Thar Be Dragons!

Thar Be Dragons by Artful Alchemist on Polyvore

On ancient nautical maps, beyond the edge of the known world, mapmakers would write “thar be dragons.” It seems to be human nature to first project fear into uncharted realms before considering expanding the map.  

Even when some individuals begin to push the boundaries, the collective culture often pushes back. When Copernicus and Galileo dared suggest that the world was round, they were ridiculed and severely punished by the powers that be.

We each hold our own map of reality – our certainties about how things work. This map is necessary. It allows us to move through our days without having to relearn every single thing. It’s also exponentially smaller than the whole of reality – and often quite wrong. While Columbus believed that the world was round and set out to prove it, he still thought he’d found the East Indies, not a new continent, because that’s what his map told him he would find. We filter everything through our own very limited map and tend to disregard anything that doesn’t match up.

The ego-self is the keeper of the current map of reality. And let’s not bash the ego as something we need to get rid of. The ego-self is indispensible; it is what allows us to get things done and to maintain order in our lives. Doing those things is easier with a fixed map, and so the ego has a vested interest in not letting the map change.  When your map and my map disagree, the ego-self declares your map “wrong” and my map “right.” It is the ego-self who ridicules and punishes when the status quo is challenged. It is the ego-self who sees dragons in the dark unknown.

The essential-self is the bridge to larger possibilities. It is the part of you that remains connected to deeper realities and truths that lie beyond individual perception. When your map and my map disagree, the essential-self looks for new possibilities and deeper connections. It creates synergy where there were differences and pushes for growth and transformation. The essential-self is not only willing to expand the map, but even to completely redesign it – to recognize when a 2-dimensional flat map will no longer do because a 3-dimensional  globe comes closer to depicting what’s true.

The constant tension between the essential-self and the ego-self is what drives the course of our personal and collective evolution. The essential-self, recognizing the map is too small, pushes forward. The ego-self, fearing dragons, pushes back. As more and more new territory is revealed, a new map emerges and the ego-self is now able to comfortably navigate a much wider territory.

We seem to be living in a time when our collective sense of “how things are” has become painfully dysfunctional. We are recognizing, I think, that the map is too small. Our essential-selves are pushing for a quantum leap – a change on the scale of flat map to spherical globe. Our ego-selves can’t quite wrap their heads around that, so they do what they do: hold tight to the status quo, polarize right and wrong, ridicule and punish the pioneers of new thinking, and project dragons into every dark corner.

It is only temporary ignorance and fear. The new map is emerging. I can’t quite see it yet, but my essential-self can. Beyond the dragons, thar be light!

Imprinting the Universal Field

Seeding the Universal Field by Artful Alchemist on Polyvore

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.
~Rumi

There is a field called consciousness. It is a communal field. Each of us seeds that field with every thought, choice and action we take. Our challenges, failures and successes are recorded there. Each of us also harvests from that field, reaping the benefits (or detriments) of what we and others have sown.

Through a phenomenon biologist Rupert Sheldrake calls morphic resonance (also known as the hundredth monkey effect), when a new skill is mastered by enough of us, it becomes easier for the rest of us to master.  Just watch a 4-year-old with no official training intuitively use a computer or play a video game. These technological skills have been seeded into the field. Our little ones are born technologically savvy. Unfortunately, fear and violence and greed have also been seeded into the field over eons of time, and our little ones inherit this as well. But we can continue to plant seeds of peace and hope and when enough of us do, we will shift the pattern of collective consciousness.

Butterfly Crop Circle, Aug 2009, Holland

If we literally envision collective consciousness as a field, we can imagine that our individual thoughts and actions leave an imprint upon it, like a footprint in wet grass. A thought or act of peace might bend the blades in one direction, a thought or act of violence might bend them in another. All of our thoughts and actions, taken together, create a pattern of imprints, like a crop circle in a field of wheat. We can leave an imprint of chaos and ugliness, or we can create an intricate and beautiful pattern.

Regardless of whether the crop circles that appear in fields all over the planet are man-made or other-worldly, the imprints left in the field of consciousness ARE man-made, by you and me. It can sometimes feel overwhelming to think about changing the world. Yet we are doing so, every minute of every day with every thought, choice and action.

There is a field. I'll meet you there. What imprint shall we leave?

Imagining a New World

Remember the nursery song about old MacDonald and his farm? For some reason every time I watch the news or read a headline, that song comes to mind. Here a crisis, there a crisis, everywhere a crisis, crisis. Eee Eye Eee Eye Oh!

But here's the good news. According to Barbara Marx Hubbard, futurist and conscious evolution advocate, if we study the 13.7 billion year history of the Universe, we will see that major crises preceded every quantum leap in the evolution of life. Crises stimulate innovation, synergy, coherence and transformation. They are evolutionary drivers.
  

