Defensive Driving Tip #30 - How To Recover From A Skid

I had a client email me the other day for a session. As I read through her email I was struck by the "energy" of the feelings she was describing and this image of fishtailing in a car popped in my mind. She could feel herself going into the skid and she didn't want to. I was inspired to look up what to do when the car hits a skid and I stumbled upon this great website, Roadtrip America. (www.roadtripamerica.com/forum/content.php?38) It was the perfect metaphor for her situation. She had done a lot of work on herself the last year and had grown leaps and bounds....then the patch of black ice in the road and...out of control. (Note: The article is great to read as tips for hitting "all kinds of skids!)

There will always be "road hazards" and learning to use everyday physics, the laws of motion, in this case was very useful. It is often about balance and alignment, two principals that are basic to our everyday life experience. We know when we are and we know when we are not! I have a hunch this tip may work in any number of situations. So, with this image in mind, I guided the client through the skid, by first turning into it, not away from it.

Sound familiar? We SO want to get away from our "yucky" feelings, what we think of at times as our "petty, small-minded, mean-spirited, down on ourselves and others feelings".

Well, here is where the "how to recover from a skid" sign pointed us in just the right direction.

With the image of turning into the skid, it reminded me of Byron Katie's The Work, http://www.byronkatie.com/ and an exercise called "Judge Your Neighbor." It was important to let all the negative, "yucky" feelings express themselves. Well, no sooner did the client start into this "skid" than she was laughing at herself and feeling much freer. That led the way to some deeper insights and questions and to some stronger feelings and clearer relationships with herself and others.

Here are a few insights from the session notes that came out of this "skid." They are great to remember for balance and re-alignment in all kinds of situations.

1. When you feel like you have "hit the black ice," remember to turn into the feelings and use a technique like "judge your neighbor" and say or write all the thoughts you are having. Be as petty, small-minded, honest as you can and just get it all out. As you discovered, some of the thoughts made you laugh and in some instances, you felt you would say the same thing about yourself at times. The outcome is we discover thoughts that feel "true or truer" than the ones that originally threw you into the skid.

2. TAO (Transparent, Authentic and Open) this is a tool I learned in my Martha Beck Life Coach Training. (http://www.marthabeck.com/) and it is a simple and powerful reminder. If we start with ourselves and take responsibility for what we expect and feel and ask for what we want...it is the ASKING that is powerful.

3. I love this simple tool...ASK, ALIGN, ALLOW. I have come across this many times and I have it written on a small 3 x 5 card in my office where I run across it everyday. It is a great re-mind-er. We often want experiences that we are not quite ready for and we discover this when we "hit the skid." We can then clarify with ourselves what we want to feel, which helps us let others go, which leads to a new understanding with ourselves first, and then with our loved ones. Out of this experience, we often find we have new "contracts" with ourselves, our family, friends and our business relationships.

4. This process helped you discover the difference between loneliness and alone-ness. One feels dis-empowering, the other empowering. There is a great deal we can accomplish as a "sole/soul proprietor." You discovered that there were "mind traps" in that black ice that were telling you that you were not strong enough to make it on your own. You thought your age, lack of experience, (fill in the blank with your own "slippery thoughts!") There was a belief that experience is only gained through work and after questioning that belief, you discovered that you gain experience not just by working. You realized that you gain experience when you play, dream, sleep, talk. You gain inspiration, ideas and these then are new experiences. There was now a new belief about the wealth of new re-sources to draw upon.

5. Strong, grounded, images can counter-balance thoughts of being out of control. A large oak tree with a big, extensive root system, or a powerful, deep, flowing river, strong and independent and neutral are great tools to re-connect. Being in the natural world, in body or in spirit re-balances and re-stores. Use these and other images, waterfall, lake, or red clay to be grounded in the earth and have all four tires on the road!

Thanks to RoadTrip America for the great title. I can't wait to discover Defensive Driving Tips 1-29!

My hunch is many of you know them already...

My Success Is In My Hands

I love the energy this sentence conveys, right down to my bones. And more importantly, I know it's true.

My success is in my hands.

