Year End Ritual and Emotional Intentions for 2010

I really wanted to send this out earlier in the week, to give you all the time to complete the year end exercises prior to the end of 2009 – but I just wasn’t feeling it, it wasn’t flowing. So I decided to investigate what was happening cosmically that could be affecting my flow – and it then it made sense.

This year is ending with some pretty wild and conflicting energy. While the end of the year is usually a powerful time for setting intentions, this year being amplified by a full moon – an eclipsed blue moon at that – we also have the energies of two planetary retrogrades compromising our efforts; Mercury and Mars. Mercury’s retrograde influence messes up all means of communications, which includes the communication we send out (goals/intentions) as well what we receive – inspiration and messages. While Mars’ retrograde influence is stirring some our darker emotions such as repressed frustrations and anger – not a good mix for planning the New Year. However I do feel it is still a great time for releasing and clearing space – both the inner and outer. The effects of the blue moon and eclipse will still amplify our intentions; I just wouldn’t be putting too much energy into getting too specific about them yet. A few weeks will bring more clarity and you may be inspired into a whole new direction.

To really make the most of this energetic potpourri, this will be my ritual this year which I offer to you as well:

Sometime today , (or whatever day you are reading this) write out a list of all that you intend to release from 2009 and the other 10 years that made up this decade (to top it all off, we are also completing a decade ). It feels important at this time to be releasing it all; the good, the bad and the neutral – all we are grateful for and all we simply wish to leave behind. Write it all out. What patterns and beliefs have held on to you? Feel the appreciation you have for their contribution to your life and let them be. By releasing them all, you create space for the beliefs and patterns that will align with your intentions for 2010 to come in. In order to continue moving forward, co-creating a sustainable world, I feel it is important to continually be releasing for renewal, in order to maintain harmony with the earth.

Then, I invite you to safely burn these pages. Optimally, if you get a chance to do this today, then this evening go outside and burn them under the blue full moon. Allow the alchemic process of fire to transform the words on the paper.

Complete this ritual by setting three emotional intentions for 2010. Make sure they are personal expressions of how you want to be feeling in 2010, knowing that who you are will be reflected in the world around you. For example, you may intend freedom, joy and peace or influence, peace and enthusiasm or simply, joy, joy and more joy! With the two retrogrades going on, I’m not feeling inclined to get too specific yet in planning which activities will result in my intended emotions for 2010. Past experience has proven to me that by setting the emotional intentions, and projecting them into a future time space, that the events and experiences between now and then will naturally unfold and result in the intended feeling, so that is good enough for me. I don’t need to know “exactly how” right now, it will flow naturally.

Once you have your three emotional intentions, close your eyes and imagine yourself on December 31st, 2010, looking back on the year and feeling that way about the year. Imagine feeling that way throughout the year as well. Do this for a few minutes – possibly between the minutes of 11:58pm tonight and 12:02 am New Year’s Day. If that timing doesn’t work – anytime will be great!

Later on the in month of January, once I can harness the communicative energies of Mercury again, I’ll sit down with my wise counsel and get some more clear direction for the upcoming year.

The essence of this ritual for me is to intentional and gratefully release for renewal, knowing the wisdom of it all is a part of me and to set emotional intentions for the New Year.

And of course – to celebrate it all with some bubbly!!
Happy Happy Happy 2010

Attracting Miracles

I love setting an intention, forgetting that I’ve done so and then being surprised as I experience the magic of how it manifests as a reality!

This is exactly what happened last week while on vacation in Sedona, Arizona. As Daniel and I were venturing out on a vortex trek to Bell Rock one morning he ask me; “What do you want to attract today?” I smiled and joyfully giggled “I want to attract miracles!” Then we continued our hike towards Bell Rock, enjoying the trail and forgetting all about this intention until we met up with the first of many miracles we’d attract that day.