Becoming Universal by Artful Alchemist on Polyvore

We are in the chrysalis stage of the next turn on the evolutionary wheel. No longer caterpillar, not yet butterfly. An amazing thing happens inside that chrysalis -- as the old form of the caterpillar slowly dissolves, the new butterfly DNA begins to emerge in the form of "imaginal cells."

The caterpillar, thinking it's dying, fights against these imaginal cells. But the imaginal cells continue to multiply and connect in new and more beautiful ways, eventually transforming the caterpillar despite its resistance. The chrysalis breaks open and the butterfly emerges.

WE ARE the imaginal cells - you and me and each one of us who is choosing a better way of living and being. We are literally imagining a new world into existence.

The old caterpillar form is fighting back with resurgences of fundamentalism on many levels as unstable, dysfunctional systems try to defend the status quo. It is perhaps the surest sign that the transformation has already begun.

We are the first species on this planet to become aware of the patterns of evolution AND to be aware that our own choices have the power to affect the course of future evolution (for better or for worse).

In order to succeed, we must recognize our role as conscious co-creators. We must recognize our interconnectedness to each other, to all life on the planet, and to all life in the cosmos. At this moment in time, we are the faces and hands of evolution on this planet. Let us choose wisely and claim our wings.

Udderly Ridiculous

Sung to the tune of "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby 
and inspired by the cow-costumed milk shoplifter

The Ballad of Jonathan Payton
(parody by Claire Perkins)

I'm down in the WalMart wasting time
Standing in the checkout line
(My God, I hate this store)
When a man in a cow suit strolls on by
Twenty-six milk jugs and a gleam in his eye
Just for fun he walks right out the door

Well that's just the way it is
Some cows are very strange
Claims there's no milk at home
But I don't believe him

They said, hey little cow you can't go
Stealin' milk that way
You gotta pay like they do
Was it your plan, you silly man
To get away
Did you really think about it
Before you broke the rules
He said, Look

This is the way it is
There ain't no milk at home
Udderly empty fridge
But I don't believe him

Well they passed a law in '64
To give guys who shoplift a little more
Than a slap on the rump
Cause the law won't change another's mind
Unless we brand all their big behinds
We'll have milk stampedes in the stores

And that's just the way it is
Some cows are very strange
Claim there's no milk at home
But don't you believe them

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead (reflection on the death of Bin Laden)

The celebration I'm seeing about the death of Bin Laden puts me in mind of the opening scene when Dorothy lands in Oz and all the little Munchkins burst into song: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead / Which Old Witch? / The Wicked Witch

Trouble is, the death of the witch was only the beginning of Dorothy's adventure. There was, of course, another witch to deal with. And her flying monkey minions, too. And in the end, those were only momentary distractions within Dorothy's larger journey of discovering that all her fears/questions/answers/powers were within HER all along.

We've given Bin Laden WAY too much credit and the politico/media have spun him into a single-handed villain the likes of which we've not seen since Darth Vader. But I mix my movie metaphors.

There are a number of problems with this spin, not the least of which being that politico/media spin rarely holds more than the tiniest grain of truth. Did Bin Laden really single-handedly mastermind 9/11? Or was he the mastermind in the same way that Iraq was stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction?

Of course, it IS quite convenient to have a single person to hang the entire terrorist scenario upon. Now that we've got him, we can just pack up and get all our troops out of all those other places, right? If the Bin Laden/Wicked Witch delusion is all it takes to bring our troops home, then I am all for believing, believe me!

Alas, there are all those Arab nations with all that black gold, and we ARE in the midst of an oil crisis after all. I'm sure there will be plenty of new spin to keep us embroiled in foreign wars until kingdom come. (Which, by the way, IS the agenda of some - the hurrying up of Kingdom Come - but that's an apocalyptic horse of a different color.)

Meanwhile, the witch is dead and all we little Munchkins can dance and sing in the golden paved streets. Oh, wait, the potholed asphalt streets, but close enough. We ARE, after all, in the midst of an economic crisis so there's not much gold to be had. But dance and sing we will, for the witch is dead.

But as we dance, let's not forget that we'll need to avoid all those flying monkeys who answer to another witch, a witch who is really, really pissed about the death of her sister and who would really, really like to get her hands on our ruby slippers. What's a Munchkin to do?

Hmmm. Perhaps all we really need is a Wonderful Wizard who can fix all these pesky problems like Global Warming, Economic Meltdown, Brainless/Heartless Politicians, terrorism and FEAR. Yes, let's not forget about FEAR. Oh, silly me. Not to worry! If the politico/media has any say, they'll NEVER let us forget about FEAR.

Soon enough, the dancing and singing will wind down and we'll all once again be tugging on our own tails and shouting out, "Who did that?! Who's there?!"

Unless and until we finally realize that wisdom, courage, compassion and peace are all inside jobs. All together now, click your heels . . .

