awareness
A Silver Lining In Times Of Uncertainty
We grow in our spiritual awareness and insight in different ways. Some of us read spiritual material by great authors, for example, and learn from their wise teachings, while others meditate and go deep within for guidance, and so on. However, in my experience the most powerful catalyst for spiritual growth is a time of trauma or crisis.
With the Covid-19 pandemic currently raging around the world, many people have lost loved ones, income, savings, businesses and homes. These losses can be devastating, especially when children are involved. Many people are in grief, many are lonely and isolated. Normal life has been greatly curtailed for many, with no clear end in sight.
It has also been an extremely stressful, challenging time for our essential frontline workers and healthcare professionals. The novel coronavirus has affected everyone to some extent, and it is during such trying times that many of us turn to Spirit, or the God of our understanding, and ask: why?
In these times our faith in a higher power, in ourselves, and in our world at large, becomes even more pivotal to our mental health and personal well-being. Hope and faith give us the strength and courage to carry on another day, regardless of not being able to see the end result at the moment. When we dig deep, we can often find untapped spiritual and psychological reserves, that we were unaware we actually had.
Although living through a global pandemic is an experience our generation has not encountered before, many of us are rising to the occasion by helping others in person, online or by donation.
People are also transforming from within. Many are becoming stronger, more resilient and positive, knowing that they will be able to surmount this challenge, and even support others throughout the ordeal too.
Invoking The Angels Of Abundance
True abundance and well-being is the natural state of the human soul. We are meant to dwell in abundance and well-being, because we live in an abundant, harmonious universe.
However, there are some people that constantly dwell in lack consciousness and a scarcity mentality, which is then reflected in the lives they live. This will often emerge through the negativity and judgments they have about their circumstances, as well as their endless criticism and envy of others.
Angelic energy allows us to move from this mindset of limitation and lack into the true abundant flow of the Universe.
Sometimes people confuse ‘abundance’ with the collection of wealth, prosperity and material things. Yes, collecting these things can be one aspect of abundance, but true abundance is way more than just material prosperity.
True abundance is to have enough of all that we need to accomplish our higher purpose and fulfill our spiritual destiny. This includes many other valuable things, beyond money and material comforts, such as enough time to reach our goals; a healthy work-life balance; nurturing relationships; good health; adequate energy and vitality; a sense of purpose; spiritual wisdom and authentic living; and lots of love, happiness and joy. These are the true luxuries of life!
An angel of abundance helps us to get into the flow of abundance, and help us understand that abundance is meant to flow. No wonder we refer to money as “currency.” The very name that we use to define our medium of trade in this reality, has its root in flow. An angel of abundance is therefore not so much about delivering lots of material stuff to us, but more about awakening us to the natural flow of life and our true spiritual purpose in this lifetime.
Tapping Into Your Own Psychic Ability
Have you ever heard your name, when no one else is in the room with you? Have you ever thought of someone unexpectedly, and have that person then suddenly show up a in person, or with a phone call, a text?
Have you ever had that eerie feeling in your gut, just knowing that something bad was about to happen? Have you ever spontaneously known the answer to a question that you were not supposed to know?
All these things are related to your intuition, or innate psychic ability. Every person has some level of psychic ability. We are all using it daily, but many are not consciously aware of it. Learning to tap into your psychic intuition more consciously is not too difficult, as long as you learn to trust where it is coming from.
Do this simple experiment. Just take a moment to ask a question. Sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Then ask your question. Just one simple question. It can even be something you already know the answer to. Start with something like, “Is my name (fill in the blank).”
Relax and sense the answer. Do you feel the ‘yes?’ Typically, you might feel it in your gut (solar plexus), or in the area of your heart. It will not come from your brain, or your mind. It will be a sense or a feeling, not a thought. Of course, your mind already knows the answer, but you want to feel a resounding yes coming from your gut.
If you don’t feel it right away, that’s okay. Take the time to do it again later. Never move onto another question until you have sensed that knowing ‘yes’ from the first one. It takes practice and patience to get your energies in alignment.
When you finally do get that gut ‘yes’, then move onto another question. Initially it is best to stick with simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions, that you already know the answers to, until you feel each answer coming from deep within. Do this quietly and slowly. It’s not a race or contest.
The Joy Of Being Your Authentic Self
Many people feel forever discontented, because they are constantly trying to find ‘happiness.’ However, like love, there is no real limitation to the experience of joy and fulfillment in our lives.
Joy is not something that we find outside of ourselves, but rather the unconditional expression of our authentic self. It cannot really be found through chasing ‘happiness.’ Joy comes when we are free from fear, worry, resentment, blame, guilt, criticism, and judgment – whether it is the practice of these things, or the fear of them.
True joy comes from just being yourself, which requires that you learn to accept yourself as you are, with all your unique quirks. Without this authentic expression of the self, we will always feel incomplete.