For both of us, this was our first trip to this spiritually energy infused landscape, and while we knew there were a number of energy vortexes amid the massive red rocks, we were not yet intimately familiar with each by name. At one point of our journey towards Bell Rock, I had a strong feeling that we were heading in the wrong direction. Some of the signs were vague, letting us know we were on the “Bell Rock Path” however with no indication as to which direction the intended destination was in. It was a day of trusting ourselves to rely on the less obvious signs as appose to the more direct ones, which proved to be somewhat elusive. We noticed another path which also confirmed it as a “Bell Rock Path” and decide to take it. Soon it proved to be leading us closer to the two larger of the red rock masses in the area.

As we got close to the base of the first large rock, we still were not in agreement as to which it was. I thought the more rounded rock on the right was Bell Rock, and Daniel thought it was the closer one, which was later confirmed to be the Courthouse Butte, by a cyclist we met along the way – who would end up being my first miracle of the day.

At first glance I saw a man sitting on the ground, with his bike next to him taking a break from riding.

Then I noticed the glittering of metal and realized he possessed mechanical legs – not just one, but two. Immediately I was struck in awe of this man’s ability to ride a bike, however it was only after we continued on our journey toward Bell Rock that my eyes welled up as I realized that I had just experienced the miracle I had asked for. As a result of his life experience, this man had lost both of his natural legs and was living life, doing what he loved, with two artificial legs. We had encountered a walking, talking, cycling miracle!

The cyclist was also able to give us the time, which made us realize that we had yet to reach the base of Bell Rock even though we had been hiking for 2 hours and that it was time for lunch. Our options now were to skip lunch and continue the climb up Bell Rock or to return another day and make the climb. Since both of us had only eaten a very light breakfast, we opted to return another day. However that still left us with at least a 1.5 hour hike back to the car, so I asked for a more specific miracle next. I intended that we would meet someone to drive us back to our car otherwise we’d be eating lunch with dinner.

We walked to the parking lot at the base of Bell Rock to find someone to drive us to our car. (*Note – we had parked in a lot miles away from the base, not realizing there was one much closer, yet our experiences confirmed that this was no mistake due to our intention for the day!) There were a number of people around, however they were either just arriving at the site or had just come back to their car for a break. As we started our long trek back we met up with a group of people at the end of their hike. They were all members of a local hiking club, and while the ladies we approached were heading in the opposite direction of us, they assured us a couple of their friends were heading back to town and would be happy to drive us to our car. Within minutes we were getting into the back seat of a convertible BMW with two gentlemen who were delighted to have us be their good deed of the day! Very grateful for miracle #2!

Next we headed to the Airport for lunch, then to the Airport vortex site. There we met a couple who had been to these sites often and shared with us a known, but not easily found gem of a spot by Cathedral Rock. The key was to arrive there at the start of sunset to catch the beautiful reflection of the rock in a stream along the path. To get there, we had to know to cross over some logs at a certain place along the stream,

which I imagine many people would have missed. Our third miracle was meeting people to guide us to this breath enhancing view.

More miracles followed – and I’ll share them in another post.

As you set out on your journey called "today", intend what you want to attract, and when you ask for miracles, be prepared to be blessed in ways you never could have even imagined to ask for!

Persitent Messages!!

Here is a blog I enjoy visiting on Tuesday’s, for the author’s Tarot Tuesday’s. Every Tuesday Sheri picks a card and then offers her interpretation of it. She then encourages you to reflect on the card and discern it’s meaning for you. Today her card was from Doreen Virtue’s Archangel Oracle cards.

A great reminder card for me today - in case I wasn't getting of all the other hints the universe has been providing me lately. Claircognizance is my “clair” (or as I prefer to call it, my expanded sense) and I've been second guessing it a lot over the past year. As a result, the universe has been providing me with an abundance of opportunities to second guess my inner knowing just so I can experience the "I knew it" feeling ... great validation! When we simply follow your inner knowing, we often have to "trust" it was the right insight in the moment, because we have no way to prove what would have happened if we hadn't followed it.