Dream: Hungry Lions

Hungry Lions by Artful Alchemist on Polyvore

Dream: 1/18/2011
Hungry Lions


I am exploring ancient grounds – an abandoned estate of some kind. It is not in ruins, but is overgrown and neglected as well as deserted. I discover there are feeding stations in some locations. There are monkeys and there are lions. I go to one feeding station near the front of the house (it looks a bit like a metal water pump). I can read a label on it that indicates it’s for the lions. I give it a pump, out of curiosity, and a few old cheese puffs come out. The monkeys stay back and a lion comes and sniffs at the cheese puffs. I feel sad for the lions – they can’t eat food like this. It reminds me of a zoo where people come to gawk and make caged pets of these glorious animals. I’m a bit frightened to be so close to the lions, but feel it is up to me to feed them.
~~

To me, the message of this dream is so clear. The monkeys are the monkey-mind - all that chatter, inner critic, false beliefs, distractions. It is clear that I'm not to feed them. (In waking life, I feed them all too often.) The lions represent my authentic inner power (connections to the goddess Sekhmet and also to the Alsan Christ-consciousness figure from the Narnia tales). They are hungry. It's my job to feed them. And cheetos (my ultimate junk food!) are not going to cut it. My inner lioness needs real meat, something to sink her teeth into, something that will sustain her. It's my job to find what that is and provide it. It IS frightening to think of really owning my inner power. Yet in the dream, I seem determined despite my fear. That's what the dream is asking of me in waking life - to brave up and feed my inner power what it needs.

What inner power do you choose to feed? And how do you tame the monkey-mind?

Dream: Vacationing on the Moon

Dream: Vacationing on the Moon by ArtfulAlchemist

Dream 1/1/2011

Vacationing on the Moon

I have taken a trip to the moon. It is like a vacation adventure. Not unheard of or entirely unusual, but a first for me. It is exciting and filled with beauty and the unexpected. For one, I can see all the planets of our solar system strung out like a ribbon along the horizon, looking much like I recall from science books. Logically, I know they wouldn't look like this or be aligned so, but at the same time I feel a rush of excitement, as if I've made a new discovery. It is so breathtakingly beautiful. The ground is covered with a cold, frosty substance that kicks up like snow with every step. I feel at once alien and totally at home. Completely out of my element, a pioneer, an adventurer. I revel in the wonder and excitement of it all.

~~

As the first dream of the year, for me this portends a year of exploration beyond the boundaries of my current experience. The planets have aligned to support my new endeavors. Things that I thought I knew and understood come together in a different way. As I created the art for this dream, a companion (someone I was only vaguely aware of in the dream) emerged more solidly. I think this represents a guide who will accompany and support me on this exciting adventure.

What have YOU been dreaming about as this new year begins? Post your dream stories here.

Visioning® for 2011

I finally got around to doing my Visioning® collage for 2011. This only after a friend of mine expressed an interest in doing some collage work which prompted me to invite her over for an afternoon. I facilitate this work for others ALL THE TIME, yet never seem to find the time to do my own! So I was glad for the nudge from my friend, otherwise I would not have made time for it.

As I glued everything down, there was a blank space and it didn't feel quite finished. That prompted me to jump on to Polyvore and try to create the image I held in my mind's eye for Source-ress (my energetic name for this year) and it fit the leftover space perfectly.

I'm tickled with the images and phrases that came to me. "To start living your best life, Tap Here" followed by a heart ;-) EFT, but also the idea of tapping into heart energy as the source of action (as opposed to always coming from the head). Another series of phrases reinforces that idea: "Grow your mind / and heart / there's an art to this kind of balance."

Love the image of the crayons, which clearly represent my need for playful artistic creativity. And REALLY loved THESE PARTICULAR crayons, because each one is carved into the shape of an animal, which for me ties right into the shamanic path.

The little green onion riding the orange-wheel bicycle just called to me - love the sense of whimsy, humor and eccentricity AND he also ties into my intention for eating fresher, simpler, more down-to-earth foods this year.

I'm intrigued by the number of references to teams, the many, connections and collections as I tend to be a very solo-preneur kind of gal - always trying to do everything myself. Sooooo, looks like this is the year to break down and get some HELP!

Well, the Mission Statement right up top does say RETHINK EVERYTHING! ;-)

My favorite phrase of all came from headline in Fast Company in an article about the BoingBoing.net blog site. I edited it only slightly, replacing "they" with "you": "Do exactly what you want. It's eccentric. It's unprofessional. And it makes money." Really speaks to the "wanna do it MY way" part of me ;-)

Anyone else create a vision board this year?

I'm Wearing Purple Today

I'm Wearing Purple Today by ArtfulAlchemist (NEW GROUP!) featuring ankle booties

I'm wearing purple today in honor of ALL GLBT kids who are bullied because of their sexual orientation. My heart goes out to the families of those who have lost their children to suicide because of this horrific kind of intolerance and hatefulness. Ellen DeGeneres said it well, "Things will get easier, people's minds will change, and you should be alive to see it."