Stop a moment and really feel the power and the resonance of this statement. When I am in my "right" mind, I do this naturally. But there are lots of times when I am not in my right mind and I can't tell what is true and what is illusion.

This is what I have discovered over the years. Intuitive insight, just like a sword, cuts through the mind chatter and liberates and illuminates. I ask clients to stop and really listen to what they just said, "I race against the clock," "I can't hear myself think," "The walls are closing in." Now, these very expressions of frustration and limitation shift when we stop and really feel or sense the energy behind the words. Take the moment to stop and be aware of the power and intention of words. Really feel the vibration, feel the statement. Like a bell that rings and we hear the lingering music linger long after it was struck or the pebble tossed on the pond and the rings spreading out across the water long after the pebble has disappeared, words strung together have this same capacity when we really pay attention. Because words are just a vehicle for the non-verbal energy behind the words.

My success is in my hands.

Ok, so here's the magical story...

Years and years ago, I wanted to be a massage therapist. I LOVED the idea, but every time I thought about studying for a license, I had the thought, "This will kill me. I am WAY to sensitive to put my hands on people." The desire always stayed, the thought "I would love to get my hands on people...literally. I might have had my "Zen" death in my 30's had I been willing to die."

Now, after I went through the kundalini awakening, I noticed that in addition to the increased intuitive perceptions visually, I was aware of a sensitivity through my hands. Now, I still haven't trained in massage, but I do give them to friends and family. I began to notice that when I put my hands on people, I received all kinds of information about their body, health and energy. I sensed where "stress" pockets were or where stuff didn't feel balanced. It was really cool. However, I was in two other training/educational programs, so I didn't commit to massage or bodywork programs. I finished my coursework in 2009 and started my coaching business. I love what I am doing, but I still notice this desire to "get me hands on people."

I was guided to buy a book one day, that I did NOT want to buy called "Hands of Light" by Barbara Brennan, but the desire was strong, so I followed the desire. A great deal of the book still eludes part of me, but there is a lot that makes sense and has been inspirational over the last couple years. But still...

Well, this is where it felt so magical the last several months and with my mother's wise comment...thank you Mumma, it all shifted into place like a beautiful kaleidoscope and I always know when this is true because I began to cry...I was moved - message received. The details were this...

In late summer, I started working with two amazing women for their mobile fingerprinting business. If you live in the San Jose area they are Verify Group, Inc. and they have an awesome business model. I work on-call on big jobs for them. It cracked me up to get my "Fingerprint Roller" certificate. It has been a fun way to make some additional money and meet all kinds of great people.

Next, my aforementioned friend Keisha saw a posting for a free tele-course on hand analysis by a fellow Martha Beck coach named Caryn Reddick. Her business is called Success Statement and her tele-course was really fascinating. Now, my hunch is I was open and interested in Caryn's business niche only because I had recently gone to work for Verify Group. I signed up for a four week class with her to have the fingerprint analysis and have my personalized profile. Additionally, I just thought it would be interesting to have this information for my clients and tidbits for the fingerprinting jobs. SO, I started that last week and it has been fascinating and so accurate.

Well, then, as I posted this week, the beautiful image of using my fingers to read in braille floated up the other day. It was a very powerful image. Well, then my mother made a comment about having the information at my fingertips and just then, all the desire to put my hands on people flooded back in. I had this very, VERY strong sense that I had these amazing, encoded messages in my fingerprints and in my hands and Caryn's tools were a key. Life just keeps dropping images, like bread crumbs, along the trail for me to follow. We can take a LONG time between the intial desire and the physical manifestation.

So, instead of getting off-track with 10 other programs, or thoughts of a Ph.D. or three new creative adventures, my next focus will be to get certified in acupressure and see where that journey takes me. It will then be so exciting to combine my listening hands, with my creative insights and the intuitive intelligence tools...feels like a winning, "successful" combination.

Oh, one last funny piece to the story. The picture in this post...right after I finished the call with my mother, I went looking for a picture to put on the blog. I wanted an image that wasn't copyrighted and none of the free sites had what I wanted. I stumbled across this website, http://www.123rf.com/ and the home page of the site says,

"Creative images at your fingertips!"