As a conscious creator, I've been getting caught up in acknowledging the directive of my inner knowing and then wondering if I should be challenging myself to focus on creating what I “want” in spite of what I “know”.

Can I?

My experience has been, sometimes yes and sometimes not - again I need to remember to lean back into the inner knowing and trust the continued directive I receive as to whether or not it is in the best interest of all involved to consciously focus on influencing the outcome. To lean into the inner knowing is to effect change by harnessing the "Inner Power" and not from forced energy (as in the book Power VS Force by David Hawkins).
As the Serenity Prayer encourages, may we all have: "The strength to change what we can, accept what we can't change and may we all have the wisdom to know the difference".

What - Me Stressed???

Here is a note I wrote in response to Mary Allens Inner Peace Practice video - after you read please watch it!

Hi Mary - I just wanted to tell you how much I LOVE your new videos. Today's was exceptionally brilliant - and timely. Recently I've been informed by two different health care providers, that my stress level was affecting my thyroid and adrenals... and I didn't even realize I was experiencing stress. The first naturopath discovered this through a bio-feedback like technology (NES) and to be honest, I wasn't convinced of its accuracy because I didn't "get" that I was experiencing stress. Then yesterday, my new naturopath (my previous one moved to BC), having received the results of my blood work informed of the same thing!

I share this, because as you say in your video, much of society has been conditioned to accept stress as normal - and that is dangerous because in doing so we can also, by default, start accepted the results of stress as normal.... yickes!

Good news, right after I received the news yesterday from my naturopath I received an email from my neighbour inviting me for a salt water swim and hot tub soak at her health club. First temptation was to respond with my usual "I've got too much to do" but I didn't - instead I said "I'd love to and thank you so much for thinking of me." I definitely used the opportunity to start strengthening those "inner peace" and “self care” muscles.

Much love and appreciation for you!
Kim

Reality Alchemy #3 – Believe in Possibilities!

On facebook today someone posted that “If you want to draw something into your life, decide what it is and then act as though you have it. Works for me.” Great advice!
As I continued to read, one poster asked “what about a person with a disability, in pain and low mobility?” Reading this I pictured someone sitting at home, wanting god knows what, trying to “act as it” and wondering why it isn’t working for them.

I hear comments like this all the time from people who are experiencing a condition that the person declaring success isn’t, and how they really want to believe – yet it truly isn’t working for them. Does this mean this poster is wrong? No, they are absolutely right, it really can work for everyone, however there is a missing necessity here that will affect whether or not it works for someone, and simply put, that is the belief that it can.

Here is what I added to the thread:
“Often times the first obstacle is our thoughts about what we think or believe is possible due to circumstances - such as yours. First step then is to open to the possibility that anything is possible, even though you can't see how in the moment. Start where you are, feel how it feels to be open to possibilities, and then once you feel yourself believing that, it is easier to focus on attracting what it is that you want. Unfortunately, if you don’t think it is possible, chances are you’ll prove yourself right. Remember how the light bulb and airplanes were once just some wild idea? Two perfect examples of the power of belief in possibilities.”

I also want to add, that if someone is asking for some pie in the sky wish, that if the opportunity came to actually get it, chances are that they wouldn’t even know what to do with it – you have got to let those go! Make sure your wants are what you really want and what you are committed to taking action to get. If you are sitting at home saying “I wish I could travel to the moon” – then you better be prepared to do what it takes to make that possible. Or if you were wishing you were someplace warm and sunny and you can’t afford a trip – you better be at least willing to enter contests where travel is the prize. There are a gazillion ways that our desired outcomes can manifest – the key is to not be attached to how it happens, just believe that it can (consciously and unconsciously). Also, to be open and ready to act on the opportunities that will lead to your desired outcome when they present themselves. If you aren’t ready to act, if you are just sitting there wanting someone to knock on your door and give you a free trip without you having done a thing or followed any of the leads the universe sends... then you better believe with every fiber of your being, consciously and unconsciously that it is possible, otherwise you are deluding yourself. But if you do believe….it just might happen - because EVERYTHING is possible!