Everyone should hear Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns share his powerful story.

May we all someday learn to celebrate our differences and love people for who they are, as they are.



For any GLBT or questioning teens who are feeling suicidal, please contact the Trevor Project.

What the Heck is Artful Alchemy?

ALCHEMY [al-kuh-mee] (noun) the miraculous power of transmuting something common into something precious (e.g. turning lead into gold)

ARTFUL [ahrt-fuhl] (adjective) done with or characterized by art or skill

Artful Alchemy is about transforming a common life into your golden life through skillfully facilitated art practices.

Why art?

Art is a jumpstart into a new way of thinking, a new way of feeling, a new way of being. The shift can be explained with just a little left-brain/right-brain theory.

The Western World values the left-brain and downplays the value of the right-brain. Most of the time most of us are operating from our left-brain because that's what we've been taught to do. That’s all well and good. The qualities of the left-brain are very helpful and necessary if we’re to get anything done.

However, the predominant voices in the left-brain are the Ego and the Critic. The Ego’s like the map-keeper; it holds the map to things-as-they-are and has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo, because then it always knows where we are and what’s going on. So, the Ego, while a useful character for holding us together, takes its job so seriously that it really doesn’t allow us to make significant transformations. The Ego’s sidekick is the Inner Critic. The Inner Critic is the one who says, “You’re not smart enough, rich enough, good enough, deserving enough.” So the Ego says, “Let’s not change a thing,” and the Critic says, “And even if you wanted to, you’d never succeed.” Not a very conducive dialogue for life transformation.

That’s where the power of the right-brain comes in, with a whole different set of qualities and voices. If you want to know what your heart truly wants, the answer can only come through the right brain. If you want to connect to your higher wisdom, to spiritual guidance or to the pure spark of the inner child, then tune into your right-brain. This is where the truly life-transforming ideas will be found. If you want to break out of a dull, common, status-quo way of being and create your golden life, your right-brain is key.

But how to tune out or bypass the dominant, left-brain voices of the Ego and the Critic? Stop speaking their language. Their language is verbal; it’s words. Have you ever noticed how you tend to go ‘round and ‘round about a problem, with the same words replaying over and over again in your head? Break the cycle by breaking out of verbal mode.

What is the language of the right-brain? It’s non-verbal; it’s visual; it’s art.

Try it sometime. If you have been stuck in some way, or if you are facing a challenge that you can’t quite figure out how to tackle, stop thinking about it in words. Draw a picture instead. Draw a picture of how things are, then draw another of how you want things to be. I guarantee you’ll get a whole new perspective on the matter.

Meet Scarlett

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about our “Shadows,” especially since the recent release of The Shadow Effect from co-authors Deepak Chopra, Debbie Ford and Marianne Williamson.

Briefly stated, Shadows are those unsavory aspects of our personalities that we’ve repressed, but which continue to subconsciously wreak havoc in our individual and collective lives. If, however, we can bring those aspects of ourselves back into our conscious awareness, we can discover and harness their gifts. This is what’s known as “embracing the Shadow.”

Does that mean that if I have a rage-aholic Shadow, I should embrace that rage and go around consciously hurting people? No, of course not. It means that if I look consciously at the source of all that rage I might be able to take the energy of anger to make positive changes in the world, to right some wrongs. Or maybe I can take the physicality of that energy and channel it into marathon running. Once the rage has a safe and productive outlet, it doesn’t have to sneak up on me (or those around me) anymore.

This past Saturday, I led a group of women in an exploration of a Shadow Self through mask-making and journaling. My own mask, and the work I did with it, was quite revealing and healing.

For the past several months, I have been working to develop the structure and direction of my Artful Alchemist practice with my wonderful coach and EFT master, Rev. Anne Presuel. During the course of our work together it has become apparent that I have HUGE resistance to all things marketing.

In a recent session together, Anne helped me to tap into a key image for what I’ve been resisting. The visual that represents my distaste about sales and marketing is that of a prostitute standing on the street corner hiking her skirt. I don’t want to prostitute myself, I don’t want to sell my soul, I don’t want to be all flash (and flesh!), I’m not interested in offering a quick trick or a fast fix, I don’t want my work to be all about the money, yada, yada, yada. Wow! Juicy Shadow stuff!

So, guess what shadow I chose to explore with my mask-making?

Meet Scarlett, my Shadow Prostitute:

She's actually a rather lovely painted lady and I'm growing quite fond of her. Here are a few excerpts from what she had to say to me through journaling dialogue:

“I am Scarlett, but NOT Scarlett the Harlot as you’ve been thinking of me. Think more along the lines of Scarlett O’Hara. I am strong and resourceful, but not afraid to use my own beauty.”

"What are you afraid of, darlin'? Little Ole Me? Why, I don't bite Baby Girl, unless of course that's what you want."

“I am the one who knows she’s got it. I ain’t afraid to shine, to sparkle, to PUT IT OUT THERE.”