Laugh out loud. The universe has an amazing sense of humor! For me, creative images are indeed, at my fingertips.

So, gratitude today to so many - my mother Jeannie for her insight and her unwavering support of my creative awakening, to Lisa and Susan at Verify Group, Inc. http://www.verifygroup.com/ for the fun of working with them and to Caryn Reddick for my "success statement" http://www.caryninc.com/. It is wonderful to have so many new connections.

Here is to the belief that success is in all our hands. And if you don't yet believe it, just ask Caryn, it's in your hands!

I See Better In The Dark

This post was inspired by my friend and muse Keisha Gallegos. We were having one of our many conversations recently and I said,

"I see better in the
dark."

She laughed and said, "I love it - now that is a topic for the blog."

Well, fast forward to this morning, when again, I found myself in conversation with Keisha. She was helping me walk through a sticky situation that I didn't feel good about. I talked, talked, talked; my hunch is around my feelings, when Keisha asked a really direct and great question. I could feel the wall go up. I knew I was free to have any feeling I wanted in that moment, but I didn't feel like crying...I didn't feel angry, but I wasn't completely settled either. She was really great about just letting me talk and process this way, sort of feel my way around. My friends are really great about that! We finished and I did feel that there had been a shift...and I found out a bit later just how big a shift.

I moved on from my conversation with Keisha to take a quick bath and while washing my hair, I had the image of fingers reading words in braille. The light went on...the ah ha moment. I do see better in the dark, that clear-seeing visionary. But, there are many times when I am not able to see a situation clearly for myself and when I can't see, I feel my way around. What I realized in the conversation with Keisha (and God Bless You for your patience) was I do not work something through by feeling lots of emotions. If we use the "I see better in the dark" image, then when I am not able to see myself in the dark, that is when I shift to the sense of touch and I "read" my feelings in braille. My fingertips running over the bumps and grooves in the paper, the sensitive touch of reading my emotions.

What a powerful image - very beautiful, clean and clear.

For those of us who feel with our minds first, then our hearts, stomachs and tear ducts, often in that order, I felt seen. Now how funny is that - with all of these blind, seer, vision, braille images. I was able to see myself and how I feel so clearly.

I read my feelings through touch.

For those of us with this kind of temperament and self-control, it is lovely to know we too are feeling our way along. It just looks different than the way other people feel...but we are feeling.

I have always had the sight, that clairvoyant ability to "see" beyond the physical senses...to see with my spirit eyes. It may be the Irish in me, or the strong matriaichal family line, or because I was born under the "s"ight star"...I don't know why I have it, I just do. And I didn't know what to do with this incredibly perceptive ability...it was strange and unpredictable and different.

So, I put it away.

I then proceeded to have recurring dreams for the next 20 years where I was always driving BLIND.

A coincidence? I think not.

When my spirit woke up, really woke up and was free to bring in the mystical, powerful, present love-sight back into my life, well...my in-sight came back with it. And, hence my comment to Keisha about seeing better in the dark. I close my eyes and connect with the powerful images that reveal themselves to me...like having the key to clarity. Now, sometimes, the images are not clear for myself or I can't access them, and that is why it was so amazing to receive the image of the fingers running over the pages of a book written in braille. Seeing by feeling...feeling to see...all in the dark.

In case you are wondering, I haven't had a "driving blind" dream in over four years.

You guessed it, I haven't had that dream since I "awoke a new" in 2006.

So, thank you Keisha for your love and generous spirit and for guiding me to "see" how powerfully I am feeling...one word at a time.

Keisha herself is an amazing coach and you can learn more about her at http://www.starlitpathlifecoaching.com/.

You Know You're Not in Kansas Anymore When...

The Story of Oz is timeless.

It sparks the imagination in so many ways and with the birth of Wicked several years ago, another variation of this story is inspiring new generations. The story is rich in symbolic images and inspiration. Born out of this story is the classic phrase, "You're not in Kansas anymore." We chuckle, that nervous chuckle, when we say this. Something about Kansas was comfortable, safe, known. No surprise that Kansas is the state that is smack in the middle on the map. I find this an interesting image. We leave the "middle place" to go out on a journey and experience a much bigger world and then we return to home, back where we started, only different than before.