The Guy in the Glass

I was at a seminar last night with Ron White - The Memory Guy and he recited this poem by memory. That was not the most amazing feat he demonstrated - however the poem itself really resonated with me in respect to the work I do with my clients. I see my work as helping people connect with the "guy/gal in the glass" so that more of their life experience ends up being fulfilling!
Enjoy the read - and may it inspire you to make friends with that face that you see in the mirror!


The Guy in the Glass
by Dale Wimbrow, (c) 1934

When you get what you want in your struggle for pelf,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.

For it isn't your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.

He's the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he's with you clear up to the end,
And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.

You may be like Jack Horner and "chisel" a plum,
And think you're a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.

You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you've cheated the guy in the glass.
In grateful memory of our father, the author, Dale Wimbrow 1895-1954

Is There A Drainer In Your Life?

Are there people in your life that leave you feeling drained? You know the people I mean – regardless of how they start out, your conversations with them end up focused problems, what is wrong, complaints and negative rants. In spite of your attempts to steer the conversation to a lighter side, this just fuels their need to take a stand for their perspective with an almost admirable energy of conviction.

In most cases these people aren’t doing this to be mean or to bring you down. It is just the way they think.

In NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) we learn about people’s Meta Programs which in short, help us to understand our various thinking patterns. Some people will have a tendency to notice what is right, working well, the good and will expand their conversations to reinforce these views. While others who naturally have the tendency to notice what is wrong, needs fixing and the bad will expand on such in their conversations.

Neither pattern is the “better way” of thinking, they each serve their purpose. Seeing what is right can lead us to feeling resourceful and good inside and as a result, more open to options and opportunities. Noticing what is wrong or needs fixing can leave one feeling needed and inspired to help make something better.

However like anything, when either focus is taken to an extreme both can lead to undesirable effects. For example, someone who insists on only ever seeing the positive, regardless of the circumstance may experience delusions and be in denial about some life situations that they really need to pay attention to. While someone who always sees the negative or notices what is wrong may experience less optimal moods on a regular basis and may become lethargic or depressed. You can avoid these extreme by remaining aware of how your thinking is making you feel – inspired, needed, curious, wanting to take action or down, depressed, isolated or delusional.

As a conscious creator, we know that ever what we focus on we will experience more of. Ideally you want to be able to see “all” of a situation, the good and bad, what is working well and what requires adjusting. From there the key is to maintain your focus on your desired outcome; to identify what the next step towards your desired outcome is and take it. Then the next step and next… continuing to acknowledge “all” of where you are NOW, to best discern what that next step will be. It is ok to see the negative, what makes the difference is what you do with this view. Do you expand on it, or does it inspire you into making a difference and taking action?

In respect to the people in your life, who are constantly draining your energy with their pessimistic views and negative conversations, remember that this is simply a thought and response pattern, in the moment being experienced at an extreme. It isn’t personal. There will always be events that will trigger us to lean more towards either end of the spectrum, bringing about more positive or less positive attitudes. However if you know someone who is constantly leaning over to the negative and find it draining, perhaps to the point of feeling toxic, here are a few tips that will help you to limit your time in this energy:

· After listening for a few moments change the subject. Start by looking for something you can genuinely compliment them on. Ideally the sincere flattery will shift their energy and focus, and then you can redirect the conversation in that lighter energy.

· Make it a constructive conversation by asking them what they would do differently. Challenge them into thinking of the opportunity being presented instead of just complaining and ranting about it.

· Acknowledge that they seem to be on a rant, ask them how much time they need to do so, (5-10min max.) and then agree to shift to a more uplifting conversation at that time - which may include what to do about it. Sometime people just need permission to clear. Give it a deadline.