“I am the one who knows my worth and demands it. AND GETS IT!”

“I am the one who entices with flash, but delivers substance.”

"I can help you be a better business woman. Believe me, you get pretty money-savvy turning tricks. You don't get taken advantage of for long. Not when you decide to run your own show, anyway."

Oh, my dear Scarlett! Let me embrace all of that!

Is Emotional Pain Necessary?

Remembering Cameron by ArtfulAlchemist on Polyvore.com

Is Emotional Pain Necessary?

This is the question posed by today’s NPR piece, which talks about a recent change in the American Psychiatric Association’s new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. The proposal is to remove the “bereavement exclusion” from the guidelines for diagnosing major depression. In other words, if one’s grief is severe and lasts too long, it should be treated like depression. How long is too long? In the words of the article:

“ . . . if symptoms like these [acute upset, loss of sleep, appetite, energy and concentration] persist for more than two weeks, the bereaved person will be considered to have a mental disorder: major depression. And treatment, either therapy or medication, is recommended.”

TWO WEEKS?!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!

Are we, as a culture, so afraid of feeling the depths of our emotion that we would choose to medicate the pain of grief as soon as two weeks out from a major loss? It seems ludicrous to me.

After losing my son six years ago, my journey of grief (which I chronicle in my award-winning book The Deep Water Leaf Society) took at least TWO YEARS and in many ways continues even today. Were there days that I would have liked to take a pill and make the pain stop? Yes. And if I had, would I have learned and experienced all that I did and healed so completely? I think not. For me expressive arts, journaling and dreamwork allowed me to honor my pain, learn from it and heal by moving headlong into my pain, not running away from it.

It is the conscious journey through our grief that creates healing. In my opinion, if you stuff it down, ignore it, drown it in alcohol or happy it up with Prozac you will miss the meaning, the lessons, the growth that come from being real about how it feels. I learned more about myself and let go of more useless baggage during those two years of healing than I had in my entire life up to that point. I am a better person because of my loss and because of the very real pain it caused. Had I numbed the pain with Prozac, I know my loss would not have created the same level of positive personal transformation.

I am reminded of Kirk in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. When the mysterious mystic Syvok wants to take away everyone's pain, Kirk is the only hold-out while everyone else is all silly with nirvanic joy. "Damn it, Bones,” says Kirk, “you're a doctor. You know that pain and guilt can't be taken away with a wave of a magic wand. They're the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don't want my pain taken away! I need my pain!"

I’m with Kirk on this one.

It’s not that we should choose to live in the depths of that pain permanently. And certainly if someone becomes suicidal or is completely unable to function for long periods of time there may be some call for intervention. But to put an arbitrary timeframe on how long it should take to process the pain of grief is ridiculous.

TWO WEEKS?!!! I don’t think it’s we grievers who have a mental disorder. I think the authors of the DSM should have their own heads examined!

Reveal thy Radiant Countenance

Reveal thy Radiant Countenance by ArtfulAlchemist on Polyvore.com

What masks are hiding the shining brightness that is you?

In this life, we hide behind many masks.

When we grieve, we often feel we must hide behind a smiling “I’m okay” mask, sensing that our friends, family and other associates are not comfortable with the depth of our pain. We are not comfortable with their discomfort and the responses triggered by that discomfort, so we put on the mask.

Sometimes, we even try to hide the full depth of our grief from ourselves. Fearing its power, we are not willing to risk drowning in a bottomless well of tears. We are not willing to sit with our pain on its own terms. So we find a way to suck it up or dam it up. We put on a mask.

The paradox is that by not honoring the truth of our pain in the moment, we are at risk of internalizing and unconsciously identifying so deeply with it that it develops a life of its own. Some, including Eckhart Tolle, have called the unconscious internal energy that develops the Pain Body. (See a great explanation of the Pain Body and how to deal with it here.)

The Pain Body can take over, masking our true identity, tricking us into believing that pain is our reality or our identity. We think we are wearing an “I’m okay” mask, but it is the Pain Body that’s really masking our own true Light.

The Sufi poet Hafiz said, "I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing Light of your own Being."

That is also my wish for you. May your own Pain Body be dissolved, may the mask fall away, and may you reveal your true radiant countenance to yourself and to the world.

Are You a Money Magnet?

Are you a money magnet? Does money flow into your life easily, effortlessly and consistently? Or, does it seem like the polarity might be reversed on your money magnet so that it’s actually pushing money away?

Here’s an interesting visual exercise from my Art of Abundance workshop that can help you to check the polarity of your own money magnet. Take a look at the following images, and for each one fill in the blanks of the following sentence:

This image makes me think of __________________ and it makes me feel __________________.

 

Don’t over-think your answers, and answer honestly. Just go with your gut response to each image.

Now, look over your answers and see whether your emotional responses were primarily positive, primarily negative or about even. Which image feels most like your current relationship with money? Was your emotional response to that image positive or negative?

