I Am a Little Pencil...

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world. - Mother Teresa

I have just moved forward toward publishing the book I have been working on - off and on - for a while now. There has been a period in which I could not do much writing and I was frustrated about it, feeling like I was failing, but I have now realized that I have actually been working on it more "on" than "off", even if it did not seem so. Events of my life have been telling the story, with me living the book even when I was not writing. The experiences ARE the book - the seeking, the learning, the practicing - all a necessary part of what is being said. It is one thing to write about something from your head, telling others how to be, but the experience of living it, obstacles and all, makes it from the heart. To write this book from the heart, from the soul, I needed to live it fully, and God provided me with wonderful opportunities to "practice what I preach".

I needed to learn to let go of my own fears and just trust Him, knowing that everything we need is provided at exactly the time we need it, and when we are ready to allow it. I needed to clear areas of my life that were holding me back, some of which had been holding me back my entire life, patterns that ran deep. I needed to learn to love me, because the love I give others is not complete until I really love and appreciate myself. I needed to learn that I am deserving, and special, and that I have many gifts from God to share with the world, to help make it a better place. I needed to let go of the effects of a world that beats us up, telling us that we are less, forcing us to conform to its way, which are not always in line with who we really are.

At the beginning of this year, I started hosting a facebook page studying "A Course In Miracles". Its ideas correspond to many of the thoughts on this blogsite, and the ideas that I have been learning since I started down this journey of spiritual awakening. ACIM shows us a systematic path on which to undo some of our worldly conditioning so that we can return to God in a truer fashion, through returning to our own power that is activated by love. It shows us how to release our fear emotions, which include doubt, guilt, judgment, and uncertainty. Although I had studied ACIM previously, going throught the exercises again at this time, after I had cleared many obstacles, has been immensely helpful. Doing it with others through facebook, I believe, has given me an added power. As we seek to grow spiritually, we are uplifted by others who are doing the same.

As I move forward in finishing the book and publishing it, I keep in mind Mother Teresa'a quote and ask to be a little pencil in the hand of God. I know these experiences I have had are through God, and I ask to be an accurate messenger of ideas that will help others find God, find peace, find love for themselves and others so that our world can be a better place. If you have enjoyed this blogsite, please hold me up in the light to help me complete this task in a way that brings light to others.

We are all pencils of God, whether we are writing, expressing other gifts, or simply living in a way that shows compassion and acceptance of others, remembering that we are all One. Find your avenue to be a little pencil, to open to your gifts and share with others. Your life will have new meaning and you will have more joy and peace.

Looking Toward 2010

As we move past Christmas and toward the New Year, it is a good time to set intentions for 2010. New Year's resolutions are something that are practiced by many, although most of us would probably admit that we falter along the way. I think that part of the reason we falter is that we set out with good intentions, but our goals are still indicative of our previous priorities. We do not really go inward enough in our process of "being more" for the coming period. Usually, we limit our resolutions to things like getting in shape, losing weight, exercising more, etc; but in setting these goals, we don't really change our general ways or outlook on them. We do not approach them in different ways, nor do we go to the real root of the obstacles.

Einstein has been credited as saying that "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. We approach our problems in very much the same way that we have in the past, never really examining what might be the real cause, never looking deeper into ourselves to fix things on a more meaningful level, just taking an outward approach.

I believe, and I have seen in myself and others, that the answers to our problems - be they of health, relationship, financial, or other nature - lie within ourselves; that we can heal ourselves and mend our difficulties by getting real with what they are and addressing them differently. Once we acknowledge the root and surrender to it, we release the hold it has on us, we remove the cloud that it has caused over us. You cannot release a problem that you cannot acknowledge, yet we tend to run from the real cause of our problems because we do not want to make the changes to fix them.

We have become such conditioned creatures, following the world in every aspect of our lives - seeking to be "normal", letting others define what will (or should) make us happy. We follow the patterns set forth for a "good life" never really seeking to find "our way", nor search for our true purpose for being here. However, each of us has a purpose that we came here to fulfill, and each purpose has some root in getting real (finding Truth) and giving and receiving love, remembering that we are One - with each other and with God. The ultimate purpose for our existence is as simple as that. We each may have different avenues to get there, or different talents and gifts to enhance the lives of others, but it is all rooted in learning to love without strings attached, to accept that we are all good and perfect beings, and to allow our goodness to shine through.

If you have resolutions and intentions, I can tell you that the way to stick to them is to align them with your purpose. Surrender to it, ask for it to be revealed to you, then try not to resist it. By this act, you will begin to get aligned, and therefore fill voids that have been left unfulfilled and strained your existence, allowing you contentment, which makes way for joy. It is a process of awakening that will then align you with the Universe, with Divine energy that will show you the way.

Make your resolution to step into your Higher Self and true purpose. Then let God do the rest, in God's way...not your way, not society's way, not your church's way, not your friend's way...and perhaps a way that you or no one else could have figured out. That is what makes it Divine. Listen, and you will hear the way. Keep and open mind, and be willing to follow and explore. Let 2010 be your year of awakening to more. You will be in good company, because many others are hearing the call. By joining in, we each empower others.

(Note: I will be facilitating a discussion and study of the text "A Course In Miracles" in 2010 on Facebook. This is a good method of letting go of fear and looking at things anew, seeing through the eyes of love. To join our "fan page", please CLICK HERE).