· Take yourself out of the conversation. In a social environment, excuse yourself, look for people who are smiling and join them with your smile. Make sure to refrain from sharing what you just experience with the other person – leave that experience behind you. When on the phone, simply state you need to go now – no excuse necessary. If you are in a situation that you can’t escape then keep reading…

· Call them on it. Many people who have this tendency really like to think of themselves as positive people (and they usually are) and don’t even realize what they are doing. Offer that you notice they keep focusing on the negative – and get curious with them about it. There may be something going on underneath that they really need to talk about - especially if this is not their usual pattern of conversation. You could be attracting this part of them, as an opportunity to help them.

· Express your boundaries. If a friend, colleague or family member constantly brings up a topic that you do not want to discuss, tell them so and request that they not discuss this topic with you. I once had a neighbor who spoke about people from other cultures as well as people who are gay in a derogatory manner. For awhile I over looked these comments from this 70ish years of age gentleman, whom I realized grew up in a very different time than I. By overlooking, I realized I was indirectly encouraging the comments that I truly found offensive. One day I kindly, yet clearly, let him know that I neither appreciated nor condoned such comments, and respectfully requested that refrain from expressing them to me. He stopped. The added bonus was that I felt he demonstrated a greater respect for me as a result of that conversation.

· Remind yourself that this is just ONE part of their personality that you are attracting from them in the moment and start focusing on the parts of them you enjoy. This is one of my favorites, and a habit I find effectively rewarding. Believing that someone is more than they are demonstrating in any given moment is a powerfully attractive attitude; one that magically inspires the person at the receiving end of focus to embody.

© All Right Reserved 2009 Kim Barnwell - http://www.conscious-creation.com/

Choices – Realizing what you are really saying Yes and No to?

Consider that every choice you make has an effect. Every time you say yes to something/one, you are saying no to something/one else. What you say yes to effects that which you say yes and no to and what your say no to affects that which you say no and yes to.

This little insight – or reminder – came today as I found myself having to say no to my honey, which is particularly challenging for me as he does SOOOO much for me that I truly appreciate. (Kisses Honey).

I'll give you some context and illustrate this point at the same time.

Here in Ottawa we are experiencing a bus strike. The unionized workers of our public transportation provider were not pleased with some of the conditions that were being proposed in their renewing contract. As a result of the changes the city wanted to make, they were saying yes and no to certain needs of their employees and their working conditions (I won’t go into those details). As a result, the union and employees said yes to fighting for the conditions they want to keep and no to the ones being suggested by the city. As a result of that, they said yes to a strike and no to providing public transportation to approximately 1 million people. This 1 million people includes their own neighbors, friends and family, therefore I can only imagine that this decision wasn’t made in haste. (BTW, I am not writing this to judge – my intention is to use this example to share a message).

As a result of the strike, thousands of people have had to change how they work and commute about the city. My partner, who regularly travels to work downtown by bus, has chosen to work from home most days, saying no to contributing to and driving in high traffic volumes and saying yes to being flexible, saving on gas, parking fees, time and so forth. Since I work from home as well, his saying yes to working from home has an impact on me. While this means saying yes to more frequent kisses throughout the day it also means saying yes to more distractions and no to productivity to some degree. Obviously the kisses aren’t an issue, however there are a number of other areas we’ve both said yes and no to in order to be flexible and accommodate each others needs during this time.

During the first couple of weeks, this was easy enough to do, however “easy” became “challenging” as the effects of the some of the YESES and NO’S continued to negatively affect my sense of productivity throughout each day. While it is very important to me to be flexible for my partner, I had to address what I was really saying yes and no to by doing so. I realized that by saying yes to being accommodating, in some cases I was saying no to having my needs for being productive met. It was time to start making some different choices in hopes that my Honey would understand and work with me (which of course he does!)

Bottom line, when we say yes or no to any one thing, by default or conscious choice we are saying yes and no to something as well. When we have a challenging time reconciling with our decisions or they become tough to follow through on, we need to take some time to acknowledge all that we've said yes and no to by making this choice – and then adjust accordingly.

Attitude Lifter!

I loved this movie! Best 15 minutes of my day!

Validation