I deliberately went to sleep last night without watching much of the massive election coverage swarming over TV and the internet. I did not want to be barraged with “projections” and opinions from the media (who are far from unbiased!). I wanted to be clear and refreshed and to awaken with hope, to the news of the moment. This morning, then, I learned that our new president is the Democrat we have watched over the last 21 months, some of us in awe, some of us with contempt, but I believe most of us, with respect for the power of his convictions, his intellect and his ability to inspire hope in many of us.
To see the new First Family walk out on stage in the video clips from last night, reminded me that we have once again changed the course of history. The faces of this lovely family are clearly darker than any of those who have resided in the White House before. I know that many will find this a threat because they are afraid of that which they are unfamiliar. When difference is so seemingly obvious, one of the beauties of our free country helps enlighten us: with freedom comes visibility, with visibility comes familiarity, with familiarity comes unity. There is a way to bridge our differences and find a way to relate if only we make contact with those we don’t yet know. Electing Barack Obama can remind us that we are all brothers and sisters; no one stands alone, no matter how great our differences may seem.
Hearing John McCain’s concession speech was also encouraging. His integrity came shining through, and the honorable man of character, whom many wondered may have disappeared, showed up to graciously concede the election to his opponent, offering support and encouraging his own followers to do the same.
To President-elect Obama, we know that you will now be pushed to the outer edges of your human limitations by the extraordinary challenges you have accepted as your responsibility. May you stay aligned with your Truth, and allow the Light of your Integrity guide you. It is now your time to shine and prove to those who voted for you, and especially to those who didn’t, that you indeed have the courage, skill, experience and honor to lead us into a future of Peace, Prosperity and Unity.
Blessings to you and us all.
Here’s to Change.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Souls.
My mother is in NY. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 with a recurrence in 1997. Recently, we came to find that the cancer metastasized to her lungs and her bones. In addition, her lungs have been compromised by asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) for years prior to this latest development. She has decided to treat the cancer aggressively with chemotherapy – a decision she did not make lightly, but when her doctors told her that without this treatment, she would likely have about 6 more months to live, we all encouraged her to choose the chemo.
She accepted the possibility of losing her hair, and the likelihood of some nasty side-effects, but we all assured her that if she felt her quality of life was suffering, she could at any time, discontinue the chemo, and find a way to live through the process of dying. So, she chose the chemo.
What none of us anticipated was that her other lung problems might get in the way of a routine regimen of chemotherapy. Twice now, she has started the chemo treatments, only to find herself hospitalized each time because she has had several episodes of struggling to breathe. Of course, I feared that it was the cancer strangling her lungs, but the doctors indicate that the cancer has not progressed, and rather it is her COPD and/or asthma that are being stimulated, perhaps by the cancer, perhaps by the chemo. We don’t know.
We do know, however, she can not re-start the chemo until she is off the anti-biotics they are giving her to treat any infection that may have brewed within her lungs. We do know also that she has had only two or three very irregular chemo treatments. Does this mean she really hasn’t started her treatment? Is the clock ticking? Will I see her for Christmas? Should I get on a plane now? How do I explain to my 8 year old daughter what is happening to her favorite NY Gramma?
These are some of the questions I watch float across my mind. Some of them need answers right away, some of them can wait. Some of them are impossible to know. Being able to sort through them and balance which ones to focus on, and which to let go, is one way that I am keeping myself from being swept away by anxiety and overwhelm.
This Friday, I will fly to California to see one of my dearest cousins. I am going there to say good-bye. In the last two months, she has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a glandular cancer that is often connected to the lungs. Like my mother, she has trouble breathing too. The doctors have told her there is no treatment to cure her, only to help keep the cancer at bay. They have told her she has weeks to live.