If most of your emotional responses are negative (lack, limits, constriction, fear, worry, anxiety, anger, hopelessness, sadness) then your money magnet may be repelling rather than attracting money into your life. If most of your emotional responses were positive (optimism, expansiveness, hope, happiness, love, humor, joy) then your money magnet is set to draw money into your life.

Why would that be true? Because you are seeing these images through your own money perception filter. The images themselves are neutral – it’s your own perception that makes them positive or negative. And the Law of Attraction tells us that our emotional state is the biggest attraction factor: positive emotions attract more positive results, negative emotions attract more negative results.

So, what can you do if your money magnet is set to repel? You can work at reframing your response to each image, especially to the one that feels most like your current money situation. Is it possible to see the image in another way? In a more positive light?

Here are a few reframes that came from my Art of Abundance students recently:

The money with the belt around it reminded one woman about her enormous student loan debt and about feeling very determined to pay it all off, tightening the money belt as much as necessary to do so. It made her feel determined, but also tense. When I asked her if she could see the image in a different, more positive light, she said the image was actually “kind of sexy” – that belt gave the dollars a real hour-glass shape. I suggested that she approach her bill paying and financial decision-making by thinking about how sexy it was to be in control of her money and how cutting back here and there financially was a bit like dieting to create a healthy, sexy  financial body.

For another woman, the man and woman tugging on the dollar sign reminded her of stronger, more powerful people taking money away from the more needy and deserving. It made her feel frustrated in her charity fund-raising work. I suggested that the man and woman could be seen as dancing with money or laughing over money rather than fighting over it. If she brought the idea of dancing and laughing into her fund-raising efforts, maybe it would stop feeling like such a struggle.

Granted, if your habitual money responses are primarily negative, shifting your money magnet into attraction mode may not happen over night. But by consciously working at reframing negative responses to money, you can turn the tide and learn to become a powerful money magnet.

Shared Dreaming with the Departed

Dreaming of Dad by ArtfulAlchemist on Polyvore.com

I recently had the most amazing SHARED dream experience! I dreamed of my deceased father and a few days later discovered that my husband (who rarely remembers his dreams) had also dreamed of my dad and his own parents (who are also deceased) the very same night. The details of his dream and mine were so connected that I am convinced we were all sharing a very real experience.

My dream:

Phone Call from Dad
I pick up the phone to make a call, but there is no dial tone. I hang it up and try again and get a different kind of sound than the normal dial tone, then silence. I try a few more times, getting just a bit of a dial tone which quickly goes silent. On my next try, a recorded voice speaking in French says something about the phone not being equipped for French signals. I say, “English, not French! What’s wrong with this thing?” Suddenly my Dad is on the line, speaking in a raspy, Sling Blade kind of voice, but still recognizable as my Dad. It’s like he’s using a voice he hasn’t used for a long time. “Dad? Is that you, Dad?” We have a sweet conversation, although it seems difficult for him to use words. I ask him what he’s been doing and he says, “Well, I caught me a fish.” He sounds kind of delighted and so am I. I say, “You went fishing, Dad? Was it really beautiful where you fished?” He says, “Well, it was nothing like Tahiti.” Then he tells me I am beautiful and he loves me. His words seem to carry layers and layers of additional meaning. I feel totally loved and supported. I tell him I love him, and then he’s gone.
~~

I was so moved by this, and it was so real. I awoke just saying thank you and I love you over and over again. My Dad is French-Canadian, so French is his first language. It would not be surprising for him to try to communicate in French as the phone call initially began. He loved fishing and his passion was sailing. He and my Mom went to Tahiti for one of their anniversaries and he took hundreds of gorgeous photographs. It was the most memorable trip in his life. The very last conversation I had with him, as he was slowly dying of Alzheimer’s and lay sleeping and unresponsive in his bed, was about Tahiti. I put on one of his Tahitian CDs and told him to imagine the aqua blue seas of Tahiti. I told him he could let go and just sail away. He died early the next morning.

A few days after my dream, something on the TV reminded me of my Dad and I said to my husband, “Oh, I dreamed of my Dad the other night.” He said, with surprise, “I dreamed about your Dad the other night, too. And my Mom and Dad, too.” We quickly determined that our dreams had been on the same night.

My husband’s dream:

Pulling the Boat out of the Lake with a Backhoe
My husband’s Mom is griping that his Dad went to pull the boat out of the lake with the backhoe. He goes to see what his Dad is up to. His Dad says, “I had to pull some old geezer in a sailboat out of the lake.” My husband is surprised to see that the “old geezer” in question is MY Dad!
~~

My husband’s Dad drove a backhoe for a living, grading county roads. The “old geezer” was in a sailboat – my Dad’s boat of choice. My husband’s parents have been gone longer than my Dad. I got the feeling that maybe Dad is just coming into full consciousness of his new surroundings (he’s been gone about a year and a half). He found a lake to sail away on, all right,  but it's nothing like Tahiti. He maybe got himself into a bit of trouble out there on that new lake, and my husband’s folks are there, helping him out.