Lots of people are going on journeys and for so many people, they are the accidental tourist, the reluctant traveler, "dazed and confused." But something different is happening right now, isn't it. Everyone can feel it, we are all so much more "sensitive." That is such an excellent word...our senses, all of them, all six, are really waking up. So many of us are feeling more and more, and numbing out less and less. And there are so many more resources available to support all this feeling. There are more specialists than ever before, really someone for everyone, be it a doctor, therapist, coach, chiropractor, shaman, psychic, spiritual teacher, friend, parent, spirit guide, massage therapist, acupuncturist, hairdresser. Depending on how far from Kansas you have traveled, you many have encountered many on the list, whether you believe in them or not. I have had powerful conversations with the lady at the post office and the perfect stranger. I love that phrase, perfect stranger. I bet a whole lot of you out there are meeting the perfect strangers...the person who shows up at just the right time, with information, opportunity or experience, the proverbial messenger.

So, here's my hunch. I went through a spontaneous and powerful spiritual awakening in 2006 and I didn't know for the five years before that what the hell was going on. I can tell you I was at times terrified, angry, exhausted, afraid, overwhelmed, defiant, stubborn. My life felt out of control and I couldn't figure it out, think my way through it. Sound familiar to anyone? So, I want to save you some time and energy and clue you in to some of the "symptoms" of a spiritual awakening. Like it or not, this is often what is happening. This way, you have more awareness and resources than fear, anger, resistance or pain. I wish for you the opportunity to feel curious, optimistic and more rested while your spirit is able to join in with your body and mind. Less work and more play!

So, (tongue in cheek) here are the top 10 "You Know Your Not In Kansas Anymore When..."

1. You begin to notice that you are made of electricity and your body tingles, buzzes, vibrates at random times. (I recommend with any physical signs that you always consult with a doctor about your symptoms and rule in or out other medical conditions.) You can have a spiritual awakening AND a physical imbalance at the same time. One doesn't exclude the other.

2. You see shimmering lights and colors around people or objects and you have never had this experience before.

3. You notice repeating numbers, patterns and events and they feel so significant and important but you don't know why.

4. You notice the repeating patterns and you are willing to share this out loud with someone you trust.

5. You feel overwhelmed with emotion, positive uncontrollable laughter or the inability to hold back tears and you feel a little crazy and out of control.

6. You are inspired to act spontaneously, go where you are guided and make decisions based on an emotional knowing or feeling rather than a rational pre-planned thought.

7. You are able to be in one room and view what is taking place in another room with the "eye in your mind." Or have a conversation in your mind with someone at 8 am and then the phone rings at 12 noon and you have the conversation all over again. You are able, just like the movie theatre, to "preview" coming attractions.

8. You experience a sense of calm and peacefulness like you have never experienced before.

9. Your dreams are powerful and prophetic and your "dream-life" starts to become your "waking-life."

10. You write, draw, paint deeply significant and meaningful images or words but you have no idea what until later and then you discover that it is something significant and the electrical, physical sensations start and you are back at number 1 on the list.

This kind of awakening is intense and often physical. Know that there is lots of support and guidance out there...though, I have a hunch that you already know this!

Curious? Let Go and Find Out...

I am curious.

I think I have always been curious, but for many years it was masked under a lot of blind-control, i.e. fear, anxiety, nice and careful choices.

Well, the blinders came off several years ago and with this new found vision came the experience of curiosity. I wonder about things, I am excited, open, aware. It is such an interesting and alive way to live as oppose to the oftentimes oppressive way I lived before. There is a freedom to experiment more, to fall and fail, to start again...and a wonderful by-product of curiosity is LAUGHTER. I notice that I laugh a lot now.

Out loud.

Sometimes a big, out loud laugh several times a day...sometimes several times an hour. I have even clocked laughing several times in one minute! Pure heaven to laugh so much. I don't recall having some much to laugh about...now, there have been some challenging times the last several years and believe me when I say, all those aphorisms are correct:

"Laughter is the best medicine,"

"Laugh and the whole world laughs with you,"

"If you don't laugh, you'll cry," (well, there has been plenty of crying too, which is also good, but that is a post for another day.)