Messed Up Life or Perfect Path?

A few nights ago, when I had the television on, I kept hearing an advertisement from a local church heavily pushing a new series they have entitled, "My Messed Up Life". This ad was on at least 5 or 6 times in an hour time frame. I can understand that the church is probably trying to help people in this time of heightened difficulty or crisis, but it struck me that our perception of the obstacles that come our way plays a great part in their outcome or in what we ultimately get from them. My post yesterday, "Are You Choosing Heaven" discusses this. If we perceive our life as only "messed up" or full of problems, rather than seeing the beauty of opportunity in those events, then we will stay in a "messed up" state, possibly finding a band-aid fix to the immediate pain, but not getting to the deeper root of it.

I believe that our problems are usually one of two things:
1) Our own creation through our fears and negative thoughts about ourselves or others.
2) Exactly what we need for learning and perfecting...a situation has been sent our way to teach us what we came here to learn and give us and opportunity to "get it".

Rather than going inward and understanding ourselves better, getting in touch with our souls and what is trying to be told to us, we tend to run elsewhere for a quick fix, often to other individuals or institutions who have the exact same problem. Lately, our societal attentions have been very focussed on economic troubles. These are presented to us as only a bad thing - how sad, how terrible...who can we blame or get angry at? In reality, the economic "troubles" are a gift allowing us the mass opportunity to get back to a simpler, less materialistic, more real life...one that does not rely on outer things to measure our success. If we feel lack from having less money or less security, it is only because we do not look at it in the right light, as a chance to simplify and truly enjoy a life that is off of the treadmill, one that is better than the materialistic norms that we have come to believe are good.

In the case of this church, I cannot say their intent with this "messed up life" message, but from the way they have repeated these ads over and over, I think it is fair to say that they are doing a hard (and expensive) sell to get more people in the pews. Not that such an endeavor is a bad thing in and of itself, but the irony is that their own example seems to have been one that bought into the "more is better" concept, living an example of materialism or outward possessions for measuring success,much like the behavior of the general public which created many of the financial troubles. It is a mega church like many that grew rapidly over the last decade or so, partly through hard sells such as this. From the comments of members and their outward impressions, it seemed that worth and success have been measured very much by buildings, jumbotrons, large high edn cafeterias, and massive structures. I understand that this church is perhaps trying to heal pain (both its own and that of the community) with the "messed up life" series, but I have to wonder if its example has not been part of the problem that it is now wanting to "save" others from. I have to wonder if, and hope that, they have first examined their own priorities before providing others advice. A pulpit carries such power, sometimes justified, sometimes not. If the energy or philosophy behind the message is in error or if the leaders are not examining the church's priorities or example, the results can be very damaging. There is an old saying that you have to "clean out your own backyard before you clean out others.", and that is something that we all need to heed for our own spiritual cleansing...being more concerned about how we can cleanse and fix our own situation before we start fixing other people, or even deciding that they need fixing.

But my bigger question or frustration about the "messed up life" message is why a church, people of God, cannot simply sit back and appreciate that there is beauty in struggle, that it sometimes means God is speaking to us as individuals, then get out of the way and let God do the talking and the teaching through experiences that we are given. God can teach much better than anyone else, and direct experiences with God are much more powerful than what another can create for us. Letting go and letting God is a wonderful way to live, both in our churches and in our personal or professional lives, but we often run for the quick fix.

Einstein (one of my favorite persons to quote) said,
"You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew."

We MUST learn to see the world anew, to see God anew, to see the beauty around us rather than the mess. The first step in doing that is to release the limitations we have placed upon God, and open ourselves up to new ideas. I KNOW that God is waiting for us to make this step, and has miracles in store for each of us who does so. I have experienced it in my own life to the extent that I am regularly in awe of the way God works and how things work out that I never could have imagined possible. I have seen the same in others that I work with through Reiki, intuitive readings,distance energy, prayers,deep discussion, or just sharing our own miracles. Once a person is ready for that interaction with God and declares or seeks that, it WILL come, in a much more powerful way than a series about fixing your life, or a book, or a blog can do. These things can lead us down a path, but until we go directly to God and ask for his personal partnership (one that is direct and not subject to others' limitations), until we take charge of our own relationship with God and take responsibility for it, letting go of the old to see anew (like Jesus did), we cannot have our very best relationship with Him, nor can we live out our fullest potential or our Divine plan and purpose.

I know that some who are reading this blog are feeling a resonance within their souls that there is something to this message, because many of us are being awakened in mass at this time. We KNOW there is more, but we are sometimes afraid to seek it because of limitations that have been placed in our brains about what God is or is not, or because those around us might question or scorn us. But are those people who want to hold you back with respect to God acting in your best interest? I think not. They cannot replace what God can provide for you, if you will only ask for it and allow it. Seek more, find more. It is there for you...just ask, and follow.

I am happy to help people find a path that works for them in connecting with God, angels, and their greater purpose (and I believe doing so is part of my purpose), but I ultimately leave the specific course up to them because only the individual can decide what God wants from them or what their purpose or best path is. If anyone is reading this and would like to try some energy work or other avenues through my assistance, feel free to contact me: sherri@angelstouchtherapy.com, or read my website for more information: angelstouchtherapy.com