The whole experience is just so validating to me that life continues on the “other side.” And that we can communicate with our loved ones who are over there through dreams.

Has anything like this ever happened to you?

I would love to hear your own ideas about and experiences of shared dreaming and dreaming with the departed.

Visioning: Cutting and Pasting Your Future

Staying Grounded by ArtfulAlchemist on Polyvore.com

I recently read this great article about vision boards by the wonderful writer and life coach Martha Beck. I love her humorous writing style and I think she’s nailed some things about how the process works (or doesn’t!).

If you are not a long-term student of the Law of Attraction, you may have first heard the term “vision board” in the movie The Secret. It refers to the process of cutting out pictures of things you want to bring into your life and gluing them down in a notebook or on a large sheet of paper. The idea is that by focusing visually on the things you desire, you will (almost magically) draw them into your life.

Having been trained and certified to facilitate a similar but much more powerful and effective process called Visioning® (created and trademarked by Dr. Lucia Capacchione), I was struck by a number of Beck’s reflections.

• “This whole process [of vision boarding] makes me roll my eyes – as I was trained to do over the course of my very rationalist education – but damn if it doesn’t work.”

LOL! I can so relate to this!! Before I learned the Visioning® process, I had spent over 15 years as a computer programmer/analyst. Talk about rational, logical, linear training! My habitual left-brain view of things had to question how gluing some pictures onto paper could possibly bring those things into my life. But, as Beck says, “damn if it doesn’t work! “

Not only does it work to attract more good into your life, the very process of Visioning® (practiced over time) begins to shift the rigid structure of logical, linear, ego-based, left-brain thinking and awaken the intuitive, creative, heart-based, right-brain modes of thinking that may have been slumbering or atrophied because of a cultural bias for left-brain skills. Visioning® sparks whole-brain thinking, and whole-brain thinking is optimal for problem solving and creating the life you want to be living.

• “To really work, a vision board has to come not from your culture but from your primordial, nonsocial self – the genetically unique animal/angel that contains your innate preferences.”

I agree with this 100%, but I would word it a little differently – AND I think this is one of the major differences between vision boards and Visioning®.

Visioning® works far better than the traditional vision board because the images and phrases that end up in your collage are selected by your heart instead of your head. Rather than already having a picture in mind and then going in search of it, you allow images to select you as you randomly sift through magazines. If you do this correctly, you will often clip images with no idea why you are selecting them. You will just follow your heart as it draws you to a particular image or phrase. Beck hits the nail on the head when she says, “The only responses involved should resemble these:
Ooooh!
Aaaahhhhh.
Whoa!
!!!!
????“

Your final collage may look nothing like what you might have expected it to – because it has been created from your true heart’s desire instead of the programmed messages in your ego-based left brain. That’s exactly the result you want.

When you follow the Visioning® process up with structured journaling, you are seeding the desires of your heart (as reflected in your selected imagery) back into your rational left brain (because language and words are left-brain functions). That’s when the magic starts to happen because you are beginning to replace entrenched left-brain habits and patterns (which have created the life you are currently living) with new, juicy, heartfelt ideas (that can help you to create the life of your dreams).

• “This is exactly what you should do once you’ve created a vision board. Stop thinking about it. Lose it. Recycle it. The biggest mistake [you can] make is continuing to push something [you’ve] already set in motion.”

Now here I have to disagree. Sort of.

It’s true, I have seen manifestations come long after putting a Visioning® collage away and forgetting about it. But I have also seen deep insights and fabulous manifestations happen by keeping a Visioning® collage where it can be reflected upon regularly for weeks – even months – on end.

At the very least, you should keep your Visioning® collage where you can see it and work with it long enough to journal about or dialogue with at least a handful of the most powerful images. This is how you move your heart’s desire into full consciousness and clarity. Without this step, it is too easy for the dreams that emerged to be overridden by firmly entrenched habits and the status quo.

It is true that you need to let go of your attachment to a particular outcome and especially release the need to control the “hows” of manifesting your heart’s desire. Here is where you have to trust in and rely upon your partnership with the larger powers of Spirit. The Universe (aka God) knows far better ways of manifesting your dreams than you do. So don’t think you have to go it alone.

That said, manifesting your dream life will take some work on your part. You have to do more than just stare at your Visioning® collage and wait for your dream to land in your lap. Keep your eyes, ears and heart open to synchronicities and connections that can help you move toward your dream. Take action when action is called for. Just make sure that action is heart-driven and divinely inspired rather than completely left-brain, ego-based or habitual.

• “This is the zone of reality creation: regularly picturing delights that don’t yet exist, emotionally detaching from them, and jumping into action when it’s time to help the miracles occur.”

Amen, Sister Beck! I could not agree with you more!