I like this idea of curiosity and I will continue to explore more...

For the moment, I am happy...and curious!

Symbols: The Universal Language

Today is 10-10-10...the 10th month on the 10th day in the "10th" year! A day like any other day or is it? That is the amazing opportunity when inspired by symbols...the universal language! This idea of 10 10 10 will mean different things to every person who sees and connects...that is the beauty of this particular language. Though universal, it has the capacity, just like other languages to transmit, if you will, different meanings through different sources! So, what "source" are you? What does 10 10 10 inspire in you today?

I have always noticed patterns, puzzles and symbols throughout my life and after 2006, they took on an even deeper meaning and source of inspiration and guidance. For years now, 10:10 on the clock and 11:11 have been patterns I notice A LOT! Others have shared that for them, they have times where the pattern is 12:34 or 9:11. It is a fun and creative way to "receive" inspiration through day to day objects, clocks, signs on the freeway, ads on television (if anyone is even watching anymore with all those DVR's) a random passage in a book and on and on and on! When we notice these patterns or "random" bits of information that don't seem so random, it feels like we are having a conversation with something bigger than ourselves, be it life, the universe, God, our higher self, our intuitive intelligence. For me, I have found these "conversations" to be incredibly "en-lightening" and the gift of this awareness has brought a tremendous sense of freedom, liberation and peace to my life. I hear from others, family, friends and clients too, that being aware and noticing of sychronistic symbols and information has brought peace and freedom to them as well.

Now, we won't always know what the symbol means, but over time, just like an amazing dream; the key if you will, the decoder ring, the "ah ha" moment shows up and there is a clarity and a shift in perception and "zing"...a falling into place! And then the experience starts all over again!

I began to notice 10 10 10 after I went through a spontaneous kundalini awakening in 2006...along with a whole host of other symbols. What struck me about 10 10 10 was that it resembled the binary code used in programming...a series of 1's and 0's. Now, for me, this is a hilariously obscure piece of information that I remembered from a basic programming class. I was a college recruiter for an electronics company in my 20's. In order to better understand our products and programming, I took a introductory course at a local community college! Who would have thought that this information would prove to be so inspirational so many years later. Programming is achieved by using a series of combinations of 1's and 0's. In addition, there are only two commands, ON and OFF or said another way, OPEN and CLOSED! This was a great reminder of my own programming, my own on and off switch! What was open and what was closed? Hence, for me, why 10 10 10 today feels so special...there is a sense of magic about it!

So, what is speaking to you today? What patterns have you noticed? What is getting your attention? It may not be 10, 10, 10...but my hunch is that you have noticed something, even peripherally. I invite the awareness to come into focus, to literally speak to you today, and you are free to speak back! In my case, learning to speak this language has literally changed my life...and I am reminded of the line from the film Jerry McGuire..."you had me at hello!"

Entrance Next Door

Yesterday was a funky day...and I know NO one here has ever had one of those! More and more though, the feeling out of sorts, not "self" days, happen less and less, so when this kind of day arrives, I pay attention. Now, don't get me wrong, there is still the part that is agitated, worked-up, unsettled and unhappy, but there is always this other part that is aware-watching, listening and learning.

Side-Bar: I just looked up "funky" because I wondered why I choose this word to describe yesterday and of all the definitions, "old, musty, strange" fit the bill...and here's my hunch why.

There has been a lot of new in my life the last several weeks, new work, new clients, new office and new in family life...new schools, new opportunities and a lot of new possibilities. And in the last several weeks, with all this creating and working with new people, I "forgot" where the "entrance" to me is...entering into new lives, relationships, work contracts has so many doorways opened up that I missed my entrance; that place that feels calm, centered and peaceful even when all the doorways are open. I notice this yesterday because the whole day was "open", not one appointment on the calendar and there was a restlessness in this quiet, an agitation. It ended up being a day of cleaning and I am grateful for the image of all that "cleaning." I scrubbed the grout in the kitchen tile, cleaned up the recycling bins, scooped dog poop, vacuumed and washed the walls in the stairwell. It is interesting that so many insights come while vacuuming! I've had this experience before...and as I vacuumed and washed, I imagined the same experience in my mind and body and spirit! The "vacuum" of the day was an effective "vacuum" and I sense that a lot was cleaned without my THINKING about it!

