hicks use this thinking as their basis as does Science of Mind.  At the bottom of the blog, I have recommended an Abraham video that does an excellent job of describing how to move from negative to positive emotions.

Balancing Our Energetic Alignment

We all need to pay attention to our thoughts.  The thought comes up, “I have so much to do today.  I’ll never get it done.”  If we accept this thought and attach to it, we set ourselves up to fail or feel stressed.  Instead, I think, “I have so much to do today.  It will be fun and satisfying to get it all done.  I look forward to today.” As I reconfigure the thought, I feel excited and know that all is well.  I start by making a list of what I want to do and set priorities.  That gives me a guide for the day that makes it easier to flow from one task to another.  I also love to check off each item as it is completed and this reinforces my sense of accomplishment.

Laughing at Your Face in the Mirror

Whenever possible I choose to spend my time with people who, for the most part, focus on the positive.  It is often difficult to maintain a positive point of view when we are around people who constantly irritate us.  However, the people who irritate us the most may be here to serve as triggers for us or we are here to serve as triggers for them.  Our conflicted interaction is an opportunity to learn major lessons.  At times, they are mirroring something in us that we need to see.

Recently, as listened to a speaker, I became very irritated, thinking, “She’s too dramatic.  What an ego.  She needs to tone it down.”  Then she announced that her topic that day was judgment.  I couldn’t help laughing at myself.  Not only have I been accused of being too emotional and dramatic, I immediately saw how she mirrored me.  Letting go of my judgment of her presentation allowed me to really hear what she said, and it was powerful.  Laughing at our foibles is an excellent way to raise our vibration.

Choice Empowers Us

When we consciously choose our responses to life’s challenges, we can begin to create the life we want.  If we see life as always happening to us, we have no power.  We can only empower ourselves by knowing that we can change our negative thoughts to more positive ones.  We can choose to find the best in each day, each person and each experience and this will lift our vibration.  Happiness is a choice.  Everything in our lives doesn’t have to be perfect in order for us to be happy.  Frankly, in this changing world, having at least one thing a day for which to be happy seems like a great gift to me.  What makes you happy today?  Please comment.

© 2011 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles:  (Video) Abraham – Choose good feeling thoughts to get into the Vortex, Constantly Choosing a Positive Attitude

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