Feel free to contact me if you’d like more information about the process of Visioning® or you’d like to experience a facilitated Visioning® session. You might also want to check out Dr. Capacchione’s book, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams or visit www.VisioningCoach.org.

A New Pledge

In celebration of personal freedom this holiday weekend, I just thought I'd share this fabulous video, A New Pledge, by David Ault. Be safe, be free, be happy this 4th of July weekend, and always . . .

Road Work

I'm Gonna Color My World Happy by ArtfulAlchemist on Polyvore.com

One of the main streets leading into my neighborhood is undergoing repair.

For the last two or three years, potholes have multiplied in this roadway, opening up after every heavy rain. Every now and then, the road crews would come through and fill the potholes with new asphalt, but with the very next rain those same potholes would open back up and new ones would appear.

Finally, they are doing the job right. They have stripped the entire road down to its base, removing all the old asphalt right down to the roadbed. It’s inconvenient, it’s messy, it’s a big job. But when they have finished laying the new surface, it will be solid, cohesive and smooth. Those old potholes will no longer reappear with every rain.

While I must temporarily adjust my driving habits to avoid this construction area, I am looking forward to the smooth ride to come.

The roadway of my life used to be filled with potholes, even sinkholes, that I was constantly bumping through and falling into: drama addiction, victimhood, fear, worry, not-enoughness. I used to try to fill the potholes any way I could: by overeating, by drinking, by venting and moaning, by telling and retelling my poor-me stories to anyone who would listen. Trouble is, no matter how hard I tried to fill those potholes, they just kept popping back up.

A crisis came along. My son died of an overdose. It was a wake-up call. It was the mother of all potholes and there was no way I could just fill it up and move on. The experience of loss forced me to strip back down to the roadbed, to the very core of me and concentrate on rebuilding the road of my life in a way that would be solid, cohesive and smooth.

I had great tools to work with – tools that helped me to strip away the unstable, unhappy aspects of my life and prepare a solid base on which to build a new, fulfilled, authentic life.

It’s big job and it’s messy. It’s a work in progress. But it is so very worth it.

The Huge Bounty of a Small, Daily Harvest

It's amazing what 30 minutes in my garden at the end of a hectic day can do for my mood. Being surrounded by green growing plants filled with blooms and fruit fills me with a calm serene energy. Even when it's hot outside, as it is these days, it feels cooler in the garden.

These few minutes spent together as my husband waters and I harvest create a connection we just wouldn't get sitting in front of the TV. There is a rhythm to each of our routines and together our individual rhythms become a kind of dance. We don't speak much, except to comment occasionally about how big the cantaloupes are getting or how much better the tomato plants look now that we've shaded them. The worries of the day may be discussed later, but not now, not here in the garden.

Within the rhythm of our gardening, we connect to the rhythm of the plants and the seasons. We connect to the food we will put on our plates. We engage more deeply in the broader rhythms and cycles of life.

There are many benefits to gardening, but what strikes me this evening is the huge bounty a small, daily harvest represents.


I have just enough lettuce, herbs, carrots, radishes and cherry tomatoes for tonight's salad for two. The larger tomatoes I'll save to make salsa later this week. I'll roast half the bell peppers and eggplants, along with some of the fresh garlic we harvested last week, to accompany our pork tenderloin. The strawberries will be nice with breakfast tomorrow.

The remaining squash, eggplant and peppers will store in the fridge for a week or longer. They will not go to waste, as it will be several days before more of these will be ready to pick again. And when certain plants are producing more than we can use within a few days, I can freeze some away for the future or lavish my excess bounty on family, neighbors and friends.

And so, tonight and every night for months now, I have enjoyed the just enoughness of my small, daily harvest. The pleasure of eating what my husband and I have grown with our own hands. The sure knowledge that there will continue to be just enough - that as soon as I've used up the eggplants and squash picked today, more will be ready to harvest. That a wonderful apple harvest will follow a month or so after the peaches and the oranges will arrive at Christmastime. And all of it will be just enough to fill our needs and allow us to be generous with any surplus.

What if, at the end of each day, I took stock of my whole life this way? Would I learn to appreciate the perfect just enoughness of everything? Would I begin to trust that as one life-crop (a job, relationship or stage of life) slows down, quits producing or dies off completely, the next is ready to bloom and bear fruit? Instead of worrying so much about where my bounty will come from and scurrying to store it away for the future just in case there won't be enough later, perhaps I could simply surrender to the natural rhythm of just enough and the huge bounty of a small, daily harvest.

I Weep for the Turtles

I Weep for the Turtles by ArtfulAlchemist on Polyvore.com

The oil spill will undoubtedly affect many creatures of the sea and coastal wetlands. My heart breaks. Been having disturbing turtle dreams - the sea turtle has been a totem energy for me and I weep for the affect this is having on these beautiful creatures. Examiner slide show of turtles affected by spill.

I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I love you. Thank you. (Ho'oponopono prayer)