I feel refreshed today and full of my own energy. Each has there own value. The not "comfortable in my own skin" day yesterday was an experience in feeling and sensing and just being.

Turns out that it was a "funky" day for a lot of other people yesterday! Glad that so much "cleaning and sorting" out is taking place for so many.

And if you are having a funky sort of day today...stop and check where the entrance is...and if it is next door - walk home!

Going Up In Flames

I wanted to share this hilarious experience I had this evening because I think it is VERY familiar to so many people...it just shows up in different ways for different people.

OK, first client in the new office today at 5:30! SO exciting and happy to share the new space...it really came together BEYOND my wildest expectations and everyone has said such lovely things about the space. So, first client in the new space is one of my very first clients going back almost two years now. We were both tickled that she had the first appointment!

Now, setting the stage for the appointment: I LOVE to create the space for the session, I have had this ritual for several months...beautiful lighting, music and candles. The office looked lovely; the space warm and inviting. After the session, I blew out the candles and turned out the lights and walked out to the car with my client. I mentioned that I wanted to double-check the thermostat and bid her good-night and went back in for a second time to check everything again. I know about this "double-checking" thing with me because it has come up before when I am the one responsible for closing up. So, I re-check the whole office and then walk out, lock up the office, lock up the front gate and walk to me car again. I am STILL thinking about those candles...I know they are out, but what if they spontaneously combust because they had been lit just a little while ago. So, back in I go a third time and I fill a cup with water and sprinkle them, just a tad, so that I KNOW the non-existent flame has been doused. I lock the office, I lock the front gate, I get in the car and I am driving out of the parking lot when I make it three spaces down and pull in! AARRGGH, I feel crazy...I just can't pull out...I am laughing at myself and I close my eyes and get quiet and use my coaching tools and prayers, trust and let go...and I STILL can't leave. I think...I am not spending the night here! So, I go in for a fourth time armed with a box from the back of the car and I take all the candles I lit with me! Ah, the relief to the crazy control part of the brain that thinks, well, the candles you lit and blew out can't now re-lit themselves in the office all by themselves because now they will be with ME! OMG, it was really a hilarious and self-revealing experience.

I realize I have had this "fear" of causing an accidental fire for a long time...I just never really saw the whole picture clearly until tonight. This is a great metaphor for what has happened to me the last several years. Life has "set me on fire" and sometimes I am afraid of this awesome power...and that's OK! Because there are equally the times when I am "going up in flames" and I am curious, happy, blissful...when all the candles are burning!

So, am I lighting candles for the next session when I am the last one in the office? You betcha...because at the end of the day, I know I can take those beautiful "simmering just under the surface-I may burst into flames at any moment candles" home with me!

What is "going up in flames" in your life? What is "simmering" just below the surface of all that lovely control?

What's Blooming?

"A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when last it arrives."

~Mark Twain

I realized today as I was creating a syllabus for a four week course that I was CREATING! Where a half hour earlier, there was nothing concrete on the page, just the blank canvas, within that brief time, it all came together. I truly had the "ah ha" moment that this experience was a stepping stone to the larger experience of writing a book. The book will come in images, ideas and then words, paragraphs, pages, chapters. It will build over time, but today, the experience of writing the course outline showed me that the book is a dream that is rooted in a concrete foundation that is still unfolding. I am SO curious to see how this will happen...even though it will be happening to me, well through me!

I was inspired to create this course because I want to share more of the experience of sensing energy. It is something that I am passionate about. And information mingled with inspiration was available through me onto the page. It took time, energy, thought and creativity, but it happened, it exists on paper and starting next Tuesday, I will use this course outline to teach a four week class. And I am truly inspired to share more about intuition and how it speaks to us and guides and inspires and it will be exciting to put those ideas, stories and experiences to paper!