The Univeral Law of Attraction states that we attract our life experiences based on our state of consciousness and our energy frequency. Joy is a state of consciousness that is limitless, because your authenticity is unending and expansive. In other words, being joyful brings about more joy!
The trouble with chasing happiness is that it becomes a frustrating ‘wild goose chase.’ We try and manipulate circumstances, or we rely on chance, or other people, to bring us fulfillment. Neither works. Have you ever tried to change another person? How did that go?
There are two caveats to this. First, true joy does not mean that you are happy all the time. Yes, you experience happiness more often, because you are aware that whatever negative feeling you may be having is only temporary.
Some people try and feign happiness thinking that these universal spiritual laws can be tricked. There is no twisting of spiritual truth. There is no amount of ‘happy thoughts’ or positive thinking that can shift one’s inner reality. Only true authenticity brings joy.
How Sticky Notes Can Change Your Life
We live in a world where we are bombarded with negativity every day. Whether it comes from social media or the mainstream news, it’s easy to feel like you’re drowning in a sea of negative information and fear-based messages. And the more we are exposed to all this negative input, the more we internalize it, until it becomes part of our self-talk and general state of mind.
Fortunately, the solution to some of life’s most complex challenges can often be found in the most mundane. Enter the simple sticky note! By writing down simple, positive affirmations or slogans on a bunch of sticky notes, and placing them anywhere you will see them frequently, you can significantly change your inner dialogue from constant negativity and nay-saying to one of possibility, hope and optimism.
Choose simple, short affirmations that resonate with who you are, and what you truly want in life. Whether it’s something like, “I am worthy,” or “Love surrounds me,” or even, “I will get that dream job,” it will inspire you to change the narrative and negative self-talk each time you read one of these short statements out loud.
This technique always reminds me of the famous opening scene of the television cartoon, The Simpsons, with Bart Simpson writing a phrase over and over on the chalkboard. There’s actually some method in the madness of this old-fashioned way of disciplining schoolkids. When our brain repeats a word or phrase over and over again, new neural pathways are created with new associations. Saying something once or twice only, we’re just as likely to forget it. But if it’s something we repeat many times, our brain will literally change over time, and so will our patterns of thought, feeling and action.
It’s been shown that establishing a new habit, or making new behavior automatic, takes on average about two months. Try placing your sticky notes in those places you spend most of your time every day: in your workspace, your car, on the bathroom mirror, the kitchen refrigerator, or on your bedside table. The more you see (and repeat) the words written on them, the more you will start to transform your thinking.
The Resilient Spirit Knows No Bounds
Our world has lately been feeling like a carnival ride gone awry. Despite all the madness, one thing bears remembering: the innate resilience of our spirit.
We are still here, and we are still standing. And we are willing, able, and capable to forge ahead. For many the move forward will be in a completely different direction than before, while for some the path has merely been adjusted to better suit us.
To be resilient is to be able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. Resilience is the ability to bounce back into shape, after being bent, stretched or compressed. This is the essence of what our spirit is designed to do.
Our spirit or soul is the eternal part of us that connects us to the Divine, Source, God, the Universe. It is the Spirit we call upon to show us the way, carry us through, or facilitate the manifesting our dreams, goals and aspirations. It is that unbreakable, unshakeable part of us that fuels us to continue to move forward regardless of circumstance.
Spirit is also the place where our hearts and minds find peace, love, compassion and understanding. Every time our spirit is stretched beyond normal bounds, and we bounce back, we are even stronger, more confident, more loving, and more certain of ourselves.
Through surviving much adversity, we also come to understand that because of this resilience, what we are made of is not meant to be broken. If anything this resilience allows to stretch even further, reach even higher, and accomplish even more.
Overcoming Your Self-Limiting Beliefs
You’ve probably heard this before. I talk about this all the time. But the concept is one that has had such a huge impact on my life, I just have to share it! You are not your thoughts, or your feelings. You are the soul or spirit who has the ability to observe and experience your thoughts and feelings.
When I made this realization, I had already been working for years on my tendency to be very critical with my inner dialogue. But only when I paid attention to it from a spiritual perspective, did I realize how harsh I had really been on myself.
Our minds are constantly full of inner chatter which, when left unattended, can become a toxic breeding ground for fear, self-judgment and limiting belief patterns. Once I realized I was separate from my thoughts and feelings as a spiritual being, I began to observe them more objectively.
As a natural consequence of this, I found myself asking some really compelling questions. What was I believing about these thoughts? What kind of emotions are these thoughts bringing up? This kind of self-reflection opens a conversation with your heart, your soul, your higher self.
Your mind is designed to keep you safe. This too often means keeping you confined within your comfort zones and self-limiting beliefs. Your heart and soul, on the other hand, want you to grow and expand. The higher self wants you to learn, and play, and, and explore, and experience as much as possible in this lifetime.