Some people believe that there is no meaning behind events like these. Some believe these events happen because of something we did or did not do at some point in our past – karma? Some believe illness, accidents, all external events, for that matter, serve a purpose. In fact, some believe that we create these events in our lives as opportunities to learn and grow and remember truly “Who You Really Are.” That these events call on us to plumb the depths of our being – to come to know that our Souls merely are contained by our bodies; our bodies do not define us; our Souls never die. Death is merely a giving way of the physical form. The body will disintegrate. The Soul, on the other hand, is permanent. It is that God-place in us all, beyond us and within us. You don’t have to be religious to know it. You don’t have to call it God. Call it The One, Spirit, The Divine, Allah, Yahweh, Peace, Soul, whatever you like…It doesn’t matter. But if you have ever felt the peace that comes with connecting with Nature; by being moved by a work of art, music, theater, writing; by being touched by the intimacy of a loved one, you have experienced a moment of the Divine. It is there all the time, we just forget that it is, and that we have access to it, always…
I wonder if both my mother and my cousin think me naïve knowing I believe the latter. I would agree that until I am faced with the knowledge of my imminent death, it is impossible for me to know exactly how I would feel or how I would be handling myself. Of course, the imminence of our deaths is always there, we just aren’t aware of it in the same way one with a diagnosed terminal illness is… I hope my mom and my cousin can find that Peace within. I hope they won’t be afraid. I hope they can allow all their feelings to emerge and allow themselves to experience them deeply, knowing they are loved and protected even as the functions of their bodies fade. I hope they believe that their Souls live forever, no past, no future, just now, just forever. I hope they believe once their bodies cease to live, the true essence of Who They Really Are will be Light, Joy, Bliss, and complete Wholeness.
For the time being, as my feelings arise, my sadness about losing each of them before I am ready, and the helplessness over not being able to change the course of these events, I allow the emotions to just be: I cry. I write. I hold my daughter. I sit. I breathe. I watch.
She accepted the possibility of losing her hair, and the likelihood of some nasty side-effects, but we all assured her that if she felt her quality of life was suffering, she could at any time, discontinue the chemo, and find a way to live through the process of dying. So, she chose the chemo.
What none of us anticipated was that her other lung problems might get in the way of a routine regimen of chemotherapy. Twice now, she has started the chemo treatments, only to find herself hospitalized each time because she has had several episodes of struggling to breathe. Of course, I feared that it was the cancer strangling her lungs, but the doctors indicate that the cancer has not progressed, and rather it is her COPD and/or asthma that are being stimulated, perhaps by the cancer, perhaps by the chemo. We don’t know.
We do know, however, she can not re-start the chemo until she is off the anti-biotics they are giving her to treat any infection that may have brewed within her lungs. We do know also that she has had only two or three very irregular chemo treatments. Does this mean she really hasn’t started her treatment? Is the clock ticking? Will I see her for Christmas? Should I get on a plane now? How do I explain to my 8 year old daughter what is happening to her favorite NY Gramma?
These are some of the questions I watch float across my mind. Some of them need answers right away, some of them can wait. Some of them are impossible to know. Being able to sort through them and balance which ones to focus on, and which to let go, is one way that I am keeping myself from being swept away by anxiety and overwhelm.
This Friday, I will fly to California to see one of my dearest cousins. I am going there to say good-bye. In the last two months, she has been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a glandular cancer that is often connected to the lungs. Like my mother, she has trouble breathing too. The doctors have told her there is no treatment to cure her, only to help keep the cancer at bay. They have told her she has weeks to live.
Some people believe that there is no meaning behind events like these. Some believe these events happen because of something we did or did not do at some point in our past – karma? Some believe illness, accidents, all external events, for that matter, serve a purpose. In fact, some believe that we create these events in our lives as opportunities to learn and grow and remember truly “Who You Really Are.” That these events call on us to plumb the depths of our being – to come to know that our Souls merely are contained by our bodies; our bodies do not define us; our Souls never die. Death is merely a giving way of the physical form. The body will disintegrate. The Soul, on the other hand, is permanent. It is that God-place in us all, beyond us and within us. You don’t have to be religious to know it. You don’t have to call it God. Call it The One, Spirit, The Divine, Allah, Yahweh, Peace, Soul, whatever you like…It doesn’t matter. But if you have ever felt the peace that comes with connecting with Nature; by being moved by a work of art, music, theater, writing; by being touched by the intimacy of a loved one, you have experienced a moment of the Divine. It is there all the time, we just forget that it is, and that we have access to it, always…
I wonder if both my mother and my cousin think me naïve knowing I believe the latter. I would agree that until I am faced with the knowledge of my imminent death, it is impossible for me to know exactly how I would feel or how I would be handling myself. Of course, the imminence of our deaths is always there, we just aren’t aware of it in the same way one with a diagnosed terminal illness is… I hope my mom and my cousin can find that Peace within. I hope they won’t be afraid. I hope they can allow all their feelings to emerge and allow themselves to experience them deeply, knowing they are loved and protected even as the functions of their bodies fade. I hope they believe that their Souls live forever, no past, no future, just now, just forever. I hope they believe once their bodies cease to live, the true essence of Who They Really Are will be Light, Joy, Bliss, and complete Wholeness.