This radiant sense of blooming has been growing over the last several years, with innumerable challenges along the way. However, I knew deep within that this was unfolding, one petal at a time. There is that sense in awakening and being lived that the dance between resistance and release ebbs and flows. This is truly how "creativity" is born...through the release of resistance. Creativity isn't something we do, it is something that is done to us.

I love this picture of the orange chrysanthemums...it is a beautiful image of unfolding and radiantly blooming in the world. I have a dear friend, Lisa, who is assisting with creating my office space. She found the most wonderful images of chrysanthemums on a website called Dalidecals.com. They are removable decals and I think I will decorate one wall in the office with them! What better symbol for transformation than open, vibrant, blooming flowers!

So, to all today that are blooming, or tucked in a bud, or somewhere in between, may you discover through your own powerful experiences what is possible...what's blooming?

The Space In Between

The space in between...

The first time I ever experience the space in between, not thought about it, or analyzed it or challenged it, just experienced it was in meditation. It just lite up that the space between things seemed vital somehow, in a way I couldn't quite grasp with my mind. Like a word that sits just on the tip of the tongue but doesn't roll off.



At this same time, the word intercostal popped into my mind. I didn't exactly know what this word meant or why it came to visit in that quiet "absence of thought" moment. But arrive it did. I remember looking up the word: intercostal: the space between the ribs. Huh, not the rib itself, or the ribcage or the lungs, but the "space in between the ribs." I remember feeling at the time that I was being guided to pay attention to this space.
I hear this a lot. "I know where I am and I know where I want to be, but that darn, call it a million different names, the void, the abyss, the space in between must be dealt with first!"

What is it really this...space? Have you investigated?
My sister Amy uses a great analogy of the trapeze...letting go of one before catching, securely, the other trapeze...

The fear rises up then...what will happen next.

One day it hit me that the space in between isn't all those adjectives above. The thinking mind creates that thought, the survival mind that want to be secure creates the void, the abyss, the free fall.

The space in between is the PRESENT. The ever present NOW...and as Eckart Tolle describes...it is powerful.

So, checkout, investigate, reflect on the space in between...between what? The past and the future? Well, now, isn't that the present? Isn't it always the present? Just like that funny expression, "well, it is 12 noon somewhere in the world!" Well, it is high noon right now...so pay attention to what is happening right now and the discovery will be that there is only the space in between...

Punctuation

It occurred to me the other day that the metaphor of punctuation was apt in looking at the way I viewed life. I observed this "punctuation" if you will, not only in my own life but in the lives of my clients as they explore their intuitive wisdom and abilities...as they tap into the amazing amount of energy all around us.

For many years, I noticed that life was a series of periods. Ah, project finished, task completed, dot the eye and cross the proverbial "T."

And after the awakening in 2006, there was an awareness of the ellipsis... a form of punctuation that I see so often in writing today, no more periods, no false stops, but an awareness that there is a continual stream noted by the simple ...

Now, I have been aware lately of another shift in punctuation. I see life as a series of commas, pauses, sometimes short, sometime INTERMINABLY long, but only pauses, not endings. And you know what, there is a calmness, a peaceful core that feels the truth of this...life is a series of commas.

What is your punctuation? What do you notice in the "accents" to your story, the story of your life? How will it be punctuated today?

Horton Hears A Who

"I am here, I am here."

That is what the "little who" says to Horton in Dr. Seuss's classic tale.

This is what the writer within continues to say, in a quiet little whisper, sometimes almost imperceptible voice.

But speak it does.

And I am listening.


I have an intention, a dream, a plan, a goal, a journey, (alright, I know you get it, it's me I am talking too) to write a book. I believe in the power of the intuitive voice to change, to heal, to transform and this is what I intend to write about and to share.

Funny You Would Say That:

This Is Your Intuition Speaking.

The "soul" purpose of this blog is to aid in that plan...to write.

So, I begin again this journey with this small writing step.

And just like Horton, I believe and I hear the "who" that is speaking to me and through me.

So, I ask, are you listening to that "little who" inside and what, oh what does it want you to hear?