For the time being, as my feelings arise, my sadness about losing each of them before I am ready, and the helplessness over not being able to change the course of these events, I allow the emotions to just be: I cry. I write. I hold my daughter. I sit. I breathe. I watch.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Take a Moment.
There was an intense full moon last night; I hope you had the pleasure of witnessing it, if not feeling the effects of it. Here in Naples, FL, the sky was crystal clear, and the moonlight washed over my yard like a blanket of light. It was beautiful…
Since sending out my first “Awareness Update” on Tuesday, I have had some great feedback from clients and friends (thank you all!). The most common response has been, “Wow, the timing couldn't have been better!” This response speaks to the point of the Update perfectly. We are all in this together. The timing was right for my friends and my clients because the timing was right for me, too – we are sharing the same “time.” I am feeling it, just as you are. We all may have different ways of being in the world, and the particulars of each of our lives may seemingly look nothing alike, but this shift in our reality is happening to all of us.
As I write, it is still uncertain what will happen with the economy. President Bush spelled out the most recent “Rescue Plan” yesterday, and there is no way of knowing exactly how this and other nations’ plans will ultimately play out in the global market. We literally have to sit and wait.
Sitting and waiting is not something most of us Americans do very well. We are a nation with a “take charge, take action” mentality. Even if we personally don’t have the ambition to actually make changes, we live with the expectation of instant gratification. We also live with the fear that if we are not on top of everything, if we do not have a firm grip on the course of our lives, things will unravel and fall apart. The irony is that we have crammed so much clutter and chaos into our lives, it is impossible to keep it under control, and then it becomes true that if we let go and allow life to flow through us, the clutter and chaos will unravel out of control. However, our lives will not; rather it will unfold. The answer then, is not to hold on tighter, but rather to relinquish the clutter and chaos.
Simplify. Most of us are afraid to let go of the clutter and chaos we identify with. It has become who we are. But, the universe seems to be doing for us what we are afraid to do for ourselves. Clearing out the clutter. Removing complicated structures that do not serve us any longer. The time is now to come up with new ways of living, but we have to clear out the ways that don’t work any more. This is what we are experiencing – both in our personal lives, as well as throughout the world at large.
The lesson of patience is one I believe we need to welcome…Slowing down, pressing the “pause” button of our lives would do most of us well. We are being given the opportunity to stop the frenzy of our lives, and take a moment to truly BE in our lives, right now, as we are living it. If we are able to quit trying to control the outcome of situations that are simply out of our control, we are then free to be present with the only thing that really exists. The present. Right now. This moment.
Try this.
Take a moment right now.
Stop reading.
Close your eyes.
Take a breath.
Feel where your body is.
Notice where you are.
You have just interrupted the chatter that I guarantee was going on in your mind as you were perusing through your emails, answering the phone, making dinner, doing homework, cleaning the house, rushing to get to work, paying bills, reading this blog. For that one moment, none of those things existed. None of your fears, worries, concerns, anxieties existed. The only thing that did exist was you, breathing, being, feeling, in that moment. For that one moment you were paying attention to your breath, your body, you were not engaged in the stream of thoughts that constantly takes us for a ride into the future, or on a stroll down the memory lane of the past…For that one moment you were at peace. As brief as it was, you touched it. It is real. You have access to it whenever you want it. It just takes a moment of consciousness.
While most of you will not start a practice of daily hour-long meditation to reach a place of inner peace, all of you can take a moment, every time you think of it, to check in with that part of yourself that is at peace. Do it just like you did it right now. Stop. Close your eyes. Notice your breath. Feel your body. Notice your presence. That’s all. You may only remember to take that moment initially once in a week, but the more you do it, the more often you will remember, and the more often you will feel that place of peace…
Do you deeply connect with your spouse/partner? Are you truly present with your kids? Does your life feel meaningful? Are you angry at your parents/family? Does your work fulfill you? Are you comfortable in your skin? Can you sit with not knowing how things will resolve regarding your money, your possessions? Do you trust you have everything you need regardless of those "things?"
Slow down.
Take a moment.
Breathe.
Peace,
Carol
Since sending out my first “Awareness Update” on Tuesday, I have had some great feedback from clients and friends (thank you all!). The most common response has been, “Wow, the timing couldn't have been better!” This response speaks to the point of the Update perfectly. We are all in this together. The timing was right for my friends and my clients because the timing was right for me, too – we are sharing the same “time.” I am feeling it, just as you are. We all may have different ways of being in the world, and the particulars of each of our lives may seemingly look nothing alike, but this shift in our reality is happening to all of us.
As I write, it is still uncertain what will happen with the economy. President Bush spelled out the most recent “Rescue Plan” yesterday, and there is no way of knowing exactly how this and other nations’ plans will ultimately play out in the global market. We literally have to sit and wait.
Sitting and waiting is not something most of us Americans do very well. We are a nation with a “take charge, take action” mentality. Even if we personally don’t have the ambition to actually make changes, we live with the expectation of instant gratification. We also live with the fear that if we are not on top of everything, if we do not have a firm grip on the course of our lives, things will unravel and fall apart. The irony is that we have crammed so much clutter and chaos into our lives, it is impossible to keep it under control, and then it becomes true that if we let go and allow life to flow through us, the clutter and chaos will unravel out of control. However, our lives will not; rather it will unfold. The answer then, is not to hold on tighter, but rather to relinquish the clutter and chaos.
Simplify. Most of us are afraid to let go of the clutter and chaos we identify with. It has become who we are. But, the universe seems to be doing for us what we are afraid to do for ourselves. Clearing out the clutter. Removing complicated structures that do not serve us any longer. The time is now to come up with new ways of living, but we have to clear out the ways that don’t work any more. This is what we are experiencing – both in our personal lives, as well as throughout the world at large.
The lesson of patience is one I believe we need to welcome…Slowing down, pressing the “pause” button of our lives would do most of us well. We are being given the opportunity to stop the frenzy of our lives, and take a moment to truly BE in our lives, right now, as we are living it. If we are able to quit trying to control the outcome of situations that are simply out of our control, we are then free to be present with the only thing that really exists. The present. Right now. This moment.
Try this.
Take a moment right now.
Stop reading.
Close your eyes.
Take a breath.
Feel where your body is.
Notice where you are.
You have just interrupted the chatter that I guarantee was going on in your mind as you were perusing through your emails, answering the phone, making dinner, doing homework, cleaning the house, rushing to get to work, paying bills, reading this blog. For that one moment, none of those things existed. None of your fears, worries, concerns, anxieties existed. The only thing that did exist was you, breathing, being, feeling, in that moment. For that one moment you were paying attention to your breath, your body, you were not engaged in the stream of thoughts that constantly takes us for a ride into the future, or on a stroll down the memory lane of the past…For that one moment you were at peace. As brief as it was, you touched it. It is real. You have access to it whenever you want it. It just takes a moment of consciousness.
While most of you will not start a practice of daily hour-long meditation to reach a place of inner peace, all of you can take a moment, every time you think of it, to check in with that part of yourself that is at peace. Do it just like you did it right now. Stop. Close your eyes. Notice your breath. Feel your body. Notice your presence. That’s all. You may only remember to take that moment initially once in a week, but the more you do it, the more often you will remember, and the more often you will feel that place of peace…
Do you deeply connect with your spouse/partner? Are you truly present with your kids? Does your life feel meaningful? Are you angry at your parents/family? Does your work fulfill you? Are you comfortable in your skin? Can you sit with not knowing how things will resolve regarding your money, your possessions? Do you trust you have everything you need regardless of those "things?"
Slow down.
Take a moment.
Breathe.
Peace,
Carol
Monday, October 13, 2008
Optimism.
Greetings! I write this blog with intentions of peace and clarity for all of you during these very distressing and uncertain times. I know that for many people lately, it has been a challenge to stay optimistic about the direction this country is headed. We are recognizing too that the US is not in this predicament alone. This past weekend, President Bush, smartly, met with other financial leaders from around the globe to discuss the impact the American economic struggles are also having on the rest of the world.
While we know just a few details of how each nation will be involved, what we do know for sure is that finally, our leaders are recognizing that we can no longer think of ourselves as separate entities living on this planet. We must collaborate with our global neighbors; we don’t have to agree with them, or embrace their cultures and beliefs, but we do have to co-exist with them. We have a common investment in how we each take care of our own nations and citizens as well as the planet we all call home. The financial crisis has simply made crystal clear what many of us have known for a very long time. Every action we take as individuals has an impact on every other being on the planet. Sometimes that impact is imperceptible, but as we know, just because you can’t see a virus with the naked eye, does not mean that this virus does not have the ability to affect billions of living organisms with its force.