Past...Present...Future

I love this picture and the feelings I have when I see it. I feel free, the blue sky and the ever present, well, PRESENT. I am aware of the sense of wonder at opportunities that I am receiving now, but the "creating" of them happened months ago. Here's what happened. Over the last year, I have really been building my coaching practice and I am also open to working creating money in other jobs, which in turn create more opportunities to support the coaching practice. (I LOVE coaching and consulting...love it, love it, love it)

I have several new clients and my current office is two chairs in my family room! One of my clients suggested that I use my living room as an office space, (brilliant idea Lisa) but I knew I would want to put doors in the archways to create the privacy. Well, I have no money to put doors on the living room, but in order to continue seeing clients throughout the summer when the kids are off school, I know I will come up with the funds from somewhere! Really, I can SEE those doors!

So, literally, the next day, my cell phone rings. Now, mostly my cell phone goes to voicemail and I check messages, but today, I am expecting a call from someone and I think this is the call, so I answer. Well, it is the 2010 Census calling to offer me a job. I had long since given up on the Census. I had easily applied over a year ago, filling out forms, taking a test, following up and never hearing back. Then, out of the blue (like the picture!) they offered me a two month position, training just up the street and with the first week of work, I can pay for the doors! I'm ecstatic...I plan to enjoy this experience working for Census and I am excited for the resources. Well, a few days later, I get a call asking if I am available to work part-time with a summer school program just for a few weeks...dovetails nicely with the census job wrapping up...yes, yes, yes I say! Then, a woman emails asking if I want to be a speaker for her organization. I find out that she took one of my cards from an event I attend six months ago...yes, yes, yes I say! I will speak on Unleashing Creativity in October. I told her that 97% of me was excited...the other 3% would like more information since I have not created and given a presentation in the last millennium. But my "future self" feels supremely confident and ready.

I love the surprise of these opportunities showing up and I love even more that my response is "Yes, yes, yes I say," even though I have no idea what is coming next. I do however trust that life has the most delicious and amazing experiences in store for me, past, present and future and I am grateful for each and every one that comes my way. Training for the Census starts at the end of the month and the work is flexible so I can continue to see clients and get my doors! And with those doors in place, there is no end to what I envision in the future for my coaching practice.

So, know that you already have the money in the bank and watch life make deposit after deposit. Trust and then...ask the 3%, or the 50% or the 97% of you to get out of the way and watch what happens when we co-create! Now, go create some future experiences and then trust that they are on there way...because they are, they are, they are!

Expected Surprises

This is a phrase I coined a few years ago after noticing that I knew what was coming all along...a sense that I was meeting a moment in the future that had been foretold to me, at some point, in some way, at some time. Like the twists and turns on a rollercoaster, the expected drops that thrill and spill one's stomach into the throat, just like the rollercoaster ride...I have come to expect the thrills, the spills, the drops, the long pull up the scary hill and the wild plunge down the other side...oh, and those banks, twists and turns...always a favorite part of the ride...Imagine my delight and pleasure when I came upon this quote last summer when working on a paper in my masters program.

"A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when last it arrives..."

~Mark Twain

Well, it was a lovely, lovely quote and oh, so familiar...I had sensed this same experience and noted it with the phrase "expected surprises"...well, as my sister Martha would say, "Yeah, me and Mark, were just like this!" (imagine fingers crossed when saying this phrase) It did feel like lovely company I was keeping, to stumble upon the same experience as Mark Twain and to write about it as well! The book can't be very far behind, I think...yes, I do imagine a book and this is part of laying the groundwork, practicing with writing, sharing thoughts, exploring intuition, experiences, awakenings, energy, and the indescribable sense of magic in the world. (Note: a quick tip on formatting...I liked the idea of putting the quote in italics, but now I can't get the format to turn off, hence everything is in italics...I am going with it because I am!)

Ok, this was the quick thought running through for tonight...expected surprises...my kids were expected surprises, my marriage, this amazing new life as a transformational coach and intuitive consultant, and a million other examples...we know more than we realize we know...Inquire within...the expected surprises are waiting...

As always, I welcome your stories...I have a hunch that is how I will create a book called "Funny You Would Say That!" Please share your expected surprises and how your intuition speaks to you!

Good Night (in italics)