Of course, there is a positive side to this phenomenon – forces of love and light are also passed on through us and between us all when we act on them. And that is the message I hope to pass on to you today. It is a message of optimism and hope. Undoubtedly, the changes we are experiencing today are very real. And I know that often when we do not have a clear vision of what is next, or what we “should” be doing to make things “better,” or how we can possibly make that happen, we can feel discouraged and hopeless. It is true that letting go of the familiar is never easy, but clinging to what we think we “know” and can “control” can keep us blinded to the brilliant opportunities that lie ahead to create peaceful, prosperous, creative, healthy and interconnected families, communities and nations all over the planet.
It may sound strange to hear me say that I am encouraged by the state of turmoil the world is in right now. I know on a personal level, that the times in my life when I have grown the most have been during times of crisis, times of struggle. During times in which I feared I would not survive. I could not imagine who I would be on the other side of these catastrophes. What I found, however, was that as I looked more deeply inward, as I accepted the circumstances in which I found myself, I became more deeply ME. As I surrendered to the pain that I could not control, and changed the things I could, I relaxed into a trust that I would be alright no matter what the outcome. I came to understand that I could feel the fullness of all my emotions without them becoming all that I am. I became connected to the knowledge that we are all evolving toward our full Potential - the Potential to be truly all that we are. This Potential is a wave of energy that we can ride naturally toward its realization every day, or one we can distrust and resist, finding ourselves struggling, stressed and afraid every day.
I believe we will not only survive as a nation and a global community, but that we will thrive. I trust that all of us, regardless of our political leanings, will play a role in the shift toward higher consciousness, inter-connectedness, abundance and peace.
I hope you too will stay connected to your full Potential. Whether you do so because of your personal circumstances, or because you feel compelled to do so because of the state of our world doesn’t matter because this movement toward authenticity and consciousness will have an affect on all you say, all you do, and how you live your life. It will have a ripple effect on everyone and everything around you. We can change the world one person at a time.
I invite you to join me in staying connected to your full Potential, and in so doing, staying connected within the community of our planet.
Peace,
Carol
While we know just a few details of how each nation will be involved, what we do know for sure is that finally, our leaders are recognizing that we can no longer think of ourselves as separate entities living on this planet. We must collaborate with our global neighbors; we don’t have to agree with them, or embrace their cultures and beliefs, but we do have to co-exist with them. We have a common investment in how we each take care of our own nations and citizens as well as the planet we all call home. The financial crisis has simply made crystal clear what many of us have known for a very long time. Every action we take as individuals has an impact on every other being on the planet. Sometimes that impact is imperceptible, but as we know, just because you can’t see a virus with the naked eye, does not mean that this virus does not have the ability to affect billions of living organisms with its force.
Of course, there is a positive side to this phenomenon – forces of love and light are also passed on through us and between us all when we act on them. And that is the message I hope to pass on to you today. It is a message of optimism and hope. Undoubtedly, the changes we are experiencing today are very real. And I know that often when we do not have a clear vision of what is next, or what we “should” be doing to make things “better,” or how we can possibly make that happen, we can feel discouraged and hopeless. It is true that letting go of the familiar is never easy, but clinging to what we think we “know” and can “control” can keep us blinded to the brilliant opportunities that lie ahead to create peaceful, prosperous, creative, healthy and interconnected families, communities and nations all over the planet.
It may sound strange to hear me say that I am encouraged by the state of turmoil the world is in right now. I know on a personal level, that the times in my life when I have grown the most have been during times of crisis, times of struggle. During times in which I feared I would not survive. I could not imagine who I would be on the other side of these catastrophes. What I found, however, was that as I looked more deeply inward, as I accepted the circumstances in which I found myself, I became more deeply ME. As I surrendered to the pain that I could not control, and changed the things I could, I relaxed into a trust that I would be alright no matter what the outcome. I came to understand that I could feel the fullness of all my emotions without them becoming all that I am. I became connected to the knowledge that we are all evolving toward our full Potential - the Potential to be truly all that we are. This Potential is a wave of energy that we can ride naturally toward its realization every day, or one we can distrust and resist, finding ourselves struggling, stressed and afraid every day.
I believe we will not only survive as a nation and a global community, but that we will thrive. I trust that all of us, regardless of our political leanings, will play a role in the shift toward higher consciousness, inter-connectedness, abundance and peace.
I hope you too will stay connected to your full Potential. Whether you do so because of your personal circumstances, or because you feel compelled to do so because of the state of our world doesn’t matter because this movement toward authenticity and consciousness will have an affect on all you say, all you do, and how you live your life. It will have a ripple effect on everyone and everything around you. We can change the world one person at a time.
I invite you to join me in staying connected to your full Potential, and in so doing, staying connected within the community of our planet.
Peace,
Carol
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